“Icky.” That’s the word Rickea Jackson once used to describe basketball. Hard to believe now, isn’t it? Growing up, she was surrounded by the sport. Her mom coached it, and her two older brothers lived for it. But Rickea wanted nothing to do with it. “I thought I’d never touch a basketball,” she said. And she might’ve stuck to that belief… if it weren’t for a little sibling rivalry. “You suck at basketball,” her brothers teased. Rickea, ever the competitor, didn’t back down. “Well, I don’t play, but if I did play, I’d be better than you!” That right there was the spark that brought her to this game. 

That defiance turned into relentless work. That work turned her into a five-star high school recruit. Then a college star at Mississippi State and Tennessee. And eventually, the No. 4 pick in the loaded 2024 WNBA Draft. “That’s my villain story,” she laughs now. Fitting because she might’ve just played the villain in New York’s worst nightmare.

The Liberty had barely settled into the game when the Breanna Stewart bad news hit. What followed couldn’t compare to the emotional blow of losing Stewie. But it sure didn’t help. The Sparks came out firing. They put up 58 points in the first half alone, with Rickea Jackson torching New York for 17 in the opening quarter. The Liberty’s defense, especially in the pick-and-roll, simply had no answer.

So, scrambling, in the second half, Head Coach Sandy Brondello started tweaking lineups, looking for anything that might work. She brought Isabelle Harrison in next to Jonquel Jones, then gave Stephanie Talbot the nod to close the game – a move that bumped Rebekah Gardner from the rotation entirely. Talbot logged 17 minutes and was handed the task of slowing down Jackson.

After the game, when asked if putting Talbot in was a decision based on needing size on Jackson, Brondello didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, 100% I mean, Rickea was killing us with her size. Leo was on her the play before, and she still scored over her, and that’s one of our best defenders. So [Steph], she played really well. I think [we] have integrated her well into this lineup here.”

But with the game tied and just five seconds left, it was Talbot on the wrong side of the game.

The Sparks inbounded, and Jackson set a screen for Plum, but quickly ducked into the post, buried Talbot with a shoulder, and flipped in the game-winner at the buzzer. Sparks 101, Liberty 99. To New York’s credit, they had rallied. They held L.A. to just 16 third-quarter points and cut the deficit to five, giving themselves a shot. Then the fourth quarter turned into a shootout.

New York’s defense, which had just started to click, suddenly fell apart again.  And LA’s bottom-tier defense was still very much on brand. But when both defenses broke down, the Sparks’ shot-makers – Kelsey Plum and Jackson – feasted as Jackson finished with 24 and Kelsey Plum 20. 

However, New York has more than one loss to deal with. 

Rickea Jackson’s buzzer-beater stuns Liberty as Breanna Stewart’s injury casts a shadow

Not too long ago, the New York Liberty were riding high – five straight wins, championship energy in the building, and gearing up to welcome Emma Meesseman. But in just under four minutes of Sunday’s clash against the Sparks, all of that took a sudden, scary turn.

Breanna Stewart exited early in the first quarter after what appeared to be a right leg injury. She had just missed a layup off a clean pocket pass from Sabrina Ionescu and was sprinting back on defense when she abruptly stopped and signaled to the bench. The head coach called a timeout immediately. 

Stewart was seen hopping on her left leg before disappearing into the locker room. She didn’t return. “Haven’t heard [anything],” Brondello said postgame. “Hopefully she’ll be OK..” Though no official update has been given. Given Stewart’s history, surgery on her right meniscus this past offseason, and major Achilles injuries in the past, caution is inevitable.

And if that wasn’t enough of a gut punch, Rickea Jackson brought the dagger. So now, New York finds itself in a holding pattern. The repeat dream is still intact, but the weight of Stewart’s injury hangs heavy. The Liberty has depth. But without their cornerstone, the road ahead just got a whole lot tougher.

Let’s just hope this isn’t as bad as it looked.