WNBA players protest pay gap at All-Star Game in Indianapolis
WNBA players protested pay gap at 2025 All-Star Game in Indianapolis, saying the league needs to pay players better.
- Satou Sabally returned from a personal absence to lead the Phoenix Mercury to an 82-66 victory over the Connecticut Sun.
- The Mercury improved to 18-11 and hold a 1 1/2 game lead over the Indiana Fever, who they face next.
There’s no place like home for the Phoenix Mercury.
After going 2-3 during a grueling five-game road trip that saw star Satou Sabally get benched and subsequently ruled out for personal reasons, the Mercury (18-11) returned to Phoenix and posted an 82-66 win Tuesday, Aug. 5, against the Connecticut Sun (5-23).
It was the perfect bounce-back game for Sabally, who had been struggling since returning from her ankle injury in July. Sabally looked her most comfortable in several games, leading the team with 23 points and six rebounds.
Head coach Nate Tibbetts said the team’s been respectful of Sabally’s off-court life along with holding her to a higher standard.
“In coaching, you face a lot of different situations and opportunities and challenges,” Tibbetts said. “There’s things that we want to do to a certain level and to a certain standard. I think we got to hold that standard, but also, people go through things in their life that are challenging. As athletes, unfortunately, people just see the games and there’s other stuff that people have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
“(We’re) being respectful of that and understanding that the competition pushes you to certain levels but you got to respond and we’re super excited that Satou is back and excited for where we’re headed.”
Against the league’s worst team, Sabally found her rhythm. The 6-foot-4 forward helped push the pace in transition and earned some fast-break opportunities.
“She looked at peace tonight, which is good,” Tibbetts said. “I love how our group has supported her with the things that she’s got going on. When you play at peace and know that your teammates have your back, that’s extremely important. We want Sa to be aggressive, and she was tonight.”
Sabally was benched in the second half Aug. 1 against the Atlanta Dream and didn’t play Aug. 3 against the Chicago Sky, but she felt her team’s presence in a deeper way.
“I really got to experience the family culture here and I felt like I had tremendous support during some rough days,” Sabally said. “I think it’s going beyond the game where you can trust people off the court, and it translates on the court.
“I felt sheltered in a way today and I really love that and appreciate that.”
Even with a healthy lineup, the Mercury have been dealing with consistency issues. Tibbetts admitted that he hasn’t figured out his rotations yet, but a constant throughout this season has been Alyssa Thomas’ high level of play, especially as of late.
For the second consecutive game, Thomas recorded a triple-double, her third of the season, posting 13 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in 32 minutes. The milestone also marks her 14th career triple-double of her 11-year career.
Thomas finished the first half with eight points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
“She’s writing history and as teammates, we get to part of it and we’re in awe,” Sabally said. “It’s amazing to see someone continue to push the ball hard and be relentless in pursuit of the game and inspire younger people.”
DeWanna Bonner broke out of her recent struggles, scoring 18 points off the bench, including four 3s on eight attempts.
Even with the Mercury prevailing, there were some alarming trends against the Sun. The Mercury turned the ball over 20 times with multiple being unforced turnovers like badly timed passes, which led to 21 points from Connecticut.
The mistakes could be partially attributed to the Mercury’s dearth of practices over the past few weeks due to scheduling.
This was the first of a crucial four-game homestand that includes three teams in the playoff picture. The Mercury are now 1 1/2 games ahead of the Indiana Fever (17-13), who visit on Thursday, Aug. 7.
If the Fever win, they would cement a crucial season series win.
But if Thomas continues her case for the MVP award and Sabally keeps the same intensity, the matchup will be tightly contested.