Liberty's Breanna Stewart quietly delivers big injury update

Jeremy Beren

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Liberty's Breanna Stewart quietly delivers big injury update image

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The New York Liberty has been ailing ever since Breanna Stewart suffered a bone bruise in her right knee on July 26. That night, the Liberty lost to the Los Angeles Sparks on a last-second Rickea Jackson buzzer-beater, and New York presently is mired in a stretch of seven losses from 11 games without two-time MVP Stewart.

Granted, a scheduling quirk has seen the Liberty face the WNBA-best Minnesota Lynx three times since July 30, all without Stewart. But New York (21-13) has slipped to third in the league standings, with the red-hot Atlanta Dream overtaking the defending champs over the course of last week.

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Stewart, who turns 31 on Aug. 27, previously stated that her birthday was a "non-negotiable" deadline for her to return to the court. On Monday, the three-time WNBA champion took a big step to that effect; she was a full participant in Liberty practice as New York gets ready to face Minnesota for the fourth and final time in the regular season.

Head coach Sandy Brondello said the Liberty plans to "keep building (Stewart) up" in the next few days, and that games on Aug. 25 (against the Connecticut Sun) and Aug. 28 (against the Washington Mystics) are targets for Stewart's long-awaited return.

"She looked good," Brondello said. "We didn't really go live, so we'll keep building her up these next few days. She feels good, she looks good."

Despite missing 10 games this season, Stewart ranks ninth in scoring at 18.3 points per game. As New York seeks consistency entering the postseason, Stewart's return will be key as the Liberty seeks to defend its crown.

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Jeremy Beren

Jeremy Beren is a freelance WNBA writer with The Sporting News. A Phoenix native, he is a graduate of Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and he has a decade’s worth of sports journalism experience. Jeremy's work has appeared in publications such as Marca, SB Nation, Athlon Sports and Vice Sports. He currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.