Liberty's Breanna Stewart Lands Familiar Honor
In a year where the unexpected frequently befell the New York Liberty — and an offseason that promises more of the same for the Brooklynites and their 14 sisters on the league ledgers — the latest honor for Breanna Stewart brought about a sense of normalcy.
Stewart was one of 10 women named to the WNBA's All-Defensive Teams this week, earning a second team invite alongside former Seattle Storm teammate Ezi Magbegor as well as Aliyah Boston (Indiana), Veronica Burton (Golden State), and Rhyne Howard (Atlanta).
Stewart earns her seventh invite to the All-Defensive Team, as well as her sixth in a row. She becomes the first New Yorker to land three invites to the All-Defensive Team, as Tina Charles was the only other to get the nod twice.
Among players that averaged at least 25 minutes a game, Stewart ranked seventh in defensive rating (96.8), fifth in blocks (1.4), and fourth in defensive win shares (0.172). Stewart's impact was perhaps most noticeable in absentia.
Prior to Stewart enduring a bone bruise on her knee in a July 26 loss to Los Angeles, the Liberty stood in third place in defensive rating at 98.1. The team plummeted to ninth in the same category (107.0) during his near month-long absence, partly contributing to its fall to fifth on the WNBA playoff bracket.
Stewart will now look to play defense for the assembly of players as a whole, as tense labor negotiations await upon the expiration of the league's collective bargaining agreement at the end of this month.
Stewart has been one of many players to back Minnesota Lynx star, 2024 Finals foe, and Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier after the latter unleashed a no-holds-barred critique of current WNBA leadership led by commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Once the labor disputes are settled, Stewart should be ready to don seafoam for a fourth tour, affirming her commitment to the Liberty shortly after the team's championship defense ended with a first-round heartbreaker against the Phoenix Mercury.
Alanna Smith (Minnesota) and newly re-crowned MVP A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas) headlined the first team tally after sharing the league's Defensive Player of the Year title earlier this awards season. They were joined by Smith's teammate Collier as well as Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix) and Gabby Williams (Seattle).
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.