Stewart has league’s top-selling jersey

Breanna Stewart now can add the WNBA’s top selling jersey to a year that already includes an NCAA championship and an Olympic gold medal. Merchandise of the Seattle Storm also tops the WNBA in sales.

Breanna Stewart now can add the WNBA’s top selling jersey to a year that already includes an NCAA championship and an Olympic gold medal.

The league announced Thursday that Stewart’s jersey and merchandise of her Seattle Storm top the WNBA in sales.

Stewart says it shows the support she has received in the WNBA and hopes the league benefits too.

Olympic gold medalists held seven of the top 10 spots based on WNBAstore.com sales: Elena Delle Donne third, Maya Moore fourth, Brittney Griner sixth, Diana Taurasi eighth, Sue Bird ninth and Tamika Catchings 10th. Skylar Diggins was second followed by Shoni Schimmel at fifth and Candace Parker seventh.

The WNBA ends its Olympic break Friday. Stewart and the Storm visit Minnesota on Sunday night followed by the Sparks at Phoenix.

Community work

Lisa Borders and WNBA players are ready to move forward.

With the league resuming play this weekend after a month-long Olympic break, Borders outlined to The Associated Press a plan to have teams and players hold conversations in the community similar to what Carmelo Anthony and the U.S. Olympic basketball teams did in Los Angeles last month. The WNBA president said that was a solid blueprint for what can be done in each WNBA city.

“We’ve created a guide book which will enable each of our teams to take that same concept and bring it to life in their market,” Borders said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Our players are ready to start that phase and lead it with their colleagues from the NBA and if there are folks from other sports franchises that want to participate we’ll welcome that as well.”

Borders didn’t give a timetable of when the plan would be implemented. The league had fined three teams and their players last month for wearing shirts to show solidarity after shootings in Minnesota and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The fines were later rescinded a few days later, right before the Olympic break.

“I think it would be great. Anything would be great,” said Liberty center Tina Charles. “It’s embarrassing that it got to the point that it got to. The fact that president Lisa Borders is willing to take the next step forward, it’s not about keeping the players happy. It’s because you need to show your support in what your players need. We’re happy and thrilled that something will get done.”