LAS VEGAS — UConn coach Geno Auriemma believes what Breanna Stewart has done throughout her career is “groundbreaking.”
Stewart is a four-time NCAA champion at UConn, two-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA champion with two teams. But it’s her impact off the court that will further define her legacy.
Stewart played a pivotal role in the latest round of collective bargaining agreement negotiations that led to the WNBA’s first million-dollar contract and the first comprehensive revenue-sharing model in professional women’s sports.
She also co-founded Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 basketball league that allows players an opportunity to play stateside during the WNBA offseason.
“I’m proud of her because it would be easy to say, ‘Look, I’m a basketball player and that’s it,’ ” Auriemma said Tuesday before Stewart scored 20 points to lead the Liberty to an impressive 87-76 road win over the defending champion Aces . “But I think in today’s world, for the first time in a long time, you saw what happened on the men’s side. You see, George Foreman became more famous for his grills than he did for his boxing, which is crazy. People don’t remember Shaq playing. They remember all the things he’s involved in now, and Michael Jordan’s shoes are selling more now than when he played.
“But women have never really had that kind of platform and runway to take off and do other things beyond just be excellent on the court. So to have that opportunity and then take advantage of it, I just think it’s groundbreaking. I know there’s a lot of other people — A’ja Wilson is doing the same thing.”
Auriemma will be reunited with Stewart — and several of his former players, including Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers — in two weeks when he comes to New York to be on the broadcast for the Liberty’s July 7 game against the Dallas Wings.
Auriemma will be joined by ABC’s “Good Morning America” star Robin Roberts and ESPN play-by-play commentator Beth Mowins at the broadcast table for that game in honor of the league’s 30th season.
Auriemma and Roberts were on the call for ESPN’s first WNBA broadcast in 1997.
Roberts, who joined the Liberty as an equity investor last year, said she was a combination of excited and nervous about once again being part of a game broadcast.
“I can’t wait to be back with Geno doing this,” she said. “We were remarking as we were looking at our photos from 30 years ago, it kind of took our breath away for all the reasons that you could imagine. It’s like going home again. It’s in my DNA. I’ve continued to follow the game, I have. I’m a regular at the Liberty games and Sun games because I am in Connecticut and in New York. It’s a celebration.”
Auriemma recalled being nervous for their 1997 debut because it was a new experience. Now that he knows what could go wrong during a broadcast, Auriemma quipped, “I’m even more nervous.”
Roberts humorously asked Auriemma if he’d be prepared this time after allegedly showing up to their first broadcast together with nothing but a couple of notes jotted down on a napkin.
“I have no idea, honest to God,” Auriemma said. “We just tried, just figure out, let’s watch the game and see what happens and talk about what we see.
“I do remember, one time, I said, ‘Hey, Robin, remember we went to lunch today at Roberto’s today? That’s a great place, wasn’t it?’ And you go, ‘Yeah, I really liked it.’ And Tim [Corrigan, ESPN senior vice president of sports production] is in my ear going, ‘Shut the hell up and talk about the game.’
“Now that we are older, we can say whatever we want, Rob.”
Why?
“What are they going to do, fire us?” Roberts joked.
“Yeah, what are they going to do, fire us?” Auriemma repeated.
