The New York Liberty may be forced to play without star Breanna Stewart for the rest of the 2025 season. On Wednesday, Sandy Brondello confirmed to reporters that Stewart was diagnosed with a bone bruise in her right knee, and noted there is "no firm timetable" for her return.
"Breanna Stewart has a bone bruise in her right knee, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello confirmed Wednesday," ESPN shared via Instagram. "Brondello said there is no firm timetable for when Stewart will return to action."
Bone bruises vary in severity, and can take anywhere from several weeks to several months to fully heal. This means Stewart could very well miss the rest of the 2025 season — which is pretty terrible news for a team that's hoping to be repeat champions this year.
The injury happened during the Liberty's 101-99 loss to the Sparks on Saturday, July 26. Stewart missed a contested layup and nearly immediately signaled for a sub and ended up limping off the court. Fans weren't surprised that she didn't return to the game, but worries escalated after the Liberty reported Stewart would miss the team's July 28 match against the Wings.
The Liberty also lost that game, which prompted increase concern for Stewart's health and her return back to the floor. Stewart is currently averaging 19 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4 assists this season and is a crucial member of the team (a fact that was on full display Monday when they went down 92-82 to Dallas).
New York has suffered from roster instability
New York has contended with roster instability all season, and only came as close as they might all season to playing with a healthy team after Jonquel Jones returned. in addition to Jones and Stewart, the Liberty have also contended with the temporary loss of Leonie Fiebich, who played overseas in EuroBasket in June, and of Nyara Sabally, who has battled knee trouble of her own.
Still, all of that combined hasn't been enough to thwart the team's goals. The Liberty are currently ranked second in the league, and all eyes will be laser-focused on the Target Center in Minneapolis when the Lynx host the Liberty in the two teams' first game since the 2024 WNBA Championship.
"This is our revenge tour."
— espnW (@espnW) July 30, 2025
Natisha Hiedeman sets the tone ahead of the WNBA Finals rematch with the Liberty 🔥
📺 Liberty-Lynx | 8 PM ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/TGlbUmXpy4
The match is bound to be tough and emotional, especially since members of the Lynx's roster have made it clear they're taking this season extremely seriously. As Natisha Hiedeman has noted more than once so far this year, this is a "revenge tour" for Minnesota — and the Liberty have been counting on Stewart's presence to help stop exactly that.