New York Liberty All-Star Breanna Stewart is undergoing an MRI on the knee injury that she sustained in Sunday’s Game 1 playoff win over the Phoenix Mercury, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports.
The injury is not to the same knee that caused Stewart to miss a significant portion of the regular season. No further details about the injury were clear from the report.
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It’s not clear how much time, if any that Stewart will be further sidelined. New York and Phoenix play Game 2 of their best-of-3 seres on Wednesday.
Stewart left Sunday’s Game 1 late in the fourth quarter with her knee injury and did not return. Head coach Sandy Brondello said after the game that she didn’t have an update on Stewart’s condition. The game went to overtime, and New York secured a 76-69 win to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
FILE – New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart holds the ball during a WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm, June 22, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, file)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The series will shift in Game 2 to New York, where the reigning champion Liberty will look to close out the series to advance to the second round. Whether or not they’ll have their two-time MVP and seven-time All-Star forward available is unclear.
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Stewart’s injury is the latest in a Liberty season that’s been plagued by injuries to high-profile players. Stewart suffered a bone bruise in her right knee midseason and missed 13 of New York’s 44 games. Former league MVP Jonquel Jones also missed 13 regular-season games.
The Liberty are undefeated this season in games in which Stewart, Jones and Sabrina Ionescu have all been healthy and available to play together for an entire game. But that’s only happened 13 times this season. Amid the injuries, the Liberty dropped to the No. 5 seed in the playoffs and opened Sunday’s first-round series on the road.
The Liberty have a 1-0 lead in the series. But they’ll feel much better about their chances to close it out and advance if Stewart is able to play.