Liberty Trio Valued By NBA2K26
The New York Liberty hit a different kind of three in the latest edition of the NBA 2K franchise.
New York's virtual doppelgängers occupy three of the top 10 spots in "NBA 2K26"'s ranking of its WNBA players. Breanna Stewart, boasting an overall mark of 97, is tied for second, while Sabrina Ionescu (93) and Jonquel Jones (92) place at sixth and ninth respectively.
The metropolitan triumvirate of Stewart, Ionescu, and Jones is commonly accepted as the "big three" in New York. Ionescu's arrivals as the top pick in the 2020 draft out of Oregon began to flip the Liberty's franchise fortunes, a process that enjoyed a major boost with Jones and Stewart's respective arrivals during the 2023 offseason.
At the top of their game 💪
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) August 15, 2025
The highest-rated WNBA hoopers in #NBA2K26 pic.twitter.com/ExQynWVyFP
To date, things have culminated in back-to-back appearances in the WNBA Finals, the latter producing the Liberty's first postseason championship over the Minnesota Lynx last fall. The Liberty is currently engaged in its first championship defense, one that has them in third place while dealing with numerous injuries, including a knee ailment for Stewart, on the current WNBA leaderboard.
WNBA players have been included on every edition of "NBA 2K" since the version released in 2019. The basketball simulator recently announced that "NBA 2K26" will allow players to mix men's and women's players on the floor for the first time in "MyTEAM" mode.
"By integrating the WNBA into one of our most popular modes, we’re not only giving players the opportunity to customize their all-time dream rosters but shining a spotlight on some of the game’s most iconic hoopers," vice president of NBA development at developer Visual Concepts said in a statement. "We’re looking forward to giving our players a new and deeper way to engage with the WNBA."
Lynx star and Stewart's business partner/fellow University of Connecticut alum leads the list at 98 overall while Stewart is tied with Las Vegas Aces franchise face Aja Wilson for No. 2. Caitlin Clark and Alyssa Thomas, respectively repping the Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury, round out the top five. Like Stewart, Collier is hurt and will miss the latest WNBA Finals rematch between the Liberty and Lynx on Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis (2 p.m. ET, CBS).
"NBA 2K26" will be released on Sept. 5 for all major platforms, with early access for preorders starting a week before. Chicago Sky star Angel Reese, who places 10th in the player ratings, will grace the WNBA cover.
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.