Back in November, Sabrina Ionescu tweeted out a message criticizing Nike for not selling her team’s jerseys. The University of Oregon is, famously, where the Swoosh was born, and when Ionescu’s No. 20 jersey miraculously became available online six days later, they sold out in two hours. It was one of the biggest off-court stories of the early season, as college basketball’s premier player flexed her star power.

Now, with the WNBA draft only days away, the biggest off-court debate isn’t who will be taken where, but who Ionescu will pick as a sponsor. And while Nike is the reported frontrunner, Under Armour’s most famous ambassador was spotted last week working out with Ionescu:

Projected top pick Sabrina Ionescu is putting in work with @stephencurry30 the week before the WNBA draft. (via @sabrina_i20) pic.twitter.com/OFLWJtOaY6

— espnW (@espnW) April 8, 2020

All of this to state the obvious: Sabrina Ionescu is a really big deal. Had she left Oregon a year ago, after elevating a program that had not made the NCAA tournament since 2005 to the Elite Eight in her first two seasons and then the Final Four in her third, she would have likely been the first pick in the WNBA draft.

Now, after a season in which she became the only Division I player to ever reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists in a career, all while ballooning her career triple-doubles record to a staggering 26 and putting her team on the path to a national championship, there’s no question where she’ll be drafted. The New York Liberty, and new head coach Walt Hopkins, will be taking Ionescu with the first pick on Friday.

Ionescu will become the 26th first pick in league history, the first out of Oregon, the fourth born in California, and the fifth from a Pac-12 school. She will be the seventh guard taken first overall and the fourth in the past six years. Most importantly, the Liberty still have Ionescu’s No. 20 jersey available, and odds are Ionescu won’t have to tweet at them to make sure it’s being sold.

Making history

Ionescu’s four years at Oregon will always be remembered above all for those 26 triple doubles. Not only did she record more than twice as many as any other Division I player, men or women, but the number 26 itself became imbued with tremendous symbolism, as Ionescu recorded her 26th triple double on February 24th against Stanford, after speaking that morning at Kobe and Gianna Bryant’s memorial service. That date, 2-24-20, contained all three players’ numbers, with Gianna wearing two, Kobe 24, and Ionescu 20. Two and 24 added together also make 26. During the game, Ionescu also recorded her 1,000th rebound, having already passed the 2,000 career points and 1,000 career assists marks earlier in the year.

Coincidence? Not according to Ionescu:

2.24.20= 2k 1k 1k
2+24=26 total triple doubles
8=total triple doubles this season so far
Your presence is felt. Just like we talked about... I HEAR YOU????????????
Thank you KB. pic.twitter.com/T7IRdXsRSa

— Sabrina Ionescu (@sabrina_i20) February 25, 2020

While a lot of people expect Ionescu’s all-around dominance to continue, when she enters the professional ranks, she’ll still be “just” another rookie, albeit a pretty famous one. Betting against her seems unwise, but WNBA triple doubles are no easy feat: there have only been nine in league history, including the postseason, and only Sheryl Swoopes, who had both the first in league history and the only one in the postseason, recorded two.

Lisa Leslie notched a 29-point triple-double, but did so with 10 blocks. Outside of that performance, the most points scored in a triple-double were 14 by Swoopes both times.

Ionescu, on the other hand, surpassed 14 points in seven of her eight senior-season triple doubles. Also on Ionescu’s side is the fact that three of the eight triple double artists were first overall picks themselves (Swoopes, Margo Dydek and Candace Parker).

In other words, expect Ionescu to either run into a wall in a league that simply doesn’t support triple-doubles, or revolutionize the sport entirely. History may be against her, but then again, Ionescu spent all of college humiliating the record books.

The tale of the tape

There is a rich history of WNBA scouts nailing first picks. Twelve have made an immediate impact and won the Rookie of the Year Award. Seven went on to win MVP at some point in their career, and Parker even did so during her rookie year.

First picks have averaged 13.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in their rookie seasons. For comparison, in their last year of college (for those that came directly out of the NCAA) these same first picks had an average stat line of 20.9/8.0/3.0.

Ionescu averaged 17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 9.1 assists in her final year. While her individual scoring may be a tick behind her peers, those assists all lead to baskets too. One category where her stats may take an immediate dive in the WNBA, however, is rebounding.

