Liberty Clinches 2025 WNBA Playoff Spot Despite Loss

The New York Liberty will officially stand among the WNBA's fateful eight.

Despite falling to the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night in the Bay Area, the Liberty secured its spot in the upcoming WNBA playoffs, as the Indiana Fever's 85-79 loss to the Phoenix Mercury officially placed it on the bracket.

The seafoam savants join Minnesota, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Phoenix as postseason invitees. Only the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, who fell to the Liberty in last fall's thrilling WNBA Finals, are locked into its seed, having secured No. 1 earlier over the holiday weekend.

The Liberty (24-17) will thus officially get a chance to defend its first postseason championship in knockout fashion. This will mark the fifth consecutive edition of the WNBA Playoffs to feature the Liberty on the bracket, good for the longest such streak in franchise history and the second-longest active tally in the WNBA behind the Las Vegas Aces at seven.

Though the Liberty obviously has loftier goals, reaching the playoffs is still a long-sought landmark considering the rollercoaster nature of this championship defense. New York won each of its first nine games before injuries and inconsistency took over to relegate them to near -.500 ball over the rest of the way.

As it stands, the Liberty sits in fifth place on the WNBA leaderboard and would lose homecourt advantage in a first-round set, one that would have them facing the fourth-place Phoenix Mercury if the current standings solidify. The best-of-three first round will revert to a 1-1-1 format this time around as compared to having the two guaranteed games at the home of the higher seed.

Nonetheless, New York's sheer talent alone will make it a popular pick to appear in the WNBA Finals, which will revert to a best-of-seven format for the first time this fall. The Liberty remains undefeated in the ten games where its "big three" of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart begin and finish a game together.

The Liberty is currently in the midst of a late three-game West Coach road trip, one that ends on Friday night against the Seattle Storm (10 p.m. ET, Ion).