It took 28 years, but the New York Liberty are finally WNBA champions. This is a pivotal moment for one of the cornerstone franchises of the WNBA, as the Liberty had been on the Finals stage five times since the league’s inception in 1996, but never able to bring the hardware home. That finally changed when Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones decided to join Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton in Brooklyn last January.
In what was the most competitive finals series in WNBA history, the Liberty edged the four-time champion Minnesota Lynx after a highly contested game five that went to overtime. This series was the first time in league history that multiple games had gone to overtime, with the Lynx completing an 18-point comeback in an extra period in game one.
The Lynx got out to a hot start in the decisive game five, leading by nine after the first quarter and seven at halftime. The Liberty wouldn’t go down easy, however, as third-year forward Nyara Sabally took advantage of her first real action of the playoffs by going off for nine points and five rebounds in the second half. Sabally had 11 of her 13 points in the second half and overtime, and was the second leading scorer overall for New York.
The game was sent to overtime after Stewart nailed a pair of free throws with five seconds remaining, a call that was subject to much controversy after Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve unsuccessfully challenged the foul. After the game, Reeve took to the podium to say “this sh*t was stolen from us,” and continued saying “I thought today was incredibly disappointing. The challenge — we have got to change our challenge rules. The officials during the game should have a third party, because that was not a foul.”
Despite the complaints from Reeve, the Liberty are WNBA champions thanks in large part to the effort of Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, who averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds on 56% from the field in the series. Jones was key on the defensive end for New York, mainly being matched up against Minnesota’s prolific scorer and All-Star Napheesa Collier.
Collier had an incredible playoff run, averaging a final series-high 19 points-per-game and set a WNBA playoff record with 42 points in her round one game against the Phoenix Mercury. However, Collier’s season came to an end early when she fouled out in overtime of game five, leaving Minnesota without their top scoring and defensive option.
For the Liberty, usual stars Ionescu and Stewart shot well-below their typical splits, combining to shoot 5/34 from the field, though they did contribute a combined 22 rebounds, 12 assists, four blocks and three steals. All-Rookie Team member Leonie Fiebich had an extraordinary Finals series, averaging a rookie-record 13 points in the series to go along with five rebounds and three assists per game.
The Liberty entered the season looking to avenge their 2023 Finals loss to the Las Vegas Aces, and did so by becoming undoubtedly the best team in the league with their 32-8 record and rolling through the first two rounds playoffs.
There’s going to be uncertainty regarding the future of this Liberty team, with Stewart set to become a free agent, and the WNBA adding an two expansion teams this winter in San Francisco and Toronto. The Liberty will certainly lose at least one or two players in the upcoming expansion draft, and their finances might make it difficult to keep the core of the team together. For now, however, the Liberty are champions for the first time ever, and Liberty Loyals are deservedly enjoying the moment for what it is — something they’ve never experienced before.
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @nyliberty, Instagram
