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Updated Feb. 16, 2026, 4:08 p.m. ET
WNBA star Breanna Stewart has signed with a new but familiar league.
On Monday, Euroleague’s Fenerbahçe Opet announced Stewart was returning to the club ahead of its playoff push in April. Stewart played for Fenerbahçe during the 2022-2023 season, helping the franchise win a EuroLeague Women championship. The New York Liberty forward also won Final Four MVP and made first-team All-EuroLeague the same season.
The 6-foot-4 forward has previously played in China and Russia. During multiple stints with various organizations, she won a 2019 EuroLeague women regular season MVP award, Final Four MVP (2021) and additional titles in the Russian Premier League (2021), EuroLeague (2021) and Turkish Super League (2023).
Stewart’s signing with Fenerbahçe comes amid an uncertain start date for the 2026 WNBA season as WNBA CBA negotiations continue. It also comes days after the veteran forward shared an encouraging update about the current negotiations with the league.
“I’m feeling better,” Stewart said on her podcast earlier this month. “I’m feeling like the owners are finally really acknowledging and being receptive of what we want and the players as well.”
WOMEN’S SPORTS: The latest news and insider insights from USA TODAY Studio IX.
Stewart’s signing could also signal a departure from her previous stance that Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league she created with co-founder Napheesa Collier, would provide a domestic opportunity for WNBA players so they didn’t have to go overseas.”Because a lot of players probably my age and a little bit older are so accustomed to going overseas,” Stewart told CBS News in 2025. “And now it’s like, no, you play WNBA. You come to Unrivaled, and we’re gonna take care of you. We’re gonna pay you. We’re gonna make sure you continue to build your brand.”
Stewart did share with her podcast host, Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner, that although she is hopeful CBA negotiations were progressing, she would keep moving forward.
“We’re not done,” Stewart said. “Hopefully, eventually, I’ll be able to be like, ‘Oh, my God, Myles. It’s finished. It’s over.’ It’s going to be incredible, but until then, we just keep trucking along.”
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