Since being drafted to the Seattle Storm in 2016, Breanna Stewart has built a Hall of Fame worthy resume complete with two MVP awards, seven All-Star appearances, six All-WNBA 1st Team appearances, and three WNBA championships. She is undoubtedly one of the most skilled players women's basketball has ever seen, and her success at UConn, as well as in Seattle and New York, show just how conducive her play style is to winning.
To start the 2026 season, Stewart is averaging 19.9 points, 9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game, and the New York Liberty are 10-4 (good for first in the Eastern Conference). During Sunday's game against the Washington Mystics, Stewart dominated, recording 14 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 7 blocks in 30 minutes. This performance, paired with 20 points from Jonquel Jones, clinched the Liberty's spot in the Commissioner's Cup Final, and propelled the team to its 7th straight win.
In any other league, a player of Stewart's caliber would be featured in every MVP conversation–in her case, though, she's been dealt the unlucky hand of playing at the same time as four-time MVP A'ja Wilson, who casts a wide shadow over the league's bigs.
MVP discourse is more of a courtesy than anything else
At this point in the season, and really for the past three years, A'ja Wilson has been the clear MVP frontrunner. The WNBA has simply never seen dominance like hers, and it's unfair to any other player in the league to compare them to Wilson head-to-head. The 29-year-old is currently averaging 26.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals on 52.4% from the floor and 54.8% from beyond the arc, and she has led the Aces to a league-leading 10-3 record.
For the sake of debate and fun, however, fans and media keep the MVP race discussions alive. This season, rookie phenom Olivia Miles–who has stunned the league so far by averaging 18.6 points, 5.9 assists, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 steals on 53.5% shooting–has solidified herself as a candidate, especially as the Minnesota Lynx continue to exceed expectations without Napheesa Collier on the floor. Los Angeles Sparks' Kelsey Plum, who is currently leading the league with 26.6 points per game, is also making a case for herself.
The one name that's notably absent from these conversations? Breanna Stewart. Despite being the best player on the best team in the East, Stewie rarely gets these looks. Perhaps the league's fans know that A'ja sits atop a mountain so insurmountable that it would be useless to pretend like another big could ever take her spot, or maybe we've grown too used to Stewart being Stewart that we forget just how impressive she is.
What is value?
Stewart's performance against the Mystics was a textbook display of what value means to a team as stacked as the Liberty. She did not carry the team to the finish line alone by any means: the rest of the Liberty's championship-caliber roster chipped in, leaving the young Mystics squad no chance to get into any kind of flow. What Stewart did do, however, is provide the spark plug that took the game from what could have been a back-and-forth battle to what ended up being a ruthless blowout.
In a league that is so dominated by frontcourt players, Stewart's ability to bring the ball up, run offenses as the primary ballhandler, defend 1-5, and score with ease is invaluable. Blocking seven shots against a team that has players like Shakira Austin, one of the best young centers in the game, is a great accomplishment, and it didn't even seem as though Stewart has trying to hard to achieve it.
This kind of play is a huge part of why the Liberty were able to take the championship home in 2024, and why they are widely regarded as the only team that has a chance to dethrone the Aces if they were to meet in the finals.
Wilson is the clear MVP, yes, but it's a disservice to Stewie and to the rest of the league's bigs to ignore how historic she is night in and night out. Next time you're making a case for anyone else but Wilson to win the award, make sure Stewart is in that conversation.
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