Breanna Stewart confirmed the worst-case scenario after she was injured Sunday — she has a torn Achilles and will miss the Seattle Storm's 2019 season.
The reigning WNBA MVP was playing for Russia-based Dynamo Kursk in the EuroLeague Final Four championship when she sustained the injury. Stewart flew to Los Angeles on Monday and had an MRI, but the results weren't reviewed until Wednesday, which is when she officially announced she has been diagnosed with an Achilles tear.
"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 a statement on Twitter. "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."
The Storm announced Stewart likely will miss the 2019 season, though she should be fully recovered to start the 2020 campaign.
Stewart, 24, was instrumental in helping the Storm win it's third WNBA title in franchise history last September. She also played a key role on Team USA's women's basketball team in the Olympics, pushing the Americans to win their sixth gold medal in a row at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
She's still expected to be part of the 2020 team in Tokyo.
Because most WNBA players are paid far less than their male counterparts, Stewart and many other WNBA players join teams overseas for extra money.
Her injury, one month before the WNBA season is set to begin, once again has brought up the pay discrepancies between NBA and WNBA players.
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