FILE PHOTO: Feb 24, 2020; Los Angeles, California, USA; Basketball player Sabrina Ionescu speaks during the memorial to celebrate the life of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna Bryant at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2021
(Reuters) – New York Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu tallied 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to record her first career triple-double in Tuesday’s 86-75 win over the Minnesota Lynx in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Ionescu, a one-time protege of the late Kobe Bryant and the number one pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, completed the feat in just her sixth game after an ankle injury cut short her debut season.
The triple-double was the first by a Liberty player, and at 23-years-old Ionescu is the youngest player in league history to accomplish the feat.
“I’m excited but I think I’m even more excited that we got a win,” Ionescu said after the game, where the Liberty improved to 3-0 on the season after only winning two games last year.
“It really takes a whole team effort, it’s not just me. It’s everyone getting in position to score and rebound, so I’m just really proud of this team and how we fought tonight.”
Ionescu attended friend and mentor Bryant’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday. The Los Angeles Lakers great perished in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
“It was really special,” she said.
“I was happy to be there with everyone who was honoring everything that he stood for, and I’m hoping to bring that mentality out here every single time I play.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
