New York Liberty’s Sabrina Ionescu injured hand during WNBA Finals: Report

WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu injured her hand during Game 4 of the Finals, suffering a high-grade UCL tear on her (right) shooting hand, per ESPN’s Alexa Phillippou.

The New York Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx in five games after an extremely close, contentious series, to win New York’s first WNBA title in franchise history. The team celebrated last week with a parade through Manhattan and a ceremony at City Hall.

After hitting a stunning game-winning 3-pointer in Game 3 of the Finals, Ionescu’s offensive output fell off in the final two games of the series, likely hampered by her injury. Ionescu struggled mightily in the Liberty’s Game 5 overtime win, posting just 5 points on 1-of-19 shooting from the field and 1-of-10 from the 3-point line.

ESPN reports Ionescu will be reevaluated in four weeks and is expected to make a full recovery without surgery.

The WNBA championship capped a winning year for Ionescu, who also added her first Olympic gold medal after Team USA’s win in Paris this summer.

Ionescu was drafted No. 1 overall out of Oregon by New York in the 2020 WNBA Draft. She is under contract with the Liberty through the 2025 season.