Liberty Champion to Partake in All-Star Celebrity Game

The New York Liberty will have some indirect representation at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

The 2025 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will feature a No. 5 from New York, the New York Liberty to be precise.

Former Liberty sixth woman Kayla Thornton is among the 22 names set to partake in the upcoming exhibition set for Feb. 14 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). The list was revealed on Monday and the game will be staged at Oakland Arena, the former stomping grounds of the Golden State Warriors. Thornton will play on "Team Rice," a group overseen by legendary NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice, who spent most of his renowned career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Thornton, 32, was one of the energizers behind the Liberty's first postseason championship run last fall. Her two-year term in Brooklyn ended in December when the Golden State Valkyries named her the New York representative at their expansion draft proceedings.

Oct 18, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Liberty forward Kayla Thornton (5) reacts after making a three point shot in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Aces during game four of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Over the past two years, she was the one of the first women off the bench for New York, averaging 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in that span. She also gained a reputation as a tenacious defender and notably played just over 20 minutes in the Game 5 championship clincher at Barclays Center against the Minnesota Lynx, a 67-62 triumph for the bearers of seafoam on her 32nd birthday.

The event will afford Thornton a chance to appear on Bay Area hardwood before she takes the floor for the Valkyries, the WNBA's 13th and newest franchise set to make their debut this spring. The Valkyries will share Chase Center, the site of All-Star Weekend's main event in Feb. 16 with the Warriors and will officially open their ledgers on May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Thornton will be joined by fellow WNBA rep Allisha Gray and fellow former New Yorker Baron Davis, who spent his final NBA season with the Knicks in 2011-12. Davis and Gray will play for "Team Bonds," a team led by former San Francisco Giants slugger and Major League Baseball's all-time home runs leader Barry Bonds. Thornton's teammates on Team Rice include Warriors champion Matt Barnes and another 49ers receiving legend in Terrell Owens.

Thornton will make her return to Brooklyn and receive her championship ring in late May when the Valkyries make their maiden voyage to New York for a back-to-back on May 27 and 29.

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