The Chicago Sky made it all the way to New York on Tuesday for a thrilling game against the defending WNBA champions, the Liberty. Led by Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty cruised past Angel Reese-led Sky to an impressive 85-66 win. New York now improves to a 9-0 record this season, while Chicago falls to 2-6.
Despite the challenges they threw each other’s way the entire night, both Reese and Ionescu shared a heartwarming moment with the late Kobe Bryant’s family. Yes, that’s right. Let’s take a look.
Sabrina Ionescu and Angel Reese Are in Awe of Kobe Bryant’s Family
It literally looked like a fan-girling moment for both Reese and Ionescu after the game was over. None other than Vanessa Bryant and Kobe’s mother, Gianna Bryant, attended the game along with Kobe’s three daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri.
After the game, both players forgot their on-court animosity and reeled in to take pictures and share some warm moments with the Bryants. Take a look!
Sabrina Ionescu and Angel Reese postgame with the Bryant family 💜 pic.twitter.com/z2wjgD5qfI
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 11, 2025
Vanessa even warmly embraced Reese postgame, as Reese bent down to meet the daughters as well. The gesture was too beautiful to be missed!
Vanessa and her daughters were also present at the Paris Olympics last year, cheering on Sabrina and Team USA on their quest to win a gold medal.
Indeed, an honor to be blessed like this with the vibrance of Kobe’s family, which showed in the way the two teams performed.
New York Liberty Torments Chicago Sky
It was business as usual for Ionescu and Breanna Stewart as they went on to dismantle Chicago’s spirit on Tuesday.
Sabrina scored a game-high 23 points along with seven assists, while Breanna had 18 points and seven rebounds to add to the win. With the way the Liberty were on the court throughout, the Sky did not stand a chance to even come close. To add fuel to the fire, Jonquel Jones was absent from the game due to her right ankle sprain. Despite that, the Liberty made the win look easy.
The Liberty roster is filled with a lot of talent and experience, making it extremely difficult for the Sky to tackle.
The Sky did not falter without even trying, though. Their star, Reese, broke out of her slump to showcase her true potential. She finished the game with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in roughly 31 minutes on the court. She shot 8-of-13 from the floor while also committing five turnovers. Despite her strong performance, the Sky was still trailing 26-15 as they moved on to the second quarter. By halftime, the team was trailing by 20 points.
The Sky did try to build some momentum, but their efficiency dropped later, as they trailed by 28 points heading towards the end of the game.
For the fifth time this season, the Liberty won by at least 19 points.