The Liberty look to dazzle across the city again this season … on and off court

New York Liberty’s General Manager spoke for 40 minutes on Saturday afternoon, shedding light on the team’s most pressing roster questions, then Monday, it was glam time.

Monday night is for fashion. The Met Gala! And the world champion New York Liberty was represented on New York’s most illustrious red carpet with Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and co-governor Clara Wu Tsai all appropriately dressed up for the occasion.

Like wow dressed…

Who they wearing? Sergio Hudson with styling by Courtney Mays.

It was decidedly less about fashion on Saturday but still fun.

The New York Liberty hosted their first annual Media Appreciation Day in the afternoon, driving dozens of media members out of their comfy home offices and onto the practice court at Barclays Center. We participated in drills led by New York’s coaching staff, allowing Sandy Brondello & Co. to laugh at us (not me, though!) and build an easier working relationship. Cool stuff…

More importantly, it allowed what seemed like half of all WNBA media to ask General Manager Jonathan Kolb questions in his season-opening presser, which lasted forty minutes.

While Kolb discussed the Liberty’s new practice facility — expected to be completed in Greenpoint, Brooklyn for the 2027 season — next offseason’s free-agent-palooza, and New York’s continuing investment in international talent, the most important news of the day concerned Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.

Laney-Hamilton suffered a meniscus tear while playing in Unrivaled this winter, and underwent surgery soon after, her fourth knee surgery in as many years.

Said Kolb, “We’re fully confident that she’s going to make a full return, and she’s going to have a great opportunity to be the healthiest she’s been in some years once that happens. In terms of this season, I think it’s fair to assume we will be suspending that contract.”

A contract suspension means that Laney-Hamilton will be unable to return at any point in 2025, and that the Liberty have one more open roster spot and her $185,400 salary drops off the books. The team will also have exclusive negotiating rights with the soon-to-be 32-year-old next offseason.

That’s no small detail, considering how hectic next offseason will likely be. With the current CBA expiring after this season, there will be a major salary cap spike in 2026, and thus, the vast majority of the league has positioned themselves to be free agents when the new CBA kicks in.

Said Kolb: “I think where we can, we try to build for the future. We try to make things as sustainable as possible. I think if you look at our contract layout and who’s under contract for ‘26 and beyond, we’re really happy with those players and excited where we will be kind of starting next year.”

While Nyara Sabally, Leonie Fiebich, and Marquesha Davis are the only players who fit that bill, that’s a much better starting point than many other teams are dealing with. It also helps that the Liberty have become perhaps the W’s preeminent destination for players, as governor Clara Wu Tsai touched on last week.

Kolb added to those comments, explaining why players want to find a way to Brooklyn: “I think, here, we’re continuing to focus on making this a player-first organization. We want to partner with our players.”

And it’s tough to argue with Kolb when looking at previews of the Liberty’s practice facility…

“The part of [the facility] that I think is incredibly special is the design elements from our players,” explained the GM. “I think that’s really important. I can sit up here all day and say, ‘We’re going to have this type of tech and we’re gonna have this type of recovery and all of these spaces.’ It doesn’t matter, I’m not the one that’s really utilizing it. I just thankful to have a window. But for it to be designed by our players for their different needs, I think, is also going to help us future-proof this for the next iteration of Liberty rosters, right? We want this to be incredibly sustainable and special for everybody that walks through those doors.”

Over the past half-decade, the seafoam have gone from an afterthought in Westchester to, once again, an iconic part of the city’s sports culture. Given their obvious appeal to players around the league, they’re poised to continue on that trend line no matter what happens next offseason.

Before then, though, there’s business to handle. Despite all the questions about 2026 and beyond, Kolb consistently brought the conversation back to ‘25, and rest assured there will be some major challenges in repeating.

It’s not just Laney-Hamilton’s absence, either. Three key rotation players in Marine Johannès, Leonie Fiebich, and Nyara Sabally will miss much of June while competing in Eurobasket for their respective countries. Such is the cost of building an international roster…

While the skeleton of the 2025 Liberty is similar to the team that won their first WNBA championship in October, this year’s run will have to look a little different. Newcomers Natasha Cloud and Rebekah Gardner will play crucial roles. Leonie Fiebich will carry more of an offensive load, and Marine Johannès will have to be more impactful than in 2023, where she was largely a non-factor in the playoffs.

But as Jonathan Kolb notes, there are far worse positions to be in.

“I don’t have a crystal ball. I can’t tell you exactly what the future will hold. But I will bet on us.”