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Liberty player reacts to high praise from LeBron James

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Marine Johannès finished with 14 points off the bench for the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the 2023 WNBA Finals. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)

Marine Johannès’ moves caught the eye of many during Sunday’s Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, including NBA star LeBron James.

James called Johannès’ shot a “CANNON,” noting that her one-legged 3-pointer while moving to the left “got me out my seat!!”

The French star, who is often the first player off the bench for the New York Liberty, scored 14 points in that role in Sunday’s 99-82 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. She went 4-of-7 from 3-point range in 20 minutes on the floor, good enough to be New York’s third-highest scorer in the game.

On Monday, Johannès responded to James’ post about her shooting prowess with an emoji-filled tweet, the hands covering the emojis face seemingly expressing her disbelief over her shoutout from the four-time NBA champion.

“The Marine who came out was Marine,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game. “She’s had some good games against [the Aces] and she was making shots.”

Brondello also had emphasized Johannès’ role ahead of the series, noting that the 28-year-old guard was “ready to go,” as Johannès proved Sunday.

“We have spoken about our bench being a strength,” Brondello said. “I’m sure they will be in this series as well.”