Liberty Title, the epic WNBA Finals became the end of a transcendent season

NEW YORK — With the seconds ticking down in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday night, Breanna Stewart dribbled the ball over halfcourt. At the long-awaited buzzer, Jonquil found Jones to embrace as their teammates rushed to the floor.

The New York Liberty has finally done it.

Sabrina Ionescu, the franchise’s longest-tenured player, collapsed on the Liberty logo, her hands covering her face in ecstasy. Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” blared as confetti fell from the rafters.

It was a fitting end to the 2024 WNBA season that propelled the WNBA into a new era of growth and cultural relevance, one that Commissioner Cathy Engelbert called “the most transformative year in WNBA history.” It featured standout individual performances — A’ja Wilson won her third MVP award in one of the most dominant seasons in league history; Caitlin Clark and Angel Reyes were impressed by their exciting rookie campaigns — and growth at the league level. The WNBA enjoyed its most-watched regular season in 24 years, its highest attendance in 22 years, and its most-watched playoffs in 25 years.

In the end, a showdown between the league’s top two teams in the first overtime game, Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, was the only outcome of this transcendent season — especially when one of the league’s three remaining original franchises, arguably the most popular, had the final say. When the final whistle blew on Sunday.

A season marked by many firsts ended with the Liberty franchise earning its first elusive win of its own, finally shaking off the distinction of being the only original WNBA franchise without a title and able to clinch the championship on its own home turf.

“To be able to bring a championship to New York, for the first time in franchise history, is an incredible feeling,” Stewart said. “I literally can’t wait to continue celebrating with the city because I know it’s going to be crazy.”

New York’s championship — crowned by franchise greats Teresa Witherspoon and Sue Weeks — was a 28-season exorcism, ending a streak of disappointment that began with the Liberty’s ill-fated title win in 1997 and has continued throughout the decades since. . Interspersed with Weatherspoon’s legendary half-court shot to win the second match in 1999, but lost the title the next day; A total of five empty final flights; Five more losses in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even a 2-20 record through 2020. Entering last season, the Liberty were coming off five straight losing campaigns.

Then in one season, New York flipped the script, becoming the first team in league history to use free agency to assemble a superteam — and an automatic contender — by bringing in two former best players in Jones and Stewart and one of the league’s top players. The greatest point guard in Courtney Vandersloot. Most would have viewed last year’s runner-up finals as a success for the newly assembled team. Instead, Liberty’s 2023 result left them with what they called a “scar.”

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Breanna Stewart after Liberty’s first title: ‘This is special’

Liberty star Breanna Stewart expresses her emotions after leading New York to its first WNBA championship.

However, they did not enter the season as favourites. The Las Vegas Aces opened 2024 as the top pick to complete the league’s first three games of the millennium, while teams like the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm made big offseason moves in hopes of keeping up. Clark and the Indiana Heat made a splash with their first playoff berth since 2016.

But New York imposed itself early, maintained the top spot in the standings and firmly maintained its position as the best team in the league.

With the rise of freedom, the city took notice. In a summer filled with record-breaking crowds, Barclays Center had the second-best attendance in the league (12,730), just two years after finishing eighth (5,327) and five years after hosting games at White Plains’ Westchester County Center. The regular season was just a sample of what was expected in the postseason, as these finals were the highest attended in league history.

The fans were at the show. The Liberty had a better team in 2023 from a basketball standpoint, especially thanks to the addition of rising German player Leonie Fibic — but they also developed a deeper chemistry and stronger team will. Weekly player-led culture meetings and under the guidance of mental performance coach Buddy Steinfort allowed players to challenge and say difficult things to each other, and know that none of it was personal.

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Jonquil Jones could have “never dreamed” of winning the WNBA Finals MVP award

Jonquil Jones reacts to winning WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player honors after helping the Liberty capture their first championship.

