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Satou Sabally

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Satou Sabally
Sabally with the Dallas Wings in 2021
No. 0 – Dallas Wings
PositionSmall forward
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1998-04-25) April 25, 1998 (age 26)
New York City, New York
NationalityGerman• Gambian •American
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolRotteck Gymnasium
(Freiburg, Germany)
CollegeOregon (2017–2020)
WNBA draft2020: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Dallas Wings
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentDallas Wings
2020–2023Fenerbahçe
2023Shandong Six Stars
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Isatou "Satou" Sabally (born 25 April 1998) is a German-American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was selected second overall by the Wings in the 2020 WNBA draft. She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks.[1][2]

Early life

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Sabally was born in New York City to a Gambian father and German mother. Her given name of Isatou is that of her father's sister; according to Sabally, the name is derived from that of Aisha, one of the wives of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. While Gambian tradition normally calls for a family's oldest daughter to receive an aunt's name, she was so named despite not being the oldest daughter.[3] The family moved to Gambia when she was 2 years old, and then moved to Berlin when she was preparing to start school. She was discovered by a local coach as a 9-year-old at a playground and began regularly attending practices. She was the only girl on her first youth team.[4]

College career

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2017–18

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During her first year at Oregon, Sabally appeared in every game for the Ducks while averaging 10.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She was named to the Pac-12 all-Freshman team and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.[1] Oregon won the Pac-12 regular-season title as well as, for the first time in school history, the Pac-12 Tournament championship. In the NCAA tournament, they advanced to the Elite Eight, where they lost to the eventual champions, Notre Dame.[5]

2018–19

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In her second season, Sabally started all 38 games and was the third most efficient player in NCAA. Oregon won their second straight Pac-12 regular-season title, and made their first-ever Final Four in the NCAA tournament, where they lost to Baylor.[6] Following the season, Sabally was named to the Pac-12 team, an honorable mention All-American by the WBCA, and to the watchlist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy.[1]

2019–20

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In her junior season, Sabally started in 29 games, missing three in November due to her obligations with the Germany national team.[7] However, she still played in the November 9, 2019, exhibition against the United States women's national basketball team, where her 25 points helped Oregon secure a 93-86 victory. Oregon became only the second college squad in history to beat the US national team.[8][9] Despite having one remaining season of college eligibility, Sabally announced in February 2020 that she would enter the 2020 WNBA draft; she was draft-eligible because she reached the league's minimum age of 22[a] shortly after the April draft.[11] Oregon won their third straight Pac-12 regular-season title as well as the Pac-12 Tournament championship and was ranked No. 2 with a 31-2 record when the season was prematurely ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12][13] Following the season, Sabally won the Cheryl Miller Award for the best small forward in the country, was named to the watchlist for both the Naismith Trophy and Wade Trophy, was named to the Pac-12 team, and was a consensus all-American (WBCA First-Team All-America, AP and USBWA Second-Team All-America). She finished her college career at No. 7 on the Oregon all-time scoring list with 1,508 career points.[1]

Professional career

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WNBA

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Dallas Wings (2020–present)

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Sabally was selected as the second overall pick in the 2020 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.[14] In her rookie season, which was played in the Wubble, a back issue and concussion limited her to 16 of 22 regular-season games. At the end of the season, she was named to the 2020 WNBA All-Rookie Team.[15]

In her second season, Sabally missed the first six regular-season games while playing in the 2021 FIBA 3x3 Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament with Germany. Her performance after her return earned her a nomination to the 2021 WNBA All-Star Game. However, Sabally missed most of the games after the Olympic break due to nagging Achilles soreness, and she ended up playing in only 17 of 32 regular-season games.[16] The Wings made the playoffs as the seventh seed, but lost in the first round to the eventual champions, the Chicago Sky.

Sabally played in only 11 regular-season games in the 2022 WNBA season, initially missing games due to a late arrival from her season with Fenerbahçe, and later due to knee and ankle injuries.[17] The Wings finished with a .500 or better record for the first time since relocating to Dallas and made the 2022 WNBA Playoffs as the sixth seed. They faced the third-seeded Connecticut Sun in the first round of the playoffs and won their first playoff game as a franchise since 2009, but eventually lost the series 1-2. Sabally, having missed the last 13 games of the regular season, returned for the playoffs but did not start any of the games and averaged only 15 minutes off the bench.[18]

