The New York Liberty will have to wait to face the Minnesota Lynx.
The Wednesday matchup was postponed because of air quality issues in New York City due to the ongoing wildfires in Canada.
The team made the announcement just hours before the Liberty and Lynx were scheduled to tip off at Barclays Center.
“The city has been placed under an Air Quality Health Advisory until Thursday morning. This decision has been made to protect the health and safety of our fans, teams and community,” the team said in a statement.
The game will be rescheduled for a later date.
A report from WNBA analyst Rachel Galligan surfaced shortly after 4 p.m. that the game would be postponed and WNBA reporter Howard Megdal added that smoke had entered Barclays Center.
The fact smoke had made its way inside the arena would explain the postponement, but the club did not directly address that in its statement.
“Tonight’s game against the Minnesota Lynx has been postponed due to the poor air quality in the New York City area impacting Barclays Center following the wildfires in Canada,” the Liberty said.
Everything you need to know about the NYC wildfire smoke
New York City’s air has been heavily polluted by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires burning hundreds of miles away.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams warned residents to stay inside to avoid exposure.
The haze wafting in from Quebec poses a threat “even to healthy adults.”
- NYC air quality live updates: Air quality in NYC worst since 1980s — worse than after 9/11, forecaster warns
- NYC air pollution is the world’s worst as smoke from Canadian wildfires set to linger
- Even healthy adults are at risk from the Canadian wildfire smoke: experts
- Mayor Adams warns about ‘dangerous’ haze from wildfires, urges NYers to stay inside
New York’s air quality has become some of the worst in the world as the ominous orange smog from wildfires near Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia continues to settle over the region, according to IQair.
The air quality is expected to remain hazardous through the weekend.
READ MORE
The Liberty game was the first of two New York sporting events postponed due to the ongoing air quality issue.
The Yankees postponed their scheduled game with the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium only a few minutes after the Liberty.
New York’s WNBA franchise had been scheduled to host Minnesota at 7 p.m. for the team’s first game of June and seventh of the season.
The superstar-laden Liberty, which boasts Breanna Stewart among its offseason signings, are 4-2 to open the season.
New York City’s air quality has been a major concern for health officials over the past few days.
The city was in an orange haze during the day on Wednesday and the air quality index was at 353 out of 500 during the early afternoon, which is considered very unhealthy.