New York Liberty parade: Live coverage from WNBA champs’ ticker-tape celebration

The New York Liberty celebrated their long-awaited reign as WNBA champions in a rain of ticker tape on Thursday.

Days after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in a winner-take-all Game 5, the Liberty and their fans partied in Lower Manhattan as the team got the ultimate New York City tribute: a parade up the Canyon of Heroes.

The festivities kicked off at 10 a.m. in Battery Park, followed by a short procession up Broadway and through the Financial District. The parade ended at City Hall, where the Liberty were feted in a ceremony led by Mayor Eric Adams. Stars Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and the rest of the team spoke along with coach Sandy Brondello.

Celebrating the first crown in the franchise’s 28-year history, the Liberty planned to cap off the day with an event for fans Thursday night at their home court, Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

If you couldn’t make it, take a look at our live coverage of the day’s activities:

That’s a wrap on the Liberty Canyon of Heroes party

As the team gathered at the front of the stage, cannons shot off enormous streams of seafoam, gold and white confetti while Frank Sinatra crooned “New York, New York” and Jay-Z and Alicia Keys followed with “Empire State of Mind.” Two timeless tunes for a team that has made Gotham history.

The partying isn’t over. The Liberty will hold a fan appreciation night at Barclays Center this evening.

Earlier, team owner Clara Wu Tsai struck a hopeful vote about next year: “We basically finished some business, but it’s just the beginning,” she told the Liberty Loyals. “And I think based on the love, we’re going to have to run it back.”

Breanna Stewart is the Liberty’s most important player who’s not signed for the coming season, but she’s expected to return.

Jonquel Jones: The next parade is in the Bahamas

Jones, the MVP of the WNBA finals, talked about the honor she felt representing both New York and her native Bahamas. She invited the assembled hundreds at City Hall to a second parade back home.

Jones said the title “just represents going after your dream wholeheartedly, just taking it one step at a time and doing what you can do, not trying to do too much in the moment.”

She finished by leading the crowd in a Liberty fan cheer that symbolized the team’s, and the city’s resilience: “We all we got! We all we need!”

Now, Mayor Adams is handing out oversized, gold-hued keys to the city.

Gov. Kathy Hochul tells the Yankees to keep up

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the state’s first female chief executive, exults in the Liberty’s win, and throws down a gauntlet to “the boys” − the New York Yankees, currently about to start the World Series. Let’s see you back here for another parade in a few weeks, Hochul says, hoping for “a twofer.”

Here come the Liberty players

After a long wait, we’re underway in earnest at City Hall. The players walk out to cheers, with the Liberty faithful giving huge cheers to Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton walks out with her adorable, beaming toddler by her side.

Liberty broadcast analyst Ros Gold-Onwude notes the historic nature of this title: It’s the first pro basketball championship for New York City since the Knicks won it all in 1973, 51 years ago.

The best Liberty merch

The City Hall ceremony has begun with a rousing performance from the Fogo Azul NYC drumline. The best fan merch on the scene: The team’s official T-shirt has the Statue of Liberty’s hand gripping the torch — with a championship ring on her finger. And of course, the oxidized copper is seafoam green.

The NY Liberty parade reaches City Hall with ceremony still to come

The parade has wrapped up, with the floats reaching City Hall, and an army of sanitation workers now hurrying up from the rear to clean up tons of confetti. A ceremony to be led by Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to start at noon.

The crowd anxiously waiting outside City Hall reflected the diversity of New York City itself. Skin tones of all shades, hair of many lengths and textures. Some were old enough to have been at Madison Square Garden for the WNBA’s inaugural 1997 season. Others probably played hooky from school Thursday.

But they shared the seafoam, coming together for a line dance or two as the DJ spun tunes.

Queer activist Lola Flash feels a sense of inclusion

Photographer and LGBTQ+ activist Lola Flash grew up in Montclair and proudly showed up for the parade. A Black lesbian, Flash recalled the times when she didn’t see many people she recognized in popular culture.

“We used to say, ‘She’s family.’ But they weren’t out,” said Flash, who attended her first Liberty game to see Brittney Griner play after being released from a Russian penal colony.

“When I see them kissing on TV, I’m kind of shocked because I’m not used to that safety,” she said of lesbian figures she now sees in media.

They’re throwing shoes at Sabrina Ionescu while Jonquel Jones boogies

Normally not a good sign. But for the Liberty’s star guard, it’s a symbol of respect. Fans are tossing merch onto her float for Ionescu to sign and she is obliging: hats, T-shirts, towels and, yes, several sneakers as well.

