New York Liberty win first WNBA
championship, more could be on the horizon
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[October 21, 2024]
By DOUG FEINBERG
NEW YORK (AP) — Breanna Stewart joined the New York Liberty two
years ago with one goal in mind: to bring the long-suffering
franchise it's first championship.
WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones soon joined her and the pair helped
the Liberty accomplish their mission, a year after they suffered a
disappointing loss in the Finals to Las Vegas.
“The wait was so, so, so worth it,” Stewart said. “We talked about
it two years ago when it was free agency, and we wanted to come
together. You look back and me, JJ, (Courtney Vandersloot), we all
came together to win a championship. Last year we lost in the
Finals. But look at us, now we’re here.”
Now with the core group mostly intact, winning more championships
might be in the future for Stewart and the Liberty after Sunday's
67-62 overtime victory against the Minnesota Lynx in the deciding
Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
She had won two titles before with Seattle, but this was special for
her as the only player born in the state of New York on the roster.
“This is more personal because I’m from New York. I’m from upstate,”
she said. “I came here for a reason, and that’s to win a
championship.”
With Stewart, Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and other key players signed
for next year, there's no reason to think the Liberty couldn't
repeat.
“I think it’s been fun. Hey, let’s not stop at one, though. Let’s go
for two,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s hard to win
because this league is so good. You need a little bit of luck on
your side, but you also need talent. You also need talent, the right
talent to put together.”
It won't be easy. The league will look different with the addition
of Golden State as a 13th team. They'll also be squads like
Minnesota, Las Vegas and others hungry to knock them off. In the
past 20 years, only the Aces have repeated as champions, winning in
2022 and 2023.
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The New York Liberty celebrate after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in
Game 5 of the WNBA basketball final series to win the WNBA
championship, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela
Smith)
This series was a fitting conclusion to a record-breaking season for
the league. All five games came down to the last few possessions and
have included two overtime games and a last-second shot, which have
led to record ratings.
The five games produced a record attendance for a WNBA Finals. Many
of those New York fans, dying for a championship in a city known for
winning titles in other sports, will celebrate at a parade later
this week. It most likely will be in the Canyon of Heroes in
downtown Manhattan — right across the bridge from Barclays Center
where the Liberty play.
Then it’s on to the offseason with the first order of business for
the league and players being whether either side will opt out of the
current collective bargaining agreement. They have until Nov. 1 to
do it.
For now the Liberty can enjoy their first-ever title. They had been
this far five times before, losing each time, including last
season's defeat. Some of the great Liberty players of the past like
Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks, who came up short in their time
of winning a championship, were in the sellout crowd Sunday to see
the team win.
“I told her I hope you enjoy this because this is for you,”
Vandersloot said she told Weatherspoon. “You laid the foundation
and, you know, sometimes it doesn’t show right away. ... I hope she
feels appreciated because, you know, she kind of started this and
now the city has won and that can never be taken away.”
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