New York punched its WNBA Commissioner’s Cup ticket, clinching the Eastern Conference berth on a 5-0 record after Sunday’s Liberty vs Mystics win.
The Liberty booked its third midseason tournament final with the 86-64 victory over Washington, earning a seventh straight win behind Jonquel Jones’s 20 points.
“It’s a pretty high number of teams that go to the Commissioner’s Cup championship that play in the [WNBA] finals,” Jones said.
New York also celebrated Sabrina Ionescu’s long-awaited return, featuring in just her second game of the season after struggling with injury.
Ionescu put up five points in 26 minutes, while 2026 signing Satou Sabally added seven points in 19 minutes as she manages her own injury recovery.
“Sab is an all-around player, so her ability to pass, score, really just do all the things, and I think you saw it,” Sabally said postgame.
“She reads the defense before it's really set, so she knows where the ball needs to go. And I think that was just one example of her greatness, and she'll get back into the game and get her rhythm, but it's great to have her back.”
Where to Watch the NY Liberty WNBA Commissioner's Cup Game
New York is back on Wednesday, taking on Chicago at 8 PM ET (USA).
New York puts its No. 1 standing on the line tonight, as the Commissioner’s Cup’s Eastern Conference leader squares off with second-place Atlanta for the first time this year.
The Liberty has won five straight, sitting 3-0 in Cup play after star Breanna Stewart’s 28 points secured Monday’s 89-80 win over the last-place Sun.
The 3-1 Dream enters on its own hot streak, taking four of its last five games behind power trio Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and double-double machine Angel Reese.
Atlanta’s transition game is its biggest threat, ranking second in fast-break points (11.2 per game) and second in points off turnovers (18 per game), while New York averages the fewest fast-break points in the WNBA.
“They’re a team that’s gonna get out really quickly,” said Liberty center Jonquel Jones. “We gotta get back in transition, and we also gotta take good shots to not allow them to get that kind of momentum.”
“Everybody’s playing the Commissioner’s Cup to win — there’s a lot on the line right now with the $30,000,” she added. “We don’t want to leave it to point spread... You gotta go out and get the W.”
How to Watch Liberty vs Dream WNBA Commissioner's Cup Game
New York visits Atlanta tonight at 7:30 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.
Upcoming offseason league Project B is making moves, with the global 5×5 basketball upstart announcing Tuesday that it will play in Tokyo in the spring of 2027.
The Japanese capital will host one of Project B's seven circuit-style "tour stops" during the league's inaugural campaign — which runs from November 2026 to April 2027 — with each city showcasing a 10-day mini-tournament as part of a Formula One-style season-long title race.
With Tokyo officially hosting Project B from March 26th to April 4th of next year, the venture will announce its additional destinations at a later date.
"Tokyo sits at the intersection of global culture, innovation, and basketball, with a fan base that truly understands and loves the game," said head of Project B Japan Keisuke Mitsui. "Toyota Arena will be an iconic stage for our athletes and a destination for basketball fans around the world."
Offering multimillion-dollar salaries, Project B is shaking up women's basketball, with big-name WNBA stars like Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd already signing on.
Project B's men's and the women's tournaments each plan to field 66 players across six teams as it offers compensation that outpaces both the WNBA and Unrivaled — while potentially conflicting with the WNBA's schedule.
Incoming offseason league Project B scored more major WNBA signings this week, as the upstart venture continues stacking its roster ahead of a planned November 2026 launch.
Indiana Fever guards Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham have both publicly signed on with Project B, joining already announced talent like Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Las Vegas Aces guard Jewell Loyd.
Also inking deals to join the inaugural season of Project B are Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün, and Li Meng, a former Washington Mystics guard and current player in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association.
The multi-continent, Formula One-style traveling tournament circuit will ultimately sign 66 international stars, as Project B looks to field six 11-player teams in its debut 2026/2027 campaign.
Project B player signings will undoubtedly impact other offseason leagues like Unrivaled and Athletes Unlimited, but the new venture is also looming large over the ongoing WNBA CBA talks.
