Like many superstar free agents in other sports, Seattle Storm great Breanna Stewart has decided that the next great challenge in her career will be trying to bring a championship to New York City.
While free agency in the major men’s North American sports leagues is one of the biggest sources of news for media outlets, that isn’t the case for the women’s side of the industry. That was until the last few weeks.
Two-time WNBA champion Breanna Stewart took the bold step of testing her value on the market and her odyssey through WNBA free agency was one of the biggest stories in league history. During her journey through free agency, the New York Liberty, her current team the Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx, and Washington Mystics were the top contenders to land the 2018 WNBA MVP.
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However, when it came time for a decision, the Syracuse, New York native decided a return to her home state to play under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden was the best fit. On Wednesday, Stewart revealed in a video on her Twitter account that she was officially becoming a member of Liberty.
ESPN reported that specifics of the deal have not been revealed but representatives for Breanna Stewart and the team are putting the final touches on the massive deal.
Why Breanna Stewart’s WNBA free agency is such a big deal
As mentioned earlier, free agency in the WNBA is not the all-consuming story it is in other leagues. However, with the uncommon attention her availability had in the news cycle over the last few weeks, Stewart used the spotlight to focus on a major problem in the top women’s basketball league in the world: Charter flights.
- Breanna Stewart stats (2022): 21.8 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.6 SPG, 38% 3PT
During her negotiations, Stewart reportedly made the issue a key point of conversations and gauged each team’s interest in making the lack of that form of travel in the league a high priority going forward. Currently, WNBA teams do not charter flights for their team’s away games.
Beyond her social stance, Stewart is a superstar talent that helped the Seattle Storm win two titles in seven years, and has earned All-Star honors on four occasions. At 28, the former UConn star is just hitting her prime years and will be a major boost to the New York Libert who have endured losing seasons for the last five years.