After 28 seasons and six Finals appearances, the New York Liberty are WNBA champions for the first time in franchise history. In front of Sunday night’s sold-out crowd of 18,090 — the most-attended WNBA Final in history, per the league — the Liberty toppled the Minnesota Lynx during overtime in game five with a final score of 67-62. As ESPN broadcaster Elle Duncan pointed out, this means the all-women’s team has broken New York’s 50-year basketball championship drought, which has evaded the men of the Knicks for decades. New York’s star center Jonquel Jones, who was named the Finals MVP after putting up 17 points, tried to put the feeling into words. “I could never dream of this,” Jones told reporters after the game. “You know how many times I’ve been denied. It was delayed. I am so happy to do it here.”
“I’ve been manifesting this moment for a while. There’s no feeling like it,” the Liberty’s Breanna Stewart added. “Credit to Minnesota; they gave us a tough series. The fans have been amazing everywhere we’ve gone. To bring a championship to New York — first ever in franchise history … it’s an incredible feeling. I can’t wait to continue to celebrate with the city. It’s going to be bonkers.”
Last night’s record-breaking performance was the perfect wrap-up to the WNBA’s most-watched regular season to date. With seasoned veteran talent and fan-favorite rookies like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark, the league drew in new viewers and star power alike. Seated courtside at Barclays Center on Sunday were Spike Lee, Robin Roberts, Jadakiss, Jason Sudeikis, Aubrey Plaza, and Reese, who opted for a custom split Lynx-Liberty jersey. Celebrities were joined by former Liberty greats Teresa Weatherspoon, Sue Wicks, and Swin Cash. LeBron James also tuned in, tweeting his live analysis throughout the game, as Vice-President Kamala Harris and President Biden tweeted their own well-wishes to the newly crowned champs. Oh, and don’t forget Ellie the Elephant, who showed up to the affair in a new puffer jacket and nose ring.
The Liberty’s postgame celebrations are already afoot with Stewart seen puffing her cigar in her wife’s face after the victory and all the team members dumping bottles of Champagne on one another. The Empire State Building was lit up in Liberty seafoam green, and later this week the team will continue the celebrations during a citywide parade. In the meantime, expect more locker-room footage of the players getting TURNT. I’ll leave you with Sabrina Ionescu’s closing words: “God, we did it in New York!”
An earlier version of this post incorrectly included the Yankees and Giants in New York’s 50-year championship drought. Duncan’s comments were about pro-basketball.