Brooklyn native Epiphanny Prince’s basketball history is woven into the fabric of New York City. She first played at Madison Square Garden as a preteen. Her 113 points in a high school game—during Murry Bergtraum’s string of 14 consecutive PSAL titles—broke Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller’s record. She was a valuable offensive presence for the New York Liberty from 2015–18 and returned last year as called upon to help the Liberty make it to the WNBA Finals.
Prince also played with the Chicago Sky, Seattle Storm, and Las Vegas Aces, as well as overseas, during her career.
Those would be her last games as a professional baller, but her association with the Liberty continues as she steps into her new role as director of player and community engagement. Prince said she knew the time to retire from playing was at hand when instead of delighting in her career, she started complaining about it. Being based in Brooklyn and settling into her new role is exciting. Now, she will work to elevate the Liberty’s outreach efforts, youth basketball programming, and social responsibility presence throughout the five boroughs.
“It means a lot; I’m excited to be home and try to make as big of an impact as possible in the community here in New York City and give the girls in the community an opportunity to see our players and know that they can do it,” said Prince.
Prince is eager to dive into local grassroots basketball. During her time playing with different WNBA teams and overseas, she would hear about grassroots basketball in NYC. “Now, I’m happy to be hands-on, trying to address the needs,” she said.
Some of the Liberty’s rookies are unfamiliar with the city, so she hopes to introduce them to a bit of street basketball. “If they’re interested in that, they should be able to come out and see our streetball culture in New York City,” Prince said. “I think it will be something that’s cool for them.”
The Liberty heads into this season with high expectations after achieving so many team milestones in 2023, including the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Prince looks forward to seeing familiar faces at Barclays Center.
“You miss things when you’re away,” she said. “Being able to reconnect with everybody—it’s been good. Everyone’s doing well in life and everyone’s happy for each other.”