THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
It's back, and it promises to be bigger than ever before!
The Women's National Basketball Association enters its 28th season and with it comes the excitement and hype that has rarely been seen before. This is largely due to an unprecedented crop of talent that enters the league this year from the WNBA Draft.
For a long time, the league has struggled to gain any mass media attention, but with women's sports on the rise, and the aforementioned special talent adding into the mix, this season is ready to explode and take the game onto heights that were dreamt of when the league was in its infancy.
A lot has changed in a short time, and the league recognises that it has the potential to be hitting the crest of the wave that has been building for a few years. Should they ride this wave and hit the peak then who knows where it could become by the end of September, as there truly is a groundswell of interest. This is also an Olympic year, something else that the organisers have factored in with its scheduling.
One name leaps out when you look ahead to the season, and that is the phenom that is Caitlin Clark. After rewriting the record and history books during her time in college with Iowa, who lost the National Championship to LSU earlier this year, she is carrying the league on her shoulders. If one player can take that burden it is a seemingly unflappable Clark. When Indiana Fever quite literally won the Lottery draft selection to gain the number one pick – the second year running they have had that honor – Clark was destined to pack her bags and add being the top pick onto her resume.
The 22-year-old Point guard told ESPN after her selection. "I'm excited. This is the most competitive league in the entire world, less than 144 spots. So you better bring it every single night. I dreamed of this moment since I was in second grade, and it's taken a lot of hard work, a lot of ups and downs." Clark is the all-time leading scorer in college history, across both the women's and men's games and is the hottest ticket in town. This was proved during the preseason when the average attendance for the Fever was tripled for her first game on the court. A sign of things to come for sure.
Where most will be drawn by Clark, she is only one of many hot young talent that is entering the WNBA this year. In fact most teams will boast of a player that not only improves their roster, but their chances of making a run at the playoffs and beyond. Indiana already has the WNBA 2023 Rookie of the Year, Aliyah Boston. So this is now a tantalising mix of passing and shooting that has Clark excited. Boston has an incredible shooting range and will be Clark's go-to.
Perhaps the best duo to enter the league out of college is heading to Chicago. The 6 foot 7 Kamila Cardoso out of LSU, is joined by the impressive Angel Reese, who at just four inches shorter means that the Chicago skyline just got two more towers. "Nobody's going to get no rebounds on us." The ever-smiling Cardoso said at the draft post-conference.
The bright lights of Los Angeles welcome two of the biggest smiles and ferocious talent with the dynamic pair of Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. The numbers 2 and 4 in the draft will certainly feel at home in the foothills of LA. The Champions Las Vegas Aces have added 5 foot 5 Dyaisha Fair to their winning team, and no one should be put off by her size as she is another who will score on teams at will.
The list goes on, and on. This year's draft has put many fans on the edge of their seats before a ball has been tipped in anger. And this is where the league steps in by making sure its athletes also have the best seats. In a move long overdue it was announced that all teams would use charter flights to get them around the country. Cathy Engelbert, the WNBA Commissioner said. "We have been hard at work to transform the business and build a sustainable economic model to support charter flights for the long term. While we still have a lot of work to do to continue to execute our strategic plan, we feel confident that the time is now to institute a full charter program to demonstrate our commitment to leading with a player-first agenda."
With high-profile players already making headlines, and the league ensuring their playing time is the best it can be, just what can we expect in the coming months?
With the first games scheduled for May 14, the league runs until September 19. The 12 teams will play 40 games in the regular season, with two conferences - the East and West - of six teams each. The actual standings for playoff seeding will see the 12 as one big league, with the top eight advancing into the first round of the postseason. There is an All-Star game in Phoenix, Arizona on July 20. This also signifies the end of the first half of the season, before a month-long break for the Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The Las Vegas Aces are aiming for a three-peat something that has only been done once before, when the Houston Comets won the first four WNBA titles from 1997-2000. The WNBA has recently announced expansion teams for 2025 and 2026, with Golden State entering next year, and Toronto joining a year later, becoming the first team outside the USA to play in the league.
