It’s been almost a month since Freedom and their fans I had to say goodbye to Kayla Thornton – the team’s all-purpose glue player who left everything on the field every night.
The addition of the WNBA’s 13th and newest franchise — the Golden State Valkyries — pretty much guaranteed that defending champion Liberty was going to lose a coveted rotation player in the expansion draft. That uneasy feeling became reality on December 6 when Thornton became one of 11 players selected to form the basis of the Valkyries’ inaugural roster.
The player who arrived in Brooklyn from the Dallas Wings as a “throw-in” – a premature analysis quickly proved wrong – in three-team deal centered on 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones has been a consistent contributor in the Liberty’s two recent finals.
Spot shot. Complete diving games for loose balls. Constant rotation changes without complaints.
She provided all of that for head coach Sandy Brondello in 2023 and the franchise’s first-ever championship in 2024.
Thornton is now gone. But here are some of his finest moments during the 2024 championship winning campaign.
KT THE SHOOTER
Thornton’s biggest shooting night in her nine-year WNBA career came in a Liberty jersey on June 22, when she made a career-high six three-pointers in a victory against the Los Angeles Sparks. She missed just one attempt and finished 7 of 8 overall for 20 points, one point shy of her career high.
“Her name is Ka-Three-La,” All-Star teammate Breanna Stewart said after the victory.
The veteran 3-and-D credited her spacing on barrage night and benefited from the Sparks’ gravity shifting toward Stewart and Jones.
And sure enough, the fourth-quarter stab came on a play that the Barclays Center crowd had become accustomed to over the past two years: a Thornton corner right in front of the opposing bench.
KT ARRIVES ON SHORT NOTICE
Brondello could almost guarantee to be supported by Thornton throughout the season. And amid injuries and a stretch of six games in 10 days (including five Commissioners Cup matches), the head coach got exactly what she needed.
Brondello informed Thornton that she would be starting against a hungry Washington Mystics team looking to play spoiler on May 31 just hours before the announcement in place of (returning) Courtney Vandersloot.
What Thornton gave the Liberty was 20 points, four assists and five steals in a season-high 34 minutes. She essentially played second option on a night when Sabrina Ionescu led the way with a game-high 24 points and Stewart was ineffective (4 of 13 from the field).
And exactly when the Liberty needed the final knockout blow, Thornton emerged as a great option: she drained her fourth line of the night with 2:06 left in regulation to give the Liberty a seven-point lead. Libs, then intercepted Washington’s Julie Vanloo’s pass 10 seconds later. Win securely.
That kind of performance allowed Liberty to win close, short-handed games, a key for a team that finished the regular season 32-8 and with the No. 1 overall seed.
THE TUNNEL GAME
It’s this moment that will no doubt be featured in a tribute video during Thornton’s first visit to the Barclays Center next year as a member of the Valkyries on May 27. And Liberty fans will give him a standing ovation, just like they did after this total ordeal. hustle in the final minutes of a victory against the Chicago Sky on July 11.
As Chicago attempted a comeback, Jones’ turnover led to a fast break opportunity for Chicago’s Lindsey Allen. But Thornton had other plans.
Thornton — with the quickness of a sprinter — chased down Allen from the backcourt and deflected Chennedy Carter’s pass that would have led to a layup at the rim. Thornton – still in full swing – then had to think quickly as he ran at full speed towards the baseline lined with fans and cameramen. She jumped over a cameraman and avoided the first row of fans as her speed took her into the darkness of the Barclays Center tunnel, just feet from the hardwood.
No harm, no foul.
Fans erupted as Thornton re-emerged under the bright lights, enjoying the moment they just witnessed from a player willing to do whatever it takes to win.
“I loved it. It was also out of my turnover, so I loved it even more,” Jones said. “She came back there and saved me.”
NOT SO MISSED
Every team in the WNBA is hampered by injuries. Big teams have reserve players to ease the load. And Thornton did just that, slotting into the starting lineup 11 times during the 2024 season as the Liberty faced multiple DNPs: Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (knee), Nyara Sabally (back), Vandersloot (back , personal reasons).
The Liberty went undefeated through five Commissioners Cup qualifying matches while Thornton was +17 in 73 total minutes in three of those starts.
She finished one point shy of her career high (21 points with the Dallas Wings in 2022) in starts against the Mystics on May 31 and the Sparks on June 22.
And in those 11 starts, the Liberty has only lost twice: a six-point loss to the Phoenix Mercury on June 18 and the loss in Commissioner’s Cup title game against the Minnesota Lynx on June 25.
