Breanna Stewart is one of a few players who most people would consider to be one of the best 3 or 4 players in the WNBA.
It’d be disastrous to have a WNBA season without her — especially when it’s not due to injury. But, with the way things are shaping up right now, it’s looking like that might be a real possibility.
Stewart’s WNBA future is up in the air in more ways than one. First, she’s a free agent this offseason. She signed a one-year, $228,094 deal last year to return to the Seattle Storm for another season. That deal is up and she can go where she pleases now.
But she also might not be playing anywhere in the W because of the WNBA’s “prioritization” rule that’s part of the league’s most recent collective bargaining agreement.
In trying to ensure they’re keeping their best players committed to the league, the W might actually be pushing one of its best out. It’s weird. It’s wonky. But it also might be necessary too. Let’s talk about it.
Wait, so what is the prioritization rule?
As part of its most recently negotiated collective bargaining agreement, the WNBA included a “prioritization” clause. It’s exactly how it sounds.
It’s a clause written in to ensure the WNBA’s players are prioritizing the league over others when the season comes around. Here’s a quick synopsis from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.
“In the first year of the prioritization rule, players with more than two years of experience are required to report to their WNBA teams by opening night. Aside from a handful of exceptions regarding national team play and personal emergencies, any player not back from overseas play by that date will be ineligible to play in the entire 2023 season.”
In short, if you’re not back at the start of WNBA straining camp from a non-national team overseas commitment, you aren’t playing in the WNBA that season.
Why would a player not be back at training camp?
Many of the WNBA’s players travel overseas to play basketball in foreign leagues throughout the offseason.
Last year a total of 144 players went overseas which is essentially half of the league, according to the Associated Press. The reason they do it is simple: It’s money, Sue Bird explained to ESPN.
“Why do we go? Mostly we go because there’s a ton of money. Some people go to work on their games. But some people also go — and Diana (Taurasi) will tell you this — she went because of the money and because she’s a basketball player. And that’s what basketball players do: They want to play.”
Are the salaries that much different?
Absolutely. Getting back on track with Stewart, she just made a supermax salary of $228,094 which is obviously nothing to scoff at.
On the flip side, she made $1.5 million playing overseas playing for her Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg, for example. She left the club this summer after signing with Turkey’s Fenerbahce Safisport, but the same concept still applies.
She’ll make more playing overseas than she’ll make in the W.
So that's why Stewart is in jeopardy of not returning?
Yup. The future is up in the air for both her and her teammate, Gabby Williams, who expressed the same concerns.
Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams are unsure about their futures in the WNBA because of the league's prioritization rule, which fines players who report late to training camp due to playing overseas. pic.twitter.com/jep624zfJw
— Percy Allen (@PercyAllen206) September 7, 2022
Williams straight up said she’s shying away from the WNBA because the salaries aren’t close to what she’ll make in Europe.
Gabby Williams, on WNBA prioritization and whether she thinks teams might not have as much interest in her because of her potential overseas playoff schedule:
"Sure. But I'm also shying away from the W because teams aren't touching what I'm making in Europe."
(Q: ? Sorry)
— Chantel Jennings (@ChantelJennings) September 7, 2022
Can't the WNBA just make an exception? Do they really need this clause?
Exceptions cannot be made here. The collective bargaining agreement applies to all players equally across the league. It’s what the WNBA player’s union agreed upon.
As far as whether they actually need the clause or not, that’s certainly up for debate.
On one hand, it very clearly hamstrings its players who are now being put in a predicament where they must choose between ensuring they can be home to play in the W once the season rolls around or making more money elsewhere.
But on the other hand, this is the league creating security for itself which any good business enterprise would do. Driving prioritization of the WNBA moving forward could keep players fresher and reduce injury. So it makes sense that they’d want this.
So then how does the W fix this?
Well, the easy but not-so-easy answer is paying the players more. Incentivizing players financially to stay home is the key here.
But that’s easier said than done. Remember, the WNBA is still a growing league. It’s only 26 years old. They don’t have the same backing overseas leagues do where some teams are completely funded by the states they’re in.
But the league is growing, indeed. It just got a $75 million investment last year from a number of donors and there’s also been serious talk of expansion, which could open up revenue-sharing possibilities moving forward.
In the meantime, the W might want to look to partner with a league like Athlete’s Unlimited to keep players home during the offseason. The league is also investing in 3×3 basketball as an option, too.
They’re working on it. But these things take time. In the meantime, though, let’s hope we don’t have to lose the league’s best talent like Breanna Stewart. Because that’d be a shame.
