Soon to return Leonie Fiebich will be a secret no more to Libertys game plan

The final piece of the Liberty’s roster is closer — at least in terms of distance — to returning.Leonie Fiebich, the reserve-turned-starter who settled into an indispensable role on the championship team last season, was “on her way” to Brooklyn and scheduled to land Thursday after winning a title overseas with Valencia in Spain’s Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, head coach Sandy Brondello said.Brondello didn’t want to speculate on a timeline for when Fiebich would be available — with the Liberty’s season set to begin Saturday against the Aces — until after she arrived.“I think she’ll be integrated really quickly because she’s been here,” Brondello said.“It’s more about when is she ready to go, what our load management is as we move forward.”Fiebich averaged 9.8 points and 26.5 minutes per game for Valencia, and in the championship series against Zaragoza, she contributed 28 points across two games.

Her return overseas followed a rookie season in the WNBA in which Fiebich — a second-round pick in 2020 overlooked by teams with her rights until the Liberty acquired her via a three-team trade in 2023 and gave her a roster spot the following season — carved out a role off the bench that transformed into a starting one by the start of the playoffs.Fiebich also collected 15 starts during the regular season.This year, though, Fiebich won’t exactly be a surprise contributor.

Her 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and strong wing defense instead will serve as a baseline once back in the lineup.“We know she’s one of the toughest players out there,” Brondello said, “but we want to be smart.” Sign up for Madeline Kenney's Inside the Liberty, a weekly Sports+ newsletter.Please provide a valid email address.

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