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Tag: WNBA

  • The Caitlin Clark business is booming. Here’s how her WNBA sponsorships are lining up

    The Caitlin Clark business is booming. Here’s how her WNBA sponsorships are lining up

    Last fall, representatives from Gainbridge, an Indiana-based annuities seller, reached out to Caitlin Clark’s marketing agents at Excel Sports Management to discuss a sponsorship deal. The company was launching a new product line and its executives believed Clark could help them reach younger customers.

    Minji Ro, Gainbridge’s chief strategy officer, is also a longtime WNBA fan, and she knew that the Indiana Fever had a 44.2 percent chance of winning the WNBA lottery in December. Gainbridge holds the naming rights to the Fever’s arena, and Clark would be the presumptive No. 1 pick if she declared for the draft.

    But Ro said that the company didn’t even discuss the decision with Clark during the months of negotiations that finally ended in February with a signed contract. Ultimately, Ro said, she didn’t care where Clark would play, whether it was in the WNBA or at the University of Iowa for one more season. She just wanted to be in the Caitlin Clark business.

    “We were in no matter what,” Ro said. “Because that’s the power of Caitlin Clark. So she plays in Indiana, that’s great, but it doesn’t actually matter where she plays because she’s gonna sell out everywhere.”

    When Clark finally declared for the draft last week, as had long been expected, she set an end date to her record-setting college career. The WNBA awaits, and the Fever won the No. 1 pick in December, putting them in prime position to land a player who is rising and who has shown herself to be a marketing powerhouse, with a sponsorship portfolio of blue chip companies and more than 1 million Instagram followers.

    Laced throughout that lively conversation about what Clark can do for the league, there has also been fretful, speculative discussion of what the decision would mean for Clark financially, and if being in the WNBA would amount to a pay cut.

    The consensus among a coterie of people involved in women’s basketball and involved with her directly is that Clark’s income, and her marketing potential, would not suffer once she jumps to the WNBA this summer. Instead, they say, she seems likely to surpass what she earned this season at Iowa.

    “It’s a bad narrative,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said of the idea that Clark would be sacrificing by playing professionally.

    “Pre-Caitlin Clark, I’ve been trying to correct the media that NIL deals, when they’re national sponsors like Caitlin and Angel Reese and Cameron Brink, those are just called endorsements in the pros. I just find it funny that nobody ever said this about LeBron James, or Michael Jordan who made a lot more money with their endorsements than they did in their salary in the NBA. Nobody ever said that. Now, all of a sudden, because it’s women’s sports, people are saying that. That’s absolutely untrue when you have these national brands.”

    The dilemma is one that male college basketball players rarely have to reckon with. A job in the NBA usually comes with a multi-million dollar salary, and lucrative marketing deals for the top picks. But it has followed Clark, and other top women in college basketball, for the last three years as college athletes have been able to profit off their name, image and likeness rights. Today, the choice to head to the WNBA comes with a head-to-head comparison: a rookie pro salary and endorsement prospects versus the NIL income from local collectives and businesses associated with college sports.

    While top NBA prospects often leave for the league as soon as possible, the choice for top women’s players lingers. Paige Bueckers, a projected top-3 pick, recently said she would return for a senior season at the University of Connecticut.

    Clark, however, is in a class of her own. At a time when women’s sports is ascending, she is the rising tide lifting those boats even higher. She added two new national sponsors just this week and is expected to sign a new sneaker deal that will be one of the biggest in the WNBA, according to two people briefed on the situation.

    Her marketing infrastructure has expanded in kind. This fall, she signed with Excel for marketing representation, sharing an agent with Peyton Manning, helping to pile up the endorsements.

    Gainbridge rolled out her arrangement on Tuesday. She joins Billie Jean King and Annika Sörenstam in promoting the company’s latest annuities product for women. Panini said Wednesday that Clark is the first woman it has signed to an exclusive trading card deal.

    Panini engaged Clark’s camp in October. Jason Howarth, Panini’s senior VP of marketing, said the two sides completed the contract more than a month ago but waited until the right time to announce it. It will take effect on April 1. Clark had previously had a deal with Topps.

    “Caitlin is a transcendent athlete, and we think that she is going to be special whether she stayed at Iowa or whether she decided to go to the W,” Howarth said. “We were willing to commit to that. We knew exactly whatever her decision was, we’d be comfortable with it and we’d lean in on it and figure out what we’re going to do and how we’re going to present it.”

    The most high-profile of her endorsements will keep her under contract past her Iowa days and into the start of her WNBA career. Her contracts with Gatorade and State Farm extend into her WNBA career, one person with knowledge of her marketing deals said.

    Jeff Kearney, Gatorade’s head of sports marketing, said the company has a multi-year deal with Clark. A sponsorship deal with Hy-Vee, the grocery chain, will run past 2024, Tina Pothoff, Hy-Vee’s vice president of communications, said. State Farm did not respond to a message seeking comment. A spokesperson for Buick replied after initial publication to note that it does not currently have a sponsorship deal with Clark, though it did previously feature her social media campaign.

    “It’s gonna be harder,” Kearney said. “You know the competition is going to be tougher. Players are faster. The players are better. But again, I think she has an it-factor and is driven to succeed. So it certainly doesn’t change the approach that we have of trying to celebrate this phenomenal athlete and tell her story. It doesn’t matter what jersey she has on.”


    “It doesn’t matter what jersey she has on.” Clark’s worth is expected to see more gains in the WNBA. (David Berding / Getty Images)

    Though many of her deals will continue to run, she is on the precipice of making even more money than she did this season at Iowa. Clark did not take any money from Iowa’s main collective, according to the Wall Street Journal.

    She will make a salary in the WNBA — the No. 1 pick is guaranteed $76,535 in her first season — unlike at Iowa. She can also avail herself of up to $250,000 in a league marketing deal and up to $100,000 in a team marketing contract if she eschews playing abroad next offseason, or she can sign what is likely to be a high-paying contract to play for a team in Europe or China.

    She has a deal with Nike, which is one of the WNBA’s financial partners as part of its Changemakers program. The league often pushes those companies to use its stars in marketing campaigns, especially those who have a league marketing deal. Some have signed individual endorsement deals after the league’s run out, and Engelbert said other companies could soon get financially involved.

    “I suspect we’ll have some of our huge partners step up here too as huge players come in with the followership,” she said.

    One WNBA agent was strident that Clark, or any top player entering the league, would make more as a professional.

    “If you’re the right type of talent, it doesn’t matter if you’re in college, the pros, in Indiana, L.A.” the agent said. “All these things help, of course. It’s not that you have to take a pay cut to go pro.”

    Engelbert pointed out that several WNBA players, like A’ja Wilson, Jewell Lloyd and Arike Ogunbowale already have sizable endorsement deals.

    Clark will still retain her large Instagram following, and her fan base from Iowa will likely continue to root for her. A new city — Indianapolis — will adopt her. Clark has also become such a nationally beloved brand that her marketing potential is not constrained by one market.

    The most significant new business opportunity is likely to be her upcoming sneaker and apparel free agency. Clark’s deal with Nike will end after the conclusion of this college basketball season, a person briefed on the deal confirmed, a detail first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

    Though Clark was with Nike in college, her market was likely muted compared to what she could draw as a pro, industry insiders said. Iowa already had an apparel deal with Nike, so Clark was going to wear those sneakers on the court regardless of any individual deal she signed. And she would have been unable to wear the sneakers of another company for her record-setting feats if she signed with a company other than Nike. (LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson has a Puma endorsement even though the school wears Nike, but she cannot wear them when she plays for the Tigers.)

    Clark will be unconstrained in the WNBA and she is expected to draw a significant contract for the upcoming WNBA season. Nike, Adidas and others are expected to pursue her. Multiple sources with knowledge of the sneaker industry said Clark is set to sign a deal for more than $1 million annually, which would be one of the richest among WNBA players.

    “She’ll be regarded as one of the greatest gets of all time for the brand that gets her,” one sneaker company executive said.

    Sara Gotfredson, who was once a marketing and sales executive at ESPN and Disney, said that brands have been shy to deploy money on NIL deals compared with what they spend in endorsements for professionals.

    But some women’s college basketball players may see their popularity, and earning power, peak during those years, with a dedicated collective and local businesses ready to engage them in a market where they are one of its top athletes, then lower profiles when they reach the WNBA. That will not be true for Clark, said Gotfredson, who is now a co-founder of Trailblazing Sports Group.

    “The NCAA is a great springboard for these athletes, and especially for such a superstar like Caitlin Clark,” she said. “But I don’t subscribe to the theory that the NCAA is sort of the pinnacle of these women’s careers. I think if anything she’s going to get more visibility, more brand deals, gain more popularity in the W.”

    There has been little concern among her sponsors that Clark will become less marketable when she gets to the WNBA. Instead, there is intrigue and optimism that she may be able to help the league.

    While ratings have improved in the WNBA over the last few seasons, they have gone up even higher in college basketball. Last year’s NCAA Tournament championship game between Iowa and LSU averaged 9.9 million viewers and was the most watched women’s college basketball game ever. The Iowa–South Carolina semifinal game drew 5.5 million viewers. WNBA Finals games last season averaged 728,000 viewers.

    Attendance at her games has regularly trumped WNBA games as well. The league averaged 6,615 fans per game last season — a five-year high — while Iowa averaged 100.7 percent capacity at home with 14,998 fans per game, according to NCAA data, the second-highest in women’s college basketball. The Hawkeyes drew 55,651 fans to the school’s football stadium in October for an exhibition game — the largest attendance for a college basketball game this season — and three of the other eight most well-attended women’s college basketball games this season were at road arenas when Iowa visited Big Ten opponents.

    Clark, and Iowa, have been a ratings machine this season as she chased college scoring records. Three Iowa games have been among the top 10 most-watched college basketball games this season, men’s or women’s. Sunday’s regular-season finale drew 3.39 million viewers — the sixth-highest viewership for a basketball game this season, including the NBA. A Fox executive tweeted Tuesday that women’s college basketball games have averaged more viewers than men’s games on the network this season.

    Kearney said in his discussions with Engelbert, there is already interest in how often and when Clark’s games will air on nationally televised broadcasts. When she joins the WNBA, Clark will be just one of three WNBA players with a Gatorade endorsement. Engelbert has stressed to its marketing and broadcast partners that the league is trying to create household names and asks for their help, but with Clark they are getting a ready-made star.

    “It’s one of those things where you get an athlete like this who is doing things that are maybe extraordinary isn’t the right word, but the people are paying attention — male, female, old young,” Kearney said. “That’s gonna carry over if she keeps doing what she’s doing. People are gonna tune in and you’re gonna see the numbers rise.”

    (Top photo of Caitlin Clark: Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • Why Caitlin Clark could pose a dilemma for Team USA at the Olympics

    Why Caitlin Clark could pose a dilemma for Team USA at the Olympics

    USA Basketball will be seeking its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal this summer with the first step coming at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, from Feb. 8-11. The 12-player roster for that tournament will be the first approximation of the team that will defend the Americans’ gold medal in Paris.

    Based on the 18 players who have been invited to the national team camp from Feb. 2-4 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the committee has a terrifically challenging task to select that final roster, a decision that will likely be further complicated by the current collegians — primarily Caitlin Clark, but USA Basketball veterans Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink could also factor in here — who turn pro at the end of the 2023-24 season.

    The final roster will ultimately make a statement about what the committee values: youth and the future or experience and proven success. USA Basketball has generally balanced old and young on the international team so that the younger players can carry the torch and preserve the culture. Including — or not including — Clark poses a unique dilemma with the wealth of options before the committee.

    On the opposite end of the spectrum from Clark is Diana Taurasi, one of eight Olympians from Tokyo in 2021 who is back in the national team pool. Taurasi is seeking to become the first basketball player of either gender to compete in six Olympics. She would also be the oldest basketball Olympian ever and the third American woman of any sport to participate in six games. Assuming Taurasi is healthy, she is a lock to return to the roster. The 41-year-old even participated in the USA Basketball college barnstorming tour in November against Tennessee and Duke, which presumably was not compulsory for a player with her pedigree.

    Taurasi is joined by Ariel Atkins, Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson from the Tokyo team. Atkins is the only one of those returnees — other than Griner, who has extenuating circumstances, and is another lock to suit up in red, white and blue if she so chooses — whose play has declined since the last Olympiad, but considering she also played for the USA during the 2022 FIBA World Cup, Atkins will likely be prioritized by the committee. However, her status as a 2024 Olympian is probably the most tenuous of these eight players.

    That leaves at most five, and likely four, spots for new blood, and the competition is fierce. Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney, Kelsey Plum and Alyssa Thomas were all additionally part of the World Cup squad. Ionescu averaged the fewest minutes in Australia, but she, Thomas and Plum all have been All-WNBA selections within the past two seasons, with the latter two finishing top-five in MVP voting. Plum’s history with the three-on-three team should also give her a leg up with the committee, which brings us to her fellow gold medalists in that sport’s debut in 2021: Allisha Gray and Jackie Young. Both players seem too good to be left off of the roster, especially Young, but that is always the case with the American national team.

    All seven of those players would be reasonable selections for the Olympics, and that doesn’t even include Aliyah Boston, Rhyne Howard and Arike Ogunbowale — three of the younger camp invites. All Boston has done is put together one of the most decorated college careers in recent memory, plus collect multiple gold medals for the U.S. at youth levels, while earning rookie of the year honors and starting in the WNBA All-Star Game. Frankly, Boston seems like another lock, filling in the sixth frontcourt spot behind Wilson, Stewart, Griner, Thomas and Collier. Howard and Ogunbowale — both All-Stars who would be the leading scorers on just about any other national team in the world — are probably on the outside looking in until the 2028 Olympics.

    Then, there’s the youth question. The No. 1 picks in the 2004, 2008 and 2016 WNBA drafts made the Olympic teams as rookies (Nneka Ogwumike’s omission in 2012 was curious then, and her absence from subsequent Olympic rosters has made that snub even more ridiculous in hindsight), and a similarly loaded draft class is on deck to carry that tradition. The youngsters take their place at the end of the roster and then grow into the future leaders. Wilson has talked about learning from Taurasi and Sue Bird how to set the standard, which she put into practice along with Stewart at the last World Cup.

    It would make sense for Clark to be the latest ingénue to take her place as Team USA’s 12th player, but with the 2004 No. 1 pick Taurasi still kicking, there may not be enough space. Perhaps the committee will take solace in Boston representing the current generation, while a cohort of older guards compete in the backcourt. Deciding between Atkins, Copper, Allisha Gray, Ionescu, Ogunbowale, Plum and Young for what figures to be three spots will be difficult enough without adding Clark to the mix.

