How Liberty signing Meesseman changes 2025 WNBA title chase - ESPN

Emma Meesseman is headed back to the WNBA, signing with the New York Liberty on Monday. That's big news for the league and the defending champions.

When Meesseman was drafted to the WNBA in 2013, she didn't attract a lot of attention as a 19-year-old forward picked in the second round. But it was soon clear that then-Washington Mystics general manager Mike Thibault had selected a superb young talent.

Meesseman had played professionally in her native Belgium since she was 16. She continued to blossom in her time in the WNBA, culminating with her WNBA Finals MVP performance in 2019 when the Mystics also had the season MVP in Elena Delle Donne.

Meesseman, 32, has not played in the WNBA since 2022, but has continued to stand out overseas. She was MVP of the recent EuroBasket tournament won by her Belgian team.

Meesseman joins a Liberty team that has dealt with injuries this season and saw its post game impacted by the expansion draft. Alexa Philippou, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel look at what signing Meesseman means for New York and the rest of the WNBA.

Philippou: They are the clear favorites now. Yes, Meesseman will have to be incorporated into the fold, and doing that mid-season isn't always the easiest. But the Liberty now have three Finals MVPs on their side — Breanna Stewart (2018, 2020), Meesseman (2019) and Jonquel Jones (2024). That's a ridiculously talented, versatile frontcourt that is going to wreak havoc on opponents, and Meeseman is a player whose skill set and temperament should allow her to fit in seamlessly with her new group. She also has plenty of familiarity with several Liberty players who she played with on other squads across the globe, and was even coached by Sandy Brondello and Olaf Lange in