Finally! NY Liberty capture first WNBA championship with Game 5 OT victory over Lynx

The New York Liberty are finally WNBA champions.

After coming up short in five previous attempts, the Liberty won their first WNBA title in franchise history Sunday night with a 67-62 overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals at Barclays Center.

Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggled throughout the victory, but their Liberty teammates picked up the leaders when they needed them most.

And now Stewart, a two-time MVP (2018 and 2023) and former Rookie of the Year Award winner (2016), is now a three-time WNBA champion, earning her first title with the Liberty after winning two championships with the Seattle Storm (2018 and 2020) before joining New York ahead of the 2023 season and re-signing with the team earlier this year.

With the Liberty taking home their first WNBA title, they join NJ/NY Gotham FC (2023) and NYCFC (2021) as the most recent professionals sports franchises to win a championship in the New Jersey/New York area.

In the winner-take-all Game 5, the Liberty were able to defeat Minnesota and head coach Cheryl Reeve, who was aiming to become the first WNBA coach in history with five championships under her belt in her league-leading seventh appearance as a head coach in the WNBA Finals.

Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello earned her second championship as a WNBA head coach (2014 with Phoenix Mercury).

Brondello -- a former WNBL MVP and two-time WNBL All-Star -- now has 39 career postseason wins as a head coach. She passed NBA legend Bill Laimbeer for second most all-time playoff wins in WNBA history earlier in the WNBA Finals.

With the Liberty finally hoisting their first WNBA trophy, here are the most recent titles for all New Jersey/New York franchises:

Most recent championships for NY/NJ professional sports teams

• New York Liberty (2024)
• NJ/NY Gotham FC (2023)
• NYCFC (2021)
• New York Giants (2011)
• New York Yankees (2009)
• New Jersey Devils (2003)
• New York Rangers (1994)
• New York Mets (1986)
• New York Islanders (1983)
• New York Knicks (1973)
• New York Jets (1968)
• Brooklyn Nets (1976 in ABA)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Finally! NY Liberty capture first WNBA championship with Game 5 OT victory over Lynx