The New York Liberty Might Be In Trouble

It’s not panic time for the New York Liberty, but their first seven games warrant a raised eyebrow.

The Liberty entered the 2026 WNBA season as the odds-on favorites to win the championship, and they looked every bit of a basketball goliath in their season-opening 106-75 win over the Connecticut Sun on May 8.

But they’ve looked out of sorts en route to losing four of their past five, and it may not be as simple as writing it off as an early-season feel-out period under first-year head coach Chris DeMarco.

Above all, the Liberty’s new “Big 4” - Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and Satou Sabally - have only shared the floor for one game.

Ionescu, an All-Star point guard, suffered a left foot injury in the Liberty’s final preseason game on May 3, which cost her the first five games of the season. The Liberty signed All-Star forward Sabally to a multiyear contract in free agency last month, but she was sidelined for the first four games with a cyst.

Ionescu made her season debut against the Dallas Wings last Sunday, marking the first time she, Sabally, Jones, and Stewart occupied a starting five together. They started off hot - showing the ceiling for what is perhaps the most talented group in the league - but eventually, the rust won out, and the Wings ran them off the floor in a 91-76 win.

Ionescu missed the Liberty’s game against the Portland Fire on Monday night, and Sabally left early with an illness. New York lost 81-74 and, surprisingly, their season series with the expansion Fire, 2-1. Afterward, Stewart was asked about her previous expectation-setting that it would take time for the new-look Liberty to jell.

“Is this what you expected when you said that?” the reporter asked.

“Um, no, definitely not,” Stewart said. “But it’s a learning experience for everyone. My message to the players in the locker room is, like, nobody expected this. Not to say that we thought it was gonna be easy because we definitely didn’t, but it’s gonna take time.”

The two-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA champion continued, “There’s gonna be highs and lows, and while it seems like we’re in the lows right now, eventually, we’ll get to a place where everybody is really confident and comfortable in what’s going on. Listen, I’m happy it’s happening early and not late.”

The last sentence is the key. The Las Vegas Aces, the league’s dynastic force, were 14-14 after losing by 53 points to Minnesota on Aug. 2. The Aces didn’t lose another game and won their third title in four years last October.

But Stewart doesn’t need to look at Las Vegas. She spoke from experience.

Last season, the Liberty started 9-0 and seemed primed to repeat as WNBA champions. But Stewart missed most of August with a bone bruise in her right knee, and Jones missed significant time throughout the season with an ankle injury. As a result, the Liberty flamed out with a first-round playoff exit.

If Ionescu and Sabally’s injury (and illness) bugs are limited and put in the past by the All-Star break in July, then this article will age poorly, and the Liberty can win their second title in three years. But if this season’s clunky start is an omen, the Liberty are in trouble.

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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 10:47 PM.