Ex-Warwick Senator Leonie Fiebich goes from NBL1 West to playing for WNBA championship with New York Liberty

From NBL1 West to an Olympian and now a WNBA championship series in two years – that’s not meant to happen in sport. But that’s the been the rise of New York Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich. The German guard was battling injury, feeling disillusioned in Europe and felt ready for change in 2022 when she asked for a contact in Australia. Warwick Senators coach Jonelle Morley received a phone call from a friend saying a talented 22-year-old was looking for a club and would she be interested. “When I found out she was six-foot four and a shooting guard, I said absolutely,” Morley recalled. “I didn’t see much on film but had a feeling from people I spoke to that she would fit in.. The second she got off the plane we thought this was going to work extremely nicely. “Leo isn’t someone that needs to have the ball in her hands to have a huge influence. She brings other players into the game and she’s doing that in the WNBA. But she also knows when the time is right to step up and that she is a big game player. “She was getting a lot of rebounds for us and was happy to get the ball into the hands of shooters who were hot. That’s why she’s an unbelievable player to have because she can change to what each team needs at the time.” Fiebich won the grand final MVP award at Warwick and then dominated the NBL1 national championships, leading the Senators to victory as the tournament MVP. But she was still a long way from the WNBA. Recruited by Los Angeles at pick 22 in the 2020 draft, she was traded to Chicago the following year but never played for either team. Fiebich joined New York in December 2023 as part of a four club trade where she was the steak knives as other stars and plenty of draft picks changed hands. But Fiebich seized her chance at New York and will be in the starting five when the Liberty host game one of the best of five championship series against Minnesota on Friday. Having been named WNBA Rookie of the Year and finished runner-up in Sixth Person of the Year, Fiebich also represented Germany at the Olympics and broke the record for the most points scored by a Liberty player in their play-off debut (21) in a wild 2024. “Thinking she was here only two years ago is a bit of a spin out,” Morley said. “It’s a crazy and quick rise to international success from being here in Western Australia as a NBL1 West champion. She’s got a huge fan base in WA and not just at Warwick. I hope she’s feeling that support from all of us.”