The Liberty’s medical staff granted Breanna Stewart’s wish of returning to the court before her 31st birthday.
After missing the past month with a bone bruise in her right knee, Stewart made her highly anticipated return to the floor in Monday’s 81-79 win against the Connecticut Sun at Barclays Center.
Stewart, who turns 31 Wednesday, scored a team-high 19 points, made 13 trips to the free-throw line and corralled five rebounds in nearly 21 minutes of action.
“I felt great,” Stewart said. “I wanted to push it while I was out there and see how I felt and it was great to be back with the team.”
Stewart said she had been practically begging the team’s training staff to allow her to rejoin the team, which struggled in her absence.
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty stands on the court against Minnesota Lynx on August 19, 2025 at Barclays Center Arena in Brooklyn, New York. NBAE via Getty Images
She even stayed on coach Sandy Brondello throughout Monday’s game to try to play more.
Her impact was felt from the moment she stepped on the floor.
“Her being aggressive all the time,” Kennedy Burke said. “I would say her first attack to the basket [Monday night] was, like, ‘I’m glad you’re back, Stewie.’ ”
Stewart had been sidelined since she left the Liberty’s July 26 game against the Los Angeles Sparks with an apparent leg injury.
It’s unclear when exactly the bone bruise occurred as she didn’t appear to bump knees with anyone before exiting.
New York went 5-8 without Stewart and dropped from second to fifth in the WNBA standings.
The defending champions (22-15) entered this week two games behind the second-place Atlanta Dream (24-13.)
Stewart’s absence was especially felt on the defensive end.
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty drives to the basket as Natasha Howard #6 of the Indiana Fever defends during the third quarter. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The Liberty’s defensive rating swelled from 97.2 to 107.0 over the past month without Stewart.
New York had also surrendered a whopping 27 offensive boards and 41 second-chance points in the two games prior to Monday.
Stewart’s return injects the Liberty’s lineup with a fresh body who can bring energy, length and added versatility on both ends of the floor.
“She’s just got this relentlessness about her that can rub off on her teammates,” Brondello said. “She’s got the highest motor I’ve ever seen in a player that just keeps going and going. Now tonight, she’s not going to be happy because I have to take her out all the time, but it’s just nice [to see her] be out there – the vibe she brings to the team, the confidence that she brings to the team. They’re all the intangibles that we’ve missed in this long month.”
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty drives down court during the third quarter against the Fever on July 16. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Stewart diagnosed some of the Liberty’s woes after shootaround, but said she believes they’re all fixable.
“The first thing that we can do is continue to focus and lock in on effort plays — 50-50 balls, loose balls, like, those are things that are controllable,” Stewart said. “Whether the ball goes in the basket or not, you can’t always control but making sure that we’re on a string and we know that we’re ready to fight. We’re in an uphill battle right now and it’s not going to get any easier.”
Sabrina Ionescu, who missed Saturday’s loss in Atlanta with a left foot injury, also returned the lineup, contributing 11 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as well as helping Burke with a game-saving stop in the final seconds.
Injuries have kept Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones from sharing the floor this season.
Monday was only the 13th game they’ve started together and the 10th they finished.
Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty clocks against Brionna Jones #24 of the Atlanta Dream during a regular season matchup at Barclays Center on July 13. Michelle Farsi/New York Post
The Liberty improved to 10-0 when their big three play together.
Ionescu said the team hadn’t realized how little its star trio had done so.
“Someone was talking about it, and it was like, ‘Wait, that’s crazy,’” Ionescu said. “It’s just been tough for this group and I think it’s kind of one of those opportunities where we know when we’re at full strength, we’re a really tough team to beat.”
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The Liberty have only six remaining regular-season games, with Thursday’s game against the Mystics next. Four of those contests will be on the road.
This stretch will allow the Liberty a final tuneup before the real title defense begins when the playoffs start Sept. 14.