Sabrina Ionescu’s relationship with Spike Lee dates back to her draft into the New York Liberty. The renowned basketball super fan was among the first to welcome her when the Liberty chose her as the No. 1 pick in 2020.
“He was the first person who called me and shared the excitement of New York getting the No. 1 pick,” Ionescu recalled after scoring 21 points in an 87-77 victory over Las Vegas on Sunday. “Whenever I’ve seen him, we’ve had small talk, and I told him he had to come out to a game. To see him here cheering us on, chirping at the refs, and talking to the players is amazing.”
Lee, a familiar face at New York Knicks games notorious for his animated trash-talking, famously directed at players like Reggie Miller, was seated courtside at Barclays Center, donned in an Ionescu jersey. This time, his spirited banter targeted Aces guard Kelsey Plum.
“I can’t say exactly what was said, but I told him that he should talk louder,” Plum said with a smile after the game. “It was all in good fun and really cool that he’s here. Even last round was really cool. I know he’s a big sports fan.”
This game marked the second consecutive Liberty playoff match Lee attended. He was present at the opening-round clincher against Atlanta. During the first game, he gave Ionescu a high-five in the third quarter, an interaction she described as feeling like “New York was injected into my veins.”
Lee was part of a sellout crowd of 14,015 that also included Liberty fans Jason Sudeikis and Tracy Morgan.
