Editing New York Liberty (section)

==History==
===Early success (1997–2002)===
Prior to the team's first season, to avoid potential trademark infringement, the team purchased the trademarks of the defunct Liberty Basketball Association.

When the WNBA opened in 1997, the Liberty were one of the first teams to choose a player, and they signed college superstar [[Rebecca Lobo]] ([[UConn Huskies women's basketball|UConn]]) to a contract. Lobo was a starter for two seasons, but was injured in 1999. Her injuries eventually led to her retirement several seasons later. [[Point guard]] [[Teresa Weatherspoon]] emerged as a star, and the Liberty made it to the 1997 championship game, where the team lost to the [[Houston Comets]]. In 1999, they added [[Crystal Robinson]] with the 6th overall pick<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/crystal_robinson/bio.html |title=WNBA.com: Crystal Robinson Playerfile |access-date=2014-01-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201232049/http://www.wnba.com/playerfile/crystal_robinson/bio.html |archive-date=2014-02-01 }}</ref> and returned to the WNBA Finals, where they again faced the Comets. In Game 2, Teresa Weatherspoon's halfcourt shot at the buzzer gave the Liberty a one-point road win that tied the series at a game apiece. However, the Liberty lost the third game of the series and the Comets became champions for a third straight time.

In 2000, the Liberty traded for [[Tari Phillips]] who blossomed in New York and made four straight All-Star teams. In 2001, Weatherspoon became the WNBA's all-time assist leader. Teamed with Robinson, Phillips and an emerging [[Sue Wicks]], who was once a back-up to Lobo at forward but made the 2000 All-Star game, Weatherspoon and the Liberty subsequently returned to the finals in 2000 and 2002, but lost once again to the Comets and to the [[Los Angeles Sparks]], respectively. The Liberty also advanced to the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals in 2001.

===Transition seasons (2003–2009)===
[[File:Madison Square Garden Liberty.jpg|250px|thumb|Madison Square Garden during a Liberty game]]
The 2003 season marked a transition for the Liberty and with team leader Teresa Weatherspoon's WNBA career winding down, fan favorite [[Becky Hammon]] emerged as a star player. The 2004 season saw Hammon replacing Weatherspoon as the team's starting point guard.

The Liberty played six of their home games during the 2004 season at [[Radio City Music Hall]] as Madison Square Garden was hosting the [[2004 Republican National Convention]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Lena |date=25 July 2004 |title=PRO BASKETBALL; Liberty Opens Big on Its Home, Er, Stage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/25/sports/pro-basketball-liberty-opens-big-on-its-home-er-stage.html |access-date=10 November 2011 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> These games marked the first time Radio City had hosted a professional sporting event since the Roy Jones Jr. boxing match held in 1999.

With team leader [[Tari Phillips]] being signed away to the Houston Comets, [[Ann Wauters]] emerged as a force at the team's starting center position in 2005. However, she was injured midway through the season. The loss of Wauters was felt as the team was swept two games to none by the [[Indiana Fever]] in the first round of the playoffs.

The Liberty had a poor 2006 season, winning only 11 games.

At the beginning of the 2007 WNBA season, the team traded [[Becky Hammon]] to the [[San Antonio Stars|San Antonio Silver Stars]] for [[Jessica Davenport]], a first round pick in the [[2007 WNBA draft]]. They also acquired center [[Janel McCarville]] through the dispersal draft associated with the dissolution of the [[Charlotte Sting]]. The 2007 Liberty started out 5–0, then lost 7 straight games, then rallied at the end of the season to get the last playoff spot by winning 3 out of their last 4 games, beating the [[Washington Mystics]] on the tiebreaker of head-to-head record. In the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Liberty, as huge underdogs, faced the defending champion [[Detroit Shock]] in a best-of-three series. The Liberty defeated the Shock in game 1 in New York. In games 2 and 3 the Liberty lost both games to the Shock in Detroit, 76–73 and 71–70 (OT), respectively.

