Forwards Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, and guard Sabrina Ionescu, have all signed multi-year deals to return to the Liberty, the team announced on Friday.
“This is an incredibly historic moment for the New York Liberty franchise,” GM Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. “Re-signing Breanna, Jonquel and Sabrina reflects the trust, sacrifice and shared purpose that define what it means to represent the Liberty, this city and our fanbase. These three cornerstone players chose to invest in each other and in the long-term legacy of this organization, a rare commitment that has the chance to redefine the standard of excellence across basketball.”
The trio led the Liberty in scoring last season — Stewart’s 18.3 points per game leading the way, Ionescu not far behind at 18.2 points and Jones at 13.6. Ionescu led the team in average assists (5.7), Jones did so in rebounding (8.1) and Stewart did in steals (1.4).
New York enters the season on the heels of a surprisingly early playoff exit in their championship defence last season. The Liberty fell 2-1 in the first round to the Phoenix Mercury, which led to four-year head coach Sandy Brondello and the franchise parting ways. Brondello joined the expansion Toronto Tempo, while New York replaced her with Chris DeMarco, a former long-time assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors.
The Liberty will look to return to form with their top three players sticking around for the foreseeable future, along with free agency addition Satou Sabally, a three-time all-star.