Through 17 New York Liberty home games, there’s been a different feeling in the air at Barclays Center.

Really, it started during the 2023 WNBA Finals when 17,000 New Yorkers packed an arena that had grown accustomed to closing off the upper deck for WNBA games. It continued when the Liberty opened their 2024 home schedule against the rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, and the momentum has not let up.

The Liberty defeated the Seattle Storm on Thursday, 77-70, to improve to 28-6. With the win, they clinch at least a first-round home series in the playoffs. But ask any of the 10,873 fans in attendance — actually one of the smallest crowds of the year — and they’ll tell you a Liberty gameday is so much more than 40 minutes of basketball.

The arena energy feels more like college sports, with coordinated cheers like the Ellie wave (for their mascot, Ellie the Elephant). Ellie has become a cult celebrity in New York, known for her distinctive outfits, jaw-dropping dance moves, side-splitting sideline antics, and the famed Elie Stomp — another fan favorite tradition.

Of those fans, many have been celebrities, shown during timeouts on CeLiberty Row. On Thursday, Flavor Flav took the microphone during a timeout to lead the crowd in a cheer of his own.

Liberty guard Kennedy Burke admitted the rapper’s surprise appearance distracted her as the team was in its huddle.

“I was taking peeks out at him, I was like, ‘oh, that's Flavor Flav,’ but we were already on the court like kind of huddling and talking about the next play,” Burke said. “But I took a quick glimpse.”

She wasn’t the only one. Jonquel Jones couldn’t focus in the huddle either. She noticed both Flavor Flav and Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who caught the eye of the Barclays Center scoreboard operator in the next timeout.

“We were supposed to be in the huddle but I was watching him,” she admitted. “But just to see him, guys like D-Wade, a legend of the game, and just to know that we can draw those type of people in and that the game is just growing exponentially.”

Flavor Flav and Wade were the two biggest names in the building Thursday, but they’re far from the only celebrities to attend a Liberty home game this year. Jason Sudeikis, a known Liberty fan, is a regular. So is Fran Leibowitz. Megan Thee Stallion, A Boogie, Michael Imperioli, Susan Sarandon, Jadakiss, Fat Joe, and Nigel Sylvester have all attended at least one game.

The Liberty and other WNBA teams are done playing in ‘empty arenas’

New York Liberty guard Courtney Vandersloot (22) dribbles the ball against the LA Sparks in the first half at Crypto.com Arena.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Overtime women’s basketball Instagram account posted a video on Tuesday that showed the fan evolution in the Liberty’s four seasons at Barclays Center. It began with a sparse crowd in 2021, still on the heels of COVID. Then, featured a fuller lower bowl in 2022 and 2023, before showing a packed house this season.

There’s no clearer demonstration of the growth of the WNBA than that. The Liberty have yet to play a game this season in which they did not sell out the lower bowl. That may not sound like much, particularly for an NBA fan used to seeing upwards of 20,000 fans at a game, but the WNBA is much younger in its lifespan.

The players noticed. Just ask Courtney Vandersloot, who is playing her 14th season in the WNBA.

“It’s awesome to be a part of,” she said. “I come from the time when it wasn't like that. I've been around and played in a lot of empty arenas.”

The Liberty rank second in the WNBA in average attendance at 12,484 fans per game. That’s more than a 60% increase from last year. The Finals run, combined with the increased interest in the women’s game thanks to an electric rookie class, turbocharged what was already a positive trajectory.

It’s a league-wide trend. Six of the WNBA’s 12 teams average at least 10,000 fans per game. None did in 2023.

“The game has really grown, people are showing up, and it's almost like we're taking it for granted here because it's been like this for the last two years,” Vandersloot added. “Every single night, the fans show up. It’s just a crazy environment.”

More importantly for the players, it provides a real home court advantage. With the playoffs coming, that’s not small thing.

“We understand how much [the fans] drive us,” Jones said. “Not every team is going to have that home court advantage, and the teams that do have a little extra advantage, obviously”