New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu sustained a severe tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in her right thumb during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, as reported by Alexa Philippou. The three-time All-Star will not require surgery during the offseason to address the issue.
Ionescu was recently seen at Barclays Center watching the Brooklyn Nets defeat the Milwaukee Bucks, with a wrap on her thumb.
While the exact timing of Ionescu’s injury is unclear, she appeared to be struggling early in Game 5 after a hit on the hand by Napheesa Collier. In the first quarter of that game, she drove to the basket and had the ball stripped from her. Immediately, she reached for her right thumb in obvious discomfort.
Ionescu’s injury may explain why her shooting performance drastically declined towards the end of the Finals.
In the first three games, she averaged 15.7 points on 18 of 47 shooting from the field, including 8 of 22 from beyond the arc. She also secured a win in Game 3 with a remarkable step-back 3-pointer at the buzzer.
In the final two games, Ionescu only scored a total of 15 points on 6 of 34 shooting from the field, with 1 of 15 from beyond the arc. Particularly in the Liberty’s Game 5 championship-clinching victory, she shot 1 of 19, marking the worst shooting performance in WNBA playoff history with a minimum of 15 shot attempts.
Ionescu understandably faced criticism for her poor shooting in the last two games, but these performances will now be viewed in a different context. Nonetheless, neither she nor the Liberty paid much attention to outside opinions while celebrating their first franchise championship.
