| 1997 New York Liberty season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Nancy Darsch |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Attendance | 13,270 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 17–11 (.607) |
| Place | 2nd (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Lost WNBA Finals |
The 1997 WNBA season was the first season for the New York Liberty.
| Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | College/HS/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Rebecca Lobo (C/F) |  United States | New York Liberty | Connecticut |
| 10 | Teresa Weatherspoon (G) | United States | New York Liberty | Louisiana Tech |
| Pick | Player | Nationality | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|
The Liberty's and WNBA's first game was played on June 21, 1997, in Los Angeles. Led by head coach Nancy Darsch, the Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks, 67-57. The attendance at the Forum was 14,284. [2] The Liberty began their existence with a three-game road trip, where the Liberty went undefeated. The club came back to New York with a 3-0 record. Their first home game was played in Madison Square Garden. On June 29, 1997, in front of a crowd of 17,780, the Liberty scored their first win at home, defeating Phoenix, 65-57. [2]
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Comets x | 18 | 10 | .643 | 6–6 | – |
| New York Liberty x | 17 | 11 | .607 | 8–4 | 1.0 |
| Charlotte Sting x | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
| Cleveland Rockers o | 15 | 13 | .536 | 5–7 | 3.0 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 21 | @ Los Angeles | 67-57 | Win | 1-0 |
| June 23 | @ Sacramento | 73-62 | Win | 2-0 |
| June 26 | @ Houston | 62-60 (OT) | Win | 3-0 |
| June 29 | Phoenix | 65-57 | Win | 4-0 |
| July 2 | Houston | 70-67 | Win | 5-0 |
| July 4 | @ Houston | 65-58 | Win | 6-0 |
| July 5 | @ Utah | 66-53 | Win | 7-0 |
| July 7 | @ Phoenix | 50-69 | Loss | 7-1 |
| July 9 | @ Charlotte | 69-87 | Loss | 7-2 |
| July 10 | Charlotte | 62-48 | Win | 8-2 |
| July 14 | @ Cleveland | 68-57 | Win | 9-2 |
| July 15 | Cleveland | 76-59 | Win | 10-2 |
| July 17 | Utah | 80-54 | Win | 11-2 |
| July 19 | Los Angeles | 69-57 | Win | 12-2 |
| July 22 | Utah | 71-78 | Loss | 12-3 |
| July 23 | @ Charlotte | 65-63 | Win | 13-3 |
| July 26 | Charlotte | 61-64 | Loss | 13-4 |
| July 30 | Sacramento | 73-68 (OT) | Win | 14-4 |
| August 2 | Phoenix | 78-70 | Win | 15-4 |
| August 5 | Los Angeles | 50-67 | Loss | 15-5 |
| August 10 | @ Sacramento | 69-76 | Loss | 15-6 |
| August 12 | @ Phoenix | 67-77 | Loss | 15-7 |
| August 15 | Sacramento | 79-63 | Win | 16-7 |
| August 17 | Houston | 55-70 | Loss | 16-8 |
| August 19 | @ Utah | 75-81 | Loss | 16-9 |
| August 20 | @ Los Angeles | 76-78 | Loss | 16-10 |
| August 23 | @ Cleveland | 71-72 | Loss | 16-11 |
| August 24 | Cleveland | 79-72 (OT) | Win | 17-11 |
| August 28 (WNBA Semifinal) | @ Phoenix | 59-41 | Win | 1-0 |
| August 30 (WNBA Championship Game) | @ Houston | 51-65 | Loss | 1-1 |
Note: GP= Games played; REB= Rebounds; AST= Assists; STL = Steals; BLK = Blocks; PTS = Points; AVG = Average
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | AVG |
|---|
The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai, the majority owner of the Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.
Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin is an American television basketball analyst and former women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position for much of her career. Lobo played college basketball at the University of Connecticut, where she was a member of the team that won the 1995 national championship, going 35–0 on the season in the process. Lobo was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. In April 2017, she was announced as one of the members of the 2017 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Tracy McGrady and Muffet McGraw.
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Teresa Gaye Weatherspoon is an American professional basketball coach and former player. She played for the New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and served as the head basketball coach of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. Weatherspoon was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. In 2011, she was voted in by fans as one of the Top 15 players in WNBA history. In 2016, Weatherspoon was chosen to the WNBA Top 20@20, a list of the league's best 20 players ever in celebration of the WNBA's twentieth anniversary.
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