Reading through the CBA I definitely have a favorite clause. Article XXXIV Section 2:
"Team Marketing and Promotional Agreements. Team marketing and promotional agreements have been eliminated."
They're telling the Aces no, you can't have side deals with the city that pay more than the max salary. It's surprisingly blunt language for a labor agreement.
59 players made their WNBA debut in May. That's by far the most players making their first ever appearance before June 1st in a season.
2026 is tracking to have the 4th most debuts ever. The record is 97, set in 1997 when everyone was new. Second is 2000 with 78 then 1999 with 76.
1998 had 62, then this year. We'll pass 1998 for sure. There are seven rookies on rosters now who haven't seen the floor yet. Reaching 76 debuts to catch 1999 is unlikely.
Karlie Samuelson and Teja Oblak are older than Fire head coach Alex Sarama. There have been 11 previous occasions when a player was older than her head coach...
| Coach | Player | year | team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheryl Miller | Nancy Lieberman | 1997 | Phoenix |
| Heidi Vanderveer | Pam McGee | 1997 | Sacramento |
| Julie Rousseau | Pam McGee | 1998 | Los Angeles |
| Dee Brown | Carla McGhee | 2002 | Orlando |
| Suzie McConnell-Serio | Teresa Edwards | 2003-04 | Minnesota |
| Dee Brown | Adrienne Goodson | 2004 | San Antonio |
| Karleen Thompson | Teresa Weatherspoon | 2004 | Los Angeles |
| Jenny Boucek | Yolanda Griffith | 2007 | Sacramento |
| Noelle Quinn | Sue Bird | 2021-22 | Seattle |
| Noelle Quinn | Candice Dupree | 2021 | Seattle |
| Nikki Blue | Diana Taurasi | 2023 | Phoenix |
