Ex-Finals MVP Meesseman to make Liberty debut

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Emma Meesseman knew it was time to come back to the WNBA. She felt most comfortable with New York, so the prized free agent decided to join the Liberty for the final two months of the season.

The 2019 Finals MVP, who last played in the league in 2022, arrived in New York a few days ago after getting her visa and then came up to Connecticut for the Liberty's game Friday night against the Sun.

"I know people here. ... I was like OK, New York," she said. "It's a big city. Easy to reach. We'll see how I feel. We want to win. I think everyone knows in the W, you never know who's going to win. It's impossible to choose. It's a gamble. I'm the kind of person or player who just wants to be home because I like being home. I like to be around good people. Not saying that's not the case in other places as well."

Meesseman was also looking at joining Minnesota or Phoenix.

She spent 30 minutes after shootaround working out with assistant Andrew Wade, whom she knows from her time in Washington. Meesseman suited up for Friday's game, but coach Sandy Brondello said the returning player would go in only in the case of an emergency, and she did not end up playing in the 78-62 loss to the Sun.

Meesseman has watched the WNBA's growth from afar while helping Belgium compete at the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics the past few years.

"It changed. I wanted to try it again and see with all these fans following the new players, new young players," she said at shootaround. "I love basketball, so I was trying to play as much as I can."

After helping Belgium qualify for next year's World Cup in Germany earlier this summer, Meesseman decided it was time to return to the league.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a longer time, coming back to the W," she said. "I know the national team is a priority for me. I didn't sign [earlier] because I wanted to play for the [Belgium] Federation and focus on the EuroBasket. Then it was a matter of timing, visa, making a decision of how I felt. The past few days have been really fast."

Meesseman's arrival is a boost for the squad, which will be without Breanna Stewart for a few weeks while she recovers from a bone bruise in her right knee. New York also is without Nyara Sabally (knee) and Kennedy Burke (right calf strain).

Meesseman and Stewart are both 6-foot-4 forwards.

Although she has played with Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Natasha Cloud and was coached by Brondello, Meesseman said that they weren't big on recruiting her.

"I got some texts, but also am a person who doesn't like to be influenced by people," she said. "I want to be the one making the decision. [Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb] can confirm I am difficult to reach at times, so it was more through my agent."

Meesseman is a two-time All-Star and, along with Cloud, helped the Mystics win the 2019 title. She last played in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky.

Even without Stewart for the immediate future, the Liberty still have a talented group around Meesseman with Sabrina Ionescu, Jones, Cloud and Leonie Fiebich leading the way.

Meesseman has dominated overseas in her time away from the WNBA. She was named the EuroBasket MVP twice in the past three years. She helped Belgium reach the medal round at the Paris Olympics before it lost to France in overtime in the semifinals and then to Australia in the bronze medal game.

The Liberty waived guard Jaylyn Sherrod to make room for Meesseman.

"Jaylyn Sherrod is a champion in every sense of the word. She embodies the passion, grit and relentlessness that define the city of New York," Kolb said. "Her rise from undrafted free agent to WNBA champion is one of the most remarkable stories I've had the good fortune to witness, a testament to perseverance, and a powerful reminder to always push the boundaries and to never give up."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.