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Chelsea Gray Thinks Sabrina Ionescu Has What It Takes

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 06: Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the Oregon Ducks reacts after a teammate hit a 3-pointer against the Utah Utes during the Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball tournament quarterfinals at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on March 6, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ducks defeated the Utes 79-59. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The production of the 2020 WNBA draft made it clear that the stage belonged to Sabrina Ionescu, as a stream of feature videos and pre-prepared Ionescu-to-the-Liberty content followed New York’s selection of the Oregon star. It almost felt like the actual draft only began after Ionescu was picked first overall — when the prospect of uncertainty was introduced for the first time.

That is why it may have come as a surprise when WNBA legends, and UConn teammates for two years, Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi openly debated who from this year’s draft class would have the best career in a wide-ranging discussion on Instagram Live.

In addition to all their other credentials, like Ionescu, both were drafted first overall when they entered the league. So when they hopped on Instagram to deliver hot takes, people listened.

Bird said her top two were Chennedy Carter, drafted fourth overall to the Atlanta Dream, and Satou Sabally, Ionescu’s Oregon teammate taken second by the Dallas Wings. Taurasi chose Ionescu.

“Sabrina did all the things in college that you and me did,” Taurasi said.

The Los Angeles Sparks’ Chelsea Gray, however, would tend to side with Taurasi. The Duke product came into the league as the 11th overall pick, having to spend time in a role off the bench until breaking out in 2017 with her first of three consecutive All-Star appearances.

Put three guards in a room and there won’t likely be much agreement on anything. That both Gray and Taurasi came away from the draft thinking Ionescu was the best in the class speaks volumes.

“I look at her game from a point guard’s perspective, and to achieve triple-doubles the way she does? That’s not an easy thing to do,” Gray told Just Women’s Sports. “You have to fight for rebounds and go take them from post players. That’s hard. And you have to rely on your teammates to make shots for you to get assists.”

“You can control your points, but sometimes you have an off day,” Gray added. “What she was able to do is so difficult, you really have to appreciate the way she plays the game.”

Ionescu finished her Oregon career with an NCAA-record 26 career triple-doubles. In the WNBA, the feat has historically been much more difficult to accomplish, with only nine ever recorded in the league’s 23 seasons.

While acknowledging that the WNBA is a different level from the college game, especially considering the adjustments that come with playing against teams with in-depth scouting, Gray is betting on Ionescu.

“I think she’s capable of succeeding at the highest level.”

To her credit, Ionescu had phenomenal games even against schools and coaches known for their scouting. Hall of Fame head coach at Stanford Tara VanDerveer saw Ionescu quite a bit and always struggled to contain her.

Ionescu is coming into a difficult environment in New York. The franchise had the opportunity to draft her first overall by virtue of a 10-24 record last year. It will be a challenge to find success immediately.

For comparison, Bird was drafted by a Seattle Storm team that went 10-22 the year prior and won her first championship in year three. When the Phoenix Mercury took Taurasi in 2004, it was coming off an 8-26 record in 2003. In season four, the Mercury and Taurasi each had their first championship.

So, whatever the case, it would be fair to allow Ionescu time to acclimate in the league. Then again, she joined an Oregon team that had not made a tournament appearance since 2005, had not won a Pac-12 regular season title since 2000, and had never advanced past the first week of March Madness. But in just her freshman season the Ducks made the first of three consecutive trips to the Elite Eight. By the end of her sophomore season, they had won the Pac-12. And during Ionescu’s junior year, Oregon was a Final Four team for the first time in school history. In her senior year, Matthew Knight Arena was consistently selling out and Oregon was the talk of national media.

It’s that kind of transformative potential that Gray was referring to when she said Ionescu is a great player.

“She’s done something very special at the University of Oregon,” Gray said. “She’s lifted up every single athlete that she’s played with and made that university a household name. That’s something that you really appreciate.”

Now, the challenge for Ionescu is to not just live up to but somehow try and exceed the lofty expectations surrounding her professional career. Ever since the Liberty faced the Sparks in Los Angeles for the league’s inaugural game, the two franchises have played in front of some of the league’s largest media markets. But the Sparks have won three titles. The Liberty? Zero.

Gray, after four seasons in Southern California, offered Ionescu some advice on how to navigate the heightened scrutiny.

“I don’t want her to put so much pressure on herself because she’s such a big name already,” said Gray, who like Ionescu, went to high school in the East Bay. “She’s still going to be a rookie. I hope and I think she’s going to be great, but I just want her to play as freely as she did at Oregon, because all of these fans, and the fame… it puts a lot of weight on people.”

“I hope she doesn’t have that,” Gray added. “I hope she’s able to play free, play the game, and get triple-doubles. I hope she achieves at the highest level until she plays the Sparks. Then she can have a bad day.”

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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