Nyara Sabally has long played in the shadow of her more famous sister, Satou.
Nyara emerged from relative obscurity to help the New York Liberty win the first WNBA championship in franchise history on Sunday. She scored 13 points and had seven rebounds in a playoff-high 17 minutes off the bench in the Liberty’s 67-62 Game 5 overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx.
The former Oregon Ducks’ star scored nine of her points in the third quarter, including going 3-for-4 at the foul line as she helped the Liberty rally from a deficit. Sabally’s 13 points was just one point short of her career high. Sabally, the Liberty’s first-round pick (No. 5) in the 2022 WNBA draft, had played a total of 15 minutes during the Liberty’s semifinal series against the Las Vegas Aces.
“It really is just the mental preparation of staying ready and being locked in,” Sabally told reporters after the game. “Knowing whatever minutes you get, that’s what you get, and you need to be ready to go on the floor. Our team has such a high standard, and to be able to live up to that, you have to be mentally ready. Otherwise, you’ll just hurt the team in the long run.”
Liberty star forward Breanna Stewart called Sabally’s contribution a “spark.”
“Listen, we were tired. We tried to do whatever we could and we needed a spark and she was that,” Stewart told reporters after the game. “So, she just continued to trust the process and we’re so proud of you.”
Nyara became the first of the family duo to win a title and Satou posted a congratulatory message to her sister on X.
“Whole arena chanting Sabally,” Satou tweeted. “So proud of my baby sis, she’s been through so much and deserves THE WORLDDDDDDD @nyarasabally”
Nyara persevered through missing her entire rookie season with a right knee injury and not playing much during 2022 and 2023 seasons. Now she’s a champion.