WNBA Champion Released After Going Scoreless in Last Three Games

WNBA Champion Released After Going Scoreless in Last Three Games originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The New York Liberty are amid another strong campaign in 2025 after winning the WNBA championship last season. New York sits in second place in the league standings with a 17-9 record, trailing just the 23-5 Minnesota Lynx.

While the team has a strong overall record, they have dropped three of their five contests since the WNBA All-Star break, which includes a current losing streak of three. This is, in part, due to two-time MVP forward Breanna Stewart being out with a leg injury.

Stewart is not the only Liberty player missing, however, as both forward Kennedy Burke and center Nyara Sabally have multi-week injuries as well.

New York Liberty Announce Release of WNBA Champion to Make Room for Recent Signing

Given how depleted the frontcourt is for the Liberty, head coach Sandy Brondello and the team needed to add reinforcements. Last week, ESPN's Alexa Philippou announced that New York had won the bidding war for Emma Meesseman, a 6-foot-4 Belgian forward.

Messeeman was the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP while playing for the Washington Mystics. She last played for the Chicago Sky in 2022, earning an All-Star nod, and has eight total WNBA seasons and 238 games under her belt.

To make room for the addition of Messeeman, the Liberty parted ways with second-year guard Jaylyn Sherrod, who has played 28 career games in New York as well as 10 on last year's WNBA championship team. She had gone scoreless in her previous three appearances.

Once a Liberty, always a Liberty.🗽 pic.twitter.com/iLnXgDyKqB

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 1, 2025

New York Liberty Bolster Their Frontcourt Amid Various Injuries

Sherrod was just a 5-foot-7 guard, and with smaller players like Sabrina Ionescu, Marine Johannes and Natasha Cloud all still available, the Liberty chose to sign a bigger player to make up for the various frontcourt injuries they are currently dealing with.

During the 2022 WNBA season, Messeeman averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals for the Sky. She also shot 34.2% from the three-point line, which should help her blend in with the team.

Current Liberty frontcourt players like Leonie Fiebich and Jonquel Jones are shooting 46.7% and 43.6% from beyond the arc, respectively, so Messeeman's shooting ability should help the team adjust quickly to her play style. Forward Isabelle Harrison is shooting just 25.0%.

Liberty Looking to Get Back on Track With Favorable Upcoming Schedule

The Liberty will play three of their next four contests on the road, but not a single one of these games will be played against a team with a winning record. They play the league's worst team, the 4-21 Connecticut Sun, in two consecutive road games.

Messeeman is expected to join the team on Friday, according to ESPN's Holly Rowe, which means she could be available to play in Connecticut. Then, New York plays the 8-20 Dallas Wings in consecutive games, one at home and one in Dallas.

Friday's game against the Sun will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

Related: Liberty Make Change for Wings Game After Breanna Stewart Injury

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 1, 2025, where it first appeared.