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Yesterday afternoon, a bomb went off in Istanbul that killed six people and injured 81. There are 11 WNBA players who play in Istanbul itself and none appeared to be injured during the explosion. Chicago Sky players Azurá Stevens and Dana Evans both play on teams in Istanbul but were unharmed, according to the team's PR staff. The Next Hoops was able to confirm New York Liberty forward Natasha Howard was also safe. Teaira McCowan, who is a restricted free agent who played on the Dallas Wings last season, is also out of harms way, per the team's social media account.
As for the other players, nothing has been reported about their current situations yet.
WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson shared a statement with The Next Hoops about the current situation.
“Upon seeing CNN’s report WNBPA initiated its procedures to contact players with calls and texts directly to players and to their agents,” Jackson wrote. “We also immediately coordinated with our security team colleagues at the NBPA, who have direct contact with ground resources all over the world. NBPA Director of Security, La Verne Hibbert confirmed within minutes that initial reports of a boiler explosion were incorrect and that we had a more serious situation.
“At that point, we advised our counterparts at the league and kept them updated. While we always advise players and agents at the end of the W season about the importance of registering with the State Department’s STEP program, incidents like these provide the opportunity for us to remind them to get that done and to confirm with us.”
WNBA players' safety overseas has come into question after Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for over 260 days.
