Liberty Star Announces Investment in Soccer Club

New York Liberty point guard and champion Sabrina Ionescu is used to capitalizing on a kick out. This time, she's found a new form of currency for it.

Ionescu revealed her investment into Bay FC, a second-year club in the National Women's Soccer League, this week. The announcement comes just under two weeks before the club kicks off its second season in the Bay Area.

"I have full faith in the Club’s vision and its potential to make a profound impact within and beyond women’s soccer," Ionescu said in a statement from the team. "As someone with deep ties to the Bay Area, this opportunity holds even more significance, and I am truly honored to be a part of such a special endeavor to continue to grow women’s sports.”

Having firmly established herself as on the most memorable names in modern women's basketball, Ionescu is looking to share the financial windfall back in her hometown. A native of Walnut Creek—about an hour's drive from Bay FC's home turf of PayPal Park in San Jose—Ionescu now seeks to extend the financial fortune she and so many others have brought to the WNBA to another rising women's league.

Ionescu's financial impact has emerged in several ways this winter: amidst competing for Phantom BC in Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart's Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, Ionescu has engaged in several ambassadorial trips and appearances for AT&T, Michelob Ultra, Tissot, and more. She has shut down her Unrivaled activities in preparation for a showcase tour of Asia with Nike, which is set to tip off later this month.

In addition to serving as an investor, Ionescu also holds the title of commercial advisor to the club. She joins a club whose founders and previous investors include United States women's national soccer team stars Brandi Chastain, Leslie Osborne, Danielle Slaton, and Aly Wagner.

"I want to invest, but I want it to be more than just transactional," Ionescu told Kendra Andrews of ESPN. "I want to grow my relationship with the team and the players and be able to bring in the relationships that I have and what I've learned on the business side of things to help with their overall brand partnership strategy."

Bay FC opens its 2025 season on March 15 against Utah Royals FC (7:30 p.m. ET, Ion). Ionescu's first postseason championship defense, which will feature a trip to the Bay Area now that the Golden State Valkyries have entered the league, gets underway on May 17, when Liberty face the Las Vegas Aces in Brooklyn.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!