New York Liberty basketball team honored with ticker-tape parade at Canyon of Heroes

NEW YORK (AP) – Jonkel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered with confetti as the Liberty celebrated winning the WNBA title at the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan.

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

The Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx to win the franchise's first championship in overtime Sunday in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

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

experienced Liberty players Teresa Weatherspoon, Vicki Johnson, Kim Hampton and Crystal Robinson from the initial team including current coach Sandy Brondello. Later attended the parade and ceremony at City Hall. Liberty even brought out former mascot Maddie.

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

The Liberty held a celebration Thursday night at Barclays Center to close out the festivities, highlighted by a performance by the team's incredibly popular mascot, Eli the Elephant, along with rapper Lil Mama.

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

“On behalf of 20 million incredibly proud New Yorkers, I welcome 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.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball