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The New York Liberty are an American professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team based in the
New York City borough New York City is composed of five boroughs: The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of New York State, making New York City the largest U.S. municipality situated in mult ...
of
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. The Liberty compete in the
Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
(WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai, the majority owner of the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
. The team's home games are played at
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
. The Liberty have qualified for the WNBA Playoffs in seventeen of its twenty-six years. The franchise has been home to many well-known players such as
Teresa Weatherspoon Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon (born December 8, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). She played for the New York L ...
, Rebecca Lobo,
Becky Hammon Rebecca Lynn Hammon ( rus, links=no, Бекки Хэммон; born March 11, 1977) is an American-Russian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Associa ...
,
Leilani Mitchell Leilani Seamah Mitchell (born June 15, 1985) is an American-Australian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Mitchell was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. A dual citizen of the United Sta ...
,
Essence Carson Essence Carson (born July 28, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. She played college basketball for Rutgers University. After a successful college career there, Carson was drafted by the New York Lib ...
,
Cappie Pondexter Cappie Marie Pondexter (born January 7, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Pondexter is known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and midrange ju ...
, Tina Charles, and the team's first-ever No.1 overall Draft pick
Sabrina Ionescu Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...
. The Liberty have three conference championships and have played in the
WNBA Finals The WNBA Finals are the championship series of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the league's postseason each fall. The series was named the WNBA Championship until 2002. Starting 2016 Verizon is the officia ...
four times, falling to the Houston Comets in 1997, 1999, and
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, and losing to the
Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
in
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. They have the most appearances in the WNBA Finals without a championship. They are also the oldest franchise in the WNBA without a championship.


Franchise 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 The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Ha ...
) 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 The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...
Teresa Weatherspoon Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon (born December 8, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). She played for the New York L ...
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 Crystal LaTresa Robinson (born January 22, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury. She grew up in Atoka, Oklahoma, and first garnered national recognition during her co ...
with the 6th overall pick 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 Tari L. Phillips (born March 6, 1969) is an American professional women's basketball player. She currently plays with Acer ERG Priolo, an Italian A1 team based in Priolo Gargallo, Sicily. Her cousin Tayyiba Haneef-Park plays for USA Volleyball ...
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 Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * Sue (album), ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres St ...
, 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 The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...
, respectively. The Liberty also advanced to the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals in 2001.


Transition seasons (2003–2009)

The 2003 season marked a transition for the Liberty and with team leader Teresa Weatherspoon's WNBA career winding down, fan favorite
Becky Hammon Rebecca Lynn Hammon ( rus, links=no, Бекки Хэммон; born March 11, 1977) is an American-Russian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Associa ...
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 Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
as Madison Square Garden was hosting the
2004 Republican National Convention The 2004 Republican National Convention took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The convention is one of a series of historic quadrennial meetings at which the Republican candidates fo ...
. 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 Tari L. Phillips (born March 6, 1969) is an American professional women's basketball player. She currently plays with Acer ERG Priolo, an Italian A1 team based in Priolo Gargallo, Sicily. Her cousin Tayyiba Haneef-Park plays for USA Volleyball ...
being signed away to the Houston Comets,
Ann Wauters Ann Hilde Willy Wauters (born 12 October 1980) is a Belgian former professional basketball player and coach, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played for numero ...
emerged as a force at the team's starting center position in 2005. However, she was unfortunately injured midway through the season. The loss of Wauters was felt as the team was swept two games to none by the
Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
in the first round of the playoffs. The Liberty had a poor 2006 season, winning only 11 games, the fewest in franchise history. At the beginning of the 2007 WNBA season, the team traded
Becky Hammon Rebecca Lynn Hammon ( rus, links=no, Бекки Хэммон; born March 11, 1977) is an American-Russian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Associa ...
to the San Antonio Silver Stars for
Jessica Davenport Jessica Davenport, born June 24, 1985, is an American basketball player, formerly a reserve center for the WNBA's Indiana Fever. She previously played for The Ohio State University's women's basketball team. High school Davenport played for ...
, a first round pick in the 2007 WNBA Draft. They also acquired center
Janel McCarville Janel McCarville (born November 3, 1982) is an American professional basketball player from Custer, Wisconsin who is currently a WNBA free agent. High school years Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, McCarville attended Stevens Point Area Senio ...
through the dispersal draft associated with the dissolution of the
Charlotte Sting The Charlotte Sting were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, one of the league's eight original teams. The team folded on January 3, 2007. The Sting was originally the sister organization of ...
. 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 The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...
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 by winning 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 Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...
shooting guard
Essence Carson Essence Carson (born July 28, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. She played college basketball for Rutgers University. After a successful college career there, Carson was drafted by the New York Lib ...
and former
North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
forward Erlana Larkins, and signed former
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
point guard
Leilani Mitchell Leilani Seamah Mitchell (born June 15, 1985) is an American-Australian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Mitchell was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. A dual citizen of the United Sta ...
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 The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...
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 Liberty Outdoor Classic was the first regular-season professional basketball game played outdoors. It was played between the Indiana Fever and New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association on July 19, 2008, as part of the 200 ...
", the first ever professional regular season
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
game to be played outdoors, on July 19 at
Arthur Ashe Stadium Arthur Ashe Stadium is a tennis stadium at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. Part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it is the main stadium of the US Open tennis tournament and has a capacity of 23,771, ...
of the
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a stadium complex within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. It has been the home of the US Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, played every year in August ...
. The
Indiana Fever The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
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. To replace Coyle, the Liberty hired then-Liberty assistant coach
Anne Donovan Anne Theresa Donovan (November 1, 1961 – June 13, 2018) was an American women's basketball player and coach. From 2013 to 2015, she was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun. In her playing career, Donovan won a national championship with Ol ...
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 Cappie Marie Pondexter (born January 7, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Pondexter is known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and midrange ju ...
(formerly of the Phoenix Mercury) and the 2010 Most Improved Player Award winner Leilani Mitchell, the team made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Atlanta Dream. The team had high hopes for 2011, after the hiring of former WNBA champion head coach John Whisenant.
Janel McCarville Janel McCarville (born November 3, 1982) is an American professional basketball player from Custer, Wisconsin who is currently a WNBA free agent. High school years Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, McCarville attended Stevens Point Area Senio ...
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 Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
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 Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...
in
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
for their 2011, 2012, and 2013 seasons while the renovations were ongoing. Pondexter and
Plenette Pierson Plenette Michelle Pierson (born August 31, 1981) is a retired American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In the 2007 season, Pierson won the first ever S ...
, along with improved play from Vaughn, allowed New York to be competitive early in the 2011 season. The team went into the All-Star break in third place in the Eastern Conference. In August,
Sidney Spencer Sidney Spencer (born March 7, 1985) is an American professional basketball who most recently played for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. Born in Hoover, Alabama, Spencer attended the University of Tennessee, and in April 2007 led the team to ...
was traded to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for
Kara Braxton Kara Liana Braxton (born February 18, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Early life Kara and her twin sister Kim grew up in a house ...
. 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 The Indiana Fever are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the 2000 season began. The team is owned ...
in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.


