💐WELCOME HOME, KT!

Although Kayla Thornton only played two seasons with the New York Liberty, her impact will never be forgotten in NYC. KT was one of the heroes of their championship-clinching victory over the Minnesota Lynx last October, as her hustle, toughness, and physicality helped spark a Liberty comeback and energize a raucous, record-setting crowd at Barclays Center.

Thornton was one of the best bench players in the WNBA in 2023 and 2024, so it was only right that the Golden State Valkyries picked her in last Fall’s Expansion Draft. Liberty fans were sad to see one of their favorites leave, but excited to see her go on a new adventure. On May 27, KT returned to Barclays Center and received her championship ring.

The Liberty went on to win by a healthy margin, but it was a joyous evening all around as fans and players got to shower Thornton with love and appreciation.

“I love that girl,” Kennedy Burke said in postgame. “She's been a huge part of my life honestly, even though we've only like been playing together for only a year but like she's made a huge impact on me, so I will forever love that girl.”

Once a Liberty, always a Liberty.

For more on this homecoming and the series against the Valkyries, be sure to tap in for a LIVE postgame show Thursday night around 9:45 ET (or sooner).

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WNBA ‘UNABLE TO SUBSTANTIATE’ INDY INCIDENT

In last week’s newsletter, we discussed the WNBA’s investigation of an alleged incident of racial abuse that took place during Opening Weekend between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky.

The league opened an investigation, and on May 27, it was revealed that they could not verify whether hateful comments had been made. In a statement, they said in part:

“Based on information gathered to date, including from relevant fans, team and arena staff, as well as audio and video review of the game, we have not substantiated it.”

The Sky put out a statement praising the investigation as well,

If we find out more about the investigation, we’ll make sure to discuss it here.

📰 WHAT WE’RE READING

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in women’s basketball.

Here’s what we’re reading:

• WNBA Power Rankings After Mercury Surge, Liberty Hold Serve by Nekias Duncan for Bleacher Report

• In the Scrum: Burke-in-Stock by Alford Coriette for Her Hoop Stats

• Back on Cloud 9: New York Liberty Star Natasha Cloud Covers SLAM 256 by Jared Ebanks for SLAM Magazine

• Inside the Liberty’s emotional reunion with Kayla Thornton and Ohemaa Nyanin by Jackie Powell for The Next

• The Washington Mystics’ Sydney Johnson era is off to a much better-than-expected start by Beckett Harrison for Swish Appeal

• The WNBA: Fashion’s new brand-building opportunity by Madeline Schulz for Vogue Business

⛹🏽‍♀️ UPCOMING GAMES

Here’s the schedule for the next few days (Eastern Standard Time)

💰MONEY MOVES

LIBERTY MAKE MORE CONNECTIONS

Last week in the WBB Roundup, we discussed Liberty’s valuation being at a WNBA record $450 million. The team has partnered with a bunch of new investors to help fund their new practice facility opening in 2027. On Tuesday, we found out who they are:

• Jack Ma

• Karen Finerman

• Thasunda Brown Duckett

• Karlie Kloss

• Gabrielle Rubenstein

• Samantha Lasry

They each come from different backgrounds, and their investments will only be devoted to the Liberty and not the parent company of the Liberty and Brooklyn Nets, BSE Global.

On Thursday, the team announced that Pinterest is one of their newest partners as well. The popular website will partner with the Liberty on initiatives such as National Girls and Women in Sports Day, assisting in refurbishing basketball courts across New York, etc. The Liberty have made initiatives like those a big part of their mission over the years and a partner like Pinterest will add even more to it.

“As reigning WNBA champion,” Sara Pollack, Global Head of Consumer Marketing at Pinterest said in a statement, “the New York Liberty are a cultural force on and off the court.”

At the WBB Roundup, we’ve talked a lot about women athletes being able to enter new cultural spaces and be their full selves. With more fans coming in to the games, having a space of authenticity will be more important than ever.

📲 STAY CONNECTED!

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