    Then again, the Caitlin Clark effect is real. How could USA Basketball choose not to capitalize on the rabid popularity of one of the game’s biggest stars when whoever takes her place doesn’t figure to play many minutes anyway? The Olympics are the biggest showcase of women’s basketball worldwide. A player like Clark belongs on that stage if the selection committee wants to build off the momentum the sport is generating stateside.

    There will be plenty of superstars on the national team whether Clark makes the cut or not. And the U.S. will be prohibitive favorites regardless of what combination of these players suits up in Paris. The specific composition of this roster, however, will reveal what the committee prioritizes, be it national team history, domestic success, balance of youth/veterans or the most marketable names. All of those possibilities are on the table.

    (Photo of Caitlin Clark: Marc Piscotty / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • SZN Opener: LSU Guard Aneesah Morrow Talks Leaving DePaul, Learning from Injuries, & More

    SZN Opener: LSU Guard Aneesah Morrow Talks Leaving DePaul, Learning from Injuries, & More

    SZN Opener is back with new episodes dropping every week. On Season 2 of this dynamic podcast series, host and noted sports analyst Monica McNutt showcases Black college athletes and explores their triumphs, challenges and aspirations along their sports journeys.

    Source: Ethan Miller / Getty

    In Episode 2, LSU’s Aneesah Morrow joins SZN Opener for an in-depth conversation about her journey as a rising star in women’s basketball and her decision to transfer after two seasons at DePaul.

    From DePaul To LSU

    The Chicago native excelled on the court at DePaul University, racking up numerous accolades as one of the top players in the country including ESPN Top Freshman in the Country, BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and DePaul women’s basketball MVP.

    The All-America forward transferred to Louisiana State University this year, arriving at Baton Rouge to much acclaim with 53 double-doubles in 66 career games. Morrow is “a standout at LSU as the Tigers are looking to defend their national championship from last year,” McNutt says.

    Morrow has a clear vision of what she wants to accomplish at LSU.

    “I knew that going to a different school would allow me to develop my game in different aspects,” she says. “I was going to be challenged at the highest level possible. I knew that I would have to come in everyday and compete for my spot, but also perform on the floor.”

    So far this season, Morrow has established herself as a key player on the LSU Tigers alongside teammate Angel Reese. NOLA.com called Morrow “a versatile wing who might be the most well-rounded player on arguably the most talented team in the country.”

    Versatility is her goal.

    “I came here to expand my game. I’ve been working on becoming a better defender because I have to be quicker to guard out on the perimeter,” she says. “I want to be able to defend every position on the floor. Which also makes me a bigger threat. It shows my versatility and allows me to stay on the floor longer.”

    “That was my biggest goal coming in here, trying to be one of the most improved players that I possibly can be,” she adds.

    Injuries Gave Her A New Perspective

    She may be a powerhouse on the court, but there’s more to Aneesah Morrow than basketball.

    Morrow developed a resilience to the challenges she’s had to endure as an athlete, including three knee surgeries. Her injuries forced her to discover interests outside of basketball. “Being injured and having to sit down so much, I had to figure out other things that made me happy,” she says.

    Despite being a top player, Morrow is determined to enjoy other aspects of her life as well.

    “People see what I do on the basketball court, but there is so much more to me than just basketball,” says the LSU guard. “Being an athlete, we have to learn that about ourselves, because sometimes we let basketball define so much of our individuality and we never really get to express ourselves.”

    Coming from a family of decorated athletes, she credits her parents and siblings with helping her through the tough times with their unwavering support. “A lot of things that I’ve accomplished have been because of the competitive nature that’s ingrained in me through the Morrow family,” she says.

    Aspiring For The WNBA

    Morrow aspires to play in the WNBA after college. It’s what motivates her to keep striving for greatness. “My goal has always been to play in the W,” she says. “Even through all the adversity, I’ve always tried to focus on the bigger picture. ”

    Catch the full conversation with Aneesah Morrow above. Listen to Episode 2 of SZN Opener Season 2 on the Urban One podcasts platform or your favorite streaming app.

    Victoria Kim

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  • WNBA 2024 mock draft: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink headline

    WNBA 2024 mock draft: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink headline

    The 2024 WNBA Draft order is set. Indiana won the draft lottery Sunday, giving the Fever the first pick in what could be one of the deepest drafts in league history. Could is the operative word, as every draft-eligible senior in this class has the opportunity to return to college for a fifth season due to the COVID-19 bonus year given to every player who suited up in 2020-21.

    Indiana is the fourth team in the last decade to earn consecutive No. 1 picks after Seattle had the top selections in 2015 and 2016, Las Vegas had a three-year stretch of picking first from 2017-2019, and New York won the lottery in 2020 and 2021. The Storm won two titles with the duo of Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart, and the Aces have done the same with the trio of Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young. The Fever hope to shortly follow in their footsteps with the inside-outside combination of Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

    Clark going first has been the expected outcome since the end of last season, but what happens afterward? The Athletic’s first 2024 mock draft attempts to answer that question. This exercise includes every player who is eligible for this year’s draft, though we know some of them will choose to stay an extra year in school. We’ll cross that bridge later in the year. For now, let’s assume every senior who can go pro will do so.

    GO DEEPER

    Who are the best women’s college basketball players for the 2024 WNBA Draft?

    1. Indiana Fever

    Caitlin Clark | 6-0 guard | Iowa

    This is the easiest decision in the entire draft. Clark is a superlative offensive engine, one of the greatest ever seen in college basketball. She pours on points in a hurry and not just with her logo range; Clark doesn’t shy away from contact in the paint and her midrange shooting gets better every season. She’s one of only 15 players in Division I history to score 3,000 points, and she has a realistic chance of breaking Kelsey Plum’s scoring record this season, in addition to chasing Pete Maravich’s all-time record for men or women.

    If, somehow, she can be held in check as a scorer — and good luck with that, no team has kept her below 20 since Maryland in February, a span of 22 games — Clark is also an elite passer. She zips the ball up the court in transition and makes every read in the half court. This is the player who led the nation in points and assists as a sophomore and then improved on both those figures as a junior.

    Clark is also a superstar. Iowa sold out its season ticket allotment, and attendance rises in every road arena when the Hawkeyes visit because people want to see Clark. She dazzles in the limelight. She is a marketing dream for any organization; she can handle the pressure of being the face of the franchise. The fact that she’s born and raised in the Midwest and takes great pride in that makes her a slam dunk in Indiana. Furthermore, the basketball fit of Clark and Boston is sublime. After years of competing against each other for national awards — and in one epic NCAA Tournament clash — they’ll get to build each other up as teammates.

    Paige Bueckers | 5-11 guard | Connecticut

    The Sparks are ecstatic to be in the position, even if Clark is off the table. The Fever earning the first selection makes it more likely that Clark declares for the draft, giving L.A. its pick of every other player in the country. Although fan sentiment is in favor of Cameron Brink (think about the last time the Sparks selected a Stanford frontcourt star in the lottery), right now, we have the Sparks taking Bueckers.

    Bueckers’ injury history — she missed much of the 2021-22 season with a knee issue and then all of 2022-23 with a torn ACL — gives pause, but her play when healthy still portends a future superstar. She can work with the ball in her hands and is absolutely deadly in the midrange while also making 44 percent of her 3s in her UConn career. The only way to keep her from getting to her spots is to deny her the ball, and with her size and ability to read the floor, even that doesn’t always go well for opponents.

    She won national player of the year as a freshman and kept UConn’s 14-year Final Four streak alive as a sophomore despite returning from injury two games before the Big East tournament. She’s a big-game player, and the Sparks need that, especially from the guard position. Since Chelsea Gray left in 2021, L.A. has lacked a dynamic playmaker who is also a scoring threat. That’s Paige Bueckers.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Anonymous WNBA GM poll: Candid thoughts on potential 2024 draftees Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers

    Cameron Brink | 6-4 forward/center | Stanford

    It would be more poetic if the Stanford big went to L.A. and the Connecticut guard went to Phoenix, but Brink lands with the Mercury in this mock. It isn’t so much about fit because Phoenix has two starter-level bigs in Brittney Griner and Brianna Turner, but she’s the best player available. Brink is the best frontcourt option in this draft. She’s an absolutely terrifying defensive presence who stifles post players and also sticks with guards on the perimeter. She has a versatile offensive game, mixing in guard skills with the traditional interior scoring of a 6-4 player.

    Brink’s the type of player you can imagine being able to guard A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart in a couple of years while also being able to switch out onto Clark. Every WNBA team is going to need that.

    4. Seattle Storm

    Rickea Jackson | 6-2 forward | Tennessee

    Jackson’s placement in the lottery assumes that she’ll return soon from an injury that has limited her to two games this season. Because if Jackson regains her form from last season, she’s a professional scorer who belongs on any WNBA roster. She even got to her spots against a Team USA squad that came to Knoxville for an exhibition in November, leading all scorers.

    Seattle’s main problem in 2023 was a dearth of offensive options, leaving Loyd to fend with suffocating defensive coverages. Jackson can alleviate that pressure. What she does best is put the ball in the hoop.

    Nyadiew Puoch | 6-3 forward | Southside Flyers (Australia)

    Normally, I try to shy away from international players in the first round given their national team commitments and the difficulties of prioritization. But it’s much easier for Australian players to make the move to the WNBA because their domestic league, the WNBL, doesn’t conflict at all with the WNBA calendar. As a result, Puoch is a strong selection for Dallas at No. 5.

    Puoch has put up strong performances internationally at the youth level; she particularly dazzled for the world team at the inaugural Nike Hoop Summit in April. Her defensive versatility pops. Even as a wing, Puoch is a dynamic rim protector in help defense. The 19-year-old is also a smooth driver, mixing in Euro steps with powerful takes to the cup and finishing with her left despite being right-handed. She’s connecting on 50 percent of her 3s in the WNBL this season, making her a prototypical 3-and-D wing to complement Dallas’ stars.

    Jacy Sheldon | 5-10 guard | Ohio State

    The Mystics love a guard who gets after it on defense, and even if she were subbing in for Brittney Sykes (or potentially Natasha Cloud), there would be no defensive drop-off with Sheldon. She’s been an active full-court defender for five years at Ohio State and absolutely outstanding off-ball in the half court, which fits seamlessly next to the point-of-attack pressure of Sykes. For a team that prides itself on stopping opponents, Sheldon makes a ton of sense.

    Washington needs to improve its spacing on offense, and Sheldon also fills that role. She was at or near 35 percent from long range in her first three seasons with the Buckeyes and has raised that to 40.5 percent as a super senior. The Mystics generate a high volume of triples in their system but have connected on them at a below-average rate every year since 2019 when they set a WNBA record for offensive efficiency. Guards who can shoot are a must.


    Charlisse Leger-Walker’s size makes her a strong fit for the Lynx at point guard. (Norvik Alaverdian / ATPImages Getty Images)

    Charlisse Leger-Walker | 5-10 guard | Washington State

    The Lynx don’t have any point guards under contract for the 2024 season. Although they seem perfectly content finding a floor general from the veteran waiver wire, as they did the last two years, the draft is a prime opportunity for Minnesota to find another franchise tentpole to pair with Napheesa Collier and Diamond Miller.

    Cheryl Reeve seems to prefer lead guards with a little more size (hence the Tiffany Mitchell and Rachel Banham experiments at point), which is why Leger-Walker is the pick. She’s a dynamite passer, not just in the pick-and-roll but also on skip passes out of drives. She can get to the basket on her own and off cuts, and she has a smooth midrange game, particularly when she posts up smaller guards. Her shooting range hasn’t yet expanded consistently to the 3-point line, but being a career 80 percent shooter from the foul line suggests it is possible. As a defender, Leger-Walker is physical and rebounds well. She’ll need work in one-on-one defense, however, most rookies do. Assuming Leger-Walker can get up to snuff on the defensive end, she would fit well offensively on the Lynx, who get a lot of shot creation out of their frontcourt.

    Kamilla Cardoso | 6-7 center | South Carolina

    Watching the Dream in the playoffs last year — and in some of their disappointing fall-from-ahead defeats in the regular season — the major need on this roster is a veteran point guard who can settle Atlanta in the run of play. Unfortunately, drafts don’t yield veterans, which means the Dream might be best suited trading this pick if they can’t land a floor general in free agency.

    If we stick with the best player available, Cardoso gets the nod. She would help beef up a somewhat undersized frontcourt; she could back up Cheyenne Parker or even play next to her, considering Parker’s perimeter skills. The Dream were mauled on the glass in the postseason against Dallas and had no bigger options on the bench to turn to — Cardoso solves that problem. And unlike many draftees who struggle with the adjustment of playing in the second unit, Cardoso has done that for much of her collegiate career.

    9. Dallas Wings

    Georgia Amoore | 5-6 guard | Virginia Tech

    The Wings employed Crystal Dangerfield as their starting point guard for most of last season but didn’t seem fully sold on Dangerfield at that position, ultimately benching her in the second round of the playoffs. Both she and Veronica Burton are still under contract, but neither has a protected deal, meaning this spot is very much up for grabs in Dallas. Amoore could be the player who finally brings stability at point guard.

    Amoore has become an outstanding distributor, with her assist percentage jumping above 40 this year after hovering around 27 her first three seasons. She’s kept her turnovers constant in the process, making her even more dangerous with the ball in her hands. The Australian guard is also a legitimate scoring threat, with the ability to finish creatively at the rim and score in the midrange on pull-ups and floaters. But her trademark is the sidestep beyond the arc which allows her to put up a high volume of 3-pointers. Amoore runs a lot of pick-and-rolls, and one can only imagine what she would do with the space afforded by a Teaira McCowan screen. Her 3-point percentage is slightly down this season, but that seems to be an issue of overuse. If Amoore were ever set up by a teammate — which rarely happens at Virginia Tech — she’s an excellent spot-up shooter. She’s a shooter defenders wouldn’t want to leave alone, even if she’s sharing the court with McCowan or Arike Ogunbowale.

    Amoore’s size presents concerns about her ability to hold up defensively in the WNBA, which is why she slots behind other guards. However, Dallas survived defensively with Dangerfield, and Amoore adds more on offense. She could step right into an existing role with the Wings.


    Te-Hina Paopao is one of the nation’s top offensive guards. Who will take her? (Lance King / Getty Images)

    10. Connecticut Sun

    Te-Hina Paopao | 5-9 guard | South Carolina

    Every offseason, I dream of ways the Sun could get some spacing, and we’re going to manifest it by sending them Paopao. She is one of the best overall offensive guards in college basketball. Paopao is exceptional at running an offense, especially in the pick-and-roll, but she is also exceptional off the ball as a spot-up shooter, which is important when Alyssa Thomas will often be handling the rock. Paopao isn’t the best point-of-attack defender but does well in help and works hard boxing out. She and Ty Harris (another Gamecocks product!) would complement each other well.

