Liberty Reserve Talks American Dream

With the 4th of July looming, New York Liberty reserve Ivana Dojkic reflected on her foray into American basketball.

May 16, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Fever guard Erica Wheeler (17) drives the lane past New York Liberty guard Ivana Dojkic (18) on Thursday, May 16, 2024, during the Indiana Fever home opener game against the New York Liberty at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Mandatory Credit: Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports / IndyStar-USA TODAY Sports

BROOKLYN-It's perhaps all too appropriate that the vision of the New York Liberty, a team named after the Ellis Island landmark that confirmed arrival to countless immigrants, has been at least partly fulfilled by international transfers meshing with domestic, American-born talents.

Such diversity has the Liberty (17-3) pacing the WNBA as the country celebrates the Independence Day holiday. Five games loom before Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart each ship off to Paris to rep the United States in the Summer Olympics and New York will look to continue to further take advantage of the momentum between the Americans and their international compatriots, such as Bahamian-born Jonquel Jones and European-based reserves like Ivana Dojkic (Croatia) and Leonie Fiebich (Germany).

Before the Liberty opened July with a thrilling win over the Minnesota Lynx, the first-year New Yorker Dojkic spoke about the fulfillment of her American dream as the July 4th holiday loomed.

"It feels to be good a part of this, as I always try to say," Dojkic said of her WNBA journey, particularly her inclusion among the metropolitan excitement. "I have a lot of dreams, one of which for sure is to be part of this dream that we have collectively. Doing that in New York is even better for sure than anywhere else I think."

Dojkic, 26, was brought in from Seattle over the offseason and recently got a chance for extended minutes when backcourt standouts Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Courtney Vandersloot each missed time. In jus about 10 minutes a game in 15 appearances, Dojkic is averaging 3.1 points in relief and shooting over 41 percent from three-point range.

Having previously starred in Russia, Slovenia, and her native Croatia, Dojkic is one of the latest entries into an international union that has been the Liberty, whose fans have previously been wowed and amazed by the efforts of beloved imports such as Bec Allen, Marine Johannes, and Han Xu. The mix has worked well amongst an assembly of 144 (the number of players currently stationed on WNBA rosters) that has routinely exercised its freedom of speech rights.

"It's an amazing thing. I love the fact that this team is really diverse," Italian-born forward Lorela Cubaj, now of the Atlanta Dream, said in 2022. "It wasn't as common in years prior."

Dojkic and the American-based/culturally diverse Liberty will get to enjoy the holiday in relative peace, as their next game looms on Saturday afternoon against the Indiana Fever (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

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