A devastating head injury sidelines Phoenix's star scorer, potentially derailing their championship aspirations as they face a daunting 0-3 Finals deficit.
Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally’s breakout postseason took a frightening turn Wednesday night when she exited Game 3 of the WNBA Finals with an apparent head injury during the fourth quarter of her team’s 90-88 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.
The moment unfolded with 4:26 left, when Sabally crashed to the court chasing a rebound and struck her head on a defender’s knee. She immediately clutched her face, rolling onto her side as players from both teams waved for medical staff. The crowd at Footprint Center fell silent.
Sabally first tried to get up before collapsing again. She was helped to her feet by a teammate and a Mercury staff member, holding her head as she was escorted to the locker room. She did not return to the game.
Afterward, Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said he had not yet seen Sabally and had no information on her condition.
“I don’t know how many teams have come down from 0-3. Not many, right? So I’m not going to sugarcoat that,” Tibbetts said. “We’ve got a tough road ahead, but we’ve got to take it one game at a time. This group has continued to compete at a high level, and we’re going to keep doing that.”
Sabally had been one of Phoenix’s most consistent players all night, scoring 24 points with five rebounds and three assists in 31 minutes before the injury. In her first season in the Valley, she’s been the Mercury’s leading scorer in both the regular season (16.3 points per game) and postseason (19.0).
Her absence was felt immediately. The Mercury trailed by 10 when she went down, and though they rallied to tie the game behind a surge from Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner, A’ja Wilson’s jumper with 0.9 seconds remaining gave Las Vegas a 3-0 series lead.
Copper, who scored 11 straight points after Sabally’s exit, said the team’s spirit was tested in that moment.
“It’s pride for me, it’s just like hell, no,” Copper said. “I’m a competitor, that’s just what it is.”
Bonner followed with five straight points to pull Phoenix even, but Wilson’s final shot sealed the win. For Bonner, who has played in three Finals and won two championships with the Mercury, Sabally’s injury hit especially hard.
“You’ve just got to keep fighting,” Bonner said. “You’re not just going to give up. It’s hard to get here. So we’re going to continue to fight to the very end.”
Sabally’s growth this postseason has been one of Phoenix’s defining stories. Once a promising young forward in Dallas, she arrived in Phoenix and immediately took on the role of the team’s offensive engine, pairing her size and versatility with a newfound edge on the biggest stage.
Her importance has only grown as the Mercury have battled through a grueling playoff run that included comebacks against the defending champion New York Liberty and top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. Phoenix overcame double-digit deficits in both series to reach its first Finals in three years.
Now, the question is whether Sabally will be able to help them extend their season. The Mercury host Game 4 on Friday night, facing the first 3-0 Finals deficit in franchise history.
“We’re in front of our fans,” Tibbetts said. “We’ve got a certain level of pride that we’re going to continue to keep fighting.”
For Phoenix, that fight might have to continue without the player who has embodied it most.