Sabrina Ionescu VOMITS during a timeout and then returns to the court as NY Liberty lose 70-69 to Las Vegas Aces in WNBA Finals clinching game
- A’ja Wilson was named MVP of the finals, finishing the match with 24 pts and 16 reb
- Ionescu finished the game with 13 points, three rebounds and three assists
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During New York’s 70-69 loss in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, in which the Las Vegas Aces swept Liberty guard 3-1, Sabrina Ionescu had perhaps the most interesting moment of the night.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Ionescu dropped a huge 3-pointer just before heading to the sideline during a timeout.
Ionescu celebrated her big chance by walking straight to an employee holding a trash can before promptly throwing up in it.
A nearby assistant witnessed the moment and quickly held up a towel so cameras couldn’t see exactly what Ionescu had eaten before the match as she dumped her guts into the can.
“You talk about nerves during a finals moment,” ESPN sideline reporter Andraya Carter said. ‘Sabrina Ionescu who just hit a big 3 and then came to the sideline and lost the contents of her stomach.
NY Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu threw up on the sideline during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals
A nearby assistant coach held up a towel to prevent cameras from seeing the actual vomit
Ionescu finished the game with 13 points, three rebounds and three assists in the loss
“She told me she’s nervous before a game, but she went right back out, wiped her chin and kept playing.”
As Carter said, Ionescu shrugged off her stomach while empty and returned to the court after the timeout as if it was nothing.
Despite leaving both her heart – and her stomach – on the court, the 25-year-old’s 13 points, three rebounds and three assists weren’t enough to propel her team to keep the streak alive for one more game.
Las Vegas is now the first team in the WNBA since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks to win consecutive Finals.
The Aces were without key players Chelsea Gray, Kiah Stokes and Candace Parker, but still managed to get the win thanks to a last-second defensive stop. Gray and Stokes were both sidelined due to foot injuries suffered in Game 3. Parker has been out since undergoing foot surgery earlier this season.
Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, was constantly in her teammates’ ears during timeouts and shouting encouragement from the sidelines.
A’ja Wilson was named MVP of the finals, finishing the game with 24 points and 16 rebounds. She finished in third place in the regular season MVP voting.