The New York Liberty announced Friday that Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart have all signed multi-year deals with the team.
“This is an incredibly historic moment for the New York Liberty franchise,” said Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb in a statement. “Re‑signing Breanna, Jonquel, and Sabrina reflects the trust, sacrifice, and shared purpose that define what it means to represent the Liberty, this city, and our fanbase. These three cornerstone players chose to invest in each other and in the long‑term legacy of this organization, a rare commitment that has the chance to redefine the standard of excellence across basketball.”
At USA Basketball camp earlier this month, Ionescu expressed that she wanted to re-sign with the Liberty.
“Obviously, I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Ionescu said, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. “Never thought anything different, and I’m so excited to be able to sign and get started. It’s coming up really quickly, so I’m excited to get all this behind us and just be able to start our season and get going in New York.”
Since being selected by the Liberty with the No. 1 overall pick out of Oregon in 2020, Ionescu has formed one of the best duos in the league alongside Stewart. Last season, the four-time All-Star averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Despite coming off a career-low 29.9% from 3 last season, Ionescu remains a threat to pull up anytime she is behind the arc.
Jones has spent her past three seasons in New York, where she and Stewart formed one of the most imposing frontcourts for opposing teams. At 6-foot-6, Jones used her length and size to overpower opponents on each side of the ball. Jones averaged 13.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks.
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Jones underwent ankle surgery this offseason, after the injury caused her to miss a month early in the season. Before Jones joined the Liberty, she spent her first six seasons with the Connecticut Sun.
(Steph Chambers via Getty Images)
Stewart first revealed to listeners on the “Game Recognize Game w/Stewie & Myles” that she expected to re-sign with the Liberty and had no plans to test the open market.
“I’m going to just set the record straight here, I will be staying in New York,” Stewart said. “I’m not planning on taking any free agency meetings, even though I am an unrestricted free agent. My family is set up here. We’re solid here. I’m going to be back in New York, and that’s all there is to it.
“Good luck to everybody else in free agency, but I’m not a part of that.”
Stewart is a co-founder of the offseason 3×3 league Unrivaled, alongside Napheesa Collier. Both players are part of the players union’s executive committee, which negotiated the new CBA that saw significant salary increases.
Stewart joined the Liberty in 2023 after playing her first seven seasons with the Seattle Storm. After two WNBA championships with the Storm, the Syracuse native helped the Liberty win their first title over the Minnesota Lynx in 2024. Stewart has won two WNBA MVPs and two Finals MVPs. Last season, the 31-year-old averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks.
