NY Liberty Wins WNBA Championship; City to Host Parade In Their Honor
A major score for the New York team.
Christmas came early for the NY Liberty women’s basketball team this year. The team won the WNBA championships, the first in the franchise’s history. If you or your little one are a fan of the women’s basketball team, you can take them to see the celebratory parade this Thursday starting at 10 am! If they’ll be in school, don’t worry as celebrations will continue throughout the week!
It’s the first time the team has won since its creation nearly 30 years ago, according to Gothamist. The ladies beat the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 after a long season and some gritty overtime on the court. The team was the underdogs of the finalists, as they were the only team to enter the championships that had never won before. They had a harsh track record, loosing five previous finals before, but hit the hardwood with a vengeance this year.
Star player Breanna Stewart scored two free throws with five seconds left, tying the game with the Lynx and opening the door for the championship for her team.
Social media was awry with highlights from the intense game, with the WNBA official account tweeting ‘#WelcomeToTheW’ as it celebrated the momentous occasion.
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On Monday morning, City Hall announced that a ticker-tape parade will be held for the championship this Thursday, October 24th. The parade is set to start at 10 am sharp at Manhattan’s Battery Park and then travel up a section of Broadway into the Financial District, also known as the ‘Canyon of Heroes’. In a video message on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mayor Eric Adams announced the parade, beaming with joy for the women’s team.
“We are excited. Congratulations New York Liberty for winning your first WNBA title,” Adams starts off, toting a navy blue suit, baseball cap and bright orange water bottle. “You made us proud and we’re going to make you proud. We’re going to give you a ticker-tape parade, 10 a.m. on Thursday morning. And then after that, we’re going to have an amazing ceremony right here at City Hall to say thank you to our heroes.”
Adams also announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings, including Brooklyn Borough Hall, will be lit up seafoam on Monday night to celebrate their victory.
“From the start of the season to the very last game, the New York Liberty were focused on one singular objective: winning. Tonight, they delivered a historic win – making our great city proud by becoming champions, the first in the franchise’s history,” Mayor Adams told Channel 7.
“At a time when the rest of the country is finally acknowledging the endless talent in our WNBA, we are proud to have New York City bring home the trophy. To our WNBA champions, thank you for being a role model to our city, and showcasing the values of grit, determination, and hard work. Now, we can’t wait to celebrate off the court and throw you the parade you deserve down the Canyon of Heroes!”
Fans around the five boroughs celebrated after the win on Sunday. Down at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, thousands started singing ‘We Are The Champions” after the iconic win. Meanwhile, sports brand Nike surprised many when they dropped a video of Lady Liberty wearing a championship ring. And of course, the celebration would not have been complete without Ellie the Elephant doing a celebratory dance, all of which was captured on the NY Liberty official Tiktok channel.
Though the underdogs, the season proved to be fruitful for the Liberty. Their performance made them the second most-watched team in the WNBA, averaging over 12 thousand views, compared to their fifth-place spot in 2023.
The Liberty team was recently purchased by Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, who bought the team from New York Knicks owner James Dolan in 2019. The win makes a major stride in history for women’s basketball players and further iterates that young girls and women can truly do anything they set their mind to.
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