Ticker-tape parade after NY Liberty win: Everything you need to know
NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) – After a massive win for the New York Liberty Sunday night, the city is ready to celebrate.
On Thursday, New York City will host a ticker-tape parade for the team's first-ever WNBA championship title, Mayor Eric Adams announced.
The parade will kick off at 10 a.m. Thursday at The Battery, then make its way to the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway in Lower Manhattan. After the parade, there will be a celebration ceremony at City Hall, Adams said.
There will also be a celebration rally at Barclays Center on Thursday evening after the Lower Manhattan festivities, according to the team.
The Liberty clinched the title Sunday night with a 67-62 win against the Minnesota Lynx. The team had never won a title in their 28-year history.
On Monday, fans kept coming to Barclays Center, the arena home of the Liberty, to celebrate the win.
Michelle Older lives in North Jersey but said that she needed to return on Monday to where she'd seen history made the night before.
"I've been coming to games since I was 11," she said, after leaving the fan merchandise store at Barclays Center, where she was basking in her team's glory. "I can't describe it."
Clarissa Fulgieri also visited the fan store. "I need something to wear for the ticker tape," she said about the parade, her dog strapped to her side in a carrying sling.
Fulgieri said that the scheduled activities celebrating the team are just what fans like her need.
"I have the week off," she said, "so we'll be at the ticker tape, and we'll be back for Brooklyn."
That kind of devotion was appreciated by the team.
“We take great pride in what we’ve built with our fans — something special that extends far beyond the basketball court — and this moment is just as much for them as it is for us,” said New York Liberty CEO Keia Clarke.
The finals were tied up 2-2 going into Game 5 after a record-breaking season that put the Liberty in the top spot for the playoffs. The Liberty is the first team in the WNBA to have back-to-back seasons with over 30 wins.
“The Liberty have been chasing this dream since 1997,” Clarke said.
The killer Liberty season has brought more than fanfare to the city. Before Game 5, the team’s playoff run had already generated $18.3 million in economic impact for the city, based on revenue estimates from the Mayor’s Office.
Elsewhere in New York City, the Yankees secured their spot in the World Series on Saturday.