Anneli Maley thought her time with the Liberty was over.
asserted
time → think → Liberty
For 10 minutes, she stared at her phone almost in disbelief at the lengthy voice memo she had just received from Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb.
asserted
she → star → Kolb
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asserted
you → get → things
tRY IT NOWFor some reason, she tuned out the first 45 seconds of the message.
asserted
she → try → message
The only part that stuck was the end, when Kolb mentioned “we’re getting another [developmental player].”
asserted
we → stick → player
“I was like, ‘I’ve been fired,’” she recalled on Wednesday.
asserted
she → fire → Wednesday
Eventually, she listened to the message again and realized it was quite the opposite.
asserted
it → listen → message
With Satou Sabally officially ruled out for the season with a head injury, the Liberty had an open roster spot and chose to convert Maley’s developmental contract into a full-season deal Sept. 3.
“I didn’t understand at all at first,” Maley said, speaking to reporters for the first time since getting a new deal.
asserted
Maley → rule → deal
“It was like a grieving process, and then I was like, ‘Oh no, wait, I’ve been promoted!’
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I → wait → process
I feel very, very blessed and lucky.
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I → feel → ?
I’ve been working so hard.”
asserted
I → work → ?
Maley’s first full-season WNBA contract, signed two days after she turned 28, is a testament to her determination and relentless pursuit of her goal.
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she → sign → goal
Maley played only two years of college basketball.
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Maley → play → basketball
She was never drafted into the WNBA.
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She → draft → WNBA
She got her first taste of the WNBA in 2022 with the Chicago Sky, who brought her back as a temporary hardship player after training camp.
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who → get → camp
She had been waived or released seven times.
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She → waive → ?
Maley made an interesting case for the Liberty’s final roster spot at this year’s training camp.
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Maley → make → camp
Ultimately, New York went another direction.
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York → go → direction
After a brief stint with the Phoenix Mercury, the Liberty brought Maley back as a developmental player.
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Liberty → bring → player
She had been working closely with director of basketball strategy Parker Lovett.
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She → work → strategy
She put in countless hours behind the scenes training both solo and with the practice squad.
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She → put → squad
The job of a developmental player can often be overlooked and underappreciated.
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job → overlook → player
But Jonquel Jones said Maley’s positive mindset was refreshing.
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mindset → say → ?
“She’s one of those people that can keep things light when sometimes things can feel a little bit heavy,” Jones said.
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Jones → ’ → things
“You can’t really talk about how important that is when you’re going through the course of a season.”
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you → talk → season
Maley has always prided herself on her defense and rebounding.
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Maley → pride → defense
She believes her biggest growth this season has been on the offensive end.
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growth → believe → end
With Maley’s promotion, the Liberty filled their open developmental spot with former Ole Miss wing Madison Scott.
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Liberty → fill → Scott
Scott reached out to Maley about what to expect from the opportunity.
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Scott → reach → opportunity
“I don’t have to lie, I can say: ‘You know what, they really pour into you.
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they → have → you
They take care of you.
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They → take → you
They value you as a human, and you will get better,’” Maley said.
asserted
Maley → value → human
“It’s hard, but it’s rewarding.”
asserted
it → ’ → ?
The Aporia
