Brooklyn, NY —As confetti rained down and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” echoed through the arena, the New York Liberty celebrated a monumental achievement.
After a long journey that began in Madison Square Garden and included stops at Radio City Music Hall and Westchester County Center, the team finally reached the pinnacle of success.
Indeed, the message is clear: New York has a professional basketball champion once again, following a thrilling 67-62 overtime victory against Minnesota in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday night.
“I’ve been manifesting this moment for a while. There’s no feeling like it,” said Breanna Stewart. “Hats off to Minnesota; they made it a tough series. The fans have been amazing everywhere we’ve played. Bringing a championship to New York for the first time in franchise history is incredible. I can’t wait to celebrate with the city—it’s going to be wild!”
Jonquel Jones led New York with 17 points, marking a historic moment for the franchise, which has now clinched its first title after five previous trips to the WNBA Finals, all of which ended in disappointment, including last season. This time, they refused to be denied, even with the game extending into overtime.
With stars Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggling offensively, other players stepped up. Leonie Fiebich kicked off the overtime period with a 3-pointer, and Nyara Sabally, who contributed 13 points, made a crucial steal for a layup, pushing the score to 65-60 and sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy.
“Whoever scores first in overtime usually wins,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello remarked.
Minnesota was held scoreless in overtime until Kayla McBride made two free throws with 1:51 left. The Lynx struggled, missing all six of their field goal attempts during the extra period. After Ionescu missed a shot with 21 seconds remaining—marking her 18th miss out of 19 attempts—the Lynx had one last opportunity, but Bridget Carleton’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds left went wide.
Stewart, who had missed a crucial free throw at the end of regulation in Game 1, made two from the line with 10.1 seconds left in overtime, solidifying the victory.
As the clock wound down, players embraced while streamers cascaded from the rafters at Barclays Center. Stewart and Jones shared a heartfelt hug, both key free agent acquisitions from two years ago who played pivotal roles in securing the title.
In a tense moment in regulation, New York trailed by two when Stewart was fouled with 5.2 seconds to go. After a lengthy video review, she calmly converted two free throws to tie the game at 60. Minnesota challenged the foul call, and coach Cheryl Reeve continued to express her disbelief, claiming the championship was taken from her team.
McBride, who led the Lynx with 21 points, had a chance to win the game with an open 3-pointer, but it bounced off the rim, sending the game into overtime.
Among the audience were former Liberty legends, including Teresa Weatherspoon, who famously hit a half-court shot in the 1999 WNBA Finals to force a decisive Game 3. That marked New York’s last chance at a championship before this year.
Jones, the only Liberty player with previous Game 5 experience from her time in Connecticut, was named MVP.
“I could never have dreamed of this. You know how many times I’ve been denied? It was delayed, but I’m so happy it happened here,” she said.
Napheesa Collier led Minnesota with 22 points but fouled out with 13 seconds left in overtime.
The Lynx were aiming for a record fifth WNBA title, which would have broken a tie with the Seattle Storm and Houston Comets. Minnesota previously won four championships from 2011 to 2017, featuring a legendary core of players like Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore. This year marked their return to the WNBA Finals after several years away.
“Congratulations to the Liberty on their first championship,” Reeve said. “It took them 28 years, and we were so close to our fifth. It just didn’t happen.”
This WNBA Finals marked the first time since 2019 that the series went to a decisive Game 5. Since the league adopted the best-of-five format in 2005, seven other series have reached Game 5, with the home team winning five of those matchups.
This thrilling series concluded a record-breaking season for the WNBA, with each of the five games coming down to the final possessions. The series featured two overtime games and numerous nail-biting moments, contributing to record viewership.
The first three games each attracted over a million viewers on average, with audience numbers growing for each contest, complemented by impressive attendance figures.
Liberty superfan Spike Lee was seen courtside over an hour before tipoff, chatting with media while proudly sporting an Ionescu jersey. He and Ionescu exchanged a warm hug after her pregame warm-up. Lee was part of a sellout crowd of 18,090 that helped set both overall and average attendance records for the WNBA Finals.
