Breanna Stewart says she is "detaching from judgment" and knows she's the best as the Liberty prepare to face Atlanta in the WNBA semifinals.
Breanna Stewart said Friday at Liberty practice that she is detaching from judgment, two days before New York opens the WNBA semifinals in Atlanta. NBC Sports' Owen Pence asked whether she ever feels overlooked despite her accomplishments.
"Honestly, I know that I'm the best," Stewart said. "I feel that every time I step on the court. Nobody can do what I do. I'm detaching from judgment."
Stewart Adds Another Historic International Achievement
On Sept. 13 in Berlin, Stewart scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting as Team USA defeated France 97-79 for its fifth straight FIBA Women's World Cup title. Named tournament MVP, she became the only player to win the award twice; her first came in 2018.
The gold was Stewart's fourth at the World Cup. Sue Bird is the only other American to win four, CBS Sports reported. The U.S. roster in Berlin included nine World Cup debutants, and A'ja Wilson did not play.
Stewart won the Unrivaled championship and Finals MVP in March, then the EuroLeague with Fenerbahçe in April. On June 30, the Liberty beat Las Vegas 93-85 to win the Commissioner's Cup.
Wilson won league MVP in 2022, 2024, and 2025, bringing her total to four. Stewart won in 2018 with Seattle and in 2023, her first season in New York. The 2026 winner hasn't been announced.
Through 42 games, Stewart averaged 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, shooting 47.4% and adding 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Last season, she averaged 18.3 points.
Stewart Has Elevated Her Game in the Playoffs
New York finished 26-18 as the No. 8 seed. Stewart missed the Sept. 23 finale with left knee soreness.
Four days later in Minneapolis, she had 34 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in a 91-75 Game 1 win over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx. She played all 40 minutes of Game 2 at Barclays Center on Sept. 29 and scored 21, going 9-of-9 at the line in an 87-71 win.
New York became the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the league's 30-year history, The Associated Press reported.
Liberty coach Chris DeMarco said New York managed Stewart's minutes for most of the season, with a few rest games built in for the playoffs.
Geno Auriemma Backs Stewart in Big Moments
Geno Auriemma coached Stewart to four straight NCAA championships at UConn. At Big East Media Day in New York on Thursday, he said he did not think the Liberty belonged as the No. 8 seed, the New York Post reported.
"Don't bet on anybody else other than her," Auriemma said. "It's been like that since she was 15 years old, when I first saw her play."
Stewart went 23-0 in NCAA Tournament games at UConn. The Seattle Storm drafted her first overall in 2016, and she won WNBA championships with Seattle in 2018 and 2020 and with New York in 2024. She was Finals MVP in both of her Seattle title runs.
All that success prepared her for what she is doing now, in Auriemma's view.
"When you do look at her career, you look back, and you realize there's a regular-season Breanna Stewart and then there's a postseason Breanna Stewart," Auriemma explained. "And Breanna Stewart probably plays in the playoffs as good as anybody I've ever seen, except maybe [Diana Taurasi] in terms of winning when you have to win, winning in knockout games."
Stewart is averaging 27.5 points through two playoff games.
Game 1 of the best-of-five semifinal against the Atlanta Dream is Sunday at 2 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena. Atlanta went 30-14 and swept the Washington Mystics in the first round. Atlanta's Angel Reese was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year this week.
