It was a night built for champions, and the New York Liberty made sure to own it. As the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend tipped off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the team from the Big Apple wasted no time stealing the spotlight. Natasha Cloud took the Skills Challenge crown. While Sabrina Ionescu lit up the arena by winning her second 3-Point Contest in three years. And in the middle of that electric moment, one legend stood courtside, soaking it all in: Pau Gasol.
By winning the 3-Point Contest, Sabrina Ionescu not only claimed the title, she walked away with $62,575 in prize money. But instead of pocketing it all, she split the earnings. Half will go to fellow All-Star Sonia Citron, and the other half to her own SI20 Foundation. And this move reflected her values just as much as her talent. And watching from the sidelines, Pau Gasol couldn’t have been prouder. The NBA legend lit up, clapping as Sabrina walked over and embraced him in a heartfelt hug. He congratulated her warmly, but he didn’t stop there.
In his recent Instagram stories, Pau Gasol gave fans a front-row seat to his proud mentor moment. One clip showed the emotional hug between him and Sabrina Ionescu right after her big win. And captured the joy and mutual respect they share. But it was Pau’s captions that truly stole the spotlight. Under the video, he wrote, “Congrats lil sis!! 2x 3-point champ!! @sabrina_i ”. And next to a photo of them both smiling ear to ear, he simply wrote, “family love”. No fluff. Just pure, unfiltered admiration.
But this love, this level of respect, has a deeper reason. Sabrina Ionescu just redeemed Pau Gasol against Steph Curry in Indianapolis. How? Let’s get into that.
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