There was by no means actually any doubt that Breanna Stewart would re-sign with the New York Liberty, however it received late within the offseason earlier than the defending WNBA champions made it official.
Stewart, a two-time MVP and a key piece of the Liberty’s 2024 championship group, entered the offseason a free company however made her desire for staying in New York so clear that she was hardly thought of a free agent.
Now, just some weeks earlier than the beginning of coaching camp, the Liberty have formally re-signed the previous UConn star, on a one-year assured deal at $208,400, per Madeline Kenney of the NY Publish.
The reigning WNBA Champion NY Liberty have re-signed 3x WNBA Champion, 3x Olympic gold medalist, 2x @WNBA MVP, 2x WNBA Finals MVP, 6x All-WNBA First Group, 6x WNBA All-Star, 6x All-Defensive Group choice, W25 honoree, and the quickest 5000-point scorer in league historical past,… pic.twitter.com/wZkZMmgJf7
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) March 29, 2025
Liberty basic supervisor Jonathan Kolb was emphatic about Stewart’s impression in his official assertion.
“Bringing Stewie again to the Liberty was our prime precedence this offseason,” he stated. “Her impression on and off the court docket is immeasurable—she’s not solely among the finest and most completed gamers on the earth, however a pacesetter whose relentless drive is foundational to the usual we proceed to construct upon in New York.”
Stewart signed with the Liberty in 2022 and has averaged 21.8 factors, 8.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 blocks throughout two seasons with the group. In 2023, she led the group to a WNBA Finals look, whereas in 2024, they received over the hump for the primary time in franchise historical past to beat the Minnesota Lynx within the WNBA Finals.
She is a three-time WNBA Champion (two earlier titles got here with the Seattle Storm), three-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time WNBA MVP, two-time WNBA Finals MVP, six-time All-WNBA First Group, six-time WNBA All-Star, and six-time All-Defensive Group choice.
The Liberty will as soon as once more be among the many WNBA’s prime title contenders
Subsequent season, Stewart will headline a core that features sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones, who gained Finals MVP final fall. German ahead Leonie Fiebich, who has a standout rookie season, rounds out the projected beginning lineup, with Nyarra Sabally anticipated to be a key contributor off the bench.
The Liberty added elite two-way guard Natasha Cloud by way of commerce, along with backup large Isabelle Harrison by way of free company.
Subsequent season, the Liberty will likely be with out Kayla Thornton, a veteran ahead who the Golden State Valkyries chosen of their enlargement, in addition to level guard Courtney Vandersloot, who signed with the Chicago Sky in free company.
There needs to be a number of groups within the combine for a championship subsequent season, together with the Liberty, Lynx, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces — even the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury if all the pieces comes collectively. Provided that the defending champions probably solely received higher this offseason — and have now secured certainly one of their core items — the Liberty have pretty much as good of an opportunity to safe a championship as anybody.