2023 WNBA All-Star Player Focus: Satou Sabally - Smooth Operator

By Andy Lipton

I’ll leave it to you to determine whether Satou bears a resemblance to a young Sade, but on the court she reminds me of Elena Delle Donne.

At 6’4”, the Dallas Wings lefty forward can handle the ball with either hand, and with the ball, moves with fluidity.

 She is down right smoooooth.

In her fourth year with Wings and in the WNBA, the second overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft has come into her own and will be a starter in the 2023 WNBA All-Star Game this Saturday.

This is her second WNBA All-Star Game and her first as a starter.

She missed most of the 2022 WNBA season with an ankle injury.

Sabally, whose mom is from Germany and dad is from Gambia, grew up mostly in Berlin, Germany, after spending some childhood years in Gambia.

 She played college ball at the University of Oregon for three years before going to the WNBA. 

In her junior year (her last season at Oregon), she was an All-American and the Cheryl Miller Award Winner as the nation’s top small forward.

Off the dribble, Sabally can take it to the hoop, pull up for a mid-range jumper, and find the open player. Her court vision is stellar.

In a recent game against the Mystics, Sabally hit a floater in the lane using her right hand that looked fluid and natural.

After the game she said she was ambidextrous.

She is playing heavy minutes for the Wings, averaging almost 33 a game. 

Sabally is the 15th leading scorer in the WNBA averaging 17.6 points a game. Her shooting percentage from the floor is 42.3%.

She leads the Wings with an average of 9.2 rebounds a game, sixth best in the league. Her 3.5 assists per game are a pro career high and second best on the Wings while she is second on her team with 1.6 steals per game.

Her three-point shooting percentage is modest at 34% with an average of almost five attempts a game, but you can see that she will get better over time as she has a nice stroke and touch.

 She is shooting almost 88% from the foul line.

Satou’s skills will also be on display Friday as one of the eight players selected to be in the WNBA Skills Challenge that tests agility, dribbling, passing, and shooting skills.

Satou’s abilities range far off the court. 

She was on the PAC-12 Academic Honor Roll her last year at Oregon and was recently given the May WNBA Cares Community Assist Award. 

Here is an excerpt from the press release announcing the award:

 Sabally works year-round as a mentor to youth participants from Café Momentum, a Dallas-based restaurant that provides a transformative experience through a 12-month paid internship program for justice-involved youth. 

Through her mentorship, she has hosted events with community leaders and is currently working to schedule a program visit to the Black Girl Magic Museum.

 Additionally, as a Jordan Brand athlete, Sabally helped facilitate the donation of a new pair of sneakers to every youth member of the program, as well as a $100,000 donation to Café Momentum from the Jordan Brand.

Currently in her fourth season in the league, Sabally has worked to bring light to critical issues, such as hosting a financial literacy program at Woodrow Wilson High School; leading the Wings Community-Wide Book Club, where she distributes free copies of the book to every member; and facilitating a STEM takeover event, in partnership with the Perot Museum. 

During the STEM takeover event, she hosted 700 girls as they spent the day doing basketball drills, conducting science experiments, and hearing from her firsthand about the importance of leadership and staying active. 

Known for going above and beyond her role on and off the court, Sabally also serves as Vice President of the WNBPA Executive Committee and is a fearless advocate for equality and wellness in the greater Dallas community.

 https://pr.nba.com/satou-sabally-wnba-cares- community-assist-award-may/

And when speaking with the media, Satou Sabally is open, thoughtful, and articulate.