Community and camaraderie is important to the athlete—especially being in the States, away from most of her family, who still live in Europe. “I’m very 50/50 introvert and extrovert,” says Sabally. “That’s my assessment. I like to just sit on my couch in silence or listening to music—Quavo, Tems, and my all time favorite is Adele—but I also get my energy from my friends. They just charge me up. I don’t usually talk about basketball with them, but even if I do, I don’t know—it frees my mind. Friends make me feel like a normal person. I don’t need to be the strong personality that’s always out on the court.”
Candace Parker, the former WNBA megastar and now president of Adidas Women’s Basketball, recognizes and echoes Sabally’s sentiment. “For her, and for us, it’s about relationships,” Parker says. “Satou and I had a candid conversation early on, saying, like, yes, I’m here for you professionally, but also for you personally. And she responded to that. She said, ‘I want to lean on you for that.’ That stuck out to me.”
The Adidas link-up–athletics notwithstanding, nor the added synergy that both Sabally and the company are German–aligns with Sabally’s stylistic interests, which are prominent. In fact, over at GQ, readers once voted her as the most stylish player in the WNBA. At this point in our day, Sabally has changed from her Y-3 ensemble into earthen-gray performance gear; she’s about to film scenes for an Adidas global basketball shoot. Even with sportswear on, she carries the look with a cool candor, imbuing it with runway confidence.
“I do care about fashion,” she says. “I love a good moment. Sometimes, I like to be playing around a little bit and look a little girly. Other times I’m representing a little bit more masc. I play with it!” She calls her wardrobe her “armor,” and cites Glenn Martens’ work at Diesel as a current favorite, as well as Willy Chavarria and Fear of God. Of course, as well: “Its every athlete’s dream to have their own Adidas shoe.” (This feels very much within the realm of possibility at some point, as I sneak a glance at a brand rep who is trying to hide a grin.)
