Flashback: WNBA Team and Players Fined Thousands for Tantrum After Championship Loss
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
The Women’s National Basketball Association placed a hefty fine on the New York Liberty and some of its players after they refused to speak to the press in the wake of their tough loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of the WNBA finals.
The Liberty lost Game 4 by a razor-thin 70-69 final score, but the game gave the Aces three wins to the Liberty’s one in the best-of-five series which finished up on Oct. 18.
All was not well after the game, however.
According to KSNV-TV, after the game, the Liberty told the media that they had no intention of fulfilling the WNBA’s required media interviews after the game.
In the aftermath of the game, Liberty stars Brianna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot did speak to reporters in the interview room, as did head coach Sandy Brondello.
However, according to Newsday columnist Barbara Barker, the team told the press that no other players would be available for interviews after that.
Barker noted in a post on X that the team did not make basketball players including superstar Sabrina Ionescu, as well as stars like Betnijah Laney and Jonquel Jones, available for the press. The longtime New York basketball journalist blasted the move, and hinted at a lack of accountability:
WARNING: The following post contains language some readers may find offensive
In decades of covering sports, have never seen this happen. After being eliminated by Aces, Liberty bring 2 players & coach to media room. Refuse to make others available No Ionescu. No Betnijah Laney. No Jonquel Jones. Really? I write a shitty story, and I still answer my email.
— Barbara Barker (@meanbarb) October 19, 2023
“In decades of covering sports, have never seen this happen. After being eliminated by Aces, Liberty bring 2 players & coach to media room,” Barker said in her X post. “Refuse to make others available No Ionescu. No Betnijah Laney. No Jonquel Jones. Really? I write a s***ty story, and I still answer my email.”
After the incident, the WNBA jumped into action and fined the New York basketball squad $25,000 for violating league rules on press availability.
Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney were also each fined $2,000 individually for refusing to speak to the press.
“By league policy, following the conclusion of a team’s postgame press conference in the interview room with its head coach and two key players, any additional players requested by in-person media are required to be available for interviews in an alternate location,” the WNBA said in part in a statement.
The New York Liberty have been fined $25,000 for violating league rules governing postgame media interview access.
Per WNBA, multiple players have been fined.#wnba #WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/D8O3xQle2S
— Sara Jane Gamelli (@SaraJGamelli) October 19, 2023
League policy states that any players requested for an in-person interview after a game must be made available for interviews in an alternate location. Therefore, the team violated that policy by not making Ionescu, Jones, Laney or others available to the sports media.
The Professional Basketball Writers Association blasted the Liberty for refusing to meet with the press after their loss, per ESPN.
“We’re concerned that this incident is part of a broader, growing disconnect between the WNBA, its players and the professional journalists who dedicate themselves to telling the stories of this league,” the PBWA said in a statement. “We at the PBWA hope this moment can serve as the starting point for a renewed dialogue between our members, league officials and the WNBPA.”
The Liberty suffered a tough loss by wasting a double-digit lead in the second half and giving up the game to the Aces by a single point.
The New York team has made it to the Finals five times in franchise history, but has yet to take home a championship.
The Aces, who entered the series without starters Kiah Stokes and Chelsea Gray both due to injuries, took their second consecutive title, only the third WNBA team to ever achieve that goal.
And this is the first time since 2002 that a team has taken two titles in a row — when the Los Angeles Sparks actually beat the Liberty to secure its second straight championship.
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