NEW YORK — Satou Sabally will be indefinitely stepping away from the New York Liberty, coach Chris DeMarco said Thursday before a game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Sabally has been out since June 23, suffering her second concussion in just more than eight months after taking a hit to the head and face from Las Vegas Aces forward NaLyssa Smith. She sustained the first concussion after colliding with Aces defender Kierstan Bell last October, playing for the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals.
On the team injury report, Sabally has been listed as in concussion protocol for nearly seven weeks, but her designation was changed Wednesday to head injury. DeMarco did not provide a timeline for her return.
“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.”
DeMarco didn’t specify whether Sabally would be participating in any basketball-related activities. Although Sabally has cleared concussion protocol, she is still struggling with lingering concussion-related symptoms.
“She’s done a good job managing it,” DeMarco said of Sabally’s extended absence. “She’s got the right people around her. We’re really looking forward to getting her back, and she will be back, and she’s going to play at an elite level again.”
The Liberty signed Sabally to a two-year, $1.67 million contract. She has been limited to 13 games this season.
DeMarco has deployed 13 starting lineups. The anticipated starting five of Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich, Sabally, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones have played only two games together due to injuries.
“Definitely harder than years in the past, for sure, because we didn’t have a new system, new coach, so much newness and some key new pieces (like we do now),” Ionescu said of the instability of this season’s rotation. “Satou is a huge piece for us … trying to build chemistry when people come out and in is hard.”
Fiebich has been sidelined with a left foot injury since July 3. DeMarco said Fiebich is improving but could not provide an exact date for her return. Fiebich is expected to play for the German national team from Aug. 31 to Sept. 16 in the FIBA World Cup, and DeMarco also didn’t rule Fiebich out for the Liberty’s remaining five games ahead of the WNBA’s break for the tournament.
The Liberty came into the season with championship expectations but have struggled to maintain a place among the league’s upper echelon this season. New York was tied for seventh in the league standings with the Dallas Wings going into Thursday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Sparks.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
New York Liberty, WNBA, women's sports
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