Puzzling: WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu claims her shoes were stolen from arena as Liberty Guard pleads passionately
WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu made a passionate appeal on social media after her shoes went missing at an arena.
The point guard’s custom-made insoles mysteriously disappeared ahead of Thursday night’s game New York freedom at the Las Vegas Aces.
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“I never thought my shoes would be stolen from an opposing arena” Ionescu tweeted before an 88-75 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. “Please just bring my insoles back to me. RIP to my Sabrina 1s.”
Ionescu did not provide any information on where their special shoes from the Michelob Ultra Arena could have come from.
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said it’s not just about the boots for Ionescu, who is averaging 16.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists for New York this season while earning 40.7 percent from the field and 44.7 percent on 3 point shoots.
It all boiled down to Ionescu’s custom insoles, designed with her previous injury history in mind.
“I haven’t heard anything, I know the arena is investigating now,” Brondello said. according to ESPN.
“And it’s unfortunate. As an athlete, it’s not about the shoes themselves, it’s about the insoles.”
“That’s the thing about going into a game without wearing the pads. But I’m sure it will be taken care of. Our focus now is only on the game.”
Despite the growing mystery surrounding the missing footwear, Ionescu performed well on Thursday’s hardwood, posting a co-game high of 22 points on 7 of 16 shots while scoring 6 of 12 in the Liberty’s 13-point away loss met threesomes.
According to reporters WNBA Kristina Williamsthe Liberty will review security footage to find out what happened to the missing shoes.
The Nike Sabrina 1 is a signature shoe honoring the former Oregon guard, who was the #1 overall when she entered the WNBA in 2020.
Ionescu is in her fourth season with the Liberty and has already become one of the biggest names in the WNBA.
After being limited to just three games in 2020, Ionescu averaged 11.7 points in her sophomore season and increased her pointing average to 17.4 points last year.
New York (24-7) sits second in WNBA standings, trailing only Las Vegas (28-3) with the best record in the league.
Brondello was delighted with the return of Ionescu’s valuable deposits.
The shoes are important.
The insoles are even more critical.
“She has some [other] Shoes here,” Brondello said. “You travel with enough shoes.”
The coach added: “It was all about the insoles. Hopefully they can be found.
“Keep the shoes but return the insoles.” We’re traveling so it’s not like we can just get some insoles.”