Elsewhere in the parade, Jonquel Jones is dancing while holding the MVP trophy. The Liberty Loyals are screaming.

Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai: ‘Finally’ a crown for the fans

The sixth time was the charm for the Liberty, which fell short in five previous trips to the WNBA finals, including a disappointing loss last year to the Las Vegas Aces.

Hailie Cadeau grew up playing basketball in East Orange and at Morristown Beard School in Morris County. She was at Game 5 on Sunday night. But really, Cadeau said, she’d called the championship in a TikTok on draft night.

“Last season was a difficult one, but I did not lose hope,” said Cadeau, who works in recruiting. “I knew we were coming back, that they hadn’t given up on the City of New York.”

In an interview, Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai told Fox-5 News that she was thinking of the franchise’s long-waiting fans: “To finally win a championship for them is really special.”

Along the parade, Aaron Cruz, a supporter from the Bronx, said, “it’s awesome cause it’s their first time winning.” The Liberty’s defeat of the Aces in this year’s semifinals round was a highlight for him. “Beating the Aces has to be the best part of the season. That felt like our championship win.”

The NY Liberty parade is on! And fans of women’s sports are elated

The floats are making their way up Broadway with a blizzard of confetti falling and fans cheering. WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones got a big ovation when she appeared on the big TV screen at City Hall.

Among many in the crowd, there’s a feeling that the Liberty’s moment − they’re first local women’s sports teams to get a ticker-tape parade − carries a deeper meaning.

Gillian Berney came from Palisades Park with her son Cameron.

“I’m here to support women’s sports, it’s a priority for us,” she said. “My son is a basketball player so we love the sport. It’s very important for the city and the pride of the city”

“Ellie was my favorite part of the season,” Berney added, referring to the team’s elephant mascot. “We love her outfits, we love everything about her and the progress that they made”

Nebraska Hernandez also showed up to show his support for women’s teams. “They are often overlooked, but hey, they won!” he said. “Big New York [fan], Big Liberty. I’m just happy New York won, and we’ll be here again next month for the Yankees.”

How many ticker-tape parades has NYC thrown?

The Liberty will get the 208th march down the Canyon of Heroes, according to a list maintained by the New York Downtown Alliance. There’s a full-circle feel to today’s event, as the tradition is said to have started in 1886 to honor the dedication of the Statue of Liberty.

The most recent one before today was held in 2021 for New York’s essential workers in the midst of the COVID pandemic. At the time, NorthJersey.com’s Alexis Shanes looked at the history of ticker-tape parades:

“Ticker tape parade history began spontaneously during the Statue of Liberty dedication in October 1886, when office workers threw ticker tape out their windows and onto parade-goers below.

Ticker tape, thin strips of paper used for early electronic printing of stock market quotes and baseball scores, is so called because of the ticking sound the machines produced. West Orange resident Thomas Edison invented the original ticker tape machine, patenting it in 1869, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.”

NY Liberty fans show up early to grab a parade spot

The seafoam green tide is starting to wash into Lower Manhattan, as fans show up to grab a spot along Broadway. Chloe and Caroline Delacruz traveled from Hillsborough with their mom, Natasha. They parked in Newark and took the PATH to the Canyon of Heroes. Already ticketed for tonight’s Barclays event, they’re planning a subway ride to Brooklyn. All together, it’ll be about a 90-minute trip.

The marching band from Brooklyn United Music and Arts Center was also ready to pump up the crowd:

How to watch the New York Liberty ticker-tape parade

The ticker-tape parade celebrating the team’s 2024 WNBA championship will be broadcast and streamed by several local stations, including WABC-7, Fox 5 NY and WNBC-4. You can also watch on the WNBA and NBA apps and NBA TV, according to the Liberty.

When is the New York Liberty parade?

The parade will start at 10 a.m. Thursday in Battery Park and make its way down the Canyon of Heroes, the same route traveled by previous sports champions in the New York area. It will end at City Hall, where a ceremony will follow to “say thank you to our heroes,” Adams, sporting a Liberty hat, announced in a video posted to X Monday afternoon.

“You made us proud, and now we’re going to make you proud,” the mayor added.

The day’s festivities will conclude with a championship celebration from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Barclays Center.

How to get to the Liberty parade

The parade may affect regular train and bus service in the area due to closures of streets and select subway entrances on the day. Commuters should visit the MTA website for further details closer to the day of the celebration.

(Correction: A prior version of this story misspelled Gillian Berney’s name.)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Liberty parade: Live updates from the WNBA champions’ celebration