Emma Meesseman Reportedly to Sign Liberty Contract in WNBA Return, Won 2019 Finals MVP

Two-time All-Star Emma Meesseman intends to return to the WNBA and sign with the New York Liberty, according to ESPN's Alexa Philippou.

Philippou said her arrival is contingent upon receiving a visa.

Meesseman last played in 2022 for the Chicago Sky. She averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

The high-water mark of her WNBA career came in 2019. The Belgian forward was named the Finals MVP as the Washington Mystics lifted their first title. She put up 17.8 points per contest as Washington beat the Connecticut Sun in five games.

The WNBA's prioritization rule has complicated Meesseman's comeback.

Introduced with the current collective bargaining agreement and going into full effect in 2024, the rule stipulates when players under contract have to report to training camp or risk receiving a season-long suspension.

Particularly for those born outside of the United States such as Meesseman, prioritization has meant bypassing the WNBA altogether to focus on more lucrative contract offers elsewhere.

"You make me choose between my home and going away," she said to CBS Sports' Erica Ayala. "So I'm a European player, nothing is going to change that. So if you make me choose between my national team or only giving me a couple of weeks or days preparation, that's never going to happen."

The Liberty and other WNBA teams have eagerly awaited the moment when Meesseman decided to make herself available again. The 32-year-old was a key contributor in Fenerbahçe's back-to-back EuroLeague titles in 2023 and 2024, and she was the MVP and a gold medal winner in each of the last two EuroBasket Women tournaments.

Meesseman is a massive addition for the Liberty, whose WNBA title defense has been hampered slightly by a nagging ankle injury to Jonquel Jones. Their center depth has been put to the test.

Once Jones is healthy, rolling out a lineup that includes her, Meesseman, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu will almost be unfair. The adjustment period will also be eased by the fact Jones, Meesseman and Stewart have played together with Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg.

Notable midseason moves are rare in the WNBA because the league's hard salary cap makes it tough to engineer trades. This is an exception since Meesseman could make a huge difference for New York in the postseason.