NBA Hall of Famer speaks up for the ehtcharter flight issue

Former NBA player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is all in to raise the issue of the WNBA charter issue.

In a recent post on Twitter, the Hall of Famer said he’s “all for WNBA players getting equal rights.” The topic in question has been in discussion ever since All-Star Brittney Griner claimed she needed to fly privately for security measures. 

As of now, WNBA does not allow Charter Flights for players. 

Abdul Jabbar, an athlete who has achieved success at the highest-level claims that traveling on a commercial airline can have adverse effects on an athlete’s body. During his career which spanned two decades, Abdul-Jabbar overcame the NBA’s all-time record for scoring. However, all this time he traveled on commercial flights. 

In his tweet, he says “Today’s NBA players never had to deal with the effects of commercial travel on their bodies.” 

NBA stars who have the privilege to travel on charter flights have begun to demand and advocate equal rights for women athletes.

Kyrie Irving pledged to support the idea and said “with (WNBA players) no matter how much it costs”. He was followed by Ja Morant who added, “count me in.”

How does this affect players?

Breanna Stewart is the most valuable free agent this season. The Veteran had her say on this matter as she made her desire clear to help by saying, “would love to be part of a deal that helps subsidize charter travel for the entire WNBA.” Her decision to prioritize the safety and health of the players was applauded by Abdul-Jabbar: “Congrats Breanna for raising this issue.”

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley who had a similar experience in his playing days said, 

“It drives me crazy when guys making $30 million are complaining about playing basketball two days in a row. We did that and we flew commercials. These guys, never even go to the airport. I remember I’d be sleeping in the airport at 5 o’clock in the morning, traveling three hours and playing a game that day.”

Barkley added: “It was so crazy because every plane leaves at 6 or 7 in the morning. We’d be at the airport by 4:30, 5 most times. We’d be sleeping, half the guys laying on the floor and then my first year I was in coach the whole year.”

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert previously denied the idea on ESPN, “We’ve asked all the major airlines. We’ve asked charter companies. I’ve been working on this since the moment I came into the league. Without sponsors stepping up, it’s just not in the cards right now.”

Engelbert calculated the flight costs for an entire season for 12 teams to be around $20 million.

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