The New York Liberty won their first WNBA Championship on Oct. 20, beating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in an overtime game five final.
In one of the most exciting WNBA playoff series, Liberty and Lynx fought hard till the last minute. The Liberty avenged their 2023 loss and successfully curbed the Lynx from becoming five-time WNBA championship winners.
“We stayed together, and Minnesota credit to them, they made us work real hard, but New York we did it,” New York Liberty Head Coach Sandy Brondello said.
Lynx forced a game five when they won 82-80 just days before. Liberty won game 4, thanks to Sabrina Ionescu’s game-winning three-pointer in the game’s final few seconds.
While Ionescu failed to find her offensive footing in the final game, her eight assists were crucial to getting her team the win.
After the Liberty made up a 14-point deficit, the last half of the game remained a close match. Brianna Stewart’s free throws in the last five seconds of the game allowed the Liberty to go into overtime. Stewart’s last two free throws during overtime put the Liberty in the perfect position to win the championship title.
“This is what can happen when you invest in women,” ESPN reporter Holly Rowe said during the trophy presentation.
The New York Liberty team struggled without a home court venue until 2019, when they were bought by Clara Wu Tsai and her husband, who took them to Barclays Center.
“When we bought the team four years ago, they were playing at Westchester County Center to a crowd of 2000. And the first thing we wanted to do was bring the team to Barclays Center so that they could have a bigger stage,” Tsai said to ESPN.
“Look what can happen when you have an intention and you put resources and care and attention to it.”
Jonquel Jones was awarded the 2024 WNBA Finals MVP, as she led the Liberty offense with 17 points, six rebounds and an assist on 50% shooting from the field in its final championship game.
Jones scored 17 points in the final games, followed by Stewart and Fiebich who both scored 13.
“I could never dream of this,” Jones said as she accepted her MVP award.
“Y’all know my story know how many times I’ve been denied it, but it was delayed that’s all it was and I’m so happy to do it here.”
Jones had received less media attention for her performance than her teammates Ionescu and Stewart. Averaging 17.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists in a five-game series, Jones was the top player on the court for New York.
The Empire State Building shared a tweet on X of its Liberty green color display the night Liberty won.
New York pride shined across the city on Oct. 21 as New York marked its first basketball title in 48 years by lighting up municipal buildings like City Hall and borough halls in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, in the Liberty’s seafoam green.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a ticker-tape parade celebrating the WNBA champions along the “Canyon of Heroes” on Broadway in the Financial District on Oct. 24.