NEW YORK — Stefanie Dolson is coming home.
The Port Jervis, N.Y., native — who won a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky and claimed the USA’s first Olympic gold medal in 3x3 basketball in 2021 — has officially signed with the Liberty to return to the Empire State, the team announced Thursday.
“Might be too close to home, but we’ll figure it out,” Dolson joked during her introductory virtual press conference Thursday. “I’m just excited to be part of this franchise, be in New York, play at the Barclays and be a part of this team because I played against them last year and they weren’t easy to play against. So I’m excited to be a part of this group.”
Aside from her energy, personality, familiarity with fans having grown up about two hours from Barclays Center and played at UConn and height — Dolson is 6-foot-5, one of the tallest players in the league — it’s no secret what Dolson could contribute to the Liberty.
Dolson, 30, has been in the league the last eight seasons. She’s a two-time All-Star with plenty of playoff experience and is coming off her most decorated summer.
Through 24 games (15 starts) last season she averaged 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting a little under 50% from the field, over 40% from 3-point range, and nearly 95% from the charity stripe.
Still, those numbers don’t do her justice as the unselfish defender that helped the Sky to their first championship in franchise history. Dolson, no doubt, is a strong presence in the paint, an immovable force as a screener and quite the master on pick and rolls.
New head coach Sandy Brondello, whose Mercury fell to Dolson and the Sky in four games during Finals last fall, attested to this.
“Stef really hurt us down the stretch,” Brondello admitted. “You know, maybe we would have went to Game 5 if Stef could have stayed on the bench, to be quite honest.”
An unselfish big and true five that’s demonstrated both good defense and offense is exactly what the Liberty need going into 2022 if they hope to repeat as playoff contenders.
Dolson’s name was actually the first that Brondello suggested when she was asked during her own interview process of what player the Libs needed. And it was a collective effort getting her to Brooklyn, when she could have re-upped in Chicago to try and defend the Sky’s title.
“We wanted a player that would complement the core that we had,” Brondello said Thursday, “and I’ve had to go against Stef for so long now and I just loved what she brought to the teams that she was on and I just thought that would be a perfect fit for what we want to do in New York.”
That core is now Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney — who helped recruit the new addition— Natasha Howard and now Dolson.
“I guess I am a vet now,” Dolson said. “I just turned 30. So, you know, we’re up there. I just want to bring my wisdom and my experience to this team and bring things that I’m good at.”
