How WNBA Star Breanna Stewart Is Changing Brand Athlete Partnerships

From Endorsements to Equity: How Athlete Brand Partnerships Are Evolving

For decades, athlete sponsorships followed a familiar formula. Brands paid athletes to appear in campaigns or wear their products. Increasingly, however, elite athletes are negotiating ownership stakes, equity opportunities and long-term strategic partnerships.

As Stewart explained, “When I first started in the league in 2016, you get endorsements and partnerships, but it was just cash on the table. And now it’s more so becoming less cash and more equity. And for me, that’s the more exciting thing because it’s actually the investment in not only the company, but also the athlete, and creates a longstanding relationship.”

Stewart’s value to brands extends beyond her performance and popularity. She has built a reputation as an athlete who understands the business of partnerships, bringing strategic insight, authenticity, and a willingness to engage deeply with the brands she represents. Ally’s relationship with Stewart, highlights why companies are seeking athletes who can deliver both cultural influence and genuine connection.

Andrea Brimmer, Chief Marketing and PR Officer at Ally Financial pointed to the importance of working with Stewart, an innovator in the brand space. She said, “Breanna is obviously an incredible force on the court who has created real cultural currency and impact beyond it. She’s a perfect fit for a brand like Ally, where our core focus as a bank is empowering people to take control of their financial trajectories and we’re intentional about using our sponsorship investments in women’s sports to truly improve the experience for athletes and fans, an ethos Stewie embodies as well.”

She continued, “What’s really blown me away since we began working with her around the launch of Unrivaled, though, is how much Stewie understands and values her sponsor relationships. She is always willing to go the extra mile. She truly gets it, which is rare air, even in today’s endorsement-heavy sports landscape. We’ve developed a great personal relationship, and her insights, personality, and presence have been incredibly impactful for us as a brand.”

Why Authenticity Drives Breanna Stewart’s Brand Partnerships

Authenticity has become one of the most valuable assets in athlete marketing. As consumers grow increasingly skeptical of traditional endorsements, brands are placing a premium on partnerships that feel genuine, making trust as important as reach.

Particularly in women’s sports, athletes have become powerful marketing partners because consumers are drawn to authentic storytelling, personal connection, and purpose-driven brands. Research from Parity (2025) found that one in five sports fans say that sponsorship of women’s sports makes them more likely to consider purchasing from that category, and that average rises to one in four, when women’s sports fans are taken into consideration.

Further, for brands, who are searching to engage the Gen Z and Millennial sport watchers market, women athletes could be a key to unlocking their buying power and brand loyalty. Parity (2025) found that Gen Z and Millennial sports fans are more likely to purchase from a brand that sponsors a woman athlete or team (46%), compared to all sports fans (35%).

For Stewart, authenticity isn’t a marketing strategy. It’s the standard by which she evaluates every partnership. She expressed, “I define my brand as hopefully someone that’s a winner, someone that’s constantly trying to be better and do better. And that carries over directly with my partnerships because I want to collab with people that have the similar mindset of wanting to always be better and be bigger.”

She continued and explained, “For example with CLIF, being able to start our partnership in 2023 and really seeing where it’s grown till now is really exciting. And I just feel like it’s natural. I think that’s my biggest thing is as I’m building my brand and as my brand is continuing to go, I want to make sure that I’m showing the people closest to me, but also the fans around me what I really use. And really I have Cliff Bars and CLIF bites with me 24/7.”

Stewart’s approach reflects a broader shift in athlete marketing, where consumers increasingly expect transparency from the athletes they follow. Rather than treating endorsements as transactional opportunities, she views them as long-term relationships built on credibility. If a product does not fit into her actual life, she does not want to attach her name to it. “It’s okay to say no. If I don’t use something for real, I don’t want to promote it. I don’t want to give my fans or the people around me the wrong idea,” said Stewart.

This sentiment is shared by CLIF, Brooke Donberg, Director Partnerships and Activations outlined,“Authenticity is at the core of CLIF’s athlete partnerships. Breanna Stewart has been a real fan of the CLIF Brand and products long before becoming an official ambassador, and that real connection is where the value lives.”

Donberg continued and provided the data and ROI of the partnership as proof of the power of athlete brand partnerships, “The results speak for themselves, 300M+ impressions over the course of our partnership demonstrate that Stewie’s audience responds when they know the partnership is genuine.”

Creative Control Is Reshaping Athlete Brand Partnerships

Again, women athletes often build deeper connections with consumers by pairing elite performance with compelling personal stories, making them highly valuable partners for brands. However, for these athletes, like Stewart, input and creative control are also paramount.

Stewart expressed that with CLIF and Throne Sport Coffee, she has had a “very hands-on” approach in those partnerships. She said, “Last year I was able to create my own caffeinated flavor CLIF bar… And to have my friends and my family be able to go into the grocery store and buy my bar was something that I was really proud of.”

Further, as an athlete that prioritizes her body and nutrition Stewart stressed her partnerships need to match these goals, “With my new partnership with Sport Coffee, I think it’s really cool because it’s a cold brew, but it’s natural caffeine. So while I’m able to get the caffeine that I need, it’s coming from the most natural form and in the healthiest way. And also it has protein, which I love.”

This desire for creative control and equity is what led Stewart to co-found the 3×3 basketball league Unrivaled with former UConn teammate and WNBA superstar Napheesa Collier. Unrivaled has flourished in its short life-span; in just two years, the league was last valued at $340 million.

In discussing Unrivaled, Stewart explained, “For all players, especially founding players to have equity in the league so that they know it’s player-led, they’re a part of the league’s success. They are able to really put themselves out there on a limb to go after what they believe in.”

What Brands Can Learn From Breanna Stewart

However, Stewart knows there is still growth in the brand partnership space for women athletes. “Honestly, I think that there’s still a gap just from the media side, whether it’s actual games on TV or having more female athletes players in commercials and billboards.”

She continued, “You don’t realize how many male athletes there are until you see a female athlete and you’re like, ‘wait, I’m not seeing these on every corner or on every street.’ And I think people are starting to get on the wave and the movement that we’re on, but I want it to be more. I want it to be a bigger roster of athletes. More diverse.”

As investment in women’s sports accelerates, Stewart’s approach offers a glimpse into the next generation of athlete brand partnerships, especially in the WNBA. Success is no longer measured solely by the size of an endorsement contract, but by the ability to build authentic relationships, influence products, and create long-term value through ownership. For athletes and brands alike, that may prove to be the most valuable partnership of all.

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