    I considered putting Charisma Osborne in this spot, since her defensive mindset is a pretty obvious fit with the Sun. Osborne is a good rebounder and playmaker who doesn’t provide the same level of individual offense as Paopao, however, and the latter’s edge in shooting was enough to earn her this spot.

    11. New York Liberty

    Angel Reese | 6-3 forward/center | LSU

    Truthfully, I don’t really know what kind of minutes Reese would get in a lineup that already has Breanna Stewart and (presumably) Jonquel Jones — though I’d love to see some jumbo looks with all three since Stewart and Jones can both space the floor. But Reese is far too talented to pass over at this point. In April, one WNBA GM said Reese was one of two players in this draft (along with Clark) who had an opportunity to be “generational.” Depending on Brionna Jones’ Achilles recovery in Connecticut, it might even make sense for the Sun to select her.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Anonymous WNBA GMs on Angel Reese: ‘She’s a guaranteed lock impact player, All-Star.’

    Reese brings instant physicality and a presence on the glass at both ends. She creates extra possessions, her motor is unending, and LSU feeds off her energy. There’s a toughness in Reese’s game that would be a helpful addition to New York, and she’s the kind of star personality who would thrive in that market.

    There is some uncertainty around Reese given her recent unexplained absence from the Tigers, and, as noted in our anonymous GM poll, there were questions about her maturity even prior to that. The team that drafts Reese should have a stable locker room full of veterans, and the Liberty fit the bill.

    12. Los Angeles Sparks (from Las Vegas Aces)

    Alissa Pili | 6-foot-2 forward | Utah

    The Sparks defended hard in 2023. With Jordin Canada at the point of attack and Nneka Ogwumike anchoring the frontcourt, Los Angeles had the ability to contain even the best offenses in the league. But the Sparks made offense look hard for themselves, too, and they could use a player who can score efficiently and in a variety of ways.

    Pili is one of the nation’s most versatile offensive players, a post savant who can also step out. She can attack the basket on the catch or off cuts. She does everything, and L.A. needs that offensive juice. The way she poured it on against a stout South Carolina defense suggests that Pili can hang against WNBA-level defenses despite her shorter stature. She simply gets buckets.

    Knocking on the door: Aaliyah Edwards, Charisma Osborne, Celeste Taylor

    (Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos of Angel Reese, Cameron Brink and Caitlin Clark: Brian Rothmuller/ Getty, Elsa / Icon Sportswire, Maddie Meyer / Getty)

    The New York Times

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  • The unstoppable Angel Reese wants more. And she makes no apologies for that.

    The unstoppable Angel Reese wants more. And she makes no apologies for that.

    BATON ROUGE, La. — When every inch of Angel Reese’s 6-foot-3 frame sank into the pleated leather chair across from coach Kim Mulkey’s desk this fall, it didn’t surprise Mulkey that Reese blurted out exactly what she was thinking.

    But it did surprise Mulkey what her star forward said.

    “I’m so happy to have a schedule again.” 

    After a summer of photo shoots and events, flights and airport terminals, award shows and a medalist podium, after a summer of getting so much of everything Reese has wanted, what she wanted at the end of it all was … monotony. A week that looked similar to the previous one and the next and the one after that. She wanted to sleep in her own bed and potty train her new Toy Yorkie puppy, Tiago. She wanted to be in her apartment and cook her own meals. Alone. In quiet.

    The player who’s estimated as one of the most highly compensated college athletes, whose rise to fame included a viral one-shoed block and a TikTok dance during a game, who might just have the most famous ring finger in college basketball and whose whereabouts have been chronicled by TMZ and Shade Room this offseason, just wanted to know: What can I expect of my Mondays?

    This summer, no two weeks repeated. It was exciting. In some ways, it was even perfect. But it wasn’t easy.

    In the week after LSU’s national title game victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa — while Reese’s trash talking drew debate across the country — she was already doing plenty: a promotional event with Raising Cane’s in Baton Rouge; a flight to New York to meet with Instagram and TikTok; appearances on “Good Morning America 3” and “SportsCenter” before flying back to Baton Rouge for a fan event for Dick’s Sporting Goods. All in the course of four days. A week later, she was in Los Angeles, posing for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition and Sports Illustrated For Kids, and filming a segment on “The Jennifer Hudson Show.”

    Two weeks later, from an event in Atlanta, she flew to Colorado for Team USA basketball team trials. The next month, she won a silver medal in Mexico for the AmeriCup tournament, averaging 11 rebounds per game. During her travels, she took two online classes and kept to a workout schedule, using friends’ gym connections in whichever city she was visiting. And when she returned to Baton Rouge, sent a familiar text to her assistant coaches and teammates: “7 a.m. Be there.” As in: The gym, for the first of a two-a-day workout.

    Reese knows critics probably assume basketball is no longer her No. 1 priority. But she welcomes the doubters.

    She knows that her summer allowed her to be her full self. Not just the LSU star, not just the “Bayou Barbie,” not just one of the faces of women’s college basketball. All of it, and more.

    But still, how does a 21-year-old reconcile that “SportsCenter,” Shade Room “Saturday Night Live” and MSNBC discussed her this offseason? How does she even begin to conceptualize catapulting to fame the past six months? “Someone asked, ‘How do you feel about winning the ESPYs?’ I was like, I don’t be knowing what it means,” Reese said. “I don’t understand because everything is just coming so fast. … I’ve watched these things growing up, but when I finally get it, it’s just like, all right, but I don’t know. What does this mean?”

    It means that her fame and rise to it speaks as much about her as it does about where women’s basketball has been and where it can go. She is one of the few female college athletes who has ever broken into the broader context of the American zeitgeist. But to her, the only thing she has done is be herself. And Reese has no plans of changing that, even as she’s changing women’s basketball.

    “That an African American woman from Baltimore can speak her mind, that she can totally be herself. She doesn’t have to, as so many of us heard growing up, ‘fake it ’til you make it,’ says Angel McCoughtry, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and five-time WNBA All-Star. “I think that’s what she’s teaching all of us — that you don’t have to fake it ’til you make it. You can be unapologetically you and make it. … That’s how powerful her story is.”


    Angel Reese gesturing to Caitlan Clark in the NCAA championship game. (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)

    Much like Reese’s rebounding ability, her rise to stardom has been guided by some forces she didn’t control. For rebounding, it’s her height. For her fame, it’s her timing.

    Her national title season at LSU came as many waves crashed at once — a slowly building (and ready-to-burst) television audience, the implementation of name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities at which she was in the forefront, and growing intrigue fueled by off-the-court storylines.

    Two years before Reese was born, the first regular-season women’s basketball game aired on primetime in February 2000. Since then, the number of nationally televised regular-season games has steadily grown. Viewership, however, has remained relatively consistent with about 3 to 5 million tuning in annually for the title game, with the high-water mark in 2004 when 5.6 million tuned in to watch rivals UConn and Tennessee.

    The sport has produced stars and provided awe-inspiring moments and unforgettable matchups before.

    But then came 2021.

    From inside the NCAA Tournament bubble in San Antonio, women’s players demanded equal treatment to their male counterparts as the stark differences between the tournaments became clear with a Tik Tok heard round the nation that would eventually be watched more than 12 million times.

    Reese was playing in her first NCAA Tournament after missing half the season with a foot injury and still managing to make the All-Big Ten freshman team while at Maryland. When she streamed an Instagram Live to discuss the treatment, the player who now has 2.6 million Instagram followers had only 200 people listen in.

    But Reese felt it was important to speak up. She had seen this kind of double standard up close her whole life. Her younger brother, Julian, now a junior at Maryland, was also an elite basketball player. While she was ranked the No. 2 player in her 2020 girls’ class, he was ranked No. 51 in the boys’ 2021 class, but she saw him and his teammates receive preferential treatment in recruiting and national attention. When both of their teams earned brand sponsorships, Julian’s team received more gear and twice as many shoes as Angel’s. When their squads needed donations for travel, their mom had to hustle harder to fundraise for Angel’s team.

    “I think that kind of sparked something in her,” Reese’s mother, also named Angel, said. “Angel seeing that discrepancy with her brother played into who she is today.”

    The NCAA’s unequal treatment during the tournament drove both interest in the game as well as players’ voices. Three months later, as the NCAA’s arguments against NIL crumbled in court, athletes began signing deals.

    After Reese’s sophomore season at Maryland, she became one of the first high-profile women’s basketball players to enter the transfer portal with automatic eligibility. While the portal draws mixed reviews from coaches, the attention it brings the women’s game in the offseason is undeniable. In the past, women’s college basketball would lull into the background after the title game; now, the portal provides interest for two more months. And Reese’s entry into it in 2022, her subsequent portal recruitment and then her commitment to LSU — and Mulkey — drew eyes.

    Last season, with players growing their brands with off-the-court NIL partnerships and endorsements, as ESPN moved the women’s national title game to cable on ABC and as Reese and Clark were on a collision course in the championship game, the dam broke. The showdown peaked at 12.6 million viewers and averaged 10 million, a 104 percent increase from the season before, and two-thirds the viewership of the men’s title game — the closest those two entities had ever come.

    Reese being herself on the floor and off was a major reason. Her NIL deals and her postgame press conferences may draw as much — if not more — attention to the women’s game as her play, and that’s fine with her.

    “Angel has just been herself since the day I met her,” said longtime friend and LSU teammate Kateri Poole. “She’s never going to do the extra to just please someone. She’s going to be herself. And I think that’s what draws a lot of people to her. She doesn’t care what’s said, because when it’s time for business, she’s going to show you why she’s Angel Reese.”

    And business means both on and off the court.

    Her play throughout the season began to build her fame, but it was everything else — the qualities that feel uniquely Angel — that made her rise above the crest of popularity. She might’ve had the “shoe block,” but she followed up by speaking her mind.

    Pointing to her ring finger toward Clark drew national debate about whether she crossed a line. Yet in an age in which even professional athletes sometimes shy away from answering questions about hot-button topics, Reese spoke out. She said this fall she hopes she and Clark can be teammates someday, but she also spoke to the impact that moment has had on the sport.  “The world is always going to have a good girl and a bad girl,” she said at LSU media days this month. “I’ll take that I’m going to be the bad guy because I know I’ve grown women’s basketball and inspired people.”

    That authenticity built Reese’s brand, which captured the attention of national brands such as McDonald’s and Reebok.

    “Timing was everything,” said Nyke Burrell, who coached Angel in high school at St. Frances Academy. “She came in at the right moment to be able to speak on the things she believes in, the things that she’s passionate about. … By being herself she is demanding more women, more Black women, to be authentically themselves and not hide who they are.”

    Her senior season at LSU will continue to draw headlines for another circumstance based entirely on timing. Because of the COVID-19 bonus year — given by the NCAA to all fall and winter athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season — Reese could return for a fifth season. Through the wins and losses and her double-doubles this season, the debate will rage (and fuel more interest for Reese, Clark, Paige Bueckers and many others): Will she go pro? Or will she stay?

    Angel Reese shooting vs. Virginia Tech


    Reese set an NCAA single-season record with 34 double-doubles as a junior. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

    From Baltimore, Angel’s mom has watched her daughter make headlines at LSU. There are certainly benefits to her daughter’s platform, but there’s also a loss of privacy. Her daughter can no longer go out for a quiet meal with family or friends. The school has adjusted her class schedule to be mostly online. And even when Angel handles the negative and offensive social media trolls with ease, the adults around her worry.

    Her mom admits she sometimes has to hold her breath when Reese’s competitiveness and confidence is on display. She, too, was a college basketball player, at UMBC, but says that she never played with the level of emotion her daughter has. But, it’s the quality she admires most in Reese.

    “I know the attention that brings,” she said, “and I know how some people perceive that. … The thing I’m most proud about is the way that a lot of young girls look up to Angel.”

    That’s where Reese says she feels the most responsibility now. She knows kids are watching her as much as TMZ or the internet trolls watch her.

    As a young girl, she idolized athletes like Serena Williams and Kobe Bryant. But Reese saw Angel McCoughtry, the Baltimore native who attended the same small Catholic high school as Reese and went on to have a decorated college and professional career, “make it” from her own backyard. In high school, Reese sent an Instagram message to McCoughtry, who at that point was well into her WNBA career, saying how much she admired her. But it wasn’t until last year that McCoughtry saw the message when she logged into her account to message Reese.

    “I always tell kids: Don’t be like me, be better than me,” McCoughtry said. “Which she has already done.”

    It’s not easy learning how to shape a national platform over the course of six months. It’s even harder when some are rooting for you to fail. Midway through last season, Reese felt a shift in crowds — it felt as though some opposing fans were rooting more for her and LSU to fail than they were for their teams to win.

    “The main thing we used to talk about was that you have to take fame for what it is — they don’t love you, they’re just talking about you. … And the moment they see a chink in the armor, they’re going to attack that,” said assistant coach Gary Redus II, who became a confidant for Reese. “She then understood, OK, they’re going to say what they’re going to say. But it doesn’t matter what they’re saying. It matters what my people are saying.”

    Reese thinks back to when she initially declined on Twitter the White House’s traditional invitation for national championship teams to visit after First Lady Jill Biden also invited runners up Iowa as a show of sportsmanship. At that moment, Reese, her teammates and close friends felt disrespected. So she was going to express how she felt.

    Mulkey called her that day and told her that she loved how Reese felt comfortable to speak her mind, but it wasn’t her call to make. When the Tigers visited the White House, Mulkey had Reese present President Joe Biden with his customized LSU jersey.

    It was a lesson in balance, learning that the loudest voice doesn’t always need to belong to the person with the biggest platform. It was a lesson in patience, something that Reese admits is not always easy to have as someone so goal-motivated and competitive.

    “I’m just kind of thinking of the bigger picture of everything, always thinking not just of myself, but the people around me and how that affects other people,” Reese said. “Just being able to take a step back and look at it from a bigger picture and not just reacting immediately has just been something I’ve learned. That’s just growing up and maturing — just making mistakes and learning from those mistakes.”

    She hopes kids who look up to her see this side of her too: That she’s learning, her unapologetic self sometimes requires an apology, she’s still figuring things out while staying true to herself.

    “I’ve always wanted to be one of the best players in the country, but I never knew my inspiration outside of that,” Reese said. “Being able to have a voice and that getting broadcasted and just being able to be unapologetically me — I think that has helped grow another different kind of community for people who don’t always have a voice. I speak for a platform of people that don’t feel like they can say certain things.

    On preseason Saturdays, LSU holds scrimmages in the practice gym. There’s no one in the stands, no pre-game hype video. Mulkey divvies up the team into two squads and switches the groups every quarter to keep things interesting. But no matter what she did last fall, Reese’s team always won. During the second scrimmage, Reese – then just three months with her new team — scored 32 points and pulled in 25 rebounds.

