Back in the offseason, Satou Sabally revealed a new look when she posted images of her shaved head. Sabally kept this look when she debuted for her new team, the New York Liberty, in a Thursday night matchup against the Golden State Valkyries.

For fans wondering why Sabally continues to rock the shaved head, there’s a deeply personal reason behind this choice. In her introductory press conference with the Liberty last month, the three-time WNBA All-Star revealed that she cut her hair as an expression of solidarity for a loved one.

“I know it’s not about myself right now. Let me just shine a light on my best friend who has had a really traumatic experience as a 17-year-old woman that is very different from my experience.”

According to reports, Satou Sabally’s best friend Sunniva Ferri is dealing with alopecia. An Instagram post showing Sabally’s freshly shaved head bears the caption: “Doesn’t get more selfless than this”

This new look was one of the reasons why Sabally made headlines in the offseason. She was also a trending topic in the WNBA community when news broke that she’d joined the Liberty on a fresh multi-year deal.

After being sidelined for the first four games of the Liberty’s 2026 campaign, Sabally made her season debut on Thursday against the Valkyries. The rust, however, was evident as she scored just five points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field.

The Liberty went on to lose 87-70, going down to 3-2 for the season. It will be a scary sight, however, once Sabally gets her rhythm back and jells with the other elite talents on the Liberty roster.

“We Know What She Can Bring”: Liberty HC Remains Confident in Satou Sabally Despite 5-Point Performance in Debut

Despite Satou Sabally’s underwhelming performance against the Valkyries, new Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco remains confident in her ability to make significant contributions to the team.

“It’s hard. She hasn’t played since she was injured, so we knew there’d be an integration period where we’d need to get her comfortable…She gave us 16 minutes. There were ups and downs, but her body of work is there. We know what she can bring.”

Once Sabally reaches peak form, she can bring a different dimension to the Liberty’s offense as a multi-faceted scoring weapon.