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The New York Liberty are about to add one more piece to their title defense with second-year forward Leonie Fiebich set to rejoin the team this week.
New York expects her to arrive in the city on Thursday and she should be on-hand for the Liberty to receive their WNBA championship rings on Saturday before their regular season opener, according to Madeline Kenney of the New York Post.
Fiebich missed the Liberty's preseason opener against the Connecticut Sun and will not be at Matthew Knight Arena on Monday as New York takes on the Toyota Antelopes. She has been in Spain, playing for a Valencia team that won the Spanish League Finals over the weekend.
When Fiebich does return, she will look to pick up where she left off after a strong rookie season. Fiebich improved vastly as the year went on in New York, becoming more comfortable in the league and wrapping up the year with a 43% three-point percentage.
Liberty coach Sandy Brondello then plugged the all-Rookie selection into the starting lineup for the playoffs. Fiebich made an immediate impact, setting the franchise record for points in a player's first playoff game with 21 on 4-4 three-point shooting in a win over the Atlanta Dream.
“Nothing fazes Leo. It doesn’t matter, and that’s what you love about her,” Brondello said after that game. “She’s a professional and that’s what you want so it was never any fear — I knew it would be great.”
Breanna Stewart was similarly complimentary of Fiebich last year, saying that even as a veteran, she did not have to offer the rookie any pre-playoff advice.
“Even though this was her first playoff game, the way that she's built her confidence from the start of the season until now, she’s a player that we need and we rely upon,” Stewart said.
The Liberty open their season at home against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday before hitting the road for a pair of games against Angel Reese's Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
