Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu to make 2026 season debut Sunday against Wings

Sabrina Ionescu will make her 2026 WNBA season debut against the Dallas Wings on Sunday, the New York Liberty guard told reporters.

When the Liberty host the Wings at Barclays Center, the four-time WNBA All-Star will be available after missing the start of the season due to an ankle sprain suffered during preseason. Ionescu practiced this week as she inched closer to a return. Head coach Chris DeMarco labeled her as questionable ahead of Thursday’s loss to the Golden State Valkyries before she was eventually ruled out.

Ionescu added she is not sure if she will take part in Monday’s game against the Portland Fire as she manages her recovery. DeMarco told reporters that she will likely be on a minutes restriction.

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After Ionescu rolled her left ankle during the Liberty's preseason win over the Connecticut Sun on May 3, the team said she would be reevaluated in two weeks. An MRI showed no further damage to her left foot or ankle, the same one she injured in 2020.

Ionescu is in her seventh WNBA season, all with the Liberty. Last season, she played 38 games and averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. She was a key piece of the franchise's championship run in 2024, finishing second on the team with 16.9 points per game.

Through five games, the Liberty are 3-2. Following Sunday’s matinee against the Wings, New York will be right back at it Monday night to face the Thorns for a third time this season.