After struggling with injuries through her first three seasons, which limited her to only 44 appearances, Sabally had a breakthrough year in the 2023 WNBA season. She started 38 games, achieved career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists and steals, was named a 2023 WNBA All-Star Game starter, won the WNBA Most Improved Player Award, and finished fifth in the WNBA Most Valuable Player Award voting.[19][20] On June 11, 2023, in a game against the New York Liberty, Sabally played against her sister Nyara for the first time in their careers.[21][22] They became the fifth set of sisters to play against each other in WNBA history.[23] On June 13, 2023, she earned her first career WNBA Player of the Week honor.[24][25] On July 28, 2023, in a 90-62 win over the Washington Mystics, Sabally recorded the second triple-double in Wings franchise history (and first since relocating to Dallas) with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.[26] Sabally led the Wings to their first winning record since relocating to Dallas, earning them the fourth seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs. The Wings defeated the Atlanta Dream 2-0 in the first round and made their first franchise WNBA semifinal since 2009. They lost 0-3 in the semifinal to the eventual champions, the Las Vegas Aces.

With her rookie contract expiring after the 2023 season, Sabally became a restricted free agent. In January 2024, Sabally signed a one-year deal with the Wings worth $195,000, taking slightly less money than she was eligible for in order to help the team's chances.[27] However, Sabally missed the first 25 games of the 2024 WNBA season due to a shoulder injury sustained on national team duty.[28][29] Dallas, plagued with injuries to other players as well, struggled in her absence.[30] Sabally started in all 15 games for the Wings after the Olympic break and posted new career-highs in assists and three-point field goal percentage, but it was a disappointing season for the team, which finished 11th with a 9-31 record.[31]

Overseas

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Sabally spent three seasons (2020–2023) with Fenerbahçe. She won the Women's Basketball Super League with the team three times, including an undefeated run in the 2020–2021 season. With Sabally, Fenerbahçe also finished third in the 2020–21 EuroLeague Women, second in the 2021–22 EuroLeague Women, and finally won the 2022–23 EuroLeague Women. Sabally was named to the All-EuroLeague Women Second Team in 2020–2021 and the All-EuroLeague Women First Team in 2021–2022.[32]

In October–December 2023, she played for Shandong of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).[33]

Unrivaled

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On August 19, 2024, it was announced that Sabally would appear and play in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, a new women's 3x3 basketball league founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.[34]

National team career

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U16

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Sabally played for the German U-16 team in the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women Division B, where Germany finished 12th. Sabally averaged 6.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. The next year, she helped Germany win the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship for Women Division B and earn a promotion to Division A. Sabally averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game and was named MVP of the tournament.[35]

U18

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Sabally played for the German U-18 team in the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship for Women Division B, where Germany finished in 5th place. She averaged 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.

U20

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Sabally played for the German U-20 team in the 2017 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship Division B, leading the team to gold medals and promotion to Division A. She averaged 16.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, and was named MVP of the tournament.[36] In the following year's 2018 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship, she led the tournament in both points (20.7) and rebounds (10.0) per game and was named to the All-Star Five, as Germany finished 9th.[37]

Senior national team

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Sabally played for the Germany women's national 3x3 team at the 2019 European Games in Minsk.[38] In May 2021, she participated in the 2021 FIBA 3x3 Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where Germany finished 10th and failed to qualify.

Sabally played for the senior Germany women's national basketball team in the EuroBasket Women 2021 qualification. She appeared in two games in November 2019, against North Macedonia (later declared void[39]) and Croatia, where she was the top scorer in both. Sabally returned to the national team in November 2023 for the first two games of the EuroBasket Women 2025 qualification. The first game of the qualification, a win against Czechia, was the first time Satou played together with her sister Nyara in the senior national team.[40]

In February 2024, Sabally played in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belém. She suffered a shoulder injury during the first game, a surprising victory over Serbia,[41] and did not play in the second game, a loss to Australia. She returned to the lineup for the final decisive game against Brazil, where she was named Player of the Game as Germany secured the win and qualified to the Olympic tournament for the first time.[42] Right after the qualification tournament, Sabally underwent surgery to repair her shoulder injury, ruling her out of the pre-Olympic part of the 2024 WNBA season.[28][29]

Sabally returned to play at the Paris Olympic tournament, helping the German team reach the quarterfinals in their first Olympic appearance. In the opening game of the group stage, Germany secured their first-ever Olympic win, defeating the reigning European champions Belgium 83–69, with Sabally leading her team in scoring with 17 points.[43] In the second game against Japan, Sabally scored 33 points, the eighth-highest point tally in the history of women's Olympic tournaments.[44] Sabally struggled in the quarterfinal loss to France, 71–84, shooting 2-for-10 from the field and committing 7 turnovers. Nonetheless, she was named to the All-Second Team of the tournament, averaging 18.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists over four games.[45]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

