The New York Liberty have won their first WNBA championship in franchise history, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 by a score of 67-62 on Oct. 20. This competitive back-and-forth series came down to overtime, where the Liberty came out on top. The team, led by stars Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, broke their team’s 27-year championship drought and brought yet another championship to the Big Apple.
Going into the season, the Liberty had high expectations after coming up short against the Las Vegas Aces in the 2023 championship. This season, they had a league-best record of 32-8, helping them get the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
A lot has happened to the Liberty in recent years. In 2019, the Liberty moved to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn after previously playing in Westchester, N.Y., for two years. When they drafted Ionescu in 2020, a dynamic shifted within the organization. Just three years later, the team signed five-time All-Star Stewart and traded for Jones in 2023. They also acquired veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot to help make a competitive push toward a championship title.
In the playoffs, the Liberty defeated the Atlanta Dream in the first round before getting revenge on the Las Vegas Aces in the semi-finals. In Game 1 against the Lynx in the championship series, the Liberty blew a 15-point lead late, ultimately losing by a score of 95-93 in overtime. New York then won the next two games to get a 2-1 series lead where Ionescu put up 24 points in Game 2 and had a game-winning three-pointer in Game 3. The Lynx won the next game, sending the series to Game 5 and back to Brooklyn. In the last few minutes of Game 5, the Liberty continued to convert points at the free-throw line while taking a significant advantage in overtime to win their first title in franchise history.
After five previous finals losses, the Liberty can finally say they are champions. Not only is the title a first for the franchise, but the Liberty ended a drought for New York basketball. Their victory was the first basketball championship for a New York team since the New York Knicks last won in 1973. They celebrated by having a parade through New York City, embracing fans, friends and family. The Liberty finally adds their name to the long list of storied champions of the Big Apple.
Photo Credits: “New York Liberty WNBA World Champions 2024 Canyon of Heroes Parade New York City” by Anthony Quintano is licensed under (CC BY 2.0).
