In the United States, women's basketball fever

Despite rushing, braving the rain, and arriving at the Barclays Center an hour before the game, nine-year-old Simon and six-year-old Meena missed their favorite basketball player, Sabrina Ionescu, by a few minutes. The 27-year-old New York Liberty point guard had already left after warming up when the siblings appeared to get their sea-green caps—the team's color—signed.

This Friday, May 9, in Brooklyn, the reigning champions of the WNBA, the North American women's professional basketball league, face the Connecticut Sun. A match without stakes before the start of the regular season on May 17. No question of risking an injury for this home game. The stars, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Natasha Cloud, who is making her debut in the team, will play very little. Barely recovered from knee surgery two months earlier, Breanna Stewart, another key name for the New York Liberty, remains on the bench.

Nicknamed "The Magician," Frenchwoman Marine Johannès, back after a year's absence, took advantage of the opportunity to score a string of three-pointers. It wasn't enough to win (86-94), but it was enough to delight the crowd. "It's always a dream to play here because we know it's the best league," said the Normandy native. For everyone, the evening felt like a reunion. "It's good to be back at Barclays," confirmed Deepa Alagesan, Simon and Meena's mother. The 39-year-old lawyer is passionate about women's basketball. She attended her first Liberty game when she was about ten years old, a birthday present from her parents.

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