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NBC Sports
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- NBC Sports
Q&A: Sabrina Ionescu is 'all for' a permanent 4-point shot in the WNBA
After an eventful All-Star Weekend, Sabrina Ionescu will be back in action on Tuesday at the Barclays Center as the New York Liberty take on the Indiana Fever. It was a big weekend for Ionescu, who reclaimed her crown as the WNBA's 2025 Starry 3-Point Contest champion. A CHAMP ONCE AGAIN 🏆 Sabrina Ionescu takes home the 2nd @starrylemonlime 3-Point Contest title of her career! #WNBAAllStar2025 Like many All-Stars, Ionescu made the rounds during All-Star Weekend, which included an appearance at 'AT&T All-Star Access' at WNBA Live on Saturday where she did interview(s) and met with fans. July 19 - Sabrina Ionescu is interviewed at WNBA Live's 'AT&T All-Star Access' during the 2025 All-Star Weekend. Courtesy of: AT&T Sabrina Ionescu's interview with NBC Sports was lightly edited for length and clarity. Sabrina Ionescu Q&A at WNBA Live's 'AT&T All-Star Access' You're here with AT&T. What are you doing today? Sabrina Ionescu: Just connecting with fans. Really excited to be here with AT&T for All-Star Weekend and just being able to be here around the fans in this amazing space and kind of be able to be a role model, sign autographs, take pictures. So, I'm just really excited to be here. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - JULY 19: Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty takes picture with a fan at at 'AT&T's All-Star Access' at WNBA Live. (Photo courtesy of: AT&T) Courtesy of AT&T AT&T is also the sponsor of the 4-pointer [for the 2025 All-Star Game]. Very cool that money will be donated to charities of players' choices for each 4-pointer made [in the game]. Thoughts on that? AT&T 4-Point Shot: • Four circles – two at each end of the court – will be placed above the current three-point line at a distance of 28 feet from the rim. • Each circle shall be designated as the AT&T 4-PT Shot area. Courtesy of: A&T Sabrina Ionescu: Yeah. I'm super excited, obviously. Hopefully, can make a few and be able to donate to my [SI20] Foundation that's just able to continue to give back to communities that mean a lot to me and impact children. So, I'm really excited for that opportunity as well. July 19 - Sabrina Ionescu attends 'AT&T All-Star Access' at WNBA Live during the 2025 All-Star Weekend. Do you think the WNBA should implement a permanent 4-point line? Sabrina Ionescu: I'm always all for it. I've said that from the beginning if that was to be a rule change, I would love for that to happen. I just think everyone's shooting so well from the three-point line, and I feel like we could continue to add different elements that would change the game of basketball. So, I mean, personally, I would love it, but I'm fine with where it's at right now as well. INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JULY 19: Sabrina Ionescu #20 of Team Clark smiles during the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game 2025 on July 19, 2025 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images) A.J. Mast/NBAE via Getty Images If you were [going to] play a game of HORSE, tell me three tricks in your bag that you would put in a game that you think would guarantee you the win. Sabrina Ionescu: I always go lefty. Like, that's kind of my trick HORSE shot. I don't have great trick shots because I don't really try and practice them too much, but going lefty always usually guarantees me wins. Like, whether it's free throw shot lefty, a three-pointer, then obviously sometimes to finish...a half court shot righty, but a lefty always will sneak me in a few letters to win. The Sabrina 3, you announced that it was being released. So, you have the All-Star version that came out and then, you also have the 'Blueprint' that's coming out [July 24]. How involved are you still, considering that it's the third iteration, in the design process? Sabrina Ionescu: Just as involved as I was in the first one from when we started. Just being able the story that I want to tell from my shoe, see it evolve, understand what consumers need. Obviously, not really settling. Just strive to try and come out with the best performance shoe. And now we're on the third one, and I'm really excited for the world to be able to see it. What are your three favorite colorways? Any iteration and why? Sabrina Ionescu: I would say the Sabrina 2 'Lily' because I won a championship in those. Game 5. They're [named] after my mom. My mom's name is Lily, and they have flowers on them. So, that would have to be one. Probably launch colorway of the Sabrina 1 just because that was like the first time. And then, launch colorway of the 3, I