Kayla Thornton provides spark and glue for Liberty

It was back in the summertime, actually mid-January but the summertime in Australia, where Kayla Thornton was playing.

The 6-1 forward for the Southside Flyers of the Women’s National Basketball League was about to receive life-changing offseason news from the States involving her other league, the WNBA.

The Liberty had just swung a blockbuster three-way deal to acquire 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones from the Connecticut Sun. Thornton also was headed for Brooklyn from the Dallas Wings, her team during the previous six seasons.

“I would say my first reaction honestly was I was in standstill moment because it kind of just happened when I was practicing in Australia,” Thornton said. “I looked at my phone and my agent told me to call her. At first, I was just like, ‘OK, wow.’ And then as I processed it, I said, ‘God, I thank you for a new opportunity.’    ”

Her new team was thankful, too. Still is.

The Liberty brought in a Big 3 with Jones, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot. Thornton was an overshadowed addition. However, she has been a valuable addition in her reserve role for a postseason-bound team that brought a 22-6 record into Friday night’s game against Chicago at Barclays Center.

“In our opinion and in our eyes, she’s not overshadowed,” assistant coach Roneeka Hodges said. “We understand how important she is to the team. We understand how important she is to our overall success.”

The 30-year-old native of El Paso, Texas, who played for UTEP, was averaging 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17 minutes per game and shooting 35.1% from beyond the arc. Thornton is averaging 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds overall in her eight-year WNBA career, which began with Washington in 2015.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello calls Thornton a “3-and-D” player. Her numbers don’t jump off the stat sheet, but she makes the most of her minutes and brings an infusion of energy among her intangibles.

“She’s just a hard-nosed player,” Brondello said. “Whatever the team asks of her, that’s what she does. She’s a luxury to have on your team because you’re always going to get great effort from her. She loves to play defense. She’s going to compete. It’s not about scoring for her. It’s about playing the right way.

“So we’re lucky to have KT on our team, and we’re going to need her to continue to bring such a high level.”

The Liberty are chasing the franchise’s first WNBA championship.

“That’s our ultimate goal, and each day we work toward that,” Thornton said. “We’ve just got to take care of business and we’ve just got to continue to get better so that when we hit that September mark, almost to October, it’s just easy money from there.”

Right now, she’s enjoying the journey.

“This team is just a blessing,” Thornton said. “To be able to play with the girls that I’m playing with and to learn from them and to grow has just been an honor. I can’t be more thankful than I am now.”