    “That’s when I knew,” Redus said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know how good we’re gonna be. But she is going to be unstoppable.’ ”

    And for most of the season, she was. She set an NCAA single-season record with 34 double-doubles and led the SEC during conference play in scoring and rebounding.

    By this offseason, Reese was one of the most recognizable athletes in the country. Yet she approached Mulkey and did what many stars wouldn’t: She wanted to know how the Tigers could add even more stars.

    The interest from players in the transfer portal was high, but Louisville’s Hailey Van Lith and DePaul’s Aneesah Morrow were at the top of the Tigers’ list. Van Lith is a high-volume shooting guard who has a large NIL platform herself, and Morrow attempted the most shots per game of any player nationally last year. Their insertion into the LSU lineup and locker room undoubtedly means a change for Reese. After all, there are only so many shots to be taken and only one ball to go around.

    Her logic? More is good.

    “I wanted a super-team,” Reese said. “They want greatness and I want greatness. They want a national championship and so do I. So why not do it all together?”

    Reese has catapulted to stardom in a way that wouldn’t have been possible five years ago and might not be as remarkable five years from now. She’s paving a path for those who want to follow in her footsteps and building a lane for those who want to find their voice. All the while, still growing up and figuring out who she is.

    In a few weeks, her busy schedule will start again as the defending champions crisscross the country as the No. 1 team. Reese welcomes and relishes that spotlight. She also knows criticism will come and many will root for her and LSU to fail, and yeah, she welcomes that, too.

    Mulkey often uses a quote that resonates in Reese’s mind: If what you did yesterday still looks big to you today, then you haven’t done much today.

    So what’s bigger than LSU’s 2023 national title in front of 10 million television viewers, and record-breaking attendance for the face of college basketball?

    Never one to mince words, Reese laughs and says, “Another one.”

    (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; photos: Kevin Mazur / Getty Images (2); Greg Nelson  / Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • ‘This one’s sweeter’: Las Vegas Aces capture second straight WNBA championship

    ‘This one’s sweeter’: Las Vegas Aces capture second straight WNBA championship

    NEW YORK — As A’ja Wilson and Alysha Clark attempted to field questions at the postgame dais, a chorus started to build outside the interview room. The noise picked up, and suddenly the door swung open. A train of Aces filed in, oversized speakers in hand, music blasting, triumphant.

    It made no sense for these two players to be alone, celebrating this franchise’s latest historic accomplishment in a relatively silent room. The entire roster — and most of the organization — needed to be present. On a night when Las Vegas flexed its depth in unprecedented ways and two little-used bench players made championship-worthy contributions, when the Aces became just the third franchise in WNBA history to repeat as champions, they had to find a way to cherish this moment as a team.

    “Everything we’ve done all year, we’ve done together,” coach Becky Hammon said. “We win together, we lose together. But we fight doing it together, always. And we don’t splinter.”

    Las Vegas was given every opportunity to come apart, every excuse to back down and let this series go back to Michelob ULTRA Arena for Game 5. Already without Candace Parker most of the season, the personnel shortages were compounded in the finals by the injuries that sidelined Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, two starters whose contributions anchored the offense and defense, respectively. Only eight Aces players were healthy. Four were not regular rotation players, and one had never played minutes outside of garbage time for the Aces. It was a skeleton crew, one that seemed outmatched — at least on paper — by New York on the Liberty’s home court.

    But that wouldn’t be the story of this year’s Las Vegas Aces. Facing the biggest challenge of their season on the league’s biggest stage, they produced one of the most unlikely performances in WNBA history, a shorthanded victory for the ages that cemented a wire-to-wire run as the best team in the league in 2023. The Aces trailed by 12 with 7:30 to play in the third quarter of Game 4. From that point, they outscored the Liberty 28-9 over the next nine minutes to take control, and they hung on in the final seconds as Courtney Vandersloot’s baseline jumper went long to earn a 70-69 victory and secure the title.

    Wilson led the way for Las Vegas with 24 points and 16 rebounds, earning Finals MVP honors while single-handedly outscoring the New York frontcourt in the closeout game. Jackie Young bounced back from a disappointing Game 3 with 16 points and seven assists compared to two turnovers, as she capably stepped into lead ballhandling responsibilities. Kelsey Plum and Alysha Clark added another 17 points and 16 rebounds in total.

    But those contributions were to be expected from All-WNBA players and a two-time champion. What came as more of a surprise to the general public, and to the Liberty, was how the so-called shallowest team in the league found even more production off its bench.

    Cayla George took over for Stokes in the starting five after playing six total minutes in the first three games, becoming only the second player in WNBA history to earn her first start of the season in the finals. The Aces prioritized containing Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu and had George nominally guard Betnijah Laney so that she could sink in to help in the lane. It worked to the tune of three steals and four defensive rebounds; the combined defensive efforts from Wilson, George and Alysha Clark inside limited the Liberty to 24 points in the paint, compared to 44 for the Aces.

    George also spread the floor for the Aces in a way their other bigs couldn’t. She attempted 10 3-pointers, a total only eclipsed by Plum for Las Vegas during the 2023 season, and canned three of them, including two back-to-back when the Aces had fallen behind by 12. She said Hammon gave her the green light to shoot, and the only way her presence on the court would matter is if she heeded the words of her coach.

    The 34-year-old has been a successful player abroad, winning the MVP of the WNBL in Australia this past season, and she’s won three World Cup medals as a member of the Opals, but that production has never really translated to the U.S. She had started three games in her WNBA career entering Wednesday and was in and out of the rotation in Las Vegas, but mostly out during the playoffs. However, when her number was called in the finals, George delivered her best game of the year. Hammon said that George was in the hotel weight room when she notified her that she’d be starting in place of Stokes, ready for whatever opportunity was presented.

    GO DEEPER

    Trotter: Becky Hammon was built for the championship moment, just like her players

    It was exactly what general manager Natalie Williams envisioned when she scouted George at the 2022 FIBA World Cup.

    “For whatever reason, I knew she was going to be a perfect fit for this team,” Williams said. “She probably didn’t play out the way she would have liked in regards to she didn’t play as much as she would have liked to, but I knew that her leadership and her professionalism, and the fact that she was an Olympian could come in handy, and here it did on the most important game of all.”

    The other missing spot in the rotation went to Sydney Colson, the so-called face of the league who takes pride in her contributions to the team culture, even if her impact hasn’t been seen on the court. “The way that she practices with us is the reason you see Jackie and Kelsey and Chelsea so unfazed, because of what Sydney Colson does every single day in practice against them,” Clark said. “And she and I study (film), the way I study, she studies the same with me.”

    Colson’s defensive impact was finally on display outside of practice. Although she was hard on herself postgame for picking up some unnecessary fouls (she ended the game with five), she had the highest plus-minus on the Aces at plus-17 thanks to her ball pressure on Ionescu. Her confidence was overflowing to the point that she successfully completed a behind-the-back pass in transition to Clark during the Aces’ third-quarter run.

    Las Vegas had relied heavily on its top six for the bulk of the season, and the results justified the approach. And when those players were unavailable, the Aces knew what they had in the reserves, even if the rest of the world didn’t. That’s why the wounded warrior Aces found themselves piled on top of each other at center court after the buzzer and later blaring “Knuck if You Buck” as they entered the press room, supporting one another in their final act of the season as celebrated a second straight title.

    “This one’s sweeter, it just is, it’s harder to do,” Hammon said. “It’s not easy to be great, it’s not that easy to win that many games. We had a lot of adversity. We haven’t been whole this whole year, and it doesn’t matter what the bump in the road is, these guys just keep buckling down together.”

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Trotter: Becky Hammon was built for the championship moment, just like her players

    (Photo of A’ja Wilson: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • Aces close out Liberty, claim second straight WNBA title

    Aces close out Liberty, claim second straight WNBA title

    The Las Vegas Aces captured their second consecutive WNBA title Wednesday, rallying to defeat the New York Liberty 70-69 on the road in Game 4. Here’s what you need to know:

    • After trailing at 39-30 at halftime, Las Vegas roared back to outscore New York 23-12 in the third quarter. The Liberty responded in the fourth, but Courtney Vandersloot’s potential game-winning jumper did not fall in the final seconds.
    • Aces star forward A’ja Wilson led all scorers with 24 points and 16 rebounds en route to 2023 WNBA Finals MVP honors, while guard Jackie Young added 16 points.
    • Las Vegas is the first team to win back-to-back WNBA titles since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-2002.
    • The Aces closed out the series 3-1 despite being without starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, who were both sidelined for Game 4 with foot injuries.

    Aces bottled up Liberty frontcourt

    New York entered this series with the regular-season MVP and had the most dominant player through the first three games in Jonquel Jones. Neither player had an effective performance in Game 4. Breanna Stewart shot 3-of-17 from the field and missed a hauntingly wide-open 3-pointer with her team down 68-64 that could have changed the tenor of the final minute. Meanwhile, Wilson effectively kept Jones off the scoresheet — New York could barely get her the ball, and when Jones did get the ball inside, she was smothered by the defensive player of the year. — Sabreena Merchant, women’s basketball writer

    A disappointing ending to New York’s season

    It was Vandersloot who took the final shot of the 2023 WNBA Finals — an airball, which gave the Aces a 70-69 victory in Game 4. Although the crowd at Barclays Center gave the team an ovation as they walked off, there were no acknowledgments from Liberty players as they retreated to the locker room. New York shot just 36.1 from the field, with Stewart and Jones combining to shoot just 6-of-25 from the field and scoring only 16 points. A sub-par third quarter plagued them yet again. It was a stunning end for the Liberty’s season, and an abrupt one — a finish that came to a Las Vegas team that was down two of its top six players. — Ben Pickman, women’s basketball writer

    Championship-clinching play

    Required reading

    (Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • Las Vegas Aces Become First Repeat WNBA Champs In 21 Years, Beating Liberty 70-69 In Game 4

    Las Vegas Aces Become First Repeat WNBA Champs In 21 Years, Beating Liberty 70-69 In Game 4

    NEW YORK (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back WNBA championships, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from A’ja Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals on Wednesday night.

    The Aces joined the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-02) and the Houston Comets (1997-2000) as the only teams in league history to win consecutive titles.

    Las Vegas did it without starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, who were both sidelined with foot injuries suffered in Game 3. Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, was constantly in the ear of her teammates during timeouts and shouting encouragement from the sideline. Las Vegas was also still missing veteran Candace Parker, who had foot surgery in late July.

    “We’ve been facing adversity all season, playing without different players. … We have some professional fighters,” said Alysha Clark, who was pressed into the starting lineup Wednesday. “To weather the storm of everything we went through, to show up every single day. To be in this moment right now and do it together, it speaks volumes about us, our chemistry.”

    Wilson won Finals MVP honors this year after finishing in third in the regular-season MVP balloting.

    With the game tied at 64, Las Vegas scored six straight points, including the first four by Jackie Young, to go ahead 70-64 with 1:26 left.

    Courtney Vandersloot hit a 3-pointer on New York’s next possession, then stole the ball from Kelsey Plum, which led to Sabrina Ionescu’s foul-line jumper to get the Liberty within one with 41.7 seconds left.

    On the ensuing possession, Las Vegas worked the shot clock down before coach Becky Hammon called timeout with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The Aces got the ball to Wilson on a lob, but Breanna Stewart blocked the shot, giving New York one last chance.

    After a timeout with 8.8 seconds left, the Liberty got the ball to Stewart, who was double-teamed. The ball swung over to Vandersloot in the corner, but her shot missed badly, setting off a wild celebration by the Aces at midcourt.

    “It’s a play we’ve ran before, get the ball to Stewie’s hand,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. We got it where we wanted to, but didn’t make it.”

    Vandersloot finished with 19 points and Betnijah Laney added 15 for New York.

    Hammon said before the game she would be “throwing the kitchen sink at (the Liberty), see what sticks, see what works.”

    The Aces rotated defenses, which stymied New York after the Liberty scored 23 points in the first quarter.

    “I think they were throwing whatever defense they had at us and make sure it’s ugly,” Stewart said. “Sometimes we lost our flow and ball movement.”

    Hammon started WNBA sixth woman of the year Clark and Cayla George in place of Gray and Stokes. Clark did a stellar job on her former Seattle Storm teammate Stewart, holding her to 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting. George had 11 points.

    “Just knowing what she likes to do. And just locking in and making sure that I don’t give that to her,” Clark said of guarding Stewart. “I’m so proud of this team.”

    This was the first close game of the season between these teams. The four regular-season matchups were all blowouts with the closest contest being a nine-point win by New York on Aug. 28. The first three games of the WNBA Finals were also routs, with New York winning Game 3 87-73 to stave off elimination.

    Game 4 was so tense that Ionescu was seen vomiting into a trash can during a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, shortly after she hit a 3-pointer to get the Liberty within 60-58. Ionescu stayed in the game after the timeout.

    Once again, New York drew dozens of celebrities to the game, including basketball royalty Sue Bird and Dawn Staley — the South Carolina coach who loudly cheered on her former star player, Wilson — along with Liberty Ring of Honor members Vickie Johnson and Sue Wicks. Actors Jennifer Connelly, Issa Rae and Jason Sudeikis also attended.

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  • Jonquel Jones helped the Liberty stave off elimination. Now, can she lead them to WNBA title?

    Jonquel Jones helped the Liberty stave off elimination. Now, can she lead them to WNBA title?

    NEW YORK — Jonquel Jones was the last of the New York Liberty’s five starters to approach the sideline with just over a minute to play in the fourth quarter. As she walked toward coach Sandy Brondello, she applauded the sellout crowd of 17,143, returning the favor to those at Barclays Center who waved their white rally towels in delight throughout Game 3. Jones shared a brief hug with Brondello, then exchanged high-fives with the Liberty’s assistants while making her way down the sideline. On the baseline, Jones shared an embrace with guards Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney. Her night had finished. She scored a team-high 27 points, on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.

    Watching it all happen, in Barclays Center’s lower bowl, was Yolett McPhee-McCuin. McPhee-McCuin, a Bahamian who is trying to create a coaching blueprint, is now the head coach for Ole Miss. But to Jones, who also grew up in the Bahamas, McPhee-McCuin isn’t only a collegiate coach. “Coach Yo is family,” Jones said. “I knew Coach Yo from before I was ever here.”

    Here is the bowels of Barclays Center, walking down a hallway just minutes removed from an effort Jones describes as one of the best in her career. It is after Game 3 of the 2023 WNBA Finals. It’s with a new team, in a new city, and in an arena that has embraced her. In addition to her scoring, Jones hauled in eight rebounds, avoiding elimination to extend New York’s season with an 87-73 win over the Las Vegas Aces. “This is the most aggressive I’ve seen her,” McPhee-McCuin said. “Just super proud of Jonquel.”

