The fearlessness in Satou Sabally doesn’t just come from wanting better pay. It comes from something much deeper: her belief in justice. That fire has always been part of her, shaped by her identity as the daughter of a German mother and an African father, and fueled by her lived experiences. Long before this moment, Sabally was already the youngest member of the WNBA Players Association’s Social Justice Council, speaking out on politics, voting, justice, and equality. And now, as the WNBPA pushes for a fairer CBA, Sabally isn’t hesitating to lead the conversation. But does that bravery come with a cost?

One of the defining storylines of the 2025 WNBA season has been the CBA. The players officially opted out of their current collective bargaining agreement and are gearing up to renegotiate ahead of the 2026 season. And while CBA co-chair Sabally has never been one to hold her tongue, she’s made sure the conversation isn’t just about paychecks, it’s about scheduling, safety, and respect.

Earlier this summer, she laid it out clearly. “I think this is a conversation that could also be important for the next CBA. Cathy [Engelbert] added a lot of games, and for us as players, recovery is so important,” she said. “That’s not really responsible for a commissioner.” Sabally hasn’t backed away from that stance. In fact, she doubled down recently, saying, “Terrible. It’s like they don’t care about players’ safety. It’s like they don’t care about scheduling or whatever. I only mentioned that one time at the beginning of the season.”

She went further, addressing one of the league’s most common retorts. “I know people always love to come and say, ‘Oh, you guys want to get paid more, you guys need to play all these games,’ but at some point, there’s a sports science to it.” She added, “It’s honestly just like game on game on game. So we play tomorrow, and we’re professional, and we’ll do it.” And she is not wrong. The way the WNBA has stacked games borders on reckless. Since facing the Aces on August 15, the Mercury have played nearly every other day. More broadly, the scheduling whiplash is hard to ignore: sometimes one game in five days, then three games in five days the next. The inconsistencies are as alarming as the workload itself.

But as correct as Sabally may be, there’s a risk to her candor. Because players speaking out against the league often come with a price tag. Sophie Cunningham knows it all too well. She admitted on her Show Me Something podcast, “I’m officially three for three on being fined by the WNBA.” Each fine has come after she so much as critiqued officiating or even said something remotely attacking on her show. The league says these fines are about maintaining standards of conduct and media professionalism.

But players don’t seem particularly shaken. Cunningham already has her offseason revenge plan lined up, and Sabally doesn’t appear ready to dial it back either. After all, this isn’t her first confrontation with league leadership. When the first CBA proposal was presented, she didn’t mince words. “We got a proposal from the league, which was honestly a slap in the face.” For Sabally, it’s bigger than money.

In a league where speaking up can sometimes lead to criticism, silence, fines, or worse, being sidelined, she knows she risks more than just a “side-eye.” She risks being treated the way outspoken women before her have been treated. Still, she chooses to step forward because for her, this fight isn’t just about dollars. It’s about dignity. Speaking of dignity, Phoenix’s was tested again after suffering its third consecutive loss to the Las Vegas Aces. 

Satou Sabally’s late-game slip hands Aces third straight win

The Phoenix Mercury had their shot. Down one with 3.6 seconds left against the Las Vegas Aces, they were in position to steal a win after forcing stops on Chelsea Gray and A’ja Wilson. But a costly turnover flipped everything. On the side out, Satou Sabally’s pass was picked off by Gray, who then iced the game with free throws and a final block on Sabally’s desperate shot.

It was Phoenix’s third straight loss to Las Vegas, this one in front of the Aces’ 45th consecutive sellout crowd. The 83-61 win moved Vegas into sole possession of third place, just a half-game behind the Atlanta Dream, while Phoenix is in fifth.

Despite the heartbreak, Sabally shone with her best offensive outing since returning from injury, 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting with three triples. She didn’t shy away from owning the mistake either, saying, “I’ll actually take the blame for that, and not [coach Nate Tibbetts].” Still, Wilson’s dominance was the difference. The MVP candidate grabbed 16 rebounds and fueled 12 second-chance points that Phoenix couldn’t overcome.

And while both teams are firmly playoff-bound, the Mercury know cleaning up late-game mistakes like these will be the difference between a run and an early exit.