The New York Liberty will be eager to prove to the WNBA fans that the previous year’s championship run was not a fluke. While they did well most of the season, a sudden drop in energy saw Liberty slump down the rankings. More so, with one of their premier stars, Sabrina Ionescu, sharing a major injury update amid her four-game absence. Thankfully, the defending champions were elated to find out that Ionescu had recovered well in time and was available for the playoffs.
Facing off against the Phoenix Mercury, the Liberty had a tricky situation on hand. However, with the likes of Ionescu and others putting together a show, things seemed to ease out for New York. But despite all the glitz, the 27-year-old could be caught dead exhausted at the post-game presser.
Sabrina Ionescu Almost Dozed Off From The Exhaustion
Liberty had to toil pretty hard in order to carve out a victory. With the Mercury going toe to toe, things looked tight throughout the game. In the end, as the game went into overtime, the champions managed to get a 76-69 victory. And quite expectedly, Ionescu played a large role in the victory. She played for 43 minutes and chipped in with 16 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
Now, this was surely a fantastic performance from the Liberty star. But all that gruelling seems to have taken a toll on the 27-year-old. As she came to address the press after the game, Ionescu was clearly looking drained. She also seemed to be dozing off a bit before quickly regaining composure.
A X, formerly known as the Twitter account, highlighted the same with the caption, “Played 43 mins yesterday and was falling asleep in the post presser.”
Played 43 mins yesterday and was falling asleep in the post presser 😂😂😂
— Go Libs| Go Giants| Go yanks (@ddubxdo) September 15, 2025
pic.twitter.com/eEnijgvkCm
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Now then, there might have been some exhaustion on the part of Ionescu after the game. But while on the field, she looked quite the star. In her sixth season in the WNBA, the Liberty star established herself as a versatile playmaker. She averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and a career-high 1.3 steals. Surely, the 27-year-old is indeed a rockstar. Ionescu also got an MVP push after dropping 36 points against the Sun. On the contrary, when it came to admitting her team’s flaws, Ionescu also did not shirk away.
Sabrina Ionescu Got Candid About New York Liberty’s Flaws After Chicago Sky Defeat
During the last lap of the regular season, the Liberty faced a significant challenge. Losing a number of games, the defending champions suddenly looked like they were at risk of losing a playoff spot. And one of the biggest losses came when they faced off against the Chicago Sky. In a shocking turn of events, Angel Reese’s Sky, who have struggled for the entire season, ended up beating the defending champions 91-85. And Ionescu was quick to point out the flaws.
“When you give a team hope, that’s all they need. And I’d say in the first half we made things way too easy for them, and that gave them hope going into halftime, knowing that they could hang with us. And I mean, Chicago is a good team. They just haven’t put it together,” said Ionescu.
Thus, it is evident that Liberty has the tendency to slip in crucial stages. Now, fans will be interested to see how their playoff run pans out.