would have to say. The 'Blueprint colorway'. The blueprint of being an athlete. Had the opportunity to chat w/ Sabrina Ionescu during All-Star Weekend at AT&T's All-Star Access at WNBA Live! Among other things, we talked the Sabrina 3 Blueprint & where it ranks for her as a colorway. More on that later! But a reminder, they drop July 24! (via @sabrina_i/IG) I know you're a big tennis fan. With the US Open, coming next month, who are you looking forward to seeing? Sabrina Ionescu: Coco Gauff and Carlos Alcaraz. I'm super excited to be able to go. Hopefully, our schedule permits and I'm able to watch a few matches. If you didn't play basketball, is tennis a sport you would've played? Sabrina Ionescu: Absolutely. If I could. If I was good enough [laughter]. I think you're probably being hard on yourself. Sabrina Ionescu: Maybe. If you had the chance to partner with a pro tennis player in a game doubles, who would you want to partner with? Sabrina Ionescu: Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu. Why? Sabrina Ionescu: Well one, I'm a huge Carlos fan, so that would have to be it. And then, Emma is actually part Romanian and so, I think that's pretty cool. I mean, obviously, my parents are both Romanian as well. So, I think it just makes her a great story.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Fans, brands, players and parties: Here's what you missed at WNBA All-Star in Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — Tippy-toed kids with arms stretched over stanchions and weighed down by basketballs waited eagerly outside a hotel to catch a glimpse of their favorite players. People danced through downtown to Taylor Swift's "I'm feeling 22." A crowd gathered to shoot hoops on orange courts painted onto streets, dusty from the hum of construction all around. It was 9:30 in the morning of the WNBA All-Star Game. Caitlin Clark, larger than life in Indiana, quite literally loomed over the festivities, her image adorning high-rise buildings, posters and merchandise. The Indiana Fever guard didn't play because of an injury, but still captained the team from the sideline and made appearances throughout the weekend. The weekend. Activations galore — a Coach party, Lilly fan center with branded basketballs, Wilson pop-up with Clark selling her signature line and more. Player appearances all over town. National media descending. Three days of fan zones featuring souvenirs, swag, bounce houses, games and watch parties, culminating with fireworks after the Saturday night main event broadcasted by ABC. And, of course, the Stud Budz. Dark clouds rolled through downtown Indianapolis just hours before tipoff, but the weather cleared up in time for the game and it seemed nothing could dampen the spirits of the fans inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse. "Amazing," said Hartley Hensler, 7, who flew in from Las Vegas with her mother, Jessica, for their third WNBA All-Star Game. "And there's a lot of posters on buildings. There's a lot of A'Ja (Wilson). She's even on buses." Who's Hensler's favorite player? 'Jackie Young. See, her name is on the back," she grinned, turning around to show the back of her jersey. More: WNBA fashion, growth on display at The Collective's All-Star party with USA TODAY Studio IX The hype and celebrations of a women's sports league reaching new heights of popularity is happening parallel to contentious negotiations over the Collective Bargaining Agreement. A CBA meeting Thursday did not go well and they took the court Saturday in warm-up shirts that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." The players cite the league's impressive growth and trajectory while negotiating for better pay and benefits. And that growth was tangible this weekend. Sally McCracken and Debbie Heinrichs, both of Plainfield, Indiana, and Fever season ticket holders, were at their first WNBA All-Star Game since 2003 in New York City. When asked how this year's event compared, their eye widened and McCracken said, "Oh, so many more people and so much more excitement. It's amazing to see everyone get the attention they deserve. I think Caitlin has driven a lot of that, but it's not like the others weren't deserving. They've deserved it for a long time." WNBA Live, a two-day fan festival at the Indiana Convention Center, is much bigger than the previous three years it's been held. WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert said there are more than 25 brand activations across 125,000 square feet this year, a more than sixfold increase since 2022, when four brands activated in Chicago for the very first WNBA Live. Among the more than 20,000 fans who attended WNBA Live was Thomas Brown of Indianapolis and his 3-year-old daughter Zora. "I bought my baby