New York Liberty unveil preseason schedule featuring exhibition game at Oregon

But this May both Sabally, Ionescu and the entire New York Liberty roster will play in front of Oregon’s enthusiastic fan base on Monday May 12 at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET against the Toyota Antelopes of the Women’s Japan Basketball League. 

“I never thought I was going to be able to play on that court and in front of our amazing Duck fans again,” Sabally said in a statement. “I know Oregon is going to show out and it’s going to be an amazing atmosphere!”

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Prior to flying over to West Coast, the Liberty will play their first preseason game at home a couple of days earlier on May 9 against the Connecticut Sun at 7 p.m. ET. The Liberty have historically played preseason games against the Sun at Mohegan Sun, but this will be the first preseason game against Connecticut played at Barclays Center. 

A team spokesperson confirmed to The Next that both preseason games will be televised by the Liberty’s local television partner FOX 5 NY and will be shown either on FOX 5 or My9. Just last week the team announced a new multi-year partnership extension with the network which will include new weekly programming dedicated to the Liberty and will incorporate game highlights, player reports and feature segments during their television broadcasts. 

The idea to play an exhibition game at the University of Oregon was one that Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb had kicked around for a couple of years. With Portland’s WNBA expansion team coming to the league in 2026 and the Liberty coming off their franchise’s first championship, the timing to execute the idea seemed right in 2025.

“As a player-first organization, we strive to be as collaborative and innovative with our athletes as possible,” Kolb said in a statement. “Bringing New York Liberty basketball to Eugene with two program greats, Sabrina and Nyara, was a natural next step coming off our franchise’s first championship.”

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Ionescu, the Liberty’s first  No. 1 overall draft pick, will be curating and leading a series of community events and programming that the Liberty will take part in once they touch down in Eugene. Ionescu has routinely put on basketball clinics as part of her SI20 Foundation in Eugene, New York and California, her home state. 

“I can’t wait to get back on the court in Eugene with the New York Liberty at Matthew Knight Arena,” Ionescu said in a statement. “I’ve got some great things in store throughout the weekend for my teammates: past and present, Oregon Women’s Basketball fans, the Eugene community, and the SI20 Foundation.”

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Playing a WNBA preseason game or exhibition in the college town of franchise stars has become a recent trend across the league with the Chicago Sky playing at LSU, Angel Reese’s alma mater, on May 2 against the Brazilian national team. The Indiana Fever are also playing against the Brazilian national team in Iowa City at the University of Iowa on May 4, giving Caitlin Clark her first game back at Carver-Hawkeye Arena since she was drafted. And the Las Vegas Aces are playing the Dallas Wings in South Bend, Ind. where Notre Dame alumnae Arike Ogunbowale and Jewell Loyd will return to play at Purcell Pavilion also on May 2.

Dallas will also host the Antelopes on May 10, a couple of days before they jet out to Oregon to play the Liberty. While the Wings announced a partnership with the Women’s Japan Basketball League last May and have signed their point guard Mai Yamamoto to a training camp contract, the Liberty also have a connection to the professional team from Japan. 

The Liberty have rostered Japanese player Stephanie Mawuli in their last two training camps. Although Mawuli has played her last two overseas professional seasons in Europe, she previously was a mainstay on the Antelopes playing with them for six seasons. 

“We are truly honored to have the opportunity to compete against the 2024 WNBA Champions, the New York Liberty,” Toyota Antelopes Head Coach Yuko Oga said. “Our team is built on the spirit of constant challenge. Facing the Liberty will not only push us to grow but will also contribute to the continued development of basketball in Japan.”

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The last time New York played an exhibition against an international team was when the Chinese National Team came to New York in 2019 to play a game against the Liberty at Barclays Center after the Liberty drafted Han Xu. That was also the first season the franchise was under the leadership of Joe and Clara Wu Tsai.

The move to have two preseason games televised and one accompanied by a weekend of programing by Ionescu in Eugene represents how WNBA teams and in particular the Liberty are taking advantage of what a WNBA preseason can look like. It can serve as an opportunity to grow the sport and provide promotion for the upcoming regular season.

The investment on the broadcasting side comes after a 2024 season when a fan live streamed a preseason game between the Lynx and the Sky that wasn’t being properly broadcast or on WNBA league pass. In 2025, however, the WNBA preseason is going to be more up to par with what is commonplace around other American professional sports leagues.

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