The New York Liberty’s start to the 2026 season hasn’t gone anywhere close to what they expected. The 2024 WNBA Champions currently have more losses than wins after they fell against the Portland Fire (81-74) on Monday. But as they prepared to face the Phoenix Mercury, they finally got some much-needed good news.

Leonie Fiebich is back!

After missing seven games of the season due to her Spanish League championship run, New York got the update that Fiebich will finally make her season debut on Wednesday. And her addition gives the Liberty something they’ve been missing so far – reliable depth on the wing.

Earlier this week, the Liberty officially activated Fiebich, and her return immediately strengthens a roster that has been stretched thin by injuries.

Sabrina Ionescu remains one of the key players for this team, and she originally made her debut on Sunday against the Dallas Wings after missing the first five games with a left foot injury suffered in the preseason. After that, fans thought her return was a turning point for the Liberty, but the franchise downgraded her to out for injury management in the next game against the Portland Fire. Then, ahead of the Mercury game, the New York Liberty confirmed she would sit out again, this time due to a back injury.

That left New York once again without its floor general at a time when they can least afford more disruption. But that’s not just it.

Satou Sabally was also ruled out of this game as she recovers from illness. Sabally was initially listed as questionable after she left the game against Portland in the first quarter. And even though she hoped to play against the Mercury, she ultimately had to sit out.

Still, having one more healthy, reliable wing back in the mix might be exactly what they needed to stop the bleeding and finally stabilize things.

New York Liberty Finally Caught a Break

Last season, Leonie Fiebich quietly turned herself into one of the New York Liberty’s most reliable role players. She averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while consistently doing the little things that helped hold the rotation together. It was never flashy, but as her team deals with a rough start in the 2026 season, that is exactly the kind of stability that the Liberty needs.

So when she finally stepped onto the floor on Wednesday night, the Liberty immediately looked more complete.

Fiebich finished her season debut with 9 points while shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc in 33 minutes. She also committed 3 turnovers, but considering this was her first WNBA game of the season after arriving late from Europe, nobody was expecting perfection right away.

And this game was more about rhythm than numbers.

You could immediately feel the difference her presence made on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-4, she gave New York size, spacing, and flexibility on the wing – three things the New York Liberty badly lacked. So with her on the court, the offense looked calmer, the rotations looked cleaner, and overall, the team simply played with far more confidence. And the result reflected that.

After dropping three straight games, New York finally bounced back with a convincing 84-74 win over the Phoenix Mercury. Fiebich may not have stuffed the stat sheet, but her return helped bring balance back to the lineup at exactly the right time.

However, while they will enjoy their hard-earned win, the focus will quickly shift toward getting Sabrina Ionescu and Satou Sabally healthy again. Because if the Liberty can finally get their core pieces back together, this rough early-season stretch could disappear from fans’ memories very quickly.