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. 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. On August 2, 2015, during halftime at the game against the
Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...
, the New York Liberty inducted WNBA legend
Becky Hammon Rebecca Lynn Hammon ( rus, links=no, Бекки Хэммон; born March 11, 1977) is an American-Russian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Associa ...
into the Liberty's Ring of Honor. Thomas presented Hammon with her ring during the induction ceremony at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
. Hammon is currently the head coach of the WNBA's
Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team play ...
. After qualifying for the 2016 WNBA Playoffs, the Liberty lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the second round. In November 2017, the Madison Square Garden Company and
James L. Dolan James Lawrence Dolan (born May 11, 1955) is an American businessman who serves as executive chairman and CEO of Madison Square Garden Sports and Madison Square Garden Entertainment and executive chairman of MSG Networks. As the companies' cha ...
announced they were actively looking to sell the franchise. After not immediately finding a buyer, MSG relocated most of the Liberty's 2018 home games to
Westchester County Center The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a m ...
in nearby
White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...
, the home of MSG's
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
team the
Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in Whit ...
, while still continuing to pursue a sale.


The Joseph Tsai era (2019–present)

On January 23, 2019, the Liberty were sold to
Joseph Tsai Joseph Tsai (; born January 1964) is a Hong Kong-Canadian billionaire businessman, lawyer, and philanthropist. He is a co-founder and executive vice chairman of the Chinese multinational technology company Alibaba Group and owns the Brooklyn Net ...
, co-founder of the Alibaba Group, a Chinese internet company, who then owned 49% of the NBA's
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
. During the 2019 season, the Liberty played two games in Brooklyn at the Nets' home of the
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
, with the rest still in White Plains. Later that year, Tsai became the sole owner of the Nets and the Barclays Center. For the 2020 season, Tsai relocated the Liberty to Brooklyn on a full-time basis. 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 to the
Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...
in a deal that also involved the
Dallas Wings The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...
. They chose
Sabrina Ionescu Sabrina Elaine Ionescu (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. She is the NCAA all- ...
as the first pick, with
Megan Walker Megan Kayla Walker (born November 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player. She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. Walker was selected to the first team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and by the U.S. Basket ...
and Jazmine Jones selected later in that round. 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. The Liberty began the 2020 season, held in a "bubble" in
Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, with seven rookies on their opening-night roster. The team suffered a major blow in their third game, in which Ionescu suffered a severe ankle sprain that ultimately ended her season. 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. 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 and
Sami Whitcomb Samantha Allison Whitcomb (born July 20, 1988) is an American-Australian professional basketball player for the Perth Lynx of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) and the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association ( ...
in a multi-team trade that sent
Kia Nurse Kia Nurse (born February 22, 1996) is a Canadian basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. She is also a basketball analyst featured on TSN. Nurse has played for the Canada Women's National Basketball team. She was selected to pl ...
and
Megan Walker Megan Kayla Walker (born November 23, 1998) is an American professional basketball player. She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. Walker was selected to the first team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and by the U.S. Basket ...
to the Phoenix Mercury and signed
Betnijah Laney Betnijah Laney (born October 29, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for Rutgers University. Early life Laney started ...
, the league's 2020 Most Improved Player Award winner. The team then added
Michaela Onyenwere Michaela Nne Onyenwere (; born August 10, 1999) is a Nigerian-American basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for the Uni Girona CB of the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto. She played colleg ...
and
DiDi Richards Deauzya "DiDi" Richards (born February 8, 1999) is an American basketball player for the Sydney Flames of the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL). She played college for the Baylor Lady Bears. Following the 2019–20 season, Richards was ...
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. The team would hire former Phoenix head coach
Sandy Brondello Sandra Anne "Sandy" Brondello (born 20 August 1968) is an Australian women's basketball coach, and the current head coach of the New York Liberty of the WNBA. Brondello played in Australia, Germany and the WNBA before retiring to become a coa ...
in his place just over a month later on January 7, 2022. On the roster, the team brought in Stefanie Dolson of the defending champion Chicago Sky and drafted
Nyara Sabally Nyara Sabally (born 26 February 2000) is a German professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and USK Praha (women's basketball), USK Prague of the EuroLeague Women and the Czech w ...
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.


