Sabrina Ionescu’s rookie season in the WNBA was cut short due to injury, but she is wasting no time leaving her mark on the league in her second professional campaign. In just her sixth career game and third of the 2021 season, Ionescu made league history by becoming the youngest WNBA player to notch a triple-double, and she did it with plenty of time to spare.
The former No. 1 overall pick got the New York Liberty going with an early three-pointer, from very deep range, as part of a 15-0 run.
From DEEEEEP @sabrina_i20
The @nyliberty are on a 15-0 run over the last 2:46
ESPN3 pic.twitter.com/0k0jTLw2Be
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 18, 2021
By the end of third quarter, Ionescu was already on triple-double watch, stuffing the stat sheet and leading New York to a seven-point lead over the Minnesota Lynx.
Triple-double watch for @sabrina_i20
She’s got 21 PTS, 9 AST and 7 REB with under 3 to go in the third.
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 19, 2021
Then, Ionescu crossed the triple-double threshold with her tenth rebound at the 5:24 mark of the fourth quarter. By the time the broadcast could fully acknowledge the feat, she was burying another three-pointer.
TRIPLE-DOUBLE HISTORY FOR SABRINA.@sabrina_i20 becomes the youngest player in #WNBA history to record a triple-double as she records the 10th in league history.#CountIt pic.twitter.com/c1qO5YcR0z
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 19, 2021
Ionescu finished the night with 26 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in 37 minutes, leading the Liberty to what became an 86-75 win at home. In addition to becoming the youngest player to produce a triple-double, Ionescu’s performance was only the ninth triple-double in the 25-season history of the league. It certainly comes as no surprise that she would be operating at an obscenely high level, but the 23-year-old denting the record book this soon is definitely impressive and noteworthy.