2023 New York Liberty season

The 2023 New York Liberty season was the 27th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their second season under head coach Sandy Brondello.

The Liberty entered the season with high expectations after trading for former MVP Jonquel Jones and signing last year's MVP Breanna Stewart as a free agent. They also signed Courtney Vandersloot, who lead the league in assists for six of the past seven seasons. The team started with an opening day hiccup as they lost to Washington, but would come back to win the rest of their May games to finish the month 3–1. They would start June splitting a back-to-back with Chicago, before winning two of their next three games. They would win four straight before losing the final game of the month to finish June 7–3. The Liberty started July with another four-game winning streak, only for it to be broken at home by Dallas. The Liberty went on another four-game winning streak before losing a make-up game to Minnesota. They would win the final game of the month to finish 9–2 in July. The team managed to extend the winning streak past four this time, as they won five straight to open August. During this streak, they secured a playoff berth on August 11. In their sixth game of the month, they defeated the Las Vegas Aces to win the Commissioner's Cup, which was the first trophy in franchise history. The Liberty's next regular season game was again against the Aces, and they would lose to end their winning streak. They won their remaining four games in August to finish the month 9–1. They won their first four games in September, and headed into the final game of the season to clinch the best record in the WNBA, but lost the season finale to finish 4–1 in September.

The Liberty finished the regular season 32–8 overall and were the second seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs. Their 32 wins were the most in the regular season in team history, bettering the 23 wins from 2015. However, this was the first season the WNBA played a 40-game schedule. Their winning percentage of .800 was the best in franchise history, bettering the .676 mark, also from 2015.

As the second seed in the playoffs, New York faced off against the seventh seeded Washington Mystics, and New York hosted the first two games of the three-game series. The Mystics got off to a hot start in Game One, but the Liberty dominated the final three quarters and won the game 90–75. The Liberty lead Game Two by eleven at the half, but the Mystics stormed back and forced overtime. The Liberty won the overtime period and the game 90–86 to move on to the Semifinals. There, they faced off against the third seed Connecticut Sun. The Liberty lost Game One of the series 63–78. They responded in Game Two and overcame a first quarter deficit to win 84–77. In the pivotal Game Three in Connecticut, the Liberty rode a dominant first quarter to a 92–81 victory to advance to the 2023 WNBA Finals.

The Liberty faced a familiar foe in the finals, the Las Vegas Aces. The two teams squared off five times during the regular season, with the series finishing 2–2, but the Liberty taking the Commissioner's Cup. Game One of the series, was led by the Liberty by three at halftime, but the Aces dominated the second half to win 99–82. The Aces won Game Two 104–76 and left the Liberty needing to win three straight games to become WNBA Champions. The Liberty mounted a comeback in Game Three in New York and won 87–73. Game Four started well for the Liberty, they won the first quarter by ten points, but they could not hold on and lost the game 69–70. They lost the Finals one game to three, and finished runners-up.

After the season, the Liberty were fined $25,000 while Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, and Jonquel Jones were each fined $2,000 for violating media policies.

Preseason

 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 1
 * May 10
 * @ Connecticut
 * L 57–63
 * Sika Koné (10)
 * Kayla Thornton (8)
 * Stefanie Dolson (4)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena N/A
 * 0–1
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 2
 * May 13
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 77–84
 * Ionescu Laney (14)
 * Breanna Stewart (7)
 * Breanna Stewart (5)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 4,460
 * 0–2

Regular Season

 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 1
 * May 19
 * @ Washington
 * L 64–80
 * Sabrina Ionescu (18)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (6)
 * Entertainment and Sports Arena 4,200
 * 0–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 2
 * May 21
 * Indiana
 * W 90–73
 * Breanna Stewart (45)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Ionsecu Vandersloot (8)
 * Barclays Center 8,575
 * 1–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 3
 * May 27
 * Connecticut
 * W 81–65
 * Breanna Stewart (21)
 * Ionsecu Thornton (7)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 7,102
 * 2–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 4
 * May 30
 * @ Seattle
 * W 86–78
 * Breanna Stewart (25)
 * Breanna Stewart (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (11)
 * Climate Pledge Arena 8,340
 * 3–1


