Breanna Stewart joined the New York Liberty two years ago with a clear goal: to help the struggling franchise win its first championship.
WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones soon came on board, and together they achieved their aim, following a disappointing loss in the Finals to Las Vegas the previous year.
“The wait was so, so, so worth it,” Stewart said. “We talked about it two years ago when it was free agency, and we wanted to come together. You look back and me, JJ, (Courtney Vandersloot), we all came together to win a championship. Last year we lost in the Finals. But look at us, now we’re here.”
With the main group still mostly the same, winning more championships could be on the horizon for Stewart and the Liberty after their 67-62 overtime win against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
She had previously won two titles with Seattle, but this victory felt special since she is the only player from New York on the team.
“This is more personal because I’m from New York. I’m from upstate,” she said. “I came here for a reason, and that’s to win a championship.”
With Stewart, Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and other important players signed for next year, there’s no reason to doubt that the Liberty could win again.
“I think it’s been fun. Hey, let’s not stop at one, though. Let’s go for two,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s hard to win because this league is so good. You need a little bit of luck on your side, but you also need talent. You also need talent, the right talent to put together.”
It won’t be easy. The league will change with Golden State joining as the 13th team. Teams like Minnesota, Las Vegas, and others will be eager to take the Liberty down. In the past 20 years, only the Aces have repeated as champions, winning in 2022 and 2023.
This series wrapped up a record-breaking season for the league. All five games were close, with two going into overtime and one having a last-second shot, leading to record viewership.
The five games also had the highest attendance ever for a WNBA Finals. Many fans from New York, eager for a championship in a city known for winning in other sports, will celebrate with a parade later this week.
It will likely take place in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan, just across the bridge from Barclays Center where the Liberty play.
Then it’s on to the offseason, and the first thing for the league and players to discuss is whether either side will opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement. They have until Nov. 1 to decide.
For now, the Liberty can enjoy their first-ever title. They had reached this point five times before but lost each time, including last season’s defeat. Some of the great Liberty players from the past, like Teresa Weatherspoon and Sue Wicks, who didn’t win a championship in their time, were in the sold-out crowd on Sunday to see the team succeed.
“I told her I hope you enjoy this because this is for you,” Vandersloot said she told Weatherspoon. “You laid the foundation and, you know, sometimes it doesn’t show right away. … I hope she feels appreciated because, you know, she kind of started this and now the city has won, and that can never be taken away.”
