As the reigning champions, the New York Liberty have a big 2025 season ahead of them. With most of their key players still in town—Courtney Vanderlsoot signed with the Chicago Sky in free agency and Kayla Thornton was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the expansion draft—the Liberty are projected to be one of the best teams in the league once again.
Winning two consecutive championships is not easy, though, especially with teams like the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, and Indiana Fever trying to dethrone the Liberty.
So, the Liberty will have to be at their best for the entire regular season as well as the playoffs. Their stars will have to be available and play at an incredibly high level. Thus, Liberty fans should be concerned about the latest Breanna Stewart news.
Breanna Stewart underwent knee surgery
Breanna Stewart spent the WNBA offseason playing in Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 league she founded together with Napheesa Collier. While Stewart’s team missed the playoffs, she ranked sixth in scoring across the league, averaging 16.8 points, 11 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
Stewart played in all fourteen of the Mist’s regular season games and also competed in the 1-on-1 Tournament, losing to Aaliyah Edwards in the first round. Stewart gave it her all during Unrivaled’s inaugural season but had to undergo a “minor scope on her right meniscus Thursday,” as Alexa Philippou reported.
Philippou also reported that Stewart is expected to be ready for the Liberty’s training camp in late April.
While those reports are positive, Liberty fans should still be worried. Even if it is classified as minor surgery, knee injuries are rarely small issues and can bother players for quite some time. Stewart may be back in time for training camp, but she may not be able to play at the highest level to start the season.
Stewart’s health could decide the outcome of the Liberty’s season and make the difference between a second championship and a playoff defeat. Last season, Stewart was the Liberty’s leading scorer during the regular season and the only player who averaged at least twenty points per game.
She also led the team in scoring during the playoffs, averaging 19.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. Stewart struggled in Game 5 of the Finals, converting only four of her fifteen field goal attempts, but she was still a huge part of the Liberty’s success.
If Stewart is not ready to play at her best, the Liberty will need a lot of production from Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquil Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and the supporting cast, especially Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally. Laney-Hamilton also did not finish the Unrivaled season due to an injury, though.