Offseason
WNBA draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/School/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 26 | Linda Fröhlich (F) |  Germany | UNLV |
| 3 | 46 | Tracy Gahan (G) |  United States | Iowa State |
| 4 | 62 | Deedee Warley (F) | United States | Maryland |
| 2002 New York Liberty season | |
|---|---|
| Coach | Richie Adubato |
| Arena | Madison Square Garden |
| Attendance | 14,670 per game |
| Results | |
| Record | 18–14 (.563) |
| Place | 1st (Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Lost WNBA Finals (2-0) to Los Angeles Sparks |
| Media | |
| Television | WPIX (WB 11) MSG Network |
The 2002 WNBA season was the sixth season for the New York Liberty. The Liberty franchise reached their 4th berth to the WNBA Finals, but lost in a sweep to the Los Angeles Sparks. This was the last season that New York qualified for the WNBA Finals, before their appearance in 2023.
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/School/Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 26 | Linda Fröhlich (F) | Germany | UNLV |
| 3 | 46 | Tracy Gahan (G) | United States | Iowa State |
| 4 | 62 | Deedee Warley (F) | United States | Maryland |
| Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | Conf. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Liberty x | 18 | 14 | .563 | 11–10 | – |
| Charlotte Sting x | 18 | 14 | .563 | 12–9 | – |
| Washington Mystics x | 17 | 15 | .531 | 12–9 | 1.0 |
| Indiana Fever x | 16 | 16 | .500 | 12–9 | 2.0 |
| Orlando Miracle o | 16 | 16 | .500 | 13–8 | 2.0 |
| Miami Sol o | 15 | 17 | .469 | 11–10 | 3.0 |
| Cleveland Rockers o | 10 | 22 | .312 | 7–14 | 8.0 |
| Detroit Shock o | 9 | 23 | .281 | 6–15 | 9.0 |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25 | @ Los Angeles | 64-72 | Loss | 0-1 |
| May 29 | @ Portland | 84-62 | Win | 1-1 |
| May 30 | @ Seattle | 78-61 | Win | 2-1 |
| June 2 | Miami | 58-52 | Win | 3-1 |
| June 5 | Detroit | 60-59 | Win | 4-1 |
| June 8 | @ Indiana | 62-71 | Loss | 4-2 |
| June 9 | @ Detroit | 70-63 | Win | 5-2 |
| June 11 | @ Utah | 71-68 | Win | 6-2 |
| June 13 | @ Sacramento | 77-78 (OT) | Loss | 6-3 |
| June 16 | Charlotte | 54-53 | Win | 7-3 |
| June 18 | Orlando | 62-71 | Loss | 7-4 |
| June 21 | @ Cleveland | 69-80 | Loss | 7-5 |
| June 23 | @ Orlando | 65-77 | Loss | 7-6 |
| June 25 | Indiana | 74-55 | Win | 8-6 |
| June 28 | Cleveland | 58-67 | Loss | 8-7 |
| June 30 | Portland | 44-54 | Loss | 8-8 |
| July 2 | Seattle | 74-63 | Win | 9-8 |
| July 8 | Phoenix | 77-71 | Win | 10-8 |
| July 10 | @ Detroit | 63-66 | Loss | 10-9 |
| July 13 | @ Washington | 67-53 | Win | 11-9 |
| July 18 | Los Angeles | 72-59 | Win | 12-9 |
| July 19 | @ Indiana | 70-62 | Win | 13-9 |
| July 22 | Cleveland | 73-52 | Win | 14-9 |
| July 23 | @ Miami | 46-54 | Loss | 14-10 |
| July 28 | Houston | 62-56 | Win | 15-10 |
| August 2 | Miami | 66-54 | Win | 16-10 |
| August 4 | @ Charlotte | 71-58 | Win | 17-10 |
| August 6 | Minnesota | 49-52 | Loss | 17-11 |
| August 8 | Washington | 54-65 | Loss | 17-12 |
| August 9 | @ Washington | 74-66 | Win | 18-12 |
| August 11 | Charlotte | 58-71 | Loss | 18-13 |
| August 13 | @ Orlando | 63-70 | Loss | 18-14 |
| August 16 1st Round, G1 | @ Indiana | 55-73 | Loss | 0-1 |
| August 18 1st Round, G2 | Indiana | 84-65 | Win | 1-1 |
| August 20 1st Round, G3 | Indiana | 75-60 | Win | 2-1 |
| August 22 East Finals, G1 | @ Washington | 74-79 | Loss | 2-2 |
| August 24 East Finals, G2 | Washington | 96-79 | Win | 3-2 |
| August 25 East Finals, G3 | Washington | 64-57 | Win | 4-2 |
| August 29 WNBA Finals, G1 | Los Angeles | 63-71 | Loss | 4-3 |
| August 31 WNBA Finals, G2 | @ Los Angeles | 66-69 | Loss | 4-4 |
| Player | GP | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tari Phillips | 32 | 223 | 41 | 58 | 14 | 451 |
| Tamika Whitmore | 32 | 141 | 23 | 27 | 43 | 406 |
| Crystal Robinson | 32 | 92 | 81 | 48 | 12 | 378 |
| Vickie Johnson | 31 | 109 | 86 | 27 | 4 | 359 |
| Becky Hammon | 32 | 68 | 54 | 25 | 0 | 256 |
| Teresa Weatherspoon | 32 | 86 | 181 | 42 | 3 | 108 |
| Sue Wicks | 30 | 101 | 14 | 22 | 15 | 66 |
| Camille Cooper | 23 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 27 |
| Korie Hlede | 16 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 |
| Linda Fröhlich | 16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Bernadette Ngoyisa | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
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