Season-by-season records


Statistics

, - ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , APG ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , FG% , - , 1997 , S. Witherspoon (14.5) , R. Lobo (7.3) , T. Weatherspoon (6.1) , 68.3 vs 65.9 , 32.9 vs 33.3 , .412 vs .391 , - , 1998 , S. Witherspoon (13.8) , R. Lobo (6.9) , T. Weatherspoon (6.4) , 68.6 vs 65.5 , 31.5 vs 29.7 , .425 vs .419 , - , 1999 , V. Johnson (13.3) , S. Wicks (7.0) , T. Weatherspoon (6.4) , 67.8 vs 65.3 , 29.5 vs 30.7 , .418 vs .412 , - , - ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , APG ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , FG% , - ,
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, T. Phillips (13.8) , T. Phillips (8.0) , T. Weatherspoon (6.4) , 67.1 vs 63.6 , 29.4 vs 30.2 , .436 vs .407 , - , 2001 , T. Phillips (15.3) , T. Phillips (8.0) , T. Weatherspoon (6.3) , 67.6 vs 65.1 , 28.6 vs 30.7 , .456 vs .423 , - ,
2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
, T. Phillips (14.1) , T. Phillips (7.0) , T. Weatherspoon (5.7) , 65.3 vs 63.0 , 27.2 vs 30.0 , .444 vs .399 , - , 2003 , B. Hammon (14.7) , T. Phillips (8.5) , T. Weatherspoon (4.4) , 66.0 vs 66.4 , 28.1 vs 31.2 , .429 vs .419 , - , 2004 , B. Hammon (13.5) , E. Baranova (7.2) , B. Hammon (4.4) , 66.2 vs 67.6 , 29.5 vs 32.4 , .424 vs .414 , - ,
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
, B. Hammon (13.9) , E. Baranova (6.9) , B. Hammon (4.3) , 68.1 vs 67.2 , 28.6 vs 30.3 , .445 vs .427 , - ,
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, B. Hammon (14.7) , K. Schumacher (5.5) , B. Hammon (3.7) , 69.8 vs 78.2 , 30.0 vs 34.5 , .397 vs .449 , - , 2007 , S. Christon (11.2) , J. McCarville (4.8) , L. Moore (4.8) , 71.0 vs 73.6 , 31.6 vs 35.7 , .417 vs .414 , - , 2008 , S. Christon (15.7) , C. Kraayeveld (6.1) , L. Moore (4.6) , 75.7 vs 74.6 , 32.5 vs 34.6 , .421 vs .427 , - , 2009 , S. Christon (16.1) , J. McCarville (5.5) , L. Moore (3.9) , 73.9 vs 74.6 , 31.8 vs 35.4 , .415 vs .420 , - , - ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , APG ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , FG% , - ,
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, C. Pondexter (21.4) , J. McCarville (5.9) , C. Pondexter (4.9) , 79.2 vs 76.0 , 31.2 vs 32.0 , .453 vs .436 , - ,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, C. Pondexter (17.4) , K. Vaughn (6.7) , C. Pondexter (4.7) , 76.0 vs 74.8 , 32.8 vs 32.4 , .433 vs .429 , - ,
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, C. Pondexter (20.4) , P. Pierson (5.4) , C. Pondexter (4.3) , 73.1 vs 77.2 , 33.4 vs 34.4 , .425 vs .429 , - ,
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, C. Pondexter (16.9) , K. Braxton (6.6) , C. Pondexter (4.0) , 69.6 vs 77.0 , 37.5 vs 35.0 , .404 vs .408 , - , 2014 , T. Charles (17.4) , T. Charles (9.4) , C. Pondexter (3.9) , 72.1 vs 75.2 , 34.8 vs 33.9 , .422 vs .426 , - ,
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, T. Charles (17.1) , T. Charles (8.5) , T. Wright (3.5) , 74.4 vs 71.1 , 36.7 vs 31.5 , .426 vs .393 , - , 2016 , T. Charles (21.5) , T. Charles (9.9) , T. Charles (3.8) , 81.6 vs 80.9 , 38.6 vs 34.0 , .434 vs .413 , - , 2017 , T. Charles (19.7) , T. Charles (9.4) , E. Prince (2.9) , 79.7 vs 76.6 , 38.7 vs 31.8 , .425 vs .408 , - , 2018 , T. Charles (19.7) , T. Charles (7.0) , B. Boyd (5.3) , 77.7 vs 84.8 , 34.1 vs 35.2 , .432 vs .439 , - , 2019 , T. Charles (16.9) , T. Charles (7.5) , B. Boyd (4.6) , 77.4 vs 84.7 , 34.6 vs 35.7 , .414 vs .438 , - , - ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , APG ! style="width:8%;" , PPG ! style="width:8%;" , RPG ! style="width:8%;" , FG% , - ,
2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
, K. Nurse (12.2) , A. Zahui B. (8.5) , L. Clarendon (4.9) , 71.9 vs 85.9 , 35.8 vs 37.0 , .372 vs .444 , - ,
2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, B. Laney (16.8) , N. Howard (7.2) , S. Ionescu (6.1) , 78.5 vs 85.5 , 33.3 vs 36.6 , .427 vs .438 , - ,
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...
, S. Ionescu (17.4) , N. Howard (7.3) , S. Ionescu (6.3) , 79.6 vs 82.0 , 34.2 vs 35.7 , .431 vs .418


