Breanna Stewart returning to Turkish club with WNBA season up in the air

Liberty star Breanna Stewart is planning to return to Euroleague’s Fenerbahce Opet in April as uncertainty regarding the 2026 WNBA season looms.

Fenerbahce announced on Tuesday that Stewart re-signed with the Turkish club and plans to help the club with its playoff push in April. 

Stewart is expected to suit up for the Final Six in Zaragoza, Spain, which runs April 15-19.

Stewart’s re-signing comes at an interesting time as WNBA collective bargaining negotiations continue to drag on.

WNBA training camps are scheduled to open April 19, though players have until May 1 to report without penalty. The season is set to open May 8. However, a potential delayed start to the 2026 season is not out of the question as labor talks continue.

Changes to the league’s prioritization rules are under consideration, though any changes are unlikely to apply to the first year of the new deal. 

Stewart last played for Fenerbahce during the 2022-23 season, leading the franchise to its first EuroLeague women’s championship. She was named the Final Four MVP that year and made first-team All-EuroLeague. 

Stewart didn’t play during the 2023-24 WNBA offseason as she and Napheesa Collier laid the groundwork for their revolutionary 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled, to launch the following year. 

Part of Stewart and Collier’s goal of creating Unrivaled – a league based in Miami – was to ensure players have the opportunity to stay stateside during the WNBA offseason rather than having to play overseas to supplement their income.

A representative for Stewart didn’t return The Post’s request for comment.

The ball is currently in the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association’s hands to submit a new CBA proposal after the WNBA finally shared a counteroffer with the players’ union on Feb. 6. Before that, the WNBPA had been waiting six weeks for a response from the league.

Different viewpoints on what is an acceptable and fair revenue-share system remains one of the sticking points that have held up discussions.

Despite the ongoing back-and-forth, Stewart recently expressed optimism on the headway being made in negotiations.

“I’m feeling better,” Stewart said on a recent episode of her podcast, “Game Recognize Game with Stewie and Myles” Turner. “I’m feeling like the owners are finally really acknowledging and being receptive of what we want and the players as well.”

Until a CBA is ratified, the WNBA can’t move forward with a two-team expansion draft, free agency and the college draft. All those events have to happen before training camp opens. 

Stewart is an unrestricted free agent in the WNBA but publicly shared her plans to re-sign with the Liberty for the 2026 season. 

Last season, Stewart averaged 18.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 46.1 percent in 31 games for the Liberty. 

She’s currently playing for Mist at Unrivaled, averaging 19.7 points and 9.4 rebounds. 

Unrivaled’s regular season will come to a close at the end of this month. Playoffs are scheduled to be played Feb. 28 to March 4. The semifinal games on March 2 will be played at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, while the rest will take place in Miami.