New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu underwent surgery last Friday to repair a ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in her right thumb, according to a post on the guard’s social media. The surgery was considered successful, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, and Ionescu is expected to return to the court in four weeks.
Ionescu turned 27 on Friday, commemorating the occasion with an Instagram post on Sunday. In the caption, the recent WNBA champion hinted that she had undergone surgery on her birthday, writing, “ps: getting my thumb fixed was quite the bday present.”
Among other photos, the post had multiple pictures of Ionescu with a large cast over her right hand and thumb — including one of the guard grinning in a hospital bed.
After Ionescu’s post on Sunday, Philippou confirmed that the surgery had taken place on Friday.
Ionescu sustained the injury during the WNBA finals in October, but continued to play throughout the competitive five-game series.
It is unclear when exactly the injury occurred, but it’s likely that it happened during or after Game 3. Ionescu hit a stunning game-winning three-pointer in Game 3, but her scoring slowed down significantly in the final two games of the series. In Game 5, Ionescu scored only five points, going 1-of-19 on shooting from the field overall and 1-of-10 on three-pointers.
Despite Ionescu’s injury, New York won the series over the Minnesota Lynx, capturing the franchise’s first WNBA championship. The team, including Ionescu, celebrated the victory with a ticker-tape parade in New York City at the end of October.