WNBA

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Regular season

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Stats current through end of 2024 season

WNBA regular season statistics[46]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2020 Dallas 16 14 28.1 .368 .197 .872 7.8 2.5 0.9 0.9 2.2 13.9
2021 Dallas 17 14 24.9 .418 .327 .770 5.9 2.8 0.2 0.8 2.3 11.9
2022 Dallas 11 6 21.7 .398 .233 .914 4.8 2.1 0.5 0.2 2.3 11.3
2023 Dallas 38 38 33.1 .435 .361 .874 8.1 4.4 1.8 0.4 2.9 18.6
2024 Dallas 15 15 34.1 .426 .452 .779 6.4 5.0 1.3 0.5 2.5 17.9
Career 5 years, 1 team 97 87 29.7 .418 .336 .848 7.0 3.6 1.1 0.6 2.5 15.7
All-Star 2 1 15.0 .474 .111 — 5.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 2.0 9.5

Playoffs

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WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2021 Dallas 1 0 22.0 .500 – .667 4.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 12.0
2022 Dallas 3 0 15.3 .333 .300 .800 1.3 3.0 0.0 0.3 0.7 7.0
2023 Dallas 5 5 33.6 .359 .391 .778 5.2 4.2 1.4 1.2 3.0 15.8
Career 3 years, 1 team 9 5 26.2 .367 .364 .769 3.8 3.4 1.0 0.9 2.1 12.4

College

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NCAA statistics[47]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2017–18 Oregon 38 29 24.1 46.1 37.0 78.7 3.8 1.8 1.0 0.7 2.0 10.7
2018–19 Oregon 38 38 30.4 50.5 41.1 73.4 6.2 2.0 1.4 0.9 1.9 16.6
2019–20 Oregon 29 29 28.8 46.4 33.8 79.2 6.9 2.3 1.0 0.4 2.2 16.2
Career 105 96 27.7 48.0 37.8 77.0 5.6 2.0 1.2 0.7 2.0 14.4

Personal life and activism

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According to Kelly Graves, Sabally's head coach at Oregon, she was more determined to make a difference in the world than anyone else he had coached. A Muslim, she considers Muhammad Ali to be one of her greatest inspirations. In her sophomore season at Oregon, she was one of the Pac-12's two representatives to the NCAA 2019 Leadership forum, and in her rookie WNBA season in 2020, became the only rookie to serve in a leadership role on the WNBA Social Justice Council. According to Sports Illustrated writer Erica Ayala, "her experience being biracial on three continents was a boon for the U.S.-based council hoping to speak about global racism."[3] She completed work for a bachelor's degree in social science with a minor in legal studies in August 2020, graduating in three years with honors.[48]

Sabally has also become a partner with UNICEF, and is set to become one of several WNBA players to sign endorsement deals with the beauty brand Alaffia, a company that follows a social enterprise model and provides work for over 12,000 women in another West African country, Togo.[3]

Satou's sister, Nyara, was drafted fifth overall by the New York Liberty in the 2022 WNBA draft.[49]

