Latest news with #SatouSabally
NBC Sports
a day ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Wilson, Ogwumike discuss WNBA CBA negotiations
At the 2025 WNBA All-Star weekend, players including A'ja Wilson, Satou Sabally and Nneka Ogwumike and commissioner Cathy Engelbert discuss their thoughts around the ongoing CBA negotiations between players and the WNBA.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alyssa Thomas, WNBA stars wear their feelings with 'Pay Us' message
The WNBA players made a bold statement at the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game July 19, wearing black T-shirts for warm-ups that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." While the weekend was centered on celebrating the 2025 season, it was also a big opportunity for players to have a face-to-face meeting with the league on collective bargaining agreement negotiations. The current contract expires at the end of the 2025 season. Phoenix Mercury All-Star and WNBPA representative Satou Sabally pulled out of the game due to her ankle injury, but she shared on her social media that she was going for the "most important part of the weekend." Sabally was among more than 40 players who turned out for the first meeting with league officials in months. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark shared ahead of the All-Star Game that the players successfully sent a "powerful" message to league representatives. "That's one of the things we're in the room fighting for," Clark said. "We should be paid more, and hopefully that's the case moving forward as the league continues to grow. "I think that's something that's probably the most important thing that we are in the room advocating about." WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert called the meeting "constructive," but didn't say if the deal would be done by the Oct. 31 deadline. "Last time I think we got the CBA done mid-January. I think it was actually January 15 or something like that," Engelbert said. "So obviously I have confidence we can get something done by October, but I'm not going to put an exact date on it because if we're in a good place, we're going back and forth, there's a few remaining issues, we can extend dates here and there. "We have to have an expansion draft, free agency period, college draft by the time March Madness gets over for the women's game." After putting on a bold display in warm-ups, Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas and Team Collier had a big offensive showing against Team Clark, winning 151-131. Thomas saw action within the first three minutes of the first quarter and quickly assisted on a 3-point jumper from Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins and a layup from Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum. As Team Collier continued to cruise ahead, Thomas played sparingly but contributed six points, four assists and four rebounds in 13 minutes. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mercury's Alyssa Thomas joins WNBA stars' bold statement
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sabrina Ionesco and Satou Sabally named starters for WNBA All-Star Game
Oregon Duck fans have become accustomed to seeing their former stars flourish at the next level, and that applies to the NBA and the NFL as much as it does the MLB and the WNBA. Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally are the two latest Ducks to excel at the height of the game, being named starters for the upcoming WNBA All-Star Game for the 2025 season, which will take place on July 19. Current players and a media panel joined fans in selecting the All-Star starters. Fans' voting accounted for 50%, while the players' vote and the media's choices each account for 25%. Other starters include the likes of A'ja Wilson, Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, Paige Bueckers, and Aliyah Boston, among others. Ionescu is having a career year thus far for the New York Liberty after winning the title last season, averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game with five assists and four rebounds. The Liberty are currently 11-5, and in third place in the WNBA standings. Meanwhile, Sabally is also averaging a career-high 19.1 points per game for the Phoenix Mercury, with eight rebounds and 2.6 assists. The Mercury are 12-5 and in second place in the WNBA. Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions. This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon Ducks Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally All-Star game starters
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark's All-Star Absence Fuels Condensed Schedule Fight
Caitlin Clark will be everywhere this weekend as the WNBA All-Star Game comes to Indianapolis. Except on the court. Clark was previously committed to compete in Friday's 3-point contest before captaining one of the All-Star teams Saturday. However, after injuring her groin in a game against the Connecticut Sun Tuesday, she will no longer be able to participate, though she will still be in attendance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. More from Caitlin Clark's Role Expands With Expected Presence at CBA Talks Sporticast 467: What Is 'Revenue,' Anyway? All-Star Rookie Duo Gives Mystics Stability Amid 'Uncertain' Future 'I am incredibly sad and disappointed,' Clark wrote in a statement shared by the Indiana Fever online. 'I have to rest my body.' Clark's presence will be felt regardless. Thirty floors of Indy's JW Marriott hotel have been taken over with an image of the second-year phenom. Indy was awarded the 2025 festivities last summer, as Clark's impact on women's basketball was becoming clear. Before the on-court action, top players will meet with league leaders on Thursday as the two sides continue negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement. Clark has said she plans to attend—and injuries like hers could factor into the discussions. Clark will be joined by All-Star Satou Sabally, who will also miss Saturday's game, dealing with an ankle injury. In June, Sabally criticized the current schedule as 'not really responsible,' after saying that 'this is a conversation that could also be important for the next CBA.' Teams are playing a record 44 regular season games this season—not including the Fever and Lynx's Commissioner Cup final—the maximum allowed in the current CBA and up from 40 the previous two seasons. Before the season, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said a 50-game slate remains a possibility as the league grows. But extending the season's calendar footprint is complicated. WNBA play begins in May, shortly after the end of college hoops, with the Finals taking