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sirvalkyerie · 02-27-2023, 11:31 PM

6'10" Superstar turns Liberty from David into Goliath
The New York Liberty were always situated to be the league's rival to glamour franchise, Los Angeles Sparks. The two franchises situated in the country's two biggest cities, on opposite coats and in basketball meccas. It was the rivalry that never happened.

In 1997, the Houston Comets defeated the Liberty in the inaugural WNBA Finals. The Comets would again defeat the Liberty in the Finals in 1999 and 2000. In 2002 the fateful Finals matchup between the Sparks and Liberty finally occurred with the Sparks winning it in a sweep. In their first four WNBA Finals appearances over the course of the league's initial six seasons, the Liberty went 0-4, winning just one out of the eight Finals games they played in.

And that was as good as it got for the never-was WNBA marquee team. The Liberty had few truly destitute years but they were rarely a major contender. A few names played for them here or there. A couple Semi-Finals letdowns. But never again would the Liberty reach the WNBA Finals and rarely would the Liberty boast rosters with true stars in their primes. That is until the arrival of Chiney Holder.

Chiney Holder, a 6'10", Center from Purdue arrived to the league without much fanfare. Holder was the 11th pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, a draft class which included 5 Hall of Famers, 14 WNBA Champions and 14 League All-Stars. Holder was selected by the Las Vegas Aces, who were runners-up in the 2020 WNBA Finals to the Washington Mystics. They'd hoped to pair the raw Holder with bigs A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage and reload the team for another title challenge. But it never quite panned out.

Holder struggled to get on the floor and the Aces floundered to a 15-19 record and missed the playoffs. Holder played in 22 regular season games, never starting, and averaged 4.7 minutes a game in her rookie season. She struggled with her playmaking abilities, hadn't yet developed much of an offensive game outside of her height advantage and she couldn't play reliable defense away from the hoop. Year one, Holder was a project and the Aces were a mess.

But Holder's game developed over the next two seasons. A marked improvement between her first and second seasons saw her play nearly twenty minutes a game coming off the bench and starting a handful of games for a better Aces squad. She was runner-up in Sixth Woman of the Year voting. And in 2023, Holder's third year in the league, she took her first major step to the star she would become. Holder averaged 14.7 points per game with 11 rebounds and led the league in blocks with two per game. She made the All-Star team for the first time in her career and in her first season as an everyday starter she made the WNBA All-Defense First Team.

In the Winter of 2023, Holder would become a free agent. She declined the Aces' offer to remain in Las Vegas and found herself a max contract in New York City. It was in New York that Holder would become a bonafide star and the Liberty would enter an era of dominance. The Liberty would make four consecutive WNBA Finals appearances in Holder's first four years at the helm, going 3-1 in those series. Holder's impact was immediate as the Liberty won the 2024 WNBA Finals, Holder's first season with the team, by defeating the Dallas Wings 3-to-2.

Holder would be a WNBA All-Star every season of her decade-long Liberty tenure, while racking up 9 All-WNBA bids and five more All-Defense selections. Holder's best year was 2025 when she was MVP runner-up, scoring 19 a game with 14 rebounds on a PER just shy of 30 and a VORP just over 7. The Liberty made five WNBA Finals with Holder and made the playoffs every year Holder was with the team except for Holder's final season with the Liberty.

In the five years preceding Holder's arrival the Liberty went 70-100 with a single first round playoff exit. In Holder's first five years in New York the Liberty went 125-61 with four WNBA Finals appearances.

Chiney Holder turned the Liberty into a dynasty and her #30 will forever hang in the rafters alongside the three championship banners she delivered to the league's big city underdogs.

02-27-2023, 11:31 PM	#7
sirvalkyerie Rookie OVR: 0 Join Date: Jul 2013 Blog Entries: 5	Re: WNBA - BBGM 6'10" Superstar turns Liberty from David into Goliath The New York Liberty were always situated to be the league's rival to glamour franchise, Los Angeles Sparks. The two franchises situated in the country's two biggest cities, on opposite coats and in basketball meccas. It was the rivalry that never happened. In 1997, the Houston Comets defeated the Liberty in the inaugural WNBA Finals. The Comets would again defeat the Liberty in the Finals in 1999 and 2000. In 2002 the fateful Finals matchup between the Sparks and Liberty finally occurred with the Sparks winning it in a sweep. In their first four WNBA Finals appearances over the course of the league's initial six seasons, the Liberty went 0-4, winning just one out of the eight Finals games they played in. And that was as good as it got for the never-was WNBA marquee team. The Liberty had few truly destitute years but they were rarely a major contender. A few names played for them here or there. A couple Semi-Finals letdowns. But never again would the Liberty reach the WNBA Finals and rarely would the Liberty boast rosters with true stars in their primes. That is until the arrival of Chiney Holder. Chiney Holder, a 6'10", Center from Purdue arrived to the league without much fanfare. Holder was the 11th pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, a draft class which included 5 Hall of Famers, 14 WNBA Champions and 14 League All-Stars. Holder was selected by the Las Vegas Aces, who were runners-up in the 2020 WNBA Finals to the Washington Mystics. They'd hoped to pair the raw Holder with bigs A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage and reload the team for another title challenge. But it never quite panned out. Holder struggled to get on the floor and the Aces floundered to a 15-19 record and missed the playoffs. Holder played in 22 regular season games, never starting, and averaged 4.7 minutes a game in her rookie season. She struggled with her playmaking abilities, hadn't yet developed much of an offensive game outside of her height advantage and she couldn't play reliable defense away from the hoop. Year one, Holder was a project and the Aces were a mess. But Holder's game developed over the next two seasons. A marked improvement between her first and second seasons saw her play nearly twenty minutes a game coming off the bench and starting a handful of games for a better Aces squad. She was runner-up in Sixth Woman of the Year voting. And in 2023, Holder's third year in the league, she took her first major step to the star she would become. Holder averaged 14.7 points per game with 11 rebounds and led the league in blocks with two per game. She made the All-Star team for the first time in her career and in her first season as an everyday starter she made the WNBA All-Defense First Team. In the Winter of 2023, Holder would become a free agent. She declined the Aces' offer to remain in Las Vegas and found herself a max contract in New York City. It was in New York that Holder would become a bonafide star and the Liberty would enter an era of dominance. The Liberty would make four consecutive WNBA Finals appearances in Holder's first four years at the helm, going 3-1 in those series. Holder's impact was immediate as the Liberty won the 2024 WNBA Finals, Holder's first season with the team, by defeating the Dallas Wings 3-to-2. Holder would be a WNBA All-Star every season of her decade-long Liberty tenure, while racking up 9 All-WNBA bids and five more All-Defense selections. Holder's best year was 2025 when she was MVP runner-up, scoring 19 a game with 14 rebounds on a PER just shy of 30 and a VORP just over 7. The Liberty made five WNBA Finals with Holder and made the playoffs every year Holder was with the team except for Holder's final season with the Liberty. In the five years preceding Holder's arrival the Liberty went 70-100 with a single first round playoff exit. In Holder's first five years in New York the Liberty went 125-61 with four WNBA Finals appearances. Chiney Holder turned the Liberty into a dynasty and her #30 will forever hang in the rafters alongside the three championship banners she delivered to the league's big city underdogs.