Satou Sabally has been ruled out of playing in Unrivaled indefinitely as she deals with lingering symptoms from a concussion she suffered in October, the league announced on Friday. Sabally sustained the concussion in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces.
Unrivaled shares major injury update on WNBA star
Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally is still dealing with concussion symptoms — and will indefinitely be out from Unrivaled.
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Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
The Mercury star averaged 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in Unrivaled’s inaugural season and was slated to be a part of the Phantom Club for the second season. But, on Friday, the 3-on-3 league announced that Sabally was out indefinitely” and will be reevaluated at a later date.”
In her place, the league has signed Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes, who played in Unrivaled for the Laces club last season. Hayes averaged 16.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3 assists last season, and will now play alongside Natasha Cloud, Dana Evans, Aliyah Boston, Kiki Iriafen, and Kelsey Plum. Hayes was initially slated to play for the Turkish club CBK Mersin in the EuroLeague, but parted ways with the club earlier this week.
On October 8th, when the concussion was sustained, she was on the ground for a lengthy period of time before being helped to the locker room after getting a knee to the head.
Concussion symptoms typically resolve in a matter of weeks, so Sabally’s situation is fairly unusual. It also shines a light on how her injury was handled; the Mercury’s medical staff did not use a stretcher to help her off the court, a decision that was subject to widespread criticism; using a stretcher allows for full-body immobilization to prevent further damage to the spinal cord. But shortly after, Mercury head coach Nate Thibbets defended the team’s medical decisions, telling reporters: “It sounds like we handled it the right way.”
The extent of Sabally’s concussion has not been disclosed, but she has not been ruled out for the entirety of the Unrivaled season, which tips off on January 5th. Pending CBA negotiations, the WNBA season is expected to begin in May.
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