Liberty Legend Praises Knicks 'Fun Brand'

Former New York Liberty star Teresa Weatherspoon remains a fan of the New York Knics from afar.

Feb 25, 2023; New York, New York, USA; New Orleans Pelicans Assistant Coach Teresa Weatherspoon during warmups New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago is now Teresa Weatherspoon's town, but she'll always want to be a part of it in New York, New York, including the run the New York Knicks find themselves engaged in.

With her first year at the helm of the Chicago Sky drawing to a close, Weatherspoon confirmed as much in the latest from veteran basketball writer Brandon "Scoop B" Robinson, as the former New York Liberty star praised the "talent" behind the active Knicks, who are set to embark upon one of the franchise's most legitimately hopeful seasons in years.

Jul 13, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon reacts during the second half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

"(They're) talented and fun to watch. It’s a fun brand of basketball. It’s an awesome thing to see, you know?" Weatherspoon said. "Seeing our Knicks playing the way that they are, doing the things that they’re doing, having that gym rocking like the way it should be and the city loves it, it’s huge.”  

Weatherspoon certainly knows what it's like to keep "that gym" ... Madison Square Garden ... at a high volume. Her run as one of the original stars of the Liberty franchise coincided with the Knicks' last trek to the NBA Finals in 1999, which produced a bittersweet summer in New York.

Both the Knicks and Liberty, both under the MSG banner at the time, fell to Texas squads in their respective finals, as the Knicks dropped a 4-1 series to the San Antonio Spurs while the Liberty fell in three to the Houston Comets despite Weatherspoon's heroic heave in Game 2, one that continues to stand as one of the most famous shots in WNBA history.

A repeat, with what New Yorkers obviously hope is a different ending, could be in store: despite a Wednesday night loss to the Los Angeles Sparks, the Liberty (26-6) continue to carry the WNBA's best record while the Knicks added Mikal Bridges to a group that won 50 games despite a plethora of injuries to major talents.

Weatherspoon, for her part, is off leading a new generation as the leader of the Sky, whose rebuild has enjoyed a bit of a kickstart thanks to the arrivals of rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. As it stands, Chicago (11-19) leads Atlanta for the eighth and final playoff spot in the WNBA playoff bracket.

"She played in New York, her name is on the hardwood, that's something that I want to do," Reese said before Chicago faced New York in Brooklyn in July. "She's been a mother figure to me, obviously, on and off the court. I love her. She's given me an opportunity just to be who I am at the best level."

Weatherspoon and the Sky return to acton on Friday night when they face the Indiana Fever at home (7:30 p.m. ET, Ion).

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