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 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

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Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

• No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.

• No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.