New York Liberty announce their new home: Brooklyn’s Barclays Center

According to Liberty COO Keia Clarke, moving the Liberty to Brooklyn “reestablishes” New York as an organization “that leads” in the WNBA

Joe Tsai and the his group J Tsai Sports bet on the New York Liberty and the WNBA. On Thursday morning, a day following the news that New York would not be renewing former head coach Katie Smith’s contract, the team announced that  Brooklyn’s Barclays Center will become the new home court for the Liberty.

“I think it’s a really positive change that we’ve been yearning for a while now,” team COO Keia Clarke told High Post Hoops in a phone interview. “The team has been in flux ,so it’s an exciting time for the Liberty…It’s an opportunity to move forward and build on on the Liberty as a franchise.”

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League Commissioner Cathy Engelbert had said a couple of weeks ago in Washington, prior to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, that she’d be expecting a decision from Tsai and his group in a few weeks’ time.

“The New York Liberty are part of the foundation of the W and have many of the most accomplished players and passionate fans since the inaugural season,”  Engelbert said in a team statement. “Barclays Center is the perfect venue to host New York’s team and showcase world-class women’s basketball. This move is key to driving the league to the next level.”

Joe Tsai and David Levy make a commitment to stability and growth

It’s a no-brainer that this decision to move the New York Liberty out of the Westchester County Center, which couldn’t handle the sound that resulted when Han Xu checked in, and seated 2,100 people, max, was the right one.

(Fun fact: my high school’s women’s basketball team played their sectional championships at the Westchester County Center. You get my drift. All right, enough salt.)

COO Clarke noted that “planting roots in Brooklyn” solidifies stability and amplifies visibility for the franchise, which is something that has been out of reach for New York ever since the team was put up for sale before the start of the 2018 season. Tsai purchased the team from James Dolan of the Madison Square Garden company in January of this year. The 2020 regular season will include the first full offseason that the Liberty will have under their new leadership.

Clarke also praised the culture within the front office that Joe Tsai and his group demonstrated from the get-go, which she believes has been the “most refreshing” and “significant change” for the organization.

“From the beginning, the new leadership for the Liberty, they’ve offered a true family culture and I’ve been a direct witness of that,” she said. “And even as we built out our team during our time at Westchester County Center, that’s been really evident.”

David Levy, the newly hired CEO of the both the Liberty and the Brooklyn Nets — the other pro-basketball teams owned by J Tsai Sports — spoke of his commitment to the team in a statement regarding the move to Barclays.

“We are committed to the Liberty’s long-term success in New York and relocating the team to Brooklyn will provide the franchise with tremendous opportunity,” Levy said. “With many of our fans based in the five boroughs, moving to Barclays Center will make the Liberty more centrally located, allowing us to bring back the original fan base and attract new supporters. The venue change, along with the first pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, has positioned the team for an exciting future.”

Opportunity ahead for New York 

According to Clarke, the Liberty’s “DNA” has always been “founded in community outreach” and she believes that the move to Brooklyn will allow the franchise to return to those goals and in turn expand the franchise’s commitment to engagement with the five boroughs. The players will now have more opportunities to make their mark and interact with the community that they won’t only live in this time around.

“There’s incredible opportunities there , as I mentioned, from a community standpoint,” she said.  “It’s exactly where we want to be.”

Clarke mentioned the opportunity the Liberty now have to attract partnerships. “Corporate sponsors for the team that activates against both our games and other platforms will increase as we start to situate ourselves.”

But another opening that lies ahead for New York is its access to more resources as they begin to foster a relationship with brother team the Brooklyn Nets. Most likely, New York will have access to the Nets’ practice facility and “aspects of the business” will be even more collaborative than before.

But when examining the potential camaraderie between the players of both organizations, Clarke believes this will “translate over naturally.” She noticed that during the 2019 season there was evidence of the Nets players supporting the Liberty.

I asked Clarke about the possibility for the Brooklyn Nets organization to get involved in the Liberty’s annual Unity Day. While she wasn’t sure exactly of those prospects, she mentioned that she’s confident and excited about future collaborations between the teams.

“Social justice platforms and really important to us,” she said. “Women’s empowerment is really important to us. And those are things we’ve seen the Nets and Barclays Sports and Entertainment embrace as well. I’m very excited about what collaborations will unfold.”

While there are lot of unknowns yet to be determined, including what success might look like for New York in 2020, Clarke is sure that the Liberty’s new home presents immediate benefits to the team itself and its opponents across the WNBA.

It has always been this organization’s goal to provide a “great atmosphere” for its players along with a memorable fan experience.

“Staying committed to that and maintaining that in a great way is really what we are focused on right now,” she said. “Stay tuned for what that success will look like.

“It’s also going to be exciting for the opponents who come to NYC to display WNBA basketball in the heart of the boroughs and to provide that opportunity on a world-class stage. is exciting for a professional athlete.”

Apparently Chicago Sky guard Diamond DeShields is already elated. She tweeted: “THANK THA LORRRRRD!!!!!” in response to the announcement.

Tradition…tradition? Chhhhanngggess? How about a little bit of both?

Let me answer a couple of lingering questions off the bat:

The Liberty will keep their name and their beloved Seafoam green. Apparently the trademark color which reflects that of Lady Liberty herself is Clarke’s favorite color. Who knew?

Also, the don’t be surprised if the infamous Liberty flaming torch returns more regularly at Barclays Center for starting lineups.

“We love the Torch too,” Clarke said.  “In fact, it was our players who requested to have the torch return which is why we were able to make it happen for August 11 .

In light of a new Brooklyn Nets homecourt design, there might be some aesthetic changes coming to the Liberty as well.  But fear not, the seafoam stays.

“We want to remain true to the traditions of this team,” she said. “There’s something important in the history of the Liberty and we will continue to be authentic about that.”

With this decision from the New York front office, the history and legacy of the Liberty as one of the W’s inaugural teams comes full circle for not only the Liberty, but for the league.

“I think our move is a great thing for the liberty but it’s equally important for the WNBA, for the city and to our fans,” Clarke said.  “Reestablishing the Liberty as a franchise that leads is where we want to be.”

In a time when the sports world continues to contemplate the chances they take on its WNBA teams, the New York Liberty aim to be a franchise that blazes trails. Igniting a spark with a flaming torch on display in Brooklyn: that’s exactly how it should be.

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