8:04 PM ET
Mechelle VoepelESPN.com
CloseMechelle Voepel covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball, and other college sports for espnW. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Dallas Wings rookie forward Satou Sabally was placed in concussion protocol and will not play Friday against the Chicago Sky after she collided with Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird in their game Wednesday.
Sabally, a candidate for WNBA rookie of the year, hit her head against Bird’s left knee in the fourth quarter of the Storm’s 107-95 victory. Both players left the court and didn’t return to action.
The 7-13 Wings, who are trying to secure the league’s final playoff spot, also have guards Allisha Gray (knee) and Katie Lou Samuelson (foot) listed as questionable for their game with the Sky.
Bird is listed as questionable against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday. The Storm’s Breanna Stewart is also questionable after she suffered a left foot injury in Wednesday’s game in Bradenton, Florida.
Bird, who turns 40 in October, is the oldest active player in the WNBA. She missed last season after knee surgery and has been limited to 11 of the Storm’s 20 games this season with continued knee problems. However, when she has played, she has had a positive impact on the Storm, averaging 9.8 points and 5.2 assists.
Stewart is one of the leading candidates for league MVP, along with Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson. Stewart briefly left the court Wednesday after hurting her foot but returned to the game, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Storm (17-3) already have wrapped up a double bye into the WNBA semifinals; the only team that could stop Seattle from getting the No. 1 seed is Las Vegas. Even if the Storm lose their final two games, they can’t drop lower than the No. 2 seed, based on the tiebreaker they have over Los Angeles.