New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu has joined the Unrivaled league – meaning there is no room for Caitlin Clark.

The guard has been announced as the final player for Unrivaled’s debut season with the WNBA champion to join Phantom BC. Ionescu helped New York win their first championship in franchise history this year before signing an agreement with the off-season league.

Ionescu’s delayed announcement comes as she recovers from a procedure she had earlier this month on her right thumb to stabilize the ulnar collateral ligament that she damaged during the WNBA Finals. The 27-year-old posted about the procedure she had on the issue that was unbeknown to her until after the conclusion of the finals on social media saying: “Getting my thumb fixed was quite the bday present.”

Unrivaled announced Ionescu’s signing as a “historic agreement” with her set to earn a salary that “puts her in a category of her own,” among the 36 players taking part this season, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN. While her exact deal is unclear, the total salary pool for the league is over $8million.

The Liberty star’s inclusion means that there is no room for WNBA Rookie of the Year Clark with the Indiana Fever sensation rejecting a place in the 3v3 league. Clark’s fans had held out hope that she would be a late surprise inclusion but Ionescu’s announcement leaves no obvious room across the rosters. Clark has decided not to participate in the inaugural season of the league despite Unirvaled reportedly offering her a salary over $1million for the eight-week season.

Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark reportedly turned down $1million to play in Unrivaled ( 

Image:

AP)

Ionescu joins the league that was co-founded by Liberty teammate Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, with the aim of giving WNBA players an alternative to going to play overseas during the offseason and the chance to compete against the best players in the world. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft will play Natasha Cloud, Brittney Griner, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally and Katie Lou Samuelson under coach Adam Harrington for Phantom BC.

The former Oregon Ducks college starlet will be hoping to continue her impressive league form into the new competition after she averaged 18.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Ionescu was rewarded as she made her third consecutive All-Star and All-WNBA appearances while finishing sixth in MVP voting. She also helped Team USA win gold at the Paris Olympics in the summer.

Speaking about the formation of the league, co-founder Collier said earlier this year: “For a long time, going overseas was the only option that people had in their offseason, and so this is kind of changing the narrative around that and giving another option. Overseas is a great option for some players, but it shouldn’t be the only thing you can do to make money and play basketball and get better.”