WELCOME BACK, EMMA MEESSEMAN!

THE LIBERTY GO BIG

Things are looking up for the New York Liberty. The reigning WNBA Champions welcomed Jonquel Jones back from injury on July 22 and pushed their current winning streak to four games after beating the Indiana Fever. It’s an exciting time for the Liberty, and they’ve added one of the game’s best players into the mix.

It’s been three years since we last saw Emma Meesseman on a WNBA court. Since then, everyone’s wondered when she would return and with whom. We now know that she’ll be returning to the W and joining the Liberty. ESPN’s Alexa Philippou broke the news of the signing, and her new teammates are beyond excited to welcome her into the fold.

“I think it's amazing opportunity for us,” Breanna Stewart said after Tuesday’s game. “I think it's going to be really cool for New York to have a player like Emma come in and just see the way that she reads and reacts to the game. And honestly, I didn't think it was possible, but somehow we were able to get her. We were able to get Steph [Talbot]. Jonathan [Kolb] has been doing a hell of a job. I'm excited to for our team to kind of be full and be complete, and we just really get after it.”

Meeseeman has extensive familiarity with various members of the Liberty organization. Natasha Cloud won a championship with her on the 2019 Washington Mystics. Rebekah Gardner played with her on the 2022 Chicago Sky.

Sandy Brondello and Olaf Lange coached her in Russia. Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart played with her in Russia. And as Tash told us to end her postgame comments on Tuesday night, Director of Player Development Andrew Wade played a big part as well.

Jackie Powell of The Next reported that thanks to the amount of cap space the Liberty currently have, it allowed them to offer the most amount of money to Meesseman for her to join.

It will take a few weeks for her visa issues to be settled, so she won’t be suiting up immediately in Brooklyn. When she does join, she’ll only amplify the excellence currently on display with the Liberty.

On the latest edition of Gotta Get Up, Erica and I broke it all down

With the additions of Talbot and Meesseman, the Liberty have even more buttons to press and lineup combinations that will wreak havoc across the league. As this develops, we’ll have you covered from all angles here at the Women’s Basketball Roundup.

 🎙BRM PODCAST NETWORK

LIVE FROM THE EMERALD CITY!

Our very own Erica L. Ayala was on assignment covering the unveiling of the new Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) team in Seattle. And while you’re in the Emerald City, what better way to celebrate by talking Seattle Storm basketball? Seattle has done well for the most part in 2025, but their return to action following All-Star Weekend left a LOT to be desired.

Without Skylar Diggins in the lineup, the Storm suffered their worst loss of the 2025 season against the Dallas Wings on July 22 as the Wings won by 24 points. Coach Noelle Quinn was disappointed her team couldn’t turn things around after halftime. Diggins is not on the injury report and is expected back for Seattle’s next game.

Erica hosted a special edition of Tempestade Talk with Roberta F. Rodrigues live from Rough and Tumble!

Following a loss like that, the Storm have to right the ship quickly or risk falling down the standings. It doesn’t get any easier from here.

💰MONEY MOVES

WHERE WILL THE CONNECTICUT SUN RISE IN 2026?

On July 15, the Connecticut Sun held their second annual Boston game. This one came under much different circumstances, as the team is up for sale and rumors are swirling about where the team will play in the future. The latest conversation has the Sun possibly moving to Providence, Rhode Island if they are sold to a local investor there. The ownership situation is still in flux, but everyone took to Boston and enjoyed their time there.

“If it was up to me,” Saniya Rivers said prior to the game, “we might relocate here.” She added:

The game went well for the most part as the sold out Boston crowd was treated to an intense game. For Sun fans concerned about where the team will be playing in the future, they won’t have to worry about that for a while.

On July 23, Emily Adams of the Hartford Courant reported that the Sun will be playing the 2026 season at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville. It’s been the Sun’s home since 2003 and will be so for at least one more season. In the great expansion race, teams are looking to stand out and provide the amount of resources and spending to bring in the best players.

“There has been constant gentle prodding on my end to talk about investments and practice facilities and the things that WNBA ownership groups are looking at across the board,” Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti said. “This is an ownership group that has owned a successful WNBA franchise for two decades. I think they’ve been, in many ways, on the forefront of investment and loyalty and continued support in the WNBA.”

The Sun are in year one of what’s shaping up to be an extensive rebuild. After losing various franchise stalwarts in the off-season, the Sun are starting from scratch as they hope to return to competitive play in a few years. This time period will be a moment where they try to figure out what needs to change and what aspects of the organization should stay as they move into a new era. They have a lot of questions they need to answer, but at least they know they won’t be moving to a new city in 2026.

📰 WHAT WE’RE READING

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

Here’s what we’re reading:

• How the leg sleeve became part of A'ja Wilson's WNBA legacy by Myron Medcalf for ESPN

• Liberty First Half Recap: Superlatives by Ella Morissey for The Local W

• As the WNBA grows and evolves, camp day games remain a unique staple: 'We know it's gonna be really, really loud' by Maggie Hendricks for Yahoo Sports

• Never Say Die by Kelly Dwyer for KD On Hoops

• Malcolm-Jamal Warner and the Other Side of the Climb by Joel Anderson for The Ringer

⛹🏽‍♀️ UPCOMING GAMES

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

📲 STAY CONNECTED!

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