Legendary NBA Star Reacts To WNBA Player's Suggestion

Breanna Stewart made major waves by proposing a fund to subsidize charter flights for WNBA travels.

The four-time All-Star offered to contribute using money earned from NIL deals and other partnerships. Sue Bird, Chiney Ogwumike, and Nneka Ogwumike were among the WNBA stars to support Stewart's plan. NBA star Ja Morant and UConn standout Paige Bueckers also offered their assistance.

On Thursday, a basketball legend praised Stewart for taking a stand.

"Been there - done that & played at the highest levels," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrote on Twitter. "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."

The Hall of Famer didn't have the same luxuries as current NBA players when dominating throughout the 1970s and '80s. Yet the six-time MVP and champion still wants better conditions for the next generation.

Charter travel is currently prohibited under the WNBA's collective bargaining agreement out of fear of select teams receiving a competitive advantage. The New York Liberty, a possible landing spot for Stewart this offseason, were fined $500,000 -- after threats to terminate the franchise -- for providing players charter flights in 2021.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Sportico's Emily Caron that the league still can't afford year-long charter flights for all 12 teams, but she didn't rule out Stewart's proposal.

“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 said. "Now, it would have to be fair across the 12 teams, but we’d absolutely be open to anything that our players are looking at from an endorsement or potential sponsorship perspective."