New York Liberty basketball team honored with ticker-tape parade in Canyon of Heroes

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The WNBA’s New York Liberty were showered with confetti as they celebrated winning the WNBA title in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan. Thousands of fans lined the streets to celebrate the teams first ever title. (AP Video: David R. Martin)

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Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered in ticker-tape as the Liberty celebrated winning the WNBA title in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan.

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Baz Bagel celebrates New York Liberty’s first WNBA title with team-colored bagels after their historic win.

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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu holds up the WNBA basketball championship trophy while riding down Broadway during a parade celebrating the team’s season championship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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Spectators react as a float with members of the New York Liberty make its way up Broadway during the WNBA basketball championship parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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New York Liberty forward Jonquel Jones, center, waves as she rides on a float holding the MVP trophy to celebrate the team’s WNBA basketball championship over the Minnesota Lynx, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, right, reacts while riding down the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway during a parade celebrating the team’s WNBA basketball championship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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New York Liberty fans react while watching players parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway celebrating the team’s WNBA basketball championship, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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The New York Liberty, their supporters, local officials and others celebrate during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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The New York Liberty mascot, Ellie the Elephant, kisses the championship trophy during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello speaks during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty Breanna Stewart places the championship trophy on a table as she arrives on stage during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty MVP Jonquel Jones celebrates during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty Sabrina Ionescu waves during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty Courtney Vandersloot talks to fans during a ceremony in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty owners Clara Wu Tsai and Joe Tsai applaud during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York mayor Eric Adams speaks during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York Liberty MVP Jonquel Jones greets the crowd as she arrives on stage during a ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty’s WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Members of the New York Liberty, including Jonquel Jones holding the MVP trophy, makes their way up Broadway during the WNBA basketball championship parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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New York Liberty’s owner Joe Tsai, left, and Clara Wu Tsai, right, pose with New York Liberty’s center Jonquel Jones before the WNBA championship team’s parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

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Sabrina Ionescu holds the WNBA basketball championship trophy during the New York Liberty’s parade Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

By DOUG FEINBERG

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered with confetti as the Liberty celebrated winning the WNBA title in the Canyon of Heroes in downtown Manhattan.

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined the thousands who lined the streets on Thursday.

The Liberty won the franchise’s first championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in overtime in a decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“(To) see how many people were in the crowd, smiling, celebrating the Liberty,” Ionescu said, “it really puts into perspective what it means to bring a championship to this city and how it really takes everyone.”

Veteran Liberty players from the early teams, including Teresa Weatherspoon, Vickie Johnson, Kym Hampton and Crystal Robinson, along with current coach Sandy Brondello. attended the parade and ceremony afterward at City Hall. The Liberty even brought out former mascot Maddie.

The parade route was full of fans of all ages, with many of the kids wearing jerseys of their favorite players. Jones carried her Finals MVP trophy atop her float, while Stewart and Ionescu went into the crowd, giving high-fives and taking selfies with fans.

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The Liberty also had a celebration at Barclays Center on Thursday night to cap off the festivities, highlighted by a performance from the team’s incredibly popular mascot, Ellie the Elephant, with rapper Lil Mama.

There have been over 200 ticker-tape and confetti parades in New York. The most recent to honor a women’s sports team came in 2019 when the U.S. soccer team won the World Cup. Two years later, there was a parade to honor essential workers and first responders for their service during the coronavirus pandemic.

“On behalf of 20 million incredibly proud New Yorkers, I say welcome home to our champion women,” said Hochul, who thanked Liberty owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai for investing in the team. “Let’s do it again next year.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball