The Liberty are taking Manhattan.
A much-anticipated ticker-tape parade for WNBA champions the New York Liberty will flood the Canyon of Heroes Thursday, said Mayor Eric Adams.
Adams said in a video message congratulating the team that the parade will begin 10 a.m., with a City Hall ceremony to follow the team’s only-in-New-York honor.
“You made us proud, and we’re going to make you proud,” he said.
The Liberty claimed the WNBA title Sunday with a nail-biting 67-62 Game 5 overtime victory over the Minnesota Lynx – and in their Barclays Center home stadium, no less.
Beyond being the nearly three-decade-old franchise’s first title, it was New York City’s first pro basketball championship in almost 50 years.
The Liberty’s parade will start at 10 a.m. in Battery Park and wind up Broadway, according to an informational text sent out by City Hall.
They’ll be the first local women’s professional sports team to receive the ticker-tape treatment, although the the US Woman’s National Team has twice gone down the Canyon of Heroes after Women’s World Cup wins in 2015 and 2019.
The city hasn’t held a ticker-tape parade for a local team since the Giants thumped the Patriots during the 2012 Super Bowl.
And who’s invited to the Liberty’s parade?
“You + everyone you know!” City Hall’s text declares.
The team’s drive toward the championship came capped a banner year for the WNBA — which has seen viewership and fandom explode, in part thanks to star rookie Caitlin Clarke — and New York City sports teams.
As the Liberty sought to make basketball history, the New York Mets and Yankees fought for MLB World Series slots. Sadly for Mets fans, their hopes to be one half of a subway series were dashed with a 10-5 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5 Sunday night.
The Yankees clinched a World Series berth Saturday with their dramatic win over the Cleveland Guardians, keeping some — but not all — Big Apple sports fans’ hopes alive for another iconic ticker-tape parade after the Liberty trek down the Canyon of Heroes.
