Liberty’s forward Satou Sabally is taking a step back from the team temporarily, as she continues her recovery journey following a concussion sustained in late June.
Sabally’s choice has received unwavering support from her coaches and teammates.
“It’s commendable and quite mature of her to recognize her current needs and take the appropriate steps to ensure she returns to being her best self,” remarked Sabrina Ionescu before Thursday’s matchup against the Sparks. “We’re allowing her all the time necessary to accomplish this.”
As of Wednesday evening, Sabally’s status has shifted from “concussion protocol” to “head injury” after a seven-week period. Although she has completed the concussion protocol requirements, she isn’t yet fully recovered.
“She’ll be taking a brief hiatus from the team,” stated coach Chris DeMarco. “Considering this is her second major head injury within a year, prioritizing her health is paramount, as it is for all our players. We’re eager for her return, but it’s essential she takes this time to heal.”
Asked if Sabally will be doing anything basketball related during her time away, DeMarco said, “We’ll get there.”
“This is under the guidance of our performance team,” he continued. “But just for now, she’s just taking some time away, making sure she’s healthy.”
Sabally, the team’s marquee free agent acquisition in the offseason, went down with a head injury after Aces forward NaLyssa Smith elbowed her in the face during the Liberty’s June 23 win in Las Vegas.
While she has cleared concussion protocol, she’s not yet back in what DeMarco called her “comfort zone.”
“We just needed some time away and make sure she’s 100 percent healthy,” he continued. “We’re not trying to rush anybody back, and it’s always going to be about the health of our players.”
Sabally also suffered a concussion in Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals that sidelined her for most of the offseason. She didn’t participate in Unrivaled earlier this year and didn’t return to basketball activities until March.
Sabally, who signed a two-year, $1.67 million contract this offseason, missed the start of the season with a cyst and fell ill in late May.
In 13 games (five starts) this season, she’s averaging 10.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Ionescu, who missed most of her rookie season with a bad ankle sprain, knows the physical, mental and emotional toll a lengthy rehab process can have on a player.
“You can sympathize with somebody who’s just trying to come back from not feeling like themselves,” Ionescu said. “For us as teammates, that’s kind of our job to give her the safe space to not put any pressure but understand the human being comes first and the athlete comes second. And she needs to feel her best to be able to go out there and play. I mean, I’ve done it, probably she’s done it, everyone’s done it where you come out just because you feel the pressure and you want to get back to playing. But your body’s not ready and it tells you, like, you know.”
DeMarco maintains confidence that Sabally will be back this season.
“In terms of just the broad scope of players who have to deal with injuries, it’s so hard,” he said. “It’s so hard and sometimes I think fans, people [who] watch this game, are like, ‘Oh, you know, get over it. You’re making money.’ Or, ‘You’re doing this.’ Or, ‘It’s only for this long.’ It’s not easy. I mean, we all go through stuff and I think she’s doing a great job of handling this the right way. And I mean, the head especially is always such a concern. You have to be in the right mindset to go out there and compete and that’s what she’s working toward.”