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NEW YORK – Sabrina Ionescu could barely walk during last season’s WNBA Finals. The New York Liberty star needed an injection in her sore hip to even be able to take the floor in the first games of the series against the Las Vegas Aces. She struggled to score, and when the Aces were on their way to a one-point championship on the Liberty’s home court last October, Ionescu vomited into a trash can on the sideline.

The Liberty and Aces were considered the WNBA’s super teams last year because of their star power, including Ionescu. But Vegas made a statement and left Ionescu with a permanent scar.

“Losing,” she said, “motivates you.”

The Liberty had room to grow, and Ionescu recognized that that included her. Before traveling to California last fall, she met with the New York coaching staff. They discussed in detail how she could improve. Although she had good control of the ball, she was told that she was too easy to defend off the ball. They emphasized recognizing and exploiting pick-and-roll situations. They wanted Ionescu to become a better cutter, play at different speeds and attack the basket more.

Once healthy, she was able to work without physical limitations and apparently without a limit to how hard she would exert herself.

“It’s just about constantly wanting to get better and not being okay with being complacent,” Ionescu said.

She was constantly in the gym. She worked on her grip and speed. She added various floaters to her game. She focused on coming out of different dribbling variations and using her power. She played five-on-five against current and former Pac-12 players, WNBA players and overseas professionals. “Nothing compares to defense and live reps,” she said.

That wasn’t even enough. Ionescu came up with challenges to make difficult exercises even more difficult. Her coach recalled a catch-and-shoot sequence in which Ionescu was tasked with making 20 deep three-pointers, with the last five having to be consecutive. Ionescu added that everyone has to be a net player. After making 13 in a row, she exclaimed that some of them barely grazed the rim. “No, absolutely not. “That doesn’t count,” she said. She began the sequence again.

“Being able to go full throttle was a whole different story,” said Breen Weeks, their basketball coach the last two offseasons.

Another time, Ionescu managed to hit five floaters with one dribble each using the same hand and same foot, but she required the final three to be pulled off the glass without using her right hand as a guide. “If she didn’t like the height, it doesn’t count,” Weeks said. “That’s how obsessed she is. That’s how closed and detailed it is. I call her a cold-blooded competitor.”

Ionescu said: “I know I can have a chance, but I want to continue to challenge myself to strive for perfection. Sometimes it’s a swing, sometimes it’s a challenging move.”

Sabrina Ionescu really stepped up her game in game 4 🔥

With 22 points and 5 of 8 from distance, she lit up the court and fired the Liberty to victory #WelcometoW pic.twitter.com/1zcSvivVlm

– WNBA (@WNBA) October 6, 2024

Tackling difficult moments head-on was a theme in the early stages of Ionescu’s career, which was marked by successes but also injuries and deficits. But her competitive obsession this offseason has taken her game to new levels. She’s going downhill and is now New York’s premier ballplayer, with career averages of 18.2 points and 6.2 assists per game and playing more minutes than ever before.

It culminated in leading the Liberty back to the WNBA Finals and to the cusp of a franchise high point. After losing last season, New York – one of the WNBA’s original teams – is in position to win its first championship by facing the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 on Thursday.

“It was really rewarding to see the real me come out,” Ionescu said.

Those who know Ionescu best aren’t surprised that she spent the entire winter and spring in a gym. As a high school student in Orinda, California, on her way to becoming one of the top recruits in the country, her coach gave her a key to the school gym. She practiced there late into the night so often that the principal told Miramonte High School’s custodial staff to “just leave her alone and let her shoot,” said her coach, Kelly Sopak.

When coach Kelly Graves recruited Ionescu to Oregon, he told her that the university’s practice facility was open 24 hours a day for players, but she quickly realized that wasn’t necessarily true. Ionescu was chased out of the facility by a security guard her first night on campus, the first of many times during her college career. “She was the only player I ever had that was kicked out of the practice facility,” Graves said.

That work ethic was crucial as Ionescu’s celebrated entry into the WNBA was quickly marred by injuries. Ionescu was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, but suffered a severe ankle sprain in her third WNBA game and missed the remainder of her rookie season. The ankle pain continued throughout the 2021 season, and it wasn’t until the 2022 season that she said she was fully healed. Still, thoughts of hurt remained with her and she later recalled these troubled periods of her “dark days.” Finishing a full season healthy was a goal, as was winning a championship.

“She’s just competing with herself,” Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb said.

