Sabrina Ionescu appeared to hit back at Angel Reese on social media after the latter was caught criticizing the former’s ability to guard.

The drama started during Friday’s Unrivaled clash between Ionescu’s Phantom BC and Reese’s Rose BC. Phantom comfortably won the game 75-63, with Ionescu scoring 32 points in a dominant display. Reese, meanwhile, could only put up 13 points for Rose.

Sabrina Ionescu impressed during Friday’s Unrivaled games© Getty Images.

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Rose’s head coach Nola Henry was mic’d up during the game and players could be heard through that microphone during timeouts. During one particular timeout, Reese told Henry and her teammates: “They can’t stop it. Sabrina can’t f—— guard.”

That clip of Reese appearing to criticize Ionescu quickly went viral on social media. Ionescu then posted a message on X, seemingly targeted at Reese. “lol,” wrote the Phantom star.

There’s no doubting Ionescu’s quality. The former Oregon guard, who was the first overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, inspired the New York Liberty to their first ever championship last season and is a three-time All-Star in the major league. The 27-year-old also helped the United States win gold at the Olympics in Paris last summer.

Ionescu was the last major WNBA star to commit to Unrivaled after suffering a thumb injury during the WNBA Finals last year. She’s expected to prioritize being fully fit for the new WNBA season in March and may not play every single Unrivaled game.

Angel Reese appeared to criticize Ionescu© TNT Sports.

Ionescu said: “I’m not going to be here the full time. They’ve been very accommodating, knowing that I have obligations I have to be at, being able to work through that with them and knowing I want to be here, fully committed to my teammates and this team.”

She added: “Obviously, this is the middle of our offseason. And I think there’s kind of a fine line in understanding you’re here to get better and continue to work on your game. But also, I can’t be mentally locked in like I am for the W season here now, or I’d be burnt out by the time the W starts. Because I am so competitive and take everything so seriously.

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“And obviously in the game, you see that. But I think off the court, being able to just be around a lot of great players, I’m taking full advantage of that. For me, it’s kind of finding balance and understanding how fun it is to be able to play in a league like this where you’re able to surround yourself with the best players, continue to work on your game, and get better, but also enjoy kind of being around one another.”

While Ionescu may not feature in every Unrivaled game, she’ declared after Friday’s game that “a healthy Phantom is a scary Phantom” in a warning to the rest of the 3×3 league. The team is still without guard Marina Mabrey due to a calf injury but will be hoping to become the league’s inaugural champion next month.

As for Ionescu, she’s still playing at an elite level despite prioritizing the WNBA. She’s currently averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game in Unrivaled.