Breanna Stewart has made the prospect of charter flights in the WNBA key to her free agency negotiations. And she is rallying WNBA and NBA players to her cause.
The WNBA does not allow teams to charter private flights for regular-season games. Indeed, the New York Liberty, who have been linked to Stewart in free agency, received a $500,000 fine for doing just that during the 2021 season.
While the league has made exceptions for some postseason games (for example, the 2022 WNBA Finals), charter flights for the full season are “not in the cards,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told ESPN.
A switch to private flights for all 12 teams could cost close to $30 million, ESPN reported. And the league does not want to leave travel up to the discretion of individual teams to avoid competitive imbalance.
For the 2023 season, though, the WNBA could face a conundrum.
Brittney Griner may need to fly privately due to security concerns. The free agent was imprisoned in Russia for nearly 10 months before the U.S. government secured her release in December. She has made clear her plans to play again for the Phoenix Mercury, though she has not yet asked for any travel accommodations, ESPN reported.
Griner’s situation creates questions for the…
