WNBA sisters Satou and Nyara Sabally discuss basketball journeys, relationship ahead of first on-court matchup

On Sunday, the New York Liberty will host the Dallas Wings in a national TV showdown between two of the most entertaining offenses in the WNBA. The game will also be the first time that sisters Satou and Nyara Sabally play against each other at any point during their basketball journeys. 

After growing up in Germany, the Saballys both went to the University of Oregon. But due to their age difference and injuries, they were never able to play together in college. In fact, they haven't even been on the court together since their school days in Berlin. Now, finally, they'll have that chance.

Satou, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, is enjoying a breakout campaign that has seen her skip over the Most Improved Player talk and right into the MVP race. Her 22.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and three assists per game are all on pace for career-highs, and she's third in the league in scoring and second in rebounding. 

As for Nyara, she was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, but sat out all of last season while rehabbing her knee. She has torn her ACL in her right knee multiple times, which has stymied her career at various points. Now healthy, she's enjoying a solid start as a reserve for the Liberty. Through four games, she's averaging 5.3 points per game on 50 percent shooting. 

The Saballys join the Ogwumikes and Samuelsons as active sister duos in the league. Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike and Katie Lou and Karlie Samuelson all actually play for the Los Angeles Sparks, though Katie Lou is currently preganant and not playing. There are four other sisters to both play in the WNBA: DeWanna Bonner and Erica McCall; Heidi and Heather Burge; Kelly and Coco Miller; Doneeka Hodges-Lewis and Roneeka Hodges. 

Ahead of their historic meeting, the Saballys met with the media for a special joint press conference to discuss their journey, relationship, respective games and what this means for themselves and their family. 

Q: What were your first reactions to hearing your sister's name called during the draft?

Nyara: That was so long ago. That was an interesting draft because it was the COVID draft, so we had a whole set-up in a gym of one of our friends in Eugene. It was a lot of fun. It was a weird situation, but I think we made the best of it and it was just an amazing night. Hearing her name called was a very big moment for my family. We had a very similar Zoom set-up with our amily on Zoom, so that was interesting, so it was a very cool night.

Satou: For me, I as in Turkey when Nyara got drafted, and I was trying to fly out like the next morning after a game, but I wasn't allowed to come. I followed it through Zoom also and I was just super happy to see her in New York -- great team, great atmosphere and I know a lot of the players, so I knew she was gonna be in good hands. Obviously a super amazing night, because she dserves it. I was happy, it was unbelievable. 

Q: Satou posted a picture of her mom watching on dual screens to see both of you play at the same time. What will it be like for your family to just watch one game?

Nyara: It's obviously gonna be exciting. It makes it easier for my mom to watch the game, she doesn't have to pay attention to both screens. My older brother is flying to New York right now, so he'll be there, so I'm very excited about that. It's gonna be fun.

Satou: I like the point she made, it just makes it easier for peole to watch, they can watch two Saballys. 

Q: Do you critique each other's games or playing styles? What do you see in each other and how do you share that feedback?

Satou: I've just been letting Nyara rock for now. She has her own playing style, and is now coming back after a long time. She knows basketball at a high level, she has a high IQ and I think for me to say something now is maybe not the right moment. We comment on our games, but it's more jokingly saying if you have a rough game or something.

Nyara: I would say the same thing. We don't really talk about basketball in that sense because I feel like we're around basketball so often. Except for talking about dumb stuff on the court, like I texted her after the game after she got beat up, I was like 'damn, that was a rough game.' But I mean right now there's not a lot to critique, she's playing really well. But yeah, I would say it's more joking talk about other stuff. 

Q: What's a moment you can each recall watching your sister play basketball that brought you joy?

Satou: I remember her playing in the NCAA Tournament last year before she got drafted, and I was like, 'yeah, she's good.' Because back then, there was already a conversation around her knee, but the way she played, there's no doubt she's a star player to me and can be one o the best in the world. That's a happy moment I had because I felt so secure in her and her game.

Nyara: For me, it was getting to see her at Oregon. It's been a long time, obviously, but every day I got to see her perform on the court, so that was a significant moment. And in the league too, when she was playing in the ALl-Star Game, when I was watching that in Vegas. Making it such a big accomplishment, so watching that was very cool. 

Q: Satou, what advice did you have for Nyara when you found out she would be teammates with Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot? 

Satou: Just to learn. Learn from the best, learn what they say, soak everything up in practice. You learn so much more about the little things that you don't usually learn -- how to set screens, how to read certain situations. That was one point I really gave to Nyara, just to soak everything up.

Q: What does this weekend mean to both of you?

Nyara: It will mean a lot. It will just be exciting. I don't know the last time I was on the same court playing with Satou. I think it was in a school tournament, it was just so long ago. It will be so exciting to share the court with her, I think that's something we've been looking forward to for a long time. 

Satou: I'll add on to that just how special it is to have two sisters competing in the best league in the world. And we're not from here, so that just makes it even mroe special that we show how great European basketball is and how good Berlin pride can be as well. I think we're making a lot of people proud at home and inspiring a lot of young girls to play basketball, to cross borders internationall. That it's both of us, it shows mass, it shows numbers and it's just a really great thing for women's basketball in general. 

Q: When was the first time you started thinking about the possiblity of both playing at this level?

Satou: For me it was always with one another, I never imagined playing against her, but once you knew where we were going it was like 'oh, see you soon.' I knew for sure when we didn't play together in college that we would play togther in the league one day, but now we're not, but it's still a cool thing.

Nyara: It was more so of when it will happen not if it will happen because I'm pretty confident in both of our abilities and I knew that we would be able to play on the biggest stage. So it was more of a matter of when it would possibly happen. 

Q: Have you thought about the significance of being sisters playing against each other in the WNBA?

Satou: It is definitely historic and I'm happy to be on the same list as the Ogwumikes becaus they're amazing people, smart, sisters, also played in the PAC-12 -- I feel that unites us as well -- so I think we're in great company and it's always great to make history. 

Nyara: Yeah, what she said. 

Q: Satou, what have you learned from Nyara?

Satou: Perseverance. That comes right away in my mind. For her it was never a question. She always wanted to play basketball and really fought through her injuries and rehabbed -- it's hard to rehab and when I had to go through it I was always thinking of my sister and thinking of how she's overcoming such severe injuries and hat was for me always a mental note like 'I can do this, I can do this.' She definitely inspired me to keep going whenever I had tough days in the past years with my injuries.