Liberty Forward Sue Wicks Retires

Wicks celebrating the 2002 Eastern Confernce Championship! (NBAE/Getty Images)

NEW YORK, April 29 � New York Liberty Senior Vice President and General Manager Carol Blazejowski announced today the retirement of Sue Wicks, one of the original members of the franchise.

Wicks, 36, was the first New York Liberty player to be drafted (sixth overall) in the 1997 inaugural WNBA Draft and leaves as the Liberty team leader in blocked shots (155) and rebounds (788). After six years in the WNBA and an international career that spanned more than 15 years, Wicks has decided to retire and pursue other endeavors.

�I have been truly blessed that I had a chance to live my dream. I have lived my dream in ice-cold gyms in Budapest to sweltering hot gyms in Israel to the center of the sports world - Madison Square Garden,� said Sue Wicks. �I owe, as does every player in this league, a debt of gratitude that can't be repaid to David Stern, not only for his business genius, but the ideals that the WNBA is built on. I will miss the passion and the dedication of the New York Liberty, I stood in awe of my teammates, the front office and coaching staff, who gave nothing short of everything every single day.�

�Sue Wicks defined in many ways what the New York Liberty is all about. Her desire to win for this city, her pride at being able to represent her hometown at the highest level, her great competitive drive and sheer talent were all major reasons why the Liberty went to the WNBA Finals four out of six years,� said Blazejowski. �Sue was the team�s first draft pick in the WNBA draft six years ago, and even with all her early promise, we had no idea of the impact she would have on our team. We will miss her both personally and professionally and will always be proud to consider her a part of the Liberty family.�

"Sue is the type of player every coach wishes they had � she did the big things well and the little things even better." -- Head Coach, Richie Adubato

Wicks logged more than 3,900 minutes throughout her career while averaging 4.5 ppg and grabbing an average of 4.3 rebounds per contest. She recorded her 500th career rebound against Washington on June 13, 2000 and was selected to the Eastern Conference All Star team in 2000. Wicks was also awarded the Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award at the conclusion of the 2000 season.

�Sue is the type of player every coach wishes they had � she did the big things well and the little things even better. To Sue, it was always all about how her contributions on the court were going to help the team and how her leadership in the locker room was going to inspire her teammates,� said Richie Adubato, Head Coach, New York Liberty. �Sue is the consummate professional and leaves some very big shoes to fill. She will be missed.�

A Long Island product and graduate of Center Moriches (NY) High School, Wicks had an outstanding career at Rutgers University where she was honored with the 1988 Naismith Award. She was awarded the Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year on three separate occasions and named Kodak All-America from 1986 to 1988. Her 293 blocks, 287 steals, 21.1 ppg and 10.8 rpg makes her the all-time Rutgers leader and her 2,655 total points ranks number one among both men and women. The Rutgers Basketball Hall of Fame honored Wicks as she was inducted in 1994.

A special tribute to Sue will be held at Madison Square Garden during the upcoming season.

The New York Liberty basketball team, in its seventh year of operation with the 2003 season, is part of the Madison Square Garden, L.P. Cablevision Systems Corporation owns a controlling interest in the MSG L.P., which also include the New York Knicks (NBA), the New York Rangers (NHL), the Hartford Wolfpack (American Hockey League), the MSG Network, Fox Sports New York and the Madison Square Garden arena complex, located in the heart of the New York metropolitan area.