LOS ANGELES — Liberty players took their seats in the conference room of their hotel here Sunday morning to prepare for that day’s game against the Sparks. They thought it would be a routine game prep.
But Sunday’s pregame meeting took a unique twist.
Welcome signs for some of the Liberty Ring of Honor recipients were displayed on the TVs.
Then, franchise legends Teresa Weatherspoon, Sue Wicks, Vickie Johnson and Kym Hampton walked in — much to the players’ surprise.
The team conducted business as usual with the Liberty icons in attendance.
They went over the scouting report and reviewed some film.
But when the prep work wrapped, the former players reflected on how far the WNBA has come since those players suited up for the first game 29 years ago Sunday.
“It was awesome,” guard Sabrina Ionescu told The Post. “It’s always really important to understand who played here before you and the importance and significance that they had, so I thought it was really special and obviously like I know them really well but not everyone else does so I think it was nice for them to be able to meet them.”
The Liberty won the first game, beating the Sparks 67-57 on June 21, 1997.
Eight Liberty players weren’t born when the WNBA started in 1997.
But the significance of playing on this day in Los Angeles isn’t lost on current Liberty players, who are opening a four-game West Coast swing.
“That’s pretty cool,” Marine Johannès said. “It’s something unique that we are lucky to play, we are lucky to live this moment, so yeah we just got to enjoy.”
Weatherspoon gave the Liberty a pep talk of sorts ahead of Sunday’s game. She didn’t want to divulge her message, saying she doesn’t share what’s said in the locker room.
Breanna Stewart, though, did share a part of Weatherspoon’s parting wisdom, saying the legend told them to “do things the New York way.”
What exactly does that mean?
“It’s very different, it’s very unique, it’s a greatness of mind,” Weatherspoon said. “It’s a never-give-up approach and that’s what we stand for. We live like that, we play the way the city lives and that’s how we’re connected.”
“New York is blue collar,” Johnson added. “Pride, every day, putting on that uniform, it was more than just basketball.”
