Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images
As fans sprint to the beginning of the WNBA season, the faithful will also welcome two new teams into the league. The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will make their debuts in 2026 and will look to find their footing in the new landscape of the WNBA. Before the games tip off on May 8, the teams held an Expansion Draft. And for New York Liberty fans, they had to say goodbye to a championship hero.
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Nyara Sabally’s time in New York can be defined by her resilience. Taken fifth overall in the 2022 Draft, Sabally fought through an assortment of injuries but often contributed when her number was called. Sabally was beloved by her teammates and fans as she was a positive presence on the court and in the community.
Her greatest night came when she saved the Liberty from disaster and helped deliver the franchise’s first WNBA championship and New York’s first basketball championship in decades. It’s a heck of legacy, and one that will last as she moves on.
After scoring just 11 points combined total over the first four games of the 2024 WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx, Sabally scored 13 in the do-or-die Game 5. The Libs won 67-62 in OT. Stuck in a merciless, physical brick-fest, Sandy Brondello played Sabally for most of the second half and OT, thus deploying an ultra-rare triple-big lineup with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones.
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Sabally answered the call, making huge plays on both ends to turn in a Robert-Horry-level clutch role player performance…
On Friday afternoon, Sabally’s New York chapter ended; the Toronto Tempo selected Sabally with the fourth pick. This reunites Sabally with Brondello and a couple members of her staff that followed her to Toronto. For Brondello, she acquires a player that has shown they can succeed in the most challenging moments. And for New York, they say goodbye to a fan favorite that meant a lot to her teammates and fans.
“Saying goodbye to Nyara is extremely difficult, especially knowing the impact she has had within our organization and the lasting legacy she leaves with this franchise,” Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb said. “From the moment she arrived in 2022, Nyara brought professionalism, humility, and a true team‑first mindset, quickly becoming a valued part of our locker room and Liberty family. Her performance in Game 5 of the 2024 WNBA Finals will forever be part of Liberty history and was pivotal in delivering our first championship. We are grateful for everything she gave to this team and excited to see her step into an expanded role in the next chapter of her career with Toronto.”
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The Tempo will be getting a young big that still has room to get better. At her best, Sabally is a strong rim-running center who has made over 60% of her shots at the rim in each of her three seasons. However, consistent knee injuries have stunted her career, and she’s rarely been able to find a rhythm that’s lasted more than a week a two. Since her championship heroics, Liberty fans have not gotten to see Sabally at her athletic peak very often. Perhaps a burgeoning outside shot will ease her transition to Toronto.
“When we first got to know each other and played together.” Leonie Fiebich told The Next’s Jackie Powell in 2024. “She was always driving, always really dynamic and athletic. But she has really worked on her shot. There’s times when she makes like seven, eight threes in a row in practice when she’s shooting.”
Whatever happens in Toronto, Sabally will always be a Liberty legend.
Toronto also selected Adja Kane in the Expansion Draft. Kane was taken by the Liberty in the third round of the 2025 WNBA Draft but has yet to debut in the league, still playing pro ball in her native France.
The New York Liberty kick off preseason on April 25, taking on the Indiana Fever at 3:00 p.m. ET. In the regular season, Nyara Sabally and the Toronto Tempo are scheduled to visit Barclays Center on June 3.
