Stewart's 2016 In Photos: From NCAA Champion To Rookie of the Year

: Already with three national championships to her name, NBAE traveled to Storrs, Connecticut for an inside look at one of the best collegiate basketball players of all-time. Less than a week later Stewart would capture her fourth consecutive NCAA title. She and her four-year Huskie teammates are the only players in NCAA history with four titles.

: Stewart was selected by the Seattle Storm with the first pick in WNBA Draft 2016. She would join 2015 first overall pick Jewell Loyd, and 2002 first overall pick Sue Bird on the West Coast.

: In late April Stewart is selected as one of the 12 players who will represent the United States at the upcoming Olympics in Rio. At just 21 years old, she’s the youngest member of the Women’s National Team by four years.

: Stewart’s WNBA debut comes in a 81-73 preseason loss to the Phoenix Mercury. Stewie is impressive in her first professional action finishing with 11 points and eight rebounds.

: Stewart poses alongside her new teammates and fellow No. 1 picks, Jewell Loyd and Sue Bird. The Storm will look to these three to make them a playoff contender in the upcoming season.

: Breanna makes her much anticipated regular season debut against the Sparks. She does not dissapoint, dropping 23 points on 9-for-13 shooting while also nabbing six boards. The Storm would fall to the Los Angeles in her opener though.

: Stewie picked up her first win in the W with an 81-80 victory over the Mercury. She also recorded her first double-double, with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

: After starting her season with two road games, Stewart made her homecourt regular season debut against the Lynx. 9,000-plus fans turned out to see record her second-straight double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

: Four days after her home opener, Stewart tallied what was then a career-high 25 points against the Mystics.

: Stewart returned to the state she had delivered four national championship trophies to in early June. She recorded her fourth double-double on the season in a loss to the Sun, in front of what could only be described as a home game for the UConn prodigy.

: Just four days after suffering a loss to her former teammate, and No. 3 overall pick, Morgan Tuck, Stewart traveled to San Antonio to take on the No.2 overall pick, and another former teammate in Moriah Jefferson. Again the she was thwarted by another Huskie’s team but personally she played exceptionally well dropping 19 points and nabbing 15 boards.

: Less than a month after finishing with 25 points against the Mystics, Breanna set her new career-high in scoring with 29 points against the Wings in Dallas. In addition to going 8-for-11 from the field, she also hit 12 of her 14 free throws.

: After a stellar first month of her career, Stewart was awarded Rookie of the Month for May. This award would become synonymous with Stewart as the season wore on.

: After recording what was a career-high 29 points against the Wings on the 16th, and then matching that mark again on the 29th against the Sun, it was time for Stewie to set an even loftier career-high in points with 38 in a win over the Dream. She added six boards, and three assists for good measure.

: Stewart made her MSG WNBA debut in closely contested 74-78 loss to the Liberty. Stewart put on a show inside the Garden going for 24 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists. They say the best play their best at MSG, and Stewie proved to be no different.

: Before the start of the 2016 season, the legendary Tamika Catchings announced it would be her final season in the W. As Stewart’s career was just beginning, Catchings’ was coming to close. This would be the final time the two shared the WNBA hardwood. Stewart’s 24 points outperformed Catchings’ 15 but the Fever left Seattle with the victory. It almost felt like a passing of the baton from one cemented Hall of Famer to an up and coming superstar.

: Stewart entered a showdown with Elena Delle Donne riding an 11-game double-digit scoring streak, and looked poised to make it 12. While she did make it 12 by dropping 22 points against Chicago, EDD’s 35 points powered the Sky to victory.

: Breanna’s final game before making the trek to Rio with the national team was a matchup with the reigning champion Minnesota Lynx. Stewart and the Storm had been defeated by the Lynx at home in the second game of the season, and their first trip to Minnesota wasn’t much different. Stewart didn’t look fazed by what can be an intimidating home crowd, however, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds.

: Stewart made her Olympic debut in the most lopsided victory in Olympic history, a 121-56 rout of Senegal. Despite it being her first Olympic experience, Stewart finished tied for a game-high in scoring with 15 points. She also shot a red-hot 83% from the field.

: After running through the preliminary round, second round, and eventually the gold medal game, Stewart and the United States left Rio with gold medals around their necks. It was the United States’ sixth-straight Olympic gold, but Stewie’s first. She recorded the highest shooting percentage amongst her teammates, knocking her shots down a 73 percent clip.

: Fresh off their trip to Rio, Minnesota’s four Olympians (Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus), posed alongside Stewart and Sue Bird for a pregame picture honoring their gold medal run in Rio.

: Six months after being drafted first overall by the Storm, Stewart led the team back to the playoffs for the first time in two seasons. Stewart’s stellar rookie season was the epitome of greatness. Her 18.3 points per game were the sixth most entire league, her 9.3 rebounds were second to only Tina Charles, and her 1.3 blocks were the third most swats per game in the league. She was named Rookie of the Year, and is well on her way to becoming the face of the WNBA.