NEW YORK — A WNBA champion herself, Natasha Cloud is comfortably embracing her new home with the Liberty – adding an extra spark in the defending champions’ quest for a repeat.
“It’s a standard to win and I understood that coming to New York and I want to be part of that standard,” Cloud told reporters after the game. “ It’s really hard to win a championship and every piece is important to that success. So I just want to be a part of it. All I want to do is add to this organization.”
The Liberty (1-0) defeated the Las Vegas Aces (0-1) 92-78. Cloud nearly recorded a double-double in her debut with 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds.
In the first half, Cloud had 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists as the Liberty lead by 14. Despite New York’s largest lead of the game at 17, the Aces battled back and were only trailing by five points at the end of the third quarter.
Momentum dramatically shifted in the fourth quarter for the Liberty, as the 17-thousand fans in the sold-out Barclays Center in Brooklyn jolted with energy and excitement after Cloud made defensive stops and scored on back-to-back three-point plays.
“It was electrifying,” Cloud said on the energy from the fans during her key plays late in the game. “I always understood as an opponent that the crowd here – it’s a sixth man on the court at all times. It’s really refreshing and nice because it gives you that extra energy that you need. So those moments where I just yell, I’m trying to get everyone involved, our team up and the crowd involved because it does shift the momentum of the game. So the more involved we get, the better.”
Cloud, a Philadelphia native, played high school basketball at Cardinal O’Hara in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and later starred at Saint Joseph’s University in West Philadelphia. She was drafted in 2015 by the Washington Mystics and won a WNBA championship with the team in 2020.
The Mystics’ championship win that season was not celebrated in a traditional format because of the COVID-19 pandemic and player international commitments. Cloud participated in the festivities with her new teammates who were honored before the game through a ring ceremony and raising of the Liberty’s 2024 championship banner – the first in franchise history.
“You can’t help but be happy for your teammates,” Cloud said while smiling. “And when you’re happy for your teammates and you celebrate them, I always feel like good karma is gonna come back around. So I sit there, I boast them on a pedestal, and then we’re right back to it because I want to win and celebrate too.”
Over the offseason, Cloud was traded to the Liberty from the Connecticut Sun in exchange for draft picks. Veteran forward Breanna Stewart, who led the game with 25 points and eight rebounds, praised Cloud’s presence on and off the court.
 I think one of the things that really excited me the most about [acquiring] Tasha was her size,” Stewart said. “Because it’s not only the point guard but it’s the ability to do multiple things. [Tash] is unselfish. She knows when to find her teammates and she knows when to call her own number and use the length and the size that she has to really dictate what she wants offensively.”
The Liberty will travel to face the Chicago Sky on May 22. Cloud is aiming to build off the season-opening win and bring her underdog mentality to lift the Liberty to a 2-0 start.
“I’ve felt like I been an underdog my entire career and I kind of just found my way” Cloud said. “I think it’s a testament to my parents and how they raised me and my five siblings. My dad worked two jobs to keep a roof over our head and my mom went to work and came home to take care of us. So how do you not get it out the mud? How do you not go after it every single day? I’m very thankful to my environment that I grew up in and they were actually able to be here today which was really cool for me.
“I’m just really happy all around to be here, but I’m gonna bring that every single night.”
