"That is an organ I would never play around with" - A'ja Wilson finds silver lining in Satou Sabally’s injury while showing empathy to Mercury star

Back-to-back WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson reacted to the injury of Satou Sabally, which will force her to miss Game 4 of the 2025 WNBA Finals. The Las Vegas Aces have a 3-0 series lead over the Phoenix Mercury and could clinch the championship on Friday.

Phoenix announced on Thursday that Sabally has been diagnosed with a concussion. The three-time WNBA All-Star suffered the injury midway through the final period of Game 3. Sabally was on the floor for an extended period after her head collided with the leg of Aces guard Kierstan Bell. The 27-year-old forward had to be helped by teammates and the Mercury staff to the locker room.

During the Aces' practice session on Thursday, Wilson was asked about her reaction to the injury of Sabally.

"First off, I hate to see any player go down," Wilson said. "I suffered from a concussion earlier this season, and this is no joke. (The) mind and the brain is a completely different organ. ... That is an organ I would never play around with. So prayers out to Satou. I know it's not easy, particularly this time, it's even harder."

Wilson added that she has to make sure the Aces could complete the sweep and not get "complacent" with Phoenix missing its top scorer:

"So definitely heart is heavy for her, but (for) me, as a leader, I have to make sure our locker room isn't complacent. Because we know the feeling of next man up, this is when role players thrive, this is when a lot of people thrive because you're missing that big, big piece. "So for us, we just gotta keep the main thing the main thing and control what we can in our locker room, but our hearts and prayers do go out to Satou."

Sabally finished Game 3 with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists on 8-for-15 shooting, including 2-for-6 from 3-point range.

Her loss would be a big challenge for the Mercury as they face elimination in Game 4. Sabally leads Phoenix in scoring in the regular season (16.3 points per game) and in the playoffs (19.0 ppg). In the finals, she is averaging 21.7 ppg.

A'ja Wilson comments on the 'dynasty' tag if the Aces win their third title in four years

A'ja Wilson is on the brink of delivering the Las Vegas Aces' third championship in four seasons. They won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. Now, they are a game away from sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 WNBA Finals.

During the same media availability on Thursday, Wilson was asked if she would consider the Aces a dynasty should they win their third championship.

"Yeah, I think that's a good stepping stone to put us at a dynasty type of field," Wilson said. "Obviously, you want to win more to really solidify, but I think that is something you can never really take away from us. Considering the season we had today, (it) definitely would be a good feeling."

Should the Mercury win on Friday and extend the series, a Game 5 will be scheduled on Sunday at Las Vegas' Michelob Ultra Arena.

Edited by Kim Daniel Rubinos