📢 TOP STORY: Kennedy Burke admits she nearly cried as KT’s emotional return turns Liberty vs. Valkyries into a reunion fans can’t stop replaying ⚡.BT

Optional Hook Sentences:
The moment Kennedy Burke saw KT step onto the floor, the entire arena felt different.
What should’ve been a routine post-game interview instantly turned into an emotional reunion story nobody expected.

Kennedy Burke didn’t even try to hide her excitement — or the chaos she helped create.

Right after the Liberty’s win over the Golden State Valkyries, Burke found herself reliving the moment fans were obsessing over online: the surprise reunion with her former teammate and close friend, KT. Everyone saw the viral photo of KT creeping behind her like a mischievous shadow, but Burke insists the version circulating online is only half the truth.

She was actually the one plotting the ambush.

Burke says she hid behind the basket, signaling to staffers Cy and Brandon like a spy waiting for the perfect moment. “When is she coming? When is she coming?” she whispered while crouched behind the stanchion. When the cue finally came, Burke popped out — and the emotional eruption between the two turned the court into a reunion stage. KT cried first. Of course she did. According to Burke, KT had already cried the day before and again during shootaround.

Burke almost cracked too — but fought to hold it together. “Hold it in, KB… hold it in,” she told herself, trying not to crumble when she saw KT’s face fold with emotion. Their hug, the one that went viral within minutes, wasn’t staged. It was the collision of two players who bonded deeply in one season — a bond that doesn’t fade just because one changes uniforms.

The memories came flooding in fast: Six Flags trips, endless jokes, KT’s contagious goofiness, and a friendship that teammates describe as “two kids you always have to separate in class.” Burke laughed when reporters brought that comparison up. “Honestly? Facts,” she said. “When we’re together, it’s trouble… but it’s always all love.”

Even with the emotional whirlwind surrounding KT’s return to New York for her ring ceremony, Burke and the Liberty still had a job to do. They’re 4–0 to start the season — impressive, though Burke says the team hasn’t played close to its best basketball. They’re winning, but not satisfied. A brutal schedule is looming, including another matchup with the Valkyries and several tightly packed road games. Burke emphasized recovery, focus, and discipline as keys to surviving the week.

But KT’s presence still hovered like a warm echo.

Reporters asked how Burke handled guarding her friend during the game. She couldn’t stop smiling — literally. “I was like, KT, we’re in the middle of the game. Be serious!” she said, recounting how KT’s goofy antics almost got her in trouble. But that’s what KT does: she lightens the room, the court, and anyone standing next to her.

The conversation then turned to another rising young player: Janelle Salon. Burke said she hugged her during shootaround earlier in the day, reminding her how proud she was. Salon, she said, has the kind of talent that immediately impacts the floor — the kind of talent KT can help nurture.

The WNBA is an intense league to transition into, especially for players coming from overseas. Burke emphasized the importance of accepting criticism, embracing growth, and understanding mistakes as a normal part of adapting. With KT now in the picture, Salon has a perfect mentor: someone who lifts teammates emotionally, pushes them technically, and never lets the gym feel too heavy.

And then came the inevitable final question: the hugs.

Reporters were obsessed with them — and Burke didn’t blame them. There were two memorable hugs: the personal one, when KT’s emotions overwhelmed her, and then the spontaneous group hug that followed seconds later.

Burke didn’t plan it. Nobody did.

“She hugged me, and I could tell she was getting in her feelings,” Burke said. “Then everyone started coming in… so I was like, ‘You know what? Group hug.’ And then she really started crying.”

The moment felt pure, unrehearsed, and unmistakably real — the kind of emotional snapshot that fans grab onto and don’t let go.

As the interview wrapped, Burke thanked reporters, still glowing from the reunion but fully aware that the season doesn’t pause for sentimental moments. The Liberty are undefeated, the schedule is brutal, and every game matters.

But for one night, for one emotional return, basketball wasn’t just basketball.

It was friendship.
It was family.
It was two players who turned a routine game into the most heartwarming moment of the week.