WNBA Rookie of the Year Breanna Stewart sits down with Kevin Pelton to discuss the challenges as she heads to Shanghai for her first year in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association. (4:37)

Four-time NCAA champion. No. 1 pick. Olympic gold medalist. Rookie of the Year.

It has been a whirlwind six months for Breanna Stewart as she completed her career at the University of Connecticut as the winningest player in NCAA women's history and began her professional life as the Seattle Storm's top draft choice, with a detour through Rio in the middle.

Now, there's one more first for Stewart: her first time playing overseas. Not long after Stewart's rookie season ended with a loss to the Atlanta Dream in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs, she headed to Shanghai to prepare for a new season in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). Editor's Picks Stewart storms to Rookie of the Year honors

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"For me, I wanted to be in a place that was competitive. It was one of the best leagues in the world but also had a shorter season," Stewart said during the WNBA season. "Coming off a long season with UConn, going right into the WNBA, the Olympics, finishing the WNBA, I think it was the smartest decision for my body, and I'm looking forward to it.

Playing overseas during the winter is common for women's basketball stars, who can make several times their WNBA earnings in foreign leagues without any maximum salary. (Kate Fagan of espnW visited Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury in Russia last season and wrote about their experience.)

Griner is one of a handful of notable WNBA players who have played in recent seasons in the WCBA, which allows teams to import one player to go alongside Chinese talent. That list also includes three-time MVP Lauren Jackson, 2012 MVP Tina Charles, 2014 MVP Maya Moore, 2015 Finals MVP Sylvia Fowles and two-time All-Star MVP Swin Cash. Though Stewart did not consult anyone who played in China previously, their experience helped make her feel confident heading to the WCBA.

"They've all been over there, and it's all worked out really, really well when they've been in China," Stewart said. "Just knowing that I'm not going to be the first one to go to a country and test the waters (makes me comfortable). They've already done that, and I know that it's going to be great when I go there."

"The WNBA offseason, it's not really an offseason because you're playing overseas, but any time that I have to improve and get better, I will," Stewart said. Getty Images

Still, there will be an adjustment. Stewart has never been abroad for more than a month at a time while playing for USA Basketball, and this will be her first time visiting Asia.

"I'm most curious about the style of living and that kind of thing, how people interact and just walking around the city," she said. "You walk around a city like Seattle and you can kind of get a vibe and a feel for people, and walking around in Shanghai, what kind of vibe and feel is that?"

The WCBA's style of play may require some getting used to as well. The league has a well-earned reputation for physical play. Stewart's going in with an idea of what to expect.

"I've definitely heard that it's physical," she said. "So hopefully the WNBA is just gearing me up for that, and the international competition with the Olympics. But you can't really get prepared for it until you actually are a part of it."

While part of the appeal of playing in China for WNBA stars is the fact that they can get back home for a month or two before training camp -- the league's finals end in early March -- that still doesn't leave much time for skill development. So part of the challenge for Stewart as a professional will be finding a way to improve during the WCBA season.

"I think that being a pro, having that be my job, if that's how you want to say it, you want to make sure that you're getting better," she said. "The WNBA offseason, it's not really an offseason because you're playing overseas, but any time that I have to improve and get better, I will."

But it won't be all work for Stewart. She's looking forward to what she describes as an "adventure."

"It looks like a great city," she said. "The team has reached out and shown their excitement and that kind of thing, and it's going to be an adventure. I think that it's going to be a good one, and I have good people surrounding me, and it should be fun."