Sabrina Ionescu’s WNBA Finals shooting struggles make a lot more sense now

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty guard dealt with a previously undisclosed injury, suffering a high-grade UCL tear on her shooting hand during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

Sabrina Ionescu’s struggles in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals have been well-chronicled; the All-Star guard shot just 1-19 from the field and 1-10 from the field in the New York Liberty’s 67-62 win over the Minnesota Lynx. That came after a Game 4 loss that saw her shoot 5-15 from the field.

Now, we might just have at least a partial explanation for why the sharpshooter struggled so much in the final two games of the postseason. According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Ionescu suffered a “high-grade UCL tear” on her right shooting hand during Game 4. The ulnar collateral ligament is a strong band of tissue where the thumb meets the palm, helping keep the thumb stable, and could have easily disrupted her shooting motion.

Ionescu’s injury is a good reminder of how many injuries go unreported during playoff basketball — the WNBA is particularly known for underreporting injuries — while also helping explain her uncharacteristic struggles.

Prior to her injury, Ionescu hit what will go done as one of the biggest shots in WNBA history — a go-ahead three-pointer with a second to play in Game 3. That shot sealed the victory over the Lynx and gave the Liberty a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals.

During the WNBA playoffs, Ionescu averaged 16.9 points on 39.6% shooting, alongside 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists en route to the franchises’s first-ever WNBA title. That followed a Second Team All-WNBA season in which she averaged 18.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds, helping lead New York to a 32-8 record.

There’s been a number of high-profile cases of basketball players suffering UCL injuries in their hand. In April of 2023, for example, New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum had surgery to repair a torn UCL. Ionescu’s injury is not expected to require injury, however.

Earlier this week, Ionescu was spotted courtside with Jonquel Jones at a Brooklyn Nets game with a sleeve on her hand where the injury took place, fueling some speculation that she may have suffered an injury.