Four-time NCAA tourney champ and four-time Final Four MVP
Breanna Stewart broke multiple records as a basketball player for the University of Connecticut, and she is looking to do the same thing as a pro athlete, said her agent,
Lindsay Kagawa Colas.
Colas, Wasserman senior vice president of action sports and Olympics, signed Stewart for representation on and off the court last week. Soon afterward, Colas was in discussions with apparel and shoe companies, as well as teams in Europe and Asia.
A power forward/center who made a difference on offense and defense, Stewart is 6 feet, 4 inches tall but has a 7-1 wingspan. “It’s like she’s a 7-foot player, but she gets to play in a 6-4 body,” Colas said.
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Breanna Stewart of UConn is a transcendent athlete, her agent says.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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“She is a transcendent athlete.”
Stewart is turning pro at a propitious time. The WNBA turns 20 this year, the Olympics are this summer and the issue of gender pay equity, both in sports and in society, have taken center stage.
“It’s really an exciting time for an athlete like ‘Stewie’ … because she understands the dynamics and she wants to participate,” Colas said. “She is the face of the generation who wants to be a part of those big discussions in changing the world. She is a true millennial, in that sense. But she is, authentically, just a baller. She loves basketball so much and is completely driven by performance.”
Stewart said she chose Colas after researching agents and agencies last fall and narrowing her choices to five.
“Most of the agents I interviewed specialized in women’s basketball but worked for agencies that represented men and women in various sports,” Stewart wrote in an email. She liked Colas’ experience working with other athletes in the industry, but most important was that she felt most comfortable with Colas.
Stewart was expected to be taken first by the Seattle Storm in last Thursday’s WNBA draft. Colas has represented eight of the last 14 No. 1 WNBA draft picks. Colas said she was hopeful that Stewart would be chosen to represent the U.S. in the Olympics in Rio. Stewart is one of 25 finalists for the 12-woman roster.
Colas is receiving calls from brands interested in activating with Stewart for the Olympics, even though the final roster has not been announced. Stewart is required to report to WNBA training camp later this month.
“Our current priority is on shoe and apparel partners, and that may be one or that may be multiple,” Colas said. “It may be carved up into different companies. She’s got options, and we are exploring all of them.”
She also is receiving offers from clubs in Russia, China and elsewhere overseas, where she could play in addition to the WNBA.
“Given my experience representing top picks in the draft, people are as excited about her as we’ve seen,” Colas said, “Particularly because she has the option for China.”
The pay in the WNBA is capped at a bit over six figures for the top stars, but in Europe and Asia, it’s an unrestricted free market. Pay equity is an important issue for Stewart, Colas said.
“Stewie has a very clear sense of who she is and what is important to her,” Colas said. “Her understanding of the conversations around gender equity and the roles female athletes play in that discussion are really high. She gets it. She understands her potential to raise the tide for all female athletes.”
Colas acknowledges it may take a bit longer for pay equity for women in sports. “It doesn’t mean she is going to get the same as the men all the time,” Colas said. “But she is thinking in those terms. Long term, she wants to be a part of that change.”
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