a jersey for the first time and some shoes," Brown told USA TODAY Sports during halftime of the All-Star game. "This is her first time coming to a basketball game and I thought it was very important for her to have some role models to look up to when it comes to basketball. She's loving it so far. The atmosphere is great. It's really loud, so we had to put some earphones on her, but other than that, a lot of excitement, a lot of energy from the crowd." An announced crowd of 16,988 showed up for the All-Star Game, packing the arena's three tiers of seats and cheering while lasers, lights and music filled the air. The halftime show featured a GloRilla performance and, at the close of the third quarter, there was an aerialist hanging from the ceiling. Celebrities and big names in the sports world lined the courtside seats, including comedian Leslie Jones, six-time NBA All-Star Pau Gasol and South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. But the loudest part of the night came after the game, when the crowd voiced its solidarity with the WNBA players fighting for more equitable pay. "Pay Them! Pay Them!" Chants rose above the voice of Engelbert as she attempted to announce Napheesa Collier MVP after she led her team to a win over Team Clark. "I see a bunch of strong women who aren't going to back down and fight for what we want," Collier said after accepting her award, the crowd's chants changing to cheers. "I couldn't do it without them."
Indianapolis Star
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indianapolis Star
All-Star Bounce swarms downtown Indy with 2,500 kids ahead of 2025 WNBA All-Star Game
Thousands of kids donned red WNBA All-Star T-shirts and grabbed free orange and white Wilson basketballs outside American Legion Mall, ready for the All-Star Bounce. The July 19 event, a half-mile dribble to the finish line at Monument Circle, sent waves of young athletes through downtown Indianapolis, cheered on by parents, volunteers, and a squad of Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders. Twelve-year-old Jillian Hawley led the pack, sprinting to the finish line well ahead of the crowd. 'It made sense I came in first,' she said, referencing the weekend dedicated to women's sports. 'And I play basketball.' Younger sister, Pippa Hawley, 10, was also dribbling her way through the course. The two were already buzzing about their next stop: the WNBA Live fan event at the Indiana Convention Center, where hands-on games, giveaways, and surprise appearances from players awaited the pair. For Addi Hanshew, 11, the Bounce was a moment to level up. 'My mom gets to take videos of me doing good, to see what I can work on,' she said. Her mom, Kara Jennett, was quick to praise her drive: 'She pushed herself all the way through.' Corey Wilson, senior vice president of community engagement for Pacers Sports & Entertainment, said he enjoys seeing events take place out in the Indianapolis community. 'It's good to be able to do events beyond what's happening at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and allow the youth in our community to enjoy the game of basketball for WNBA All-Star weekend," Wilson said. Families funneled into Monument Circle, where the All-Star energy continued. A live DJ spun music, kids raced to shoot baskets at pop-up hoops, and others cooled off with handheld fans and water breaks. Ella Miller, 13, gasped when she saw an unexpected surprise at the city's center. 'That's Paige! That's Paige!' she and her family shouted, pointing toward Paige Bueckers, the Dallas Wings point guard and All-Star player, as she walked into the InterContinental Hotel. Ella and her sister, Kylie, 10, were both wearing Bueckers shirts. The two had been in the right place at the right time when they stumbled upon the basketball player walking into the hotel lobby. 'I've been watching her since third grade,' Ella said, nearly in tears. 'I'm so proud of Paige.' More than just a fan, Ella once did an entire school project on Bueckers. 'She's literally my favorite person, not even just as a player,' she said. Ella plays point guard on her basketball team and proudly calls herself an 'OG fan' of Bueckers. 'Ella introduced me to Paige,' Kylie said. 'I play soccer, but I'm so happy,' she said about the energy around women's sports right now. As she was walking back to her car, Jaimie Kennedy, 39, reflected on her morning as an All-Star Bounce volunteer. 'I really enjoy giving back,' she said. 'I love seeing those little kids' faces and asking if they had fun. When their faces lit up, it made my day.' She said it's pure joy. Kennedy's kids, now 18 and 20, grew up playing sports, and she's a fan herself. For her, Indy was the perfect place to be this weekend.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Sponsors swoop in to net new generation of WNBA fans
