NEW YORK _ It was 25 years ago that the Knicks won the lottery and as soon as they secured the first selection of the NBA draft there was no doubt who it would be, as they picked Patrick Ewing to head the franchise for the next decade. And Friday night, there was perhaps even less ambiguity about who the No. 1 overall pick would be in the WNBA draft, bound for New York.
If there was little surprise, there was the same sort of expectations as the Liberty made it official, taking Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu with the No. 1 pick.
The moment that they made the pick shoutouts came on social media from the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who will share the Barclays Center court with Ionescu.
"I think I've been working for this for my entire basketball career, and just super excited to be able to see that come to fruition," Ionescu said on a conference call shortly after being selected. "I'd just say obviously very humbled and excited for the opportunity."
While there was no surprise at her selection, how it came was different than she might have expected growing up and gaining the acclaim she had at Oregon, where she became the first player in NCAA history with 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds in a career.
The Liberty added four more players in the top 15 picks, selecting UConn's Megan Walker with the No. 9 overall pick and then Jazmine Jones with the No. 12 pick, the final selection of the first round. The Liberty then took Jones' Louisville teammate, Kylee Shook, with the No. 13 overall selection, the first pick in the second round, and added Duke's Leaonna Odom at No. 15.
The Liberty, which began the remaking of its roster with the trade of Tina Charles earlier in the week, also traded the contract of Shatori Walker-Kimbrough to obtain Jocelyn Willoughby, the forward from Virginia, who was selected No. 10 overall by Phoenix.
With the coronavirus idling all gatherings, the draft was held virtually, with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert hosting the event and announcing the picks from her New Jersey home.
When Ionescu was selected, she was in her living room in Walnut Creek, Calif., with her family sharing the couch with her.
"Of course it was different than what I had expected," she said. "And just excited to be able to be here with my family and the people closest to me and be able to spend this time. Making the most out of what's going on in today's society. Just really happy to be able to spend this moment with them and excited to have gone through this process."
The draft was not just the first real league event to be held since sports were shut down, but it also carried with it the specter of the passing of Kobe Bryant and the rest of the passengers that went down in the helicopter crash on Jan. 26.
Before the announcement of the first pick, the WNBA made three honorary selections _ Bryant's daughter Gianna, Alyssa Altobelli and Payton Chester _ with Engelbert announcing their names and following that with comments from surviving family members.
After the draft was concluded, the WNBA introduced the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award, which will recognize an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the visibility, perception and advancement of women's and girls basketball at all levels.
"Kobe was an incredible champion of women's basketball and Gianna shared his passion and dedication to our game," Engelbert said in a statement. "The Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award will honor their legacy and reflect Kobe's commitment to mentoring the next generation of players, promoting the game and giving back to the community."
