The New York Liberty and Chicago Sky faced off Thursday night in the second game of the 2025 WNBA season for both teams. The Liberty, stacked with talent, feature one of the league’s brightest stars, former Oregon Ducks standout Sabrina Ionescu.
The 27-year-old point guard has been with the Liberty since being drafted in 2020 and is coming off a WNBA title in 2024. Ionescu made history in July 2022 as the first player in WNBA history to record a 30-point triple-double. On Thursday, she was once again in the spotlight, but this time for an exchange with a referee.
With 5:17 left in the second quarter and New York leading 36-26, Ionescu led into her defender, without the ball and was called for an offensive foul. Immediately after the play, she argued with the referee, seemingly trying to convince them the Chicago player had flopped.
Sabrina Ionescu after she was called for this foul. pic.twitter.com/iAnOK0xnW7
— espnW (@espnW) May 23, 2025
The clip quickly made its way around social media, drawing a mix of reactions from fans:
"my demon." this excited fan says.
Here, this fan says: "Lol Draymond got yall confused on what a legal screen is supposed to look like."
"And she’s right." mentioned here
"She ran right into her," posted by this fan.
Good point made: "Might have a case for a flop there."
"not a flop. but, respect to the ladies for having higher standards for 'flops,'" posted by this fan.
Whether it was a flop or a legit call, the interaction stirred conversation about Ionescu’s on-court demeanor and competitiveness.
New York went on to cruise to a 99-74 victory. Ionescu finished with 16 points, five assists and went 5-for-9 from the field. She also hit all four of her free throws. In the season opener, she posted eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.
For the Sky, the loss dropped them to 0-2 on the season. Angel Reese had a tough night, going 0-for-8 from the field and scoring just two points, though she did collect 12 rebounds.
The Liberty will hit the road to face Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday. After that, they return home for back-to-back games against the Golden State Valkyries on May 27 and May 29.
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Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson is expected to miss most of training camp due to a leg injury, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Johnson was placed on the non-football injury list when veterans reported to Chicago for camp. He suffered the injury during offseason training, according to Bears general manager Ryan Poles. Johnson is coming off his second consecutive Pro Bowl and is headed into the second year of a four-year, $76M deal. He has dealt with a number of injuries over his career, playing no more than 15 games in a season over the first four years of his career. In 2024, he played a full season for the first time, starting all 17 games with a career-high 1,032 snaps. An extended absence into the regular season would force Chicago to find another starting cornerback among their veteran depth, but Poles said that the team is not “overly concerned” about a long-term injury. “We’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back,” said Poles on Tuesday. 2023 fifth-rounder Terell Smith will likely step into a first-team role in Johnson’s absence. Chicago largely relied on a cornerback trio of Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon last year; Smith is the only remaining defensive back on the roster who played at least 150 snaps on the boundary for the Bears in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus. Offseason signings Nick McCloud and Tre Flowers may also see a bump in reps over the coming weeks as Johnson rehabs his leg with his eyes on returning for the Bears’ Week 1 opener against the Vikings.
This year’s NBA offseason could see a lightning strike in the near future. The Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus has suggested a new, three-team trade between the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets that would send LeBron James, alongside his son Bronny James, to Dallas in a dramatic, yet significant deal to reshape all three teams’ futures. Here’s why. LeBron James to the Dallas Mavericks LeBron James opted into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season. However, James’ decision was met with skepticism by several NBA executives. Some NBA insiders expected James, 40, to opt out and sign a one-plus-one deal. The decision drove chatter of possible discontent and a potential end to his Lakers run. James holds one of the NBA’s rare no-trade clauses. Therefore, James can decide where he would land. Multiple NBA insiders have said that the Dallas Mavericks are high on James’ list. Joining the Mavericks would allow James to reunite with Kyrie Irving, join forces with Anthony Davis again, and play under Jason Kidd, who served as an assistant coach during the Lakers’ 2020 NBA championship run. James, Mavericks Outlook LeBron James is 40 years old and will turn 41 on December 30, 2025. However, James is still playing like a top-tier NBA player. If the Dallas Mavericks acquire James, the Mavericks could receive star power, shot creation, and veteran leadership. A Mavericks goal appears to be winning while the team’s NBA championship window is still open. The Mavericks would receive LeBron James (via Lakers), Bronny James (via Lakers), Drew Timme (via Nets), Tyrese Martin (via Nets), a $1.8 million trade exception, and a $1.1 million trade exception. The Mavericks could benefit from a solid core of James, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving, Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II. The Lakers would receive Daniel Gafford (via Mavericks), PJ Washington (via Mavericks), Naji Marshall (via Mavericks), Caleb Martin (via Mavericks), Jaden Hardy (via Mavericks), a 2030 Los Angeles Lakers second-round pick (via Nets), a 2031 Los Angeles Lakers second-round pick (via Nets) and a $24.1 million trade exception. The Lakers could start the Luka Doncic era. The Brooklyn Nets would receive Dalton Knecht (via Lakers), Maxi Kleber (via Lakers), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (via Mavericks) and Dwight Powell (via Mavericks). The Nets would serve as a facilitator, as the team would acquire assets while helping two contenders shift money around, and perhaps cash considerations. Final Thoughts It’s highly unlikely that LeBron James will be traded to the Dallas Mavericks. However, nothing can be ruled out. The NBA world saw the Luka Doncic trade to the Los Angeles Lakers this past February, and if they’re old enough to remember, the Jason Kidd trade to the Phoenix Suns in December 1996. If and when James is traded to Dallas, James’ presence can help the Mavericks succeed. James can help improve team chemistry, instill confidence in the team, and build a winning culture. James can play multiple positions as a forward, but a huge concern would be James’ declining gameplay and shooting stats.
