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Liberty plays Commissioner's Cup final at UBS Arena on Long Island. Barclays out due to NBA draft

NEW YORK — The New York Liberty will play the Commissioner's Cup final on June 25 against the Minnesota Lynx at UBS Arena on Long Island because Barclays Center is unavailable due to the NBA Draft, the league announced Monday.

The draft is the next night and there is not enough time to remodel the arena. The Liberty have back-to-back games on June 22 and 23, so moving the game up a day would not be possible.

Liberty officials knew this was a potential conflict of interest as early as December and informed the league. When the team secured home-court advantage earlier this month, they offered to play their July 2 regular-season game against the Lynx at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as the Commissioner's Cup championship, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the conversations were confidential.

The idea was that by doubling the game on July 2, both teams would be relieved of having to play an extra game for the Commissioner's Cup final on an already tight schedule. The Lynx declined that option.

The person also said the league gave the Liberty the opportunity to play the game in Minnesota, but said no.

As the home stadium of the New York Islanders, the UBS Arena is primarily used for hockey. Since opening in 2021, it has hosted a number of college basketball games. Both the UBS Arena and the Barclays Center have a capacity of around 17,000 spectators.

With an average of 12,586 fans, New York ranks second in the league in terms of attendance.

“We are excited for the opportunity to defend our Commissioner's Cup title in New York and appreciate our fans' unwavering support for our team,” said New York Liberty CEO Keia Clarke. “While we would have loved to bring this game to our fans at our home arena, we are grateful to UBS Arena for accommodating us and providing us with a first-class venue in New York.”

The Commissioner's Cup is in its fourth year this year and New York is the defending champion. Teams will compete for a prize pool of $500,000. In addition, sponsor Coinbase has pledged an additional $120,000 in cryptocurrency, with each player participating in the finals guaranteed $5,000.

There is also a charity component. New York raised $15,000 for Women Creating Change. Minnesota earned $13,000 for Gender Justice. The winning team on June 25 will receive an additional $10,000 donation, while the runner-up will receive $5,000.

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