A quartet of WNBA decision-makers came together last week to answer questions from those of us in the media preparing for Thursday night’s 2021 WNBA draft. And while none of them would answer questions like “Hey, who you picking?” their responses did offer a window into their overall thinking. So I asked the four — […]
Two weeks into the WNBA’s free agency period, we’ve seen big moves by all 12 teams. Signings, star relocation, massive trades — on Feb. 10 we essentially had a five-team trade. Five! That’s 41.667 percent of the league involved in one trade. Players regularly outgrow more limited roles on their original teams, particularly since the […]
After a laser-fast WNBA regular season, the 2020 playoffs have arrived. The stakes are high, and almost cruel, this week: single-elimination doubleheaders Tuesday and Thursday ahead of the best-of-five semifinal series, which begin this weekend. On Tuesday night, the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky face the seventh-seeded Connecticut Sun. Then the five seed, the Phoenix Mercury, take […]
Among sports’ most influential civil-rights voices, a few names frequently rise to the top. In an earlier era, Muhammad Ali was the defining figure; more recently, Colin Kaepernick has stepped to the forefront in the battle for equality. But as ESPN’s Howard Bryant recently pointed out, there is an athlete who is consistently missing from […]
When evaluating the WNBA draft, held virtually on April 17, it’s worth keeping in mind some critical roster context. The draft is three rounds long, or 36 players. That’s fully 25 percent of what the league can hold at maximum capacity, with rosters capped at 12 players each for 12 teams. Team turnover, retirement rate […]