
Liberty celebrate big win with Ben Stiller and ‘Severance' cast
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA. tRY IT NOW
Ben Stiller's New York basketball fandom isn't limited to just the Knicks.
The beloved actor and noted Knicks fan pulled up to the Liberty game on Tuesday night, along with actors John Turturro and Zach Cherry from the hit Apple TV+ show 'Severance,' creating some fanfare after the Liberty win as he joined the team on the court for a post-win picture.
Advertisement
The Liberty defeated the Wings 85-76 at Barclays Center, and afterward, Stiller joined the team on the court to celebrate, eventually taking a group shot with the team, the 'Severance' actors and the show's producer.
3 Ben Stiller and John Turturro pose with the Liberty after their 85-76 win over the Wings in a regular season matchup at Barclays Center.
Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Advertisement
'Marine [Johannès] really wanted to meet him,' Jonquel Jones said about the moment. 'She tried to turn to [Breana Stewart] and she's like, 'Can you tell him to come, so I can take a picture?' Then we all just went over there, and then we told him to come to the middle so we can get a really nice picture. He's an amazing actor. We all grew up watching him, and it's good to see him here in the building supporting us, and being a Liberty fan.'
Jones' comments made a separate moment even funnier when a user on X posted a clip of a timid Johannès being pulled over by Stewart to make sure she was in the picture that she wanted in the first place.
3 Ben Stiller and John Turturro with Rebekah Gardner of the Liberty after their win over the Wings.
Michelle Farsi/New York Post
3 Ben Stiller celebrates with Sabrina Ionescu after the Liberty's win over the Wings.
Michelle Farsi/New York Post
Advertisement
Stiller became synonymous with Knicks basketball during the team's playoff run in the spring, constantly sitting courtside and taking to social media to comment on the games.
The 'Dodgeball' star was given a loud ovation when he was shown on the video board at Barclays Center on Tuesday, and another video posted to social media showed him taking part in the 'Ellie Wave' during one of the breaks in the action.
Tuesday's win over the Wings moves the Liberty to 19-10 on the season.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Liberty star Breanna Stewart reveals when she'll ‘definitely be back' by after knee injury
We've got you covered on the Liberty beat Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA. tRY IT NOW Liberty star Breanna Stewart was all smiles Sunday and said she felt 'great' after she wrapped up an individual workout on the Liberty's practice court while her teammates warmed up for New York's game against the Lynx. Stewart has been sidelined for the past two weeks with a bone bruise in her right knee. While she said her rehab process is going well, the team's training staff hasn't established a target return date. Stewart echoed Liberty coach Sandy Brondello's hope that the two-time league MVP will be cleared to play by the end of this month. Stewart went as far to say that she'll 'definitely be back' before her 31st birthday on Aug. 27. 'That's a non-negotiable,' she said. 'I have to be back before my birthday.' 3 Breanna Stewart (30) of the Liberty during the last game she played against the Sparks on July 26, 2025. John Jones-Imagn Images In the meantime, though, Stewart will have no choice but to continue to practice patience while nature runs its course. Stewart left the Liberty's July 26 loss to the Sparks after three minutes of action with an apparent leg injury. Speaking with reporters for the first time since her injury Sunday, Stewart said she didn't know when she initially suffered a bone bruise. 'When I stepped, I just felt something in my knee a little bit,' Stewart said. 'But I don't know. I think I just irritated it. I'm sure the bone bruise was there already.' July 26 was the second night of a back-to-back for the Liberty. On the previous night, Stewart looked gassed and shot 3-for-12 from the field, though she said after the game that she wouldn't use fatigue as an excuse for her performance. Covering the Liberty like never before Sign up for Madeline Kenney's Inside the Liberty, a weekly Sports+ newsletter. Thank you Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Check out more newsletters Right now, Stewart said she's able to do just about everything but play competitive five-on-five basketball. She's been shooting and moving around the court during her solo sessions. 'There's kind of no restrictions,' she said. 'It's just about keeping the load lower. So the time period of me working out is a little bit shorter.' Her next two weeks will consist of her ramping up her cardio and lengthening her individual workouts. 3 Breanna Stewart watches the Liberty's game against the Wings on July 28, 2025. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images 'Progressing the on-court workouts to get into playing so then when I do come into the game, it's not as much of a change,' she said. 'Obviously, some things you can't recreate but as close to that as possible.' Of course, Stewart would much rather be playing than sitting out, especially considering Kennedy Burke (right calf sprain) and Nyara Sabally (right knee) are also out. Stewart has been practically begging the training staff to give her the green light to return for the past two weeks. But as much as she wants to be back, Stewart also knows she'll be better able to contribute to this team when she's fully healthy. 3 Breanna Stewart watches the Liberty's game against the Wings on Aug. 5, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images Still, that didn't make watching the Liberty struggle through a four-game losing streak from the sidelines any easier. Seeing the obvious void Stewart's absence left was almost as painful as her nagging knee injury. 'It's the worst,' she said. 'Just knowing I want to be out there helping them and fighting and battling with them is the hardest part. But they got my back. And while we're gonna go through some struggles, we went through some, it's really about the bounce back and they want me to be back healthy, too. So they don't want me to rush into it either.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Shorthanded Liberty make no excuses after 'embarrassing' loss to Wings
The post Shorthanded Liberty make no excuses after 'embarrassing' loss to Wings appeared first on ClutchPoints. The New York Liberty could be excused for losing a tough game to the Los Angeles Sparks last weekend without Breanna Stewart, Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally. Maybe even for losing a road game to the Dallas Wings. But not like this. The Liberty trailed by as many as 30 to a team that came into the game 7-19, allowing 30-plus points in each of the first two quarters. The final score was 82-72, but that didn't begin to tell the whole story. Once again, head coach Sandy Brondello blasted her team's effort after the game — something that became a theme when the Liberty lost six of nine in June. 'It's an effort thing,' Brondello said. 'It's just how we come out of the gate and we're not competing at a high level, and we've got to get back to playing what we know we're capable of, like in the second half.' In the second half, the Liberty cut their deficit down to six, limiting the Wings to just seven points in the fourth quarter. It was a flash of what the team is capable of, even with three players sidelined. 'It's never on the coaching staff, right?' Sabrina Ionescu said. 'We're the ones that go out and play, so we're a team full of leaders that are always gonna take accountability for the way that we come out.' Ionescu was 1-5 from the field in the first half with three turnovers and a -30 plus-minus. On the other side, Arike Ogunbowale had a 15-point, 10-assist first-half double-double as the Liberty had just nine assists as a team. The Wings shot 59 percent from the field and, as Brondello pointed out, the Liberty did not have a single kill (stops on three straight possessions) in the entire first 20 minutes. 'Embarrassing, frustrating, a bit disappointing because we know the level of play that we hold ourselves to and the caliber play that we played at in the past,' Jonquel Jones said, summarizing the team's effort. The Liberty held another team meeting after Wings loss The media waited nearly 40 minutes after the game for the Liberty to arrive at the postgame press conference. It's a stark difference from after the Sparks loss Saturday where not even the entire media contingent had arrived yet before the team took the podium for a speedy six-minute presser. The reason, we learned, was that New York held a team meeting after the game. It was their second in three weeks, which is never a great sign. 'We've got to dig a little bit deeper and we have to take a little bit more pride in the defensive area,' Brondello said. 'It doesn't matter that we have players out. Everyone does. So you've just got to be more committed to that side of the ball and not allow their offense to dictate our defense.' Earlier in the season, the Liberty had a problem starting third quarters slowly. The last two games, it's been the first quarter, as New York has allowed more than 30 in the first frame both times. For context, Breanna Stewart said last year that the team's goal is to score 20 a quarter and give up less than 20. 'It's just more effort,' Jones said. 'I think it's really nothing that [the Wings] did, it's just the way that we came out and we can be better with that.' There was also the personnel problem, though Ionescu insisted that even with their available players, they had enough to win the game. 'We just have to come out with a little bit more purpose, and obviously we're getting tested now, especially defensively,' she said. 