With negotiations racing toward this Sunday's extended deadline, Project B is putting WNBA compensation offerings under increased pressure, as the new league is reportedly anteing up multimillion-dollar salaries to its signees — far exceeding the 2025 WNBA maximum as well as the $1.1 million-max currently on the negotiating table.
The New York Liberty reportedly landed a boss, with multiple sources linking longtime Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco to the 2024 WNBA champions' head coaching vacancy late last week.
After first joining the Warriors as an intern in 2012, the 40-year-old worked through the Golden State ranks to serve in both an assistant and player development capacity for the NBA side.
Exiting as as front-of-bench assistant, DeMarco aided the team to an impressive four NBA championships (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022) during his tenure.
DeMarco also has experience on the international sideline, leading the Bahama men's national team from June 2019 until August 2025.
Recent WNBA hiring trends have favored NBA vets, with Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Alex Sarama recently named head coach of 2026 expansion side Portland while Seattle tapped former Memphis Grizzlies assistant Sonia Raman as the Storm's new sideline leader.
According to ESPN, additional top candidates for the New York Liberty opening vacated by now-Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello included Toronto Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, ex-Brooklyn Nets and current Charlotte Hornets assistant Will Weaver, and former assistant to the NBA's Washington Wizards and Dallas Mavericks Kristi Toliver, the current associate head coach for the Phoenix Mercury.
As all but two Liberty players enter free agency, New York is aiming to keep stars like Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu on its roster — with the hiring of DeMarco potentially playing game-changer in some of those contract negotiations.
ESPN reported that Bay Area product Ionescu apparently reached out to Golden State Warriors icon Steph Curry to ask about DeMarco as part of the hiring process.
Five WNBA stars became cover stars this week, as Glamour Magazine named Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally, and New York Liberty centers Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally as the 2025 Women of the Year on Monday.
In the feature story, the players discussed the ongoing CBA negotiations, how they manage the WNBA's booming popularity, and other key issues.
"This is the best women's league in the world for a reason," said Jones. "The best athletes and the best competition, and people are seeing that now… It's time that we're paid like that."
Though the interview occurred weeks before her now-viral exit interview calling out WNBA leadership, Collier was already pointing out the disparities between player success and compensation.
"The amount of money that Caitlin Clark has made the league is insane, and she's getting 0% of it because we have no rev share," Collier said in her Glamour interview. "She gets less than $80,000 a year, and she's bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars. It's insane."
Hull also made waves, speaking to Clark's popularity with the Fever going on to battle injury adversity all the way to the 2025 WNBA semifinals.
"I think there is a level of jealousy when it comes to the Fever, just because of the media attention and the fans that have shown up for us ever since Caitlin got here," she told the magazine. "We've heard people and players and teams talking in their locker room about, 'We can’t let the Fever win.'"
The New York Liberty cleaned house this week, officially parting ways with 2024 WNBA championship-winning head coach Sandy Brondello while starting the search for a new sideline boss — with some reported "big swings" in mind.
Multiple league sources told The Athletic that New York is aiming for high-profile candidates, with the Liberty likely scouting coaching talent from both the NBA and the NCAA.
With top New York Liberty stars Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones entering free agency, the pressure is on for the front office to prove that hiring a new head coach will offset the issues that emerged during the team's injury-plagued 2025 run.
WNBA teams have tapped into a diversified head coaching pool in recent years, with Golden State Valkyries boss and 2025 Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase highlighting a rising generation of managers with a mix of men's and women's basketball experience.
The Atlanta Dream's Karl Smesko, an esteemed former college coach, and Phoenix's Nate Tibbetts — who spent years as an NBA assistant coach before joining the Mercury in 2024 — also found success on the WNBA court this year.
Potential replacements fitting New York's reported bill include Los Angeles Lakers assistant Lindsey Harding, Indiana Pacers assistant Jenny Boucek, Mercury assistant Kristi Toliver, and current Liberty assistant Sonia Raman.
"[Toliver's] ready," Tibbetts said recently, singing his assistant's praises. "She's got a great basketball mind. She's got the ultimate respect of the players in this league, which is so important, and her time will come — she just needs one team to give her a chance."
