In the culmination of a historic race, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart was named 2023 WNBA MVP on Tuesday. Stewart, who previously won the honor in 2018, is the eighth player in league history to win multiple MVP awards. She is also the third player, along with Lisa Leslie and Cynthia Cooper, to win multiple MVPs, Finals MVPs and championships.
Stewart, the first Liberty player to win MVP, beat out Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson by an extremely narrow margin of 446 points compared to 439 for Thomas and 433 for Wilson. In fact, Stewart did not receive the most first-place votes -- she had 20 compared to 23 for Thomas -- but had enough second-place votes to make up the difference.
Stew York & MVP go well together🗽@breannastewart is your 2023 #WNBA @Kia Most Valuable Player
— WNBA (@WNBA) September 26, 2023
Stewie averaged 23.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG & 3.8 APG to lead the #2 @nyliberty to a 32-8 regular szn record & a Commissioner’s Cup Championship in her 1st year with the franchise#KiaMVP pic.twitter.com/jdwwWDQxGc
The seven-point difference between first and second place is the second-closest margin of all-time, behind only the 2005 race, in which Sheryl Swoopes won by two points over Lauren Jackson. The 13-point difference between first and third place is the closest ever. In addition, this is the second time, along with 2005, in which the MVP winner did not receive the most first-place votes.
Here's a look at the full voting results for the top-five finishers. Players received 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.
| Player (Team) | 1st-place votes | 2nd-place votes | 3rd-place votes | 4th-place votes | 5th-place votes | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Breanna Stewart (Liberty) | 20 | 23 | 17 | -- | -- | 446 |
Alyssa Thomas (Sun) | 23 | 12 | 25 | -- | -- | 439 |
A'ja Wilson (Aces) | 17 | 25 | 17 | 1 | -- | 433 |
Napheesa Collier (Lynx) | -- | -- | -- | 32 | 13 | 109 |
Satou Sabally (Wings) | -- | -- | -- | 8 | 11 | 35 |
During the regular season, Stewart averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, setting new career-best marks in scoring and assists. She finished second in the league in scoring, third in rebounding and fourth in blocks, and was the only player in the top-15 in all five major statistical categories.
After spending the first seven years of her career with the Seattle Storm, Stewart signed with the Liberty in free agency last winter to team up with Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot. To little surprise, the newly formed superteam established itself as one of the league's best and won a franchise-record 32 games, which is also the second-most in WNBA history. En route to a second-place finish in the league, the Liberty posted the third-best offensive rating of all time and set new records for 3-pointers made per game (11.1) and total 3-pointers made (444).
While there was plenty of talent surrounding her, Stewart was the engine that drove the Liberty to historic heights. She set a new career-high with 45 points in a win over the Indiana Fever, and recorded the second 45-point, 10-rebound, five-assist game in league history in a win over the Phoenix Mercury. Her four 40-point games were the most ever in a season and brought her into a tie with Diana Taurasi for the most ever.
Now, Stewart is attempting to lead the Liberty to the first title in franchise history. But after sweeping the Washington Mystics in the first round, the team finds itself down 0-1 to the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals, after a brutal shooting performance from Stewart in Game 1. This is the time for Stewart to show why she's the MVP.
