Skip to main content
Women's Fastbreak On SI

Sabrina Ionescu Makes Note of Liberty Snub from Biggest New York Athletes List

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu didn't seem to appreciate being left off a list of top New York athletes.
Grant Young|
Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts against the LA Sparks in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Aug 28, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts against the LA Sparks in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty secured their franchise's first WNBA championship during the 2024 season. This was a massive deal for not only the Liberty but all of New York City, as the Big Apple had been experiencing a pronounced championship drought before this victory.

Prior to the Liberty's 2024 WNBA title, New York City had not won a championship across the four major sports leagues since 2011, when the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI against the New England Patriots.

Considering that New York has more sports championships than any other city (by a long shot, which is mainly owed to the New York Yankees' 27 World Series titles), 11 years might have felt like an eternity for the New York faithful.

While the Liberty's victory was a clear team effort, there's no question that they wouldn't have reached this point without their four biggest stars: Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Leonie Fiebich.

However, none of these WNBA icons were included on a Fox Sports list of 'The [10] biggest athletes currently playing for New York sports teams'.

The list included, in order, New York Mets slugger Juan Soto, New York Yankees star and 2024 AL MVP Aaron Judge, New York Knicks standout Jalen Brunson, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers, New York Mets defender Sauce Gardner, Jets wide receiver Davante Adams, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, and Mets first baseman Pete Alonso.

Ionescu didn't seem happy about this list, as she replied to the X post with a Gif of her writing something down on a notepad.

This snub is surely not going to go over well among the Liberty fanbase.

Recommended Reading:

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

Share on XFollow GrvntYoung
Home/News