Liberty Guard Reflects on Eventful Year
BROOKLYN — Yogi Berra once declared that one can observe a lot by watching, and Rebekah Gardner had perhaps the vital viewing material with last year's New York Liberty.
Gardner had perhaps the best, most intimate view of the Liberty's championship trek from an observer's perspective, as she was a mainstay at the team facility en route to the franchise first postseason title.
She had come over in a March 2024 trade with the Chicago Sky but was unable to partake in the on-floor proceedings due to a torn Achilles sustained overseas, just about a week after the trade for two second-round picks was completed. Despite her ailment and lack of on-floor activity, Gardner appeared with the rest of the team at City Hall in Lower Manhattan when the Liberty celebrated its championship last fall.
Having celebrated her 35th birthday last month, Gardner had a chance to reflect on an fateful time in her life, one where she has gotten a chance to continue her relatively fleeting WNBA journey in a pressure-packed, if not, rewarding setting.
"I would say this year has taught me to just be patient with myself and give myself grace with the injuries and time off," Gardner said. "Even as I'm back now, just to be patient, even with my role as it's developing with the team too. Just be patient and show myself grace."
Over a year of rehab on Atlantic Avenue and beyond later, Gardner is a reserve for the repeat run and has taken on a larger role in the wake of various injuries. The combined 34 minutes she played in back-to-back wins over Connecticut and Dallas make up her busiest workload since late June.
In that span, the Liberty is a plus-11 on the scoreboard when Gardner is on the floor, tied for third-best on the team in the couple. Her defensive rating at 88.7 is second-best in Brooklyn behind only fellow reserve Isabelle Harrison.
"She does everything behind the scenes that no one sees," lauded head coach Sandy Brondello "She's always staying ready for her moment. She comes out and she knows what she brings to this team, running the floor, attacking closeouts."
Extended trust in Gardner was on display on Tuesday, when the Liberty was en route to a vengeance-seeking victory over the Dallas Wings: though fans anticipated extended action from the newly-added Emma Meesseman, Gardner got the start for the second half in her place.
This time around, Gardner flashed her offensive prowess, notably finding Natasha Cloud for flashy assists as part of a third quarter run that helped change the course of a feisty challenge from daring Dallas.
Brondello mentioned that placing Gardner in the second half's debut five was more due to matchups rather than full-on merit but continued to offer the veteran well-deserved props throughout the brief return to Brooklyn.
"What we're looking at is what are the match ups and what do we need? Do we need more defense or offense? Bek's the ultimate pro. She's staying ready when her number's called."
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.