Victory parade in New York City: Fiebich and Sabally celebrated for WNBA titles
by Jean Dumler, New York
New York went 51 years without a championship title. Now the New York Liberty have won the WNBA title – and are being rewarded with a parade, party and lots of confetti. Also there: two Germans.
New York City celebrated the newly crowned WNBA champions with a ticker-tape parade.
What: AFP
Just a few blocks from the world’s largest stock exchange, Wall Street, scenes took place this Thursday morning that were unusual even for New Yorkers. On a normal weekday, crowds of people dressed in seafoam green line up at street barriers.
New Yorkers in gym clothes and little New Yorkers on their parents’ shoulders with Statue of Liberty foam crowns on their heads. Schools had to be skipped and office chairs remained empty. Because the city cheered those who had freed them from a decades-long curse: the women’s professional basketball team New York Liberty.
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" alt="Nyara Sabally (l.) and Leonie Fiebich” class=”pei0kpe”/>Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally won the WNBA championship with the New York Liberty. In the fifth final, the team prevailed against the Minnesota Lynx. Oct 21, 2024 | 1:33 minutes
Tick-off parade for the WNBA champions
New York City celebrated the newly crowned WNBA champions on Thursday (local time) with the ticker-tape parade with several floats on which the players stood and a band.
Fans stood tightly packed with homemade placards, some dressed head to toe in team merchandise, and held up their cell phones. T-shirts and posters were distributed. If you couldn’t get anything, you bought a T-shirt from one of the street vendors.
The fans celebrate the winners with foam crowns of the Statue of Liberty on their heads.
What: AFP
Big Apple is basketball champions again
Many a heroic deed has been celebrated along Broadway towards City Hall over the decades. Astronauts, presidents and athletes. It is only the third parade in New York for a women’s sports team. Most recently, in 2019, the American women’s soccer team was celebrated after winning the World Cup.
And it was the first time a basketball title was celebrated. New York hasn’t won a basketball title since 1973, even though there are three professional teams in addition to the New York Liberty: the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.
This means everything to me, New York has waited so long for a title, it’s just incredible.
„
Marcella, Fan von New York Liberty
The scars of the 2023 Finals loss to the Las Vegas Aces helped the team be more resilient this season. With a record of 32:8 wins in the regular season, New York reached the finals for the fifth time. Thanks to their playing strength and numerous talents, they prevailed in the fifth game of the best-of-five final series with 67:62 (3:2).
Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally equalized with the New York Liberty in the WNBA final series against the Minnesoty Lynx.10/14/2024 | 0:29 minutes
The champions were two German national players
Leonie Fiebich, playing in her first WNBA season, helped Liberty solve its defensive problems. In the playoffs she was a regular part of the starting five and scored 13 points in the last game alone. She played the best playoffs ever played by a rookie in the best women’s basketball league.
Fiebich came out of nowhere. It’s wonderful to have her and Sabally on the team.
„
Maurice, Fan von New York Liberty
Nyara Sabally also played a crucial role, especially in the final. The player, who has repeatedly struggled with injuries in recent years, has been celebrated for her energetic efforts since the last game at the latest. She was accompanied in the parade by her big sister Satou Sabally, also a professional basketball player.
The fans celebrated the New York Liberty players with self-made posters.
What: AFP
Liberty wants to defend their title next season
The Liberties will also have the most important players on board in 2025. But defending a title is a challenge that only one team in the WNBA has accomplished in the last two decades.
This basketball year is not over yet: After the rally and party, many players will soon have to get back on the court. After all, some play in Europe, Asia or Australia in the off-season because: The pay in the best women’s league in the world is still poor.
ZDFsportstudio on WhatsApp
What: Reuters
Do you want to stay up to date on sports? Then our sportstudio WhatsApp channel is just right for you. Whether it’s for coffee in the morning, for lunch or at the end of the day – you’ll get it the most important news directly to your smartphone. Simply register for our WhatsApp channel here: sportstudio WhatsApp channel.
