Liberty's Nyara Sabally Becomes Finals Unexpected Heroine

Nyara Sabally left an unexpected, undeniable impact on the New York Liberty's WNBA Finals clincher.

Oct 16, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates her teams win forward Nyara Sabally (8) after game three of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

BROOKLYN -- Facing the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA Finals, the Minnesota Lynx knew they'd have to handle an Oregon Duck and a German-born breakout.

Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich indeed lived up to their respective reputations at different points of the championship series, but it was Nyara Sabally who played a role in the Game 5 clincher on Sunday night at Barclays Center.

With the Liberty's time-honored outside shooting struggling to strike, Sabally took over the New York interior, scoring 13 points and seven rebounds in relief en route to a 67-62 overtime decision in the winner-take-all finale on Atlantic Avenue.

"We needed a spark and she was that," Breanna Stewart said in the aftermath. "She continued to trust the process and we are so proud of Nee, so proud."

Sabally's career in New York has been frequently interrupted by injuries, including one that caused her to miss her would-be rookie season after the Liberty made her the fifth overall pick in the 2022 draft.

This season saw hints of a larger role emerge but further injuries and breakouts in other areas of the roster (i.e. her fellow German Fiebich) somewhat buried her at the outskirts of the second unit. Though healthy, Sabally had played less than 16 minutes total in the four-game semifinal series victory over Las Vegas and she was held out of two of those contests entirely.

But when the usual brand of Liberty ball struggled to find any form of consistency (2-of-23 from three-point range), Sabally was granted extensive responsibilities when head coach Sandy Brondello opted to employ a bigger lineup, one that featured Sabally, Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Kayla Thornton on the floor at the same time.

Sabally never stopped preparing and being ready despite the semifinal setbacks.

"Whatever minutes you get, that's what you get and you need to be ready to go on the floor," Sabaly said. Our team has such a high standard, and really, to be able to live up to that, you have to be mentally ready. Otherwise, you'll just kind of hurt the team in the long run."

The gambit paid off: after Jones kept the Liberty in the game to the tune of a seven-point deficit at halftime, Sabally officially announced the team's comeback desires by scoring nearly half of the team's 20 points in the third period with nine. Each came during the final 3:33 of the frame, including a driving layup from the hands of fellow former Duck Ionescu that created a 47-44 lead for the final 10.

"I just thought what she brings, she has that X-factor," Brondello said. "Her ability to make one-on-one plays, to rebound the ball, to play great defense. I mean, all of it, and then to finish plays ... So I prepared her (and I'm) really, really proud of her. I know she's had a lot of adversity over her career, but (it was) the biggest game of her career and she really rose to the occasion. For a young player, that says a lot about her."

Sabally's 13 points were tied for the third-best bench scoring output in a Liberty Finals endeavor. Those who knew her best were overjoyed to see her emerge at exactly the right time to pave the way to New York's first professional basketball championship in 51 years.

"Nyara came in and helped us win that game," Ionescu said. "Offensively, defensively, she just stayed ready."

"I'm so proud of her, how she came in today and just changed the game," added Fiebich. "I don't if we would've won the game without her. Just her energy, effort, relentlessness, I just love to play with her, I love to be out there with her, and I hope I can do that for many more games."

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Brunson Takes Blame For Hart's Struggle
• Liberty Win Game 5, 1st WNBA Title
• Knicks Announce First 2024-25 Roster
• Liberty Grateful For Homecourt, Game 5 Opportunity
• Knicks Waive Okeke, Warren