Satou Sabally Calls out WNBA's Scheduling

With injuries seemingly a nightly occurrence in the WNBA this year, Phoenix's Satou Sabally has called out the league for its packed schedule, saying "it's like they don't care about player safety."

Aug 15, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally (0) drives by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young (0) in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

On the eve of the second night of a back-to-back, with two games in different cities separated by less than 24 hours, Phoenix Mercury All-Star forward Satou Sabally criticized the WNBA for the stress its schedule puts on players, calling the schedule "terrible," per Desert Wave Media. "It's like they don't care about player safety," she said.

This season, the WNBA moved to a 44-game, regular season, the longest in league history, 10 games longer than the season was even just four years ago. And those extra games were added without increasing the league schedule's footprint, meaning the players are playing 10 extra games within the same time frame.

It has had adverse effects for the players. Injuries have been more frequent than last season, with several of the league's stars missing extended periods of times, and roster sizes have not increased to help teams compensate. Rosters are still capped at 12 players (compared to 15 for the NBA), and many teams don't carry a full 12 for financial reasons. There's also no developmental equivalent of the NBA G League to stash young players in and call them up as needed in the event of an injury crisis.

Sabally Takes a Stance

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2) and Golden State Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere (3) reach for a loose ball in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

On Thursday, a tired-looking Phoenix team lost Kahleah Copper to an injury. On Friday, they faced a Golden State Valkyries team missing several key players. The injury issue in the league is starting to become untenable and players are frustrated. "The amount of players that have been going down this season is honestly really sad. At some point we should really look at that," said Sabally after Thursday's game.

All of these frustrations are bubbling on the surface with new CBA negotiations looming over what has been an exciting season for a league that has a massive new TV deal on the way. Mercury players have been at the forefront of the public discourse around the negotiations, with MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas suggesting that players are prepared for a lockout if necessary and Sabally calling a prior league proposal a "slap in the face."

The league schedule has been, and will continue to be, one of the most contentious issues in the ongoing negotiations, with push and pull between a league that wants to maximize its revenue and players who want to share in the league's growing revenue while also protecting their bodies. It will be an eventful offseason for the league office and the players' union.

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