Caitlin Clark reacts to All-WNBA vote after Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu’s mock

Caitlin Clark has reacted to a message from her Indiana Fever team-mate after being named in the All-WNBA First Team following Sabrina Ionescu’s mocking comment

Caitlin Clark has responded to the All-WNBA vote after New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu gave a sarcastic reaction to missing out on the first team to the rookie sensation.

After enjoying an incredible debut year with the Indiana Fever, Clark, who won the Rookie of the Year Award, has now claimed a spot in the coveted 2024 All-WNBA First Team. Clark’s spot among the league’s elite has come at a price for Ionescu, who has now missed out on the first team for a third consecutive year.

Clark has received plenty of support and praise for her latest accolade as she became the first rookie in 16 years to earn the honour since Candace Parker. Clark’s achievement was lauded by her Fever team-mate Katie Lou Samuelson who shared a picture of the Iowa starlet and her daughter on her Instagram story.

Samuelson added the caption: “Shoutout to the babysitter @caitlinclark22, First Team All WNBA (check emoji)”. Clark responded to her team-mate’s gesture with a heartfelt embrace, replying: “Love you hehe (heart emojis)”.

Despite playing a crucial role in the Liberty’s run to the finals, Ionescu was snubbed from the first team and placed in the second team. The 26-year-old’s performance in the Liberty’s 80-77 game three victory against the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday sparked questions and bemusement regarding her being overlooked again.

Ionescu was asked in the post-game press conference whether her game-winning final second three-point play was trying to prove a point following the release of the All-WNBA vote, to which she gave a hilariously sarcastic response: “That was just a great All-WNBA Second Team performance,” she quipped with a smile on her face as the media room burst into laughter. “That’s it,” she added.

The former Oregon starlet was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Liberty and has gone on to be named an All-Star in three straight years, as well as winning gold in the Paris Olympics this year, but her season was viewed as not worthy of a place among the WNBA’s top stars.

Ionescu has shone in the playoffs with her averaging 19.8 points and shooting 45 per cent from the field. She dropped a career-high 36 points against the Atlanta Dream in game two of round one before scoring a tied-game-highest 24 points in the Liberty’s game two win against the Las Vegas Aces.

Despite scoring just 10 points in her previous 31 minutes on court, Ionescu’s final second 28-foot effort silenced the home crowd at the Target Center and put the Liberty one game away from winning the championship. Reflecting on her momentous effort, she said: “I would say I visualize a lot when I’m practicing in the offseason, the night before a game, the day of a game.

Sabrina Ionescu scored a game-winning three-pointer in the final second

I’m always visualizing different scenarios and putting myself in tough situations. Obviously, I didn’t play my best tonight, but finding a way to continue to stick with it … I feel like that’s been a big growth for me, whether the ball is going in or not.”

Clark is joined on the first team by the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, the Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, Las Vegas Aces’ 2024 MVP A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas from the Connecticut Sun. Ionescu finished 41 points behind Thomas in the voting, with Clark earning close to 100 more points than the Liberty star.

Ionescu is named among the second team alongside Phoenix Mercury’s Kahleah Copper, Seattle Storm’s Nneka Ogwumike, Dallas Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale and Liberty team-mate, Jonquel Jones.