In 2008, the Liberty drafted former [[Rutgers Scarlet Knights women's basketball|Rutgers]] shooting guard [[Essence Carson]] and former [[North Carolina Tar Heels women's basketball|North Carolina]] forward Erlana Larkins, and signed former [[Utah Utes women's basketball|Utah]] point guard [[Leilani Mitchell]] during the preseason. Despite having the youngest average age of any WNBA team, the Liberty managed to win 19 regular season games in 2008, to defeat the [[Connecticut Sun]] in the first round of playoff action, and to come within two points of defeating the [[Detroit Shock]] in the third and last game of the Eastern Conference Finals. Again, the Detroit series entailed a Liberty victory at home in Game 1, followed by narrow defeats away in Games 2 and 3. The 2008 season also featured the "[[Liberty Outdoor Classic]]", the first ever professional regular season [[basketball]] game to be played outdoors, on July 19 at [[Arthur Ashe Stadium]] of the [[USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center]]. The [[Indiana Fever]] defeated the Liberty in the Outdoor Classic.

In the [[2009 WNBA draft]], the Liberty selected local favorite [[Kia Vaughn]] from Rutgers. With a solid core group, the Liberty looked to be a contender in the East yet again.

In the 2009 season, however, they never proved to be a contender and the team fired head coach [[Pat Coyle (basketball)|Pat Coyle]]. To replace Coyle, the Liberty hired then-Liberty assistant coach [[Anne Donovan]] on an interim basis. Despite the coaching change, the franchise continued to struggle, finishing 13–21, their second worst record in franchise history.

===The Cappie Pondexter era (2010–2014)===
The New York Liberty fared better in 2010, during Donovan's first and only full season as head coach. Led by newly signed high scorer [[Cappie Pondexter]] (formerly of the [[Phoenix Mercury]]) and the 2010 [[WNBA Most Improved Player Award|Most Improved Player Award]] winner Leilani Mitchell, the team made it all the way to the [[2010 WNBA Playoffs#Conference Finals|Eastern Conference Finals]], where they lost to the Atlanta Dream.

The team had high hopes for 2011, after the hiring of former [[2005 WNBA Finals|WNBA champion]] head coach [[John Whisenant]]. [[Janel McCarville]] did not report to training camp, seeking time with her family, and as such, was suspended for the duration of the 2011 season. This caused division and discord within the New York Liberty fanbase. [[Kia Vaughn]] was unexpectedly thrust into the role of starting Center.

The Liberty were originally scheduled to be displaced from their usual home court due to renovations at [[Madison Square Garden]] scheduled to begin in 2009. However, the renovation plans were delayed, and the Liberty played at the Garden in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty ended up playing in the [[Prudential Center]] in [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]], for their 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons while the renovations were ongoing.

Pondexter and [[Plenette Pierson]], along with improved play from Vaughn, allowed New York to be competitive early in the 2011 season. The team went into the [[2011 WNBA All-Star Game|All-Star break]] in third place in the Eastern Conference. In August, [[Sidney Spencer]] was traded to the [[Phoenix Mercury]] in exchange for [[Kara Braxton]]. By maintaining a fairly even standard of play, the Liberty made their way into the WNBA playoffs. However, the Liberty fell to the [[Indiana Fever]] in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Just before the [[2014 WNBA draft]], the New York Liberty traded Kelsey Bone, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 WNBA draft (Alyssa Thomas) and the fourth overall pick in the 2015 WNBA draft to the Connecticut Sun for WNBA All-Star [[Tina Charles (basketball)|Tina Charles]], who had requested a trade.

In February 2015, Pondexter was traded to the [[Chicago Sky]] for [[Epiphanny Prince]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Sandalow |first=Brian |date=February 16, 2015 |title=Sky send Epiphanny Prince to New York for Cappie Pondexter |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/basketball/7/71/372110/sky-send-epiphanny-prince-new-york-cappie-pondexter |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216193348/http://chicago.suntimes.com/basketball/7/71/372110/sky-send-epiphanny-prince-new-york-cappie-pondexter |archive-date=February 16, 2015 |access-date=February 16, 2015 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}}</ref>

===The Isiah Thomas era (2015–2018)===
On May 5, 2015, the Liberty hired Thomas as team president overseeing all business and basketball operations of the franchise.<ref>{{cite web|title=Liberty introduce Team President Isiah Thomas|url=http://liberty.wnba.com/news/liberty-introduce-team-president-isiah-thomas/|website=New York Liberty}}</ref> Under Thomas' leadership as team president and the coaching staff led by [[Bill Laimbeer]] as head coach, the Liberty finished first in the Eastern Conference during the 2015 season.<ref>{{cite news|last=Berman|first=Marc|title=Isiah Thomas – yes, that Isiah Thomas – is Liberty's Mr. Fix-t|url=https://nypost.com/2015/08/01/isiah-thomas-yes-that-isiah-thomas-is-libertys-mr-fix-it/|website=New York Post}}</ref>

On August 2, 2015, during halftime at the game against the [[Seattle Storm]], the New York Liberty inducted WNBA legend [[Becky Hammon]] into the Liberty's Ring of Honor. Thomas presented Hammon with her ring during the induction ceremony at [[Madison Square Garden]]. Hammon is currently the head coach of the WNBA's [[Las Vegas Aces]].

