As we look back on the highs and lows of 2021’s sports calendar, it’s tempting to crown certain teams as the best — or worst — in all of sports, not just their sport. That’s been difficult to do across the pro sports landscape … until now. We here at FiveThirtyEight made a concerted effort […]
Advanced technology is everywhere in basketball, and it’s only gaining steam. Some tech elements are already considered essential to the sport’s operations, such as rafter camera tracking technology that’s been in the NBA for nearly a decade; others, like detailed basket tracking provided by companies like Noah Basketball, are still in the early stages of […]
In 2018 and 2020, the Seattle Storm won WNBA titles behind a homegrown “Big Three” of Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd. All three are former No. 1 overall draft picks and have played their entire careers in Seattle, and they currently rank second, third and fourth in franchise history in win shares. Bird, […]
Had Rhyne Howard elected to graduate early and enter the 2021 WNBA draft, she easily could have been selected with the top pick. Howard elected instead to stay in school and is starring once more for the Kentucky Wildcats. Even though you cannot elevate your draft stock above first — presumably, you come to us […]
The Chicago Sky won the WNBA championship. But that’s yesterday’s news. Welcome to the WNBA offseason, friends. The pursuit of the 2022 season title has begun in earnest, and it’s worth considering what we’ve learned about our champs, how they can construct a run at a repeat and whether the Sky can — gasp — […]