Sabrina Ionescu reveals she sustained hip injury before WNBA Finals

During Friday’s exit interview at Barclays Center, Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu revealed that she sustained a hip injury in Game 4 of the semifinals against the Connecticut Sun. Despite her unwillingness to disclose the severity of the injury, Ionescu emphasized that she didn’t want to use it as an excuse.

However, Ionescu admitted that she was playing at a suboptimal level during the WNBA Finals. She shared, “I had to receive an injection before [Game 1] just to be able to participate in those first two games against Vegas. So, obviously, it wasn’t ideal. It’s just something that happens. There’s no excuse, but I couldn’t even walk properly, so the timing wasn’t great.”

Despite injuries to key players like Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, the Aces managed to close out the WNBA Finals in Game 4. Candace Parker also underwent foot surgery in July, effectively ending her season after playing the first 18 games.

Throughout the four Finals games, Ionescu struggled, averaging 9.7 points on a 31.5% shooting rate. She failed to score at least 15 points in any game of the series and often found herself outmatched by Las Vegas’ guard trio of Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, and Gray.

Interestingly, in the Libs’ sole win of the series, Game 3, Ionescu shot 3-of-9 from the field but managed to tally 11 assists.

VOMITING ON TV

Ionescu shared a laugh when asked about the moment she was caught vomiting during Game 4 of the Finals on the ESPN broadcast. She explained, “I don’t know. I just felt like I was about to throw up and desperately called for a garbage can. Maybe it was the emotions of the game and everything else happening. I simply wasn’t feeling well. Fortunately, there was a garbage can nearby, and it didn’t end up on the floor.”

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— Barry Badrinath (@badrinathbarry1) October 19, 2023

Overall, these revelations from Sabrina Ionescu provide insights into her challenging experience during the WNBA Finals and the unexpected moments she encountered in the spotlight.