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Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, 24, became the youngest player in WNBA history to score as many doubles three times in her career, as she achieved that feat in an 88-86 loss last Sunday. Chicago Sky.
She also became the first player in tournament history to have a brace in her first three-quarters of a game.
Ionescu had 27 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for her second double since joining the WNBA as the No. 1 pick in 2020 in Oregon, where she had an NCAA record 26 triple-double in his college career. Ionescu’s first double at the WNBA took place in May 2021.
“I don’t care about the triple triple; we didn’t win,” Ionescu said on Sunday. “I’m just trying to do my part well, keep getting better every day, keep learning from my teammates, from this coaching staff.”
However, Ionescu’s feat is making others admire. She nearly hit a brace in Liberty’s win over Minnesota on Tuesday – 26 points, eight rebounds, eight assists despite sitting out the entire fourth quarter – and she was the catalyst for New York in Game 4 -2 recently ran after a seven-game losing streak. Ionescu has averaged 24.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists in those six games.
When asked what helped elevate Ionescu’s game, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said, “Very confident and know that we believe in her. She’s a great player, and she is. It just keeps getting better.”
Ionescu joins Chicago’s Candace Parker as the only players to have had more than three triple doubles in WNBA regular games, with Parker having the second on May 22, aged 36. Parker’s first was on in 2017, when she played for Los. Angeles Sparks.
Parker’s Sky teammate Courtney Vandersloot and retired player Sheryl Swoopes are the only other WNBA players to have had multiple triple-doubles in their careers, including playoffs. As for Vandersloot, they came in the postseason last year and regular season in 2018. As for the Swoopes, they came in 1999 (regular season) and 2005 (knockout).
