Breanna Stewart returned to the New York Liberty after another major international achievement. The star forward helped Team USA win its fifth straight FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title in Berlin and earned the tournament MVP award.

Now, her attention has shifted back to the Liberty and the final stretch of the WNBA regular season.

Stewart’s confidence remains clear, even though she has not been at the center of the WNBA MVP discussion. Before a Liberty practice at Barclays Center, she was asked whether winning the World Cup MVP carried extra meaning because of that.

“I know what I do on the court, and everybody else knows what I do on the court,” Stewart said. “Sometimes people, they just get used to greatness when it’s so consistent, I guess.”

Stewart’s World Cup Run

Stewart spent 10 days with Team USA in Berlin and played a major role in another championship run. The Americans defeated France 97-79 in the gold medal game, with Stewart producing 22 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Across six World Cup games, Stewart averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 55.3% from the field. FIBA named her the tournament MVP, making her the first player to win the award twice after her previous MVP honor in 2018.

Instagram | breannastewart30 | After repeating her 2018 achievement, Stewart became the first two-time FIBA World Cup MVP.

For Stewart, however, the individual award was secondary to the result.

“There was enough talk about all the things, about it [being] France’s time and whatever,” Stewart said. “I wanted to do whatever I could to win that game. And if that made me MVP, then that made me MVP. But really, just happy to be bringing back the gold.”

The championship also gave Stewart her fourth World Cup gold medal, tying her with former Liberty star Sue Bird for the most in the tournament’s history among Team USA players.

A Busy Finish for New York

The World Cup experience came at an important point in the Liberty’s season. New York had already secured a playoff spot, but its final position in the standings remained unsettled with four regular-season games remaining.

The schedule also offered little room for rest. The Liberty faced the league-leading Minnesota Lynx after the break and had two games against the Atlanta Dream to close the regular season. At that stage, New York sat two games behind Atlanta and seven behind Minnesota, leaving several possible outcomes for its final playoff seed.

Stewart saw a connection between the international tournament and the Liberty’s demanding closing stretch.

“Knowing how important these four are, and Chris [DeMarco, head coach] talked about it a little bit [Wednesday], but the mindset and mentality of doing whatever it takes,” she said. “I think that sometimes with USA Basketball or with national team, you’re constantly just, like, going, right? You have to give 1,000 percent, and that’s the same here.”

She also stressed the value of using the full roster.

“It’s like, don’t save it, because we have a deep enough team. We have people that can come in and do things just as well.”

Liberty Look to Finish Strong

Instagram | breannastewart30 | Stewart has rejoined the Liberty to boost their playoff seeding in the season’s final stretch.

Leonie Fiebich recognized the challenge of returning from an international break and quickly rebuilding team rhythm.

“I think it’s all about who finds their chemistry first after a break and we had many players home, it’ll be a challenge,” Fiebich said.

Marine Johannes also pointed to the Liberty’s uneven season and the need for a strong finish.

“We know that we have a great team here, but we had some up and downs during the season, and just, like, finishing strong,” Johannes said.

Head coach Chris DeMarco expected the Liberty to have nearly its full group available for practice, although he noted that circumstances could change. Forward Satou Sabally remained sidelined with an injury, while the rest of the team practiced in Brooklyn.

“It’s nice to have the whole team together again, that’s for sure,” DeMarco said.

Stewart returned to New York after a strong World Cup run, where she earned MVP honors and another gold medal. Now, her focus is on helping the Liberty finish the regular season strongly.

With their playoff spot secured, the team still needs to improve its position in the standings during the remaining games.