The New York Liberty have won their first-ever WNBA championship.

The Brooklyn-based franchise, which joined the WNBA when the league launched in 1997, clinched hardware by beating the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis on Sunday night. New York has won the series 3-2, getting over the line in a winner-takes-it-all Game 5 with a 67-62 overtime victory.

The result means Jonquel Jones, the 2021 MVP, and three-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu are WNBA champions at last. Breanna Stewart, meanwhile, is now a three-time WNBA winner. The victory comes just weeks after Stewart promised New Yorkers the team had “a lot to make up for” after losing 3-1 to the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals a year ago.

The All-WNBA First Team star was asked about the 2023 loss by reporters last month. Stewart replied: “I think I’ve just kind of grown from it. I’ve had – unfortunately – a lot of time to reflect on it, and where can I be better. And how to handle things collectively better. But with that, I don’t forget who I am and what I can do.”

And what she can do is win championships.

And while the Liberty can finally celebrate a championship win, the game did not come without drama. With under 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and New York down two, Stewart had an opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line. However, Stewart, one of the most clutch performers in the league, missed both.

Lynx star Napheesa Collier had a chance to give Minnesota the lead with 5.2 seconds left but missed the layup and after a brief back and forth, the game went into overtime, becoming the first WNBA Finals series to have multiple overtime games. Additionally, Game 5 was the first time in league history there was an overtime period in a winner-take-all game.

With the game headed to overtime, the Liberty took a quick five-point lead thanks to Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich hitting a timely layup and a 3-pointer, respectively. That five-point was New York’s largest lead of the game, and it came at the perfect time.

An overall view of the arena after the New York Liberty defeat the Minnesota Lynx during Game Five of the 2024 WNBA Finals on October 20, 2024 in Brooklyn, New York

The New York Liberty are now WNBA champions after almost three decades of missing out ( 

Image:

Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images)

As Minnesota continued to claw back, it was Stewart who ultimately closed the door on any potential by the Lynx. With 10 seconds left in the game, Stewart was given a chance at redemption after missing the two free throws that could have tied the game earlier.

Stewart calmly walked up to the line and sank both free throws, effectively sealing the game for New York. Fiebich then stole the Lynx’s final attempt and the celebrations were on for the Liberty.

After the game, a visibly emotional Stewart spoke to ESPN’s Holly Rowe about what it meant to win a championship for New York, especially considering how close it was last season against the Las Vegas Aces. “Oh my God, Holly,” the star began to Rowe. “This is incredible.

“I think that I missed it earlier in the series and I knew I was going to make it and I knew I was going to make it for this city. This is something special right here, I’m trying not to cry… but oh my God, this is amazing.” The 30-year-old also explained what it meant to win a championship in New York, especially as someone who grew up in the state.

“It means everything. I wanted to come here, I wanted to be the first and I wouldn’t be here without my teammates,” she continued. “We had some ups and downs, this series was tough. but we fought through because we wanted to bring it home for this city and this crowd.”

And although Stewart had the memorable moments, it was star forward Jonquel Jones who was awarded the WNBA Finals MVP. Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggled from the field in Game 5, combining for 18 points on 6-of-34 shooting as the Liberty’s depth shown through.