The 20th WNBA season begins Saturday, and in a "perfect world," rookie Storm F Breanna Stewart will "become the face of the league, carry it to new heights and tap demographics that have gone untouched for two decades," according to Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN THE MAGAZINE. However, that is "not how it's gone for any of the No. 1 picks who have come before her." Former top picks like Diana Taurasi and Tina Thompson on the court have "lived up to the hype," but none of it "has provided enough traction to give the league a significant boost in attendance, revenue or TV ratings." New WNBA President Lisa Borders has held off putting Stewart, the four-time NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, "on a pedestal." She "scoffs at the notion that any 21-year-old could be the league's greatest hope." Borders: "We have bright, shining stars. But that doesn't mean they're the silver bullet to correct anything or enhance or amplify what we have happening." Merrill writes Stewart might "very well have the game to become the new face of the league," but the "reality of the WNBA is that it might not matter how good" she is. Stewart as a member of the Storm likely will play with a "fraction of the fanfare from her college days" at UConn and "struggle for summer relevance." Sun F Chiney Ogwumike, the No. 1 pick in '14, believes that the WNBA has "had a savior complex but that history has shown it doesn't work." She points to the NBA, where fans are "drawn in by numerous storylines." Ogwumike: "We can't bet on having this amazing God-save-us player. We have the best athletes in the world. It's not just one person. It's many different people." But Merrill notes Stewart is "willing to give it a shot" (ESPN THE MAGAZINE, 5/23 issue).
