The New York Liberty bring back an old friend and fan favorite to help their title defense.
Welcome back!
On March 21, the New York Liberty announced that they re-signed Marine Johannès.
MJ hasn’t been in the WNBA since 2023 as the combination of the 2024 Paris Olympics and the WNBA’s prioritization rules kept MJ away from the league in 2024. She underwent ankle ankle surgery earlier this winter and prior to her injury publicly stated her wish to return to the WNBA in 2025
Marine Johannes is the best passer in the world for a reason.
She said her goal is to come back in the #WNBA next season, either in the Liberty or another team.
She shared her excitement about New York Liberty’s championship run.
1-on-1 with MJ23! #NYLiberty @SportalgrG pic.twitter.com/2MJrcmoC5M
— Christos Tsaltas (@Tsaltas46) October 23, 2024
And now, Johannès gets her wish.
“It is a special opportunity to add Marine – who believed in our vision since 2019 – to a team once again competing for a title,” Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb said in a statement. “Marine’s floor spacing and dynamic ability to create scoring opportunities for herself and others will add another dimension to our offense in 2025.”
Johannès was with the Liberty during the franchise’s lowest moments in Westchester and in 2023, spoke about the care and support provided by Kolb, former assistant GM Ohemaa Nyanin, and the Liberty organization:
“They really helped me, they knew it was my first season overseas, and they did everything for me. They are always asking me how I feel, how I am. So when I came back here, it’s because I feel like I’m really a part of the team… it’s a nice feeling.”
Jackie Powell of The Next reported that Johannès is back on a one year contract at the league minimum.
To Kolb’s point about Johannès’ floor spacing and dynamic ability to create for others, let’s refresh your memory on what MJ can do on a basketball court
That’s the good stuff! When we last spoke with Johannès in 2023, she mentioned that she’d “like to be more consistent. I want to play better on defense. I would love to work on my off-ball action. I know that in Europe, I have a lot of time with the ball in my hands, and here it’s completely different. So it’s something that I will work on.”
Johannès will slide into a Liberty backcourt that made a major improvement after acquiring Natasha Cloud in a trade with the Connecticut Sun. Johannès can heat up at a moment’s notice and find openings in the defense that we didn’t think were possible. Sandy Brondello has worked to instill confidence in her on both sides of the ball, and she will be able to fit in with a deeper Liberty team than the one she was on in 2023.
The Liberty have worked to retool the roster this off-season as they prepare for their title defense this Spring. With the return of Johannès, New York has another star and capable ballhandler to run the offense and make things happen for her teammates. As we draw closer to training camp, the excitement will continue to build in Brooklyn.