Kenny Smith’s Comment About Sabrina Ionescu Resurfaces After Her 28-ft 3-Pointer to Secure Game 3 Win for Liberty

On Wednesday night, Sabrina Ionescu broke the internet after sinking one of the greatest shots in WNBA history in Game 3 of the Finals between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. With the game tied at 77-77 and less than 10 seconds left on the clock, the guard shook off her defender before launching a three-pointer from 28 feet out.

Ionescu’s game-winner showcased why she’s heralded as one of, if not the best shooter in women’s basketball history. Fans on social media lauded the Liberty star and also called out former Houston Rockets guard Kenny Smith for undermining her ability from beyond the arc.

During the 2024 NBA All-Star weekend, Ionescu battled Warriors superstar Stephen Curry in a groundbreaking three-point contest. The Liberty star was given the option to shoot from the WNBA three-point line, which is 22 feet and 1.75 inches from the rim. However, she opted to shoot from the NBA distance of 23 feet and nine inches.

Ionescu delivered a stellar performance and scored 26. However, Curry was locked in and beat her with a score of 29. Despite her incredible showing, Smith suggested Ionescu was at a disadvantage and should have shot from the WNBA distance. He said,

“I think she should have shot from the women’s line. That would have been a fair contest.”

The two-time NBA champion was lambasted on social media for his remark, which many perceived to be sexist. Ionescu’s score of 26 was equal to Damian Lillard’s NBA Three-Point contest-winning score that night. Fans called Smith out again after her 28-feet game-winner against the Lynx. One wrote,

“Yeah he really embarrassed himself with that take. It was difficult to watch.”

Another claimed that Smith’s analysis was pretty standard for what can be expected on Inside The NBA,

“Inside the NBA can be very funny but my fucking god the hoops analysis on that show can actually be so f**king bad it’s insane.”

Smith could’ve either ignored the backlash or apologized for his take. However, he opted to add more fuel to the fire.

Kenny Smith claimed his comments were misinterpreted 

On an episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the host asked the TNT analyst about the incessant criticism of his comments about Ionescu. He said,

“I think it’s much ado about nothing. Most people who know basketball understood what I was talking about. Actually, I was advocating for her, more than anything else because basketball is all about muscle memory, so he practices from one range, she practices from the other.”

Smith’s rebuttal made the situation worse as Ionescu had revealed before her battle against Curry that she practices three-pointers from the NBA distance. Perhaps the fan suggesting that it’s best not to expect serious analysis from the Inside the NBA crew was spot on.