In one of the biggest free agency moves in WNBA history, the league’s former MVP Breanna Stewart decided to play for Free New Yorkabandoned Hurricane Seattle After winning two championships in seven years, she announced on Wednesday on Twitter.
Wednesday marks the first day that WNBA free agents can officially sign contracts and provide sheets for the 2023 season, although sources told ESPN that Stewart is still working through the details. the specifics of the agreement she will sign with New York.
“It was an emotional roller coaster for sure, and I decided to go to New York because I wanted to keep being great,” Stewart told Malika Andrews on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “I want to go to a place where I can continue to make this tournament better, continue to raise the bar.
“I feel like why not go to the biggest market in all of sports, and I’m really excited to be chasing their first championship.”
– Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) February 1, 2023
Stewart, 28, considers charter jet travel a key element of her freelance agency, league sources told ESPN. That was a topic of discussion with the four teams she met — Liberty, Storm, Lynx Minnesota and The Washington Mystery — to see their views on what she believes is critical to player health, safety and performance.
While none of the groups have been able to make a direct commitment to the matter due to the pay cap rules, sources say Stewart believes she has raised the issue to the level of importance to Meaningful conversations will continue for the foreseeable future.
“Stewie’s Free Agency is the story of the WNBA at an inflection point: Players understand their value, the potential of the WNBA, and are eager partners in growing an amazingly motivated business” , said Stewart’s agent, Wasserman’s Lindsay Kagawa Colas. ESPN in a statement Wednesday. “She possesses the process and responsibilities that come with power in ways that will hopefully impact how intelligent free agents of all genders access similar opportunities.”
Stewart was picked as No. 1 by Storm in 2016 and won two WNBA titles with Seattle, and also won the MVP title of the tournament in 2018. She averaged 20.3 points and 8, respectively. 6 rebounds per game in his career, after missing the 2019 season with an Achilles injury.
The addition of Stewart, a native of Syracuse who used to play as a team at UConnput Liberty in the fray for the title as she enters 2020’s #1 pick Sabrina Ionescu and recently bought Jonquel JonesThe 2021 WNBA MVP, looks like the second “super team” to have made this season.
Last weekend, the defending champion Las Vegas Ace added tournament MVP twice candace parker to an included list Gray Chelsea, A’ja Wilson and Kelsey plum.
“New York is a basketball city and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” Stewart said.
Liberty has long been a proponent of air travel, with owner Joseph Tsai tweeting in October 2021 that he would be working with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert to resolve the issue. In 2022, Liberty was fined $500,000 for chartering flights for the team without union approval.
Unlike the NBA’s 30 teams, the 12 WNBA teams travel on commercial airlines except in rare cases. The WNBA and its owners have decided that no team can charter a flight — even if the team’s ownership can pay for it — unless all teams can afford the charter. flight. It is estimated that hiring the tour for all teams will cost close to $30 million.
WNBA owners will have to hold a vote by the board of governors to make amendments to the system. Since the issue is collectively negotiated, the players’ association will also have to reconsider. In the most recent CBA negotiations, players have chosen to bring up the issue in order to increase compensation, among other things.
Stewart told Andrews she hopes there will be a step forward on this soon, which could allow charter flights to be taken in certain situations, such as longer distances or when teams prepare to compete.
Sources say that the issue of private jet travel has come to the forefront this winter because of the assumption that Phoenix Water center Brittney Griner will need to fly privately because of security concerns after she was released from prison in Russia in December. Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport last February after Russian authorities said she was carrying a carrier. follow vape boxes containing cannabis oil in your luggage. She was held for nine months before being released in December as part of a prisoner exchange negotiated by the administration of President Joe Biden.
If Griner flies privately, the WNBA will have to settle whether her Mercury teammates will fly privately with her. That would raise questions about fairness for the other teams in the league.
Griner, an unrestricted free agent, has said she wants to play for Mercury in 2023 but has yet to request special travel conditions from the league, sources said.
Stewart, who has played with Griner on the US national teams and tweeted about her nearly every day while Griner was incarcerated, raised the issue of charter flights for the entire WNBA in a tweet on Jan. 22. She tweeted that she’s willing to contribute money from names, photos and similar deals, social media posts and production hours to help ensure the entire WNBA is portable. move privately “in a way that prioritizes player health + safety” and “ultimately creates a better product.”
Last week, brooklyn network protect Kyrie Irvingvice president of the National Basketball Players Association, has voiced support for WNBA players having charter flights to travel.
“I wish it was as easy as tomorrow, but the business takes a bit of patience and our W ladies have been patient long enough, so we definitely have to get the job done,” he said. speak. “And I’m with them no matter how much it costs. I think we can all pull together and make something very possible a reality.”
Losing Stewart in the same season that franchise icon Sue Bird retired was a blow to Storm, who only had two players — Jewell Loyd and Mercedes Russel – under contract for the 2023 season.
Seattle is one of only three teams still playing for the former Chicago sky protect Courtney Vanderlootwho announced Tuesday that she will not returning to the franchise she won the championship in 2021.
ESPN previously reported that Vandersloot is considering Storm, Liberty and Lynx along with Sky and her free agency could influence Stewart’s decision. Vandersloot, who is playing with Stewart on Turkish team Fenerbahce, is expected to announce her decision this week, sources said.
