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The New York Liberty won the WNBA championship for the first time in their history last season, triumphing over the Minnesota Lynx in the finals. It was a notable achievement for the franchise, who have been to the finals six times but lost all before eventually winning the title in 2024.
The Liberty were led by their 'Big Three' of Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, with the latter going on to clinch the Most Valuable Player award in the 2024 finals. However, despite their happy ending in the last season, there is still work to be done next season if the New York Liberty are to successfully defend their title.
This is something star player Sabrina Ionescu is well aware of, and in a recent interview, she talked about the challenges facing them in the upcoming season:
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"I would say probably the hardest thing to have to do is win your first one: that pressure of not having done it yet and then finally doing it. But I would say defending one is probably just as hard."
With the 2025 league season just a month away, the defending champions are tipped as the favorites to retain the title. However, it may not be all smooth sailing for the Liberty as competition in the WNBA intensifies.
3 major challenges for defending champs New York Liberty in 2025 WNBA season
#1. Playing the title-winning team together
The New York Liberty will go into the 2025 season with the important task of defending their crown and equally huge ambitions to make it two in a row. However, with the WNBA expanding further to include the Golden State Valkyries for next season, New York has lost experienced forward Kayla Thornton, who was part of the title-winning team.
While the Liberty has enough squad depth to cover the departure of Thornton, they will still need to ensure that key stars like Stewart, Ionescu and Jones continue to perform at a high level.
To do so, they will need to rest these players in some games. But with the league having more matchups to play than before, New York may be forced to play them much more, which can lead to injuries and scatter their core.
#2. Injuries to key stars
As noted above, injuries to key players are a challenge that can destabilize even the best teams, and the New York Liberty is no exception.
Breanna Stewart, for instance, is already carrying a lingering knee problem. In their title-winning season, she averaged 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. If the 30-year-old gets sidelined as a result of injury issues, it could affect the overall balance of the team.
Aside from Stewart, the team also has veteran guard Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who is currently injured. The 31-year-old is expected to be out for a long time after undergoing knee surgery.
#3. Maintaining team chemistry with young players
Although the Liberty are more known for their established big-name players, they have a group of talented youngsters who can step up once the opportunity presents itself.
Last season, young players like point guard Jaylyn Sherrod (nine games) and forward Leonie Fiebich (31 games) played fewer minutes. Fiebich, in particular, is a good defensive contributor, averaging 6.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 2024.
However, both players will need to be given more minutes to build better chemistry with the veterans. With the upcoming WNBA season presenting stiff competition from other teams also preparing to challenge for the title, the New York Liberty will have a major challenge if the youngsters can't connect well on the court with the veteran stars when needed.
