This is tough.
New York Liberty Suffer Massive Breanna Stewart Blow on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Liberty are in action on Wednesday night against the league-best Minnesota Lynx in a battle between two of the top teams in the league.
Unfortunately for the Liberty, they entered the highly anticipated matchup shorthanded. Two-time WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart was forced to sit out a second straight game due to a knee injury.
Stewart suffered the injury on Saturday in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks. She was unable to return to the contest and also had to sit out on Monday against the Dallas Wings.
Breanna Stewart Diagnosed With Bone Bruise
New York head coach Sandy Brondello spoke to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game and provided an update on the status of their star forward.
According to Brondello, Stewart has been diagnosed with a bone bruise in her right knee. The team was not able to provide a timetable for the seven-time All-Star’s return to the court, which suggests that the Liberty could be without Stewart for an extended period.
Liberty Suffer Big Blow
In 24 games played prior to the injury, Stewart had been averaging 18.3 points on 46.9% shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks in 31.5 minutes per game. There’s no denying that she is one of the, if not the most, important pieces for the Liberty and their quest to defend their title this season.
Losing Stewart is a massive blow for the Liberty at this point in the season as they continue to chase the Lynx for the No. 1 spot in the WNBA. Heading into Wednesday’s matchup, Minnesota holds a four-game advantage over the Liberty.
New York has lost back-to-back games amid Stewart’s injury — she played just three minutes against the Sparks before leaving the game. Another defeat on Wednesday will further widen the gap between them and the Lynx, who are considered to be one of the biggest threats to the Liberty’s title defense this season.
Related: Liberty Coach Has More Unfortunate News About Breanna Stewart's Injury
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
