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New York Liberty honored with ticker-tape parade in Canyon of Heroes

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New York Liberty honored with ticker-tape parade in Canyon of Heroes

Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered with confetti as the Liberty celebrated winning the WNBA title in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the thousands who lined the streets on Thursday.

The Liberty won the franchise’s first championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“[To] see how many people were in the crowd, smiling, celebrating the Liberty,” Ionescu said. “It really puts into perspective what it means to bring a championship to this city and how it really takes everyone.”

Veteran Liberty players from the early teams, including Teresa Weatherspoon, Vickie Johnson, Kym Hampton and Crystal Robinson, along with current coach Sandy Brondello. attended the parade and ceremony afterward at City Hall.

The parade route was full of fans of all ages, with many of the kids wearing jerseys of their favorite players. Jones carried her Finals MVP trophy atop her float, while Stewart and Ionescu went into the crowd, giving high-fives and taking selfies with fans.

“It shows that women can also win championships, and woman can do what men can do too,” Sienna Desalvo, a Liberty fan, said.

Joanne Lee has held season tickets for the Liberty since their inaugural season, has followed the team to every arena they’ve played in and has been waiting for this moment.  

“We just talked about us crying because this is giving back to the women,” Lee said. “It is just so rewarding because as we keep on growing, it’s going to keep growing. I am loving every bit of it.”

“This is awesome. I’ve been a Liberty fan since they first started playing” added Sarah Davis of the WNBA’s debut in 1997. “It’s so cool that we won and we could celebrate with a parade.”

There have been over 200 ticker-tape and confetti parades in New York. The most recent to honor a women’s sports team came in 2019 when the U.S. soccer team won the World Cup. Two years later, there was a parade to honor essential workers and first responders for their service during the coronavirus pandemic.

“On behalf of 20 million incredibly proud New Yorkers, I say welcome home to our champion women,” said Hochul, who thanked Liberty owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai for investing in the team. “Let’s do it again next year.”

At City Hall, Adams presented the team with keys to the city, and council members declared Oct. 20 New York Liberty Day in the city.

Stewart and Jones reflected on being able to bring the championship to the city and celebrating with the fans.

“My first WNBA game was a Liberty game at [Madison Square Garden], so this is a full circle moment,” Stewart said. “I appreciate you guys so much. This has been an incredible journey. We’re not done yet.”

“Everybody has really poured into the team to make sure we would end up being successful. Now we have the ultimate prize and it’s something that can’t be taken away from us. That’s what it’s all about,” Jones added.

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