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New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu suffered a UCL tear on her right hand in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Philippou reported Ionecu will be re-evaluated in four weeks and isn’t expected to need surgery.
The injury helps to explain the three-time All-Star’s shooting performance in Game 5 as the Liberty closed out the series. She was 1-of-19 from the field and 1-of-10 from beyond the arc en route to scoring five points, though she added seven rebounds, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in a solid all-around effort.
This year’s Finals provided the Liberty with some redemption after they came up short in 2023 against a Las Vegas Aces squad that was without Candace Parker or Chelsea Gray by the end. Ionescu in particular had a forgettable series, averaging 9.8 points over the four-game series.
This time around, she put up 12.7 points, 5.4 boards and 5.4 dimes per game. The 5’11” guard also hit perhaps the single biggest shot in Liberty history when she drained a deep three to win Game 3.
Unlike other stars, Ionescu hasn’t gone overseas after the WNBA season, which is a route many players take to sharpen their games and supplement their incomes. This winter will also see the debut of Unrivaled, a three-on-three league led by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
Ionescu isn’t listed on Unrivaled’s roster, so it looks like the next few months will be free for her to focus on her injury rehab.