Sabrina Ionescu is only 6 games into her WNBA career, but she’s already proving she’s ready to be the league’s next big star

• Sabrina Ionescu is a bona fide WNBA star just six games into her professional career.
• On Tuesday, she became the youngest player in league history to earn a triple-double.
• She's orchestrating an epic Liberty turnaround, as the team is already exceeding expectations.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Just six games into her professional career, Sabrina Ionescu is proving she's ready for WNBA superstardom.

The do-it-all point guard racked up her first WNBA triple-double Tuesday night as her New York Liberty hosted a solid Minnesota Lynx squad at the Barclays Center. Her 26-point, 10-rebound, and 12-assist performance makes her just the ninth WNBA player, the first of her franchise, and by far the youngest in league history to achieve the rare feat.

And to top it all off, New York got the win.

"Obviously, getting a triple-double in a win is what's important," Ionescu said after the game. "If I got that in a loss, it wouldn't mean anything to me … but it's definitely pretty cool."

The Liberty have long been WNBA bottom-dwellers despite their status as one of just three remaining original franchises in the league. But Ionescu – the NCAA's all-time triple-double leader and the only player in Division-I history to rack up 2,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds – represented an opportunity for head coach Walt Hopkins to usher in a new era.

In selecting her with the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, New York hoped to turn over a new leaf and leave its losing ways in the past - and the Liberty's vision is quickly coming to fruition. The former Oregon Ducks superstar is orchestrating a full-fledged renaissance in New York. With their win over WNBA legend Sylvia Fowles, reigning Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield, and the ever-formidable Lynx, the Liberty are 3-0 on the season - officially surpassing their 2020 win total and marking their hottest start in 14 years.

"The 3-0 start is a big deal," Hopkins said. "That's pretty special to get out to this. This team getting to see what they are capable of early is a big deal for us."

"It's been pretty fun to watch," he added.

Ionescu surely isn't the only star sporting seafoam this season; she isn't even New York's leading scorer. Betnijah Laney, the league's most improved player last year, joined Hopkins' squad in free agency and appears to have once again made a massive leap over the offseason. She's averaging a team-high 23.3 points per game for the Liberty and ranks third in scoring across the entire WNBA - sitting just behind two All-Stars in Breanna Stewart and DeWanna Bonner.

But there's little doubt that Ionescu is at the center of it all, facilitating New York's offense and breaking down opposing defenses to unlock opportunities for Laney and her other teammates. The Liberty's 11-point victory Tuesday evening is just the latest example; between her scoring and assist output, Ionescu was responsible for a whopping 56 of New York's 86 points on the night.

That's 65% of her team's offense, for those keeping track.

"It's not in any way to downplay Sabrina because she's unbelievable, but I feel lucky with this whole group of players," Hopkins said. "They feed off of each other, they give to each other, they're so unselfish, they're such good listeners, they're so coachable, and it starts with Sab [Ionescu], Betnijah [Laney], and Sami [Whitcomb]."

"But it's undoubtedly special to coach Sabrina Ionescu," he added. "I feel lucky."

Ionescu leading a remarkable turnaround on one of the league's oldest teams, in one of its biggest but most notoriously challenging markets, and doing it in hardly any time at all.

Plus, she's pulling it off with flair. Her triple-double against Minnesota came complete with flashy passes, pullup jumpers, drives to the basket, and even a three from the logo. And four nights earlier, she drained a dazzling game-winner from beyond the arc to open the WNBA season with a bang.

-WNBA (@WNBA) May 15, 2021

Since then, her odds to win MVP this season have jumped from 30/1 to 6/1.

It's still extremely early in Ionescu's WNBA tenure, but those who questioned how her play would translate at the professional level have gotten their answer many times over. She's already garnered the cachet to warrant superstar status, and she's done it faster than anyone - barring Ionescu herself - could have ever imagined.

"She's not surprising me, necessarily, but she's impressing me," Hopkins said. "I would've told you that would be hard to do coming into this season because I know what she's capable of. And I'd say early on she's exceeded my expectations."

"I thought it would take her a little bit longer to get this comfortable," he added.