 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 5
 * June 2
 * @ Chicago
 * W 77–76
 * Breanna Stewart (19)
 * Breanna Stewart (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (8)
 * Wintrust Arena 7,188
 * 4–1
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 6
 * June 4
 * Chicago
 * L 82–86
 * Breanna Stewart (20)
 * Breanna Stewart (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 7,225
 * 4–2
 * - style="background:#ccc;"
 * 7
 * June 7
 * Minnesota
 * colspan=4 | Postponed until July 28 due to poor air quality
 * Barclays Center
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 8
 * June 9
 * @ Atlanta
 * W 106–83
 * Sabrina Ionescu (37)
 * Breanna Stewart (9)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (11)
 * Gateway Center Arena 3,209
 * 5–2
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 9
 * June 11
 * Dallas
 * W 102–93
 * Breanna Stewart (32)
 * Breanna Stewart (9)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 7,615
 * 6–2
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 10
 * June 13
 * Atlanta
 * L 79–86
 * Marine Johannès (18)
 * Breanna Stewart (13)
 * Stewart Vandersloot (6)
 * Barclays Center 5,719
 * 6–3
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 11
 * June 18
 * Phoenix
 * W 89–71
 * Breanna Stewart (28)
 * Breanna Stewart (14)
 * Breanna Stewart (7)
 * Barclays Center 9,278
 * 7–3
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 12
 * June 23
 * @ Atlanta
 * W 110–80
 * Betnijah Laney (19)
 * Breanna Stewart (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (11)
 * Gateway Center Arena 3,209
 * 8–3
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 13
 * June 25
 * Washington
 * W 89–88 (OT)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (31)
 * Jonquel Jones (10)
 * Ionescu Vandersloot (6)
 * Barclays Center 7,285
 * 9–3
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 14
 * June 27
 * @ Connecticut
 * W 89–81
 * Breanna Stewart (24)
 * Jonquel Jones (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (9)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 7,344
 * 10–3
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 15
 * June 29
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 81–98
 * Breanna Stewart (16)
 * Ionescu Jones (6)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (7)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 9,587
 * 10–4
 * 10–4


 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 16
 * July 2
 * @ Seattle
 * W 81–66
 * Breanna Stewart (20)
 * Breanna Stewart (8)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (13)
 * Climate Pledge Arena 9,110
 * 11–4
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 17
 * July 5
 * Phoenix
 * W 99–95
 * Breanna Stewart (43)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (9)
 * Barclays Center 7,151
 * 12–4
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 18
 * July 8
 * Seattle
 * W 80–76
 * Breanna Stewart (25)
 * Breanna Stewart (8)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (8)
 * Barclays Center 6,789
 * 13–4
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 19
 * July 12
 * @ Indiana
 * W 95–87 (OT)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (34)
 * Breanna Stewart (10)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (12)
 * Gainbridge Fieldhouse 6,123
 * 14–4
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 20
 * July 19
 * Dallas
 * L 88–98
 * Breanna Stewart (25)
 * Jonquel Jones (9)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (7)
 * Barclays Center 9,012
 * 14–5
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 21
 * July 21
 * @ Washington
 * W 96–87
 * Jonquel Jones (27)
 * Ionescu Jones (11)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (9)
 * Entertainment and Sports Arena 4,200
 * 15–5
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 22
 * July 23
 * Indiana
 * W 101–83
 * Betnijah Laney (22)
 * Jonquel Jones (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 7,371
 * 16–5
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 23
 * July 25
 * Seattle
 * W 86–82
 * Breanna Stewart (22)
 * Jonquel Jones (17)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (12)
 * Barclays Center 6,118
 * 17–5
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 24
 * July 27
 * Atlanta
 * W 95–84
 * Breanna Stewart (33)
 * Jonquel Jones (13)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (9)
 * Barclays Center 6,206
 * 18–5
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 7
 * July 28
 * Minnesota
 * L 83–88
 * Breanna Stewart (23)
 * Jonquel Jones (11)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (7)
 * Barclays Center 6,129
 * 18–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 25
 * July 30
 * @ Los Angeles
 * W 87–79
 * Breanna Stewart (25)
 * Jonquel Jones (13)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (9)
 * Crypto.com Arena 8,139
 * 19–6


