WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu says defending title will be as tough as winning for first time
Three-time All-Star also calls for ‘a collective voice’ from players in talks over a new collective bargaining agreement
Sabrina Ionescu expects New York Liberty’s defence of their WNBA title to be just as tough as winning it for the first time in franchise history last season, and said the team “had a target on its back”.
The three-time All-Star also believed the coming months represented a “really important time in our league” and whatever happened on the court, players needed to present “a collective voice” in their collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations.
Liberty, who beat Minnesota Lynx in a thrilling five-game finals, open their title defence at home to Las Vegas Aces on May 17, and Ionescu said they knew people were “already coming for us”.
“I would say probably the hardest thing to have to do is win your first one: that pressure of not having done it yet and then finally doing it,” the Olympic gold medallist said. “But I would say defending one is probably just as hard.
“Everyone understands that you won the year before and you have to be better than you were that last year.”
With the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, Toronto Tempo and a team from Portland, the league will expand to 15 teams by 2026. Also, the finals will become best of seven, and Ionescu, who was taken first overall in the 2020 draft, said that would change the dynamic of what lay ahead.