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 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 Nati ...

(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 ...

. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center. 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 ...

Rebecca Lobo Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin (born October 6, 1973) is an American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position ...

, Becky Hammon, Leilani Mitchell, Essence Carson,

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. 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 offici ...

four times, falling to the

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

, and 2000, 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 fou ...

in 2002. 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

( 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

emerged as a star, and the Liberty made it to the 1997 championship game, where the team lost to the

. 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 col ...

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, 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

, 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 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. 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

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 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 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 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 I ...

, 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 Senior ...

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 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 shooting guard Essence Carson and former

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

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 its ...

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

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 Kia Vaughn (born January 24, 1987) is an American-born Czech professional basketball player for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She attended high school at St. Michael's All Girls High School in New York, ...

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

(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.

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.

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 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 Delawa ...

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 Si ...

, 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 t ...

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.

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 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. In November 2017, the Madison Square Garden Company and James L. Dolan 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 in nearby

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

, 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 minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA D ...

team the Westchester Knicks, while still continuing to pursue a sale.

The Joseph Tsai era (2019–present)

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

. 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, 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

in a deal that also involved the Dallas Wings. They chose Sabrina Ionescu as the first pick, with Megan Walker and

Jazmine Jones Jazmine Jones (born October 15, 1996) is an American basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the WNBA. She played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference. She was drafted by the New York Liberty in ...

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 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 identi ...

, 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

, 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 (W ...

in a multi-team trade that sent Kia Nurse and Megan Walker to the Phoenix Mercury and signed Betnijah Laney, the league's 2020 Most Improved Player Award winner. The team then added Michaela Onyenwere 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 n ...

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 in his place just over a month later on January 7, 2022. On the roster, the team brought in

Stefanie Dolson Stefanie Dolson (born January 8, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted sixth overall in the 2014 WNBA draft. Dolson played center for the ...

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.

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% , - ,

, 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 , - ,

, 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 , 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 , 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 , 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 , 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 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, 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 , 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 , 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 , 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 fa ...

, 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 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wa ...

, 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 , 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 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, 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 , 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 , 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 , 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 Sherill Shavette Baker (born December 3, 1982) is a current American collegiate women's basketball assistant head coach with the Georgia State Panthers and former professional women's basketball player in the WNBA, most recently with the Detroit ...

(2006–2007) * Kelsey Bone (2013) * Essence Carson (2008–2015) * Swin Cash (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 the ...

(2004–2009) *

(2007–2008) * Barbara Farris (2006–2007) * Kisha Ford (1997–1998) * Becky Hammon (1999–2006), current head coach of the Las Vegas Aces * Kym Hampton (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, Wash ...

(2016) * Tiffany Jackson Jones (2007–2010) * Vickie Johnson (1997–2005), current head coach of the Dallas Wings *

Cathrine Kraayeveld Cathrine Helene Kraayeveld (born September 30, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the WNBA. Her father, Dave, played football for the Seattle Seahawks in 1978. High school and college Cathrine attended L ...

(2005–2009) *

(1997–2001) *

(2007–2010) * Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2010) * DeLisha Milton-Jones (2013–2014) * Leilani Mitchell (2008–2013), currently a member of the

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 ba ...

(2005–2009) *

(2000–2004) *

(2010–2014) *

(1999–2005) * Katie Smith (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 sc ...

(2003–2008) *

(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 (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 Univ ...

(1997–1999) *

Amanda Zahui B. Amanda Zahui Bazoukou (born September 8, 1993), known professionally as Amanda Zahui B., is a Swedish basketball player for the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). After playing basketball both in Sweden and c ...

(2016–2020), currently a member of the

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 e ...

, owner of the New York Knicks (1997–2009) * Madison Square Garden, Inc., owner of the New York Knicks (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 Uni ...

(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) *

(2009) * Laurie Byrd (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 (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 (2013–2014, 2018–2019) * Taj McWilliams-Franklin (2013) * Katie Smith (2014–2017) * Herb Williams (2015–2019) * Charmin Smith (2019) * Kelly Schumacher (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 Gemelos ...

(2021) *

Olaf Lange Olaf Helliesen Lange (11 February 1875 – 19 April 1965) was a Norwegian painter and print maker. Lange's '' fin-de-siècle'' art has its own special approach visualizing the complexity of the modern urban life. Olaf Lange is best known for hi ...

(2022–Present) * Roneeka Hodges (2022–Present) * Zach O'Brien (2022–Present)

All-time notes

Home arenas

* Barclays Center;

(2019, 2021–present) * Westchester County Center; White Plains (2018–2019) * Madison Square Garden;

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; Newark (2011–2013) * Arthur Ashe Stadium;

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;

(2004)

Regular season attendance

* A sellout for a basketball game at Madison Square Garden (1997–2010) is 19,563. * A sellout for a basketball game at Prudential Center (2011–2013) is 18,711. * A sellout for a basketball game at Madison Square Garden (2013–2017) is 19,812. * A sellout for a basketball game at Westchester County Center (2018–2019) is 5,000. * A sellout for a Liberty game at Barclays Center (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 coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

/ Portland 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 United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

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 ...

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 (5), Sika Koné (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. * 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 o ...

)

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, 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 will pick up the feed from the local broadcast, which is shown nationally. Broadcasters for the Liberty games are Mike Crispino, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude 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 (w ...

) are broadcast to the WNBA LiveAccess 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 ...

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 and ABC. The WNBA has reached an eight-year agreement with

, 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

. 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 prov ...

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