Breanna Stewart

You can mourn the departure of Breanna Stewart. But the superstar should be celebrated for her accomplishments in Seattle — not scorned for leaving.

Still, as impactful as Stewart was to the Storm, and as much as she seemed to embrace the city, she did have a wandering eye. Bird retired from the WNBA, so the allure of coming back to one of the greatest point guards of all time is gone. Lead it to two over seven years and you’re in more distinguished territory. The Storm were competitive in each of the past two seasons, too, and likely would have knocked out eventual champion Las Vegas if they didn’t let Game 3 of the Western Conference finals slip away in the final second. They won it all again two years later (Stewart missed the 2019 season with an Achilles tear), as she took home Finals MVP once more. One of, if not the greatest women’s college basketball players of all time joined forces with established legend Sue Bird and upstart guard Jewell Loyd, the first overall pick from the previous draft.

The specifics of Stewart's contract with the Liberty are still being worked out, according to ESPN. The Liberty have now paired two former WNBA MVPs with ...

She won MVP in her third season and earned her first WNBA title before missing the entirety of the 2019 WNBA season due to a torn Achilles. Off the court, she also launched her Stewart had spent the first seven years of her WNBA career with the Seattle Storm, who drafted her No.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Stewart spent the first seven years of her career with the Seattle Storm. Along the way she helped the team win ...

Among them: the chance to return to her home state of New York (Stewart is from Syracuse) and play in the biggest market in the league. To that point, it's worth noting that the Liberty and owner Joseph Tsai were handed a $500,000 fine -- still the biggest in league history -- for breaking the league's rules on charter flights during the 2021 season. There could be some growing pains as they figure out how to play together, but they're all unselfish players and it's hard to bet against that type of talent. Stewart and the Liberty are still figuring out the specifics of her contract. Plus, she was recruited by Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, who said on his podcast, "I hit Stewie the other day, and I never do this, and was like, 'Yo, it would be an incredible dynasty in New York City if you came here.'" Early in free agency, Stewart raised charter flights as a key issue for the league moving forward.

Stewart was an unrestricted free agent last season and signed a one-year supermax deal with Seattle for 2022. The 2018 league MVP averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 ...

[WNBA free-agency predictions: Breanna Stewart to New York, Candace Parker to Los Angeles](https://theathletic.com/4074126/2023/01/11/wnba-free-agency-predictions-breanna-stewart/) [Breanna Stewart is getting a shoe deal. But the franchise is ready to compete for a title this season, and in the years to come. [World Cup](https://theathletic.com/football/world-cup/) gold medal to her resume in the time since. Following Stewart’s decision to join the Liberty, New York has immediately put itself squarely next to the defending champion Her presence instantly elevates any team to a contender, and her production has consistently improved during the postseason, making her the most desirable free agent to potentially ever change teams in WNBA history. Will there likely be some growing pains as the Liberty try to figure out their rotations and how their new stars fit together? She can anchor smaller lineups or slide onto the perimeter if her team elects to play big. Last season, Liberty owners Joe and Clara Tsai were fined $500,000 for chartering players (as well as taking them on a vacation to Napa, Calif.) during the 2021 season. [According to ESPN](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/35570833/breanna-stewart-sign-new-york-liberty), she made chartered air travel a key factor in her discussions with teams. Her 7-foot-1 wingspan allows her to sky in for rebounds and preposterous finishes, and give opposing ball handlers fits as they dare to dribble or pass around her. She was named Rookie of the Year in her first season and Finals MVP in Seattle’s 2018 and 2020 title runs. She was courted by the Liberty before returning to Seattle last year.

NEW YORK — Breanna Stewart, the most coveted WNBA free agent in years and one of the best basketball players alive, announced on Wednesday she would be ...

When rapper and producer Jay-Z released The Blueprint 3, which included the hit single “Empire State of Mind,” on Oct. 20, 2009, Breanna Stewart was a ...

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma talked to former Husky Breanna Stewart ahead of the announcement that she was joining the Liberty.

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The biggest free agent in WNBA history has chosen to form a super team in league history — and that's a real opportunity for everyone. Former league MVP and two ...

