Breanna Stewart calls 2026 a missed opportunity and vows to spill her roster thoughts with GM

As Breanna Stewart walked off the Barclays Center court for the final time this season, she looked out into the crowd and was overcome with emotion. “Just frustration,” Stewart said after experiencing her first 3-0 sweep in her career, “because I believe that, no matter what cards are dealt, you can always, like, I can always make something happen.And coming up short with the team really sucks.”  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Madeline Kenney about all things Liberty and WNBA.

Stewart wasn’t just frustrated that the Liberty fell short of their championship expectations.She’s frustrated because she knows how difficult it is to get there, how much has to go right and how rare it is to have a legitimate opportunity to make something special happen. This season, she believes the Liberty came close.

But that doesn’t make accepting the season’s outcome — the wrong end of a semifinals sweep — any easier. “What I’m thinking about right now is just missed opportunity,” Stewart said.“We went to the Finals two years in a row and haven’t gone since, but it’s really hard to get to the Finals.

It’s really hard to win a WNBA championship, and I feel like because we did it, we went there twice early on, it was almost like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be an every year thing.’ You guys know, this s–t isn’t easy.” Stewart finished third in MVP voting this season after averaging 20.8 points and 8.3 rebounds.She carried the Liberty throughout a turbulent season, missing only two of 44 games.

She put the team on her back countless times.With a new coaching staff, she took on an even more vocal leadership role. Stewart, who earned her eighth All-Star selection, performed at a peak level all season.

But another season of Stewart’s prime has ended without the Liberty accomplishing what she came to New York to do.She wanted to win championships and build a dynasty. After back-to-ba...