Oct 20, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime to win the 2024 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

wnba

Sabrina Ionescu played through high-grade UCL tear in Game 5 of WNBA Finals: Report

Ionescu finished Game 5 with 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.

The New York Liberty lifted their first-ever WNBA title last month after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-2 in a best-of-five series. Liberty’s star guard Sabrina Ionescu, who hit a remarkable 3-pointer to win Game 3 for Liberty, had a forgettable in Game 5, shooting a 1-for-19 outing, and 1-for-10 clip from the 3-point arc.

While fans criticized Ionescu’s performance in Game 5, it is now being revealed that the 26-year-old played through a high-grade UCL tear in her right shooting hand during the winner-takes-all game.

Also Read: How many WNBA rings does Breanna Stewart have?

‼️UPDATE‼️

Sabrina Ionescu suffered a high-grade UCL tear on her right shooting hand during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, per @alexaphilippou.

She will not have surgery and is expected to make a full recovery and ready for the 2025 WNBA SEASON! 🗽pic.twitter.com/VirKTq5yc4
— Liberty Lead (@LibertyLeadSM) October 31, 2024

According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Ionescu suffered a hand injury during Game 4 of the Finals. Despite the injury and pain, Ionescu decided to play the must-win game and helped lead the Liberty to lift the WNBA Championship trophy.

She finished Game 5 with 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.

While Ionescu’s injury was serious, it is reported that she will not require surgery and is expected to make a full recovery in the coming weeks.

Image Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Minnesota Lynx

New York Liberty

Sabrina Ionescu

Swati Bhatia

nba

mlb

wnba

I work as a content strategist, specializing in creating engaging content about the NBA, WNBA, and MLB. My main focus is on writing breaking news updates, research-based articles, and covering trending topics. Right now, I’m leading the content team for the NBA, WNBA, and MLB categories at Playoffs English.