     

    Jones was one of New York’s three high-profile offseason acquisitions, coming to the franchise as part of a blockbuster trade with the Connecticut Sun. At times throughout the Liberty’s preseason training camp, Jones spent more time on the sideline than on the court. Jones and the Liberty were cautious as she recovered from a stress reaction in her left foot that she said she suffered during last year’s WNBA Finals. Brondello stressed patience, and Jones acknowledged she didn’t feel like herself.

    Those days, however, are months in the rearview. Though it took Jones 10 games to record her first double-double this season, it’s now surprising when she doesn’t. The 6-foot-6 center had logged a WNBA-record eight consecutive postseason games with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds before finishing two boards short Sunday.

    “It’s OK,” she said coyly of her streak ending.

    She had other reasons to celebrate.

    Jones has developed into New York’s defensive anchor, helping lead a unit that was No. 2 in defensive rating during the second half of the regular season. After Game 3, Brondello applauded her big’s ability to shot-block — Jones had three Sunday, including one on Kelsey Plum late in the third quarter that sparked one of the loudest cheers of the night — while also changing opponents’ drives on shots she couldn’t make contact with. Jones switched out on the Aces’ guards, limiting their effectiveness as well. Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young combined for 48 points for the Aces, down from 72 in Game 1 and 61 in Game 2.

    On offense, Jones has been New York’s most consistent player and a force on the offensive glass, whether the Liberty are clicking or not. She can also stretch the defense — a first-quarter 3 with just over three minutes remaining in the period saw Liberty Ring of Honor member Sue Wicks rise to her feet in delight from her courtside seat.

    It took time for Jones to find her role with the Liberty. Yet Sunday served as a reminder, if anyone still needed it, of just how dominant the 2021 WNBA MVP could be.

    McPhee-McCuin wasn’t surprised by it at all. She felt pride watching Jones’ effort. “She’s just such a good person,” McPhee-McCuin said. “This was a great opportunity for her to step up and say, ‘No, this is my time.’”

    Jones said McPhee-McCuin’s father, Gladstone “Moon” McPhee, “taught me everything that I know about basketball.” The two still keep in touch. Fifteen minutes after Jones had received her final applause from the crowd of thousands, she walked back out of an arena tunnel to the floor she had starred on. She spotted McPhee-McCuin, and they posed for photos together, basking in the moment.

    “I just really believe in Jonquel and I know that she really wants this,” McPhee-McCuin said.

     

    Jones’s current coach feels the same way.

    “She’s a superstar, this girl. She’s amazing. She’s very humble,” Brondello said. “We wouldn’t be here without JJ.”

    The challenge, now, for the Liberty is how to keep their season going and flip the series back to Las Vegas. The Aces still lead 2-1. Jones’ defensive presence will again be key on the inside, but New York will need forward Breanna Stewart to replicate her 20-point, 12-rebound double-double. How Sabrina Ionescu, Vandersloot and Laney perform Wednesday in Game 4 will additionally be critical in determining the Liberty’s fate.

    Jones knows she also needs to match Sunday’s effort. Coming into Game 3 she felt energized and didn’t “want to let the moment pass us by.” Feeding off the crowd’s energy, she was relentless and imposing. Jones’ last adjustment of the night might have come in the Liberty’s postseason news conference. Initially, Jones was seated on the media dais to Brondello’s left. But when Stewart and her daughter, Ruby, walked in, Jones slid over two seats. The trio answered questions as Ruby played on the steps leading to the stage. Perhaps Ruby was on Jones’ mind when she reflected on her own journey.

    “(Coach Yo has) probably known me from when I was Ruby’s size, to be honest,” Jones said.

    Much has changed since the two first met, with Jones showing why she is one of the league’s best players.

    “That’s the level I’m gonna have to play, and keep it at,” Jones said. “I felt great out there tonight.”

    (Photo of Jonquel Jones, left, and Kelsey Plum: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • The place to be in Las Vegas? Aces games, of course. Game 1 of the WNBA Finals proved popular

    The place to be in Las Vegas? Aces games, of course. Game 1 of the WNBA Finals proved popular

    The Athletic has live coverage of the WNBA Finals Game 2 featuring the New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces

    LAS VEGAS — There wasn’t an empty seat in “The House.” Just before tipoff of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, shortly after noon (PT) on an NFL Sunday, Michelob ULTRA Arena was rocking. Extended “Aces” chants echoed from the sellout crowd as it feverishly twirled “Raise the Stakes” towels in anticipation of what was to come. The atmosphere remained electric for over two hours as the Aces beat the Liberty 99-82 to take a 1-0 series lead.

    The crux of all the support, of course, is winning.

    “Vegas appreciates winning,” Aces guard Kelsey Plum said Sunday. “This city has really rallied around this team, even before last year’s championship. It’s just so cool to see. And not only are they selling out, but they’re interactive — they’re booing, they’re cheering, they’re barking. They’re such a part of it. It’s just so cool to see the growth of the game. We’re going to need ’em. This is going to be a tough series. They really help us. We feed off their energy. And tonight was tremendous.”

    The defending WNBA champion Aces had the best record in the league this season and are playing in their third WNBA Finals in four seasons. They need two more wins to become the first team since the 2002 Los Angeles Sparks to win back-to-back WNBA titles. It’s pretty easy to root for such consistent dominance.

    Across 20 regular-season contests, the Aces led the WNBA this season with an average home attendance of 9,551 fans. Altogether, they drew 191,024 fans during the regular season. In the playoffs, the turnout has only increased. Through their first four home playoff games, the Aces led the WNBA with an average of 10,249 fans. Game 1 against the Liberty was sold out, and the same goes for their ticket allotment for Game 2 and the conditional Game 5.

    “The city of Las Vegas has really embraced this team,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Sunday. “You used to come in and come from the airport, and the cab driver wouldn’t know who the Las Vegas Aces were, and now everybody in the city knows who the Las Vegas Aces are.”

    To stand out in the increasingly crowded sports and entertainment field of Las Vegas, the Aces have had to go above and beyond. Their season overlaps with those of the NFL’s Raiders, NHL’s Golden Knights and UNLV football, not to mention a litany of other large-scale events and attractions like casinos, concerts, clubs and bars. Despite that, Aces games have remained one of the places to be in Las Vegas. Pulling that off started with something deeper than simply winning basketball games.

    After arriving in Vegas in 2018, the Aces ingratiated themselves with the community. That meant not only conducting outreach on The Strip but also making sure their presence was felt in the surrounding neighborhoods through local corporate sponsorships, after-school programming and promotional events centered on topics such as education, financial equity, diversity and inclusion as part of an effort to ensure that Las Vegas felt the Aces were truly theirs. Continuing that work in the years since has established foundational local support.

    “I think it continues because we’re in the community. It’s not just enough for people to come to our building; it’s for us to go to them,” Aces president Nikki Fargas told The Athletic on Thursday. “That’s a big part of why people feel connected to us — because we give back to the community as well.”

    That plus high-level basketball gets fans into the doors of Michelob ULTRA Arena. What makes them keep coming back, though, comes down to the game day experience.

    “The fan experience has to be over the top,” Aces chief marketing and communications officer Blair Hardiek said. “The product on the court speaks for itself, but we want to have an experience where from the minute you step into the facility to when you leave, you’re thoroughly entertained.”

    In true Las Vegas fashion, the Aces have leaned into their pregame national anthem renditions and halftime performances. Jordin Sparks and Ashanti were the latest to perform on Sunday. The Aces have hosted musical acts such as Rick Ross, Kehlani, Teyana Taylor, Lil Jon, Coi Leray, the late Coolio and the Blue Man Group, numerous dance crews like the Jabbawockeez, Cirque du Soleil performers, ventriloquists and more. There are various giveaways, themed nights and on-court engagements. Throughout games, they constantly pepper fans with interactive videos, games and chants through their JumboTron and sound system.

    “It’s cool to see from last year to this year how many more fans we have, and not just that they’re sitting in their seats, but they’re smiling, they’re up, they’re dancing, they’re engaging with the game,” Hardiek said. “They’re not just watching the game go by.”

    When it comes to marketing, it’s helpful that the Aces have one of the most personality-laden and marketable rosters in the league.

    A’ja Wilson — the two-time MVP, two-time defensive player of the year and five-time All-Star — is a prominent Nike-endorsed athlete who regularly goes viral thanks to her humor. Plum is known for barking at the crowd and hosted her inaugural “Dawg Class” summit to help ease the transition from college to the pros for athletes through her Under Armour endorsement this past offseason. Chelsea Gray’s dynamic handles and creative passes make her a nonstop highlight machine. Candace Parker is one of the best players in league history and works as an NBA analyst on TNT in the offseason. Role players Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance have garnered a big enough audience to land the unscripted comedy series “The Syd + TP Show,” which debuted last month.

    “Honestly, it’s everything. We always say here at the Aces — and even myself personally — that people don’t fall in love with a brand or organization; they fall in love with people,” Hardiek said. “So, it’s the accessibility of all of them and just the relatability. They’re very human, genuine, authentic. … If you come to a game, how they play is with joy. How they play is with love. So, fans feel that, they see it, and it helps with everything. … People want to follow the Aces because they’re falling in love with the people that the players are.”

    Even coach Becky Hammon is a star in her own right, and she has urged the players to not only embrace their personalities off the court but also allow it to carry over into how they play on the court. Hammon harps on fundamentals, but she encourages players to shoot a lot of 3s, play with tenacity, run up and down the court and get creative. Winning games remains the top priority, but it’s also part of an effort to entertain fans.

    “Becky wants them to be more than just the uniform,” Fargas said. “And this is Vegas, so when the lights come on, it’s showtime.”

    Among the droves of fans drawn by the Aces have been numerous celebrities. Sunday, WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes, newly approved minority owner Tom Brady, Lakers forward LeBron James and several members of the Brooklyn Nets, including Mikal Bridges, Ben Simmons and Cam Johnson, attended. They’re part of an ever-growing list that includes the late Kobe Bryant, Floyd Mayweather, Shaquille O’Neal, Bill Russell, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Paris Hilton, Dana White and others. Actor Mark Wahlberg sat courtside at Game 1.

    “It’s fantastic for us to showcase people who are the best at what they do being in our building to watch us be the best at what we do,” Hardiek said. “Becky at last year’s (championship) parade said, ‘Representation and showing up counts.’ I think all the people that we get in the building, whether it’s a local fan, tourist, celebrity, no matter who you are, you enjoy the product that’s on the court and you enjoy the entertainment factor of an Aces game.”

    A telling figure that highlights the Aces’ popularity spreading is the crowds they helped draw in road contests. In 20 road games, the Aces led the WNBA in average attendance at 7,632 and total attendance at 152,639. That’s reflective of the Aces having a national impact that extends far beyond Las Vegas.

    A large part of that is because the Aces’ social media presence has skyrocketed. In October 2020, the Aces had just over 130,000 combined followers across Instagram and X, formerly Twitter. Now, they have over 365,000 combined followers across the two platforms. They’ve wisely put that enhanced platform to use and made a greater investment in merchandise to expand their reach. They view that as good for not only the franchise but also the league.

    “I think it’s bigger than just the Aces because we’re seeing that now fans love the WNBA,” Hardiek said. “They like watching women’s basketball, not just the Aces. We are seeing more people in stands at away games, and I think it’s just a testament to the growth of the game, period.”

    That takes visibility but also a level of commitment in terms of finances. Owner Mark Davis has shown that through building the Aces the first standalone facility in WNBA history, making Hammon the first $1 million coach in league history, launching an alumni initiative in 2021 and generally sparing no expenses when it comes to providing what the Aces need to continue pushing their operations forward.

    “He wanted to change the landscape of women’s basketball,” Fargas said. “What you’re seeing is other teams are saying, ‘Wow, we need to step up and do the same.’”

    The Seattle Storm broke ground on a team facility this year, and the Liberty have sent representatives to tour the Aces’ facility to do the same. Besides facilities, the Aces are helping push for greater pay for players, coaches, executives and various other team staffers, improved team travel and other benefits that the WNBA doesn’t yet offer.

    Naturally, pushing for those changes requires production in terms of business success. The good news for the WNBA is there are signs of progress. TV ratings have been up throughout the 2023 season, which was the most viewed since 2008, and the NBA’s Golden State Warriors were awarded the league’s first expansion team since 2008 on Thursday. The only way for that to continue is for fan support to keep surging.

    “There’s no better time to be part of the WNBA, and we’re going to continue to fuel our business transformation,” Engelbert said. “As we move into next season and the future, we’re also focused on globalizing the game, how the media landscape is shifting, what content is interesting to our fans and in what format — short form, long form — how our younger fans are consuming our content. And that’s just the hard work of everyone in the league’s ecosystem — including teams, players, owners — really (putting) this league in a great position, and it’s been a priority of mine to make sure the players, the teams and the league assets are getting the values they deserve.”

    The Aces are leaders in that effort. They’re not just one of the best teams in the WNBA; they’re drawing the most support in the league in terms of fan turnout, have national influence and are trending upward financially. Of course, winning another championship would only push them even higher.

    “There is no ceiling here of what the Aces can be or where the Aces can go,” Hardiek said. “It will continue to grow.”

    (Photo of Kiah Stokes: David Becker / NBAE via Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • Breanna Stewart versus A’ja Wilson: A championship rivalry the WNBA deserves

    Breanna Stewart versus A’ja Wilson: A championship rivalry the WNBA deserves

    When Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson step on the court Sunday for the start of the WNBA Finals, they’ll represent not only the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces but the fiery rivalry that the league hopes can continue to fan the popularity it’s accrued through nearly three decades.

    The superstars’ catalog of accomplishments is too extensive to even detail in full; it reads more like the resume of two retired pros rather than two players in the primes of their career. They have defined the last decade of their sport, starting with their national championships in college, leading into their gold medals for USA Basketball and now as direct competitors in the best league in the world. The Liberty and Aces are merely in the first chapter of their arms race, but the rivalry between these two all-time greats — the faces of the league — has already proved its staying power and its importance to the future of the WNBA.

    Stewart, 29, entered the league as the most decorated player in college basketball history, more than just the next superstar from the Connecticut conveyor belt. After Stewart won the last of her four NCAA titles, Wilson, 27, picked up the baton, bringing South Carolina its first national championship and helping the Gamecocks enter the upper echelon of collegiate powerhouses. Both carried that success immediately into the WNBA as No. 1 draft picks, rookies of the year and MVPs by their third season. It was in Wilson’s third year that the two met in the postseason for the first time — a matchup that has become an annual rite of passage.

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    “The way that our careers are going to end up going, we’re gonna end up facing against each other a lot,” Stewart says. “Every game, we’re trying to push the needle, we’re trying to continue to make this league better, continue to make this game better, and enjoy that. This is why we play is to play against the best, to be in the big moments.”

