BROOKLYN, NEW YORK—The drought is finally over. The New York Liberty delivered its first-ever WNBA championship in franchise history. In a must-win or go-home game five matchup, New York defeated the Minnesota Lynx, 67-62, in an overtime thriller. In a unique yet low-scoring affair, New York unlocked the key to victory—Nyara Sabally and elite defense.
Drafted no. 5 overall out of Oregon by the Liberty in the 2022 draft, Sabally’s career has been derailed by injuries. Having gone through multiple ACL tears at the collegiate level, the Liberty saw the massive potential in Sabally. Unlikely to play the entire 2022 season with a knee injury, GM Jonathan Kolb and coach Sandy Brondello didn’t miss a beat in drafting the German native.
They say you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take. With that said, the Liberty front office nailed the pick. Willing to wait, the chance Kolb took on Sabally has paid off.
The Liberty found unique ways to secure the championship
It wasn’t the most glorifying win for the Liberty. New York simply found a way to win ugly. One of the founding inaugural teams of the WNBA, New York, has fallen short in five final appearances. First against the Comets in the 1997, 1999, and 2000 WNBA Finals. Conceding to the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002, the Liberty were one point away from forcing a game five vs the Las Vegas Aces in 2023.
