Liberty Star Sabrina Ionescu Among City's Top Athletes

SNY released its ranking of the top 10 metropolitan professional athletes, with New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu placing ninth. The list was headlined by New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge in the top spot.

Ionescu is one of three basketball players on the list, joined by New York Knicks players Jalen Brunson (second) and Karl-Anthony Towns (fifth). SNY's analysis highlights Ionescu as a key reason the Liberty won their first-ever WNBA championship last year, ending New York City's professional basketball title drought since 1973. She is recognized as the Liberty's most recognizable star due to her regular-season performances, four All-Star selections, setting the WNBA three-point contest record (37 points) in 2023, and her competitive performance against Stephen Curry in the "Sabrina vs. Stephen" event.

Since being drafted first overall in 2020, Ionescu has become the undisputed homegrown face of the Liberty franchise. She was instrumental in their championship run last fall, notably hitting a game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 3 of the Finals against the Minnesota Lynx. This season, Ionescu became the Liberty's all-time leader in three-pointers and earned her fourth All-Star selection, where she aims to defend her three-point contest title. She is averaging a career-high 18.8 points per game through her first 19 games, showing improvements in her mid-range and defensive play.

Aaron Judge leads the SNY list amid a dominant season where he hit 35 home runs by the MLB All-Star break. Other baseball players on the list include Francisco Lindor (third) and Juan Soto (fourth). Ionescu's Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart received an honorable mention.