'They brought JJ up in a lot of pick and rolls. We don't have anyone at the rim to be able to contest like JJ does and usually we have Stewie, and so I think it's just understanding when people are.' That was also an issue against the Sparks, so even with the Liberty expected to contend for another championship and the Wings far out of the playoff picture, it matters. But the team also likes to say — quite often — that nobody is going to have sympathy for them because they have injuries. Everyone does. And they don't expect sympathy for playing a condensed schedule over the next few weeks. Every team does. 'It wasn't about scheming and anything,' Brondello said. 'We just know we didn't play well, so, what are we gonna do about it? We can't be happy that we got [the deficit] back to six.' The Liberty have almost no time to lick their wounds. They travel to Minnesota for a 2024 Finals rematch with the Lynx on Wednesday. Related: Liberty rumors: What Sabrina Ionescu's dad said she'll 'never' do in career Related: Sabrina Ionescu delivers unsurprised response to Paige Bueckers' WNBA success
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Emma Meesseman drops ‘beautiful basketball' take on Liberty debut
The post Emma Meesseman drops 'beautiful basketball' take on Liberty debut appeared first on ClutchPoints. For a couple hours on Sunday, everything was right in the New York Liberty's world. After four straight losses, including to two of the worst teams in the WNBA, New York got back in the win column as mid-season acquisition Emma Meesseman made her 2025 debut. Meesseman wasn't the story of the game — that goes to Sabrina Ionescu, whose 36 points (14-22 FG) fell one short of a career high to go with 11 rebounds in the 87-78 win. But Meesseman may have been the most important piece to the puzzle, knowing how the team will rely on her as it battles a spate of injuries. The Liberty are still without Breanna Stewart, Nyara Sabally and Kennedy Burke, as they likely will be for the next couple weeks. For Meesseman, the growing pains were there, particularly in the first quarter. She seemed just a bit off, both on her shot and her movements as she adjusts to her new team. But she improved as the game went on — a testament to the veteran's ability to react in real time and her similarly experienced teammates getting a better feel for how she plays. 'I've never played with [Meesseman], and so now it's like trying to speed up the chemistry by communicating and being able to figure out what she likes, what I like, how we can get each other going and how we can play off one another,' Ionescu said. 'To be able to do what she did in her first game, I don't think many people could do [that].' Head coach Sandy Brondello initially wanted to limit Meesseman to 15 minutes. She played 17 and made them count. Meesseman finished with 11 points, two rebounds and three assists, shooting 5-5 from the line. All her points came in the second half after she missed her first two attempts to begin the game. 'The first half, it was just [me] being thrown in there and having a feel for how this team plays,' Meesseman said. 'I've played with a lot of people on this team already, but always in different teams, in different systems. So I have to get [used to] the system of New York, with these players, and in the second half [it] got better.' Meesseman was with the team but on the bench Friday when this same Sun team — now 5-22 — handed the Liberty a shocking loss. Shorthanded as the team was, she knew exactly what she had to bring to the team on Sunday. 'I think just giving them some minutes, some glue, moving the ball, hitting people open,' she said. 'Just beautiful basketball, being a part of that already in New York.' 'One of my mottos is to keep it simple,' she continued. 'If it works, it works. If you see someone open and they cut, give them the ball and get a layup. It's easy.' Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu had an atypical 36 points For the third time in five games, Ionescu put up 30-or-more points, earning MVP chants from the Liberty fans who made the trip to Uncasville. Oddly for Ionescu, it came on one made three on only three attempts. Inside the arc, she went 13-19 and was a perfect 7-7 from the line. 'Playing at my own pace,' Ionescu said on the key to her success. 'I think being able to be adaptable and understand ways that I can attack and continue to get downhill to the free throw line, usually opens up the three-point shot.' That's not to say she was perfect. 'I mean, I had seven turnovers, so that sucks,' Ionescu said. The Liberty's busy stretch continues on Tuesday at home when they will looks to avenge their loss last week to Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. Related: Liberty pen heartfelt farewell to released WNBA champion Related: Former Finals MVP set for WNBA return vs. Sun