Having kept his word of attending a friend’s wedding in London, Drew McIntyre, as of press time, has yet to land back in the United States. ‘The Scottish Warrior’ revealed on X that he’s stranded in the capital city of England after not being allowed to board his flight back to America. For the unversed, McIntyre wasn’t carrying a physical copy of his US visa. The officers at the airport told the Scot that they’re aware of his identity and that he’d been living in the US for a number of years now. Moreover, the Ayr-born wrestler showed his passport online, but to no avail. McIntyre and his wife had started panicking over the situation, as the couple was drastically worried about their cats being alone in their US home. It’s quite the week I have had. You wanna know how it has capped off? I can’t get back to America. They wouldn’t let me board my flight….I’m in England still! Planning to go back and train for SummerSlam, but no, no, no, I got blocked! Drew McIntyre via X After updating his whereabouts, McIntyre then turned this issue into kayfabe and targeted Jelly Roll. Moreover, he vowed to beat him up in their upcoming SummerSlam clash in New York. The Scot had recently issued some warning shots for the Grammy-nominated artist after last Friday’s SmackDown. When this is all over, and I’m going to get back, I’m going to drop you, Jelly Roll. I’m going to make you pay, and eventually, you are going to gain all of that weight back, and you’re going to look like one of these (cows). Drew McIntyre via X Additionally, the former WWE Champion somehow convinced his better half to board the flight alone and reach home as soon as she could. McIntyre was on his way to London, so he decided to unload on Roll and his partner, Randy Orton. Both of them will have to tear through the synergy of the Scot and his aide, Logan Paul, this Saturday. But will McIntyre make it back to the US in time to compete at SummerSlam? PWInsider has reported that it’s a real issue that WWE is dealing with at the moment. Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul hilariously discuss their tag team name If everything works out well by this weekend, Drew McIntyre and Logan Paul will team up for the first time in their WWE careers at SummerSlam. But have they come up with an official team name yet? This discussion broke out during the Scot’s recent appearance on Paul’s IMPAULSIVE podcast. McIntyre said that the two of them haven’t really thought it over. However, the former 3MB member admitted that the ‘Maverick Warriors’ could be one of the potential names. That sounded too commonplace for them to concur with. McIntyre proceeded on to claim that he likes something that would drive the internet crazy. That made him utter that he and Paul could be some sort of rage baiters. ‘The Maverick’ joined the party and suggested ‘Master Baiters’. McIntyre agreed that they could have some fun with it. He then quipped how Triple H usually waits for him to get backstage whenever the Scot comes up with any of those uncanny insinuations during WWE shows. ‘The Scottish Warrior’ affirmed that he usually retorts by reminding ‘The Game’ what kind of stuff he was involved in during the Attitude Era. Both McIntyre and Paul talked about how easy it was to push the envelope and resort to profanity back in the day, in today’s comparison. Drew McIntyre’s shambolic win/loss record in 2025 continues to anger the fans One will have to turn the clock back to April to dig out Drew McIntyre‘s last singles win that didn’t need a DQ. It was at WrestleMania 41 when ‘The Scottish Psychopath’ dispatched Damian Priest in a Sin City Street Fight. Their beef wasn’t settled, and they entered the US title picture while retaining their animosity for each other. At Backlash, the two of them participated in a US title Fatal 4-Way match also featuring LA Knight and the then-US Champion, Jacob Fatu. McIntyre’s back of the head had a rough landing during one of the spots in that match, which was executed by Priest. The latter also suffered a minor dental injury. They eventually had a steel cage match at Saturday Night’s Main Event to put an end to their long-standing rivalry, which McIntyre lost. He remained absent from WWE programming for over a month and returned to lose against Randy Orton. In a nutshell, McIntyre’s substandard booking pattern has continued to hurt his stock in 2025.
Despite already making several roster moves this summer, the Edmonton Oilers might not be done just yet. According to Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer, the team could be considering another trade to trim its forward group. “The Oilers already got a lot of forwards right now,” he noted last week. “They might be moving a guy out.” Edmonton has retooled up front following several departures in free agency and trades. The additions of Andrew Mangiapane, Isaac (Ike) Howard, Matt Savoie, and Curtis Lazar were made to help fill those gaps, but there are questions about whether another top-six winger—and possibly a goaltender—are still needed to push the team back into Stanley Cup contention. In order to bring in more help — or at least create the cap room to discuss another move — someone may need to go. Would Henrique Be Open to a Bigger Role and Security Elsewhere? Despite having a no-move clause, Adam Henrique’s name continues to surface when it comes to a roster change. The Oilers are limited in what they can do unless an option he likes pops up. Set to earn $3 million this season, the veteran center may find himself bumped to the fourth line, a pricey role given internal options like Lazar or Noah Philp. The key to any move might be conving him that he’d have a great opportunity to increase his role and earn another contract on a different roster. The Oilers asked Henrique if he’d be open to waiving his no-trade clause. He declined. Whether they’ll revisit that idea down the line if he’s relegated to limited minutes remains to be seen. At 35 years old, Henrique might not have many years left. That said, a two or three-year deal somewhere would help him finish off his career, and he’s not likely to get that in Edmonton. How much does a chance to win trump landing somewhere that wants him and is willing to extend him? If not Henrique, Mattias Janmark is the easier forward to move. With no trade protection and a $1.45 million cap hit, the 32-year-old could be the odd man out—especially after a lackluster offensive year and a recent minor injury. Kasperi Kapanen, also without trade protection, appears safe after signing a new deal this summer. That said, if things start slowly and neither Henrique nor Janmark are moved, the Oilers could explore a Kapanen trade.
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