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Nyara Sabally towered over the nurses as she walked down the fifth-floor hallway at HSS Lerner Children’s Pavilion on Wednesday morning.
When she made it into the first pediatric patient’s room, she empathized with the young girl who sat on the edge of the hospital bed.
“It doesn’t seem like it was that long ago I was here,” Sabally said.
Sabally underwent right knee surgery at the same hospital just a month after the New York Liberty drafted her fifth overall in 2022.
The recovery process delayed her WNBA debut for a year and raised further worry about her career longevity because she had already twice torn her right ACL in college.
Sabally has since subdued those concerns and earned her spot in the Liberty’s future plans after she put on an epic performance to help win Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
She recorded 13 points and seven rebounds in the Liberty’s title-clinching overtime win and that showing may have played a part in why she is not a Golden State Valkyries player now.
WNBA teams were allowed to protect six players from the Valkyries’ expansion draft earlier this month. Golden State ultimately took forward Kayla Thornton from the Liberty.
Sabally said she was flying when the Valkyries’ picks were announced and she learned the Liberty lost Thornton when the plane landed.
“Obviously, I was very sad,” said Sabally, who sent Thornton a heartfelt message. “KT has a special place in my heart, so it was still very rough. But I would have picked her, too. She’s a great person to pick to start a new team. Just her energy. She’s a great vet to have. I had her for two years, and now it’s time for other people to enjoy her and to enjoy her presence.”
There had been a lot of talk at the Liberty’s celebratory parade in the Canyon of Heroes about becoming one of the few teams to ever repeat as champions. But Thornton’s departure leaves a major hole on New York’s bench.
Sabally should have a larger role in 2025, and she didn’t rule out the possibility of general manager Jonathan Kolb getting a player to help fill the void on the wing.
One free agent who pops into mind is Sabally’s older sister and two-time WNBA All-Star, Satou Sabally, who has spent the past five seasons with the Dallas Wings.
A Sabally sisters reunion would be a dream come true for their mother, but Nyara Sabally said she’ll support her sister no matter where she lands.
“Obviously I would love for her to come play with me,” Sabally said. “But that’s a decision she’ll make for herself. There’s so much going on that she needs to figure out. … She’s gonna make a great decision wherever she goes.”
Sabally has been staying busy since winning the WNBA title.
She and Liberty teammate Leonie Fiebich made an appearance on a popular German soccer show, “Das aktuelle Sportstudio,” last month. She also repped the Liberty at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
Wednesday’s hospital visit was just one of her several responsibilities as part of the Liberty’s “season of giving” community giveback campaign.
Sabally was hoping to bring some holiday cheer to children and their families in the in-patient unit on the hospital’s fifth floor. She handed out Liberty bags, Seafoam bracelets and autographed photos and offered words of encouragement.
“It’s really cool to see the patients … I know how it is after surgery, you’re kind of feeling a little down,” Sabally said. “So just giving them a little joy, especially around this time being in a hospital isn’t that much fun. So a little something — just to put a smile on somebody’s face just goes a long way.”
The visits got Sabally thinking about her own injury journey up to this point. She pushed through three grueling knee rehabs and believes she’s better after facing that adversity.
“I feel like that’s one of the strongest characteristics that I have [is] perseverance because I’ve had so many injuries, and there was always something,” Sabally said. “It is really hard to look forward and to look past all the injuries, but it really is something I feel like I’ve grown at a lot.
“I always say I’m not glad it happened, but it really shaped me into the person I am now. … It has a way of working itself out.”
Sabally plans to play in Turkey during this WNBA offseason, beginning after the holidays.
She may have made strides in her second WNBA season, but is still far from a finished product.
While playing overseas, she wants to focus on improving her 3-point shooting and defense.
“Growing my overall game, getting more comfortable, more confident. I feel like that’s always a big [point of emphasis],” Sabally said. “And game reps is really the only way you can do that.”
