New York Liberty

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu was named as chief athlete officer for Division Street, a company launched by Oregon alumni and donors, including Nike co-founder Phil Knight, to help Ducks athletes capitalize on name, image and likeness opportunities.

"As an athlete navigating the world of brand and partnerships myself, I see a real opportunity to provide today’s college players more professional counsel as they grapple with the new NIL landscape," Ionescu said.

So honored to be involved with Division Street! Call me Chief Athlete Officer from now on😉 Go Ducks! https://t.co/87qWMv4LoC

— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) September 30, 2021

Knight is the most prominent member of the venture, which deepens his longstanding connection—and by extension Nike's—with his alma mater. 

Rosemary St. Clair, a former vice president and general manager of Nike Women, was named Division Street CEO, and another former Nike executive, Rudy Chapa, will be the chairman of the board.

As part of her role with Division Street, Ionescu will host quarterly seminars with Oregon athletes to share her experiences and provide expertise.

The 23-year-old just missed out on the windfall some of the top college stars have received as a result of NIL legislation.

Ionescu helped guide Oregon to the 2019 Final Four and won the Naismith Player of the Year in 2020.  By the time she left Eugene, she was one of the most famous players in college basketball.

Forbes' Kristi Dosh told Matt Brown of SB Nation in November 2019 the dynamic playmaker could have likely earned $2,000 to $5,000 monthly through her social media accounts alone. That doesn't take into account the money she might have received from more traditional endorsements.

The Wall Street Journal's Rachel Bachman spoke with Opendorse, who estimated Connecticut sophomore guard Paige Bueckers could hit $1 million annually. Bueckers already signed with Wasserman and filed a trademark for her "Paige Buckets" nickname.

At Oregon, star defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux didn't waste time to capitalize on the new NIL rules. He partnered with eBay to auction off a piece of artwork, released his own cryptocurrency and signed a deal with United Airlines.

A late slide at the end of the regular season didn't affect the Phoenix Mercury in the playoffs, as they advanced to the second round thanks to their dramatic 83-82 win over the New York Liberty on Thursday night. 

Brianna Turner's free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining provided the difference in a wild game that featured a combined 15 ties and lead changes in the fourth quarter. 

After a slow start, Sabrina Ionescu acclimated herself very well in her first career playoff game. Last year's No. 1 overall pick dropped 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes. 

Ionescu had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but her three-point attempt fell well short of the basket. 

Notable Game Stats

• Skylar Diggins-Smith (PHX): 22 points (8-of-18 FG), 5 assists, 4 rebounds
• Sophie Cunningham (PHX): 21 points (6-of-7 3-pt FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• Brittney Griner (PHX): 16 points (6-of-8 FG), 10 rebounds, 6 assists
• Sabrina Ionescu (NY): 14 points (5-of-12 FG), 11 assists, 5 rebounds
• Betnijah Laney (NY): 25 points (10-of-22 FG), 4 rebounds
• Natasha Howard (NY): 16 points (7-of-16 FG), 10 rebounds

The fourth quarter turned into a battle between the top two stars for the Liberty and the shooting stars for the Mercury. 

Skylar Diggins-Smith tied the game at 77 on a three with 1:40 remaining. Ionescu immediately answered with a driving layup, but that was followed by Sophie Cunningham's three-pointer to put the Mercury up by a point. 

Another bucket by Diggins-Smith gave Phoenix a three-point advantage. Kia Nurse forced a three with 13 seconds left, but it missed and Rebecca Allen grabbed the rebound. Betnijah Laney answered with a game-tying three with 2.7 seconds left in regulation. 

BETNIJAH LANEY 😱

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/9aDY4HkuNz

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 24, 2021

Brittney Griner came into the playoffs after one of the most dominant seasons of her career. The seven-time All-Star finished second in the league in scoring average (20.5), tied for fifth in rebounding (9.5) and first in blocks (1.9). 

While Griner was a dominant force on both ends of the court with 16 points and 10 rebounds, it was the performance of Sophie Cunningham off the bench that lifted the Mercury. 

Phoenix stormed out of the gate with a 21-10 lead late in the first quarter. The Liberty erased that deficit by going on a 31-16 run before the half. 

After New York went up by six early in the third quarter, Cunningham took over by making all three of her three-point attempts and finished with 12 points in the period. 

