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, 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.
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