A New York Liberty rookie who hails from Italy said pizza in her new city 'actually is not that bad'

• The New York Liberty selected center Lorela Cubaj with the 18th pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
• Cubaj, who's from Terni, Italy, said she tried New York pizza shortly after arriving in her new city.

New York is known for having some of the best pizza on the planet.

But Lorela Cubaj, the WNBA rookie who hails from the country where pizza was invented, decided she'd be her own judge of the pizza in her new city. She told Insider that, shortly after the Liberty drafted her with the 18th pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft, she tried New York City pizza for herself.

"I actually had a pizza here," Cubaj said on Liberty media day. "Actually, it's not that bad."

"It was really good, actually. I enjoyed it," she added amidst laughter from reporters.

The Terni, Italy, native came to New York after five stellar seasons with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. A two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2022 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Award finalist, Cubaj worked her way up from a role player to a national standout.

But even with all of the success that came her way down in Georgia, Cubaj was happy to leave one aspect of her college experience behind her.

"I definitely don't miss the pizza in Atlanta," she said with a laugh.

Cubaj has carved out a role early in her Liberty tenure, averaging 12.2 minutes per game over her first five contests. She's played more total minutes than all but seven members of her draft class — six of whom were drafted in the first round.

New York has a long season ahead, but Cubaj figures to be a solid contributor throughout. And if the pizza is any indication, she may just have an interest in staying in Brooklyn for a while.