NEW YORK (AP) — Satou Sabally hopes to play against her former team the Phoenix Mercury on Wednesday night when her new franchise, the New York Liberty, host them.
Sabally had to leave Monday’s loss to Portland in the first quarter because she was feeling ill. She didn’t return after playing four minutes. She said after shootaround Wednesday that she hoped to play that night.
Sabally may have been the biggest name to move this offseason, coming to New York as a free agent. She said parting with Phoenix was somewhat mutual, saying that she was more focused on “where I wanted to be next. In an environment that encourages me and believes in me. I had to do that for my own protection also.”
She also said she knew the Mercury “wanted to keep their options open. We had respectful conversations.”
Sabally played in Phoenix for one season and helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals, including in a playoff series victory over New York in the first round. She exited the Finals when she suffered a concussion in Game 3.
Lingering effects from the concussion slowed her start with New York. She missed the first few games of the season for that as well as a cyst. She made her season debut against Golden State last Thursday and then had a 20-point effort against Dallas on Saturday.
“Obviously she’s a great player, we miss her a lot,” Phoenix forward DeWanna Bonner said.
While Sabally hopes to play, New York definitely will get back Betnijah-Laney Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich. Laney-Hamilton has been out for personal reasons and Fiebich has been recovering after playing in the Spanish League championship.
New York coach Chris DeMarco said both will play against Phoenix. Guard Sabrina Ionescu is out for the second straight game with what the team described as a back injury. She missed Monday’s loss to Portland after making her season debut the day before against Dallas.
The Liberty are sitting at 3-4, having lost three straight at home, their longest skid since 2022.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Doug Feinberg, The Associated Press
