Stewart returns to US to rehab injured knee

Breanna Stewart is returning to the U.S. from China to rehab her knee. The Seattle Storm star sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in her right knee last week while playing for Shanghai.

NEW YORK >> Breanna Stewart is returning to the U.S. from China to rehab her knee.

The Seattle Storm star sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in her right knee last week while playing for Shanghai in the Chinese basketball league. She won’t require surgery and is flying back Friday.

“It’s nothing major but it’s still an issue, I guess,” Stewart told The Associated Press by phone Sunday night from Shanghai. “It’s perfect timing at least. You don’t ever want to get injured. I had an MRI and it showed the PCL injury. The plan right now is to go back to the U.S. and do rehab and then come back for the playoffs.”

Her Chinese team finished second and the league’s playoffs begin in early February. The team is on break until the playoffs.

“We are in close communication with Breanna and the medical team overseeing her rehab,” Seattle Storm president and general manager Alisha Valavanis said. “Breanna has our ongoing support as she recovers.”

Stewart has been on the go since her senior season at UConn last year. She helped the Huskies win a fourth consecutive title last April and then went first in the WNBA draft to Seattle.