From the earliest days of the Women’s National Basketball Association, it seemed like winning a championship was only a matter of time for the New York Liberty. A glamour franchise by default, they first reached the doorstep of a title during the league’s inaugural season back in 1997, falling to the Houston Comets in a championship game that was attended by a robust crowd of 16,285 but wiped from the headlines within hours by the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. That was the first of five times New York tripped at the final hurdle, including last season’s crushing defeat to the Las Vegas Aces on their home floor. As the years became decades, much like their longtime Madison Square Garden co-tenants, coming up short became the Liberty’s brand, despite a parade of name-brand stars like Rebecca Lobo, Teresa Weatherspoon, Becky Hammon, Cappie Pondexter and Tina Charles.
That’s one way of saying that Sunday night’s cathartic triumph, when New York finally hauled in the sport’s biggest prize with a heart-stopping overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx and became the last of the WNBA’s Original Eight teams to win a title, was a long time coming. But as the confetti rained down inside the Barclays Center while Ellie the Elephant twerked away to Empire State of Mind amid the roars of 18,800 spectators, it was easy to forget just how down bad the Liberty were under their previous caretakers – and how extraordinary the ensuing turnaround has been.
