Breanna Stewart Identifies ‘Happy’ Part of Liberty Losing Streak
Many women's basketball fans felt like the New York Liberty were poised to be one of the WNBA's best teams heading into the 2026 season.
After all, they were bringing back all three of their superstars (Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones), had key role and bench players like Leonie Fiebich, Marine Johannès, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton (who missed last season with a knee injury) returning, and added another one of the league's most talented players in Satou Sabally.
Therefore, there's little question that the Liberty have one of the most talented rosters on paper. But talent on paper doesn't win basketball games, which New York is learning the hard way to start this 2026 regular season.
The Liberty are currently 3-4 on the season and are riding a three-game losing streak. They've also lost four of their past five games, two of which came against a Portland Fire team that doesn't come close to the talent New York has.
Breanna Stewart Finds Silver Lining Amid Liberty Losing Streak
Breanna Stewart spoke with the media after Monday night's loss. When she was asked whether this is what she expected to this point, when saying earlier in the year that it would take time for the Liberty to find their groove, she said, "No. Definitely not. But it's a learning experience for everyone. I think that my message to the players in the locker room is like, nobody expected this," Per an X post from SNY.
"Not to say that we thought it was gonna be easy, because we definitely didn't. But it's gonna take time, and there's gonna be highs and lows. And while it seems like we're in the lows right now, eventually we'll get to a place where everybody is really confident and comfortable in what's going on," she added.
"Listen: I'm happy it's happening early, and not late. And I know we did a lot of wrong things tonight, but I thought our fight and effort was definitely better than it was last night, for sure," Stewart concluded.
Breanna Stewart on the Liberty's struggles early on this season:
— SNY Liberty (@SNYLiberty) May 26, 2026
"It's a learning experience for everyone. My message to the players in the locker room is nobody expected this. I'm happy it's happening early and not late" pic.twitter.com/VFaSNWnnrK
Props to Stewart for trying to find the silver lining about the Liberty's woes coming early in the season as opposed to later. Especially because she experienced the opposite last year, when New York started the year 9-0 before collapsing down the stretch and missing the playoffs.
While this isn't the start New York wanted, they'll be getting Fiebich, Laney-Hamilton, and a fully healthy Ionescu back in the near future, which should help build chemistry and cohesion on the court.
Plus, the team's talent isn't going anywhere. The Liberty should get back to their winning ways soon.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.
Follow GrvntYoung