Unrivaled announces first WNBA player injury ahead of league tip-off

Unrivaled — the new 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league tipping off Friday — announced that Marina Mabrey sustained a right calf strain during training camp that is expected to keep her out of play for 2-4 weeks.

Mabrey, a member of the Phantom club, underwent an MRI at Mount Sinai with team physician Dr. Danica Vance, which revealed the strain. She will be re-evaluated in two weeks.

The fortunate thing for the Phantom is that they are one of five 6-player clubs. Even in Mabrey’s absence, they’ll begin the season five healthy players — the same as the Lunar Owls, who have five healthy players (as well as Cameron Brink, who is sitting out this season recovering from a torn ACL).

The rest of the team — Satou Sabally, Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud, Katie Lou Samuelson, and Sabrina Ionescu — will have to step up in her absence, which could end up spanning the first half of the 9-week season.

Unrivaled includes 36 WNBA stars. The league’s 1-on-1 tournament is slated to begin on Feb. 10, so Mabrey could be in jeopardy of missing that as well.

Mabrey, a guard on the Connecticut Sun, averaged 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists during the 2024 season. She was traded from the Chicago Sky to Connecticut midseason, and was one of the team’s steadiest postseason contributors, averaging 15.9 points in the playoffs. She sprained her ankle in the Sun’s final postseason game — a loss to the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference — but made a full recovery in time for training camp.

Without Mabrey, the Phantom still have plenty of firepower. Head coach Adam Harrington will look to leverage Ionescu and Cloud’s playmaking and shooting abilities, as well as Sabally’s two-way versatility.

Sabrina Ionescu is fully cleared to play in Unrivaled

Ionescu isn’t 100% after undergoing surgery last month to repair a torn UCL in her right thumb, but said on Thursday that she’s cleared to play.

“[The recovery] has been a little sped up,” Ionescu said. “If I didn’t have this going on, I probably could have taken a little bit more time just rehabbing, letting it heal. But I’m fully cleared by the doctors to be able to play and continue to do my rehab while I’m out here and get live reps.”

Ionescu also noted Thursday she has several excused absences throughout the season and won’t be there the full length of time — including missing a few days for NBA All-Star weekend.

“They’ve been very accommodating knowing that I have obligations I have to be at, being able to work through that with them and knowing I want to be here, fully committed to my teammates and this team,” Ionescu said.

Before Mabrey’s injury, Bleacher Report’s Nekias Duncan predicted that the Phantom would be the top club in Unrivaled.