2024 Liberty Champion Earns 1st All-Star Invite
Fresh off a championship with the New York Liberty, KT is on her way to the ASG.
While the modern Liberty was snubbed on the list of reserves set to compete in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, a group released shortly before the Liberty tipped off against the Seattle Storm, former Brooklynite Kayla Thornton was part of the 12-woman manifest for her work with the Golden State Valkyries so far this season.
Thornton, making her first appearance at women's basketball's mid-summer classic at age 32, spent the past two seasons with the Liberty, coming over in the deal that also acquired reigning WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones. She served as the Liberty's sixth woman during her time in Brooklyn and played a major role in their first postseason trophy hoist last fall.
Thornton now resides on the innaugural roster of the Valkyries, the WNBA's newest team assembled by former New York assistant general manager Ohemaa Nyanin.
She was one of the 11 women selected by Golden State in its expansion draft last December and has served as one of its prominent franchise faces amidst its hot start. Entering Sunday play, Golden State (9-8) placed sixth on the WNBA leaderboard and Thornton has played a major role in the early success, averaging 14.9 points and 7.1 rebounds to put herself on pace for early career-bests.
All-Star reserves were selected by the league's 13 head coaches, who were unable to elect their own women. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said she included Thornton on her ballot after serving as her supervisor in the last two seasons.
"She has passed my expectations in terms of stepping up when we need a leading scorer, stepping up when we need a leading defender, or when I need to send a message to the team," Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase said when her team visited Brooklyn in May. "She always has my back, and she revocalizes things that I say. I'm just really grateful to have KT with us."
Joining Thornton on the list of reserves are rookies and fellow-first-timers Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, both of the Washington Mystics, while Sunday Brooklyn visitor Gabby Williams will also make her All-Star debut.
The list of reserves was rounded out by another Seattle in Skylar Diggins, as well as Rhyne Howard (Atlanta), Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana), Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles), Angel Reese (Chicago), Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix), Courtney Williams (Minnesota), and Jackie Young (Las Vegas).
Though the Liberty did not have any reps on the reserves' list (with the injured Jonquel Jones and newcomer Natasha Cloud listed as possibilities), there will be shortage of seafoam in the latest exhibition: Sabrina Ionesu and Breanna Stewart are among the starters while one team will be coached by Brondello.
The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game will be held on July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will return to a fantasy draft format, with teams curated and selected by Caitlin Clark (Indiana) and Napheea Collier (Minnesota) after last year's game saw a group of WNBA All-Stars take down the United States' women's national basketball team shortly before its latest Olympic gold medal run.
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.