On Tuesday night at the Entertainment and Sports Arena, Stefanie Dolson was happily greeting her former Liberty teammates and staff as they arrived for the 2024 season opener in Washington, D.C.
Just a year ago, the two-time All-Star center was at the start of a long ride to a WNBA Finals appearance in New York.
But, during free agency, she decided she didn’t want to be a part of that ride for another year.
Dolson had held a starting role with the Liberty during the 2022 season before they acquired Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot to begin their superteam era.
And after the 2023 campaign, she chose to move on to Washington where she started her professional career and earned an All-Star nod in 2015.
“A lot of things happened after last season, some good, some not so good. So, it was an unfortunate situation that had to happen,” Dolson told The Post ahead of the Liberty’s 85-80 win over the Mystics. “But, I made the choice that was best for myself and I wanted to play and they have so much talent on that team that I knew there wasn’t much space for me.
“So, I was excited for this opportunity to come here and really have more of a chance to play and show my game.”
Dolson, who won a championship in 2021 with the Sky, scored 12 points across 27 minutes in the Mystics’ season-opening loss — time on the court she did largely not see with the Liberty in 2023.
Without Dolson in the mix, the Liberty added new pieces to the rotation.
And for some of those fresh faces, including Leonie Fiebich, joining a team that has championship aspirations, was a selling point, even if that meant taking on a supporting role.
“I think just the way the team plays, they move the ball really well. There’s a lot of freedom too, so I think everybody can bring their style of basketball in,” Fiebich, a forward, said of her reasoning for coming from overseas to play in the WNBA.
“And then, you know, you never say no to a GM that comes to you and says ‘Hey, we want to win a championship.’”
Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb also pulled in Ivana Dojkic from the Storm and Kennedy Burke after a year with Villeneuve-d’Ascq in France after four seasons in the WNBA.
“I’m just excited to be surrounded by great athletes, great players, great women. So, I mean, yeah, there’s not a lot to say, I’m just blessed to be here,” Burke said.
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello played nine players in the opening quarter on Tuesday.
Fiebich, Dojkic, and Burke collectively tallied nine points across a total of what Brondello deemed a “really productive” 29 minutes.