GO OFF. TRIPLE AND-1 🤑🤑 @sophaller

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/hjCUZl2lyZ

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 24, 2021

Sophie Cunningham (4/4 3PM) is UNCONSCIOUS right now 🎯

Her 4th three gives Mercury (-10) the lead! pic.twitter.com/dTP41LY44F

— NBABet (@nbabet) September 24, 2021

Despite Cunningham going off, the Liberty continued to hang around. Laney made a huge three in the final minute of the third to get her team back within two heading into the final quarter. 

Reshanda Gray put New York back on top early in the fourth period with a three-point play. 

The superstars for both teams played at their best down the stretch. Diggins-Smith scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. 

Despite the loss, this season was a step forward for the Liberty. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and won 10 more games this year than they did in 2020 (2-20). 

This marked the fifth straight game the Mercury had to play without Diana Taurasi. The 2009 WNBA MVP is still recovering from an ankle injury. 

The Mercury finished the season with three straight losses after winning 10 consecutive games. Two of those losses were against the Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces—the top two teams in the league—so there wasn't any great cause for concern.  

To advance to the semifinals, the Mercury will have to beat a Seattle Storm team they lost to 94-85 on Sept. 17. Seattle won two of the three meetings between the clubs in the regular season. 

What's Next

The Mercury will play the No. 4 Seattle Storm (21-11) at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

In addition to securing a vital victory over the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty made history Friday night.

Rebecca Allen connected on a three-pointer in the second quarter to give New York the single-season record.

.@nyliberty break the single-season three-point record (318) with this shot 🔥

Whole lot of buckets

(via @WNBA) pic.twitter.com/yfqucuQn3Z

— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) September 18, 2021

Long-range shooting wasn't a strength of the Liberty in 2020. The team tied for sixth in made threes (7.6 per game) but ranked last in three-point percentage (27.7). Not only has New York set the pace in terms of three-pointers made this year, but it has also seen its conversion rate climb to 36.0 percent, third-best in the WNBA.

Sami Whitcomb has had a big hand in that turnaround. The two-time champion has taken her game to another level with the Liberty while remaining a potent perimeter threat. Whitcomb is shooting a career-high 42.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Having a healthy Sabrina Ionescu has helped as well. The 5'11" playmaker was second on the team in made threes (51) entering Friday's game.

Setting the three-point record is a major achievement in a 2021 regular season that provided New York with reasons for optimism going forward. Now, the Liberty's focus turns to Sunday, when they'll learn whether they qualify for the postseason.

At 12-20, Walt Hopkins' squad is 10th, trailing the eighth-place Washington Mystics and ninth-place Los Angeles Sparks by 0.5 games. Should the Mystics and Sparks both lose their finales, New York would vault into the final playoff spot.

New York Liberty team governor Joe Tsai called for change after the team had another flight delayed ahead of Sunday's game against the Connecticut Sun.

Tsai tweeted Saturday he's "going to solve this transportation problem for good":

Getting your team to an away game and back comfortably, safely, and on time is a basic business necessity. It’s the right thing every owner should do.

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) July 10, 2021

I love our owners. https://t.co/FYWE1ibckf

— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) July 10, 2021

The Liberty didn't arrive in Indianapolis until hours before they were scheduled to play the Indiana Fever on Friday, and they lost 82-69. The situation was about to arise once again, but New York subsequently got an earlier trip back to New York City:

BRUH THERE IS NO FREAKING WAY!!!
TOMORROW MORNING!?!?! pic.twitter.com/2L0Uroz1O1

— Jazmine Jones (@Jazmine_Jones4) July 10, 2021

We have boarded the plane ‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/7nUk8bzVHz

— Jazmine Jones (@Jazmine_Jones4) July 10, 2021

This isn't a recent problem for the WNBA, since the same situation seems to unfold at least once every year. The Las Vegas Aces forfeited a game in 2018 after enduring a 25-plus-hour trip for a game against the Washington Mystics.

The new collective bargaining agreement didn't open the door for teams to charter private flights for their players and staff, with the big change being the "Premium Economy" status afforded to players.

Still, that leaves teams vulnerable to the issues that can arise while using commercial travel.

ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel cited "financial and competitive-balance issues" as the WNBA's reasoning for its ban on chartered flights in August 2018.

"Some WNBA teams are better positioned -- particularly those owned by NBA franchises -- to use charter flights," Voepel wrote. "And that's a problem in a 12-team league that has put a premium on trying to keep a level playing field."