Current roster


Other rights owned


Former players

*
Elena Baranova Elena Viktorovna Baranova (russian: Елена Викторовна Баранова; born 28 January 1972) is a Russian former professional basketball player. She is a former Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player, where she bec ...
(2003–2005) * Sherill Baker (2006–2007) *
Kelsey Bone Kelsey Renée Bone (born December 31, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. College statistics Source USA Basketball Bone was selected to play in the USA Women's Youth Development Festival. Eligib ...
(2013) *
Essence Carson Essence Carson (born July 28, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. She played college basketball for Rutgers University. After a successful college career there, Carson was drafted by the New York Lib ...
(2008–2015) *
Swin Cash Swintayla Marie "Swin" Cash Canal (born September 22, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player who played professionally for 15 seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She currently serves as vice preside ...
(2014–2016) * Tina Charles (2014–2019), currently a member of the Phoenix Mercury *
Shameka Christon Shameka Delynn Christon (born February 15, 1982) is an American retired professional women's basketball player who most recently played with the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA. She attended college at the University of Arkansas, and was named th ...
(2004–2009) *
Jessica Davenport Jessica Davenport, born June 24, 1985, is an American basketball player, formerly a reserve center for the WNBA's Indiana Fever. She previously played for The Ohio State University's women's basketball team. High school Davenport played for ...
(2007–2008) *
Barbara Farris Barbara Farris, (born September 10, 1976), is a retired basketball player formerly of the WNBA. On May 29, 2009, Farris signed with the Detroit Shock. Farris previously played for the New York Liberty. In the 2007 season she played in 28 regula ...
(2006–2007) *
Kisha Ford Kisha Ford (born April 4, 1975 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a former WNBA player for the New York Liberty, Orlando Miracle, and the Miami Sol. She attended Bryn Mawr School and played college basketball at Georgia Tech, where she was the all-time ...
(1997–1998) *
Becky Hammon Rebecca Lynn Hammon ( rus, links=no, Бекки Хэммон; born March 11, 1977) is an American-Russian professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces of the Women’s National Basketball Associa ...
(1999–2006), current head coach of the
Las Vegas Aces The Las Vegas Aces are an American professional basketball team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Aces compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team play ...
*
Kym Hampton Kym Hampton (born November 3, 1962) is a retired professional basketball player. A 6'2" center, Hampton was drafted as the number four pick in the 1997 WNBA Elite draft and played three seasons for the New York Liberty (1997–1999). Following a ...
(1997–1999), current Fan Development Leader for the Liberty *
Lindsey Harding Lindsey Marcie Harding (born June 12, 1984) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. She serves as player development coach of the Sacramento Kings. Throughout her playing career, Harding played for the Minnesota Lynx, Was ...
(2016) * Tiffany Jackson Jones (2007–2010) *
Vickie Johnson Vickie Johnson (born April 15, 1972) is an American former basketball player and head coach of the Dallas Wings. Johnson is the former head coach of the San Antonio Stars. Upon the sale and relocation of the Stars, Johnson was hired by head coach ...
(1997–2005), current head coach of the
Dallas Wings The Dallas Wings are an American basketball team based in Arlington, Texas. The Wings play in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team is owned by a group which is led by chairman Bill Cameron. Greg ...
* Cathrine Kraayeveld (2005–2009) * Rebecca Lobo (1997–2001) *
Janel McCarville Janel McCarville (born November 3, 1982) is an American professional basketball player from Custer, Wisconsin who is currently a WNBA free agent. High school years Born in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, McCarville attended Stevens Point Area Senio ...
(2007–2010) * Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2010) *
DeLisha Milton-Jones DeLisha Lachell Milton-Jones (born September 11, 1974) is an American retired professional basketball player and head coach of Old Dominion. Milton-Jones played college basketball for the University of Florida. She was a first-team All-American ...
(2013–2014) *
Leilani Mitchell Leilani Seamah Mitchell (born June 15, 1985) is an American-Australian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Mitchell was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. A dual citizen of the United Sta ...
(2008–2013), currently a member of the
Washington Mystics The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...
*
Loree Moore Loree Marlowe Moore (born March 21, 1983) is a former professional basketball player for the New York Liberty in the WNBA. Moore started at the point guard position for the Liberty and wore jersey number 12. She has also played professional b ...
(2005–2009) *
Tari Phillips Tari L. Phillips (born March 6, 1969) is an American professional women's basketball player. She currently plays with Acer ERG Priolo, an Italian A1 team based in Priolo Gargallo, Sicily. Her cousin Tayyiba Haneef-Park plays for USA Volleyball ...
(2000–2004) *
Cappie Pondexter Cappie Marie Pondexter (born January 7, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. She was born in Oceanside, California and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Pondexter is known for her scrappy play, quick crossovers and midrange ju ...
(2010–2014) *
Crystal Robinson Crystal LaTresa Robinson (born January 22, 1974) is an American basketball coach and former player, who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Mercury. She grew up in Atoka, Oklahoma, and first garnered national recognition during her co ...
(1999–2005) *
Katie Smith Katie Smith (born June 4, 1974) is lead assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the former head coach of the New York Liberty. A retired professional basketball player, Smith's prima ...
(2013), currently an assistant coach with the Minnesota Lynx and a former head coach of the Liberty *
Erin Thorn Erin Thorn (born May 19, 1981) is an American professional basketball player. She is currently playing for Tarbes GB in Tarbes, France. Born in Orem, Utah, Thorn earned Ms. Basketball honors for the state of Utah in 1999. After accepting a sch ...
(2003–2008) *
Teresa Weatherspoon Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon (born December 8, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). She played for the New York L ...
(1997–2003), currently an assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans *
Tamika Whitmore Tamika Whitmore (born June 5, 1977) is a retired American professional basketball player who played in the WNBA. College years Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Whitmore played collegiate basketball while attending the University of Memphis on a sc ...
(1999–2003) *
Sue Wicks Sue or SUE may refer to: Music * Sue Records, an American record label * Sue (album), ''Sue'' (album), an album by Frazier Chorus * "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)", a song by David Bowie Places * Sue Islet (Queensland), one of the Torres St ...
(1997–2002) *
Sophia Witherspoon Sophia L. Witherspoon (born July 6, 1969) is a former American college and professional basketball player who was a guard for seven seasons in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Witherspoon played college basketball for the Unive ...
(1997–1999) * Amanda Zahui B. (2016–2020), currently a member of the
Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...


