NEW YORK – Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and their New York teammates were showered with confetti as the Liberty celebrated their WNBA title at Canyon of Heroes in midtown Manhattan.

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

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

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

Veteran Liberty players from the first teams including Teresa Weatherspoon, Vickie Johnson, Kym Hampton and Crystal Robinson, as well as current coach Sandy Brondello. He later attended the march and ceremony held at the City Hall.

The parade route was filled with fans of all ages, with many of the kids wearing the jerseys of their favorite players. While Jones carried his Finals MVP trophy on his float, Stewart and Ionescu mingled with the crowd to high-five and take selfies with fans.

“This is great. “I’ve been a Liberty fan since they first started playing,” said Sarah Davis of her WNBA debut in 1997. “It’s great that we won and could celebrate with a parade.”

More than 200 ticker tape and confetti parades took place in New York. The last award given to a women’s sports team was in 2019, when the U.S. soccer team won the World Cup. Two years later, a parade was held to honor essential workers and first responders for their service during the coronavirus pandemic.

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

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