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The Statue of Liberty is one of the most iconic landmarks associated with New York City, and it also inspired the moniker of the WNBA team that calls The Big Apple home. That’s the only squad Sabrina Ionescu has played for since kicking off her professional career, but she’s apparently very unfamiliar with its namesake based on the preposterous answer she shared when asked to guess how tall it is.
The United States celebrated a century of independence in 1876, and France (which both supported and was inspired by the American Revolution) decided to commemorate the occasion with the Statue of Liberty, the massive copper sculpture designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and completed with the help of the engineering prowess of the man who lends his name to the Eiffel Tower.
The Statue of Liberty ended up being a belated birthday present that was shipped in 214 crates that made their way across the Atlantic Ocean in 1885. It was erected upon the pedestal that was constructed on what is now known as Liberty Island the following year, and it quickly became an iconic symbol of freedom and independence while serving as a welcoming beacon for the millions of immigrants who made their way through Ellis Island in the ensuing decades.
It has also become one of the most popular attractions in New York City, and even if you’ve never seen it in person, you’re likely aware it’s a pretty sizeable monument that towers over New York Harbor.
However, that’s apparently news to Sabrina Ionescu.
Sabrina Ionescu somehow thought the Statue of Liberty was eight feet tall
The Statue of Liberty itself officially measures in at exactly 151 feet and one inch from its base to the top of its torch, although it stands just over 305 feet when you factor in the pedestal emblazoned with the Emma Lazarus poem “The New Colossus” (the one about the tired, poor, and huddled masses).
As a result, it’s pretty easy to spot from many different vantage points in lower Manhattan as well as plenty of spots in the eastern part of Brooklyn. That includes the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade, which is located around a mile-and-a-half away from Barclays Center, the arena that the New York Liberty have called home since the 2020 WNBA season.
That was also the year the Liberty drafted Sabrina Ionescu with the first overall pick in the draft, and she’s currently in the midst of her sixth season with the only team she’s played for while cementing herself as one of the best players in the WNBA.
If Ionescu wanted to lay eyes on the Statue of Liberty, all she’d have to do is spend around 30 minutes walking down Atlantic Avenue after a home game before hitting the overlook where she’d be able to check that box.
However, based on a fairly shocking interaction she had with GQ Sports while attending some of the WNBA All-Star Game festivities, she’s not only managed to avoid spotting the Statue of Liberty during her time in New York City but had absolutely no reference point for how tall it was when you consider she assumed it stood a little more than half a foot higher than Victor Wembanyama.
This is normally the point where I’d say I’d like to give Ionescu the benefit of the doubt, but I literally cannot fathom how anyone who’s aware of the existence of the Statue of Liberty could genuinely believe it’s eight feet tall.