{"id":785044,"date":"2023-09-12T11:31:35","date_gmt":"2023-09-12T15:31:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=785044"},"modified":"2023-09-27T18:41:38","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T22:41:38","slug":"new-york-liberty-chasing-greatness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/the-magazine\/new-york-liberty-chasing-greatness\/","title":{"rendered":"The New York Liberty are Chasing Greatness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To get in, you\u2019ll need your ID. Show it to the doorman, and then take the elevator. Turn left.  There\u2019s a white door down the hall; in there, a camera crew is crammed wall-to-wall. There are portraits of former Brooklyn Nets players everywhere, but that\u2019s not who everyone is staring at right now\u2026 <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEVERYBODY ON MUTE!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonquel Jones, the charismatic New York Liberty star, belts out the lyrics to Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u201cEnergy,\u201d a song off her Renaissance <\/em>album. It\u2019s August, and we\u2019re all inside a workroom-turned-glam room at the Nets practice facility, where Jones, Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot\u2014the Liberty\u2019s starting five\u2014have spent the past hour or so getting their hair and makeup done before the big moment: their first-ever SLAM cover shoot together as a newly-formed squad. The energy inside the room is a bit hectic, as videographers and producers shuffle in and out, checking to see if our cover stars are ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost. But for the first of many times today, we\u2019ve got Beyonc\u00e9 lyrics to sing. After JJ, who is sitting right next to Sab and near Betnijah, cues everyone to go silent (an iykyk trend tied to Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Renaissance <\/em>tour), <\/em>the music continues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook around, it’s me and my crew. Big energy\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the salon chairs, a hair stylist is finishing curling Breanna Stewart\u2019s long, brunette locks. Sitting nearby, Courtney Vandersloot is getting eyelash extensions and smiling to herself as she covers one eye, noticing the difference. Sab is the first one ready for photos, and we follow the All-Star guard across the hall to the practice court, which has been turned into a set with a white seamless backdrop and tons of studio lights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off to the side, there\u2019s a table full of vintage goodies\u2014old-school digital cameras, an actual flip camera and a polaroid camera\u2014which Sab immediately gravitates to once she\u2019s done posing for flicks. It\u2019s then that we learn how much of a girl\u2019s girl she is, which is internet-speak for someone who respects and values their female friendships. One minute Sab is hyping her teammates up, the next she\u2019s posing Sloot for her own photo-op moment with a glass of champagne that someone brought on set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the same Sabrina we once crowned the \u201cNext Queen of New York\u201d on the cover of SLAM 231<\/a><\/strong>, but who said a queen has to rule alone? Sab came into the W as the NCAA\u2019s all-time leader in triple-doubles, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 and, undoubtedly, one of the most popular young players in the League. Then the team signed Betnijah Laney ahead of the 2021 season, and since then, excitement has been steadily building in Brooklyn. Now, with Sab, Laney, JJ, Stewie and Sloot leading the way, the New York Liberty are the No. 1 team in the East at 32-8\u2014the franchise\u2019s best regular-season record ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the media pushes the narrative that the WNBA has entered a \u201csuperteam era,\u201d history shows that superteams ain\u2019t new in the W. The Houston Comets won the first four championships in the League\u2019s existence between \u201997-2000, and then the L.A. Sparks won back-to-back \u2019chips in \u201901 and \u201902. The following year, the Detroit Shock won their first title and then another one in \u201906. The Minnesota Lynx won four titles in seven years between 2011-2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To call this Liberty squad a superteam makes it sound like they\u2019re a machine that\u2019s been programmed to dominate, rather than a group of women who have come together and decided\u2014both individually and collectively\u2014that they want to be the best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we’re just super humans,\u201d Sab says when asked about the superteam label. \u201cI just feel like we all have a story to tell, and we’re all at such different parts in our careers, but when we all come together, that’s really the joy in being part of a team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Biggest show in Brooklyn. SLAM 246 featuring the New York Liberty is out now.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET YOUR COPY<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The story of how this squad joined forces didn\u2019t start with Stewie\u2014JJ was technically the first to join the Libs when she was traded back in January\u2014but Stewie\u2019s free agency announcement did shock the world. It was one thing for the Liberty to have a new superstar in JJ, but when Stewart started posting those emoji-filled tweets, everyone, including Kevin Durant, was hyped. Another star teaming up with JJ?! \u201cThey cookin\u2019,\u201d KD said <\/a>on his podcast, The ETCs. <\/em>\u201cThey bringing the best talent to New York.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, on February 1, Stewie pulled a move reminiscent of when Yonc\u00e9 dropped Lemonade<\/em>: she posted<\/a> <\/strong>only a Statue of Liberty emoji and a video of her switching into a teal-colored long sleeve warm-up shirt. Just a day later, Courtney Vandersloot pulled her own WNBA insider moment by tweeting<\/a><\/strong> that she\u2019d also signed with the Libs. To put in perspective just how crazy elite a trio of Stewie, JJ and Sloot is, we\u2019re talking three WNBA titles, 14 All-Star appearances, seven First Team All-WNBA selections and three All-Defensive First Team selections, plus Stewie\u2019s two Finals MVPs, regular season MVP and Rookie of the Year title, Jonquel\u2019s Sixth Woman of the Year award and Courtney Vandersloot\u2019s place in the record books (she\u2019s ranked second all-time in assists). They\u2019re all undoubtedly future Hall of Famers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it\u2019s crazy to think that there was a time when Stewie\u2019s decision almost didn\u2019t happen. \u201cI was back and forth a lot, really,\u201d Stewie tells us. \u201cIt was between Seattle and New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe three of us [Sloot and JJ] were talking a lot during free agency,\u201d she continues. \u201cBut also knowing who was on the Liberty before us and that’s Sab and B making sure that we want to come here to win.