When Breanna Stewart announced she was going to be moving to New York after playing her entire career with the Seattle Storm, she was taking a chance on herself.
That decision paid off when she was named the 2023 WNBA MVP Tuesday, the second time she's won the award and the first time a member of the New York Liberty has won the honour.
The move across the country didn't come without risk — with the Storm, she won the MVP in 2018, two titles and Finals MVP awards in both 2018 and 2020 and two Comissioner's Cups.
But the Liberty had not been title contenders for a few years, missing the playoffs five times between 2013-2020. Getting the No. 1 draft pick in 2020 to nab Sabrina Ionescu signalled a new chapter in the Liberty's story — until Ionescu suffered a Grade 3 left ankle sprain that ended her rookie season early.
With a healthy Ionescu, the growth of Betnijah Laney, and a true superstar in Stewart, the future looked bright for New York. And that's before Jonquel Jones — the 2021 MVP — and WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot joined the squad.
It wasn't smooth sailing to begin — the team struggled to find their chemistry early in the year. But they started to find their rhythm and peaked by going on an eight-game winning streak in the second half before losing a close one to the Washington Mystics in their final game of the regular season.
Now, after sweeping the Mystics in the first round, the Liberty are in the WNBA semifinals for the first time since 2015.
With her daughter, Ruby, by her side to accept the award, Stewart looked as comfortable at the podium as she does on the court. Her career-high average of 23 points per game along with her 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game were a reflection of how she fit into New York's system.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Stewart reflected on how much her life has changed in the five years since she last won the MVP award.
"I was thinking about it a little bit, and the last time I won this award to now, getting married, having a baby, expecting another one on the way, tearing my Achilles... but I wouldn't want it any other way," said Stewart.
"The ability to do many things and balance it all, obviously to be up here with my family is amazing, with parenting you're thrown a lot of curveballs and you never know what to expect, I'm excited to use basketball as my outlet to do what I do."
Stewart credited her easy transition into a leader in New York to playing with four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird in Seattle.
"I approach the leadership role a little bit different than college by embracing it, and understanding what it takes to get to this point, learning from somebody like Sue Bird," said Stewart.
She also gave her kudos to runners-up Alyssa Thomas and A'ja Wilson. Just 13 points separated the three players in the vote, a testament to the growth of the league.
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello has seen first-hand the intelligence, skill and focus Stewart brings to her craft, attributes that remain in place as the Liberty trail the Connecticut Sun in their semifinal series.
"It's a tough one. We're all emotional and very proud of Stewie being named MVP today. It was so close, but to be the first Liberty player to win MVP… she walked out, and she said her focus is on the game," said Brondello as the Liberty prepared to face the Sun in Game 2 Tuesday.
The last time Stewart won the MVP award, the Storm went on to win the WNBA title and Stewart was crowned Finals MVP. This time around, she's hoping history repeats itself.
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