Soon to return Leonie Fiebich will be a secret no more to Liberty’s game plan

The final piece of the Liberty’s roster is closer — at least in terms of distance — to returning.

Leonie Fiebich, the reserve-turned-starter who settled into an indispensable role on the championship team last season, was “on her way” to Brooklyn and scheduled to land Thursday after winning a title overseas with Valencia in Spain’s Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, head coach Sandy Brondello said.

Brondello didn’t want to speculate on a timeline for when Fiebich would be available — with the Liberty’s season set to begin Saturday against the Aces — until after she arrived.

“I think she’ll be integrated really quickly because she’s been here,” Brondello said. “It’s more about when is she ready to go, what our load management is as we move forward.”

Fiebich averaged 9.8 points and 26.5 minutes per game for Valencia, and in the championship series against Zaragoza, she contributed 28 points across two games.

Her return overseas followed a rookie season in the WNBA in which Fiebich — a second-round pick in 2020 overlooked by teams with her rights until the Liberty acquired her via a three-team trade in 2023 and gave her a roster spot the following season — carved out a role off the bench that transformed into a starting one by the start of the playoffs.

Fiebich also collected 15 starts during the regular season.

This year, though, Fiebich won’t exactly be a surprise contributor.

Her 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game and strong wing defense instead will serve as a baseline once back in the lineup.

“We know she’s one of the toughest players out there,” Brondello said, “but we want to be smart.”

Forwards Esmery Martínez and Leaonna Odom were waived Thursday as the Liberty finalized their 12-person roster, with forward Isabelle Harrison and guard Jaylyn Sherrod earning the final two roster spots.

“It’s more about what’s the balance of our team and what we need,” Brondello said of the final roster decisions. “Can we cover for something if something happens? … It is obviously our 10th, 11th, 12th spot, so they just have to stay ready for when their opportunity comes.”

The Liberty officially suspended Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s contract Wednesday, confirming that their defensive anchor won’t play at all in 2025 due to an acute meniscus tear suffered in her left knee during an Unrivaled game, though the Liberty will maintain exclusive negotiating rights next offseason.

“It happened so early that we could prepare for what it would look like without her, with her injury,” Brondello said. “ ‘B’ will be missed, but I think we have enough to continue to elevate our game.”

Breanna Stewart will throw out the first pitch Sunday in The Bronx as part of the Yankees’ Liberty night for their Subway Series finale against the Mets.

Her strategy, based on throwing out the first pitch twice at Mariners games in 2016 as a rookie on the Storm and receiving insight from others?

“Throw it up, throw it higher because you don’t realize how high you are on the mound,” Stewart said.