WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm is expected to miss the 2019 WNBA season after rupturing her right Achilles tendon while playing in Europe, she announced on Twitter on Wednesday Stewart, 24, playing for Russia-based Dynamo Kursk, was hurt Sunday in the EuroLeague Final Four championship game in Sopron, Hungary. She had an MRI on Monday in Los Angeles after flying back from Europe.
“First off, I just want to thank you for the tremendous amount of love and support I’ve received over the past few days,” Stewart said in her announcement. “The situation is still a shock to me. … This year especially has been amazing and filled with lots of success and as we all know there are highs and lows throughout a career. This is just another obstacle that I will overcome. I’m thankful that I have so many people in my corner to help me every step of the way. I’m feeling every emotion possible at this point but just know that the bounce back will be real and I’ll be back better than ever.”
Stewart will undergo surgery, and is expected to make a full recovery for the start of the 2020 season.
Stewart led the Storm to the franchise’s third WNBA title last September and then helped the United States win the gold medal in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. She was MVP for the WNBA Finals and the World Cup, and last month was named the EuroLeague’s regular-season MVP as well.
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