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever cheer prior to the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. INDIANAPOLIS – An onslaught of brands has descended on Indianapolis to take advantage of the WNBA's growing popularity, with new sponsors setting up shop for the All-Star weekend to meet a crush of fans. TV viewership and attendance have soared across the WNBA in recent years, buoyed by rising stars like the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky's Angel Reese. Fans waited upward of two-and-a-half hours on Friday for a meet-and-greet with the first overall draft pick Paige Bueckers at a booth by sponsor DoorDash at WNBA Live, an event where 25 brands hoped to capture fans' attention and dollars. 'It's about time, it's amazing,' said Gabby Mendoza, 37, a fan since the league launched in 1997. 'Probably the backing of the brands coming through is probably what's helping the exposure.' The sprawling ticketed event at the Indiana Convention Center was a far cry from the inaugural WNBA Live in 2022, when only a handful of vendors were to be found, according to fans who spoke to Reuters. The WNBA has 13 teams, with plans to add two more in 2026 in Toronto and Portland. The league recently announced it would add three more expansion franchises by 2030. In this year's All-Star Game, Team Caitlin Clark takes on Team Napheesa Collier. Marrian James, a 56-year-old Las Vegas Aces fan, has been attending All-Star Games since the showcase came to Orlando, Florida, in 2001. For Saturday's All-Star Game in Indianapolis, she shelled out US$1,000 for a ticket. 'Before, you'd have one or two vendors - we didn't have a whole lot of support,' said James. 'So now, with all the vendors, you see where the fan base has changed. We have more young people, old people - it doesn't matter, all walks of life are WNBA fans now.' A crowd 9.1m deep waited by a State Farm pavilion for star player Clark to make an appearance on Friday, while fans browsed leather purse tags with team logos inside at fashion designer Coach, one of the league's newly minted sponsors this year. AT&T, a sponsor since 2019, offered a place for fans to shoot hoops and receive applications of custom WNBA-themed nail art with robotic technology. 'This is our biggest WNBA activation, footprint, that we've ever had,' said Andrea Wilson, director for sponsorships and experiential marketing at AT&T. 'We go bigger and bigger every single year.' The 2024 WNBA season attracted record viewership on ESPN platforms, up 170% from 2023, and brands appear to have gotten the message across Indianapolis, where Coach, Nike and Gatorade took out massive advertisements around town. Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who attended her first All-Star Game as an assistant in 2002, said the growth of the annual exhibition has created better opportunities for players. 'We're finding amazing ways to monetize their brand,' said Reeve, who will coach Team Collier on Saturday. 'It is a great space that we're in and it was very different than what it was even five years ago.' While things are positive in terms of sponsorship, labor negotiations between the WNBA and the players' union hung over the All-Star weekend. The WNBPA admonished the league after their latest meeting on Thursday, saying the WNBA had failed to 'address the priorities we've voiced from the day we opted out'. Players in October voted to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, once seen as a landmark deal for women's sports but now viewed by many players as woefully inadequate amid the surge of popularity in the WNBA. WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike said she felt the meeting was a missed opportunity. 'Yes, we're celebrating amazing growth, but I think it's not lost on us that we're living the growth as we're negotiating our worth,' she said. 'The fans know what we're worth. Now we need the league to know what we are worth.' Ogwumike added there had been no direct conversation about a work stoppage but that union leadership cautioned players over the possible outcomes of a failed negotiation. 'What we want to do is negotiate a good deal,' she said. 'But we also wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't let players know, 'Hey the league is in a different place. We're in a different place. Just be prepared for anything that can happen'.' REUTERS
4 days ago
- Entertainment
Caitlin Clark is still having an impact on WNBA All-Star Game even though she won't play