Honored numbers


Ring of Honor


Coaches and staff


Owners

*
Cablevision Cablevision Systems Corporation was an American cable television company with systems serving areas surrounding New York City. It was the fifth-largest cable provider and ninth-largest television provider in the United States. Throughout its ex ...
, owner of the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
(1997–2009) *
Madison Square Garden, Inc. Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (also known as MSG Sports) is an American sports holding company based in New York City. MSG Sports manages professional sports teams. These include the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks and t ...
, owner of the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
(2010–2019) * Joe Tsai (2019–Present)


General Managers

*
Carol Blazejowski Carol Ann Blazejowski (born September 29, 1956) is an American retired professional women's basketball player and the former president and General Manager of the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA ...
(1996–2010) * John Whisenant (2011–2012) * Bill Laimbeer (2013–2014, 2017) * Kristin Bernert (2015–2016) * Jonathan Kolb (2019–present)


Head coaches


Assistant coaches

*
Melissa McFerrin Melissa Lynne McFerrin (born December 20, 1960) is an American retired college basketball coach, having most recently served as head coach of the Memphis Tigers women's basketball team. McFerrin played point guard in college basketball at the Un ...
(1997–1998) * Pat Coyle (1998–2004) * Jeff House (1999–2004) *
Marianne Stanley Marianne Crawford Stanley (born April 29, 1954) is an American basketball coach. She previously served as the head coach of the Washington Mystics and Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Born in Yeadon, Pennsyl ...
(2004–2006) * Nick DiPillo (2005–2008) * Bruce Hamburger (2007–2008) *
Anne Donovan Anne Theresa Donovan (November 1, 1961 – June 13, 2018) was an American women's basketball player and coach. From 2013 to 2015, she was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun. In her playing career, Donovan won a national championship with Ol ...
(2009) *
Laurie Byrd Laurie Byrd is a basketball coach and former basketball player from Flint, Michigan. She is sister to the professional boxer Chris Byrd. College A graduate of Hamady High School in Flint, Michigan, Byrd joined the Eastern Michigan Hurons women' ...
(2009–2010) *
Monique Ambers Monique Ambers (born 21 December 1970) is an American retired basketball player and coach. References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ambers, Monique 1970 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China American ...
(2011–2012) *
Lady Grooms Lady Grooms (born September 12, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player, who was one of the 16 original WNBA players allocated to the teams in the new league's 1997 WNBA Draft, Initial Player Allocation draft (as Lady Hardmon). ...
(2011–2012) *
Norm Ellenberger Norman Dale Ellenberger (August 2, 1932 – November 15, 2015) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was head coach of the University of New Mexico Lobo basketball team from 1972 to 1979, winning Western Athleti ...
(2012) *
Barbara Farris Barbara Farris, (born September 10, 1976), is a retired basketball player formerly of the WNBA. On May 29, 2009, Farris signed with the Detroit Shock. Farris previously played for the New York Liberty. In the 2007 season she played in 28 regula ...
(2013–2014, 2018–2019) * Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2013) *
Katie Smith Katie Smith (born June 4, 1974) is lead assistant coach for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is the former head coach of the New York Liberty. A retired professional basketball player, Smith's prima ...
(2014–2017) *
Herb Williams Herbert L. Williams (born February 16, 1958) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eighteen seasons from 1981 to 1999. Williams served as the interim head coach and the assistant coach of the NBA ...
(2015–2019) * Charmin Smith (2019) *
Kelly Schumacher Kelly Schumacher (born October 14, 1977) is an American-born Canadian professional basketball player and professional volleyball player. She had been playing in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock, until her release 18 June 2009. After her junior sea ...
(2020) * Shelley Patterson (2020–2021) * Dustin Gray (2020–2021) *
Jacki Gemelos Jacqueline Ann Gemelos (Greek: Τζάκι Γέμελου; born November 22, 1988) is an American-Greek former professional basketball player and coach. Early life and college career Born and raised in Stockton, California, Jacqueline Ann Gemelo ...
(2021) * Olaf Lange (2022–Present) *
Roneeka Hodges Roneeka Hodges (born July 19, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach for the New York Liberty of the WNBA (WNBA) and a former player. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, she is the twin sister of former WNBA player Doneeka Hodges. A ...
(2022–Present) *
Zach O'Brien Zachary O'Brien (born June 29, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger currently playing for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga. Prior to turning professional, O'Brien played three seasons with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan ...
(2022–Present)