When the Liberty reconvened in the spring, assistant coach Olaf Lange was quick to note that “the flashes were there in training camp.” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello noted Ionescu’s improved explosiveness.

In her 14th game, Ionescu had made more floaters than she did in all of 2023. Before the finale, 37.2 percent of her shot attempts had been runners or at the rim, up from 26.3 percent last year, according to Synergy Sports. “When she’s that aggressive, it kind of opens things up for everyone else,” Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart said.

Stewart and Jonquel Jones are New York’s only players with MVP awards on their resumes, but Ionescu is arguably the engine of the franchise. Aces coach Becky Hammon said the 5-foot-10 guard is “what (New York) is all about with her speed, her reading ability and her ability to put defenses in various dilemmas.” Hammon called her the “head the serpent” of the Liberty.

“I love her shooting, everything she brings to the game. I think just her finishing at the rim was a little bit better,” Hammon said. “It’s tough when you take really, really good players and they get better.”

Sabrina Ionescu played with more confidence and strength this season, helping lead the Liberty back to the WNBA Finals. (Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)

Because of this, Las Vegas tried to specifically shut them out in Game 3 (Ionescu’s four points were their second-worst of the season). Stop Ionescu, the Aces believed, and they could return to the semifinals. Then Game 4 happened. Ionescu scored 12 points in the first quarter en route to a team-high 22, ending the Aces’ comeback attempt.

Stopping Ionescu consistently this season has proven to be a challenge, not just statistically, but also because of the new confidence she is playing with. “Sometimes I thought early in her career, when she feels the crowd, she just wants to do something and push the issue,” Lange said. “She’s been letting it get to her lately.”

As Sopak watches Ionescu during New York’s postseason run, he constantly has flashbacks. He remembered a contest in middle school where she hit a late runner off the glass, which reminded him a lot of a hit on A’ja Wilson in New York’s second game against the Aces. With the Liberty down by just one point with 11.6 seconds left, Ionescu approached the free throw line to secure the win. However, she missed the first free throw and Sopak said from his home in California: “St. Mary’s–Stockton.”

The significance dates back to Ionescu’s freshman year of high school, when Ionescu fouled out and went to the finish line for a one-on-one against what Sopak said was a top-10 program. She missed the front end and Miramonte lost by one point. The loss motivated Ionescu not to end up in that position again.

“With Sabrina, you can’t sugarcoat it,” Sopak said. He said he told her after the game, “If you want to be a great player, you have to be prepared for failure.” If you’re not willing to lose this game and face the consequences of it, you’ll never win it .”

Ionescu doesn’t shy away from key moments. So Sopak had no doubt that she would make the second free throw. She’s trying to win games, not just avoid losing them. “It doesn’t prove anything anymore,” said Sopak.

In the last three weeks, Ionescu has hyped up Spike Lee, fallen into Carmelo Anthony’s lap and sang with Alicia Keys. She pumped her fist after scoring three points, waved her hands to cheer on the Barclays Center crowd and secured playoff victories at the free throw line.

Amid all the fanfare and victories, Ionescu’s drive was clear to see. After tying New York’s franchise playoff record with 36 points to complete the first-round series with the Atlanta Dream, she sat in a corner of the Liberty locker room and took a deep breath.

“Good job,” Ionescu said to her teammates as she fastened her headband. “This game wasn’t perfect, but we played hard. We played hard for 40 minutes and just chipped in.”

Sabrina Ionescu: “Spike Lee gave me a high five… and I felt like New York was just injected into my veins at that moment. I thought, ‘We’re going to win this.'” 😂pic.twitter.com/bnevwhIz0Z

– Dime (@DimeUPROXX) September 25, 2024

Ionescu is healthy, focused and confident and feels more comfortable when she is vocal and shows who she is. “People were able to see a little bit more of my personality this year, who I am as a person,” she said. “Because I just felt more confident.”

She listens to the coaches about what she can do to score and how she wants to help her teammates succeed. At a recent practice, she asked the staff to continue repeating plays off the field instead of taking a water break. Every minute and every exercise counts.

Winning a ring is of utmost importance, she said. She said she thought about what it would feel like to be victorious and what it would mean for her teammates, for a Liberty franchise that has lost its five previous Finals appearances and for New York City, which has yet to make one has won basketball titles since the 1970s.

“I’ve been thinking about a championship since we lost last year,” Ionescu said.

(Illustration: Daniel Goldfarb / The athlete; Top photo of Sabrina Ionescu: Evan Yu/NBAE, Mitchell Leff/Getty)