INDIANAPOLIS -- Caitlin Clark dribbled, joined a team huddle and gave one of her All-Star teammate's shots a playful thumbs down before gingerly lobbing her own half-court heave Friday. It may be the most demanding action anyone sees from Clark this weekend. Indianapolis' big midseason weekend wasn't supposed to play out this way, with Clark patrolling the sidelines instead of impressing her home fans with more nifty passes or trademark logo 3-pointers. But as she sits this one out because of yet another injury, Clark remains the center of attention. From the 30-story, larger-than-life image covering Indianapolis' JW Marriott Hotel to the wraps around the city's maze of skywalks, last season's Rookie of the Year seems every bit as in demand — maybe even more — as All-Star teammates with the Indiana Fever, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, or anyone else in town. 'Oh, yeah. I am going to be there,' Clark told 'Good Morning America' on Friday, referring to Saturday night's game. 'I am going to be there, active on the sideline. I'm going to cheer these two on.' Clark did not speak during Friday's scheduled interviews with reporters or following the 3-point contest and skills challenge. For a league that has seen ticket sales and television ratings soar since Clark's arrival last season, her absence comes at the worst possible moment. Indianapolis was selected as the All-Star host last summer, and Clark was set to make her debut in the 3-point contest in her adopted hometown. The contest may have featured the strongest field ever — the last two contest winners, Sabrina Ionescu of New York and Allisha Gray of Atlanta; former NCAA Division I scoring champ Kelsey Plum of Los Angeles and Washington rookie Sonia Citron — if Clark was in it. Instead, Fever guard Lexie Hull replaced Clark but did not make the finals despite Clark's cheers. 'I think Lexie deserves it,' Mitchell said. 'I think that C.C. is dope for making sure that happened or the WNBA, for that matter, I don't know, and I think for the Fever it's just a good way to represent us and have someone the that this city loves.' Ionescu won her second title in three years, defeating Gray 30-22, giving the defending champion Liberty a Friday night sweep. Natasha Cloud edged out Seattle guard Erica Wheeler, a former Fever player, to win the skills challenge. Of course, everyone wanted to see Clark, who remains quite active off the court. In addition to the morning interview and a midday practice with the team she 'drafted,' the coach she acquired in a trade and the team that bears her name, Clark was scheduled to appear on Sue Bird's podcast, WNBA Live and with two sports brands — Nike and Wilson — before returning for Friday night's festivities. It's also a good bet Clark's schedule includes some injury treatment time. Ionescu's advice: Take full advantage of the unexpected opportunities. 'I went through something similar in my career,' Ionescu said. 'My first year, I didn't play due to injury and then second year, I had like three to four soft tissue injuries. You look back and it's a blessing in disguise because you're able to learn and grow and understand it's all part of your journey, continue to figure out what you need in a pro career.' Clark won't have much down time Saturday, either. There's a morning shootaround, a 15-minute interview session with reporters and then she'll have to navigate the newly constructed stage inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse before testing her coaching skills. And that may not be all. 'Obviously, unfortunate about Caitlin, but she's going to still have a great impact on this team,' said Liberty coach Sandy Brondello. 'I will give the coaching hat to her as much as she wants, to be quite honest. We're going to play around with it a little bit. It'll be fun.' Clark never missed a game in college or her first pro season because of injury but already has missed 10 this season with three muscle injuries. Boston and Mitchell have seen how their teammate has responded in all 10 and expect nothing different this time, a contest that doesn't count in the standings. "Caitlin will still be Caitlin, trust me guys," Mitchell said, drawing laughter. 'She's going to be in a coaching uniform, like you'll definitely see the competitive nature. But I think for her, her body deserves what it deserves from a break standpoint. I think this weekend will still be about what her and other individuals have brought to our league.' So while the league's biggest stars compete on the court, Clark will return to her role as promoter. It's a role she must embrace if she hopes to play Tuesday when the regular season resumes with a home game against the defending champion Liberty — even if it's a disappointment for the women's basketball fans. "I am feeling good,' Clark told GMA. 'Obviously, a lot of this cheers me up. It's fun to see everybody out here having such a good time.'
