Teresa Weatherspoon returned to Barclays Center on Saturday night and received a standing ovation from the crowd as the New York Liberty honored their legendary alum in a 2026 home win over the Indiana Fever.
Barclays Center felt different on Saturday night, the kind of night where the cheers don’t just follow a play—they follow a legacy.
Teresa Weatherspoon stepped onto the floor for New York’s home game against the Indiana Fever, and the crowd rose in a standing ovation for the Liberty legend.
Weatherspoon’s WNBA story with the Liberty spans seven seasons from 1997 to 2004, with the impact to match. She won Defensive Player of the Year twice in 1997 and 1998. earned five All-Star selections. and was named to four All-WNBA teams. Her career in New York produced a Hall of Fame future. and her numbers still read like the profile of a player built for both defense and pressure. In 220 games with New York, she averaged 5.7 points, 5.9 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game. Her shooting splits were 41.3% from the field, including 28.1% beyond the arc, with a 65.8% mark from the free-throw line.
The cheers kept coming after that moment, but the Liberty didn’t just celebrate— they played to protect homecourt. New York entered the fourth quarter trailing the Fever 57-54. By the time regulation ended, the script had flipped. The Liberty outscored Indiana 29-18 over the last 10 minutes of the game to secure the win.
Breanna Stewart carried the offensive load for New York with 30 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and two assists. She went 6-of-15 from the field and converted 18-of-21 from the free-throw line. Satou Sabally added 13 points and five rebounds, while Pauline Astier finished with 12 points and three rebounds. Jonquel Jones and Marine Johannes each chipped in eight points.
With the victory, New York improved to a 7-4 record on the season and moved into second place in the Eastern Conference standings. The Liberty are above the Fever and the Toronto Tempo, while trailing the Atlanta Dream.
The night’s honoring had one more chapter to come in the schedule. New York now heads to the road, taking on the Connecticut Sun with the game set for June 8 at 7 p.m. ET.
Teresa Weatherspoon New York Liberty Indiana Fever Barclays Center WNBA Breanna Stewart Satou Sabally Pauline Astier Jonquel Jones Marine Johannes standing ovation Hall of Fame
That standing ovation tho, love to see legends getting recognized.
Wait Teresa Weatherspoon was on the Liberty forever but they still lose sometimes? Like how does that even work, is she coaching now or just honored?
Breanna Stewart 30 points sounds insane but 6-of-15 is like… not that great? Unless free throws are basically everything now. Also I saw something about 2026 and got confused like is this future news or something.
Homecourt energy is real. They said they outscored Indiana 29-18 in the 4th which is wild, but also Teresa’s numbers were like, 5.7 points? I swear defensive players always get underrated in these articles. I bet the crowd was the whole reason they came back though, like I don’t even care about standings.