NEW YORK — Sabrina Ionescu made her season debut for the New York Liberty on Sunday, May 24, 2026, in a 91-76 loss to the Dallas Wings. Ionescu recorded 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 30 minutes after missing the team's first five games with a left foot injury.

Ionescu had suffered the injury in a preseason game against the Connecticut Sun on May 3, 2026. She received an ovation when she was introduced in her customary last spot in the Liberty lineup and helped New York open with an 11-2 lead.

A 3-pointer by Ionescu with 5:11 left in the second quarter gave the Liberty a 35-27 advantage. She did not score after that shot and missed her final seven attempts.

"I can't make that decision yet. I'm kind of just day by day seeing how I improve, how I feel, how it responds to what I do the day before," Ionescu said after the game.

Last season, Ionescu averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game. The Liberty's top priorities in the offseason were re-signing Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.

Sunday marked the first time Ionescu and Satou Sabally played together in a regular-season game this season. Sabally, a three-time WNBA All-Star signed as a free agent, had been sidelined with a cyst, which the team disclosed on May 8.

Sabally had also missed the Liberty's two preseason games for reconditioning after experiencing lingering concussion symptoms from last year's WNBA Finals, and she returned to basketball activities in March 2026. Sabally and Ionescu returned to practice as full participants on Monday after missing the Liberty's first four games.

"It was good. I feel like I'm just getting my wind back and happy to finally be on the court," Sabally said. She added: "Whenever the training staff tells me, 'All right, you're good to go,' I feel like I always want to just go 100 percent, so I feel like whenever they give me the green light, I'll be there."

Sabally also addressed the challenge of returning to form: "For me, it's always just going through the reps that you're used to but doing them with less fatigue and actually fighting through that fatigue once you hit it. As an athlete, I feel you're just accustomed to constantly having to get in better shape than you actually are so it's really just having grace with yourself and working yourself back in."

Last season, Sabally led the Phoenix Mercury in scoring with 16.3 points per game and averaged 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals over 39 regular-season games.

No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd scored 24 points in the Wings' win, including 17 in the third quarter, tying the WNBA rookie record for second-most points in a quarter. Fudd had not scored more than 12 points in any professional game before Sunday. Fudd and former University of Connecticut teammate Paige Bueckers combined for 48 points on 16-for-28 shooting.

The loss was the Liberty's second consecutive defeat. New York faced the Portland Fire on Monday, May 25, 2026, in the second half of a back-to-back. Dallas, which has won three of its last four games, was scheduled to host the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, May 28, 2026.