Leonie Fiebich catches fire
Top German talent enchants the WNBA
September 25, 2024, 6:00 p.m
The New York Liberty are in the WNBA semifinals. A new face plays a big part in this: Leonie Fiebich was recently elected to the rookies’ all-star team in the strongest league in the world. And has already taught her trainer a German word.
How do you say in your home country when someone is “on fire”? This question threw Leonie Fiebich a bit off guard. Her coach Sandy Brondello promptly suggested “Hot” in her best German, but the national basketball player, who is without a doubt currently “on fire” in the WNBA, only let out a bashful “Nooo”.
“We just say it in English. We use a lot of English words in basketball. ‘On fire’ would work,” said the 24-year-old, who is dreaming of the title with New York Liberty in her debut season – and thus denied the US journalists the little German lesson to describe their current strong performances in the strongest league in the world in their native language.
Career best performance in first knockout game
To say that Fiebich is “hot” in the WNBA these weeks would also have been an understatement. The last time the Landsberg native turned up the heat, the court was on fire. She delivered a career high of 21 points in the 83:69 win against Atlanta Dream in her first play-off game ever, with the 91:82 win in game two of the quarterfinals. Fiebich and Co. made the semi-finals perfect on Wednesday night.
Although the German, alongside her compatriot Nyara Sabally, “only” put up nine points this time, she again hit her threes reliably. “Nothing fazes her,” said Brondello: “That’s what we love about her. No matter whether it’s the regular season or the play-offs: she always brings the same mentality.” And therefore plays a major role in the fact that the runner-up will fight for a ticket to the big title showdown in the new edition of the previous season’s final against the Las Vegas Aces from Sunday.
Not your average rookie
The truth is, of course, that Fiebich is no ordinary “rookie”. Not only is she one of the key figures in the German national team, during her time at Casademont Zaragoza she won the Spanish Cup and was voted best player in the league twice. It was clear for a long time that she could make the jump to the WNBA. Their signing by New York before the season is no surprise.
But the way Fiebich is rushing through her rookie season – she was recently even selected for the best rookies (All Rookie Team) – is definitely impressive. Sometimes she excels as a shooter, sometimes she shines with her strong defense. Often from the bench, now sometimes even as a starter. Leonie Fiebich caught fire, and that might be a suitable translation.
