As Unrivaled’s second season has just begun, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league will be without another star.
On Thursday, the league announced that Sabrina Ionescu has been ruled unable to participate in on-court activities during the 2026 Unrivaled season due to an injury sustained during the WNBA season, per Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post. Lynx superstar and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier will miss her league’s second season due to surgery on both ankles, the league announced last week.
Although Ionescu will miss this year’s Unrivaled campaign, the league reported that the Liberty star will remain involved with the league through off-court initiatives and partnership opportunities, including some appearances on TNT, Unrivaled’s national broadcast partner.
“While I’m disappointed I couldn’t play this season, I’ll be rooting for the Phantom,” Ionescu said in a statement via The Washington Post. “I’m looking forward to working with Unrivaled through content and broadcast opportunities and continuing to support the league’s success.”
Ionescu played in nine games for the Phantom last year in Unrivaled’s inaugural campaign, averaging 18.2 points per game, a top-10 mark across the league. She made her fourth straight WNBA All-Star appearance with the Liberty this past season, averaging 18.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds a night. She played in 38 of 44 regular-season games for New York, also on the floor for all three of the Liberty’s playoff games before they were eliminated by the Mercury in the first round.
While the specific injury keeping her out from Unrivaled wasn’t disclosed, the Liberty guard will take time over the offseason to get right before the next WNBA season begins, pending the league’s ongoing CBA negotiations.
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