The Liberty have finally won their first WNBA championship after 28 years and have brought a pro basketball title to New York City for the first time in 51 years.
The historic moment is worthy of a retrospective, diving back into the season that ultimately delivered a Liberty triumph.
Come back along memory lane as we break broken down the top 10 moments of the 2024 season that led to the Liberty’s breakthrough first WNBA title:
1. Run it back
It all started in free agency before the season.
After a four-game flop against the Las Vegas Aces in the 2023 Finals, there was still a question of whether the key members of the Liberty superteam would stick around for another year.
In the end, they committed to run it back.
Breanna Stewart signed a discounted one-year contract in February, allowing the Liberty more cap space to retain Jonquel Jones on a two-year contract that locked in the core group for another season and to add key reserve Kennedy Burke.
2. A rookie rises
The early stages of the season were notable for the emergence of Leonie Fiebich, the 24-year-old rookie from Germany who previously played overseas until Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb sold her on New York’s championship vision for the season.
Initially coming off the bench, the 6-foot-4 forward’s minutes rose during an eight-game winning streak from late May into June, including a tight 82-75 win over the Connecticut Sun on June 8 and the first victory of the year over the Aces on June 15.
Fiebich received her first WNBA start on June 20 in a win over the Sparks — a preview of the lineups that would carry the Liberty in the playoffs.
3. Embracing Sloot
Courtney Vandersloot, the Liberty’s veteran point guard, missed eight games in June after her mother, Jan, lost her battle with breast cancer.
During her absence, the Liberty spoke in general terms about supporting their teammate and giving her the time she needed to grieve.
Vandersloot was welcomed back at Barclays Center for the June 30 game against the Atlanta Dream.
She tallied seven points, seven assists and two steals in the 81-75 win.
4. Minny letdown
In an omen of the fits they would face in the WNBA Finals, the Liberty lost the Commissioner’s Cup final to the Minnesota Lynx, 94-89, in a hard-fought game on June 25.
The game, which came with a cash prize, was held at UBS Arena due to a conflict with the NBA Draft at Barclays Center.
The Liberty committed 20 turnovers, and Jones notably was held to just three points.
It was one of three losses to the Lynx, all told, heading into the postseason.
5. A better hand
The Liberty’s second game after the midseason Olympics break — Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu won gold medals during a dizzying run in Paris — was on the road against the rival Aces on Aug. 17.
The national television game ended in a statement 79-67 win for the Liberty over the two-time defending champions. Ionescu tallied 23 points, Stewart had 18 and Fiebich added 12 as the Liberty improved to 23-4.
6. A dream start
The Liberty went 11-4 after the break to clinch the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, and they matched up with the Atlanta Dream in the best-of-three first round.
The Liberty led by just one point going into the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Sept. 24 at Barclays Center, with the threat of potentially needing to go on the road for a Game 3.
But Ionescu, who had gone through a lull at the end of the regular season, poured in a playoff career-high 36 points with nine assists to send the Liberty through to the next round.
7. Vengeance is theirs
The semifinals featured a rematch of the previous year’s Finals against the Aces.
The pivotal contest was Game 2 at Barclays Center on Oct. 1, and the Liberty maintained home-court advantage with a nail-biting 88-84 win.
Ionescu scored a team-high 24 points, Vandersloot chipped in a clutch 12 points and the Liberty successfully challenged an Aces turnover in the final seconds that allowed them to hang on.
They went on to win the series in four games, clinching on their foes’ home floor in a reversal of 2023.
8. Epic collapse
The Liberty’s choke in a 95-93 overtime loss to the Lynx in Game 1 of the Finals started the series on an alarming note.
The Liberty gave away an 18-point first half lead and then a 15-point cushion in the final five minutes of regulation — WNBA teams were previously 183-0 with that lead in postseason history.
Minnesota’s Courtney Williams hit a memorable four-point play, and Stewart missed a go-ahead free throw at the end of regulation.
9. The Shot
The Liberty produced their own 15-point comeback in Game 3, ending the 80-77 win with a shot heard around the world: Ionescu’s absurd, tiebreaking 28-foot 3-pointer with one second remaining to take a 2-1 series lead in Minneapolis.
She crossed from her right to left hand, took a step back and launched over Kayla McBride.
Ionescu called it the biggest shot of her career, and it will go down in franchise lore with Teresa Weatherspoon’s half-court heave from the 1999 Finals.
10. Top of the heap
Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” rang out in Barclays Center after the Liberty won their first WNBA title with a 67-62 overtime win in Game 5.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Liberty prevailed in the slugfest with their defense, the benefit of a favorable call and an unlikely hero.
Jones was named Finals MVP after scoring a team-high 17 points, and Stewart redeemed herself with two free throws that forced overtime.
Nyara Sabally provided a crucial spark off the bench with 13 points and seven rebounds.