Nyara Sabally Hopes to Play as Liberty Host Mercury

nyara sabally hoped to play Wednesday night when the New York Liberty hosted the Phoenix Mercury. She had missed Monday’s loss to Portland after leaving in the first quarter because she was feeling ill, but said after shootaround that she wanted to be available against her former team.

Sabally Against Phoenix

Sabally joined New York as a free agent this offseason after one season in Phoenix. She said parting with the Mercury was somewhat mutual and described those talks this way: "wanted to keep their options open. We had respectful conversations."

Her time with Phoenix carried real weight. Sabally helped the Mercury reach the WNBA Finals and beat New York in a first-round playoff series, then suffered a concussion in Game 3 of the Finals and exited the series.

Liberty Injury Turnover

The Liberty entered at 3-4 and had lost three straight at home, their longest such skid since 2022. That made Sabally’s availability one part of a larger roster swing, with Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich expected back while Sabrina Ionescu sat out for the second straight game with a back injury.

Laney-Hamilton and Fiebich were set to give New York two more rotation pieces, while Ionescu’s absence removed the guard who had made her season debut the day before against Dallas and then missed Monday’s game against Portland. Sabally had already begun to show more of her own form, making her season debut against Golden State last Thursday and scoring 20 points against Dallas on Saturday.

Mercury Return Angle

DeWanna Bonner spoke to the matchup from the Phoenix side: "Obviously she's a great player, we miss her a lot," she said. That line fit the night’s real tension, with Sabally trying to return against the team she left and the Liberty trying to stabilize a shaky start while filling one lineup spot after another.

If Sabally was able to go, New York would be adding another scoring option to a group already trying to stop the home slide from growing longer. If she sat, the Liberty would still have to manage Phoenix with a reduced backcourt and two returning wings, and the game would be defined by who was actually available rather than who had been expected to be there.