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now that she\u2019s in Brooklyn, Stewie has continued to solidify her rightful place as one of the most versatile players to ever play the game. She was out here setting records on day one, literally\u2014in her Barclays Center debut against the Indiana Fever, Stewie scored a franchise-record 45 points. She\u2019s currently averaging a career-high 23.3 points per game (second in the W) and once again being mentioned in the MVP conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On set, Stewie is poised and exudes a cool and collected type of confidence; she\u2019s even rocking her own signature sneaker, the Stewie 2s, in all the photos. For the next 10 minutes, the 6-4 star is just as involved in the creative as she is in being the main subject. She poses with the camcorder and asks if we\u2019ve got a pair of sunglasses she can throw on, too. The lights end up causing too much glare on the silver shades, but with only a few minutes left to get the perfect shot, she shines the brightest. At one point Stewie turns and stares directly into the lens with her blue eyes, giving us that look.<\/em> Lights flash as our photographer snaps away. Pop! <\/em>Stewie tilts her chin down, this time holding her gaze. Pop!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Throughout her seven years in the W, Stewie has done it all: won championships and MVPs, been the face of the Storm alongside the legendary Sue Bird. At this point, what fuels her to keep playing at such a high level?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMine is probably perspective,\u201d the former UConn Husky says when asked about her source of motivation. \u201cObviously loving to win and loving to compete, but also realizing that these moments don’t last forever, and having a glimpse of that through an injury. Some of us have been through injuries where we’ve had to be out for seasons and stuff like that. So, never taking anything for granted, but also knowing that I have Ruby at home, looking up to me [and] watching every single move that I do, and making sure that I’m continuing to help make this team and this League better for her if she wants to play, but also the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stewart and JJ entered the WNBA in the same year, 2016, as the No. 1 and No. 6 picks, respectively, and have played together overseas on UMMC Ekaterinburg<\/a>. For JJ, her move to New York happened after a trade request prior to the start of the 2023 season. \u201cI didn’t know who was joining me yet,\u201d Jones says. \u201cWhen I looked at it, I was like, regardless of who joins me, I feel really solid with that decision.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that she\u2019s found her groove with the Liberty, JJ has reached another level: she\u2019s had 11 double-double performances so far and just dominated in the Commissioner\u2019s Cup Championship in August with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks, all while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. She shines on set, too, cracking jokes and flashing her ever-present smile in most of the photos we take. The team\u2019s PR person asks if we want pictures of her with her Commissioner\u2019s Cup MVP trophy, and as the 6-6 forward holds her latest achievement, that smile gets even wider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m very happy to be in New York and be playing with these ladies,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sloot also had to trust in the vision when it came to whether she\u2019d leave Chicago, where she spent over a decade with the Sky and set numerous records, or take her talents east. At first, she admits she was hesitant. \u201cTo be frank, I was trying to find a reason not to [leave] because the move to New York was just, like, never in the cards for me,\u201d she says. \u201cThe more it went on, the more conversations I had of course with these ladies here, the ownership and coaching staff and everything, it was just like, this is an opportunity that I can’t pass up on<\/em>. This is what I work for. This is what I dreamed [of].\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As one of the smoothest, coldest floor generals in the W over the past decade, Sloot\u2019s led the League in assists per game every year since 2017, with the exception of last season. When we caught up with her for this cover, she had just passed Ticha Penicheiro<\/a> for second all-time in assists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is what I work for. This is what I dreamed [of].\u201d<\/p>\n– Courtney Vandersloot<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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It was during the playoffs last season that Sloot saw what she was in for\u2014the energy and atmosphere in Barclays, the fans and, most notably, what kind of squad the organization was building. \u201cWe were the away team, of course, and everybody’s cheering against us, but I still [remember] just this energy and I was just like, Wow, this is awesome. They’re really building something here<\/em>\u2026You could tell they were in a really good place, they were on an upward\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…trajectory,\u201d JJ chimes in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you, JJ,\u201d Sloot continues. \u201cI just wanted to be a part of it, and I remember that it was such a fresh feeling for me when I was in the free agency talks.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That trajectory wouldn\u2019t have been possible without Betnijah and Sabrina helping set the foundation. B, who is in her eighth year in the W, needs no introduction, and she certainly didn\u2019t need to make one to her new teammates. Drafted in 2015, just a year before Stewie and JJ, she played with Stewie for USA Basketball and attended various camps when they were younger. She was a rookie on the Sky when Sloot was in her fifth season and suited up alongside JJ in Connecticut in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, the chemistry and everything, it just kind of came naturally,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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