The air inside Barclays Center in October 2024 felt heavy enough to choke on. It carried the desperate hope of a franchise that had known only heartbreak since 1997. In that moment, the noise was not just loud; it was physical, vibrating through the floorboards as twenty years of near-misses evaporated. Breanna Stewart did not just occupy space in that crucible. She devoured it. At 6-foot-4, with a pterodactyl 6-foot-10 wingspan, Stewart arrived in New York to render the old definitions of a forward obsolete. The final buzzer sounded on the Liberty’s first championship, and the confetti fell like snow on a city starved for a winner. Stewart did not just lift a trophy; she vaulted into the rarest air of professional basketball.
The Shifting Landscape
For decades, the WNBA hierarchy felt etched in granite, dominated by names like Swoopes, Leslie, and Taurasi. However, the modern game has evolved into positionless combat where versatility is the only currency. Stewart arrived in 2016 as the prototype for this new era. She possessed the rim protection of a center and the handle of a guard, armed with a jump shot that stretched defenses to their breaking point.
Her career averages of over 20 points and 8 rebounds serve as a baseline, but adaptability defines her true metric. She won two titles in Seattle playing a classic stretch-four role before reinventing herself as a point-center to conquer New York. Evaluating her all-time standing requires a new lens. We are no longer just counting rings. We are measuring impact across every square inch of the hardwood.
The All-Time Hierarchy
Defining the ten greatest players in league history splits hairs between legends. But specific tiers have emerged based on peak dominance and the sheer weight of silverware.
10. Sue Bird
Bird remains the ultimate connector. She did not dominate with athleticism but with a cerebral processing speed that no peer could match. Her longevity allows her to anchor this list, bridging the league’s infancy to its current boom. Finally, in the 2018 playoffs, she delivered her signature performance. Playing with a broken nose and a clear mask that kept fogging up, Bird willed Seattle to victory, hitting clutch shots that defied her age. She remains the all-time leader in assists (3,234) and games played, the only player to win titles in three different decades.
9. Lauren Jackson
Before Stewart, there was Jackson. She was the original stretch-big, a terrifying combination of size and touch that forced opposing coaches to rewrite their defensive schemes. Injuries robbed us of her longevity, but her peak was undeniable. On the other hand, her 2007 MVP season remains a statistical marvel. She seemed to score at will against double teams that looked helpless against her fadeaway. Jackson won three MVPs and led the league in scoring three times, a dominance verified by data from Across the Timeline.
8. Lisa Leslie
Leslie defined the league when it needed a face most. She played with a fierce elegance, dominating the paint for the Los Angeles Sparks and setting the standard for the franchise center archetype. Just beyond the arc of the league’s launch, she delivered the first dunk in WNBA history, a visceral slam that shattered the glass ceiling of what was physically expected in the women’s game. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Leslie retired as the all-time leader in points and rebounds, capturing three MVPs and four Olympic golds.
7. Tamika Catchings
Defensive intensity defined her. Catchings played every possession as if it were a sudden-death overtime, earning five Defensive Player of the Year awards. She remains the benchmark for two-way excellence. Despite the pressure of repeated playoff failures, she broke through in the 2012 Finals to win her lone championship. Catchings is the only player in history to rank in the top 10 all-time in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
6. Sheryl Swoopes
Swoopes was the Jordan of the WNBA’s early years. She possessed a silky athleticism and a defensive clamp that suffocated opponents. Her ability to dominate both ends of the floor set the template for the modern wing. At the time, her performance in the 2000 playoffs was untouchable, as she averaged nearly 24 points per game to secure the Houston Comets’ fourth consecutive title. Swoopes was the first player to win three MVPs and three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
5. A’ja Wilson
Wilson is currently rewriting the record books. Years passed, and she chipped away at the gap between good and great until she became an inevitable force. Her rivalry with Stewart defines this era, and while she sits here now, her trajectory suggests she could top this list by 2028. Her defining moment came in the 2023 Finals, where she stared down Stewart’s Liberty and delivered a masterclass in efficiency to secure back-to-back titles. Wilson holds the record for most points in a single season (1,021 in 2024), smashing the previous mark with terrifying consistency.
4. Breanna Stewart
Stewart is the ultimate winner. Her resume, four consecutive NCAA titles, three WNBA championships, two MVPs, is unassailable. She sits here because she can control a game without scoring a single point, even if she usually drops 20. The 2020 Wubble Finals showcased her at her apex. Coming off a devastating Achilles tear that cost her a year, she returned to average 28.3 points on 63% shooting. Stewart is the only player in WNBA history to win an MVP, a Finals MVP, and an Olympic Gold Medal in the same calendar year (2018).
3. Maya Moore
Moore was inevitable. She walked away from the game at her absolute peak to pursue social justice, freezing her legacy in amber. Had she played five more years, she might be undisputed at number one. Her legend was cemented with the shot heard round the world in the 2015 Finals, a buzzer-beating three against Indiana that remains the league’s most iconic highlight. Moore won four championships in eight seasons, posting a staggering 25-1 record in college and pro championship series games combined.
2. Cynthia Cooper
She was 34 when the league started. Yet still, she was untouchable. Cooper remains the gold standard for peak dominance; no one has ever controlled a four-year stretch as thoroughly as she did. Her run from 1997 to 2000 is the stuff of myth. Cooper did not just win; she owned the league, winning four championships and four Finals MVPs in the league’s first four years. She averaged 21.0 points per game for her career, the highest mark in WNBA history for any retired player.
1. Diana Taurasi
Longevity, clutch gene, and volume define her. Taurasi has been the league’s villain and its hero for two decades. She is the White Mamba, the standard against which all careers are measured. Her Game 5 performance in the 2014 Finals remains legendary. Taurasi scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to close out the Chicago Sky, refusing to let the Mercury lose. She has scored over 10,000 career points, a milestone that sits thousands of points ahead of her closest competitor.
The Unfinished Symphony
Breanna Stewart stands at number four today, but the ink is far from dry. The rivalry between Stewart and A’ja Wilson has revitalized the league, creating a narrative tension that mirrors the Magic-Bird era of the NBA. Stewart’s move to New York was a gambit to build a superteam and challenge the history books on her own terms.
Ultimately, Stewart possesses a resume that could eventually eclipse everyone ahead of her. She has conquered the college game, the international game, and the pro game with a thoroughness that borders on clinical. If she captures one more title and another MVP, the conversation shifts. We will no longer ask where she ranks among the greats. We will ask if the greats can rank with her.
Does the 2026 season crown her the undisputed GOAT, or does the chase continue?
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FAQs
Where does Breanna Stewart rank in WNBA history in this list?
This list places Breanna Stewart at No. 4 right now, with a real path to No. 1 if she adds another title and MVP.
Why is Breanna Stewart’s game called positionless here?
She protects the rim, handles like a guard, and stretches the floor, letting her change roles without losing impact.
Who is No. 1 on this all time WNBA list?
Diana Taurasi sits at No. 1 in this ranking, built on longevity, scoring volume, and big moments.
Why does the Stewart vs A’ja Wilson rivalry matter so much?
Their battles shape titles, awards, and the future GOAT debate, making them the defining matchup of this era.
What would it take for Stewart to become the GOAT in this story?
Another championship and MVP would shift the conversation from ranking her to chasing her.