    With the two set to face off in the postseason for the third time in four seasons (Stewart, who was with the Seattle Storm, was injured during the missing year), their individual battle for supremacy has become a tentpole for the WNBA. Multiple people around the league have likened their rivalry to that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, with their diverse backgrounds, bicoastal positioning and sustained success. The hope is the duo can propel the WNBA — in its 27th season — the same way Magic and Bird did for the NBA.

    “This really could become one of those great rivalries,” says Rebecca Lobo, who is broadcasting the finals for ESPN. “That’s one of the things that’s been so wonderful about the conversation around A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, these two young players, who are two of the best players in the league and have been since they came into the league. They’ve been an incredible foil for one another and for their fan bases.”

    Chelsea Gray, Wilson’s Aces teammate, echoes the potential for Stewart and Wilson to transcend the WNBA’s existing fan base with their performances.

    “I think it’s important for our league,” Gray says. “A lot of people tune in for certain matchups, right? When you go down the history of sports, they want to tune in for certain matchups. You talk about Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, all these different matches that people want to watch. And you think about that with A’ja and Stewie, and the dynamic play that they’re able to do on both ends of the floor. ”

    The WNBA historically has relied on rivalries to market its product. The Houston Comets and the Liberty faced off in three of the first four finals. The Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx played each other in four straight postseasons from 2015 to 2018; their back-to-back championship series in 2016 and 2017 are still considered a high point for the league in terms of visibility — the average viewership of 559,000 per game in 2017 hasn’t been topped since — and quality of play.

    But there hasn’t been an individual matchup that the WNBA has really leaned into. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi were marketed heavily by the league, but as best friends who both went to UConn, there was no sense of competition between them. Maya Moore didn’t really have a peer during her heyday. Other potential positional rivalries, like between Sylvia Fowles and Candace Parker, were left untapped.

    The league is smarter about its promotions now, and it has been given the gift of two players at the peak of their powers who keep running into one another. There’s been no one better than Stewart and Wilson in the WNBA.

    It starts with their competitive spirit. Las Vegas forward Alysha Clark, who won two titles with Stewart before joining forces with Wilson, says their drive and attention to detail bind them together while setting them apart from the rest of the league.

    “They have motors that are top of the top,” Clark says. “When you have your franchise player, when you have your best player, you want them to have that type of motor. And then, just their work ethic. They’re constantly in the gym, they’re always in there using it. There’s never a day off outside of rest, obviously. But they live in the gym. They live working on their game and just perfecting what they do.”

    The work has paid off handsomely. Stewart and Wilson have combined to win four of the last six WNBA MVP awards, including Stewart this season. Wilson has added two defensive player of the year awards to that tally, while Stewart just broke the league’s single-season points record. They’ve been All-Star captains five times, and their teams have won all three Commissioner’s Cup finals. In two weeks, they will have captured four of the last six WNBA championships.

    Stewart got the better of Wilson in the first playoff meeting, as her Storm dispatched an injured Aces squad in the 2020 finals, but Wilson got a taste of what she was missing. Las Vegas loaded up in the aftermath, bringing in Gray and Becky Hammon as coach, so that the result flipped in 2022 when the Storm and Aces met again in the semifinals. Gray’s shotmaking stole the show, but the battle between Stewart and Wilson was a worthy undercard as each player forced the other to raise her level.

    Wilson has averaged 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds over 33 postseason games. Against Stewart’s teams, despite them being among the league’s best every year, those numbers rise to 22.1 and 9.7. Similarly, Stewart is the WNBA’s all-time highest postseason scorer (minimum three games), averaging 24 points per contest — that figure ascends to 29 in playoff games versus the Aces.

    “I always say we bring out the best in each other every single possession because we’re good,” Wilson says. “We’re good at what we do, and I think it’s pretty cool just to see that matchup. I think it’s pretty cool that young girls can watch the matchup of the rivalry going on. Especially now during today’s time, everyone loves a good back-and-forth, so I think it’s pretty cool to watch us really have the hands of women’s basketball.”

    Stewart and Wilson certainly held the WNBA in the palms of their hands last offseason. Stewart stirred up a social media storm in anticipation of her dramatic move to New York, and Wilson helped recruit Parker — going so far as to offer babysitting services — and Clark to Las Vegas. The Liberty essentially built their team in the Aces’ image: a generational playmaker, a fire-breathing 3-point shooter who can also handle the ball, a physical wing who can score from anywhere on the court and a versatile center who impacts the game on both ends, all complementing the MVP candidate at power forward.

    That set the stage for one more year of Stewart and Wilson trying to outpace one another. Each had career seasons, and their highlights were often punctuated by responses from their counterpart.

    The Aces raced out to a 16-1 start to the season, including a blowout victory over the Liberty in the teams’ first meeting. Stewart exacted a small amount of revenge at the midseason break, captaining her All-Star team to a win on Wilson’s home court. Wilson set a career high of 40 points, doing so without any 3-pointers, on Aug. 11. The next game, Stewart recorded her third 40-plus outing of the season. The Liberty got the edge in the Commissioner’s Cup final two days after that, and Wilson exploded a week later for 53 points, tying the league’s single-game record.

    After Wilson edged Stewart for the 2022 MVP award, their games down the stretch this season became appointment viewing as both battled for the honor — alongside Alyssa Thomas — yet again. On the night Stewart was presented with her 2023 crown, Wilson put up 30 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Aces to a 2-0 semifinals series lead over Dallas.

    “It’s quite amazing, isn’t it?” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello says. “They’re different, but they’re the same, they’re so competitive. They’ve achieved so much in their young careers already, and they’re going to continue to get better and better. Obviously, they’re in the same position. So they’re pushing each other and they’re making each other great, and that’s exciting for our league.”

    Wilson and Stewart aren’t just blazing a trail in the WNBA — they’re also carrying a legacy in the international game. They may be on opposite sides in their league trajectories, but they join forces in devastating fashion for Team USA. The league and the national team have always gone hand in hand, making it almost inevitable that the WNBA’s best would be the faces of the red, white, and blue.

    Both understand the honor, privilege and responsibility that comes with representing their country, and neither has missed a major international tournament since turning pro. They understand that their goal of growing the game can be accomplished both domestically and abroad. Collectively, they get to be the ambassadors of the game, a task made easier by their dominance on the court together.

    Stewart has already captured three world championship gold medals and two Olympic golds, while Wilson has two and one, with both projected to be on the U.S. roster in Paris in 2024. Stewart was the MVP of the 2018 World Cup, and Wilson earned the honor in 2022. Now that a generation of American international stalwarts has retired (or is close to it), they’re taking on the challenge of leading the next wave of U.S. teams off the court, as well.

    “It’s pretty cool when we come together as teammates on the national team because we’re really next up,” Wilson says. “You had Sue and Diana, and they would be the captains obviously, but then, when they’re no longer there, it’s us. We’ve been in the system for a while, and we can grow together as one. And it’s pretty cool to see us be teammates.”

    For now, the rest of the world can rest. The next five games are Aces versus Liberty, and A’ja versus Stewie. Whoever fails to get the upper hand can at least take solace in the fact that another matchup is on the horizon soon.

    “It’s just great basketball being played, and to see (Wilson) continue to elevate her game, and I’m continuing to elevate mine, we’re trying to change this league and really doing that as a tandem and continuing to do it together,” Stewart says. “From the outside looking in, it’s always looking like we’re going head to head all the time, but it’s competitive. It’s what we love to do, and we’re gonna do it for many years to come, hopefully.”

    (Illustration: Samuel Richardson / The Athletic; photo of Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

    The New York Times

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  • Getting Technical: Who wins the WNBA Finals? Our experts predict

    Getting Technical: Who wins the WNBA Finals? Our experts predict

    It’s been five months since training camps opened and the 2023 WNBA season began. One of the key questions being asked then, is still being asked: Will the Las Vegas Aces repeat as champions, or will the revamped New York Liberty capture their first title in franchise history?

    Of course, a lot has happened since then. The Connecticut Sun emerged as legitimate challengers, with star forward Alyssa Thomas putting together a historic season. The Washington Mystics, hampered by injuries, slipped down the standings only to push the top team in the Eastern Conference at the start of the postseason. The Aces jumped out to a 16-1 start in the regular season and ended up winning a league-record 34 games, despite star offseason acquisition Candace Parker playing in just 18 contests. The team that beat Las Vegas in early July to hand the Aces a second defeat — the Dallas Wings — ended up being the reigning champions toughest playoff test. Still, the Aces swept Dallas to return to the finals for the third time in four years.

    Welcome back to Getting Technical, where The Athletic’s women’s basketball experts Ben Pickman and Sabreena Merchant take you into our conversations about the WNBA Finals. We’ll discuss each team’s respective journey to the finals, what we expect from league MVPs Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, and make a prediction. But first some key context on their respect seasons:

    No. 1 seed Las Vegas Aces

    • 34-6 record (most in WNBA history)
    • 5-0 in postseason (2-0 sweep of the Chicago Sky, 3-0 sweep of the Wings)
    • No. 1 in offensive rating
    • No. 1 in defensive rating
    • No. 1 in NET rating
    • Franchise championships: 1 (in 2022)

    No. 2 seed New York Liberty

    • 32-8 (most in franchise history)
    • 5-1 in postseason (2-0 sweep of the Mystics, 3-1 series win over the Sun)
    • No. 2 in offensive rating
    • No. 3 in defensive rating
    • No. 2 in NET rating
    • Franchise championships: 0

    Pickman: Let’s start here: Has anything surprised you about each team’s journey to this point?

    Merchant: I hesitate to say surprise, since both you and I — along with many other people — picked these two teams to be in the finals, but I am intrigued at how top-heavy both squads ended up being. Starting in Las Vegas, the whole point of the offseason was to turn one rotation player into two, to expand the rotation from seven to eight. And yet, because of injuries and other absences, coach Becky Hammon is basically riding with six, with all due respect to Kierstan Bell and Cayla George.

    Pickman: Right, and she shouldn’t be forgotten considering she will one day be a first-ballot Basketball Hall of Famer, but the Aces are doing all this without Candace Parker, who hasn’t played since July 7 with a left foot injury. Then again, the Aces were never going to be super deep.

    I can’t say that entering the season, or even during the season, I would have described the Liberty as top-heavy — the franchise’s front office, coaching staff and players all touted its depth throughout the year — but as the WNBA Finals are ready to begin, I’m not sure what role New York’s reserves will play in the series.

    In New York’s critical Game 2 win over the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals, coach Sandy Brondello played her bench for a combined 12 minutes. In the Liberty’s closeout win over the Sun in Game 4, they played just seven total minutes (Kayla Thornton played four minutes and Stefanie Dolson three), and no reserve played in the second half. There’s plenty of time for each team’s stars to rest up, considering Game 1 of this series isn’t until Sunday, but as the finals progress, and the schedule becomes more condensed, how each team uses its bench is something to watch.

    Merchant: One of the reasons I thought the Liberty would be well-equipped to beat the Aces in a series, and part of why they were successful against Las Vegas during the regular season and the Commissioner’s Cup Final, was their depth. Marine Johannès hit five 3-pointers in the cup final to change the game in the first half, and Thornton was a key defensive reserve to help defend Chelsea Gray in those matchups. But they were both basically phased out in that semifinals series, and I don’t think New York can beat the Aces without bigger contributions from the two of them, and potentially Dolson as well. Las Vegas can handle playing its core-six huge minutes — the advantage is supposed to be that the other team is fresher because it can get its stars some rest.

    Speaking of those stars, though, one thing that was kind of noteworthy during the first two rounds was the play of Stewart. She entered the 2023 postseason as the league’s per-game leading scorer in the playoffs, and she hasn’t consistently been that offensive force. Can the Liberty survive with this version of Stewart, or do they need more from her?

    Pickman: New York can definitely still win a game in the series, maybe two, if Stewart scores less than her season average of 23 points per game. But I do think — and this isn’t exactly a surprising take — that the Liberty’s chances of winning the championship (and that is the goal for them after all) go way up if she can score at an MVP-level. The Liberty lost both regular-season games against the Aces when she scored fewer than 20 points. And although New York beat Las Vegas in the Commissioner’s Cup Final, when Stewart scored just 13, the Liberty saw Johannès score 17 points in that game, which, as we both said, is probably not something you can bet on.

    Question for you: After these teams’ final regular-season meeting, on Aug. 28, which the Liberty won convincingly, I wrote that the Liberty appeared to be the more complete team. Hammon talked about some “borderline (negligence)” on defense from her squad after that game. But heading into the series, who do you think is playing better?

    Merchant: The problem with that question is the Aces have been on cruise control for much of the past month. They ended the season with three games against the Seattle Storm and the Phoenix Mercury and have since played five games in 29 days during the playoffs. We’ve barely had a chance to really watch Las Vegas compete, which is why Hammon seemed so happy that the Aces had to go on the road for Game 3 and play in a sold-out, raucous environment in Dallas to test themselves. Meanwhile, the Liberty had a tough first-round series against Washington and an even tougher semifinal series against a very experienced Connecticut squad. Las Vegas has looked better overall, but the quality of the opposition hasn’t been the same.

    The one thing the Aces have going in their favor is Wilson has looked like the best player in the world since the start of September, and that is what their hopes of a repeat title rest on. I’m most interested in whether Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young can do enough to support Wilson in this series.

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    Pickman: I’m going to key in on Gray, last year’s finals MVP. New York’s do-everything wing Betnijah Laney, who has had a stellar postseason, will probably be tasked with guarding her to open the series. But Gray proved last year, and has time and time again throughout her career, she is one of the best shotmakers in the WNBA, so I would still expect a productive series from her. I’m curious who Brondello chooses to have Sabrina Ionescu guard of the three Aces players you mentioned above. Or does New York resort to playing a two-three zone, in much the same way it did to advance past Connecticut. The Liberty might not have a great option to stop the Aces’ three-headed backcourt. But I guess it’s fair to wonder if, reciprocally, Jonquel Jones has a matchup advantage on the inside.

    Merchant: I’m glad we landed on Jones, because I think she is the most critical player in this series for New York. Jones has been the Liberty’s best player throughout the playoffs, a walking double-double in every game (literally, she has six in six games), and her size and effort on the glass have been too much for every opponent thus far. The Aces have Stokes and Wilson inside, which is better than what the Mystics and Sun were working with, but Las Vegas hasn’t been a great defensive rebounding team all year, and Jones will make them pay.

    Perhaps the most important marker of success for the Aces guards won’t be their scoring, but how well they can rebound collectively to limit New York’s possessions to one shot. It was one thing to allow multiple attempts against Dallas, a team that doesn’t score incredibly efficiently, but the Liberty have too many good 3-point shooters to allow second chances on offense.

