Satou Sabally, a German-American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, comes from a family with a mixed ethnic heritage.
Isatou “Satou” Sabally was born on April 25, 1998, in New York City as the third of seven children to parents Heike Krone and Jerreh Sabally.
Satou Sabally’s father, Jerreh Sabally, is Gambian, and her mother, Heike, is German.
Raised by parents of mixed heritage, Satou proudly embraces both her Gambian and German roots. She often credits her father, Jerreh, and her mother, Heike, for instilling in her a deep love and respect for her cultural traditions.
Furthermore, her given name, Isatou, comes from her father’s sister. According to Gambian tradition, the oldest daughter is typically named after an aunt. Although Satou is not the oldest daughter, she was given the name Isatou in honor of her aunt.
The Sabally family moved to Gambia, her father Jerreh’s native land, when Satou Sabally was two years old, and then later moved to Berlin, Germany, her mother Heike’s birthplace, to continue her schooling.
Likewise, born into a family with mixed heritage, Satou Sabally inherited not only her striking looks from her parents but also her towering height, athletic physique, and a deep passion for sports from a very young age.
Satou Sabally Often Expresses Her Love and Appreciation For Her Parents, Jerreh and Heike
Despite being the parents of three-time WNBA All-Star Satou Sabally, Jerreh Sabally, and Heike Krone prefer to maintain a private life and haven’t shared much about their professional lives.
However, her father, Jerreh Sabally’s Facebook display shows that he works at Trainee USA and attended Nusrat Senior Secondary School in The Gambia.
Furthermore, Satou Sabally often expresses her love and appreciation for her parents, Jerreh and Heike, on social media, referring to them as her constant supporters.
On an Instagram post of May 2021 on Mother’s Day, Satou Sabally shared a beautiful picture of her mother, Heike, with the caption that reads:
“Happy Mother’s Day to my smart, loving and beautiful Mother and Sister. To all the moms out there Thank you. To those who’ve lost their mother or children🙏🏽 I’m sending all the love and thoughts to you. ❤️💐.”
Satou Sabally
Similarly, Jerreh and Heike guided all of their children in their sports journey; five of the seven Sabally siblings are amazing athletes and play basketball.
Satou’s parents enrolled her and her sisters in the gymnastics club, partly because of their towering height.
Satou’s younger sister, Nyara Sabally, is also a professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the WNBA and previously served as an assistant coach for Sacramento State.
Nyara won the gold medal at the FIBA U-18 European Championship, representing Germany, in 2018.
Her younger brother, Lamin, played college basketball for the UTSA Roadrunners and the Incarnate Word Cardinals.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Satou Sabally began her professional journey with the Dallas Wings of the WNBA in 2020.
- She began her basketball journey at a very young age and played collegiate basketball at the University of Oregon. Satou attended Rotteck Gymnasium in Freiburg, Germany.
