The WNBA is home to a lot of talented players — some might say there's more talent in the league now than there's ever been. And while plenty of the league's newcomers get a lot of justified attention, there are plenty of veterans who are still producing, still playing at the top of their game, and still pushing their team to be great.
Breanna Stewart is one of those players, something that's backed up by a feature published by The Athletic today. Stewart graduated from UConn, where she played for Geno Auriemma. She was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick in 2016, several years before the WNBA began to experience the enormous uptick in viewership the league enjoys now.
But that doesn't mean she wasn't, and isn't, good. The Athletic credited Stewart with dragging a limping and beleaguered New York Liberty over the finish line to make it into the playoffs this season, and she's been responsible for a lot of their success there. The Liberty weren't expected to knock the No. 1 seeded Minnesota Lynx out of contention in the first round, but they did so swiftly and mercilessly.
This is Stewart's 10th season of basketball, and she's accomplished a lot in that time. It's completely reasonable to hope and believe she'll have 10 more. She's co-founded a 3x3 league (Unrivaled) alongside Napheesa Collier, she's won championships and been named to the All-Star Game. She's got gold medals (plural). She plays a tough and gritty game of basketball, and she always comes through for her team when they need her to.
Players like Stewart can be easy to overlook these days, when there are so many newcomers on the floor and they're doing such extraordinary things. But overlooking Stewart is something done at your own peril; she'll remind you, over and over again, that she's there. Stewart may not be the player she once was, but, in some ways, she is still becoming the player she ultimately will be.
When it's all said and done, Stewart will be known for a lot on the court, and she deserves to be. Her leadership and consistency are two traits that are often cited as being crucial for her teammates. In the coming years, the WNBA will continue to be infused with new talent, and fans will continue to be enthralled by everything they bring to the table. That is a good thing — but, hopefully, there's still room to appreciate the greats.
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