But one could counter that the status quo creates an unfair advantage of its own when a road team could potentially see the journey to its final destination delayed by multiple hours. The Fever were almost certainly helped by the fact the Liberty had little time to prepare before tip-off.

Having Tsai bring attention to New York's plight in such a public forum could leave the WNBA with little other choice but to finding a different solution for player travel.

New York Liberty head coach Walt Hopkins said Thursday star guard Sabrina Ionescu is still "finding her way" after missing most of last season with an ankle injury.

Ionescu, who was limited to three appearances as a rookie after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, recorded just five points on 2-of-13 shooting in Thursday's 94-82 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

"I don't know if it's mobility, I don’t know if it's pain, but it's pretty clear to me, movement-wise, that something's not right," Hopkins told reporters. "It could just be sore. As simple as it being sore and it really hurts. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's what I'm seeing."

Ionescu started her second WNBA season in memorable fashion by knocking down a game-winning three in the final seconds of a 90-87 win over the Indiana Fever on May 14. She added a triple-double four days later with 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds against the Minnesota Lynx.

The 23-year-old University of Oregon product has hit a bit of an offensive lull, though. She's scored just 11 total points over her past two games, losses to Las Vegas and the Atlanta Dream.

She's still impacted the game in other ways, tallying nine boards and nine dimes against the Aces, but New York hasn't been able to make up for her lost scoring touch.

Ionescu told Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press before the season started the injury recovery was a difficult process.

"It's been tough. Tests you as a player, mentally, physically," she said. "It taught me a lot about myself. A lot about what's important. The mental aspect of everything, taking it one day at a time, controlling what you can."

The Liberty are back in action Saturday night when they visit Mohegan Sun Arena to take on the Connecticut Sun.

New York will then have a full week off before its next contest June 13 against the Phoenix Mercury, which could give Ionescu a well-timed chance to rest her ankle.

Sabrina Ionescu has wasted little time turning heads this season.

First, the New York Liberty star drilled a game-winning three-pointer from well beyond the arc to defeat the Indiana Fever in the season opener. She added to her accolades in New York's third game of the season Tuesday when she notched a triple-double against the Minnesota Lynx.

The 23-year-old became the youngest WNBA player to tally a triple-double, which was just the 10th in league history.

TRIPLE-DOUBLE HISTORY FOR SABRINA.@sabrina_i20 becomes the youngest player in #WNBA history to record a triple-double as she records the 10th in league history.#CountIt pic.twitter.com/c1qO5YcR0z

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 19, 2021

Ionescu finished with 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds behind 7-of-16 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 shooting from deep.

She joined Sheryl Swoopes, Margo Dydek, Lisa Leslie, Deanna Nolan, Temeka Johnson, Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot and Chelsea Gray as the only players in league history to finish with a triple-double in a regular-season game.

Swoopes also posted a triple-double in a playoff game for the Houston Comets.

Leslie was the only player on that list to finish with more points than Ionescu's 26, as the former Los Angeles Sparks star posted 29 points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks in a 2004 win.

With Ionescu leading the way, the Liberty are yet to lose in the early going this season. They defeated the Fever in the first two games of the year before Tuesday's win, which stands in stark contrast to last season's 2-20 record.

The biggest issue for New York last season was the absence of Ionescu, who played just three games because of injury.

The former Oregon star is back and making history, and the Liberty already have more wins this year than they did all of last year.

It looked like the Indiana Fever were on their way to a season-opening victory over the New York Liberty on Friday when Kelsey Mitchell hit a jumper to extend the lead to four with 47 seconds remaining.

And then Sabrina Ionescu happened.

Ionescu drilled a three-pointer to cut the lead to one, hit two free throws after Mitchell made one on the other end to tie it and then hit a game-winning three right before the buzzer to cap off the comeback win.

SABRINA CALLS GAME. https://t.co/0ssUucUjXH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 15, 2021

"I 100 percent had a vision of hitting a game winner," Ionescu told reporters after the game. "We were tied walking into the huddle and I was smiling. It was too good to be true. ... I was ready for the moment."

She finished with 25 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in her first game back since playing a mere three contests as a rookie because of an ankle injury. It was far from a solo effort, as Betnijah Laney posted 30 points and five rebounds for the Liberty.

New York will look to make it two in a row against the Fever in Sunday's rematch.