Footnotes

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  1. ^ The current collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and its players' union specifies a minimum age of draft eligibility as 20 for "international players" and 22 for other players, measured as of December 31 of the draft year. The WNBA's definition of "international players" specifically excludes those born in the US and those who have played US college basketball. US-born players are subject to the 22-year age limit even if they have never played basketball in the country.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Satou Sabally - Women's Basketball". University of Oregon Athletics. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  2. ^ Allen, Jim (March 25, 2018). "Success isn't foreign to Oregon freshman Satou Sabally of Germany". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane, WA. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Ayala, Erica (August 27, 2020). "Satou Sabally Is a Unicorn". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  4. ^ Spears, Marc J. (April 17, 2020). "The WNBA is getting more than a star in Satou Sabally". Andscape. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  5. ^ Press, Associated (2018-03-27). "Irish Dancing Back To Final Four After Beating Oregon 84-74". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  6. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, James Crepea | The (2019-04-07). "'We'll be back here': Oregon Ducks vow to return to women's Final Four". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  7. ^ Oregonian/OregonLive, James Crepea | The (2019-08-07). "Satou Sabally will miss first 3 Oregon women's basketball games in 2019-20". oregonlive. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  8. ^ "No. 1 Topples No. 1! Oregon Knocks Off Team USA". University of Oregon Athletics. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  9. ^ "Ionescu, Oregon top Team USA in historic upset". ESPN.com. 2019-11-10. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  10. ^ "Article XIII, Section 1: Player Eligibility" (PDF). 2020 Women's National Basketball Association Collective Bargaining Agreement. Women's National Basketball Players Association. pp. 110–11. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Rowe, Holly (February 20, 2020). "Oregon junior Satou Sabally to enter WNBA draft after season". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  12. ^ "Joy and pain: A look back at Ducks women's basketball | Oregon News". news.uoregon.edu. 2020-03-31. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  13. ^ Spears, Marc J. (2020-04-17). "The WNBA is getting more than a star in Satou Sabally". Andscape. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  14. ^ Ayala, Erica (2020-08-27). "Satou Sabally Is the WNBA's Unicorn". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  15. ^ "Satou Sabally: WNBA Flying Forward". Queen Ballers Club. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  16. ^ Piellucci, Mike (2021-09-16). "Satou Sabally Is Here To Speak Her Mind". D Magazine. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  17. ^ "Five things to know about the Dallas Wings and the WNBA playoffs". Dallas News. 2022-08-15. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  18. ^ Graham, Arie (2022-08-27). "What's next for the Dallas Wings? Growth". The Next. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  19. ^ Abdeen, Aya (2023-09-22). "Satou Sabally Wins 2023 Most Improved Player". The Next. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  20. ^ "'I want this to be my year': How mental, physical reset transformed Sabally's game". ESPN.com. 2023-09-14. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  21. ^ "Sabally sisters to play against each other for 1st time Sunday in WNBA game on ABC". AP News. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  22. ^ FEINBERG, DOUG. "Stewart, Ionescu lift Liberty to 102-93 win over the Wings". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  23. ^ "Satou and Nyara Sabally finally face off in WNBA". Yahoo Sports. 2023-06-09. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  24. ^ "Satou Sabally Wins Western Conference Player of the Week". wings.wnba.com. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  25. ^ "Satou Sabally on Overcoming Injuries and Finding Her Joy Again | WSLAM". SLAM. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  26. ^ "Sabally boosts MVP résumé with 1st triple-double". ESPN.com. 2023-07-29. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  27. ^ "2024 WNBA free agency: Satou Sabally, Wings agree to reported one-year deal, two-time All-Star announces". CBSSports.com. 2024-01-31. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  28. ^ a b "Wings star Sabally has procedure on shoulder". ESPN.com. 2024-02-20. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  29. ^ a b "Wings eyeing post-Olympics return for Sabally". ESPN.com. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  30. ^ "Dallas Wings had high expectations, but injuries have them at bottom of WNBA standings". Dallas News. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  31. ^ Ariail, Cat (2024-09-27). "2024 Season Review: The Dallas Wings' poor record was about more than injuries". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  32. ^ "EuroLeague Women Awards". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  33. ^ Garcia, Edwin (2023-12-11). "Satou Sabally, Cheyenne Parker shine in WCBA". Swish Appeal. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  34. ^ @Unrivaledwbb (August 19, 2024). "THE UNICORN IS UNRIVALED👑14/30✅" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  35. ^ "European Championships U16 Basketball 2014, News, Teams, Scores, Stats, Standings, Awards - eurobasket". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  36. ^ "Spearheading All-Star Five, Sabally reels in MVP award". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  37. ^ "Mbulito crowned MVP to lead All-Star Five in Sopron". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  38. ^ How women's basketball star Sabally fell in love with 3x3 FIBA, 22 January 2021. Accessed 30 April 2021.
  39. ^ "North Macedonia to forfeit February 2021 window games". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  40. ^ "Sweden slip past the Brits, Spain survive a close call, as Sabally sisters shine". www.fiba.basketball. 2023-11-05. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  41. ^ "Germany shock Serbia, take big step toward Olympics". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  42. ^ "A milestone moment: Germany qualifies to the Olympics for the first time". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  43. ^ "Germany blast their way past Belgium for historic debut win". www.fiba.basketball. 2024-07-29. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  44. ^ "Sabally steps into All-Time Top 10 with 33 points". www.fiba.basketball. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  45. ^ "Kalu, Vanloo, Sabally, Ayayi, Magbegor named to Paris 2024 All-Second Team". www.fiba.basketball. 2024-08-11. Retrieved 2024-10-27.
  46. ^ "Satou Sabally WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
  47. ^ "Satou Sabally College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  48. ^ Negley, Cassandra (September 10, 2020). "Rookie Satou Sabally soaks it all in as WNBA's future face of social justice work". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  49. ^ Staley, Antwan (11 April 2022). "New York Liberty selects Oregon's Nyara Sabally in the 2022 WNBA Draft". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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