The New York Liberty introduced Friday they’ve re-signed Marine Johannès, who beforehand performed for the staff in 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Johannès, a 5’10 guard, helped lead the French Nationwide Workforce to a Silver medal end in opposition to Workforce USA within the 2024 Paris Video games. She sat out the 2024 WNBA season in an effort to fulfill her nationwide staff obligations, however was broadly anticipated to return to the WNBA this Spring.
In an official press launch, Liberty normal supervisor Jonathan Kolb expressed his enthusiasm for the signing.
“It’s a particular alternative so as to add Marine – who believed in our imaginative and prescient since 2019 – to a staff as soon as once more competing for a title,” Kolb stated. “Marine’s ground spacing and dynamic capacity to create scoring alternatives for herself and others will add one other dimension to our offense in 2025.”
Johannès made an impression within the 2023 Finals when she hit 4 first-half threes in Recreation 1 between the Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces. NBA star LeBron James, who attended the sport, turned to social media to specific his awe for Johannès’s efficiency.
In her three-year WNBA profession, she has averaged 8 factors, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 rebounds per recreation — capturing 43.7% from the sector, 39.5% from three, and 80.6% on the free throw line.
What Marine Johannès brings to the New York Liberty
At present, she’s a member of the Turkish membership Çimsa ÇBK Mersin, the place she’s averaging 13.6 factors, 4.4 assists, and a pair of.5 boards on 46.7% capturing, together with 36.7% from past the arc.
The Liberty will look to defend their franchise-first title, and have most of their key items from final yr on the roster subsequent season. Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones will lead the cost, whereas breakout rookie Leonie Fiebich is predicted to as soon as once more be a serious contributor. As well as, the Liberty not too long ago acquired veteran two-way guard Natasha Cloud through commerce.
Johannès will seemingly come off the bench, the place she is poised to provide the Liberty a capturing punch and can assist area the ground. At age 30, she’s performed in numerous massive video games each within the WNBA and abroad, and can seemingly be an necessary rotation participant come playoff time.
The Liberty misplaced two key gamers from final yr’s championship roster — Courtney Vandersloot to the Chicago Sky through free company, and Kayla Thornton to the Golden State Valkyries through the enlargement draft. Whereas Cloud will undoubtedly shoulder a number of the playmaking that was misplaced with Vandersloot’s departure, Johannès will equally bolster the Liberty’s rotation subsequent season.
