#wnba

#wnba

Hamby grounded her. "Hey, I won eight games last year," Hamby responded. "So this looks different to me." Despite finishing under .500 for the fifth consecutive season and falling just short of making the playoffs, the Sparks easily more than doubled last year's win total. Hampered by a slew of injuries that stunted momentum, they greatly improved with the league's fourth-best record after the All-Star break.

The top rookie in the 2024 NBA season made around $12.6 million, and the final pick made about $2.5 million, according to Sports Illustrated. But Bueckers, the WNBA's 2025 No. 1 draft pick, will make only $78,831, according to the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Though the women's league is a half century younger than the NBA, its average team valuation of $269 million skyrocketed 180% from last year, according to data from Sportico.

A sublime point guard, her passing was on par with the likes of the five-time champion Los Angeles Lakers floor general. A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Lieberman remains a steward of the game today. But while she was only able to play in the WNBA for a total of 26 games 25 during the league's inaugural season in 1997 and one remarkable tilt at 49 years old in 2008 she remains one of the sport's most important names.

I just tried to be ready for the moment," Leite said, almost sheepishly.

"I'm a late bloomer. I'm a late bloomer with a lot of things and you know - nobody's perfect. I'm an overachiever in some ways and just like slow as molasses in other ways," she said. "I think I kind of needed to grow and mature and get everything kind of taken care of with everything before I was able to really deal with it."

Stats experts contend there's no such thing as a consistent clutch player in any sport. Players who come up big at the buzzer or final whistle are typically the ones who do it at any time of the game. But anecdotes and memories stick with us. And in those make-or-break moments, we know who we want to take that shot.

But when healthy, Clark's impact is enormous: She stretches the floor with her shooting range, pushes the pace and picks defenses apart with her passing. The 23-year-old brings an unmatched excitement factor every time she's on court, and her confidence spreads to the whole team. She is also the biggest draw on the road of any WNBA player, so her effect on the entire league is huge.

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has had a solid grip on the WNBA's MVP award for much of the season, but we should have known this race wouldn't remain that simple. After missing seven games with an ankle injury, Collier is still going strong, scoring 32 points in her return on Sunday. But A'ja Wilson has made a big push over the past month to win an unprecedented fourth MVP honor as the driving force behind the Las Vegas Aces' 11-game winning streak.

"I know Bria, and I'm actually really good friends with Bria," Cunningham said. "... There was no ill intent. I think it was basketball play. I was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. She fell - like there's no way that she would go in there and potentially try to hurt me. So yeah, I have nothing but love for Bria."

"In a new docuseries titled America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, filmmakers Chapman and Maclain Way cook up a Last Dance-esque portrait of the '80s and '90s-era Cowboys dynasty."

As the WNBA is rounding the corner into the final playoff push, we spent the bulk of this week's episode talking through several of the more interesting W storylines, including what makes the Atlanta Dream cool, the exhausting spectacle of Dildogate, and how Maitreyi sold her book.