Through the playoffs, the Liberty figured out how to fight through adversity together, knocking out the two-time defending champions in the semifinals, and overcoming a disastrous 0-1 start in the Finals after blowing a 15-point lead in Game 1 with 5 minutes left. Go and prevail in a hard-fought Game 5 despite scoring just 10 points in the first quarter and facing a 12-point deficit.

It was the fulfillment of the vision Jones and Stewart envisioned when they decided to join forces in New York ahead of the 2023 season.

“We talked about that a lot, about coming together and our vision of what we wanted to do in New York, what we could do, to be able to make it happen and realize the dream,” Jones said. “It’s very difficult. It means a lot.”

Stewart added: “Me, JJ, Slott, we all came together to win the championship. Last year we lost in the finals. But look at us, now we’re here.”

To do this, New York played more like a super-team than a super-team.

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Barclays Center reels after Sabally’s fastball layup

Nayara Sabally comes up with a steal and turns away a big corner kick for Liberty.

With Ionescu and Stewart shooting a combined 5-for-34, the players around them stepped up. No one more so than Jones, the 2021 MVP who held the Liberty to 17 points. The former No. 6 player, who left her native Bahamas to play high school basketball in Maryland, captured her first championship after coming up short in three other finals appearances.

“She led us,” Stewart said of Jones, who was named Finals MVP. “Her dominance in the paint, on the boards, assist defense. Everything we needed, she was there. She had to wait a while to get to that point, to get to the finals to win the championship. But the waiting was tough.” Worth it.”

Reserve forward Kayla Thornton helped turn the game around with her defensive energy. Fiebich scored four points near the end of regulation and hit the first shot of overtime. “Whoever scores first in overtime usually wins,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said after the game. “I was confident then.”

An unlikely hero has emerged in Nyara Sabally, who embodies the definition of staying prepared when your number is called. Brondello brought the centre-back into the lineup in the third quarter – playing a rarely used huge combination of Jones, Stewart and Sabally that swung the momentum in New York’s favor. Sabally finished with 13 points off the bench, including nine on third down.

“She has that X factor,” Brondello said. “Her ability to make one-on-one plays, rebound the ball, play great defense. … I know she’s faced a lot of adversity throughout her career, but the biggest game of her career, and she really rose to the occasion.”

🗽🗽🗽🗽Yrrrrrr

– Stewie (@breannastewart) October 21, 2024

Even on a shooting night (4-for-15), Stewart dedicated herself to helping her team win regardless of whether she was scoring goals or not. She grabbed 15 rebounds, made 4 assists, and blocked 3 shots.

And she made the biggest play of the night: After missing two free throws with 38.2 seconds left, she made the next two with 5.2 seconds left after fouling Alana Smith. The two-time league MVP then capped the game with another pair of charity stripes in overtime with 10.1 seconds left.

In a year filled with new faces and new energy surrounding the sport, Stewart — the 30-year-old who is arguably the winningest player in women’s basketball history — won again, achieving her goal of bringing a title to her home state after the biggest free agency move in history. League.

“My first WNBA game I went to was at MSG, which was Liberty,” Stewart said. “And to have that come full circle has been amazing.

“Throughout my whole day, everyone was texting me: ‘How are you? Are you ready?” …And I was calm and I was ready because I knew that no matter what, the city would support us, and they showed up and showed up, and continue to be there for us when we needed it. I’m very proud of this team but I’m very happy that I’m able to bring my first championship here because the city “You deserve it.”

Momentum is building for the WNBA heading into 2025. The league’s first expansion team since 2008 will debut next spring in Golden State, with new franchises in Toronto and Portland arriving in 2026. And longer playoff games are on the way. The league just signed a long-term media deal worth $2.2 billion, and a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement could be in the works soon. Teams like New York and Las Vegas, which have combined to win the past three titles, have set a new standard for what is expected from ownership investing.

But with its core guaranteed to return for another round, Liberty isn’t done yet.

“Hey, let’s not stop at one,” Brondello said. “Let’s go for two.”