All-time notes


Home arenas

*
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
;
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
(2019, 2021–present) *
Westchester County Center The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a m ...
; White Plains (2018–2019) *
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
;
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
(1997–2010, 2014–2017) *
Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...
;
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
(2011–2013) *
Arthur Ashe Stadium Arthur Ashe Stadium is a tennis stadium at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City. Part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it is the main stadium of the US Open tennis tournament and has a capacity of 23,771, ...
;
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
(2008) *
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
;
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
(2004)


Regular season attendance

* A sellout for a basketball game at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
(1997–2010) is 19,563. * A sellout for a basketball game at
Prudential Center Prudential Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the central business district of Newark, New Jersey. Opened in 2007, it is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the men's basketball program of Seton Hal ...
(2011–2013) is 18,711. * A sellout for a basketball game at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
(2013–2017) is 19,812. * A sellout for a basketball game at
Westchester County Center The Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a m ...
(2018–2019) is 5,000. * A sellout for a Liberty game at
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...
(2021–present) is considered to be 8,000, the team's initial cap on ticket sales at that venue. The full capacity for basketball is 17,732.


Draft picks

* 1997 Elite: Kym Hampton (4), Vickie Johnson (12) * 1997: Sue Wicks (6), Sophia Witherspoon (11), Trena Trice (22), Kisha Ford (27) * 1998: Alicia Thompson (9), Nadine Domond (19), Albena Branzova (29), Vanessa Nygaard (39) * 1999: Crystal Robinson (6), Michele Van Gorp (18), Tamika Whitmore (30), Carolyn Jones-Young (42) * 2000: Olga Firsova (13), Desiree Francis (29), Jessica Bibby (45), Natalie Porter (61) * 2001: Taru Tuukkanen (57), Tara Mitchem (60) * 2002: Linda Frohlich (26), Tracy Gahan (46), Dee Dee Warley (62) * 2003
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
/
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
Dispersal Draft: Elena Baranova (11) * 2003: Molly Creamer (10), Erin Thorn (17), Sonja Mallory (24), Kristen Brook Sharp (26), Nicole Kaczmarski (39) * 2004
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
Dispersal Draft: Ann Wauters (4) * 2004: Shameka Christon (5), Amisha Carter (17), Cathy Joens (30) * 2005: Loree Moore (10), Tabitha Pool (23), Rebecca Richman (36) * 2006: Sherill Baker (12), Brooke Queenan (23), Christelle N'Garsanet (37) * 2007
Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
Dispersal Draft: Janel McCarville (3) * 2007: Tiffany Jackson (5), Shay Doron (16), Martina Weber (29) * 2008: Essence Carson (7), Erlana Larkins (14), Wanisha Smith (27), Alberta Auguste (35) * 2009
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
Dispersal Draft: selection waived * 2009: Kia Vaughn (8), Abby Waner (21) * 2010
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
Dispersal Draft: Nicole Powell (1) * 2010: Kalana Greene (13), Ashley Houts (16), Cory Montgomery (25) * 2011: Alex Montgomery (10), Angel Robinson (22), Mekia Valentine (34) * 2012: Kelley Cain (7), Katelan Redmon (36) * 2013: Kelsey Bone (5), Toni Young (7), Kamiko Williams (15), Shenneika Smith (25), Olcay Çakır (27) * 2014: Alyssa Thomas (4), Tyaunna Marshall (14), Meighan Simmons (26) * 2015: Brittany Boyd (9), Kiah Stokes (11), Amber Orrange (23), Laurin Mincy (27), Michala Johnson (28) * 2016: Adut Bulgak (12), Ameryst Alston (24), Shacobia Barbee (36) * 2017: Lindsay Allen (14), Kai James (34) * 2018: Kia Nurse (10), Mercedes Russell (22), Leslie Robinson (34) * 2019: Asia Durr (2), Han Xu (14), Megan Huff (26) * 2020: Sabrina Ionescu (1), Megan Walker (9), Jazmine Jones (12), Kylee Shook (13), Leaonna Odom (15), Erica Ogwumike (26; traded to Minnesota) * 2021: Michaela Onyenwere (6), DiDi Richards (17), Valerie Higgins (25), Marine Fauthoux (29) *2022:
Nyara Sabally Nyara Sabally (born 26 February 2000) is a German professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and USK Praha (women's basketball), USK Prague of the EuroLeague Women and the Czech w ...
(5),
Sika Koné Sika Koné (KOH-nay) (born 13 July 2002) is a Malian basketball player who is currently a free agent. At six foot three, Koné is a power forward who played for CB Islas Canarias, Gran Canaria in Spain in 2022. She was drafted by the New York Lib ...
(29)


