New York Liberty Guard Sabrina Ionescu Appears in Famous Game Show's Answer

Former Oregon Ducks and current New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu was featured in a Jeopardy! game show answer last week. Ionescu and the Liberty are the defending WNBA champions and remain undefeated this season with a record of 8-0.
Jun 1, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) drives past Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (31) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Jun 1, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) drives past Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (31) during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | John Jones-Imagn Images

Former Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu was the answer to a Jeopardy! question on their June 5 show. The player on Jeopardy! chose the “Winning Shot” category for $1,000. 

“This star of Romanian heritage hit from near the center court logo to put the New York Liberty up a game in the 2024 WNBA Finals,” Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings said. 

One of the players on the show named Sarah correctly answered “Who is Sabrina Ionescu.”

Sabrina Ionescu’s Game Winning Shot in WNBA Finals

Oct 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her 3-point basket against
Oct 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her 3-point basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the second half of game three of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Sabrina Ionescu hit the biggest shot in her professional basketball career career last season in the 2024 WNBA Finals. Heading into game three of the best of five series, Ionescu and the Liberty were tied 1-1 with the Minnesota Lynx. With 10 seconds left in a tie game at 77-77, the Liberty had the ball. 

Ionescu had the ball in her hand just past half court and got Lynx guard Kayla McBride in an isolation. Ionescu created space just inside the mid-court logo and drained a deep three-pointer with one second remaining, giving the Liberty an 80-77 lead. This stunned the Minnesota home crowd.

The Lynx weren’t able answer and the Liberty took a 2-1 series lead. Minnesota bounced back on their home floor in Game Four, extending the season to a winner take all Game Five back in New York. In a low scoring game, the Liberty outlasted the Lynx by a final score of 67-62 in overtime. This win secured the first WNBA Finals in New York Liberty franchise history.

The Liberty were one of the original eight WNBA teams when the league had its inaugural season in 1997. The Liberty had previously made the WNBA Finals five different times, but lost all of them. They finally were able to get over the hump in 2024.

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New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx on Another WNBA Finals Collision Course?

Oct 20, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Cecilia Zandalasini (9) looks to drive past New York Liberty gu
Oct 20, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Minnesota Lynx forward Cecilia Zandalasini (9) looks to drive past New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in the second quarter during game five of the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx were the last two teams standing in 2024 and it looks like that could happen again in 2025. Neither team has lost a game yet, with the Lynx 9-0 and the Liberty 8-0. The next closest team in third place in the WNBA is the Atlanta Dream with a record of 5-3. 

New York is led by their elite one-two punch of Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu. Stewart is averaging 19.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. Ionescu is averaging 17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. 

Minnesota is led by Napheesa Collier, who leads the entire WNBA in scoring with 25.5 points per game. She also averages 8.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The Lynx have also got a big contribution from Kayla McBride, who averages 17.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

Could there be a WNBA Finals rematch on the horizon?


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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.

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