Liberty, three players fined for violating WNBA postgame media access rules after Finals loss
Courtney Vandersloot #22, Jonquel Jones #35, Betnijah Laney #44, Breanna Stewart #30 and Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the Liberty look on in the second quarter against the Las Vegas Aces during Game Four of the 2023 WNBA Finals at Barclays Center on October 18, 2023 in New York City. Credit: Getty Images
Some members of the Liberty didn’t take losing in the WNBA Finals too well, and that has now come with a price tag.
The team was fined $25,000 by the league Thursday for violating postgame media interview access rules following the Las Vegas Aces’ 70-69 Game 4 win Wednesday night at Barclays Center that clinched the championship. Some Liberty players wouldn’t participate in postgame interviews.
Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney were also fined $2,000 apiece for refusing to make themselves available.
Coach Sandy Brondello, Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot faced the media for questions in the interview room afterward.
The league mandates that the coach and two players appear there after games. But it also mandates that if additional players are requested by the attending media following a game, they have to participate in the interviews in an alternate place. That’s usually done outside the Liberty’s locker room at Barclays.
