The Phoenix Mercury suffered a landslide 83-61 loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Thursday, but it wasn’t just the scoreline that had star forward Satou Sabally fired up. Post-game, she took aim at the WNBA’s scheduling, calling it “terrible” and questioning the league’s commitment to player safety.
With the Mercury facing a back-to-back game against the Golden State Valkyries the next day, the team has already been in a jinx. While they are standing at a safe fifth seed in the league table, less rest time between games could mess it all up.
Satou Sabally Slams WNBA Scheduling After Las Vegas Aces Game
The Mercury have not had such a bad performance in their last ten games. They are on a trip to 5-5 in their last such games. However, while the team needs to start pushing worthy performances ahead of the WNBA playoffs, Sabally is realizing a faltering schedule this season.
“Terrible. It’s like they don’t care about players’ safety. It’s like they don’t care about scheduling or whatever. I only mentioned that one time at the beginning of the season,” Sabally said during the post-game presser.
Satou Sabally on the WNBA's scheduling:
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"Terrible. It's like they don't care about player safety. It's like they don't care about scheduling … We play tomorrow. We're professional. We'll do it."
Phoenix plays at home tomorrow after playing in Las Vegas tonight.
She was right, though. The Mercury’s schedule has been a rollercoaster, with stretches like nine games in 18 days earlier this season, followed by lighter weeks with just one game. This inconsistency, Sabally argues, puts players at risk of burnout and injury.
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“I know people always love to come and say, ‘Oh, you guys want to get paid more, you guys need to play all these games,’ but at some point, there’s a sports science to it. It’s honestly just like game on game on game. So we play tomorrow, and we’re professional, and we’ll do it,” she added.
However, the WNBA’s 2025 season, expanded to accommodate new teams like the Golden State Valkyries, has only made it a tussle for other teams. While the league’s growth is exciting, players like Sabally and even rookie sensation Caitlin Clark have raised concerns about the toll of back-to-backs and tight game clusters.
Satou Sabally Has Been Calling Out WNBA For A Long Time
While there has been growing frustration with packed scheduling, Satou Sabally has been pointing out the issue for some time.
Earlier in June, the Mercury star expressed strong concerns about the demands placed on players by the WNBA’s expanded schedule. This was particularly true following a challenging sequence where the team played nine games in just 18 days, concluding with a loss to the Seattle Storm on June 7.
Sabally highlighted the toll this took on players, as the Mercury were often missing at least two players from their roster during games.
Additionally, as a representative of the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association, Sabally called out WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert regarding the rigorous scheduling.
“I think this is a conversation that could also be important for the next (Collective Bargaining Agreement). Cathy added a lot of games, and for us as players, recovery is so important. We put our bodies on the line every single time. We had nine games in 18 days. That’s not really the responsibility of a commissioner,” she then said.
Despite the challenges, Sabally managed to put out a good show for the team. She’s currently averaging 17.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals this season. After making a great case as Caitlin Clark’s replacement in the WNBA All-Star Games, she’s off to a good rest of the season.