Breanna Stewart met coach Chris DeMarco in the Liberty family room Tuesday morning under the guise that she had to speak with the game broadcast crew for the Commissioner’s Cup championship game later that night.
But the broadcast talent never showed up. Then, DeMarco’s phone rang.
Stewart had no idea what was coming next.
Commissioner Cathy Engelbert was on the other line and spilled the news that Stewart would be an All-Star starter in Chicago later this month.
Stewart has received this news seven times prior, but the revelation is no less significant.
“It’s an honor to be an All-Star,” Stewart said Thursday moments after the list of the 10 starters was revealed. “Even though I’ve had a few of them, each one is really special and not taking it lightly.”
In Year 10 of her career, Stewart remains among the league’s elite.
Hours after getting the call from Engelbert, she powered the Liberty to a Commissioner’s Cup win that made New York the first team to win multiple in-season tournaments.
Stewart was named Cup MVP after a 25-point, 11-rebound performance. She was so disruptive on both ends of the floor that rival coach Becky Hammon had no choice but to tip her cap.
“I’m always going to stump for A’ja [Wilson] but Stewie, I could be effusive about that woman, in the sense of how good I think she is,” Hammon said. “She’s just a winner. I think she’s about the right things all the time, even when she’s not scoring. She makes winning moves, winning basketball plays all the time.”
Stewart is that all-around player who’s won everywhere she’s gone. She quarterbacks the Liberty’s defense, while anchoring the offense. New York goes wherever its trusty leader takes it.
Stewart is averaging 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season. She’s sixth in the league in blocks with 25 and tied for 12th in steals with 26.
She’s a two-time league MVP, three-time WNBA champion and seven-time All-WNBA selection.
“She’s just a winner,” DeMarco said of Stewart. “You have to do it every year. You don’t just get to be an All-Star because you were in the past. And she’s been phenomenal. And really, really happy for her. And her teammates are really happy for her. She’s been incredible this season.”
And yet, Stewart is still somehow underrated by some.
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Stewart is a top two player in the league — unless you’re asking ESPN, which ranked her Thursday as the fifth-best player in the WNBA.
Stewart paused before saying she wasn’t surprised to learn where ESPN ranked her.
“I don’t know, I’ve got nothing for that,” Stewart said. “Yeah, I think my game, based on ESPN, my game is definitely underrated.”
Leonie Fiebich also disagreed with Stewart’s ranking.
“For me, Stewie is like an amazing player, top players in the world,” Fiebich said. “And I’m just really appreciative of getting to play with her.”
Stewart is the only Liberty player who got the call from Engelbert this week. Jonquel Jones (15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game) made a convincing argument to be an All-Star starter, but didn’t garner enough votes. The same goes for Sabrina Ionescu, who missed most of the first five-plus weeks of the season because of injuries.
The 12 reserves — voted on by coaches — will be announced Tuesday.
