New York Liberty win first WNBA championship in franchise history

The Liberty celebrate their long-awaited WNBA championship in front of the home crowd at Barclays Center on Sunday night in Brooklyn, NY.|Art or Photo Credit: AP

BROOKLYN – The New York Liberty won the 2024 WNBA Championship after defeating the Minnesota Lynx, 67-62, on Sunday. The Liberty are an original franchise of the WNBA and this win marks their first-ever WNBA Championship in 28 seasons and New York City’s first professional basketball championship since 1973.

Led by an 17-point performance from 2024 WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, the Liberty secured its third win of the series to clinch the title. The 2024 regular season was a record-breaking year for the New York Liberty, clinching the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs for a second time in franchise history, tying a franchise-best finish of 32-8, and becoming the first team in WNBA history with back-to-back 30+ win seasons.

“After 28 years, we can finally say it: the New York Liberty are WNBA champions,” GM Jonathan Kolb said. “This achievement belongs to our fans who never wavered, each and every Liberty legend who paved the way, Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai who breathed new life into an organization in need, and the entire city of New York that has been starving for a championship—and of course, our players, whose grit, sacrifice and determination have made history. They are truly the first to do it in New York and I could not be more proud of this entire organization.”

“This moment means everything - not only to the Liberty organization, but to our fans and all of New York City,” Liberty CEO Keia Clarke said. “The Liberty have been chasing this dream since 1997 and after a strategic five-year turnaround, driven by ownership’s vision of rebuilding and re-growing this historic team, we are proud to get back to first and win this championship for New York. We would not be here without our fans whose passion has helped energize this team all season long. We take great pride in what we’ve built with our fans - something special that extends far beyond the basketball court – and this moment is just as much for them as it is for us.”

The Liberty will host 2024 championship celebrations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with more details to be announced Monday, Oct. 21. Fans can sign up at www.liberty.wnba.com/2024Champions to receive additional information when it becomes available.

Championship merchandise will be on-sale online at www.nylibertystore.com and at the team’s store at Barclays Center, Brooklyn Fanatics, until midnight tonight, with inventory updated daily. Brooklyn Fanatics will also be open for extended hours throughout the week (Monday, Oct. 21 - Wednesday, Oct. 23: 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.).