This is probably the first time all WNBA season, where Caitlin Clark isn’t the center of the women’s basketball world.
And if you are paying attention, her absence from the Olympics hasn’t done anything to hurt the popularity of the team or keep the event from being one of the most popular at the Paris Games.
There’s still plenty of star power to go around, including two players who are also trying to bring home an elusive WNBA championship. Breanna Stewart is the 2023 WNBA MVP who plays alongside the league’s most feared sharp-shooter in Sabrina Ionescu.
While the rookies of the league have snatched the headlines, sort of like a new toy in an old toy chest, “S&S” have continued to set standards of excellence for the WNBA during the season and internationally.
Their impacts were no more evident than during Group C play when the tandem helped put finishing touches on Team USA’s 87-68 victory over Germany in Lille that advanced the team and extended its Olympic winning streak to 58 games dating back to the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Stewart and fellow WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson combined for 27 points on matching 6-for-11 shooting from the field. Ionescu efficiently led the second unit effort.
They’ll meet Nigeria later today in a quarterfinal matchup (3:30pm on Peacock).
Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu Make NY Liberty Olympics History
Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are the first Liberty tandem to ever play on an Olympic team together. They have lifted the Liberty to a WNBA-leading 21-4 record with league play set to resume after the Olympics on Aug. 15.
Stewart and Ionescu both had shoe deals before Caitlin Clark ever hooked up with Nike. Stewart is the most decorated college player in history, winning four-straight titles with UConn and a remarkable win streak of 100 games that began in November of 2014 and lasted for over two years.
Prior to Clark entering the league, Stewart was one of several legends who sent warning shots to Clark, preparing her for the road ahead.
If anyone is qualified to advise Clark on how to navigate winning it’s Stewie.She’s no stranger to championships at the pro level either, leading the 2018 and 2020 Seattle Storm to WNBA titles, alongside legendary point guard Sue Bird. The NY super duo won the third and fourth titles of the Seattle Storm Dynasty.
Bird has since retired, and Stewie brought her live show to the bright lights of Barclay’s Center in New York City, where she led the Liberty to the WNBA finals in 2023 before losing to the back-to-back champion Las Vegas Aces.
Stewie did secure her second WNBA MVP award last season and is contention again this year.
Stewart has had a luxury of elite point guards who can shoot and assist in Bird and now Ionescu. Such guards complement the versatility of her game to perfection. This season, Stewart has even taken a back seat to the elevation of Ionescu, who after nearly defeating Steph Curry in a “Battle of the Sexes” three-point shootout during NBA All-Star Weekend, is averaging a team-high 19.8 points per game for the Liberty.
Coming out of college Ionescu was Caitlin Clark before Caitlin Clark arrived. Ionescu, a three-time Nancy Lieberman Award winner as the nation’s top point guard, averaged 17.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and an NCAA-leading 9.1 assists as a senior with the Oregon Ducks.
Known as a true stat-stuffer (same as Clark), Ionescu graduated as the NCAA record holder for career triple-doubles and the only NCAA woman or man to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists.
A friend and mentee of the late Kobe Bryant, Ionescu’s public profile exploded after she spoke eloquently at the memorial service for the NBA legend and his daughter Gianna.
We know about Sabrina’s talent, heart and sacrifice for team.
Ionescu Battled Injuries Early In WNBA Career
Her rookie year as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft was challenging and tested her will as she was forced to the sidelines soon after her season began due to a Grade 3 left ankle sprain, she suffered during Liberty’s 84-78 loss to the Atlanta Dream.
Following a minor ankle procedure, she returned to the court but was clearly compromised. the pressure of carrying women’s basketball on her shoulders forced her “rush back into playing. New York was so excited to have the number one pick. And, I felt I had let my team down,” Ionescu expressed in an interview with Vanity Fair magazine.
Doctors had to remove a loose bone chip that was causing issues with the tendon behind her ankle during the surgery. It was a procedure that requires a significant amount of time to heal, so Ionescu played in just three games her rookei season.
When the next season arrived, the 5-foot-11 guard was totally committed to returning regardless of the consequences. Though she posted more than respectable numbers (averaging 11.7 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.7 rebounds) while playing in all 30 games, it almost cost her a career.
She recalled, “I let all the media scrutiny get into my head and it took a huge toll on me. I wasn’t 100% and I almost had to have a second reconstructive surgery; I was playing in pain.”
That kind of grit and resilience is why Ionescu is a no-brainer to be a part of Team USA.
Stewart is just behind Ionescu, seventh in the WNBA in scoring at 19.3 points per game. Either player could be averaging more, but they have such a balanced attack, that these two Olympians have found the perfect mix.
They have brought that unselfish, dogged mentality to this Olympic mix of elite players.
Breanna Stewart Went Crazy In WNBA All-Star Game
After she exploded with 31 points in a loss to Team WNBA in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game and has remained aggressive and red hot in the Olympics.
In the opening Group C win over Japan (102-76) Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Brittney Griner dominated the paint and set the tone for Team USA as it strives to win its unprecedented eighth straight gold medal.
Wilson had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocked shots and Stewart was deadly on both sides of the ball, scoring 22 points. Ionescu ran the second team with precision and contributed 11 points.
Related: Sabrina Ionescu Would Hustle Grown Men On The Court For Slurpee Money At Age 10
Against Belgium, Stewart led the team with 26 points on 8 of 14 shooting and hit 9 of her 10 free throws. Ionescu led the team in assists with 5 in 19 minutes.
Look for both players to show out against Nigeria, their next victim.
These players will be key to Team USA’s continues success and the impact of their performance, especially in the clutch, can’t be underestimated. There’s a reason why the New York Liberty are the best team in the WNBA.
