Sabrina Ionescu is back on the injury report for the New York Liberty ahead of their matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, listed as questionable with back soreness after previously missing the team’s first five games and returning for a 30-minute, 11-point deb
The New York Liberty came into the 2026 season expected to be one of the league’s best teams, but the start has been slow enough to start conversations turning into worry. New York is 3-4 and sitting in 11th place, and the team has lost three games in a row.
At the center of that unease is Sabrina Ionescu — a star guard and one of the WNBA’s top 3-point shooters — whose health has already shaped the Liberty’s early season. Ionescu missed the Liberty’s first five games while recovering from a foot injury suffered in the preseason. She returned to play 30 minutes and scored 11 points in her May 24 debut.
Even that comeback didn’t last long enough to reset the risk completely. The Liberty rested her during the back-half of a back-to-back after that return, and now she is again on the injury report.
Annie Costabile reported that Ionescu is listed on the injury report ahead of New York’s game against the Phoenix Mercury because of back soreness. The four-time All-Star is questionable to play in that matchup.
New York’s uncertainty doesn’t stop with Ionescu. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is also on the injury report, listed as questionable for personal reasons. Satou Sabally is questionable as well, with the report citing an illness. For Phoenix, Monique Akoa Makani is listed as probable for the game.
The Liberty’s roster has plenty of talent. but the league is deeper than ever. and the margin for being limited by injuries doesn’t exist the way it used to. New York can’t afford to have Ionescu dealing with lingering issues this early in the season. especially with championship expectations hanging over everything the team does in 2026.
Her May 24 return also carried a sting in the eyes of many fans — it was a debut that didn’t translate into the kind of production the Liberty would want. The season is still young, and there’s room for the back problem to settle and not become something bigger. Still. a back issue is the kind of thing teams have to treat carefully. because it can change how a player moves. shoots. and even practices.
The next decision will be immediate: whether Ionescu is cleared. and how New York reshapes its plan if she isn’t. With Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Satou Sabally also listed as questionable. the Liberty could be walking into the Mercury game with multiple moving parts — and not much time to absorb what the injury report brings.
WNBA New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu Phoenix Mercury injury report back soreness Betnijah Laney-Hamilton Satou Sabally Monique Akoa Makani