Sabrina Ionescu drilled a game-winning three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining to propel the New York Liberty to a 90-87 season-opening win over the visiting Indiana Fever at Barclays Center on Friday.

SABRINA FOR THE WIN. ICE COLD ❄️ pic.twitter.com/XEHFXemqGv

— ESPN (@espn) May 15, 2021

Ionescu's shot capped an 8-1 game-closing run for the Libs, who were down 86-82 with 47 seconds remaining after Kelsey Mitchell hit a two-pointer.

Ionescu responded with a three before Mitchell hit 1-of-2 from the free-throw line.

SABRINA. CLUTCH. https://t.co/k2klAd8QiE

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 15, 2021

The Libs point guard hit two free throws in response, and a traveling call against the Fever gave possession back to New York.

After a timeout, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft sent the Libs home as winners.

Ionescu had 25 points and 11 assists. Teammate Betnijah Laney led all scorers with 30 points, and rookie Michaela Onyenwere posted 18 points in her WNBA debut.

Mitchell's 23 points led the Fever, and Teaira McCowan had 22 points and 16 rebounds.

---

Notable Performances

New York Liberty G Sabrina Ionescu: 25 points, 11 assists

New York Liberty F Betnijah Laney: 30 points, 5 rebounds

New York Liberty F Michaela Onyenwere: 18 points, 5 rebounds

Indiana Fever C Teaira McCowan: 22 points, 16 rebounds

Indiana Fever G Kelsey Mitchell: 23 points, 4 rebounds

Indiana Fever F Jantel Lavender: 9 points, 10 rebounds

---

Ionescu Saves Libs at Last Second

"I wanted it."

That's how Ionescu started her postgame interview when asked what was going through her mind on the last Liberty possession:

"I wanted it." - Sabrina Ionescu https://t.co/aN6SkQpUyY

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 15, 2021

Some athletes are just built different, and that's the case for Ionescu, who proved to be a cold-blooded killer in just her fourth WNBA game.

A Grade 3 ankle sprain kept Ionescu out for 19-plus games of the 22-game regular season last year. She didn't waste any time making a significant impact in her 2021 season debut, as Matt Ellentuck noted:

sabrina ionescu in her 4th WNBA game:
- 25 points
- 11 assists
- 6 rebounds
- 2 turnovers
- one HOLY SHIT game-winning 3-pointer

— Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) May 15, 2021

Most importantly, her excellent offensive chemistry with her teammates was hard to miss, with Basketball Hall of Famer Rebecca Lobo noting the connection between Ionescu and Lacey:

What I’ve learned during my layover in Detroit: The @nyliberty ‘s @sabrina_i20 and @BetnijahLaney are really good together. Fun to watch. #WNBA

— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) May 14, 2021

Ionescu masterfully orchestrated the offense, though, getting her 10th assist to center Kylee Shook with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter:

With this assist, @sabrina_i20 notched her first career double-double (10 pts, 10 ast) 🗽 pic.twitter.com/ypovwPyIcb

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 15, 2021

Overall, it was a sensational season debut for Ionescu and the Liberty, one that may foreshadow a playoff push for a team with tremendous offensive potential.

       

Mitchell, McCowan Nearly Lead Fever to Comeback

The Fever may have suffered a disappointing loss, but there were two big positives coming out of this game.

First, McCowan was an absolute machine on the boards, corralling 16 of the Fever's 45 for the night. New York struggled to gain traction on the glass, grabbing just 28.

there's no stopping @Teaira_15 💪

11 PTS & 7 REB in the first half #OurWayUnscripted | #IndianaFever pic.twitter.com/g55Pz2K7iu

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 14, 2021

The difference on the offensive glass was even starker, with the Fever grabbing 19 to the Liberty's three. McCowan and Jantel Lavender had 15 between the two of them.

Lindsay Gibbs of Power Plays noted McCowan's excellent performance:

wild that “starting Teaira McCowan and playing her lots of minutes” is turning out to be such a successful strategy

— Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) May 15, 2021

And Across the Timeline noted the historical impact of McCowan's evening:

A great game for Teaira McCowan despite the loss:

22 PTS
16 REB
2 BLK

It's just the 10th 20+ PTS / 10+ REB game in Indiana Fever history (Teaira has 3 of them).https://t.co/fDFHge38tk

— Across the Timeline (@WBBTimeline) May 15, 2021

Second, Mitchell was sensational, dominating the fourth quarter with 12 points in the final 7:03. She enabled the Fever to go on a 20-9 run that looked like it would be enough to give Indiana the win before Ionescu had other plans.

