In the second quarter of the EuroLeague championship game Sunday between Dynamo Kursk and UMMC Ekaterinburg, star Breanna Stewart landed awkwardly on Brittney Griner’s foot and ruptured her Achilles, the Russian team announced. The WNBA’s reigning MVP and leading scorer for the defending champion Seattle Storm is expected to miss the entire 2019 season in the W.
WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart suffered a ruptured Achilles in a EuroLeague game. This is terrible
Stewart ruptured her Achilles in the EuroLeague championship game Sunday.
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
This is a brutal blow for Seattle, the league and Stewart herself. To most, Stewart, at just 24 years old, is the best player in the world.
On the play, Stewart’s ankle turned on accidental contact from Griner when the 6’8 big closed on a jumper and didn’t give Stewart room to land. Stewart laid on the ground in immense pain and had to be carried to the locker room.
Stewart scored 12 points in the 19 minutes she played, but Dynamo Kursk went on to get blown out in the title game, 91-67.
For WNBA fans, this offseason has been a nightmare. Maya Moore, the four-time champion Lynx forward who leads the league annually in all-star votes, announced she’d be taking the season off. Skylar Diggins-Smith, another all-star point guard for the Wings is expected to miss the season as she’s pregnant with her first child. Liz Cambage, last year’s MVP-runner up, has demanded a trade from the Wings and may not return until she’s dealt. And the league is still without a president as Lisa Borders stepped down from her role in October.
The news of Stewart’s injury stings that much more.
