Nyara Sabally to Miss Rookie Season with New York Liberty
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Oregon Ducks fans will have to wait another year to see Nyara Sabally and Sabrina Ionescu on the court together in the WNBA.
New York Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb announced in a press conference Friday that Sabally will not play in the 2022 season. This appeared to be confirmed further as the team did not include her on their 2022 training camp roster.
Despite Sabally finishing last season on the court with the Ducks, Kolb said the team's focus is to prepare the Oregon alum to play starting in the 2023 season.
"We knew heading into the selection for Nyara that there was a very strong chance that she would not play this year because of her current health condition," Kolb said. "We're gonna work with Nyara and her representatives and doctors to make sure that she's ready to roll for 2023."
Nyara Sabally
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest
The Liberty selected Sabally with the fifth overall pick in Monday's WNBA draft. She appeared in 24 of the Ducks' 32 games in 2021-22, putting up 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
She made her NCAA debut in 2020-21 after missing her first two seasons of eligibility after tearing her right ACL twice. She injured the same knee in January against UConn this past season but was able to compete in the Ducks' final 10 games.
Sabally and Ionescu never got the chance to play on the court together at Oregon, as Ionescu was drafted first overall by the Liberty in the 2020 draft before Sabally ever stepped onto the hardwood for the Ducks.
She also never got the chance to play alongside her sister, Satou Sabally, who is an All-Star for the Dallas Wings and was selected one pick after Ionescu in the 2020 draft.
The Liberty plunge back into action on Sunday with training camp and kick off the preseason on April 30.
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