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 league: Would Griner travel separately from her teammates in the name of fairness? Would other teams be allowed to make similar charter arrangements?

As the WNBA grapples with these questions, Stewart has continued to bang the drum on the issue, sparking a groundswell of support on social media.

“I would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA,” she tweeted, indicating her willingness to put her own sponsorship money toward a deal.

Other WNBA players replied in support, including WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, four-time champion Sue Bird, two-time MVP Elena Delle Donne, former Finals MVP Kahleah Copper, Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu and more. UConn junior Paige Bueckers also replied in the affirmative.

“Look, if they could get companies to step up — I think it would have to be a collective of companies, because $25 or $30 million a year is a big number — but if a bunch of players got a bunch of companies who wanted to help fund this, we’d absolutely partner with the players and talk to them about how it would work,” Engelbert told Sportico.

Ja Morant, who plays for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, tweeted his willingness to help as well, writing, “Count me in.” Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving also voiced his support, telling reporters Thursday: “We’ve got to get something done, and I’m with them no matter how much it costs.”

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar applauded Stewart for bringing the conversation to the forefront.

“Today’s NBA players never had to deal with the effects of commercial travel on their bodies,” Abdul-Jabbar tweeted. “I’m all for WNBA players getting equal rights. Congrats Breanna for raising this issue.”

Been there - done that & played at the highest levels. Today’s @NBA players never had to deal with the effects of commercial travel on their bodies. I’m all for @WNBA players getting equal rights. Congrats Breanna for raising this issue. https://t.co/FPQrSVrHxa

— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 26, 2023

Stewart has been outspoken on the WNBA’s travel policy before. So have Diana Taurasi, Natasha Cloud, Kelsey Plum and others, many of whom take a step back in the WNBA after flying privately in college.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma joked about bringing Stewart back for an extra year of eligibility after his team’s win Thursday against Tennessee. Stewart replied: “At least I’ll fly charter!”

Geno: "Can we get ahold of Stewie? See if we can get that extra covid year?"

Stewie's response 😂 pic.twitter.com/RABjWnjIyH

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) January 27, 2023

The world No. 1 USWNT is gearing up to take on No. 40 Jamaica on Tuesday night, capping the two-friendly international break with a match spotlighting both the past and future of the program.

After opening the stretch with a 3-0 Saturday win over No. 17 China PR in St. Paul, Minnesota, major roster rotations are expected in St. Louis, Missouri, on Tuesday as US head coach Emma Hayes continues evaluating fresh and familiar on-field combos.

"I want to make sure that, whether you start, whether you come into the game [off the bench], it shouldn't alter our level," Hayes told media this week. "If anything, we should keep finding other levels in us."

Plenty of young firepower will feature on Tuesday's pitch, but the clash will also celebrate a recently retired USWNT great.

Two-time World Cup champion, Olympic gold medalist, and St. Louis product Becky Sauerbrunn will take center stage, with Energizer Park even doling out bobbleheads in the standout center back's likeness.

"I've got a locker room — not just the senior players, but less experienced players — that talk about [Sauerbrunn] in the highest esteem, both as a leader and as a human being," said Hayes of the longtime USWNT captain. "I don't think you could want anything more than that in life, to have people talk about you like that."

How to watch the USWNT vs. Jamaica friendly on Tuesday

The USWNT will take on the Reggae Girlz at 8 PM ET on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, with live coverage on TNT.

The WNBA Commissioner's Cup is back with its 2025 edition, as the annual in-season tournament raises both stakes and incentives across the league.

Winning percentage, point differential, and head-to-head records all factor in as both Eastern and Western Conference teams battle it out for a shot at the competition's $500,000 prize pool.

Launched in 2021, the Commissioner’s Cup runs concurrently with the regular season, drawing on in-conference matchups to build a team's overall Cup record.

The 2025 competition opened on June 1st, tipping off three straight weeks of conference play that will culminate in a July 1st championship final between the Eastern and Western Conference winners.

Last season's final foreshadowed the eventual WNBA Finals, as the Minnesota Lynx topped New York to lift the 2024 Commissioner's Cup before the Liberty enacted revenge by taking the 2024 Championship a few months later.

Hoping to lift both trophies this season, New York started the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup party with a 48-point statement win over the Connecticut Sun last Sunday.

How to watch Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup games

Every WNBA game on Tuesday will have Cup stakes, starting with the Washington Mystics' visit to the Indiana Fever at 7 PM ET on NBATV.

Then at 8 PM ET, the Minnesota Lynx will host the Phoenix Mercury, airing on ESPN3, before the Dallas Wings close out Tuesday's slate in Seattle against the Storm at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN.

With injuries mounting across the WNBA, several teams have started stocking up on recently waived free agents, bolstering their depleted rosters with hardship signings as they head into a busy stretch of the 2025 regular season.

With both guard Kahleah Copper and forward Alyssa Thomas sidelined, the Phoenix Mercury signed former Atlanta Dream guard and 2023 first-round draft pick Haley Jones to a rest-of-season hardship contract on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Fever picked up ex-LA Sparks guard and 2021 first-rounder Aari McDonald on Sunday, with Indiana looking to boost their backcourt depth in light of injuries to guards Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, and Sydney Colson.

These hardship signings come in clutch to keep benches stocked and WNBA teams in action.

However, the longevity of these early-season additions remains uncertain as teams attempt to balance league-maximum 12-player lineups with restrictive salary caps.

Hardship contracts allow teams to temporarily expand the salary cap, but when injured players return, so do tough roster calls — much to the dismay of front office decision-makers.

"More bodies would be good," Fever president Kelly Krauskopf told reporters with a wry laugh ahead of McDonald's signing.

Roster limitations will likely be a key issue when CBA negotiations rev up, with this week's emergency signings only adding fuel to the fire.

CBS is bringing UEFA Champions League (UWCL) action to the US next season, with the network announcing Saturday that it has acquired the European Championship tournament's exclusive broadcast rights through the 2029/30 campaign.

Ending with English side Arsenal lifting their first UWCL trophy in 18 years, last weekend's Champion's League final was the competition's last match in its a four-year international media deal with streamer DAZN.

Starting next season, however, CBS will air all 75 Champions League matches live across Paramount+, CBS Sports Network, and the CBS Sports Golazo Network.

"CBS Sports is proud to be the home of all women's and men's UEFA club competitions through the end of the decade," said CBS Sports' EVP of programming Dan Weinberg.

Further aligning with the men's tournament, the post-qualifiers Champions League competition will grow from 16 to 18 teams in 2025/26, while also transitioning from a group stage play-in to a single-league standings format.

"As the competition embarks on an exciting new era, we look forward to CBS Sports delivering its dynamic and insightful coverage to American audiences, showcasing the highest level of women's club football in its new format over the next five seasons," said Guy-Laurent Epstein, managing director at UC3, the commercial entity uniting UEFA and the European Club Association.