Trades

* December 15, 1999: The Liberty acquired Michele Van Gorp from the Portland Fire in exchange for Portland agreeing to select Sophia Witherspoon and Coquese Washington in the expansion draft. * May 28, 2000: The Liberty traded Carolyn Jones-Young to the Portland Fire in exchange for Tari Phillips. * February 24, 2006: The Liberty traded the 9th overall pick in the 2006 Draft to the Indiana Fever in exchange for Kelly Schumacher and the 12th overall pick in the 2006 Draft. * April 4, 2007: The Liberty traded Becky Hammon and a second-round pick in the 2008 Draft to the San Antonio Silver Stars in exchange for draft rights to Jessica Davenport and a first-round pick in the 2008 Draft. * June 20, 2007: The Liberty traded Sherill Baker to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Lisa Willis. * May 7, 2008: The Liberty traded a third-round pick in the 2009 Draft to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for
Leilani Mitchell Leilani Seamah Mitchell (born June 15, 1985) is an American-Australian professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Mitchell was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. A dual citizen of the United Sta ...
. * May 5, 2009: The Liberty traded a first-round pick in the 2010 Draft to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Sidney Spencer. * March 30, 2010: The Liberty traded Shameka Christon and Cathrine Kraayeveld to the Chicago Sky in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2010 Draft and Cappie Pondexter and Kelly Mazzante from the Phoenix Mercury. Phoenix received Candice Dupree from Chicago as part of this trade. * April 11, 2011: The Liberty traded Angel Robinson to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Jessica Breland and a second-round pick in the 2012 Draft. * April 11, 2011: The Liberty traded Kalana Greene to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Sydney Colson. * May 27, 2011: The Liberty acquired Quanitra Hollingsworth from the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the right to swap third-round picks in the 2012 Draft. * August 4, 2011: The Liberty traded Sidney Spencer to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Kara Braxton. * February 27, 2013: The Liberty traded Kia Vaughn to the Washington Mystics in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2013 Draft. * March 1, 2013: The Liberty traded Janel McCarville to the Minnesota Lynx and Nicole Powell plus a third-round pick in the 2013 Draft to the Tulsa Shock. In exchange, the Liberty received Deanna Nolan, a second-round pick in the 2013 Draft, and a third-round pick in the 2013 Draft. * April 15, 2013: The Liberty traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the Washington Mystics in exchange for the 25th overall pick in the 2013 Draft. * April 14, 2014: The Liberty traded Kelsey Bone, Alyssa Thomas, and a first-round pick in the 2015 Draft to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Tina Charles. * July 9, 2014: The Liberty traded DeLisha Milton-Jones to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Swin Cash. * February 16, 2015: The Liberty traded Cappie Pondexter to the Chicago Sky in exchange for Epiphanny Prince. * April 16, 2015: The Liberty traded Alex Montgomery to the San Antonio Stars in exchange for the 9th overall pick in the 2015 Draft. The Liberty also traded Anna Cruz and 16th and 35th overall pick to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for the 11th, 23rd and 28th overall pick in the 2015 Draft. * May 2, 2016: The Liberty traded a second-round pick in the 2017 Draft to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for Shoni Schimmel. * May 11, 2016: The Liberty traded a first-round pick in the 2017 Draft to the Dallas Wings in exchange for Amanda Zahui B. and a second-round pick in the 2017 Draft. * January 30, 2017: The Liberty traded Carolyn Swords, a first-round pick in the 2017 Draft to the Seattle Storm in exchange for Kia Vaughn and Bria Hartley. * April 11, 2019 : The Liberty traded their second round pick in the 2020 Draft to Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tanisha Wright. * April 11, 2020: The Liberty engaged in a three team trade where the team acquired the 13th pick in the 2020 Draft and sent Sugar Rodgers to Las Vegas. *April 17, 2020: The Liberty traded the draft rights to Erica Ogwumike to Minneosta in exchange for Stephanie Talbot. *April 17, 2020: The Liberty acquired the draft rights for Jocelyn Willoughby from Phoenix in exchange for Shatori Walker-Kimbrough. *February 10, 2021: The Liberty traded Kia Nurse and Megan Walker to Phoenix in exchange for the 6th pick in the 2021 Draft and the Mercury's first-round pick in the 2022 Draft. *February 10, 2021: The Liberty traded the 1st overall pick in the 2021 Draft, a second-round pick in the 2022 Draft, and their second-round 2022 Draft pick to Seattle in exchange for Natasha Howard. *February 10, 2021: The Liberty traded the rights to Stephanie Talbot to Seattle in exchange for Sami Whitcomb. *April 11, 2022: The Liberty traded their Second Round pick in the 2023 Draft to Seattle in exchange for the rights to Lorela Cubaj. *June 8, 2022: The Liberty traded Asia Durr to Atlanta in exchange for Megan Walker and the rights to Raquel Carrera.


