Ezi Magbegor suffered a torn ACL in her right knee while playing for Australia in the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup, the Seattle Storm announced Thursday. Magbegor will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season, which will resume on Sept. 17, and could miss the beginning of the 2027 season depending on how her rehab goes. The injury concludes a frustrating year for Magbegor, who suffered a foot injury while playing for Australia in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Istanbul in March, and missed the first seven weeks of the WNBA season.
Shortly after her debut, Magbegor broke a bone in her face and was sidelined for another three weeks. In between all of the injuries, Magbegor was never able to find a rhythm. In 14 games, she averaged 6.9 points, four rebounds and 1.2 blocks on 39.8% shooting -- the worst marks since her second season in the league.
As a result of her injury-shortened campaign, Magbegor's streak of four consecutive All-Defensive Team appearances will come to an end. If there's a silver lining for Magbegor, it's that she signed a three-year, $3.75 million max contract this offseason, which is guaranteed through the 2028 season. In the first quarter of Australia's dramatic win over Italy in their quarterfinal qualifier on Wednesday, Magbegor took the ball coast-to-coast and drove to the basket against Lorela Cubaj.
As she planted her right leg, she took a bump and her knee buckled. Magbegor hobbled for a few steps before collapsing to the ground and remaining there for a lengthy period under the care of Australia's medical staff. She was eventually helped to her feet and assisted to the locker room.
EZI INJURED 🤕The Opals booked in a date with Spain in the quarterfinals, but all eyes will be on captain Ezi Magbegor after she left the game with injury in the first quarter 😬#fibawwc pic.twitter.com/gFg8cCPxbM Without Magbegor, Australia built a 26-point lead, but nearly collapsed down the stretch and escaped with a two-point win when Italy missed a potential game-tying layup at the buzzer. The rebuilding Storm have the worst record in the league at 8-32, and have just four games remaining when the season resumes next week. They'll lose a few more opportunities for Magbegor to build chemistry with their young core, but that's the only impact on the rest of this campaign.
In terms of 2027 and beyond, it depends on how Magbegor recovers. ACL injuries aren't as serious as they once were, but they usually still sideline players for 9-12 months. Based on that timeline, Magbegor would miss the beginning of next season, but it will be a while before the Storm announce any sort of official return to play plan.
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