Liberty Finally Give New York City a Basketball Championship

As the final second ticked off the clock, Breanna Stewart turned to her teammate Jonquel Jones for a long-awaited championship hug, as streamers floated down on the court and thousands of fans screamed, danced and recorded the moment on their phones.

The long wait was over. The New York Liberty, one of the original W.N.B.A. teams, won their first championship on Sunday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, beating the Minnesota Lynx, 67-62 in overtime, to capture the best-of-five series, 3 games to 2.

New York City finally had a 21st-century basketball championship to savor.

After more than a quarter century of trying in more than four home arenas, the Liberty finally will have a banner to hang at Barclays, their current home. City buildings will be lit up in the team color, Liberty “sea foam,” and Mayor Eric Adams promised a parade. History has been made.

“To be able to bring a championship to New York, the first ever in franchise history, it’s an incredible feeling,” said Stewart, who is from North Syracuse, N.Y. “I literally can’t wait to continue to celebrate with the city, because it’s going to be bonkers.”

Not only is the title a first for the franchise, but the Liberty also broke a long drought for New York area professional basketball. Theirs is the first championship for a New York major pro basketball team since the New York Nets of the old American Basketball Association won the last title of that defunct league in 1976, before it merged with the N.B.A. the next season.

The Knicks have not won an N.B.A. championship since 1973, more than a half-century ago. While they (and, to a lesser degree, the Nets, who also play at Barclays Center) continue to strive toward their own elusive trophy, the Liberty secured theirs thanks to a core of talented and gritty players, who withstood a fierce challenge by Minnesota.