Kennedy Burke Gets Back to Work For Liberty
BROOKLYN—The metropolitan tradition of "flying out of Kennedy" means a little something different for the New York Liberty.
The ailing Liberty has welcomed back Kennedy Burke to its lineup in more ways than one: Burke is not only back after an eight-game absence forced by a calf ailment but she's also set to stand as one of the biggest differences in this New York championship chase compared to the last. This time around, Burke's spot in the Brooklyn rotation can't be denied as another trophy chase presses on.
"What a year, what a difference a year makes," head coach Sandy Brondello noted as the Liberty returned home from a three-game road trip. "She's confident. She's skilled. She's shooting the three-ball. When you don't play many minutes, it's hard to get into a rhythm, I understand that. We went to an eight-player rotation. Kennedy wasn't in there."
Burke is one of the biggest bench women in the modern W despite her injury: among reserves with a minimum of 15 games and 15 minutes per showing, Burke ranks sixth in both defensive and net ratings, one of two Brooklynites to appear in both top 10s along with Marine Johannes. In the traditional realm, Burke still ranks in the top-five in three-point percentage with Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich despite struggling to regain her touch so far (2-of-11 in her first three).
"[Now], she kind of knows her teammates. Her teammates know her, how they can benefit," Brondello said. "She's shooting the three-ball just so good, and her ability with inner screen, how she rolls out of it, is great, how she can be in it and create that three for Emma [Meesseman]. I think she's feeling really comfortable and confident and I think she's been, she's been great for us all season long."
To that point, Burke played but two minutes in last fall's Finals fracas with the Minnesota Lynx last season. As the de facto sixth woman this time around, she then played just under 24 in the last Minneapolis melee over the weekend, getting 11 tallies on 4-of-9 from the field in an 86-80 defeat.
Burke left a larger impact on the ongoing saga between the Liberty and Lynx on Tuesday, which saw the New Yorkers salvage the four-game Finals rematch set. She didn't have her usual three-point touch on an overall 3-of-10 night from the field but helped penetrate the paint with a team-best eight off the bench. Burke would cap off the scoring in the 85-75 decision by getting loose for Sabrina Ionescu's inbounds pass, one that officially broke the rival Lynx's will to the delight of over 16,000 gathered at Barclays Center.
Beyond cheers for a free burger at Shake Shack, one earned through missed Minnesota free throws, Burke perhaps drew one of the loudest reactions of the night when her crossover toppled the daring defense of Alanna Smith on another interior invasion.
KENNEDY BURKE DROPPED ALANNA SMITH pic.twitter.com/VxvwcD5jWz
— Tyler DeLuca (@TylerDeLuca) August 20, 2025
A Courtney Williams foul forced Burke to earn her two points at the foul line but the move itself left an impression, even as Burke herself said she was unaware of what transpired until her approaching teammates informed her after the infraction.
"KB has been it's been so good to have her back," Natasha Cloud said. "She really is such a huge piece to our team and so versatile on what we do, from our offensive schemes to our defensive schemes. She's a nightmare matchup for a lot of fours, a lot of threes, a lot of smaller guards, so we just are going to continue to put her in that action."
"I always love for KB to be rewarded, because she's very humble about herself, especially on the offensive end," Cloud continued. "I love that crossover. I love it for her and just it's great for our team, too, to see her aggressive and attacking downhill."
Time will tell exactly how or if Burke's role will change if and when the Liberty (22-13) return to full strength. Breanna Stewart is on pace to return for her birthday target (Aug. 27) while Burke's fellow depth stars Isabelle Harrison and Nyara Sabally are also inching back toward returns.
A threat on both ends of the floor as well as all areas on the offensive end, however, doesn't feel like someone who should be staged on the far areas of the bench. Even with the potential logjam, Burke seems well-destined for a shift longer than 115 seconds if the Liberty do make it back to the W's promised land.
"[My teammates and coaches] remind me all the time that there's no one in this league that really has the skillset that I have, that quick first step, and then also what I could do on the defensive end," Burke said. "When I get in the game, I'm just really mindful of that, just making sure that if my person has a ball, just be disruptive as I can. Then even away from from the ball, just like being everywhere. Last season, I didn't get a chance to show what I can do against the Minnesota Lynx, so I was able to do it this time, and I'm glad we just got the win today."
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.