Editing New York Liberty (section)

===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.