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Former Husky Breanna Stewart Signs With Team In China

Breanna Stewart will head to China to play for four months this winter.

Ian Bethune/The UConn Blog

Every professional women's basketball player knows that if you want to make any significant coin, you need to play overseas during the offseason. In fact, Diana Taurasi's Russian team once valued her so much they paid for her to sit out the WNBA season in order to stay fresh.

So it shouldn't be any surprise that former college basketball superstar and four-time national champion at UConn Breanna Stewart is reportedly heading to China after the conclusion of her WNBA season.

According to Chinese media reports, Stewart has signed with Shanghai Dahua of the Chinese Women's Basketball Association. As of right now, she'll be the only American on the team but not the only foreigner. Australian Olympian Liz Cambridge, who once played in the WNBA, is also on the team.

Stewart's current contract pays her around $50,617 for her rookie season, per the slotting for picks 1-4 in the 2016 WNBA Draft. She'll earn $51,630 in year 2 and $56,793 in year 3. Seattle holds a fourth-year option at $64,538. Stewie can also earn bonuses for postseason honors.

While we can speculate what Stewart might make playing over there, it's safe to say it will be significantly more than her WNBA earnings. Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner made $600,000 US in her first year playing in China.

During the 2015-16 season, there were 11 Americans playing the in Chinese Women's Basketball Association including former Huskies Maya Moore and Tina Charles, who will be teammates with Stewart during the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.