Three-time All-Star Satou Sabally will step away from the New York Liberty to deal with lingering issues from a concussion, coach Chris DeMarco told reporters Thursday prior to the team's 85-81 win over the Los Angeles Sparks. Sabally has not played since June 23 when she took a blow to the head in the Liberty's win over the Las Vegas Aces.
Sabally has cleared the concussion protocol, but is still dealing with related symptoms. Recently, the Liberty changed her status on the injury report from "concussion" to "head."
"This is under the guidance of our performance team," DeMarco said. "Just for now, she's taking some time away and making sure she's healthy... As with all our players, health will always be the focus. We look forward to getting her back. She's just going to take some time right now.
"We're really looking forward to getting her back and she will be back," DeMarco continued. "She's gonna play at an elite level again. But in terms of just the broad scope of players, we have to deal with that journey."
Sabally's concussion issues date back to 2025 Finals
Sabally, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft behind her now-teammate Sabrina Ionescu, has struggled to stay on the court throughout her career. She's played more than 17 games in a season just twice due to an array of issues with her Achilles, knee, ankle, shoulder and head.
Her recent concussion issues date back to the 2025 Finals and are particularly concerning.
While playing for the Phoenix Mercury last season, Sabally took an awkward fall and hit her head on Kierstan Bell's leg. She immediately grabbed her head and remained down for a long period of time before she was helped off the court in what seemed to be serious distress.
Sabally was diagnosed with a concussion and did not play again in the Finals as the Mercury were swept by the Aces. A few months later, she was ruled out of Unrivaled due to lingering concussion symptoms. Sabally later told CBS Sports that the initial aftermath of that concussion was "not great."
The extent to which that experience influenced her decision to leave the Mercury and sign with the Liberty in free agency is unclear. While Sabally's concussion symptoms eventually cleared, she didn't make her Liberty debut until May 21 and missed five of the team's first eight games due to a cyst in her knee and an illness.
By late June, it appeared she was finally starting to regain her rhythm when she took an elbow from NaLyssa Smith in the first quarter of the Liberty's win over the Aces. She checked out of the game immediately after the incident, and her attempt to return in the second quarter was short-lived.
After the game, she was placed in the concussion protocol for the second time in less than a year and has not played since. In 13 games with the Liberty, Sabally has averaged 10.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists, and shot 38.5% from 3-point range in just 16.8 minutes.
Sabally's absence has been big blow for Liberty
The Liberty's title defense last season ended in the first round of the playoffs -- ironically, to Sabally and the Mercury -- in large part due to injuries. But instead of solely blaming health, they made big changes in the offseason, including hiring DeMarco as their new coach to replace Sandy Brondello and signing Sabally in a major free-agency coup.
In theory, Sabally's versatility and athleticism were supposed to give the Liberty an edge they needed on both ends of the floor, and they were installed as the preseason title favorites.
Instead, they've endured a roller coaster campaign. They started the season 3-1, lost their next three games, won their next eight games, lost eight of their next 10 games (they won the Commissioner's Cup during that stretch) and have now won eight of their last 10 games.
With three-fourths of the season gone, the Liberty sit in sixth place at 21-14 and have the sixth-best title odds (+1300, per FanDuel).
Once again, health has been a major issue. Ionescu missed extended time early in the season, and while she's now back, neither Leonie Fiebich (foot) nor Sabally has played in well over a month. Though the Liberty have still been able to score most nights, their defense has been inconsistent without those two.
Fiebich is expected to play for the German national team at the World Cup next month in her home country, and may even suit up for the Liberty before the WNBA breaks for that competition. Sabally will not be alongside her in Berlin, however, and it's unclear when, or if, she'll be back on the court this season.
The answer may determine whether or not the Liberty can make a real push for the title.