    Pickman: You mentioned it, the Liberty were second, only to the Wings, in terms of second-chance points during the second half of the season, and they did so despite taking almost six fewer shots from within five feet than the Wings and while shooting a better percentage in said range than Dallas. The Aces were also below league average in terms of second-chance points allowed. Still, Las Vegas was the league’s best defense overall and was especially good at not allowing points off turnovers (it gave up just 12.8 per game, a league-best mark). New York wants to turn its stops into transition opportunities and easy scores, and if the Aces can defend well in transition, that could lead to the second-chance battle being less important.

    Alright, so I know we’ll have plenty of stories both previewing and documenting the series — we’ll both be in Las Vegas starting Friday — but it’s time for a prediction. Who do you think wins this year’s title, and who is your finals MVP?

    Merchant: You and I both took the Liberty to win at the start of the year, and I feel compelled to stay with that choice. New York showed the ability to legitimately contain Las Vegas’ offense in those August matchups, and I think that will hold in this series, especially with Laney and Jones playing as well as they have been. I’ll take the Liberty, with Jones winning Finals MVP, exacting a little revenge from last year’s finals against this same opponent.

    Pickman: As you mentioned, I also picked the Liberty at the start of the season to defeat the Aces in this year’s finals. Although Las Vegas has looked like the better team entering the playoffs, I think New York’s experience grinding out series over the Mystics and Sun will pay dividends. Plus, the Liberty defeated the Aces three times in August, not just because of how their high-powered offense performed, but because of their ability to get stops when needed. Laney, perhaps the Liberty’s most versatile defender, is playing the best she’s played all year entering this series. She not only plays a key role on defense to limit Gray, Plum and Young, but on offense too. She wins finals MVP.

    (Photo of Betnijah Laney, left, and Chelsea Gray: Evan Yu / NBAE via Getty Images)

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  • WNBA Confidential: Which city would be best fit for expansion? GMs anonymously weigh in

    WNBA Confidential: Which city would be best fit for expansion? GMs anonymously weigh in

    The first part of our WNBA general managers anonymous survey focused on questions related to players and coaches in and around the league. But GMs are also forced to understand far more than just the makeup of their own team. Part 2 of our survey dives into a number of league-wide topics, including expansion, rule changes and a potential new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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    The Athletic surveyed the league’s general managers, who are most often the top basketball executives on their teams, to get their thoughts on various matters. All 12 general managers were asked to participate in the exercise while being granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, and nine took part. Of those, some declined to answer specific questions, but this is still a comprehensive look at how the league’s foremost decision-makers think about the present and future of the WNBA.

    When exactly the WNBA will expand into more than 12 markets remains in question, but there was some consensus that the league should expand to another market on the West Coast. (The Athletic asked this question before our reporting that the Golden State Warriors are close to bringing a WNBA franchise to the Bay Area.)

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    It should be noted that general managers were asked for one city, but some discussed up to three in their response. One of the general managers who mentioned multiple cities noted it would be important for the league to add another East Coast and West Coast team “to have our conferences stay even.”

    Bay Area

    “It’d be an automatic fan base from Day 1.”

    “They’re all in.”

    Portland

    “That city supports women’s basketball, and the natural rivalry between Portland and Seattle would be fantastic.”

    “The infrastructure is there and the fan base is – they’ve been pleading, give us a team.”

    Toronto

    “I’m very intrigued by Toronto, to have all of Canada supporting that team.”

    Philadelphia

    “Big media market. Long-time basketball city. I think that would be a great place for our people.”

    This was one of the questions in our GM survey that we also asked players throughout the season. Though the answers are not mutually exclusive (there’s no reason league expansion couldn’t come with increased rosters), a majority of general managers, much like the majority of players, hoped to see rosters increase.

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    WNBA Confidential: Anonymous poll reveals more players want roster spots over expansion

    Add roster spots

    “I think our time would be best spent expanding roster size in the most immediate, just because fiscally, it’s not as big of an impact league-wide. … Just have this pool of talent that we have in the system already that we can pull from, even if someone comes down with the flu and you know it’s not gonna be super long-term, but you just have them at your fingertips. I think that would be the most fruitful.”

    “Maybe those last two — if rosters expand from 12 to 14 players — are unique in that we only travel 12. Those are developmental players. Some are in, some are out. But we’ve got some backups there so that we don’t have to go grab somebody when somebody gets hurt.”

    “I think having 11 players is just sometimes tough. … The hardest thing is you have the team for four, five months, so you try and establish a culture and all of a sudden you lose two or three players and you have to sign somebody for that. And those players are only there for practice purposes, not most of them for playing purposes. So it affects culture. … I think quality goes down.”

    Expansion

    “I think to continue to grow our league and have a national presence, we need to be in more markets and be more relevant to more people locally.”

    “I just think we need to be able to grow the eyeballs on this league in order to get all these things that all of us want for the players.”

    Both

    “The WNBA does need at least two more teams. The women’s basketball world and country is ready for more. It would bolster the excitement that the W is creating right now. More roster spots, even if it is allowing two-(to)-three players as practice/reserve players would be welcomed. That way when injuries occur, you have players who know the system and can step in seamlessly.”

    “Both have value, apples and oranges. A portion of expansion fees should be distributed to teams to expand rosters, (and the) cap to address hardship (and) IR issues and also allow for younger talent, player development investment.”

     

    What should be prioritized in the next CBA negotiations

    As the individuals whose work is most directly impacted by the collective bargaining agreement, it made sense to ask general managers what they’d like to see updated in the next document. The current CBA runs through 2027, but there is a potential early opt-out in 2025, so negotiations could be on the horizon in the next two years. Per WNBPA first vice president Kelsey Plum, the players association is already surveying its constituents for their priorities in the next agreement.

    Travel

    General managers had a wide set of ideas about what needs to be addressed during the next round of bargaining, but the one topic that came up from four individuals was travel, and the issue of charter flights. The league currently prohibits teams from flying on private charters, but with a 40-game season on the docket in 2024 during an Olympic year, a greater impetus will be placed on travel conditions. As one general manager put it: “This will be pretty in our face next year with the Olympics and having a condensed schedule, but prioritizing player health and the travel.” Another general manager expressed a similar sentiment regarding player safety as it relates to travel and other issues, saying the goal of the next CBA should be “reinforcing player health and safety as the primary lens through which all policies and guidelines are filtered.”

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    Soft cap

    Another item of interest in the upcoming CBA that two executives mentioned was moving to a soft cap instead of the current hard cap, giving teams greater financial flexibility and freedom to spend. This would make trades easier to facilitate during the regular season. Given that most teams are at or above the cap at the trade deadline, one general manager proposed a massaging of the trade rules so teams could exchange players whose contracts were within 10 to 20 percent of each other rather than an exact match.

    Maternity exceptions, visibility, expanding rosters

    Expanding roster sizes as well as refining the nuances of hardship and maternity exceptions was also mentioned. Finally, two general managers prioritized visibility of the WNBA on national platforms. “Right at the top of my list is visibility, the TV visibility,” one said. “There needs to be a WNBA game, or two, on every night just like in college.” Another echoed the importance of visibility being the first step toward making greater gains. “Getting exposure that our players deserve on a national scale, with more TV games,” the GM said. “I think that’s the biggest thing and everything else will follow.”

    What rule needs to be changed or re-evaluated before next season?

    Challenge rule / reviews

    Five general managers interviewed for this survey hope to see changes either with the league’s challenge rule or official review protocols. One of them, who struggled to separate the two from each other, noted that the broad hope is to help foster accuracy with officials’ calls late in games. Multiple GMs want more challenges. “Why don’t you get one per half?” one general manager asked. Another suggested a team should retain a timeout if it wins a challenge, and a third GM raised the idea of a time limit being put into place regarding official reviews. A number of coaches, for what it’s worth, also have strong opinions regarding such situations and hoping for changes to the challenge rule.

    Charter rules / roster increases

    One general manager was hoping to see charter rules changed, with team owners, specifically, being given the option to fly their team charter if they want to pay for it. Another suggested expanding roster sizes, echoing some of the reasons mentioned above.

    Editor’s note: The WNBA Confidential series is part of a partnership with Michelob ULTRA. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

    (Illustration: John Bradford / The Athletic; Photos of skylines and Cathy Engelbert: Sarah Stier / Getty Images; iStock)

    The New York Times

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  • ‘I want it all’: How A’ja Wilson is building her legacy and Aces’ dynasty

    ‘I want it all’: How A’ja Wilson is building her legacy and Aces’ dynasty

    In Super Squads, The Athletic follows the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces in their quests to win a WNBA championship. Our reporters will tell the stories of the players on two of the most star-studded teams in league history and examine how their paths shape the future of the WNBA.

    LAS VEGAS — With less than a minute to play in the first game of the WNBA semifinals, the Las Vegas Aces led the Dallas Wings by 17 points. Despite the win comfortably in hand for the defending champs, A’ja Wilson attempted to steal an entry pass from Crystal Dangerfield, and her momentum led her out of bounds. She had to jump over the courtside seats in order to avoid falling over.

    After averting disaster, Wilson gave a quick curtsy to the fans behind the bench before returning to the floor, where she was greeted by laughter from Kelsey Plum and Alysha Clark, but also a stern talking-to from Chelsea Gray, who told her to sub out for the rest of the afternoon.

    On a day that showcased the very best of Wilson on the basketball court, that moment encapsulated what makes the superstar so special to the Aces and to the league at large: no one plays harder than the two-time MVP, and no one has more fun while doing it.

    There’s no reason Wilson shouldn’t be having fun in 2023. Sunday was another tour de force in a year full of them. She began the game with a bucket on one end and a block on the other en route to 34 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and two steals; Las Vegas won her 34 minutes by 26 points and lost the other six minutes by 14. The game tipped off with Wilson accepting her second consecutive defensive player of the year trophy, but every performance from Wilson makes the case that she is the best player in the game — period.

    “She does everything for us,” teammate Jackie Young says. “She can score at all three levels, she defends for us. She can guard everyone one through five, and she brings it every night. She’s a leader for this team. We all trust her, and we get going off of her.”

    Wilson started her offseason by heading to Australia to win a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup, earning MVP honors in the process. She anchored the WNBA’s best offense in addition to the best defense during the regular season. She put together the finest statistical campaign of her WNBA tenure, averaging career-bests in points, rebounds and blocks per game while posting her highest shooting percentage in six seasons. She reached those thresholds despite playing the 24th-most minutes per game in the WNBA as the Aces had no need for her down the stretch of their many blowouts.

    The 3-pointer somewhat disappeared from her arsenal this season, but Wilson has gotten better at her bread and butter. Regardless of where she gets the ball inside the arc, she’s expanded her face-up game so that she can make her way to the basket, whether that’s with her dominant left or her improving right hand. She also remains on target with her midrange jumper from straight away — she connects on 53.4 percent of those attempts, well above the league average of 36.6.

    “She looks so comfortable,” Mystics coach Eric Thibault said on the night Wilson dropped a then-career high 40 points on Washington without a single 3-pointer. “The numbers she’s putting up and everything, it doesn’t look forced, it doesn’t look rushed. She plays on her time and her tempo. She doesn’t force. She doesn’t take many bad shots. And I think that’s one thing about the great players in our league — she’s obviously in that group — is you don’t feel like you can speed them up. You don’t feel like you can rattle them, and she just looks so poised.”

    When Wilson is on the court, every play earns her maximum effort level, which forces everyone else to meet that intensity. She allows Becky Hammon to coach her hard in front of her teammates because she wants to keep growing as a player and leader.

    “We all talk about her and her talent and the way that she plays the game, but I don’t think we talk enough about her effort,” Plum says. “I just think she plays harder than everyone. When you have a superstar that actually plays that hard all the time, it’s unguardable.”

    Plum, who has been Wilson’s teammate for all six of her WNBA seasons, thinks that Wilson’s effort is a sign of her selflessness. Wilson plays hard on both sides of the ball, not expecting easier matchups on one end to focus on the other. She runs the floor hard in transition even if she doesn’t touch the ball because it opens up 3-pointers for her teammates. Wilson doesn’t ask for more plays to be drawn for her to score, instead making do within the flow of the offense. Aces veteran Candace Parker says that Wilson is the best she’s ever seen at making a play even when it isn’t run for her.

    That quality extends off the court for Wilson. She signed an extension below the maximum she could have received in free agency (well below the supermax) to help keep Las Vegas’ core in place. She gave Kiah Stokes the credit for helping her win defensive player of the year and brought Stokes on the stage to receive the award, allowing her frontcourt partner to pose with the trophy as well.

    “She’s a selfless superstar, and we don’t appreciate, a lot of times, that quality,” Plum says. “It’s just a pleasure to play with someone that just competes and doesn’t have an ego and just wants to win. And you see that, she wins everywhere she goes.”

    Winning makes it easier for Wilson to have a great time while she’s competing. As the All-Star captain for the third time, she can joke about failing to properly enforce a curfew or hydrate during the weekend. Hammon calls her vibrant in the locker room as she pours energy into her teammates. Alaina Coates, who played with Wilson on a youth grassroots team and at South Carolina before joining the Aces in August, says Wilson is the same big old goofball she has always been, just busier now.

    The schedule has picked up because Wilson has designs on being an all-time great. Just as she doesn’t play to the score during the game, she’s running her own race when it comes to leaving a legacy.

    “Of course, it’s entertainment, but this is my job,” Wilson says. “This is what I do, and the last thing I want to do is disrespect the game and be complacent in who I am and where I am in my career.”

    She wants to keep expanding the women’s basketball fanbase in Las Vegas. As a rookie, Wilson could sneak into Target unnoticed, and now people cheer at her and show off their Aces gear when they see her out. But there’s more room to grow.

    Wilson looks to Parker as a model of how to stay relevant during the offseason by building her off-court business because she doesn’t play overseas. Like Parker, Wilson is now in national commercials, and she wrote a book that will be published during the 2024 offseason. She wants to be a role model for young Black girls and children with dyslexia. Having had the deck stacked against her as a kid, she feels uniquely positioned to help her readers and fans find pride in being exactly who they are.

    Although she is proud of who she has become, that doesn’t mean Wilson is content settling with the accolades she has won thus far. She rejects the “super team” moniker outright and hesitates to compare herself to all-time greats because she hasn’t won enough yet. She told the media she wouldn’t consider the Aces super until they exceed Bill Russell’s Celtics in the NBA.

    That means there is more work to be done. More learning of the game, more teammates to grow with, and more barriers to break through.

    It would be foolish to bet against Wilson meeting those intentions considering the fire she brings every time she steps on the court. She’ll chase her goals the same way she chases an errant pass out of bounds. No one will outwork Wilson on her way, and one WNBA title in 2022 doesn’t give her any peace on her journey.

