Prepping for Unrivaled’s second season, Breanna Stewart took time to comment on the affairs of her New York Liberty.
Breanna Stewart perhaps officially became a New Yorker when she announced that Unrivaled, the league she co-founded with former WNBA Finals foe and fellow UConn alumna Napheesa Collier, would fly south to Florida.
The Empire State native and New York Liberty star is once again basking in the Sunshine State, where she spoke to reporters virtually as she prepares to embark on second two of Unrivaled in Miami. Much has transpired back home since seafoam sneakers last touched Barclays Center’s hardwood, which just hosted Stewart’s third metropolitan season.
Coach Speak
Many New Yorkers, including Stewart, are set to join the WNBA’s free agency fracas once the tension around the collective bargaining agreement subsides. Stewart’s comments, however, carry sterling seafoam value considering not only her obvious spot in the league hierarchy, but the fact she offered a verbal commitment to New York shortly after its shocking elimination at the hands of the Phoenix Mercury in the opening round of this fall’s playoffs.
In those same, post-elimination statements, Stewart offered a firm vote of confidence in then-head coach Sandy Brondello, who was removed from office shortly thereafter. A lengthy coaching search eventually labeled Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco the successor to Brondello, who will serve as the original boss of the Toronto Tempo.
Further cementing herself in metropolitan unity, Stewart echoed sentiments from the seafoam fateful through gratitude for her role in the Brondello era while pushing forth hope for what DeMarco can offer.
“As far as Sandy, really loved and appreciated playing with her, like, I’m happy I got to do that,” Stewart said. “While it’s sad that we’re no longer [collaborating], we had some great years together and winning a championship is going to be the cherry on top of that and I’m excited to see what she does in Toronto.”
“Having Chris come from the Warriors, coming to the Liberty, I’m excited,” Stewart continued. “I’m excited to see what he brings with his basketball IQ, like, knowing that the NBA is kind of [different]. They just do different things than the W and bring in that analytical side to what we do. But I’ve only talked to him on the phone, so I haven’t met him in person yet, and hopefully I’ll meet him soon.”
Stewart may get her chance sooner rather than later: while introducing DeMarco at a Brooklyn regaling earlier this month, New York general manager Jonathan Kolb stated that he and Liberty management would embark on a “world tour” that would include a stop at the Unrivaled activities in South Beach.
With CBA issues persisting, Stewart’s name will appear on a new league-wide labor contract before it hits Liberty stationary. But Kolb has previously expressed the “utmost confidence” that his headlining triumvirate of Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones would be back for 2026, if and when the season gets underway.
Sadness, Gratitude For Sabrina
Stewart was also able to comment on a scary incident in the Liberty community, which saw the California home of Ionescu and her husband, fellow Oregon alum and All-American offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu, targeted by masked burglars.
Expressing gratitude for her friends’ safety (neither Ionescu or Grasu, fortunately, was home at the time of the robbery), Stewart was also remorseful that the dark side of women’s basketball’s rise in the mainstream struck her friend.
“I texted her right away. Obviously, knowing that they’re safe, first and foremost, is the most important thing,” Stewart said of the immediate aftermath. “But you see it happening: with the explosion and the boom of women’s basketball, we’re no different from any other professional athlete. It just makes us all kind of take a step back in and make sure that we’re taking the right precautions in everything that we do.”
“But it’s scary to have the idea of your house being robbed, people knowing where you live,” Stewart continued. “That’s the biggest thing, it’s that the sense of privacy that you feel is lost. I’m here for Sab and Hroniss and anything that they need so that they’ll be okay. But it’s definitely a message to all female professional athletes, especially to pay attention to what’s happening around [the sport].”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
