Sabrina Ionescu, four-time WNBA All-Star and champion with the New York Liberty, joined FanSided this week on behalf of her partnership with global healthcare leader Abbott and the Abbott Dream Team. The Abbott Dream Team program will seek out talented soccer players from across the United States and give them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Madrid where they will showcase their skills and learn from Real Madrid’s legendary coaches and Abbott nutrition experts. Eligible players can sign up for a tryout at abbottdreamteam.com.
Though the WNBA is currently on pause during an ever-intensifying set of CBA negotiations, that hasn't been able to slow down the ferocity of the sea change. Women's basketball remains at the fandom forefront, and though Sabrina Ionescu has been medically inactive during the recently concluded Unrivaled three-on-three season, she's still been able to remain grateful from an Oregon Duck's-eye view for the connectivity with fans that the action has provided.
"It's a huge win for us just in, you know, the, the nature of understanding the importance of continuing to grow your game and be better," Ionescu told FanSided. "Obviously, Unrivaled continues to do a great job of investing in basketball players, but also understanding how the game of three-on-three is being played and how you can continue to have kind of a smaller court. Fans can be closer to the players that are playing and you kind of get a different experience than in a five-on-five game.
"So I think it's been super exciting to see the growth of of the Unrivaled league this year and how we've just been able to bring in more fans."
Sabrina Ionescu has watched fellow WNBA stars keep momentum high with Unrivaled tour
Unsurprisingly, Brooklyn was the site of one of the thunderous and energy-packed late-season Unrivaled playoff matchups, with the New York Liberty's home court providing a bustling backdrop for the hybrid action. Liberty games have been some of the city's most electric events, and Ionescu's logo-hoisting prowess has been a massive part of that growth.
There's plenty at play here, but the shooter's mentality is an easy one to connect to. Ionescu has clinched a pivotal Finals game with a deep shot straight out of an NBA 2K dare (but she knew it was going in as soon as she launched, thanks to extensive practice). She's competed in a three-point shootout with Steph Curry at NBA All-Star Weekend (and told FanSided she wouldn't return to the event unless she could rematch with Steph specifically). She's the current embodiment of the Mamba Mentality, and though she was absent from the Unrivaled season, she's clearly grateful for the work they did in keeping the flame stoked for whenever the WNBA returns.
And when that return comes, she'll have a few familiar enemies in her sights.
"I wouldn't say it's really a player (matchup that motivates me)," Ionescu clarified. "I'd say it's always like a team, and it's always usually the team that beats you the year before or that you're kind of like in the Finals with."
"And so, for us, it's, you know, been Vegas or Minnesota or any of those teams who are always competing and kind of, you know, in your way of trying to win."
In other words, when the Aces or Lynx come to Brooklyn, and Ionescu can release a whole reservoir of pent-up hostility and well-honed execution ... pull up.