    “I want another, I’m greedy,” Wilson says. “I’m a pretty greedy person. I mean, I’ll give the shirt off my back to anyone, but when it comes to my career and my legacy, I’m greedy. I want it all.”

    She’s five wins away from that next notch in her resume.

    (Illustration: Ray Orr / The Athletic; Photo of A’ja Wilson: Jeff Bottari / NBAE via Getty Images)

    The Super Squads series is part of a partnership with Google Lens. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

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  • Brittney Griner takes break from WNBA to focus on mental health

    Brittney Griner takes break from WNBA to focus on mental health

    Brittney Griner takes break from WNBA to focus on mental health – CBS News


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    WNBA star Brittney Griner did not play with her team last night in Chicago because she is taking some time to focus on her mental health. Griner returned to the league in May after she was detained in Russia for nearly a year. Nancy Chen has the latest.

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  • WNBA Working With Brittney Griner On Travel Options Amid Ongoing Security Concerns

    WNBA Working With Brittney Griner On Travel Options Amid Ongoing Security Concerns

    NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA is working with Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury on travel options including charter flights going forward.

    Griner’s travel was back in the spotlight last week when the team took a flight to Texas and then Indiana, requiring Griner and her Mercury teammates to go through commercial airports. While going through a Dallas airport last Saturday, the All-Star center who had been detained in Russia for nearly 10 months was harassed by what the WNBA called a “provocateur.”

    The league doesn’t allow teams to use charter flights except for when they have back-to-back games.

    Many teams have been using public charter airline JSX. Those flights are allowed by the WNBA with certain protocols in place, including that teams fly on the 30-seat planes using preset routes and times.

    The Mercury flew to their first road game in Los Angeles on JSX and took the airline to Dallas. There wasn’t a standard flight available on the airline from Dallas to Indianapolis, which was why Griner was on the commercial flight.

    Questions remain about who would pay for it if the WNBA allows Griner to fly privately. And also if the league allows Phoenix to use JSX to fly to any of the other 11 cities that teams play in by creating their own flights, how other teams would view that since it would give the Mercury a potential competitive advantage.

    The league said Griner’s security has been an ongoing concern since before the season began. League officials were talking with Mercury officials and the seven-time All-Star’s representatives about how to protect Griner and her teammates following the highly publicized legal case, during which she was jailed in Russia on drug charges before being freed in December in a prisoner exchange.

    The league granted Griner permission to book her own charter flights before the season started.

    “We’re just working with Phoenix to make sure we have a good plan going forward,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Friday on ESPN, “certainly for Brittney and for the rest of the Phoenix Mercury.”

    The executive director of the WNBA players’ union talked to Griner on Thursday and said she was frustrated.

    “She said, ‘We knew this was going to happen,’” Terri Jackson said. “She said: ‘Terri, I read the mail that comes to my locker. It’s fan mail, but it’s also a lot of hate mail.’”

    The Mercury currently are on a two-game road trip to Washington and New York. Griner didn’t play in Friday’s loss to the Mystics because of a hip injury.

    WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 16: Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner (42) acknowledges the fans as she leaves the court after their loss to the Washington Mystics at the Entertainment Sports Arena on June 16, 2023. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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  • Brittney Griner, Mercury Teammates Confronted At Airport By ‘Provocateur,’ WNBA Says

    Brittney Griner, Mercury Teammates Confronted At Airport By ‘Provocateur,’ WNBA Says

    DALLAS (AP) — Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were confronted by a “provocateur” at a Dallas airport on Saturday.

    The WNBA said in a statement it was looking into the team’s run-in with a “social media figure” whose “actions were inappropriate and unfortunate.”

    “The safety of Brittney Griner and all WNBA players is our top priority,” the league said, without specifying what exactly happened.

    Before the season started, the league had discussed with Griner’s representatives and the Mercury security concerns when the All-Star center traveled for road games after she returned from detainment in Russia. The thought was that the highly publicized case compromised her and others’ safety. The league granted Griner permission to book her own charter flights.

    The WNBA added charter flights for the playoffs this season, but only a handful of back-to-back regular-season games were scheduled for such flights.

    WNBA teams have flown commercially during the regular season since the league’s inception in 1997. The league typically doesn’t allow teams to charter because it could create a competitive advantage for teams who can afford to pay for them.

    “Prior to the season, the WNBA worked together with the Phoenix Mercury and BG’s team to ensure her safety during her travel, which included charter flights for WNBA games and assigned security personnel with her at all times,” the league’s statement reads. “We remain steadfastly committed to the highest standards of security for players.”

    Mercury player Brianna Turner said in a tweet people at the airport followed the team with cameras “saying wild remarks.”

    “Excessive harassment,” Turner tweeted. “Our team nervously huddled in a corner unsure how to move about. We demand better.”

    A Twitter user posted a video that appears to show a part of the confrontation where the individual asks questions of Griner about “why she hates America?”

    The Bring Our Families Home Campaign, an advocacy group that works to bring home Americans who are held hostage or detained in foreign countries, issued a statement condemning the incident.

    “Accosting a recently returned hostage like this is unacceptable, and we urge social media companies to prohibit the monetization of any resulting content. Our Campaign stands with Brittney, her teammates, and the Phoenix Mercury,” the organization said.

    Griner has been warmly received by crowds at home in Phoenix and on the road. This past week, she played two games in her home state of Texas and the team was headed to Indianapolis to face the Fever on Sunday.

    ARLINGTON, TX – June 9: Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury grabs the rebound during the game against the Dallas Wings on June 9, 2023 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images)

    Michael Gonzales via Getty Images

    Still, Saturday’s incident left many calling for change in flights for the Mercury and teams around the league.

    Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, said on social media, after the incident, that she feels that all teams need to charter flights.

    “Brittney Griner and the WNBA players are leaders who inspire hope for a better, more inclusive and less divided America,” Kagawa Colas said. “They are celebrated for the ways their activism inspires positive change. In doing that, they also become targets for hate, threats and violence. And today’s incident is a clear reminder of that. We cannot celebrate these women and their leadership without also protecting them. It’s past time for charters and enhanced security measures for all players.”

    The WNBA players’ union issued a statement Saturday, saying the situation at the airport makes it “quite clear that the matter of charter travel is NOT a ‘competitive advantage’ issue.”

    “What BG and all of her PHX teammates experienced today was a calculated confrontation that left them feeling very unsafe,” the WNBPA statement reads. “Everyone who was paying attention knew this would happen.”

    The Mercury released a statement saying the team will be working with the league on next steps.

    “We are committed to our support of BG and advocating for all American hostages abroad,” the team statement reads. “We will continue our support of marginalized communities and fighting the kind of hate that targeted us today. No one, regardless of identity, should ever fear for their safety.”

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  • Brittney Griner Returns To Her 1st Regular Season Game Since Russia Detainment

    Brittney Griner Returns To Her 1st Regular Season Game Since Russia Detainment

    LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brittney Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots Friday night in her first WNBA regular-season game since being jailed in Russia. Her Phoenix Mercury lost to the Los Angeles Sparks 94-71 in the teams’ opener.

    “Not good enough, didn’t get the dub,” Griner said afterward.

    She made an immediate impact. She fired a pass to Moriah Jefferson, who hit a 3-pointer for Phoenix’s first basket. Griner grabbed a couple of rebounds and scored twice in helping the Mercury to an early lead.

    “How good did she just look? Unbelievable,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at halftime, when the Sparks led 45-39.

    Griner played 25 minutes and spent the last several on the bench with the Mercury getting routed.

    For the first time since last season, Phoenix coach Vanessa Nygaard opened her pregame comments without announcing how many days Griner had been jailed.

    Griner has been free since December when she was part of a high-profile prisoner swap.

    “Until the day we got the news in the morning that she was on her way home, no one thought that it was going to happen,” Nygaard said. “We did our jobs probably with less joy than professional athletes do. It was heavy every day.”

    “Today is a day of joy,” Nygaard said. “An amazing, amazing thing has happened.”

    Griner and the Mercury were greeted with a standing ovation when they came on court for pregame warmups, although the biggest cheers were reserved for the Sparks.

    “Just taking it in but staying focused because at the end of the day I’m at work,” Griner said. “Can’t get caught up in the moment. Kind of feel it, but put it to the side and feel it a little bit later.”

    Griner hugged Vice President Kamala Harris and first gentleman Doug Emhoff as they left the court after Harris was presented with a No. 49 Sparks jersey. Earlier, Harris posed for photos in the Mercury’s locker room.

    “It was nice to be able to see her face-to-face and thank her for everything,” Griner said.

    She patted her heart and applauded in return during a brief video welcoming her back to the WNBA.

    “It was nice to be back on the court for a real game,” she said. “The love from the fans when we came out was amazing. I definitely feel it.”

    Griner scored 10 points in 17 minutes in an exhibition loss to the Sparks last week. It was the 32-year-old center’s first game action since she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February 2022 after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges containing cannabis oil.

    “We brought back this Black, gay woman from a Russian jail and America did that because they valued her and she’s a female athlete and they valued her,” Nygaard said.

    “Just to be part of a group that values people at that level, it makes me very proud to be an American. Maybe there’s other people that that doesn’t make them proud, but for me, I see BG and I see hope and I see the future and I have young children and it makes me really hopeful about our country,” the coach said.

    Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner jumps up for a rebound against Los Angeles Sparks Joyner Holems during the second half of a game in Los Angeles on Friday. Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots in her team’s 94-71 loss to open the WNBA season.

    Fans arriving early to Crypto.com Arena wore T-shirts with Griner’s name and jersey number on them. The 6-foot-9 Griner stopped to photo-bomb a group of young girls posing courtside before the game.

    Billie Jean King and wife Ilana Kloss, who are part-owners of the Sparks, were on hand for the opener, as was Magic Johnson, Pau Gasol, Byron Scott, Robert Horry, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham and South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley.

    Since her release, Griner has used her platform to advocate for other Americans being detained abroad. She was already an LGBTQ+ activist since publicly coming out in 2013.

    “She stands for so many people, so many different kind of people who can be undervalued in our society,” Nygaard said. “She stands with pride and confidence and has never once has shied away from who she is.”

    Griner announced in April that she is working with Bring Our Families Home, a campaign formed last year by the family members of American hostages and wrongful detainees held overseas. She said her team has been in contact with the family of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on espionage charges.

    “She’s an amazing person on and off the court,” Phoenix guard Moriah Jefferson said. “I think her energy just inspires everybody every single day to show up and be the best version of themselves.”

    With all that has happened off the court, it’s easy to forget Griner had arguably her best season in 2021. She finished second in the MVP voting after averaging 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game. She was a major reason the Mercury reached the WNBA Finals before losing to the Chicago Sky.

    AP Sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Brittney Griner says she’ll ‘never go overseas again’ to play unless it’s for the Olympics after being detained in Russia | CNN

    Brittney Griner says she’ll ‘never go overseas again’ to play unless it’s for the Olympics after being detained in Russia | CNN



    CNN
     — 

    Brittney Griner said during a press conference on Thursday that she’ll “never go overseas again” to play basketball unless it’s for the Olympics after being detained in Russia.

    The two-time Olympic gold-medalist spent nearly 300 days in Russian custody following her detention in February 2022 and was sentenced to nine years in prison under drug-smuggling charges after authorities in the country found cannabis oil in her luggage.

    She was released in December last year in a prisoner exchange with Russia.

    Griner had for years played on a Russian women’s basketball team during the WNBA off-season and was detained in a Moscow airport as she traveled back to the US.

    The 32-year-old said many women’s players go overseas for the pay and that she wouldn’t criticize anyone for doing that, though Griner hopes the WNBA will continue to grow and that there will be change.

    “If I make that (US) team, that would be the only time I’ll leave the US soil and that’s just to represent the USA,” Griner said. “The whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap.

    “A lot of us go over there to make an income, to support out families, to support ourselves. So I don’t knock any player that wants to go overseas and want to make a little bit extra money.

    “But I’m hoping that our league continues to grow and with as many people in here now covering this I hope you continue to cover our league and bring exposure to us.”

    Griner began her press conference by thanking the media for its coverage while she was detained in Russia and for the exposure it provided to help her get back to the US.

    The Phoenix Mercury star was moved to tears by the opening question, but quickly composed herself.

    “I’m not stranger to hard times,” Griner told reporters with a crack in her voice. “Just digging deep, honestly.

    “You’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life, this was a pretty big one, but I just kind of relied on my hard work, getting through it.

    “I know this sounds so small but dying in practice and just hard workouts, you find a way to just grind it out, just put your head down and keep going and keep moving forward.

    “You can never stand still and that was my thing; just never be still, never get too focused on the now and looking forward to what’s to come.”

    Griner said that during her detention there was sometimes a little bit of a delay in getting news but that she was aware of what was going on.

    The knowledge that people were fighting for her “definitely made me a little bit more comfortable” and gave Griner “hope.” She urged those who remain wrongfully detained to “stay strong.”

    Griner said that she had no doubt about whether or not she would return to the WNBA this season. She signed a one year deal with the Mercury in February.

    “I believe in me,” Griner said. “I believe in what I can do. I know if I put my mind to it I can achieve any goal.

    “I’m not trying to sound big-headed, but I bet on me. I have all the resources here to help me get to that point where I can play, and it was no question to be back in the WNBA, back in Phoenix playing.”

    The Mercury play their first preseason game on May 9 with the WNBA season beginning on May 19.

    Phoenix play their first game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

    Griner explained that during the times where she had almost lost hope all together, pictures of her family helped get her through.

    “Just being able to see their faces, that did it for me. … You know what you’re waiting on,” Griner said. “You’re waiting to be back with your family.”

    Griner said the mental health assistance she had received before she was detained in Russia “helped a lot.”

    “I’ve always promoted speaking to a counselor, seeking therapy, any tool that will help you get to a good center place. And I’m still doing that as of right now.

    “That’ll never change. So much goes on in this world, we exposed to so much on social media that is just a lot.”

    Griner was asked if she felt a burden for coming home before others who have been wrongfully detained.

    “If I could have went and got them out or any of that, of course, I would have,” Griner said.

    “It hurts, because no one should be in those conditions,” she added. “Hands down, no one should be in any of the conditions I went though or they’re going through.”

    Griner last played with the Mercury in 2021, helping the team to the WNBA Finals, which they lost to the Chicago Sky.

    Before that, the seven-time All-Star had played all nine seasons with the franchise since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft.

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  • Zia Cooke Gets Ready for the 2023 WNBA Draft

    Zia Cooke Gets Ready for the 2023 WNBA Draft

    ELLE follows basketball star, Zia Cooke, as she gets ready for one of the biggest nights of her career. Tune in as Zia reflects on her journey so far, reveals her pre-game ritual and takes us behind the scenes of the 2023 WNBA Draft.

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