NEW YORK – MAY 24, 2021 – The WNBA announced today that New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from Friday, May 14, through Sunday, May 23. The honor is Ionescu’s first in her career.
Ionescu led New York to a 4-1 start to the 2021 season, recording averages of 18.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in 34.6 minutes per game while shooting 41.5 percent from the field, 48.5 percent from 3-point range and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft opened the 2021 season by registering her career first double-double with 25 points and 11 assists and leading New York to victory over the Indiana Fever. Ionescu tied the game with two made free throws with 21.8 seconds left. After Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell was called for traveling with 5.8 seconds remaining, New York got the ball back, and Ionescu connected on a three-point shot leaving 0.4 seconds left on the clock.
Ionescu followed up that performance by notching a 12 points, five rebounds, four assists in 31 minutes in a 73-65 road victory over the Indiana Fever on May 16. Ionescu became the first Liberty player in franchise history (and the 9th player in league history) to record a triple-double on May 18 at home against the Minnesota Lynx. She finished with 26 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds, and became the WNBA’s youngest player to reach the feat.
After a tough loss on the road against the Washington Mystics (Ionescu finished with 10 points, five assists, and six rebounds), Ionescu and the Liberty bounced back with a win in Chicago, handing the Sky their first loss of the season. She finished with 19 points, 12 assists and five rebounds on 53.8% (7-11) from the field and 5-10 (50%) from beyond the arc.
This is the 41st time in franchise history that a Liberty player has earned Player of the Week honors and the first since Tina Charles on July 8, 2019.