Marina Mabrey has been quite a force on the court since the season tipped off a couple of weeks ago. Dropping a double-digit score in every game so far, she is leading the Chicago Sky in points and assists. Mabrey had 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists in Chicago’s 90-81 win against the New York Liberty on May 24, handing last year’s Finalists their first defeat of the season. So what was the thought process on the victor’s end?

Mabrey engaged in an insightful conversation with the reporters talking about how she navigated the team and took over New York. She said, “I really don’t do anything differently like I try to go by the law of averages. I try to remember that I put in so much work. I do my routines, I do my processes, so um you know I try to go out there and expect to play well. I’m only human sometimes. I don’t play well but like um, going out with the same mindset and trying to be active and play defense kind of helps you feel like you’re involved even if you’re not shooting well.”

She further praised the team’s chemistry in this young season so far. With the addition of rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso to the roster, Mabrey feels there are a lot of personalities in the locker room “who bring so much to the floor.” But Mabrey’s journey hasn’t been a bed of roses.

The 27-year-old was the 19th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. At the time, the Notre Dame graduate and 2018 NCAA champion had achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the all-time leader in 3-pointers totaling 274 for the Fighting Irish, and had amassed 1896 career points, averaging 14.6 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Transitioning into a WNBA pro, Mabrey only managed 11.5 minutes a game as a rookie, which didn’t allow her to contribute much to the team. As a result, she was traded to the Dallas Wings after a year with the Sparks.

In 2020, Mabrey started playing for Dallas and got back in action averaging 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and a 3-point percentage of 41.8 % per game. The next two years, she elevated her performance averaging 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 35.1% from deep. Im between, she also played for two different Euro League teams during the WNBA offseasons.

Then, her career in the W took a turn for the better as she was traded to the Chicago Sky ahead of the 2023 season. Fast forward to today, Mabrey is averaging 19.3 points, 7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, with her deep 3s helping her make remarkable contributions to the team’s success. This is why she makes a better leader for the Sky.

Mabrey is leading the Chicago Sky

Pressing upon the importance of leadership, Marina Mabrey said, “I practiced a lot of like leadership overseas and stuff. Um, so coming back here and applying it and also realizing that like you can’t be a leader on one end of the board. So, um, just like getting myself in shape to be a great leader on both ends of the floor and just encourage my teammates to be the best players that they can be and also me bringing my energy to be like infectious.”

As a leader, Marina Mabrey has got Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso as popular rookies who have brought a massive level of attention to the league along with them. As a result, Mabrey is set to make the most of it, attracting as many people as she can with her stellar display of skills and uplifting the league.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.