Make that a game within three points in the final three minutes and the Warriors are 10-12 this season. From there the Celtics romped to a wire-to-wire 139-96 win. The result was the Warriors blowing their lead and the Timberwolves took advantage of it — with some critical plays by Naz Ried. “So everything we had done to that point to have control of the game, we stopped doing. [pushed charter flights for players to the top of the list](https://nba.nbcsports.com/2023/01/22/wnba-trade-free-agency-updates-breanna-stewart-free-agency-could-hinge-on-charter-flights/) of ways to improve the league. It’s not a coincidence Stewart and Parker chose to go to teams with newish WNBA owners willing to spend to win, Joe Tsai in New York (also the owner of the NBA’s Nets) and Mark Davis in Las Vegas (owner of the NFL’s Raiders). If you can’t sell this, you’re doing it wrong — this will be great basketball (and that’s not even mentioning Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury, and other good teams out there). Charter flights for every team to every game — something common in professional sports and high-level college sports, including women’s college basketball — would cost about $30 million for the league. There’s a divide among WNBA owners, not all want to pay that added charter flight cost out of their pocket, but the league has to find a way. Right now, this Warriors team just does not have the aura of its championship teams of years past. Owners with the vision to know they must spend money to make money — grow the league and its popularity and franchise values will skyrocket. Just a few weeks ago, the Liberty traded for 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones to pair with Sabrina Ionescu, forming one of the best pick-and-roll threats in the league.

Yahoo Sports WNBA writer Cassandra Negley dives into the names who could make headlines during the upcoming signing period that begins on Saturday.

Parker announced her decision to leave Chicago for the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces a week earlier. The WNBA is now fully in its superteam era, with star- ...

Stewart’s move to the Liberty feels like LeBron going to the Heat. The 6’5 big is in the prime of her career at 26 years old, and feels like the biggest threat to Stewart’s title of ‘best player alive.’ Wilson is a monster athlete who can dominate both ends of the court. Oh yeah, Gray is also one of the best passers in the league and is deadly finding open teammates while operating out of ball screens. Wilson won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year last season after sliding over to center following the departure of Liz Cambage, where she showcased her quickness defending ball screens and her ability to protect the rim as a shot blocker. She wants the league to She is even better on the offensive end, where she uses his agility and explosiveness in short spaces to become the league’s top play finisher. She’s also a remarkable defender who is stout on the inside and always knows the right rotation to make on the perimeter. With Betnijah Laney, Michaela Onyenwere, DiDi Richards, and Kayla Thornton, the Liberty have some wings to defend, rebound, and keep the ball moving around the three superstars. He’s a stud point guard still playing like she’s in her prime, and she makes New York’s collection of talent even more ridiculous. The WNBA is now fully in its superteam era, with star-studded powers on each coast that feel destined to meet in the 2023 Finals. The two superstars are intertwined again this offseason, and it’s possibly setting up for at least one more head-to-head matchup with a championship on the line. Breanna Stewart already has a convincing case as the greatest women’s basketball player of all-time.

Breanna Stewart is signing with the New York Liberty, the two-time WNBA champion and 2018 league MVP announced on Wednesday. The signing vaults the Liberty ...

Courtney Vandersloot signing with Liberty, setting up superteam with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones ... The WNBA is going to have a pair of extraordinarily ...

UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma talked to former Husky Breanna Stewart ahead of the announcement that she was joining the Liberty.

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The New York Liberty continue loading up for the 2023 WNBA season. Four-time All-Star Courtney Vandersloot announced Thursday she's heading to the Big ...

[might follow](https://twitter.com/ramonashelburne/status/1620833064363622400) her to the Empire State. Vandersloot also [recently signed](https://twitter.com/fbkadinbasket/status/1620135504409927680) with Fenerbahçe, where Stewart is currently playing. Financial details still being worked out here, but much like Vegas, the assembly of a super team underscores the challenges and limitations of the WNBA's salary cap. The expectation, sources told ESPN, is that Breanna Stewart will take substantially less to make this work. By making her more of a spot-up shooter, the Liberty wouldn't necessarily be playing to her strengths. Ionescu is more of a combo guard than a traditional floor general, and the addition of Vandersloot might push her into an off-ball role.