“Trust me, 10 rebounds in college will go down to four or five in the WNBA,” Diana Taurasi told ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel. “That’s just how it is: You’re talking about the most physically imposing players. So will that dynamic change a little? Yeah, but she still has a knack for the basketball.”

Thankfully, the Liberty need more help running their offense than they do collecting rebounds. The team faltered last year without ever settling on a point guard under previous head coach Katie Smith. Asia Durr and Kia Nurse had opportunities, while Brittany Boyd averaged the most assists per game, with Tanisha Wright and Bria Hartley coming in second and third. Hartley, however, chose the Phoenix Mercury in free agency, and Wright currently is absent from the Liberty’s publicly available roster.

So, Ionescu will be immediately inserted into a fairly talented roster with an opportunity to be a pass-first playmaker. While the transition to the WNBA may be difficult for some less accustomed to being surrounded by star power, Ionescu spent her entire Oregon career surrounded by elite players, and was essentially playing with a WNBA-caliber starting five this past year.

Not only did the Ducks beat Team USA in an exhibition, but the most recent ESPN mock draft has Ionescu’s teammates Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard going second to the Dallas Wings and 11th to the Seattle Storm, respectively.

Simply put, Ionescu knows how to get the most of her teammates, a fact that bodes well for both her and the Liberty.

What they’re saying

Taurasi views Ionescu’s passing as her most translatable skill, especially as she will likely have the chance to run an offense right away. In her article, Voepel also spoke to Sue Bird, another former first pick and guard, as well as several pro scouts about their evaluations of Ionescu. They all had good things to say.

“When you can pass, and make people around you better every game no matter how you’re shooting, that’s when you can play on any team in the world,” Taurasi said. “Whether you’re talking about WNBA, overseas, the Olympic team. That’s kind of gotten lost in the age of highlights. The simple pass isn’t going to be a highlight, but that’s the skill that’s going to keep you in the league for a long time.

“If it’s too late, it’s a turnover or the pass isn’t there,” Taurasi added. “And she always makes that quick decision. I can see it in her.”

The pass is special because, for the most part, it will always be there. By far, in the transition from college to pros, the stat that is least affected is the assist. That doesn’t mean things will be easy, though.

“The pro game of bigger, faster, stronger is going to be an adjustment for her,” according to an unnamed scout. “She’ll need to work more to get the ball, get open. She’s such a great passer, but more of her passes will be deflected. She’ll have to navigate the way she plays in the pick-and-roll system. Because there will be different ways to defend her.

“But her willingness to do hard things, to step up at key times … those are what make for special players and put them in that next category of elite.”

For a while, Ionescu’s game was compared to that of the NBA’s Russell Westbrook, mostly owing to their respective triple-double prowess. But that comparison falls short, and even Ionescu shrugs it away. Pro scouts likewise have a hard time projecting her using current players.

“In our league right now, there’s not a good comparison, because she does everything: She shoots the 3, she assists, she rebounds,” a different scout said. “Defensively she’s going to be OK. It’s not a value, but she’s competitive and she doesn’t want to be a weak link. And positionally, she’s coming into the league at a time when there’s somewhat of a void at her spot.”

The college coaches Ionescu faced also sing her praises, though they may just all be happy they don’t have to face her anymore.

“She’s able to conjure up whatever she needs in any particular possession to help her team,” said Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma “A defensive play, a rebound, an assist, a big 3.”

After the first of three losses to Oregon in 2020, Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer was asked what the difference was that put her squad on the wrong side of the score.

“Sabrina,” said VanDerveer. “They had Sabrina and we didn’t, and she was phenomenal.”

According to Bird, who matched up against Ionescu when Oregon took down Team USA earlier this year, it’s Ionescu’s mentality which will have the biggest influence on her career.

“She’s very relentless,” Bird said. “Even when you think you have her stopped, she keeps coming at you. Those are things you can’t always teach. People are going to talk about, ‘Is she a good enough shooter? Can she do this? Is she good enough for that?’ Who cares? If you’re competitive, that can overcome a lot.”

Ionescu herself credits her own determination to be a student of the game:

“I watch a lot of film, so usually I try to see how they’re playing defense and reacting, really studying the personnel and knowing the right reads. I feel like the game usually slows down enough for me to read and react quickly.”

