Injury-hit New York Liberty scramble, sign 2 hardship players hours before opener

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NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Liberty are starting their 30th season with a short-handed roster.

Sabrina Ionescu is out with a left foot injury she suffered last Sunday in a preseason game against the Sun. Rebecca Allen has a left leg injury and Satou Sabally has a cyst.

“It’s going to be day to day,” first-year Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said of Sabally, who was a key free agent signing this offseason.

DeMarco wasn't sure if Sabally would travel for the three-game road trip New York has after Friday night's opener.

Ionescu is out for a couple of weeks while Allen may play this weekend.

New York also is missing Raquel Carrera and Leonie Fiebich, who are fulfilling their overseas commitments and aren’t with the team yet.

Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will be playing her first game in more than a year after missing last season while recovering from an acute meniscus tear in her left knee for which she had surgery in March 2025.

The Liberty signed Julia Vanloo and Aubrey Griffin to hardship contracts hours before their season opener against Connecticut because they had only seven players available.

Vanloo caught a flight from Los Angeles after she was waived by the Sparks and landed at 1 a.m. She studied the playbook on the six-hour flight to New York and took in as much as she could at the team's morning shootaround.

The process to get to New York was a little smoother than the one last season when the point guard was cut by Golden State in early July and then was picked up by the Sparks on waivers. She had to wait outside of Barclays Center that day until two hours before the game, when she finally cleared waivers and could join Los Angeles.

This time she was escorted right into the building by her new team. She did have to take a minute to figure out where the home locker room was after talking to the media.

“Super relieved to have this chance. I’m super thankful for that,” Vanloo said. “I’m very excited to play in Barclays. It’s always been my favorite road trip. So, happy to be in the home court and the home locker.”

Griffin, who grew up about 45 minutes from Barclays Center, will have a chance to play close to home in her first career WNBA game. She was drafted last season by Minnesota in the third round but missed the season after having surgery on her left knee.

“Super grateful that I get to come back home and I'm here around family — it feels nice,” Griffin said.

She said she got the call Thursday night that New York was adding her to the roster.

“It's been such a crazy 24 hours; when I heard the news I was just very excited to be given this opportunity and just come here and just play honestly."

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