Ex-Finals MVP Meesseman to make Liberty debut

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Emma Meesseman is acceptable to assistance the New York Liberty connected their quest to repetition arsenic WNBA champions.

The 2019 WNBA Finals MVP, who past played successful the league successful 2022, volition suit up for the squad Friday nighttime against the Connecticut Sun.

"Emma Meesseman's instrumentality to the WNBA is simply a tremendous infinitesimal for our league, and the information that she chose New York for her adjacent section speaks volumes," said New York Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb. "She is 1 of the astir skilled, intelligent, and unselfish players successful the satellite and her beingness elevates everyone astir her. Emma brings invaluable experience, title pedigree, and a unsocial versatility that fits seamlessly into our radical arsenic we proceed our relentless pursuit of a rubric successful 2025."

Her accomplishment is simply a boost for the squad, which volition beryllium without Breanna Stewart for a fewer weeks portion she recovers from a bony bruise successful her close knee. New York besides is without Nyara Sabally (knee) and Kennedy Burke (right calf strain).

Meesseman plays guardant similar Stewart, and is besides 6-foot-4.

The Liberty (17-9) are successful 2nd spot successful the standings contempt having mislaid 3 consecutive games. They are successful the midst of a engaged agelong with 3 games successful the adjacent 5 days, playing doubly successful Connecticut connected Friday and Sunday and past hosting Dallas connected Tuesday.

The 32-year-old Meesseman is simply a two-time All-Star and helped the Washington Mystics triumph the 2019 title. She has been focused connected starring the Belgium nationalist squad since her past play successful the WNBA, which she spent with the Chicago Sky. Meesseman played with Natasha Cloud, whom New York acquired successful the offseason, successful Washington erstwhile the Mystics won their title six years ago.

Meesseman helped Belgium triumph the EuroBasket rubric past period to suffice for adjacent year's World Cup.

Even without Stewart for the contiguous future, the Liberty inactive person a talented radical astir Meesseman with Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Cloud and Leonie Fiebich starring the way.

Meesseman has dominated overseas successful her clip distant from the WNBA. She was named the EuroBasket MVP doubly successful the past 3 years. She helped Belgium scope the medal circular astatine the Paris Olympics earlier it mislaid to France successful overtime successful the semifinals and past Australia successful the bronze-medal game.

The Liberty waived defender Jaylyn Sherrod to marque country for Meesseman.

"Jaylyn Sherrod is simply a champion successful each consciousness of the word. She embodies the passion, grit, and relentlessness that specify the metropolis of New York," Kolb said. "Her emergence from undrafted escaped cause to WNBA Champion is 1 of the astir singular stories I've had the bully luck to witness, a testament to perseverance, and a almighty reminder to ever propulsion the boundaries and to ne'er springiness up."