Liberty Legends Talk WNBA Future During CBA Negotiations
Last year's New York Liberty finished an on-court journey that Tari Phillips, Teresa Weatherspoon and more began back at the turn of the century. Now, the modern bearers of seafoam are looking to reach the final destination of off-court goals their predecessors established.
A return to New York City allowed Liberty legends like Phillips and Weatherspoon to comment on modern WNBA affairs, namely the players' ongoing collective bargaining agreement discussions with the league. Both players, members of the Liberty's famed Ring of Honor, didn't intrude on the thoughts of or try to speak for their successors but were pleased to see the chase for progress extend away from the hardwood.
"Whatever is going to happen, I'm going to be I'm going to be happy, as long as it's for the just advancement, for all of us, and for the sport. Not just our sport, all of women's sports," Phillips, the eighth and newest member of the Ring of Honor inducted on Sunday. "It's just a vehicle that we're in right now. We're talking about basketball, but it's really about life, and everybody wants to exceed in life. Everybody wants to be happy, and you want to do something in life that you enjoy doing. So to have that to be even more, a full part of our lives for the future will be great, and that's what I prayed for. That's my prayer."
"I know when they go to the table, they're going to do the right thing," Weatherspoon added. "Our ladies know exactly what they want and what's necessary and what's needed. They're going to go to that table and going to get it done."
Signs of the WNBA's growth, as well as that of the Liberty in a more immediate, local sense, were on display over the weekend.
The Liberty earned a sizable turnout at a pop-up event in Manhattan on Saturday, where fans encouraged to "Give Her Her Flowers," an activity where well-wishers could put together bouquets for past and present Liberty reps.
Less than 24 hours later, over 17,000 took in the Liberty's Sunday tilt against the Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center. A good number of Liberty legends, including fellow Ring residents Kym Hampton, Crystal Robinson, and Sue Wicks, were in attendance for both events as the Liberty recognized about 20 legends from their Manhattan heyday between 1997 and 2017.
Keeping the momentum, brought about by events such as the Liberty's 2024 championship win and rising talents such as Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, rolling faces a tenuous challenge over the coming months.
The current CBA expires shortly after October's Finals and players, eager for a bigger share of revenue generated by a new media deal that tips off next year and nine-figure expansion fees, have made it clear that they will remain steadfast, even at the risk of a work stoppage. Discussions were held at the recent WNBA All-Star break but an agreement is not imminent.
No matter what transpires — the general consensus is that a deal will be done, it's simply a matter of when — the current crop of seafoam savants is making their predecessors proud.
"I'm waiting for it to keep going and hitting through the stratosphere," Phillips said. "I think what is happening now is just great, and it can only get better. I think that the talent, more talent, is coming in, and the girls are just going to rise to a new level to be a part of that. if you will."
"It's like standing on the shoulders of giants, and you're passing the torch forward."
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.