Andrew PetersJanuary 16, 2025
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Sabrina Ionescu is ready to participate in Unrivaled after undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL in her right thumb last month.
Per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, Ionescu is not 100 percent but has been cleared to participate in Unrivaled.
“(My recovery) has been a little sped up,” Ionescu said Thursday after Unrivaled practice. “If I didn’t have this going on, I probably could have taken a little bit more time just rehabbing, letting it heal. But I’m fully cleared by the doctors to be able to play and continue to do my rehab while I’m out here and get live reps.”
According to Andrews, Ionescu wore a white wrap on her right thumb during practice on Thursday. She arrived in Miami for Unrivaled on Jan. 4 but went back to Los Angeles later that week for another appointment with her doctors.
On Jan. 8, Ionescu was cleared to participate in all basketball activities and resumed live-action this week. She said she’s “a little rusty” but is “knocking the rust off,” per Andrews.
“Everything’s been going really well,” she said. “… It’s nice to get back out on the court and get live reps in.”
Ionescu, 27, is coming off one of the best seasons of her career, averaging 18.2 points, 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds for the New York Liberty. She put up 16.9 points, 5.3 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in the postseason to help lead the Liberty to their first championship, taking down the Minnesota Lynx in seven games in the WNBA Finals.
After an outstanding WNBA season, she’ll now compete in the inaugural season of Unrivaled.
Ionescu is one of the 36 players competing in the eight-week season in Miami. The league tips off on Jan. 17 and runs through March 17. Ionescu will compete for Phantom BC alongside Satou Sabally, Marina Mabrey, Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud and Katie Lou Samuelson.
According to Andrews, Ionescu has a handful of commitments that will force her to miss some Unrivaled events. One of those commitments will be NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco in February, though she didn’t clarify what she’ll be doing there.
