New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

Breanna Stewart calls out Liberty for lack of WNBA championship mindset

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 11:40 PM ET

Most members of the women's basketball community pegged the New York Liberty as a favorite to win a WNBA championship in 2025. Of course, one reason for this is that they're the defending champions, for the Liberty secured the franchise's first title in 2024.

Not to mention that their roster is stacked with elite talent, including former WNBA MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, along with Sabrina Ionescu, Leonie Fiebich and guard Natasha Cloud, whom New York acquired right before the season. It also added European stars Marine Johannes and Emme Meesseman, which convinced the league that New York's roster was vastly improved from its championship 2024 campaign.

Then the Liberty started the season off with a 9-0 record and seemed to be firing on all cylinders. New York suffered its first defeat against the Indiana Fever on June 14 and, since then, the wheels have seemingly begun to fall off.

The Liberty's record fell to 24-16 after their 17-point loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 30. Therefore, New York now has a losing record since that nine-game winning streak to start 2025. Given this fall from grace, there is some clear concern about where the Liberty stand as a team, and whether they'll be able to compete once the postseason arrives.

Breanna Stewart calls team out after Mercury loss

Injuries have undoubtedly played a factor in New York's struggles this season, as Ionescu is currently out with a toe issue and Stewart missed several weeks with a knee injury before recently returning. However, Stewart isn't seeing this as an excuse, which she made very clear when speaking with the media after Saturday's loss to the Mercury.

"I think what was said [in the Liberty locker room after the game] is, it's not good enough. It's not gonna cut it. Any of the things that we've done today — and honestly, for a while — is not gonna get us to where we want to be," Stewart said, per an X post from SNY.

"This is not championship-level basketball at this point, and everybody needs to recognize that and understand that we need to get there. And that starts with the mindset, and then putting it onto the court," she added.

"This is not championship-level basketball at this point and everybody needs to recognize that and understand that we need to get there and that starts with the mindset and then putting it onto the court."

- Breanna Stewart after last night's loss pic.twitter.com/c46cmjIp7m
— New York Liberty Videos (@SNYLiberty) August 31, 2025

It will be fascinating to see whether the Liberty can right the ship in time for the playoffs, or if they'll continue to struggle against the league's other top teams.

As it currently stands, New York would be the league's No. 5 seed and would be facing the Mercury in the first round.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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