Intangibles

Simply put, Ionescu is built for superstardom. She took an Oregon team from last in the Pac-12 as recently as 2013 to sellout crowds and three consecutive regular season titles. She made an afterthought a powerhouse. During her freshman year, average attendance was 2,595 a game, and Ionescu was often mistaken for the team’s manager. By her senior year, she couldn’t walk across campus without being recognized, and more than 10,000 fans were showing up for every game.

Of course, that same personality is exactly what the Liberty need as they move from Westchester County Center in White Plains to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Supporters of the league and WNBA executives couldn’t have dreamed of a better match between the sport’s biggest rising star and its largest media market.

Ultimately, Ionescu is an elite talent, a great teammate and the type of leader who can be the face of a franchise. More than anything, her competitive nature is a game-changer, an almost certain assurance that she will make it at the next level. The WNBA would have been much better off if Ionescu had her NCAA championship in hand. Even still, there’s no sign that she plans to slow down anytime soon.

Gotham and Dove are teaming up, with the 2023 NWSL champs signing a record-setting multi-year kit partnership with the beauty brand on Thursday.

As Dove's first major investment in a women's sports team, the move also ranks as the highest-ever back-of-jersey sponsorship deal in NWSL history.

While Gotham did not provide specific numbers, the contract surpasses Bay FC's then-record $500,000 deal with private equity giant Sixth Street.

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Dove joins Gotham in fight to keep girls in sports

The partnership is a part of Gotham's "Keep Her in the Game" initiative, a community effort launched last August to help adolescent girls stay in sports. Dove will serve as the program's presenting sponsor.

"Dove is the ultimate leader in female strength and empowerment, and we could not be prouder to partner with the brand in a number of impactful ways," Gotham FC chief business officer Ryan Dillon said in the team's release. "We are excited to team up with Dove to create key pathways for young female athletes to stay in sports, develop confidence, and become strong future leaders."

"The partnership is taking effect at a crucial time when supporting girls in sports has never been more important."

With girls twice as likely as boys to abandon sports by age 14, "Keep Her in the Game" aims to bolster young athletes' resilience and amplify the joy and connection that happens on and off the playing field.

After impacting 30 local New Jersey and New York youth clubs and more than 500 players in 2024, the initiative is aiming to double its reach in 2025. It will also pass the proverbial mic to the young athletes themselves by creating a Youth Leadership Council.

"The data is clear: Sports build confidence, leadership skills and resilience in young women, benefiting them for years to come," stated Laura DiMiceli, the head of personal care sports marketing for Dove's parent company, Unilever North America. "Dove is committed to supporting 'Keep Her in the Game' as part of our overall mission to help young girls pursue sports and keep playing the games they love."

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball will crown its first-ever 1v1 tournament champion on Friday night, when all four semifinalists take the court with a $200,000 grand prize on the line.

Vinyl guard Arike Ogunbowale will kick off the semis against Mist forward Aaliyah Edwards, before Unrivaled co-founder and Lunar Owls forward Napheesa Collier faces Rose forward Azurá Stevens. The victors will immediately advance to the night's best-of-three final series.

Notably, Friday's set puts alma mater pride on center court. A trio of UConn alums in Collier, Stevens, and Edwards will all clock in, while Ogunbowale reps Notre Dame — one of just three teams to beat the Huskies this NCAA season.

Along with those priceless bragging rights, the semifinalists are battling for a six-figure payday, though none will leave empty-handed. Each are guaranteed at least $25,000, with $50,000 on deck for the tournament's runner-up.

The players' Unrivaled teammates will also be watching with interest, as the winner's entire 3×3 team will snag $10,000 each.

Though 1v1 can feel like a schoolyard version of basketball, with this much money involved, expect the competition to rise miles above playground tussles.

Endurance could decide Unrivaled 1v1 tournament champion

Friday's format is in part a test of stamina, as players stare down a grueling schedule where the eventual winner must play either three or four 1v1 games in a single night.

To that end, Collier's elite conditioning could make her the favorite, if she can outlast Stevens in the pair's semifinal.

"Her motor is unmatched," Stevens said of Collier's endurance, a key factor in her success so far. "I try to conserve some energy in between possessions, especially when the games get really tiring."

Motors aside, Friday's title will boil down to fundamentals — and which athlete best leverages their personal skillset.

"I have to use my size and stick to my strengths," said Edwards. "It’s about imposing my will and getting the job done."

