PHOENIX — Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia became the latest WNBA owner to support charter flights for teams all season long instead of just during the playoffs or for specific games, telling ESPN on Sunday that he wants the league to move “in that direction.”
“I feel like you invest in the players, you invest in the team, you do all the right [things] and money follows,” Ishbia said ahead of the Mercury’s home opener. “Too many people think about the other way around, and, so, that’s my belief system.
“The WNBA is doing some good things and the commissioner’s doing good things to move it in that direction. And I respect what they’re doing and I’m definitely a supporter of getting there faster and sooner.”
In early April, the WNBA announced that it would pay for charter flights for the playoffs and back-to-back regular-season games. Charter flights for just those games would cost around $4.5 million, according to the Associated Press. However, charter flights for every team for an entire season would cost about $25 million.
To Ishbia, it’s worth it.
“Everything matters. Every inch matters,” he said. “I…
