Ionescu cleared to play in Unrivaled
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu says she's cleared to participate in Unrivaled after undergoing surgery to repair a torn UCL in her right thumb last month.
"[My recovery] has been a little sped up," Ionescu said, according to ESPN's Kendra Andrews. "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."
The former No. 1 overall pick suffered the torn UCL during Game 4 of the WNBA Finals but managed to play the rest of the series as the Liberty won their first championship in franchise history.
Ionescu was cleared to participate in all basketball activities on Jan. 8, Andrews reports. This past week was the first time she returned to the court. She practiced with a white wrap on her surgically repaired thumb and sported a black splint during media availability.
"I'm a little rusty, but I'm knocking the rust off," Ionescu said. "Everything's been going really well. ... It's nice to get back out on the court and get live reps in."
The 27-year-old was the last player to commit to the new 3-on-3 league, which kicks off Friday. She said her delay was due to her injury and to ensure Unrivaled would be willing to work with her schedule and previous commitments.
Ionescu says she will not be participating in the league full-time and that one of her absences will come Feb. 13-16 for NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.
The three-time All-Star averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists in 2024.