Breanna Stewart Leads Liberty into WNBA Playoffs After FIBA World Cup MVP Performance

Breanna Stewart is bringing her FIBA World Cup MVP momentum back to the New York Liberty as the team enters a critical four-game stretch to conclude the WNBA regular season. Stewart, who was named MVP of the FIBA World Cup after leading the U.S. to its fifth consecutive title, expressed her unwavering confidence in her abilities.

"I know what I do on the court, and everybody else knows what I do on the court," Stewart said Thursday. "Sometimes people, they just get used to greatness when it’s so consistent, I guess."

Stewart's primary focus during the 10 days in Berlin was securing the World Cup victory, which included a gold medal game win against France. "There was enough talk about all the things, about it [being] France’s time and whatever," Stewart said. "I wanted to do whatever I could to win that game. And if that made me MVP, then that made me MVP. But really, just happy to be bringing back the gold."

With the international tournament concluded, Stewart's attention has returned to the Liberty. The team has already clinched a playoff berth, but their postseason seeding remains undecided with four regular-season games remaining. The Liberty will face the league-leading Minnesota Lynx immediately after the break, followed by two games against the Atlanta Dream to close out the season.

Stewart, who averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game during the World Cup, sees parallels between the international competition and the Liberty's demanding final schedule. "The mindset and mentality of doing whatever it takes," she said, referring to the approach needed. "You have to give 1,000 percent, and that’s the same here. It’s like, don’t save it, because we have a deep enough team. We have people that can come in and do things just as well."

The Liberty currently sit two games behind the Dream and seven games back of the Lynx. Depending on the outcomes of their final games, the Liberty could finish anywhere from third to eighth in the playoff standings.

"We know that we have a great team here, but we had some up and downs during the season, and just, like, finishing strong," said teammate Marine Johannes.

Head coach Chris DeMarco anticipates a full roster for Friday's game against Minnesota, though he cautioned that availability could change. The team had all players present for practice in Brooklyn, with forward Satou Sabally being the only player unavailable due to injury. "It’s nice to have the whole team together again, that’s for sure," DeMarco stated.