Breanna Stewart is loving everything about this ‘big’ Liberty team

Breanna Stewart spent her offseason collecting wins like infinity stones.

First, she led the Mist’s run to this year’s Unrivaled championship in February. She followed that champagne-soaked celebration with another in Spain this month when she helped Fenerbahce Opet capture the EuroLeague Women’s title.

In between championships, she played a pivotal role in the eight-day marathon bargaining sessions that led to a historic collective bargaining agreement.

Stewart joined the Liberty on Thursday feeling fresh and healthier than a year ago, in pursuit of what she called women’s basketball’s “Triple Crown.”

For Stewart, there was never a doubt she’d be back in Brooklyn this summer. She didn’t even entertain meetings with other teams. It didn’t take any convincing of Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones, either, to keep New York’s Big 3 together.

“Brooklyn is home. New York is home,” Stewart said. “We know last year didn’t go the way we wanted, and we want that to be different for this year and the next, and hopefully many more after that.”

Adding Satou Sabally, the “Unicorn,” in free agency only helps the Liberty’s case to be a real threat in October.

Stewart appeared thoroughly impressed with the roster general manager Jonathan Kolb constructed in a condensed offseason.

The Liberty also added Rebecca Allen in free agency and re-signed 2024 WNBA champions Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Marine Johannès.

Liberty star Breanna Stewart said she never thought about playing on another WNBA team this past offseason, saying “Brooklyn is home. New York is home.” Michelle Farsi for New York Post

The depth doesn’t stop there. Leonie Fiebich is under contract, and New York added highly sought-after French guard Pauline Astier, 6-foot-11 center Han Xu and Spanish forward/center Raquel Carrera.

“It seems like we just have a lot of length,” Stewart said. “Anywhere you look. We’re long and we’re tall, and we’re gonna kind of use that to our advantage. I’m sure some people are gonna think that, ‘Oh, we’ll be too big.’ But [it] seems hard to stop.”

It all bodes well for what Stewart wants to do, and that’s win.

Stewart spent the previous offseason managing an injury before finally going under the knife in March. It took time for her to ramp up for the season. But Stewart said she feels as strong and healthy as she was ahead of the 2024 season.

Breanna Stewart shoots over Lexie Hull during the Liberty’s win over the Hull on July 16, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

“The one where we won,” she noted.

On her first day of camp, Stewart didn’t really miss a beat, first-year head coach Chris DeMarco said.

“She’s in great shape already,” DeMarco said. “She’s a very high-IQ player, one of the best in the W, so she naturally does a lot of stuff we’re trying to do. … It was fast, she picked up on it really quickly.”

It helps that Stewart had been in contact with DeMarco and his staff throughout the offseason. She appreciated that DeMarco allowed her the space to focus on her other commitments while also learning more about his vision for the Liberty this season.

She’s only been at camp for a day, but she’s already impressed with what she’s seen.

“So far, it looks like the team has really gelled and gotten the hang of it quickly,” Stewart said. “I was able to be in for most of practice today, which I was happy about, and then ramp up for Saturday.”

Stewart plans to play in Saturday’s preseason game against the Indiana Fever at Barclays Center. DeMarco said he’ll consult with the team’s performance staff to determine whether she’ll have a minutes restriction.