When James Dolan and Madison Square Garden put the New York Liberty up for sale in 2017, there were concerns that the Liberty — one of the WNBA’s original franchises — would be relocated like the San Antonio Stars. Now, with Joseph Tsai at the helm, the Liberty aren’t just staying in New York — they’re going to play in the state’s second-largest basketball arena.
On Thursday, the Liberty announced that the Barclays Center will be their new home venue. Tsai purchased Barclays Center and became the sole owner of the Brooklyn Nets in August.
Brooklyn, what's good?! #BROOKLYNLOUD2020🗽 pic.twitter.com/YVJXoXO6p3
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) October 17, 2019
The Liberty previously played at the Westchester County Center, which held a maximum of 2,100 people. The Barclays Center will make 8,000 seats available for Liberty games, per the team. The Liberty ranked last in attendance last season with an average of 1,960 people, according to WNBA.com, however, that could have something to do with the fact that they won just 10 of their 34 games and that low number still being a near capacity crowd.
Next season, the Liberty promise to be more exciting, as they secured the No. 1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft last month. What better way to ring in a new era of Liberty basketball at Barclays Center than to have an exciting young star like Sabrina Ionescu leading the way?
