Reunions in basketball don’t usually come with nostalgia and a championship agenda attached, but this one does. WhenSabrina IonescuandSatou Saballyfound themselves back on the same roster inNew York, it wasn’t just another offseason move. It was two former college teammates at the Oregon Ducks picking up a connection that started long before the WNBA spotlight.
When asked about their bond, Ionescu offered a surprisingly candid confession about their classroom days that speaks volumes about their trust and history.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
“When you play with someone in college, it’s just a whole different kind of relationship that you build. We were both really young and kind of living at a new location, learning what it is to be an adult on your own,” she said. “We were roommates on the road, a bunch of times, so it’s just like a whole different feel when you’re kind of in that young aspect of your life, and you get to know somebody really, really close, go to classes together, I cheated off her.”
It’s a line said casually, but it says a lot more than it sounds like on the surface.
In Oregon, Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally didn’t just share the floor for three seasons as Ducks; they formed one of the most productive duos in the Pac-12 by combining for 33.7 points per game during the 2019–20 season alone.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Ionescu ran the entire offense as a triple-double machine and the unquestioned engine of the team, while Sabally emerged as the perfect second force, giving Oregon a frontcourt presence that could punish mismatches from anywhere on the floor.
It worked because their roles were different but completely connected.
That balance is what carried Oregon into national contention, including their dominant Pac-12 championship run, where both players consistently controlled games on opposite ends of their roles but toward the same outcome.
So when Ionescu now reflects on Sabally with comments like “I cheated off her,” it isn’t just nostalgia; it’s a reminder that their chemistry was built on production first, long before it became a storyline again in New York.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
But let’s be real, this isn’t a reunion that felt like it would happen, and even Ionescu admitted that.
“It’s something that we never thought could be a possibility,” she said. “When we were in college, and then we got drafted, it’s like, ‘OK, this is the end.’ And now it’s pretty cool to be kind of reunited.”
But that’s exactly what makes this reunion stand out now because it’s not just two careers crossing paths again; it’s a second chance at something they already proved they can build.
The bigger picture in New York with Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally
The New York Liberty have already proven they can finish the job after winning a title behind their core group back in 2024. But the standard inside the building hasn’t dropped. If anything, it has only tightened.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
“I feel like this hunger and drive to win again here in New York… It’s like we all deserve to put our best foot forward and go out and win a championship together,” Sabrina Ionescu said.
PALO ALTO, CA – FEBRUARY 24: Oregon Ducks guard Sabrina Ionescu 20 celebrates with teammate Oregon Ducks forward Satou Sabally 0 during the NCAA, College League, USA women s basketball game between the Oregon Ducks and the Stanford Cardinal at Maples Pavilion on February 24, 2020 in Palo Alto, CA. Photo by Cody Glenn/Icon Sportswire COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 24 Women s Oregon at Stanford Icon02242020017
That’s where Sabally comes in as a piece that expands what the Liberty can do on both ends of the floor.
In the 2025 season with thePhoenix Mercury, Sabally averaged 16.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists, leading the franchise to a 27–17 record.
It is also worth noting that the Liberty’s run ended after Sabally’s Mercury team eliminated New York in the first round last season. So the New York front office just went ahead and got the very player who was the reason behind their elimination.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
So just imagine her teaming up with Ionescu andBreanna Stewart. And this team becomes a dangerous one.
Because New York isn’t chasing a title in theory anymore. Now it will all come down to whether all of this translates when the pressure actually starts to stack up in the moments that decide seasons.