All-Stars

* 1999: Kym Hampton, Vickie Johnson, Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Weatherspoon * 2000: Tari Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon, Sue Wicks * 2001: Vickie Johnson, Tari Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon * 2002: Tari Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon * 2003: Becky Hammon, Tari Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon * 2004: Becky Hammon * 2005: Becky Hammon, Ann Wauters * 2006: None * 2007: None * 2008: No All-Star Game * 2009: Shameka Christon * 2010: Cappie Pondexter * 2011: Essence Carson, Cappie Pondexter * 2012: No All-Star Game * 2013: Cappie Pondexter * 2014: Tina Charles, Cappie Pondexter * 2015: Tina Charles * 2016: No All-Star Game * 2017: Tina Charles, Sugar Rodgers * 2018: Tina Charles * 2019: Tina Charles, Kia Nurse * 2020: No All-Star Game * 2021: Betnijah Laney * 2022: Natasha Howard, Sabrina Ionescu


Olympians

*2016: Tina Charles *2020: Rebecca Allen ( AUS), Han Xu ( CHN), Marine Johannès (
FRA A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ol ...
)


Honors and awards

* 1997 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Rebecca Lobo * 1997 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Teresa Weatherspoon * 1997 ''Defensive Player of the Year'': Teresa Weatherspoon * 1998 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Teresa Weatherspoon * 1998 ''Defensive Player of the Year'': Teresa Weatherspoon * 1999 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Teresa Weatherspoon * 2000 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Teresa Weatherspoon * 2000 ''Most Improved Player'': Tari Phillips * 2001 ''Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award'': Sue Wicks * 2002 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Tari Phillips * 2005 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Becky Hammon * 2007 ''Most Improved Player'': Janel McCarville * 2007 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Loree Moore * 2010 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Cappie Pondexter * 2010 ''Most Improved Player'': Leilani Mitchell * 2010 ''All-Defensive First Team'': Cappie Pondexter * 2010 ''All-Rookie Team'': Kalana Greene * 2011 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Cappie Pondexter * 2011 ''Most Improved Player'': Kia Vaughn * 2012 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Cappie Pondexter * 2013 ''All-Rookie Team'': Kelsey Bone * 2014 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Tina Charles * 2015 ''Coach of the Year'': Bill Laimbeer * 2015 ''All-Rookie Team'': Brittany Boyd * 2015 ''All-Rookie Team'': Kiah Stokes * 2015 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Tina Charles * 2015 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Kiah Stokes * 2015 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Tanisha Wright * 2015 ''All-WNBA First Team'': Tina Charles * 2015 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Epiphanny Prince * 2016 ''Peak Performer (Points)'': Tina Charles * 2016 ''Peak Performer (Rebounds)'': Tina Charles * 2016 ''All-Defensive Second Team'': Tanisha Wright * 2017 ''WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year'': Sugar Rodgers * 2020'' ''All-Rookie Team'': Jazmine Jones * 2021 ''All-Rookie Team'': Michaela Onyenwere * 2015 ''All-Rookie Team'': DiDi Richards * 2021 ''Rookie of the Year'': Michaela Onyenwere * 2022 ''All-WNBA Second Team'': Sabrina Ionescu


Media coverage

Liberty games are broadcast on the
YES Network The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) is an American pay television regional sports network owned by Yankee Global Enterprises (the largest shareholder with 26%), Sinclair Broadcast Group and Entertainment Studios (which owns 20%), ...
, which is a regional sports network based in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. More often than not,
NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regula ...
will pick up the feed from the local broadcast, which is shown nationally. Broadcasters for the Liberty games are Mike Crispino,
Rosalyn Gold-Onwude Rosalyn Fatima Gold-Onwude (; born April 28, 1987) is an American-Nigerian sports broadcaster. A native of New York City, Gold-Onwude played college basketball at Stanford and played on the Nigeria national team. Gold-Onwude covers NBA basketba ...
and Julianne Viani. All games (excluding blackout games, which are available on
ESPN3.com ESPN3 (formerly ESPN360 and ESPN3.com) is an online streaming service owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications ...
) are broadcast to the
WNBA LiveAccess The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
game feeds on the league website. Furthermore, some Liberty games are broadcast nationally on
CBS Sports Network CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known a ...
,
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
,
ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American multinational pay television network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remaining 20%). ESPN2 was initially fo ...
and
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. The WNBA has reached an eight-year agreement with
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, which will pay right fees to the Liberty, as well as other teams in the league. On May 22, 2019, the YES Network announced that it would broadcast 16 Liberty games for the 2019 season, adding to the network's existing basketball coverage of the
Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The t ...
. Previously, games had been broadcast on
MSG Network The MSG Network (MSG) is an American regional cable and satellite television network, and radio service owned by MSG Entertainment, Inc.—a spin-off of the main Madison Square Garden Company operation (itself a spin-off of local cable provider ...
.


Notes


References

{{Portal bar, Sports, New York City, New York (state) 1997 establishments in New Jersey Basketball teams established in 1997 Basketball teams in New York City Basketball teams in New York (state) Madison Square Garden Sports Women's National Basketball Association teams