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By Megan Armstrong
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The New York Liberty entered the 2026 WNBA season knowing they could be without All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu for a while.
But the Liberty did not expect for Ionescu's back to be the culprit.
According to New York Post women's sports reporter Madeline Kenney, Ionescu is not traveling with the Liberty to Connecticut for their game against the Sun on Monday — marking the sixth straight game that she's been ruled out with what has been described as "back soreness."
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Ionescu rolled her ankle in the Liberty's final preseason game against Connecticut on May 3, and a subsequent MRI revealed a left foot injury that sidelined her.
Ionescu missed the first five games and made her season debut against the Dallas Wings on May 24. Ionescu posted 11 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in a blowout 91-76 loss to the Wings, and she hasn't played since.
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Ionescu missed the Liberty's game against the Portland Fire on May 25, but it was a planned absence on a back-to-back. The quandary began when "back soreness" suddenly appeared as Ionescu's injury designation later that week.
The Liberty have not disclosed much about the injury, other than first-year head coach Chris DeMarco telling reporters on May 29 that "it's something that's been bothering her a little bit" and that Ionescu was considered "day-to-day right now."
The good news for the Liberty is twofold: it's only the first month of the season, and they're 7-4, including a four-game winning streak entering tomorrow's WNBA Commissioner's Cup matchup with Connecticut.
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