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WNBA players protest pay gap at All-Star Game in Indianapolis<\/p>\n
WNBA players protested pay gap at 2025 All-Star Game in Indianapolis, saying the league needs to pay players better.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no place like home for the Phoenix Mercury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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).\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Head coach Nate Tibbetts said\u00a0the team\u2019s been respectful of Sabally\u2019s off-court life along with holding her to a higher standard. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn coaching, you face a lot of different situations and opportunities and challenges,” Tibbetts said. \u201cThere\u2019s 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\u2019s other stuff that people have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n
“(We\u2019re) being respectful of that and understanding that the competition pushes you to certain levels but you got to respond and we\u2019re super excited that Satou is back and excited for where we\u2019re headed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Against the league\u2019s worst team, Sabally found her rhythm. The 6-foot-4 forward helped push the pace in transition and earned some fast-break opportunities. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe looked at peace tonight, which is good,\u201d Tibbetts said. \u201cI love how our group has supported her with the things that she\u2019s got going on. When you play at peace and know that your teammates have your back, that\u2019s extremely important. We want Sa to be aggressive, and she was tonight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI really got to experience the family culture here and I felt like I had tremendous support during some rough days,\u201d Sabally said. \u201cI think it\u2019s going beyond the game where you can trust people off the court, and it translates on the court.<\/p>\n
“I felt sheltered in a way today and I really love that and appreciate that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even with a healthy lineup, the Mercury have been dealing with consistency issues. Tibbetts admitted that he hasn\u2019t figured out his rotations yet, but a constant throughout this season has been Alyssa Thomas\u2019 high level of play, especially as of late.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For the second consecutive game, Thomas recorded a triple-double, her\u00a0third 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n