Fans of the WNBA’s New York Liberty have suffered an agony similar to fans of the New York Knicks. Those who crossover as fans of both: that’s downright persecution.
Many of today’s New York Knicks fans would be hard-pressed to remember the franchise’s last NBA championship. It came in 1973. The Knicks also won the title in 1970.
NEW YORK – As berserk fans cascade onto floor, police surround Knicks’ Willis Reed, after the New Yorkers topped the Los Angeles Lakers at the Garden, winning their first NBA Championship title on May 8, 1970. Wilt Chamberlain removes headband as he walks dejectedly from floor. (Photo by Dan Farrell/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
The New York Knicks’ starting five — (L to R) Dick Barnett, Walt Frasier, Bill Bradley, Dave DeBusschere, and Willis Reed. (Photo by Dan Farrell/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)
That’s it. Two NBA championships for the Knicks. Ever. And both came more than 50 years ago.
So, unless you were born in the 1960s or before, you might have thought the Knicks were, well, champion-less.
Just like the Liberty, one of the original teams from the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 season, was champion-less.
Was. Was is now the key word here.
That’s right. Until Sunday night, the New York Liberty had done nothing to alleviate the Big Apple’s pro basketball frustrations. 27 seasons. 0 championships.
But, finally, in front of a raucous, sellout and hungry home crowd, the Liberty quashed all of that pain and heartache that has been haunting New York basketball fans for decades. The franchise won its very first WNBA championship – and the city’s third ever basketball championship – with a crazy, exhausting come-from-behind 67-62 overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
NEW YORK – Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty and New York Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai hoist the WNBA Championship Trophy after defeating the Minnesota Lynx to win Game Five of the WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
“It means everything,” New York Liberty star Breanna Steward said after the game, teary-eyed as the song “New York, New York” played in the background. “We had some ups and downs, but we fought hard because we wanted to bring it home for this city and this crowd.”
Yes, the 51-year drought is over. How you like them apples, New York?
Of course, in typical New York basketball fashion, the Liberty didn’t let New Yorkers off the hook easily. There was plenty of the usual anguish to go around. Not only did the game get pushed to overtime, the Liberty was down for much of the game, by as many as 12 points in the first half and 7 points at halftime.
Spike Lee, perhaps New York’s most famous and also most tortured pro basketball fan, was in the house, and actually remembers New York’s last championship.
NEW YORK – Spike Lee attends the game between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks during Round 2 Game 7 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on May 19, 2024 at Madison Square Garden. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
He didn’t become a Knicks season-ticket holder until 1985. But he grew up in Brooklyn and was an avid Knicks fans as a kid.
When he was just 13 years old, Lee watched Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals in person.
“It was a memory I will never forget,” Lee told the Sporting News in May. “Willis Reed coming back and the Garden went nuts. It was a very special moment in Knicks history.”
Lee is up on his Liberty history, too. He’s been a WNBA fan for years and did a pregame interview with the ESPN crew.
“It’s a beautiful game,” Lee said of the WNBA while wearing a Game 1 WNBA Finals signed Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty guard) jersey. “This game today, the WNBA, they can compete, they’re skilled, they’re playing. I love the WNBA. They don’t take a night off.
“People got to understand. This game is legit.”
BROOKLYN, NY – Spike Lee looks on during the game between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty during Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on October 20, 2024. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
Stewart, who hit two key free throws with about 5 seconds in regulation to tie the game and force overtime, has a legit understanding of how monumental this victory is for the city of New York. She’s a New Yorker.
“Growing up here and being rooted in the city has shaped who I am. Even though I’m from Syracuse, I’ve always felt connected to this place,” Stewart said before the game, acknowledging the 50-year pro hoops title drought for the Big Apple.
“There’s a lot of emotion that comes with it—heart, desire, and grit. There’s something about working through the struggle and pushing through the challenges that’s part of the New York way. It’s been 50 years since a men’s or women’s team brought a championship back here, so to end that drought would mean everything. We’re ready to make history.”
NEW YORK – Breanna Stewart of the New York Liberty shoots the ball against Bridget Carleton of the Minnesota Lynx during the second quarter of Game Five of the WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Liberty did just that, making its own history while denying Minnesota its fifth WNBA championship.
The Lynx won WNBA titles in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017.
But this was New York’s time. And what a special way to win it. Come-from-behind. At home. First championship ever. Putting an end to a half-century basketball title drought in the city.
Speaking of special, this was also a very special WNBA season, thanks in large part to the magic of Indiana Fever rookie and fan favorite Caitlin Clark.
CHICAGO Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever brings the ball up court during the game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena on August 30, 2024. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Her widespread appeal and popularity brought in a record number of new fans and new attention and new coverage to the WNBA.
All of that culminated with an electric ending. The Finals were sold out, crowds stood in lines outside the arena long before the doors opened and getting a ticket required a not-so-small investment.
Of course, the WNBA wasn’t without its controversies this season. There were many: the brutal treatment (hazing) of Clark by some players, questionable player claims of racism by fans, the appearance of entitlement and a lack of gratitude by players when the league finally provided chartered flights to road games for the first time ever.
But more so than not, the WNBA moved the needle in a net-positive direction this season. More fans. More sellouts. Higher ticket prices. More merch sales. Higher ratings. More public recognition.
And now, with this long-awaited New York championship, there’s more hype and more excitement for the WNBA than ever in the country’s biggest market.
A win-win-win for the WNBA.
And an even bigger win than that, for a much-deserving New York.
