New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu Earns WNBA Player Of The Week Honors
(CBSNewYork)- The New York Liberty got off to a hot start to the 2021 WNBA season and as a result, guard Sabrina Ionescu earned the WNBA's Player of the Week honors for Week 1. Ionescu helped lead the Liberty to a 4-1 record to open the regular season flashing the all around skill set that led to her being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in last year's WNBA Draft.
Ionescu averaged 18.4 points, 8.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game across the Liberty's five-game stretch to open the year. After missing most of her rookie season due to a severely sprained ankle, Ionescu opened the 2021 campaign with a 25 point, 11 assist, 6 rebound outing that led the Liberty to a 90-87 win over the Indiana Fever. Two days later, she tallied 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists as the Liberty toppled the Fever again 73-65.
On May 18 against the Minnesota Lynx, Ionescu became the youngest player in WNBA history and the first Liberty player to record a triple double when she notched 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 86-75 win.
The 23-year-old followed up the triple double with a 10 point, 6 rebound, 5 assist night in a 101-72 loss against the Washington Mystics on Friday. Both she and the Liberty bounced back on Sunday with a 93-85 win over the Chicago Sky in which Ionescu pulled together 19 points, 12 assists and 5 rebounds.
After one week of play, Ionescu ranks 10th in scoring (18.4), 21st in rebounds (6.4) and second in assists (8.8) per game. She also leads the league in threes made with 16 and has hit 48.5% of her attempts from beyond the arc.
The Liberty take the floor again tonight at the Barclays Center against the Dallas Wings with tip set for 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
