Liberty’s Natasha Cloud Ready for Return After WNBA Warning

Natasha Cloud loves the New York Liberty game so much, she’ll do it for free—and even then, she’ll do it at a discount.

Seated on the Liberty bench for Tuesday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center due to a hip injury, Cloud revealed on X that the league dealt her a fine warning for wearing an unapproved hat as she took in New York’s 87-78 victory.

“I don’t understand why I receive a fine warning for wearing a hat on the bench for a game I was unable to play in?” Cloud asked in her post. “I just feel like I wanna be left alone lolllzzz.”

Cloud proved to be worth the money and then some on Tuesday night, which saw the Liberty (13-6) slide back into the win column after a tepid start to summer. The win was earned with Cloud and fellow contributors Isabelle Harrison and Jonquel Jones sidelined due to various ailments, though Cloud and Harrison are expected to return when New York continues a lengthy homestand on Sunday against the Atlanta Dream (3 p.m. ET, My9).

Those that partook in Tuesday’s win lauded Cloud’s contributions in absentia: Kennedy Burke, one of Cloud’s replacements in the starting five, indirectly credited her as the spark behind a sterling defensive breakout in the second half, one that saw the Sixth Woman of the Year candidate earn five steals that yielded 11 seafoam points.

“After halftime, I feel like Tash did a good job of just like, coming up to me, telling me to shake it off, like it’s an it’s a brand new half,” Burke said. “I feel like that just really helped me just get into the momentum of just being almost everywhere on the defensive end, and I think that translated onto the offensive end.”

“She’s always 1000 percent, so I think she’s just doing a great job,” fellow second unit spark plug Marine Johannes added. “Even when she’s not playing, like tonight, we can hear her, and I feel it’s good for the team.”

It’s all part of an effort for Cloud to continue vindicating the high price the Liberty paid to fulfill fan requests to see her collaborate with fellow backcourt maven Sabrina Ionescu, one that has paid sizable dividends despite injury interruption. New York still sits in third entering the last week of play before All-Star activities commence in Indianapolis, one that some felt should’ve featured Cloud in her exhibition debut.

Even with Cloud swept away in that regard, her presence both on and off the floor continues to be appreciated by the established veteran and role player alike as she continues to embark on her maiden metropolitan voyage.

“I think, you know, to have Tash and Izzy, obviously, JJ has been doing it, just in our ear, giving us words of affirmation and confidence is really helpful,” the Indianapolis-bound Breanna Stewart said. “It kind of keeps an awareness of what we’re doing and what needs to be done better.”

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