Satou Sabally is stepping away from basketball for the time being as she continues to deal with the effects of a head injury. A development that also creates serious uncertainty around her availability for Germany at the upcoming World Cup in Berlin.
New York Liberty coach Chris DeMarco confirmed that Sabally will spend time away from the team while continuing her recovery from the concussion she suffered against the Las Vegas Aces on June 23. She has not played since that game.
“As with all our players, health will always be the focus,” DeMarco said. “We look forward to getting her back. She’s just going to take some time right now.”
Sabally has already been cleared from the WNBA’s formal concussion protocol, but that does not mean she considers herself fully recovered. According to reporting from New York, she continues to deal with lingering issues and has not yet returned to the physical and mental comfort level necessary to resume playing. There is currently no firm timetable for her return.
The situation is particularly concerning because this is not Sabally’s first recent concussion.
She suffered another significant head injury during the 2025 WNBA Finals while playing for the Phoenix Mercury. Symptoms from that concussion lingered well into the offseason and ultimately prevented her from participating in the following Unrivaled season. Her latest concussion therefore represents her second major head injury within roughly a year.
For German basketball, the timing could hardly be more sensitive.
The FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup begins in Berlin on September 4 and runs through September 13, leaving only around three weeks between Sabally’s decision to step away and Germany’s opening game.
Sabally had been expected to be one of the central figures of the German team. The German Basketball Federation recently listed her among the country’s WNBA players expected to join the national team during the league’s World Cup break, while FIBA has repeatedly presented Sabally as one of Germany’s most important players ahead of the home tournament.
Her potential absence would be a major sporting blow for Germany. Sabally was one of the driving forces behind the national team’s historic Olympic debut in Paris in 2024, helping Germany reach the quarterfinals. The 28-year-old was also expected to be one of the faces of the World Cup in her hometown of Berlin.
Germany entered the summer hoping to field its strongest possible roster for what could become a landmark tournament for women’s basketball in the country.
Now one of its biggest stars is facing a much more important decision.