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How to watch the Unrivaled 1v1 tournament finals

The inaugural Unrivaled 1v1 tournament concludes on Friday. Live coverage begins at 7:30 PM ET on TNT.

The last perfect DI basketball season has officially fallen, as USC phenom JuJu Watkins put up a historic performance to lead the No. 6 Trojans to a 71-60 win over then-undefeated No. 1 UCLA on Thursday.

Watkins finished the night with 38 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and eight blocks, becoming the first DI player to register an overall stat-line so robust in 20 years.

"It took everything. It's been a rough couple weeks for me," Watkins said after the game, referencing uncharacteristic performances leading up to Thursday's rivalry matchup. "To be able to kind of snap back into it and get into my rhythm here at Galen versus UCLA, it's really all I could ask for."

"I'm really just like a kid out there and living out my dream."

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Throughout the back-and-forth battle, Watkins's consistency made all the difference. She scored every one of USC's 14 second-quarter points, and helped lead a monster fourth quarter in which the Trojans slammed the door by outscoring the Bruins 24-8.

"I didn't teach JuJu any of that," commented USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb after the game. "[I] just try to put her in situations to be her best self, and she does most of that work. What I was so impressed with tonight, obviously, was just the mentality she came out with."

With the marquee win, USC now sits firmly atop the Big Ten. That said, UCLA will have a chance to avenge the loss in the pair's March 1st rematch, when that final regular-season game could decide the conference title.

Until then, the Trojans will be riding high on their Thursday night dominance.

"We'll never forget this night," Gottlieb said. "It's as good as anything I've ever seen."

How to watch Top 10 NCAA basketball this weekend

With no undefeated teams left in DI basketball, Watkins's performance has put the field on notice to not make any assumptions about who might end up on top.

While Sunday will see USC roll against unranked Washington and UCLA try to bounce back against No. 22 Michigan State, the NCAA slate will also serve up two huge Top 10 matchups.

First, No. 7 UConn will take their final major regular-season test when they visit No. 4 South Carolina at 1 PM ET, when Paige Bueckers and the Huskies will aim to pull off a similarly impressive USC-inspired upset.

Then at 3 PM ET, No. 5 LSU heads to No. 3 Texas, where the Tigers will hunt their first win over the Longhorns in more than 22 years.

Both elite meetings are set to air live on ABC.

The brand-new professional Women's Lacrosse League (WLL) made its official debut this week just outside of Washington, DC, where its first-ever game saw the New York Charging take down the Maryland Charm 14-13 in the WLL Championship Series.

After the inaugural Tuesday result, the action continued on Wednesday, when the California Palms opened their WLL account by getting the better of the Boston Guard in a tight 16-15 matchup.

Founded and run by the Premier Lacrosse League, the WLL fosters top-level competition as the sport gears up for its 2028 Olympic return.

The four-team WLL Championship Series follows an Olympic-style "sixes" format. Unlike traditional lacrosse, which uses a larger pitch and 10 athletes per team, sixes employs a condensed field with six players per side.

In the Championship Series, teams are first competing in three round-robin games to determine semifinal seedings. The tournament will culminate with the knockout semifinal and final rounds on Sunday and Monday, respectively.

WLL looks to level up lacrosse ahead of 2028 Olympics

Despite the competition's quick turnaround, the WLL represents a growing professionalization movement in women's lacrosse — with all involved betting big on the sport's Olympic success in LA.

When lacrosse steps back onto the Olympic stage in 2028, it will have been 80 years since its last 1948 outing — and even then, it was merely a demonstration event. The last time the sport earned medals was in 1908.

Furthermore, the sport's entire Olympic history rests in the men's game — 2028 will see women take the Olympic lacrosse pitch for the first time ever.

"We are honored to be a part of the WLL, and we couldn't be more excited to bring this game to the fans in new ways than ever before," said Boston Guard star Charlotte North in a league statement.

"We firmly believe that this is the beginning of what will be a monumental movement in the game of professional women's lacrosse, and for female athletes around the globe.... It's our time."

How to watch the WLL Championship Series

The tournament's round-robin play continues with the Maryland Charm facing off against the Boston guard at 9 PM ET on Thursday, before the California Palms contend with the New York Charging at 6 PM ET on Friday.

All WLL Championship Series games will stream live on ESPN+, with Sunday's and Monday's knockout rounds airing live on ESPN2.