Satou Sabally Affirms Sue Bird's Unrivaled, WNBA Free Agency Take
During a January 15 episode of her A Touch More podcast, basketball legend Sue Bird got honest about the first thing that came to her mind when hearing about the new Unrivaled 3x3 women's basketball league, and the many WNBA superstars who'd be playing together in it.
"Oh my god, there's gonna be so many superteams formed in Unrivaled," Bird said to her co-host and fiancée Megan Rapinoe with a laugh.
“The WNBA free agency chatter that must be happening in the training room, when they’re out shopping, when they're getting some coffee, has got to be next level," Bird continued. "It used to be what we did during USA basketball camps because that was really one of the few times where the top talent was in the same place at the same time for consecutive days. And now they're together for two months during WNBA free agency.
"The level of recruiting, I can only imagine for some people," Bird added.
"I would be paying for Satou's coffees," Rapinoe then added, referencing elite wing Satou Sabally, who announced last week that she has played her final game with the Dallas Wings and will be seeking a new WNBA team this offseason.
The thing Sue Bird thought of the second she heard about Unrivaled and the players joining:
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) January 15, 2025
“The WNBA free agency chatter that must be happening in the training room, when they’re out shopping… has gotta be next level… they’re together for two months, during free agency. The… pic.twitter.com/cwZ4YuRxve
Sabally brought up Bird's words when speaking with the media on January 16.
“It’s really true,” Sabally said of the comments, per a January 19 article from Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports. “You’re able to talk to other players directly and you can figure out what do they have, what type of resources, how important is their team to the owners? If you have an owner of a team that doesn’t prioritize the women’s team, they’re going to talk about it. And that’s a place where I would less likely like to go.”
“And I’ve received a couple coffees,” she added. “I’m allowed, I’m allowed.”
Satou saw this clip, per @FOS 😂😂
— Vanshay Murdock 🎥🎥 (@VanshayM) January 19, 2025
"You're able to talk to other players directly and you can figure out what do they have, what type of resources, how important is their team to the owners? If you have an owner of a team that doesn't prioritize the women's team, they re going… https://t.co/fBPtNzhxpC pic.twitter.com/puixtT3cEs
It will be fascinating to see which of these coffee conversations results in Sabally's next WNBA destination.
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Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
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