Sabrina Ionescu drops 1-word excitement as Liberty reunites with French guard

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu was like every Liberty fan when the 2024 WNBA champions announced the re-signing of guard Marine Johannès.

Sabrina Ionescu took to the comments section of Liberty's official Instagram welcome video to share a simple one-word greeting.

“Heeeelllllooooo”

Sabrina Ionescu’s welcome message to Marine Johannès/Instagram

The New York Liberty re-signed Johannès, the French sharpshooting guard, to their roster. This marked her return to the team after she played for them in 2019, 2022 and 2023.

Johannès took a break from the WNBA in 2024 to fulfill her national team obligations. She helped France secure a silver medal finish against Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Marine Johannes, #23 of Team France, defended by Kahleah Copper, #7 of Team United States during the United States of America v France, Women's Basketball Gold Medal Game at the Bercy Arena during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on August 11th, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)

In her three-year WNBA career, Johannès averaged 8.0 points, 2.4 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.7% from the field, 39.5% from the 3-point line and 80.6% at the free throw line.

The Liberty's general manager, Jonathan Kolb, expressed his enthusiasm for the signing. He highlighted Johannès's floor spacing and ability to create scoring opportunities.

With Marine Johannès on board, Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty aim to make another strong push for the title, following their first-ever championship win in the 2024 season.

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Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu invests in NWSL's Bay FC

New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu invested in Bay FC, a National Women's Soccer League club on Mar. 3. Also, she is joining as an official commercial advisor where she will help the organization with commercial and marketing strategies.

"I whole-heartedly understand how important investment really is and obviously you can talk about it and be about it, but you really have to want to be committed to it and invest to be able to see what you believe in come to light," Ionescu told ESPN.

She will reportedly aim to leverage her business relationship with Nike to create cleats for the Bay FC and other NWSL clubs. Her investment in Bay FC reflects her commitment to advancing women's sports, especially in the Bay Area, where she seeks to contribute to the continued development of women's soccer at the club level.