The No. 5 New York Liberty are creeping back up the ladder, as the defending WNBA champions continued reversing their recent skid with Thursday's 89-63 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics — all while the race to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs reaches its boiling point.
While Washington rookie Sonia Citron's 18 points led the game, New York pulled together a true team effort to secure Thursday's victory, with five Liberty players scoring double-digits — including a season-high 16 points off the bench from forward Isabelle Harrison in her return from concussion protocol.
"We're not looking at the other teams at this point," Liberty forward Emma Meesseman said after the game. "We're just looking at ourselves, to maybe send a message to ourselves."
Despite that focus, New York is still contending with injury woes that have overshadowed much of the Liberty's season, taking Thursday's court without starters Sabrina Ionescu (toe), Jonquel Jones (illness), and Natasha Cloud (nose), while leaning on recently returned forward Breanna Stewart.
"We need to win the rest of our games," acknowledged Stewart, with the team gearing up for visits to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, and No. 7 Seattle Storm over the next week. "We need to go and be road warriors."
The Liberty will have their hands full against the Mercury this weekend, with Phoenix coming in hot off a three-game winning streak with postseason-clinching top-of-mind.
"It's like a playoff matchup," Stewart added. "It's a big game, big implications, and [we're] not shying away from that."
How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend
No. 4 Phoenix will host No. 5 New York at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.
The New York Liberty are officially in free fall, with a 91-85 upset loss to the already-eliminated No. 11 Chicago Sky sending the reigning champs skidding down two spots to No. 4 in the WNBA standings on Thursday.
Despite New York center Jonquel Jones's game-leading 25 points, double-doubles from Sky stars Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso secured the Chicago upset, with Cardoso pairing a team-high 22 points with 15 rebounds.
"Anyone can beat anyone in this league, anyone can win this championship — it's wide open," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said following the upset in which her Liberty struggled to dominate the defensive paint. "But our inconsistency is mind-boggling at times."
"When you give a team hope, that's all they need," added star guard Sabrina Ionescu afterwards. "I'd say in the first half we made things way too easy for them, and that gave them hope going into halftime, knowing that they could hang with us."
New York won't have much time to reflect on their mistakes as they gear up for a Saturday clash against a surging No. 2 Atlanta Dream — all while the Liberty remain without a clear-cut timeline for two-time WNBA MVP forward Breanna Stewart's return from injury.
"I think we have to play more physical in the beginning, and set the tone early," Jones told reporters ahead of the weekend's test.
New York does have some light at the end of the tunnel, as next week's potentially lopsided matchups against the No. 13 Connecticut Sun and No. 10 Washington Mystics follow Saturday's top-table meeting.
How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend
The No. 4 Liberty will aim to get back on track by hitting the road this weekend, taking on the No. 2 Dream in Atlanta at 2 PM ET on Saturday.
Live coverage of the clash will air on CBS.
One of the WNBA's newest signings re-introduced herself to the league on Tuesday night, as forward Emma Meesseman led the No. 2 New York Liberty to a splashy 105-97 road win over the No. 9 LA Sparks.
Meesseman made up for injured Liberty star Breanna Stewart's ongoing absence by scoring a season-high, team-leading 24 points. Fellow big Jonquel Jones also put up a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double and forward Leonie Fiebich added 20 points in a game that saw every New York starter contribute double-digit points.
"She's one of the best players in the world," Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said of the 32-year-old Belgian international following Tuesday's game. "There's a lot of problems one of the best players in the world can bring you."
Meesseman — the 2019 WNBA Finals MVP — made her New York Liberty debut on August 3rd, entering a squad struggling with availability and chemistry.
"It's fundamentals, really," she said of her team's recent on-court issues. "No matter who we have on the court, no matter what level, players [or] what league, it's all about hustle. I don't think you can practice that. So we just have to go out there and fight."
Despite their problems, the reigning champion Liberty are continuing to cruise toward a playoff berth at the top of the WNBA standings, while the Sparks are still searching for a boost above the postseason cutoff line.
How to watch the New York Liberty in Wednesday's WNBA action
New York will try to score back-to-back road wins by visiting the No. 5 Las Vegas Aces at 9:30 PM ET on Wednesday, airing live on ESPN.