After qualifying for the [[2016 WNBA playoffs]], the Liberty lost to the [[Phoenix Mercury]] in the second round.<ref>{{cite news |last=Feinberg |first=Doug |date=24 September 2016 |title=Taurasi helps Mercury advance to semifinals, beat Liberty |url=https://www.wnba.com/game/1041600201/PHO-vs-NYL |access-date=6 July 2024 |work=WNBA}}</ref> The Liberty lost to the Washington Mystics in the second round of the 2017 WNBA playoffs.

In November 2017, the Madison Square Garden Company and [[James L. Dolan]] announced they were actively looking to sell the franchise.<ref>{{cite web |last=Voepel |first=Mechelle |author-link=Michael Voepel |date=November 15, 2017 |title=Jim Dolan parting ways with New York Liberty was only a matter of time |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/21417596 |access-date=November 24, 2017 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> After not immediately finding a buyer, MSG relocated most of the Liberty's 2018 home games to [[Westchester County Center]] in nearby [[White Plains, New York]], the home of MSG's [[NBA G League]] team the [[Westchester Knicks]], while still continuing to pursue a sale.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://liberty.wnba.com/news/msg-operate-liberty-continuing-pursue-sale-westchester-county-center-serve-teams-primary-home-2018/ |title=MSG to Operate Liberty While Continuing to Pursue Sale, Westchester County Center to Serve as Team's Primary Home for 2018 |publisher=New York Liberty |date=February 8, 2018}}</ref> In 2018, the Liberty failed to make the playoffs, with a 7–27 record.

=== The Tsai era (2019–present) ===
[[File:Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai at the 2024 NY Liberty Ticker Tape Parade.jpg|left|thumb|Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai at the New York Liberty's 2024 Ticker Tape Parade.]]
On January 23, 2019, the Liberty were sold to Joseph Tsai, co-founder of the Alibaba Group, a Chinese internet company, who then owned 49% of the NBA's [[Brooklyn Nets]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Draper |first=Kevin |date=23 January 2019 |title=Joe Tsai Makes Purchase of the Liberty Official |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/23/sports/basketball/joe-tsai-liberty-wnba.html |access-date=January 23, 2019}}</ref> and [[Clara Wu Tsai]], an American businesswoman and founder of [[nonprofit organization]] [[Reform Alliance (United States)|Reform Alliance]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Negley |first=Cassandra |date=2023-02-09 |title=Liberty co-owner Clara Wu Tsai believes charter flights 'enough of a topic' within WNBA that commissioner will address it |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/liberty-co-owner-clara-wu-tsai-believes-charter-flights-enough-of-a-topic-within-wnba-that-commissioner-will-address-it-161518805.html |access-date=2023-10-05 |website=Yahoo Sports |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Streeter |first=Kurt |date=2023-05-17 |title=The Liberty Took a Few Jets and a Boat to Become a Superteam |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/sports/basketball/wnba-liberty-joe-clara-wu-tsai.html |access-date=2023-10-05 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Isiah Thomas was relieved of his duties a month later, on February 21, 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kussoy |first=Howie |title=Isiah Thomas is no longer running the Liberty |url=https://nypost.com/2019/02/21/isiah-thomas-is-no-longer-running-the-liberty/ |website=New York Post |date=22 February 2019 |access-date=8 February 2023}}</ref> During the 2019 season, the Liberty played two games in Brooklyn at the Nets' home of the [[Barclays Center]], with the rest still in White Plains. Later that year, Joseph Tsai became the sole owner of the Nets and the Barclays Center.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.nba.com/article/2019/09/18/nba-approves-nets-sale-joe-tsai-david-levy-ceo |title=NBA Board of Governors approves sale of Nets to Joe Tsai |publisher=National Basketball Association |date=September 18, 2019 |access-date=September 28, 2019}}</ref> For the 2020 season, the Tsais relocated the Liberty to Brooklyn on a full-time basis.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 17, 2019 |title=New York Liberty Announce Barclays Center as Home Venue Beginning in 2020 |url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/new-york-liberty-announce-barclays-center-as-home-venue-beginning-in-2020/n-5562577 |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website=OurSports Central}}</ref>