place in October. Going later into the fall presents additional conflicts with WNBA venues as well as overseas leagues that run through the winter. Teams will play 30 back-to-back games this year, according to accounting, up from nine in 2023 (although there were regularly more than 30 in the 2000's and early 2010's). The Minnesota Lynx had two such challenges during a nine-game-in-16 days stretch leading into the All-Star break. Teams say they're already feeling the effects of the crowded slate. Two of Minnesota's four losses this year came during that recent run. Responding to a recent Instagram post highlighting Sparks guard Kelsey Plum's 4-for-22 3-point shooting slump alongside Clark's 1-for-23 stretch, Plum explained the poor form was because 'we're tired.' Not to mention, the WNBA has a set roster size of 12 players, which makes rest days more difficult to come by and strains the team when someone gets injured. While franchises have the option to sign a free agent to a hardship contract if the team roster dips below 10 available players due to injury or other absences, the issue remains a discussion point in CBA negotiations. Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, a former league MVP, is still recovering from repeated ankle injuries in June while All-Star Rhyne Howard will also be sidelined for the next month following a knee injury suffered last week. 'If Cathy [Engelbert] keeps adding more games in this short stint of time, the injuries are going to continue to go up,' Liberty guard Natasha Cloud said in June. On Wednesday, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello also advocated for a longer season with fewer games per week. For now, league data does not show a significant uptick in injuries to date in 2025 compared to 2024 through the same number of games. More games obviously come with more injuries, and players see the value in playing more, especially when doing so for full arenas and increased TV dollars. 'We want to play the games,' WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart said last month. 'I think the hardest part is no matter what, when I was playing 36 games or 32 games it was in the same amount of time as 44 games…. That's one of the biggest talking points in the next CBA.' NBA players have also voiced their desire for more opportunities to rest and recover over the course of their 82-game regular season, with the number of back-to-backs dropping by roughly 25% since 2014-15. Clark did not miss a game in college or during her rookie year, but has been forced to sit for multiple stints so far this season. A left quad injury held her out for five games starting in May while a left groin injury cost her five games, including the in-season tournament championship, before her return in July. Clark was visibly upset as she hobbled to the bench Tuesday. Both she and White have described the mental challenge the 23-year-old has faced while attempting to recover from each setback. Her continued absence also threatens the entire WNBA's growth. Even with Clark missing 10 of the Fever's 23 games so far in 2025, viewership on the league's national TV partners is up 9% compared to the same timeframe in 2024. But Indiana has featured in all five W games to draw 1 million average viewers—and ratings did reportedly dip after Clark went down. The Fever's own social performance fell 38% in terms of engagements, with TikTok views per post dropping 80% compared to the two weeks prior to her first injury, according to a new analysis from sports marketing agency Two Circles. 'That kind of drop-off shows how much gravity she brings to the league's content ecosystem,' Two Circles SVP for consulting Laura Andriani said via email. 'For ESPN and advertisers, she helps convert casual viewers into appointment-watch audiences. For sponsors and the league, she represents the surge in cultural relevance and commercial upside that the WNBA is experiencing.' Last year's All-Star Game, pitting Clark and Angel Reese against the U.S. women's national team on the eve of the Olympics, drew an average of 3.44 million viewers on ABC, up 139% over the league's previous best All-Star game. It was the WNBA's most watched game since its opening weekend in 1997. Even without Clark, this weekend's matchup is expected to highlight the league's depth of talent, as well as its growing fanbase. But the most interesting showdown in Indy will likely be the one taking place behind closed doors. Best of Tennis Prize Money Tracker: Which Player Has Earned the Most in 2025? Browns Officially Get Public Money for New Stadium in Ohio Budget WNBA Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From Golden State to Atlanta
Japan Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Japan Times
Caitlin Clark to miss WNBA All-Star Game and 3-point contest after injury
Indiana Fever star guard Caitlin Clark has opted out of participating in the WNBA's All-Star festivities while she recovers from a right groin injury. Clark had been named a starter and team captain for Saturday's All-Star Game in Indianapolis after receiving the most fan votes. She also planned to participate in the 3-point contest before issuing her statement on Thursday. "I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can't participate in the 3-Point Contest or the All-Star Game. I have to rest my body," Clark said in a statement. "I will still be at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for all the action and I'm looking forward to helping Sandy (Brondello) coach our team to a win." Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, who was chosen as a starter for Team Clark, also pulled out Wednesday due to a ankle injury. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert selected Washington Mystics guard Brittney Sykes and Atlanta Dream forward Brionna Jones as replacements for Clark and Sabally. Sykes, 31, is averaging 17.1 points per game this season. This will be her first All-Star Game. Jones, 29, is now a four-time All-Star. She is averaging 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds. Clark, 23, sustained the injury in the final minute of Indiana's 85-77 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday in Boston. She has missed 10 regular season games this season, 11 if the Commissioner's Cup final is included. Previously, she had never missed a game in her college or pro career. In 13 games, Clark is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game in her second professional season. Sabally, 27, is averaging a career-best 19.1 points per game. She last played on July 3. "Unfortunately, my body still needs more time to recover and I am unable to suit up and play in this weekend's game," Sabally said. "I'm disappointed."
