Liberty Finalize 2025 Roster with Waiver Releases
The New York Liberty has unveiled its twelve in pursuit of its second.
New York finalized its 12-woman roster on Thursday as it prepares to embark on its first WNBA postseason championship defense. View the full slate below:
The Liberty made several moves leading up to the roster release: in addition to suspending the contract of injured All-Star Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (as well as that of stashed German prospect Annika Soltau), New York waived training camp participants Esmery Martinez and Leaonna Odom.
New York's 2025 headliners remain mostly the same, with the "big three" of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart set to lead the way. Laney-Hamilton's injury and Courtney Vandersloot's return to Chicago potentially pave the pay for newly-acquired veteran Natasha Cloud and international sensation Leonie Fiebich to join the lauded trio in the starting five.
Incumbent reserves Kennedy Burke, Marquesha Davis, Nyara Sabally, and Jaylyn Sherrod return to the second unit while Isabella Harrison joins the fold after spending the last two years with the aforementioned Chicago Sky.
The list is rounded out by stashed stars Rebekah Gardner and Marine Johannes, each of whom rejoins New York after missing last year's title run. Injuries have limited the veteran Gardner, acquired in a 2024 trade with Chicago, to three games over the last two seasons while Johannes is back after spending last season in her native France, guiding the national team to an Olympic silver medal run at least year's Summer Games in Paris.
Despite their departures, there's a chance for Martinez and/or Odom to make their way back to the seafoam haven: the Liberty expect Fiebich, Johannes, and Sabally to partake in the upcoming EuroBasket women competition set to be staged in late June. Johannes, of course, is set to return to Les Bleus while Fiebich and Sabally would turn to Germany.
On the coaching staff, Sandy Brondello will embark upon her fourth year at the helm and enters this season 21 wins away from passing Richie Adubato for the most in Liberty head coaching history. Brondello is once again joined by assistants Olaf Lange and Zach O'Brien while Sonia Raman steps in for Connecticut-bound Roneeka Hodges. Andrew Wade steps in as the team's director of player development following a head coaching run in Unrivaled, the domestic three-on-three league co-founded by Stewart.
The Liberty's championship defense officially gets underway on Saturday when it hosts the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center (1 p.m. ET, ABC). Prior to tip-off, the Liberty will receive their championship rings and watch the banner commemorating their five-game win over the Minnesota Lynx raised to the Brooklyn rafters.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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.