The Liberty were major players in the [[2020 WNBA draft]], entering that draft with three first-round picks plus two in the early second round. Shortly before the draft, they traded former league MVP [[Tina Charles (basketball)|Tina Charles]] to the [[Washington Mystics]] in a deal that also involved the [[Dallas Wings]].<ref>{{cite web |date=April 15, 2020 |title=Liberty trade Tina Charles to Mystics in 3-team deal |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29039063 |access-date=April 16, 2020 |website=ESPN.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> They chose [[Sabrina Ionescu]] as the [[List of first overall WNBA draft picks|first pick]], with [[Megan Walker]] and [[Jazmine Jones]] selected later in that round.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wnba.com/wnba-draft-2020/#/panel2-1 |title=WNBA Draft '20: Draft Board |publisher=WNBA |date=April 17, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020}}</ref> The team also introduced a new logo, featuring a simplified version of their [[Statue of Liberty]] branding. The color black was also made one of the primary colors, echoing the aesthetic of their NBA brother squad, the Brooklyn Nets.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magliocchetti |first=Geoff |date=14 April 2020 |title=New York Liberty Unveil New Logo Prior to WNBA Draft |url=https://elitesportsny.com/2020/04/14/new-york-liberty-news-team-unveils-new-logo-prior-to-wnba-draft/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=elitesportsny.com}}</ref>

The Liberty began the 2020 season, held in a "bubble" in [[IMG Academy|Bradenton, Florida]], due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States|COVID-19 pandemic]], with seven rookies on their opening-night roster.<ref>{{cite news |last=Voepel |first=Mechelle |author-link=Michael Voepel |date=June 26, 2020 |title=New York Liberty sign seventh rookie in Joyner Holmes |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29369920 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> The team suffered a major blow in their third game, in which Ionescu suffered a severe ankle sprain that ultimately ended her season.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 22, 2020 |title=Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu won't need surgery on her sprained left ankle |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/29716598 |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=ESPN.com}}</ref> The Liberty ended the season with a league-worst 2–20 record. Despite the lack of wins, one of the first-year players, 12th overall pick [[Jazmine Jones]], was named to the Associated Press and WNBA's All-Rookie teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magliocchetti |first=Geoff |date=15 September 2020 |title=New York Liberty's Jazmine Jones named to AP's All-Rookie team |url=https://empiresportsmedia.com/liberty/new-york-libertys-jazmine-jones-named-to-aps-all-rookie-team/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=empiresportsmedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=September 27, 2020 |title=Jazmine Jones Named to WNBA's 2020 All-Rookie Team |url=https://liberty.wnba.com/news/jazmine-jones-named-to-wnbas-2020-all-rookie-team/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |newspaper=New York Liberty}}</ref>
[[File:Barclays Liberty.jpg|alt=2024 New York Liberty Game at the Barclays Center Arena|thumb|2024 New York Liberty Game at the Barclays Center Arena]]
The Liberty made major splashes during the 2021 offseason. Prior to its first season as full-time tenants of Barclays Center, the Liberty added WNBA champions [[Natasha Howard (basketball)|Natasha Howard]] and [[Sami Whitcomb]] in a multi-team trade that sent [[Kia Nurse]] and [[Megan Walker]] to the Phoenix Mercury <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/ny-liberty-natasha-howard-sami-whitcomb-20210210-3jwzrnghnrbrjmdpraslyvkuv4-story.html|title=Liberty welcome WNBA champions Natasha Howard, Sami Whitcomb, trade Kia Nurse and Megan Walker in deals with Storm, Mercury|website=[[New York Daily News]]|date=10 February 2021 }}</ref> and signed [[Betnijah Laney]], the league's 2020 Most Improved Player Award winner.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Magliocchetti |first=Geoff |date=2 February 2021 |title=New York Liberty sign 2020 Most Improved Player Betnijah Laney |url=https://empiresportsmedia.com/liberty/new-york-liberty-sign-2020-most-improved-player-betnijah-laney/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |newspaper=Empire Sports Media}}</ref> The team then added [[Michaela Onyenwere]] and [[DiDi Richards]] in the 2021 WNBA draft. Laney would represent the Liberty at the 2021 WNBA All-Star Game while Onyenwere won the Associated Press' Rookie of the Year Award. New York finished the year with a 12–20 record but the 10-game improvement in the win column was enough to push the team into the WNBA playoffs for the first time since 2017. Seeded eighth, the Liberty put up a valiant effort against No. 5 Phoenix in the opening but fell by an 83–82 final.

