Clark garnered plenty of backing and applause for bagging the prestigious accolade, making history as the first newbie to gain this recognition since the iconic Candace Parker did 16 years ago. Katie Lou Samuelson, Clarks teammate at Fever, celebrated the young Iowa player's triumph by posting an image of Clark with her child adding the note: "Shoutout to the babysitter @caitlinclark22, First Team All WNBA (check emoji)".
Clark cheerfully acknowledged her colleague's commendation with a warm reply: "Love you hehe (heart emojis)".
Despite Ionescu's pivotal contribution to Liberty's journey to the finals, she was again relegated to the second team. Her sterling display during the Liberty's nail-biting 80-77 win over Minnesota Lynx midweek heightened curiosity and perplexity over her not making the first team cut once more, reports the Mirror US .
Ionescu delivered a hilariously sarcastic reply when asked in the post-game press conference if her game-winning final second three-pointer was a statement after the All-WNBA vote results: "That was just a great All-WNBA Second Team performance," she said with a grin, prompting laughter from the media. "That's it," she concluded.
The former Oregon standout, picked first overall in the 2020 draft by the Liberty, has been an All-Star for three consecutive years and clinched gold at the Paris Olympics this year. Despite these achievements, her season was deemed not good enough for the WNBA's elite echelon.
In the playoffs, Ionescu has been outstanding, averaging 19.8 points and shooting 45 percent from the field. She set a personal best with 36 points against the Atlanta Dream in the first round's second game and matched the highest score with 24 points in the Liberty's second game victory over the Las Vegas Aces.
Even after only scoring 10 points in her last 31 minutes of play, Ionescu's last-second 28-foot shot stunned the crowd at the Target Center and brought the Liberty within one win of the championship. Reflecting on her crucial shot, she shared: "I would say I visualize a lot when I'm practicing in the offseason, the night before a game, the day of a game.
"I'm always visualizing different scenarios and putting myself in tough situations. Obviously, I didn't play my best tonight, but finding a way to continue to stick with it ... I feel like that's been a big growth for me, whether the ball is going in or not."
Clark has made it into the first team accompanied by Breanna Stewart of Liberty, Napheesa Collier of the Lynx, A'ja Wilson from Las Vegas Aces, the 2024 MVP, and Alyssa Thomas of Connecticut Sun. Ionescu lagged behind Thomas by 41 points in the voting stakes, whilst Clark racked up nearly 100 more points than the star from Liberty.
On the second team we find Ionescu along with Phoenix Mercury's Kahleah Copper, Seattle Storm's Nneka Ogwumike, Dallas Wings' Arike Ogunbowale and her Liberty teammate Jonquel Jones.
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