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Sabrina Ionescu selected for WNBA's NBA 2K24 cover – Just Women's Sports
Sabrina Ionescu will be featured on the cover of this year’s WNBA edition of NBA 2K24, it was announced Friday.
Ionescu’s selection marks the third time a WNBA player will be featured on the cover of a NBA 2K game. Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird graced the cover of last year’s game, and Candace Parker became the first woman to appear on the video game cover for the WNBA’s 25th Anniversary Edition in 2021.
NBA2K first introduced the WNBA into the game in 2020.
Sabrina Ionescu is the cover athlete for NBA 2k24 WNBA Edition.
📸: @NBA2K pic.twitter.com/KdNm1BFE1h
In a conversation with The Athletic, Ionescu said she played NBA 2K growing up and “never thought it would be possible” to see herself on the cover of the game. She called the honor “a full-circle experience.”
“It’s a pretty humbling experience,” Ionescu said. “Just knowing that I stand for a lot more than just representing my team and the league, but also just continuing to inspire the youth, and knowing that a lot of kids that are gonna play this game will one day dream to be on the cover as well. That’s really what’s important to me and what I want my legacy to be.”
Ionescu is off to a strong start to the WNBA season, averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game for the second-place New York Liberty. Her season average of 1.1 steals per game is tied for second in the WNBA.
The 25-year-old was named to the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game as a reserve after finishing sixth in fan and media voting but 19th among players. The game’s reserves were voted on by WNBA head coaches.
Ionescu’s place on the cover generated mixed reactions among fans, many of whom felt that reigning WNBA MVP and champion A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces was more deserving.
© 2023 Just Women’s Sports Inc.
