Breanna Stewart has sent a stark message to Caitlin Clark at the New York Liberty’s WNBA championship parade.
The Liberty ended their wait for a maiden WNBA title as they defeated the Minnesota Lynx 3-2 in the decisive Finals game on Sunday. The Liberty battled back from a half-time deficit as the tie went to overtime, with Stewart and co. writing their names in history.
Featuring the most minutes of any player in game five, Stewart had every reason to celebrate spearheading the Liberty to victory as she enjoyed the victory parade in Downtown Manhattan on Thursday. The 30-year-old was named in the All-WNBA first-team following her incredible season and clearly has her eyes set on more success.
Stewart signaled the Liberty’s intent to kick on from their title as she sent a warning to the likes of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese that New York are aiming to go back-to-back. “We’re not done yet but we’re gonna appreciate the s— out of this,” Stewart said at the parade.
The Olympic gold medallist’s fighting talk ahead of the next WNBA season comes just two months before the new Unrivaled basketball league is set to tip-off, with her and Lynx star Napheesa Collier facing the new league.
Unrivaled will feature a 30-player roster, with six teams of five players battling it out to be the best four teams to progress into the playoffs. The inaugural off-season tournament will see each given a six-figure salary aimed to boost their income aside from their WNBA earnings in a bid to keep players playing domestically rather than move overseas.
While the likes of Stewart and Reese are signed up, the league has been unable to secure the presence of the Indiana Fever star. It’s reported that Clark has been approached to be a part of the tournament, despite it being said that Unrivaled were set to offer her over $1million to play around 1,200 times more than her $76,535 rookie salary.
However, it appears that Clark’s focus is split between getting herself ready for the Fever’s return as she looks to kick on in her second season in the WNBA. “I feel like I’m just scratching the surface,” she said in a video posted by the Fever on social media. “I feel like there’s just so many areas that I want to improve in, and to continue to get in the gym and work on that every single day.”
Clark also has golfing commitments in the LPGA’s The Annika in Florida next month where she is set to play alongside the event’s namesake, Annika Sorenstam, in a schedule that may not have room to see her feature in Unrivaled. “I love golf so the opportunity to play in the Pro-Am for a tournament with a legend like Annika Sorenstam’s on it is so exciting,” she said. “I’m looking forward to seeing all the LPGA players on the driving range, being part of the Women’s Leadership Summit, and, of course, teeing it up in the pro-am with Annika.”
