The New York Liberty just made the rest of the WNBA’s job significantly harder. Satou Sabally has agreed to a multiyear deal with the 2024 champions, reuniting with her former Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu and joining a core that already includes two-time MVP Breanna Stewart and Finals MVP Jonquel Jones.
The three-time All-Star arrives from Phoenix, where she led the Phoenix Mercury to last year’s Finals before a concussion in Game 3 cut her postseason short. Now she’s in Brooklyn, and the reaction from fans around the league has been appropriately dramatic.
What Satou Sabally Brings to the New York Liberty’s Roster
Sabally is the exact type of player contenders covet and rarely acquire. She averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists during the regular season, then elevated to 19 points and 7 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
She’s a 6-foot-4 forward who can create her own shot off the dribble, space the floor, switch defensively, and make plays for others. Plugging her into a lineup alongside Ionescu, Stewart, and Jones creates matchup nightmares across every position.
The reactions captured the problem the rest of the league will face. One user summed it up bluntly: “WHAT THE F**K IS THIS MAN THEY ARE ALL CHEATING IDC.”
Lakers Guru declared, “It’s over!!!”
It’s over!!!😭😭😭 https://t.co/96kDToYY9L
— 🏆LakersGuru🏆 (@GuruLakers) April 11, 2026
Another listed the Liberty’s projected core of Sabrina, Leonie, Satou, Stewie, and JJ, adding simply, “Good freakin’ luck to the rest of the league.”
Sabrina
Leonie
Satou
Stewie
JJGood freakin’ luck to the rest of the league https://t.co/yPC7miZEdu
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA) April 11, 2026
The reactions were reminiscent of NBA fans talking about the loaded OKC Thunder roster. Every move compounds the problem. Every addition feels unfair.
LET’S GOOOOOOOOO https://t.co/X2GRHuCGiM
— Knicks Memes (@KnicksMemes) April 11, 2026
Knicks Memes chimed in with an enthusiastic “LET’S GOOOOOOOOO.” Perhaps most fitting was the observation that Satou and Sabrina are being reunited six years after their college partnership ended.
Satou and Sabrina are being reunited https://t.co/knbmRs8cHb
— Paul (@TheCorpatty) April 11, 2026
Sabally and Ionescu led Oregon to the program’s first Final Four in 2019 before going back-to-back as the top two picks in the 2020 draft. Now, they’re teammates again. Sabally will also play alongside German compatriot Leonie Fiebich, with whom she’s spent WNBA offseasons in Valencia Basket overseas.
However, the Sabally family will miss a significant storyline of their own. Satou’s younger sister, Nyara, who played three seasons with the Liberty and delivered a memorable performance in their 2024 championship run, was selected by the Toronto Tempo in last week’s expansion draft. So, the sisters will miss sharing a locker room this season.
Whether New York can translate this star power into championships remains the question. Stewart and Ionescu haven’t won a title since 2024, and last year’s first-round exit against Phoenix cost Sandy Brondello her job. New coach Chris DeMarco inherits a roster with championship expectations and zero margin for error.
But on paper, the Liberty look terrifying. Health will be the determining factor. If Sabally stays healthy and the chemistry clicks, good luck to everyone else.
