When the New York Liberty walked into Michelob ULTRA Arena, they probably weren’t expecting Becky Hammon and her Las Vegas Aces to be locked in full dominance mode. But the two-time WNBA champions came out firing, leaving no stone unturned to notch their fifth straight victory. And, by the final buzzer, it was all Aces. So, you know why this loss hurts for Liberty right? But, if you ask the fans, it wasn’t the scoreboard that broke their hearts. Nope. It was what happened during the game that left the WNBA community fuming!
It all comes up as as BricksCentre posted a snap capturing Sabrina Ionescu attempting a shot in today’s game. Sure, the Liberty couldn’t cope with the physicality that three-time league MVP A’ja Wilson and her team brought in the final 10 minutes, but the highlight — or lowlight — seemed to be at the 9:00 mark of the fourth quarter. That’s when the 2025 All-Star attempted a shot inside the three-point line… and missed it.
And not just missed it — the ball didn’t even touch the rim. But, what really set spectators on fire wasn’t the miss itself, but the caption on the post: “THE FEMALE KOBE BRYANT” with a fire emoji. We’ve all heard the comparisons before, right? That’s because she’s often spotted with late NBA legend’s family after important WNBA games.
THE FEMALE KOBE BRYANT pic.twitter.com/jmabCmkaiY
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) August 14, 2025
Also, there’s a reason she still uses an image of Bryant and his late daughter Gianna as her X profile picture. During her collegiate career at Oregon, she developed a close bond with both Kobe and Gianna, who routinely attended her games and were her biggest cheerleaders. Even during her powerful speech at their memorial ceremony, Ionescu revealed that, as a gym rat herself, she related to Bryant’s work ethic — and that their shared pursuit of excellence brought them closer.
Not just that, the Lakers legend even taught her some of his signature moves, like the step-back shot, and helped her refine the arc on her jumper. “He was giving me the blueprint,” Ionescu said of Bryant shortly after delivering one of the most iconic game-winners in WNBA history. And yes, he really did give her that blueprint — instilling in her a relentless work ethic and meticulous attention to detail, echoing his famed Mamba Mentality. So you can see why comparisons to her mentor are common… but not really when it’s a miss like this one.
Fans criticise Sabrina Ionecu for obvious reasons!
As fans couldn’t digest the post, the comment section lit up instantly, and the target was obvious. “lmaooo pls what was that horror?” wrote one user. Well, Saby is often compared to the greats because of her elite three-point shooting and the accolades she’s collected over the years.
Remember — just hours after delivering a moving eulogy for Kobe and Gianna, she made NCAA history by becoming the first Division I player, male or female, to record 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds. Her composure in emotional moments mirrors Kobe’s own clutch mindset. So, her missing out isn’t ideal, right? “sabrina did train with kobe” penned another user.
Yes, she did — and that’s what makes this miss sting even more. Ionescu openly credits Kobe’s legacy as her constant motivator, saying she looks to him and Gianna as daily inspirations to elevate her game and impact women’s basketball. “Facts,” another user posted.
But if you ask fans after today’s game, they didn’t see much of that Kobe magic. Saby finished with 18 points — below her season average of 19.4. Not all comments were serious, though. Some went for humor, with one user writing, “Green d–do has a higher shooting percentage.”
Aug 1, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun forward Aneesah Morrow (24) defends against New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
It was a reference to a string of recent WNBA incidents where inappropriate objects were thrown from the stands. The Liberty witnessed one such moment on August 5, though it didn’t interrupt play. But on July 29, during Dream vs. GVS, a lime green item tossed onto the court actually stopped the game. “Just a slight miss,” another user joked. Well, in the end, the Liberty — playing without veteran Breanna Stewart — fought hard to grab the win. But Saby’s 6-for-15 from the field and 3-for-9 from beyond the arc just wasn’t enough.
“All these games really matter,” Ionescu said. “Every game is like a lose-or-go-home type of feeling… So that’s something we have to understand as a team, just how valuable all these games are. And I am proud of the way that we fought off of a back-to-back and didn’t make any excuses. And this one sucks because it was something that we could have controlled.”
Now, the loss dropped NY to a 21-12 record and third place in the WNBA standings, now just two games ahead of the Aces (19-14) with less than a month left in the season. With less than a month left for the end of the regular season, can the defending champions secure a playoff berth and hold off the No. 1 Lynx?
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