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Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally will not play in Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis because of an ankle injury, she announced Wednesday on social media.
Sabally was selected as one of 10 All-Star starters in voting by fans, players and media. She was then picked by captain Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever for her team.
Sabally, who is averaging a career-high 19.1 points, has not played since the Mercury’s July 3 loss at Dallas.
“Over the past two weeks, I’ve been working around the clock to rehab my body from injury with two goals in mind: to return to the court with my Mercury sisters as soon as possible, and to be able to participate as a starter in the All Star Game,” Sabally posted to her Instagram story.
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“Unfortunately, my body still needs more time to recover and I am unable to suit up and play in this weekend’s game. I’m disappointed, naturally, but I want to ensure I’m doing everything I can to be healthy after the break and give … my organization and the X-Factor everything I can as we compete to accomplish our team goals.”
“X-Factor” is the nickname for the Mercury fan base, which has embraced Sabally in her first season in Phoenix. She played her first five seasons with the Wings, who drafted her No. 2 in 2020, then came to Phoenix this year in a multiteam trade.
Sabally noted she would still be going to Indianapolis for players’ union discussion on the collective bargaining agreement.
Sabally’s replacement will be picked by WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert. She already selected one replacement player Tuesday: Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride to fill the spot of injured Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard (knee).
Team Clark will face Team Napheesa Collier in Saturday’s game (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET). Clark, who sat out Wednesday’s loss by Indiana at New York after sustaining a groin injury in Tuesday’s win against Connecticut, is day-to-day, so her status for the All-Star Game is also uncertain.
