Whereas the Minnesota Lynx lead the WNBA in wins on the midway level of the season with a 20-4 file, most on-line sportsbooks have the New York Liberty because the favorites to repeat because the league’s champions.
There’s good cause for that. The Liberty introduced again a lot of the identical roster — headlined by the trio of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu — that beat the Lynx within the Finals a yr in the past. New York additionally leads the WNBA in scoring, efficient subject objective share, 3-point share, steals per recreation, least turnovers, and foul fee. The Liberty have achieved these marks whereas Jones has been sidelined for a month with an ankle damage too. New York has the second-best file within the league on the All-Star break at 15-6.
And the crew simply obtained an entire lot higher.
Per a number of reviews — from ESPN, the New York Put up, and the Athletic — the Liberty are signing Emma Meesseman. In keeping with these reviews, phrases of Meesseman’s deal are unclear and when precisely she arrives and fits up for the Liberty will depend on how rapidly the Belgian ahead’s visa software is processed.
When Meesseman does take the ground for New York, it’ll mark the primary time since 2022 that she’s performed within the WNBA, and he or she has a historical past of being a difference-maker within the league.
In that 2022 season with the Chicago Sky, she was an All-Star, completed fifteenth in MVP voting, and was fourth within the WNBA in subject objective share with a 57.1 % clip whereas averaging 12.4 factors, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals per recreation. With Meesseman within the beginning lineup, the Sky tied with the Aces for the very best file within the league (26-10) earlier than falling in 5 video games to the Solar within the semifinals of the playoffs.
Just a few seasons earlier, in 2019, Meesseman was voted Finals MVP for her essential play for the Washington Mystics. She scored 22 factors within the Mystics’ decisive Sport 5 win over the Solar and averaged 17.8 factors and 4.6 rebounds per recreation for the collection. Alongside Elena Delle Donne, Meesseman fashioned a robust dynamic duo of sizable put up gamers who may rating within the paint and from close to the arc. It’s onerous to not think about her doing the identical with Stewart in New York.
Meesseman has labored on just about each crew she’s ever been on. A giant cause why is her versatility.
She’s going to have the ability to come off the bench for the Liberty and defend three positions, create her personal shot, make performs for others, rebound at a excessive degree and knock down open 3-pointers. Particularly for the Liberty, she’ll permit Stewart — who leads New York and is ninth within the WNBA this season in minutes performed per recreation with 32.9 — to relaxation and catch her breath on the bench for longer stretches. She’ll be capable of do the identical for Jones, serving to maintain each of the Liberty’s former league MVPs brisker for an additional deep postseason run.
“Emma’s a tremendous participant,” Stewart informed the Athletic earlier this month. “She’s somebody who reads the sport rather well. For a crew that wishes to play learn and react, and play quick, she’d be an ideal match for us.”
New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello additionally has a historical past with Meesseman, teaching her in 2016 and 2017 for the Russian membership UMMC Ekaterinburg. Stewart and Jones each performed with Meesseman in Ekaterinburg as properly. She additionally has expertise enjoying with Liberty guard Natasha Cloud and ahead Nyara Sabally.
And by the way in which, it’s not like Meesseeman hasn’t been enjoying since she was final on a WNBA courtroom in 2022. The 6-foot-4 32-year-old has been starring for Fenerbahçe in Turkey the place she has piled up trophies and accolades. Since 2023, Meesseeman helped the membership win two European Tremendous Cups, two EuroLeague titles, and three Turkish Basketball Tremendous League championships. She is the three-time reigning MVP of the EuroLeague.
She additionally led Belgium to FIBA EuroBasket titles in 2023 and 2025, and was additionally voted MVP of each tournaments. Meesseman was additionally named to the All-Star 5 of the 2021 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics and led all gamers in scoring in each tournaments.
In keeping with reviews, Meesseman selected to signal with the Liberty over the Lynx and the Phoenix Mercury. By successful this sweepstakes for arguably essentially the most proficient participant from Europe, the Liberty have put themselves in place to drag off one thing that has solely been executed as soon as prior to now 20 years: repeating as WNBA champs.
With Meesseman on the roster now, the Liberty needs to be seen because the clear favorites to win the Finals. Something wanting that may be a disappointment for the franchise.
