The New York Liberty’s star forward Breanna Stewart was unveiled as the recipient of the WNBA Most Valuable Player award for the 2023 season. This is the second MVP award for Stewart after she won one in 2018.
Stewart put up impressive numbers in 2023, averaging 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in her first season with Liberty. She also helped the franchise to a 32-8 record as the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
Stewart had 20 first-place votes and received a total of 446 points from a voting committee that consisted of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters from across the nation. Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas had 23 first-place votes but finished second in the voting with 439 points. Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson came in third with 17 first-place votes and 433 points.
“That’s something that is really special to me when I think about it,” Stewart said via ESPN. “My first one was in 2018. I was still under my rookie contract, and now look to 2023, I’m married to a beautiful wife, have a baby [Ruby, born in 2021] and we’re having another one.”
Stewart will now focus on helping the Liberty make a deep run in the WNBA playoffs. The NY team swept the Washington Mystics in the first round but now finds itself 0-1 in the second-round matchup against Connecticut.
