Satou Sabally is known for standing her ground for a cause, be it partnering with Jordan Brand to refurbish a basketball court in her hometown of Berlin or being active in the Berlin Social Justice Council to highlight issues of inequality. Now, she has gone viral for showing solidarity with a medical cause for a condition known for damaging confidence.

Alopecia is the general medical term for hair loss, referring to the partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows, and Satou chose to make her point by sacrificing her hair to raise awareness by completely shaving her head.

According to Athlete Vanity, alopecia affects nearly 2% of the global population (over 160 million people), and studies show that the effects of it go beyond just the physical. People with alopecia face up to a 38% higher risk of anxiety, 82% more likely to face unemployment, and, amongst 40% of women with the condition, even affects their marriage.

According to Ubie, around 2% of individuals–roughly 1 in 50–will develop alopecia at some point in their lives. At any given time, about 0.1–0.2% of the population is affected, with nearly 20 new cases reported per 100,000 people each year. In the United States alone, this amounts to an estimated 6–7 million people experiencing the condition over their lifetime.

Talking about Sabally’s career, she is a three-time All-Star and the WNBA’s Most Improved Player in 2023. She spent the first five seasons of her career with the Dallas Wings before joining the Phoenix Mercury for the 2025 season. One of her important contributions was helping the Mercury reach the WNBA finals last season, averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Satou Sabally was also supposed to play in this year’s Unrivaled, but she suffered a concussion in Game 3 of the 2025 finals, making it difficult for her to recover in time. Tiffany Hayes took up her spot on the Phantom BC roster as a result.

Sabally might have been unable to play in Unrivaled, but will she be able to play in the WNBA this season if no CBA deal is reached?

WNBA CBA Talk Goes Past Monday Deadline, But Still No Deal

Another day, another negotiation meeting, but still no deal. Yes, that is what happened on Monday, where progress was claimed to have been achieved, but the deal was not finalized. Though confirmation came in that a deal would be on the cards within the next 24 hours.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert gave her assessment that the deal would get done, that it would be historic, and that the league wouldn’t face any delays now. So are the troubling days finally behind us? Will Satou Sabally and Co. be back to grace the glass in the usual 5*5 format?

The league’s latest proposal sets the 2026 salary cap at $6.2 million, which is 4 times the current cap, and a supermax salary of $1 million, which would push average player compensation to $540,000 annually.

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But what is causing problems with net and gross revenue? The players are looking to settle for a 26% gross amount, but the league is not budging from the 70% net value, putting the deal at a standstill.

Last Monday was the second deadline date set by Engelbert, and now even this went by with assurances rather than a guarantee. Time isn’t anyone’s friend here, as the WNBA season is set to kick off within two months and there are still many issues to sort out.

The Toronto and Portland expansion draft, free agency for more than 100 players, and then the college draft on April 13, the schedule is packed to the rafters. Then there’s ratification, which again takes three weeks once the deal is signed. But Cathy is sure of getting this deal done.

“We’ve got progress for sure. We’re going to keep going. We’re gonna get this deal done,” she has said loud and clear to the reporters.

So will something actually happen now? Or will we again have a few more meetings lined up? The way it is going, it wouldn’t be wise to get your hopes up just yet. What do you think?