The New York Liberty solidified as a true superteam during the 2023 WNBA offseason.
Breanna Stewart, a two-time WNBA champion and two-time WNBA Finals MVP with the Seattle Storm, opted to leave Seattle and sign with the Liberty in free agency. The Liberty also traded for 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones.
At the time, Stewart explained her reasoning to Malika Andrews on “SportsCenter.”
“I want to go to the place where I can continue to help this league become better, to continue to raise the standard,” Stewart said. “I feel like, why not go to the biggest market in all of sports, and I’m really excited to go after their first championship.”
With Jones, Stewart, and All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu, New York’s 2020 No. 1 overall pick, the Liberty reached the WNBA Finals in back-to-back years — losing to A’ja Wilson and the Aces in 2023 before beating the Minnesota Lynx for that elusive first championship in 2024.
The Liberty are all-in on going for a second title in 2026, making their Big 3 and Big 4.
ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported on Saturday that free agent All-Star forward Satou Sabally has agreed to sign a multiyear deal with the Liberty. Andrews simultaneously reported Jones’ decision to stay in New York on a new multiyear deal.
Sabally leaves the Phoenix Mercury after one season. In 2025, Sabally teamed with All-Star defensive stalwart Alyssa Thomas and All-Star guard/forward Kahleah Copper to lead the Mercury to the 2025 WNBA Finals, where the Aces swept them.
Upon the news breaking, the Liberty immediately made waves and changed the outlook for the 2026 season.
Longtime sports journalist Richard Deitsch posted on X, “New York Liberty going full L.A. Dodgers. Personally, I like it. Super teams are very good for business because they draw love and hate equally, but attention above all.”
New York Post WNBA reporter Madeline Kenney wrote, “Satou Sabally joining Ionescu, Stewart and JJ in New York is the WNBA’s version of when [Kevin Durant] joined [Steph] Curry, Klay [Thompson] and Draymond [Green] at Golden State.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers are back-to-back reigning World Series champions, and the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back NBA Finals and reached a third after Durant signed in 2016.
That’s a substantially high bar for the Liberty to clear, especially considering the Aces are an active dynasty that won three of the last four championships.
There’s also one important difference to point out. The Dodgers have had manager Dave Roberts the whole time, and the Warriors have had head coach Steve Kerr the whole time, while the Liberty parted ways with head coach Sandy Brondello last September.
“Liberty brass considered nothing short of a championship to be a success this season, sources told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, and the team decided not to exercise its option to bring Brondello back,” ESPN reported at the time.
Moving on from Brondello is just as seismic as the signing of Sabally. Interestingly enough, the Liberty hired longtime Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco as Brondello’s replacement. After Saturday, even more pressure is on DeMarco to replicate the Warriors’ dynastic run in New York.
The quest will begin when the Liberty host the Connecticut Sun on May 8.
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