New York Liberty fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief as star guard Sabrina Ionescu has avoided a major injury following a scary ankle roll during the team's preseason victory over the Connecticut Sun this past weekend. The Liberty announced Monday that Ionescu will be re-evaluated in two weeks, meaning she'll miss the team's regular-season opener on Friday against the same Sun squad.

An MRI revealed no significant damage to the left ankle—the same one that sidelined her for nearly her entire rookie season in 2020 after just three games. That's a huge win for a player who has already overcome so much early in her career.

The incident occurred early in the third quarter on Sunday when Ionescu drove to the basket and landed awkwardly, appearing to get her feet tangled with Sun guard Diamond Miller during a reverse layup attempt. She stayed down for a tense few seconds before getting up, waving toward the Liberty bench, and limping back to the locker room. After the game, she was spotted in a walking boot.

"Obviously wasn't good to see," said Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, who checked in with the team's physical therapist during the game to ensure Ionescu was okay.

Before the injury, Ionescu had six points in just under 16 minutes of action, shooting 2-for-8 from the field. Despite the early exit, teammate Breanna Stewart reported that Ionescu was in "good spirits" after the game.

This is a tough but manageable setback for the Liberty, who are counting on Ionescu to build on her impressive 2025 campaign where she averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 4.9 rebounds across 38 games. For now, the team will focus on getting her back to full strength—and fans will be counting the days until she returns to the court in those Liberty colors.