The left-hander was so smooth that she even got some respect from the Libs' Jazmine Jones following a long-range two-pointer:

gotta respect it 🥶@Kelz_Hoop | #OurWayUnscripted pic.twitter.com/c57lLgWSIn

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 15, 2021

 She later hit a big two-pointer to give Indiana an 84-81 edge:

ENERGYYYYYY 😤@Kelz_Hoop gives us a 3-point lead with 1:32 remaining!#OurWayUnscripted | #IndianaFever pic.twitter.com/sjTO3PwwLo

— Indiana Fever (@IndianaFever) May 15, 2021

It wasn't meant to be for Indiana on this night, but the McCowan-Mitchell combination should be a forced to be reckoned with all season.

      

What's Next?

The Liberty and Fever will face off again on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET. Indiana will host the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu arrived for Friday's season opener against the Indiana Fever wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey:

.@sabrina_i20 showing love to Kobe ahead of her @nyliberty season debut 🙏 @brkicks pic.twitter.com/TIt0rPvWhS

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 14, 2021

Ionescu and Bryant were close friends, and Emily Carson of Sporting News noted that friendship "was born out of the dream they shared: to elevate women's basketball to the national level."

The Oregon product was also friends with Bryant's daughter, Gianna, and helped her work on her game.

Kobe and Gianna died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Ionescu spoke at his memorial at Staples Center.

On the court, she is looking to bounce back in her second season after she played just three games as a rookie because of injury. The No. 1 pick of the 2020 WNBA draft averaged 18.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists a night prior to the injury.

Bryant is set to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.

The New York Liberty announced Wednesday they acquired 2019 WNBA All-Star Natasha Howard from the Seattle Storm.

THE FLASH is on her way to NY! Libs Fam, let’s welcome 3x WNBA champion & 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, #NatashaHoward!

For more info visit https://t.co/0wk4D1OluJ. pic.twitter.com/XXSTBr472q

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) February 10, 2021

The Liberty sent the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 draft, as well as first- and second-round picks in 2022 to the Storm as part of the deal.

That wasn't the extent of the wheeling and dealing, though.

The Phoenix Mercury announced they landed Kia Nurse and Megan Walker from the Liberty for the No. 6 pick and a 2022 first-rounder.

The Storm also announced they sent Sami Whitcomb to the New York Liberty in a sign-and trade with the Liberty while getting Mikiah Herbert Harrigan from the Minnesota Lynx. They also immediately sent the No. 1 pick to the Dallas Wings for a package that includes Katie Lou Samuelson.

🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨

Storm acquires Katie Lou Samuelson, Mikiah “Kiki” Herbert Harrigan; Rights to Stephanie Talbot and two 2022 draft picks. 💪 

More info ⬇️https://t.co/Wx1v28tIiF pic.twitter.com/CML6GOu0sq

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) February 10, 2021

The flurry of activity stems from the fact Seattle is in a salary cap crunch.

While Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported Sue Bird plans to re-sign, the Storm already lost unrestricted free agent Alysha Clark to the Washington Mystics. They also have to leave themselves with a lot of flexibility in 2022, when Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, Jordin Canada and Mercedes Russell are headed for free agency.

According to Winsidr's Rachel Galligan, Howard is signing for four years and $898,700. Matching that contract wasn't the best use of Seattle's resources when it has Russell and Ezi Magbegor as capable center options.

Harrigan and Samuelson provide depth on the wing—the team's biggest weakness with Clark gone—and provide some salary control. Samuelson is a restricted free agent in 2022, and Harrigan isn't eligible for free agency until 2024.

Howard, meanwhile, can have a bigger role in New York's frontcourt. With Stewart out injured, she averaged 18.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, finishing fifth in the MVP voting. Getting back to that kind of level is impossible when Stewart is healthy.

Howard will fortify the Liberty's center situation and gives them a ready-made star to pair alongside Sabrina Ionescu.

The Mercury wound up with a pretty nice haul as well. Nurse averaged 12.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 2020 and was an All-Star two years ago. Walker put up 3.3 points and 1.5 rebounds in 11.4 minutes per game as a backup.