One of the biggest names in the WNBA has been on the shelf as Sabrina Ionescu has been dealing with back soreness. Ionescu has not played since May 24, and she has played in only one regular season game thus far in 2026. Prior to the back issues, Ionescu had been sidelined with an ankle/foot injury. Below, we will deliver an injury update on Ionescu, and look at when she will likely return to the Liberty lineup.
Sabrina Ionescu injury update: When will Liberty star return?
Ionescu was close to returning last weekend as she participated in Liberty practice last Friday.
On Saturday, however, it seems as though Ionescu had a setback as the Liberty ruled her inactive the morning of Saturday’s game against the Indiana Fever.
Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco gave New York Post WNBA reporter Madeline Kenney an update on Ionescu Monday.
“Sab’s progressing well,” DeMarco said. “We kept her home so she can continue to play 5-on-5 with the practice guys, which is standard practice for us before we can fully clear a player for game action.”
The Liberty will wrap up their two-game road trip tonight in Atlanta as they face the Dream. Ionescu will likely not play based on DeMarco’s comments about her staying in New York. Ionescu is also not listed on Fanatics Sportsbook’s player props page for tonight’s game, giving another indication that she is unlikely to return for tonight’s game.
The Liberty’s next home game is this Sunday, June 14 against the Washington Mystics. That game is probably the best case-scenario right now for Ionescu to return.
It typically takes 2-4 weeks to recover from “back soreness.” Ionescu has been out 2 weeks and 4 days thus far.
Four weeks from May 24 would be June 21, and the Liberty just so happen to have a nationally televised game against the Sparks in LA that night.
Here is a look at the upcoming schedule for the Liberty.
- Thursday, June 11: Liberty at Dream
- Sunday, June 14: Mystics at Liberty
- Wednesday, June 17: Liberty at Sky
- Friday, June 19: Mystics at Liberty
- Sunday, June 21: Liberty at Sparks
There is also a chance that the clock on Ionescu’s recovery will reset if there was a setback. The Liberty have not addressed the severity of this injury, saying only that Ionescu’s back is “still sore.”
Sabrina Ionescu odds
Ionescu opened the 2026 season with +1500 odds to win WNBA MVP. Only A’Ja Wilson (+200), Caitlin Clark (+260), Napheesa Collier (+1000), and Breanna Stewart (+1000) had lower odds.
Ionescu is currently +7500 to win the award. Obviously, those odds increased so dramatically due to all of the time she has missed so far this season
In the one game that Ionescu played in this season, she scored 11 points, pulled down 5 rebounds and had 7 assists in 31 minutes.
Liberty odds
New York opened the WNBA season as the favorite to win it all and the team remains in that position. The Liberty had opening day title odds of +220, and are currently +150 at Fanatics Sportsbook.
DeMarco’s squad is 8-4 on the season, just a half game out of first place in the Eastern Conference. The Dream currently occupy the top spot with an 8-3 record.
After enduring a three-game losing streak in late May, the Liberty have rattled off five straight wins.
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