THE Freedom are one of the original franchises of the WNBA. Yet it took the organization 28 years to finally win a WNBA Championship Trophy.
The work of Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb — with oversight and assistance from progressive owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai — made that possible through organizational and roster transactions that catapulted his team to the upper echelon of the WNBA.
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Some of the moves were bold and a few went unnoticed – but all were aimed at keeping the franchise relevant at a time when the league was experiencing rapid growth.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of Kolb’s tenure at Liberty since his arrival in March 2019.
SANDY BRONDELLO SHOT
It was the most shocking gesture.
Eleven months and three days. It’s time apart The dismissal of Sandy Brondello and her team winning a WNBA title – the Liberty’s first in franchise history. Brondello led her team through a thrilling WNBA Finals series that ended with a Game 5 home victory in overtime to clinch a championship against the Minnesota Lynx.
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But that wasn’t enough to give Brondello more time, as Kolb decided to part ways citing the must remain modern in an ever-changing WNBA landscape.
This decision shocked the WNBA world. This came days after several Liberty players publicly supported Brondello following the team’s first-round playoff exit.
Kolb’s research, which lasted two months, resulted in Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco hired.
WINTER FLIGHT 2023
The 2023 winter offseason has officially made the Liberty the WNBA’s new superteam. Kolb and the Liberty front office made huge splashes that led to an eventual WNBA Finals berth: the free agent signings of Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot.
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And a month before that, Jonquel Jones landed in New York following a three-team trade involving the Connecticut Sun and the Dallas Wings.
The acquisitions add to a roster that already included stars Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton.
The roster – which at the time included six players who had appeared in All-Star Games – catapulted the team to a 32-8 record, the best in franchise history. They were led by Stewart, who won his second MVP award.
The magical season, however, ended in disappointment after losing to A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, 3-1, in the WNBA Finals.
FIND A ROUGH DIAMOND
The three-team deal that brought Jones to Brooklyn primarily centered around Bahamas star defensive specialist Rebecca Allen and All-Star Natasha Howard.
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There wasn’t much noise around Kayla Thornton, who at the time was only considered a splash in the deal.
But not in Kolb.
THE throw-in eventually became one of Brondello’s trusted players on the roster.
Thornton has become the Liberty’s Swiss army knife while contributing off the bench in all 40 regular season games in 2023.
She regularly filled in for injured starters in 2024, making 11 starts while the Liberty dealt with injuries in its frontcourt and backcourt. The 2024 season featured Thornton’s best three-point percentage (35.7%) and most starts since his 2022 season in Dallas.
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Kolb’s rough diamond discovery, however, later became coveted.
After winning her first ring, the veteran never got the chance to defend her title after the The Golden State Valkyries selected her in the 2024 expansion draft. Thornton’s new team gave him a new role that gave him the best numbers of his career: 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 22 appearances (all starts).
Unfortunately, season-ending knee surgery abruptly ended his All-Star season.
FIND ANOTHER ROUGH DIAMOND
Big deals always make headlines and with fanfare.
But it’s the quiet moves that help build a team fit for a playoff run.
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Just like the arrival of Thornton, the arrival of Léonie Fiebich did not make big waves.
Fiebich landed in New York as part of a four-team deal in 2023 surrounded by former Liberty 2021 Rookie of the Year Michaela Onyenwere and former No. 3 overall pick Diamond DeShields.
The Los Angeles Sparks drafted Fiebich in 2020 before his rights were subsequently acquired by the Chicago Sky. The long-time striker was in hiding abroad and while playing in Europe, the German previously said Sky did not have much contact with her despite owning her rights.
Fast forward to her time in New York, Fiebich is revered around the league as a fierce defender with the ability to knock down three-pointers at above a 40% clip.
She was a pillar of Brondello’s system and should remain so under DeMarco.
