A bombshell rocked the world of WNBA as a basketball legend is returning to her former club. Breanna Stewart, or rather Vice President Stewart of the WNBA, has committed to the Turkish club Fenerbahce Opet, which is making fans wonder if something really is amiss with this year’s WNBA.
Fenerbahce recently declared that she will be joining the team in April. Now that is also the time when the WNBA pre-season games are supposed to start, so does this signal the delayed start of the WNBA?
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The CBA deal is in a dicey situation with ample deliberations going on with the revenue sharing, where the league is hesitant to acknowledge the WNBPA’s demand of 30% shares out of gross league and team revenue. As a result, both parties still haven’t been able to come to terms, which is inevitably jeopardizing the whole WNBA season, although the schedules have been laid out.
Apr 15, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks before the 2024 WNBA Draft at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Coming back to Breanna, this would mark her return to Turkey as she aims to add her third crown with the Turkish giants. Breanna Stewart led the team to their first-ever title in 2023.
Stewart dominated the league and was named the Final Four MVP with a stellar performance of 21.7 ppg and 8 rpg. She will be aiming to hit the same level during her second stint.
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Meanwhile, the fans of the WNBA are dreading something more sinister brewing behind the scenes as a key figure announced her exit.
Fans Question Stewart’s Move to Turkey Amid CBA Stalemate
It didn’t take long for the WNBA fans to put 2 + 2 together as Breanna announced her decision. The question of why one of the core WNBPA committee members chose to take off when there is so much to be done with regard to the CBA deal became relevant.
Ironically, it was Breanna Stewart who had calmed the fans and told them that there was no need to panic just a couple of days back.
“I’m feeling better. I’m feeling like the owners are finally really acknowledging and being receptive to what we want and the players as well,” Stewart said, and yet her decision to leave the league raised questions.
Notably, Breanna’s New York Liberty has a lot of preseason games lined up in April and May. They play the Indiana Fever on April 26th, and on 1st May, they have a game against the Dallas Wings before their first official season game on 9th May against the Connecticut Suns.
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Breanna perhaps grew tired of all the endless waiting with the CBA and decided to get back in action. Her performances at Unrivaled are showing how ready she is to go. Ranked 8th with 19.7 ppg, she is in incredible form and chose to return to Turkey, abandoning the WNBA ship.