 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 26
 * August 1
 * @ Los Angeles
 * W 76–69
 * Courtney Vandersloot (23)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (6)
 * Crypto.com Arena 6,498
 * 20–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 27
 * August 4
 * @ Minnesota
 * W 76–66
 * Sabrina Ionescu (18)
 * Jonquel Jones (17)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (7)
 * Target Center 7,631
 * 21–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 28
 * August 6
 * Las Vegas
 * W 99–61
 * Sabrina Ionescu (31)
 * Jonquel Jones (14)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (7)
 * Barclays Center 11,418
 * 22–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 29
 * August 11
 * Chicago
 * W 89–73
 * Breanna Stewart (21)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (8)
 * Barclays Center 8,070
 * 23–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 30
 * August 13
 * @ Indiana
 * W 100–89
 * Breanna Stewart (42)
 * Jonquel Jones (12)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (14)
 * Gainbridge Fieldhouse 5,019
 * 24–6
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * Commissioner's Cup Final
 * August 15
 * @ Las Vegas
 * W 82–63
 * Marine Johannès (17)
 * Jonquel Jones (15)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 8,967
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 31
 * August 17
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 75–88
 * Sabrina Ionescu (22)
 * Jonquel Jones (8)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (7)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 9,230
 * 24–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 32
 * August 18
 * @ Phoenix
 * W 85–63
 * Betnijah Laney (22)
 * Breanna Stewart (8)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (8)
 * Footprint Center 9,652
 * 25–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 33
 * August 24
 * @ Connecticut
 * W 95–90 (OT)
 * Breanna Stewart (24)
 * Jonquel Jones (14)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (8)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 9,168
 * 26–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 34
 * August 26
 * @ Minnesota
 * W 111–76
 * Breanna Stewart (38)
 * Breanna Stewart (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (9)
 * Target Center 7,101
 * 27–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 35
 * August 28
 * Las Vegas
 * W 94–85
 * Sabrina Ionescu (25)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 11,615
 * 28–7
 * 28–7


 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 36
 * September 1
 * Connecticut
 * W 89–58
 * Betnijah Laney (19)
 * Breanna Stewart (10)
 * Breanna Stewart (7)
 * Barclays Center 8,276
 * 29–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 37
 * September 3
 * @ Chicago
 * W 86–69
 * Breanna Stewart (26)
 * Breanna Stewart (14)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Wintrust Arena 8,223
 * 30–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 38
 * September 5
 * @ Dallas
 * W 94–93
 * Breanna Stewart (40)
 * Breanna Stewart (10)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * College Park Center 4,195
 * 31–7
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 39
 * September 7
 * Los Angeles
 * W 96–89
 * Breanna Stewart (25)
 * Jonquel Jones (9)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 6,275
 * 32–7
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 40
 * September 10
 * Washington
 * L 88–90
 * Sabrina Ionescu (20)
 * Jonquel Jones (9)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (7)
 * Barclays Center 8,306
 * 32–8

Playoffs

 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 1
 * September 15
 * Washington
 * W 90–75
 * Sabrina Ionescu (29)
 * Jonquel Jones (12)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (6)
 * Barclays Center 8,789
 * 1–0
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 2
 * September 19
 * Washington
 * W 90–85 (OT)
 * Breanna Stewart (27)
 * Jonquel Jones (14)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (10)
 * Barclays Center 9,256
 * 2–0


 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 1
 * September 24
 * Connecticut
 * L 63–78
 * Breanna Stewart (19)
 * Jonquel Jones (11)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (7)
 * Barclays Center 9,442
 * 0–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 2
 * September 26
 * Connecticut
 * W 84–77
 * Sabrina Ionescu (21)
 * Jonquel Jones (13)
 * Ionescu Stewart (5)
 * Barclays Center 10,009
 * 1–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 3
 * September 29
 * @ Connecticut
 * W 92–81
 * Breanna Stewart (25)
 * Jonquel Jones (12)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (7)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 9,162
 * 2–1
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 4
 * October 1
 * @ Connecticut
 * W 87–84
 * Breanna Stewart (27)
 * Jonquel Jones (15)
 * Ionescu Vandersloot (7)
 * Mohegan Sun Arena 8,196
 * 3–1


 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 1
 * October 8
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 82–99
 * Breanna Stewart (21)
 * Jonquel Jones (10)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (6)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 10,300
 * 0–1
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 2
 * October 11
 * @ Las Vegas
 * L 76–104
 * Jonquel Jones (22)
 * Breanna Stewart (13)
 * Betnijah Laney (5)
 * Michelob Ultra Arena 10,232
 * 0–2
 * - style="background:#bbffbb;"
 * 3
 * October 15
 * Las Vegas
 * W 87–73
 * Jonquel Jones (27)
 * Breanna Stewart (12)
 * Sabrina Ionescu (11)
 * Barclays Center 17,143
 * 1–2
 * - style="background:#fcc;"
 * 4
 * October 18
 * Las Vegas
 * L 69–70
 * Courtney Vandersloot (19)
 * Breanna Stewart (14)
 * Courtney Vandersloot (6)
 * Barclays Center 16,851
 * 1–3

Regular Season
‡Waived/Released during the season

†Traded during the season

≠Acquired during the season