Former UConn star Moriah Jefferson undergoes arthroscopic ankle surgery, out 3 weeks for Connecticut Sun

Connecticut Sun point guard Moriah Jefferson underwent arthroscopic surgery Tuesday for a lingering right ankle injury, the team announced, and she will be out at least three weeks.

The ankle injury has nagged the former UConn star since last season. She spent most of the offseason rehabbing and was limited in the preseason game for injury management. Jefferson was available for the first eight games, then missed two games when the issue flared up before the Sun faced the Washington Mystics on June 4. She made a short-lived return for a pair of games against the Indiana Fever on June 10 and Chicago Sky on June 12, but she has not been available since.

Jefferson will be evaluated for a potential return to play after three weeks, but the Sun have just eight games remaining until the league goes on a three-week break during the Olympics. Jefferson’s next chance to return after the Olympic break will be on the road against the Dallas Wings on Aug. 16.

Connecticut waived forward Queen Egbo after Jefferson’s injury became more long-term, to acquire an additional reserve point guard, free agent Veronica Burton. Burton has appeared in seven games since signing with the Sun on June 5, shooting 33% from the field and averaging 1.3 assists in 3.9 minutes per game.

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Jefferson starred for UConn alongside Huskies legend Breanna Stewart during the program’s iconic run of four consecutive NCAA championships from 2012-16. The 5-foot-6 guard was a first-team All-American in 2016 after earning second-team honors in 2015. She won the Nancy Lieberman Award for the nation’s best point guard both seasons and held UConn’s record for career assists until it was broken by Nika Muhl in 2024.

Jefferson was selected as the second overall pick behind Stewart in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars, who have since relocated and rebranded as the Las Vegas Aces. She was named to the All-Rookie team in her first season but grappled with knee injuries that limited her playing time in 2017 and 2018. Jefferson was traded to the Dallas Wings in 2019 but sat also out nearly all of the 2019 and 2020 seasons because of injuries.

After she was waived by the Wings in 2022, Jefferson was picked up for the remainder of that season by the Minnesota Lynx, then signed with the Phoenix Mercury as a free agent in 2023. The Mercury traded her to the Sun in February in exchange for guard Rebecca Allen. Jefferson averaged 2.1 points on 37.5% field goal shooting in 6.8 minutes per game across her nine appearances for Connecticut.