Mayor Eric Adams announced New York City would fête the New York Liberty with a ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes following their first-ever WNBA championship, an overtime conquest that made all sorts of history.
The ticker-tape parade for the New York Liberty will take place Thursday, at 10 a.m., City Hall announced. The WNBA champion, the second women's sports team to be honored with the iconic parade, will march down the Canyon of Heroes to cheering crowds.
"You made us proud and we're going to make you proud," Adams said in a video posted to X. He added that the parade will conclude with a ceremony at City Hall.
This Thursday we're going to be celebrating our @WNBA champs, the @nyliberty!
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) October 21, 2024
I want ALL New Yorkers to join us for our special parade honoring the team here in downtown Manhattan. pic.twitter.com/aPUSvYTdhB
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
Liberty secured its third win to clinch the title after defeating the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA finals. The 2024 regular season was a record-breaking year for the New York Liberty, clinching the overall number 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs for a second time in franchise history, tying a franchise-best finish of 32-8, and becoming the first team in WNBA history with back-to-back 30+ win seasons.
The historic win also made it a historic occasion for a ticker-tape parade, making the Liberty only the second women's sports team to receive one. The first women's sports team to be honored with the parade down the Cayon of Heroes was the U.S. women's national soccer team following their World Cup wins.
Along with the parade, five city buildings will be lit up in seafoam on Monday night in honor of the Liberty.
Those include:
- New York City Hall: City Hall Park, New York, NY 10007
- Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
- Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Blvd, Kew Gardens, NY 11424
- Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
There have been more than 200 ticker-tape parades in New York City. The most recent came in 2021, to honor essential workers and first responders for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The most recent one celebrating a sports team came prior to the pandemic, when the U.S. women's soccer team won the World Cup in 2019.