On December 6, 2021, the Liberty and head coach Walt Hopkins Jr. parted ways.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magliocchetti |first=Geoff |date=6 December 2021 |title=BREAKING: New York Liberty, Walt Hopkins part ways |url=https://empiresportsmedia.com/liberty/breaking-new-york-liberty-walt-hopkins-part-ways/ |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=empiresportsmedia.com}}</ref> The team would hire former Phoenix head coach [[Sandy Brondello]] in his place just over a month later on January 7, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magliocchetti |first=Geoff |date=31 December 2021 |title=New York Liberty to hire Sandy Brondello as new head coach (Report) |url=https://empiresportsmedia.com/liberty/new-york-liberty-to-hire-sandy-brondello-as-new-head-coach-report/ |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> On the roster, the team brought in [[Stefanie Dolson]] of the defending champion Chicago Sky and drafted [[Nyara Sabally]] fifth overall, though the latter would miss her whole rookie season with an injury. In Brondello's first season at the helm, the team was forced to overcome an early injury to Laney and got off to a 1–7 start. But the All-Star efforts of Ionescu and Howard kept the team afloat and they would end the season on a three-game winning streak to secure its second consecutive playoff berth. In the ensuing postseason, the Liberty won the opening game of a best-of-three set with the Chicago Sky but dropped the latter pair. 
[[File:Liberty Pyrotechnic Display after an October 2024 WNBA Playoffs Win.jpg|alt=Pyrotechnics on display at Barclays Center during the WNBA Playoffs.|left|thumb|The New York Liberty's "Light it Up" torch is lit after an October 1, 2024 New York Liberty win against the Las Vegas Aces in the Semifinals of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs.]]
In 2023, the Liberty made several major transactions that turned them into immediate contenders: the team acquired 2021 WNBA MVP [[Jonquel Jones]] from the Connecticut Sun in a three-team deal that also obtained reserve [[Kayla Thornton]] from the Dallas Wings. The Liberty then added the equally accomplished [[Breanna Stewart]] and [[Courtney Vandersloot]] in free agency. Over the ensuing season, the Liberty won a franchise-record 32 games and defeated the Las Vegas Aces in the [[WNBA Commissioner's Cup|Commissioner's Cup]] in-season competition, with Jones securing MVP honors. The Liberty then took down the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun in the WNBA playoffs to earn their first WNBA Finals berth since 2002. Las Vegas, however, took revenge and the best-of-five series in four games.

New York retained most of its core from the Finals run, re-signing both Jones <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/new-york-liberty/new-york-liberty-re-sign-jonquel-jones-playoff-heroine-wnba-free-agency | title=Liberty Re-Sign WNBA Playoff Heroine Jonquel Jones | date=16 February 2024 }}</ref> and Stewart.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.si.com/nba/knicks/new-york-liberty/new-york-liberty-breanna-stewart-wnba-free-agency-below-max-deal-re-signs | title=Back in the Stew York Groove; Liberty Re-Signs Breanna Stewart on Below-Max Deal | date=26 February 2024 }}</ref> Further assisted by the emergence of WNBA rookie [[Leonie Fiebich]], the Liberty once again won 32 games, tying the franchise record set the year before. The Liberty also returned to the Commissioner's Cup final but were denied a repeat by the Minnesota Lynx.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schlachter |first=Thomas |date=2024-06-26 |title=Minnesota Lynx win Commissioner's Cup with closely fought victory against New York Liberty |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/26/sport/minnesota-lynx-new-york-commissioners-cup-spt-intl/index.html |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> This time around, the 32 wins were good enough to secure the top seed on the WNBA playoff bracket, which saw the Liberty sweep the eighth-ranked Atlanta Dream in two games before defeating the Aces 3–1 in the semifinals.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pickman |first=Ben |title=An original WNBA franchise, the New York Liberty finally won a championship |url=https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5859648/2024/10/21/wnba-championship-new-york-liberty-first/ |access-date=2024-10-22 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> New York won its first WNBA Championship beating the Minnesota Lynx in the [[2024 WNBA Finals]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Liberty win first WNBA championship, beating Lynx in OT |url=https://www.nba.com/news/new-york-liberty-win-wnba-finals |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=NBA.com |language=en}}</ref>