New York Liberty’s historic triumph over the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals on ended a 51-year drought in New York City professional basketball championships, spurring celebrations and debate on the team’s growth and success.
The team’s journey to the monumental win was marked by both triumph and tribulation.
The New York Liberty, founded in 1997 as one of the original eight teams in the WNBA, has experienced a rollercoaster of seasons over its more than two-decade-long history. Liberty was a frontrunner in the early years, clinching the Eastern Conference title four times in the late 90s and early 2000s. But the franchise faltered in its quest for the ultimate prize.
Liberty’s run in the 1999 Finals is remembered as a heart-wrenching loss to the Houston Comets, a defeat that set a precedent for years of near-misses. The franchise would go on to reach the Finals two more times, in 2000 and 2002, but each time, it returned home empty-handed.
A legacy of near-victories and disappointing losses only deepened the thirst for a championship, especially since the city had not celebrated a professional basketball championship since the New York Knicks in 1973.
Woes on the court and behind the scenes continued as Liberty struggled to receive the same resources, sponsorships, and media attention that its male counterparts enjoyed.
A stroke of consistent good picks began to turn the tide for the team.
In 2019 the Liberty was acquired by new owners and moved to Brooklyn. Then, they signed Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, two critical players on the 2024 roster. It was a turning point for the Liberty.
“Historically, the city of New York fell in love with the Liberty team,” Sue Wicks, a former Liberty star from 1997 to 2002, previously told Brooklyn Paper. “We also had the sellout crowds when we played at Madison Square Garden, but when the team went to White Plains, we lost some of that.”
Soon after, the WNBA gained…
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