In Super Squads, The Athletic follows the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces in their quests to win a WNBA championship. Our reporters will tell the stories of the players on two of the most star-studded teams in league history and examine how their paths shape the future of the WNBA.
On the first Saturday in May, the New York Liberty hosted an open practice in front of a few hundred fans. Those in attendance were eager to watch their revamped team. However, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot sat out the workout, with Stewart still in transition from her winter with the Turkish club Fenerbahçe and Vandersloot in concussion protocol. Fellow high-profile offseason acquisition Jonquel Jones also watched from a baseline seat during the latter stages of practice as she rehabbed a left foot injury.
Up to that point, the trio still hadn’t practiced together. When the Liberty took the floor in Las Vegas to play the Aces in a preseason game days later, Stewart and Jones were available, but Vandersloot still was not. Much has changed since Las Vegas’ 84-77 exhibition win over the Liberty (a game more lopsided than the final score indicated). So, as New York returns to Las Vegas and plays the Aces on Thursday night for the first time this regular season, here are five things…
