u/kseveru79_v2

I felt this was worth sharing because it's such a contrast with the way we all talk about this team, and it kind of blew my mind. Some excerpts from the story:

>And yet, despite all of that—and despite the lack of shooting, the injuries, the poor “clutch” play as of late, etc.—I think this team has a real heart. My heart.

>The Sparks trailed by 26 entering the fourth quarter on Thursday. They got down by as much as 28 with 9:48 left. And then something emblematic of their entire season happened: they did not quit. Los Angeles rattled off a monstrous 21-0 run, which then extended as far as 29-4 to bring them within just three points of the Liberty.

>No, their final shot attempt, a potential game-tying 3-pointer from Ariel Atkins, didn’t find the bottom of the net. But I don’t care. Why? Because a team in their position could easily quit. Even with all of these internal, external, and what at times feels like extraterrestrial forces working against them, the Sparks did not quit.

>“I’ve never really done that,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts answered postgame when asked if she had at all considered throwing in the towel after the third quarter and yanking the starters since, at the time, it was a blowout. “I’m not good at losing, or throwing in the towel. That’s just not who I am. That’s not how I want us to play.”

>...

>The season began with an idea of what the 2026 Sparks could be. But that idea was snuffed out rather quickly. What remains is something in its infancy: a beautiful, perplexing, enthralling organism filled with passion and fight.

>...

>But even with all of the absences and craziness of this season, the Sparks have kept fighting for each other and for their coach.

>“I have not sensed at all this whole season that there’s been any sort of lack of buy-in or frustration with what we’re trying to do,” Roberts expressed before the game. “It’s just we’ve had just a brutal season of injuries and inconsistent lineups. It’s really hard to gain momentum. … But even despite all of that, they’ve been locked in. I have felt like we’re all for one, one for all from the jump.”

>That sense of team and chemistry has not wavered, and it certainly didn’t after this result in New York.

>“Proud of these guys,” Roberts said about the fight her team showed.

>They didn’t win the game, but they won hearts. That’ll suffice for now.

>And that’s what has made the Sparks, for all of their on-court faults, a fabulous watch this season. They genuinely fight for each other, from the first player to the last, and from each coach to the rest.

>This team is not going to make the playoffs. They have to win their final 11 games to even finish with a winning record. Yet I can’t shake the feeling that this might be the most connected team, emotionally and in each other’s hearts, as any I have covered.

>“I believe in these guys,” Roberts said Thursday. “And I’ll fight for them to the end.”

>That’s a team. Win or lose.

>It’s impossible not to love them for it.

Pure delusion, or is the truth somewhere in the middle? (I mean: if the team is so connected, what went on with KP?) "A fabulous watch this season"?

(He also confirmed that Nneka's terrible slump is real: "Ogwumike has made just 15 of her last 41 field goal attempts (36.7%). It would be the fourth-worst three-game stretch of her career, field goal percentage wise (min. 40 FGA).")

From the LA Times:

>The Sparks ownership group fired general manager Raegan Pebley in mid-July, seemingly changing direction near the deadline. Shortly after, Plum informed the team she wouldn’t return after her contract expired after this season.

>“It’s also different when someone feels like they maybe want to fit somewhere else,” Ogwumike said. “I’ve been in situations where it was unexpected for everyone. It wasn’t so unexpected for us. We want her to be happy. We want her to be healthy, so I think that there’s a bit of comfort for everyone knowing that, and also being able to get it done in a way where I feel like everybody’s OK with it. It breathes a little bit of life into the situation.”

She goes on to say some vague things about how they're "not giving up on the season," which presumably goes without saying (why would they openly give up on the season?).

I don't want to read too much into a statement like this, but I wonder if she's implying that Plum thought LA was not a good place to stay healthy (due to coaching, facilities, whatever). I don't know how the new practice facility is progressing...

We haven't talked all that much here about the changing landscape in NCAA women's basketball vis-a-vis the WNBA. There have been isolated discussions: a few posts about unsigned draftees enrolling in college programs; a player (or two?) who had a training camp contract is hoping to go back to college for a fifth year, and there's always speculation about whether Juju Watkins will declare for the 2027 draft or not.

I wonder if we're entering an era when the NCAA is a bona fide competitor with the WNBA for talent where player eligibility overlaps. As I understand it, the NIL money available to college players at top programs can exceed rookie salaries in the W, and even more overseas players who become draft-eligible at 19/20 may choose to enroll in a NCAA program for several years instead. College players are also unionizing with support and advice from the WNBPA, which reflects their status as professionals. In a recent ESPN article about the ongoing lawsuit over 2026/27 eligibility, I saw this quote:

>The NCAA's new eligibility rules will dramatically shift the athletic climate in college sports, as most waivers and redshirts will be eliminated with few exceptions. In college basketball, international players have been key additions across the landscape but the new ruling means older players from overseas will no longer enjoy the same opportunities, as the new eligibility clock for all athletes will begin when they enroll in college or the semester after they turn 19.

It's quite early, but any thoughts on the 2027 draft and the choices that face players next year? Thoughts about WNBA expansion happening at the same time as this boom in college sports? Any questions you want to throw out there for discussion?

(I know this is one of these wordy overstuffed posts that get like 4 replies, but hopefully people can just free associate...)

She mentioned this in her Valkyries newsletter. Not a surprise, but because a few teams are interested, it's probably worth making it clear. (I don't think she's implying that they're going to trade Cam later -- it's just that this is the only deadline she has any information about.)

On the eve of the All-Star break, we have:

• a new CBA mandating that teams must carry 12-player rosters at all times
• three underperforming teams that aren't actively rebuilding (Phoenix, LA, New York)
• two teams with a lot of cap space (edit: I pasted the wrong link -- it was supposed to be HHS cap sheet summaries and it went to the Shock/Sparks brawl video instead... shame)
• one team that may or may not have fired its GM for pursuing trades (LA)
• several players with question marks around their recent usage

On the Phoenix/LA/New York situations, I'll let noted sports analyst Antonio Gramsci have the last word: "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear."

In 2023, there were apparently no trades at all at the deadline. In 2024, Marina Mabrey was traded to Connecticut shortly before the All-Star/Olympic break, and then the Mystics and Lynx made some moves at the deadline. 2025 saw the Mystics and Lynx being active again (partners were Dallas, Seattle, Connecticut). Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

I'm going to hit Post in the hope that a juicy trade rumor will appear five minutes later. In the meantime, what do you want to see?

Chicago's record is approaching the borderlands of the playoff group, and Connecticut are half a game behind Phoenix. Is anyone bored enough to make predictions about their team's final record?

Games played (and remaining) by teams above:

• Portland, Toronto, Chicago, Connecticut: 25 (19)
• Los Angeles: 24 (20)
• Phoenix: 26 (18)
• Seattle: 27 (17)

2-year record ordinals via Tankathon:

1. Connecticut: .261
2. Chicago: .275
3. Toronto: .400
4. Seattle: .408
5. Portland: .440
6. Los Angeles: .456
7. Phoenix: .500 (congrats lol)

Posting this a little early, so people can discuss and speculate and not wade through 50 different posts. You have 22 remaining minutes to manifest (and/or prepare to be mad)...

Source: https://bsky.app/profile/flybyknite.bsky.social/post/3mpweazwlac26

Update: Russo confirms on Threads that Laura Ziegler was released.

On the positive side, it turns out the league CAN schedule four games on the same day without overlapping. Also, I really thought the Starzz were back for a minute. (Source here.)

Los Angeles took her at No. 20 overall (second round) in the 2026 draft after she led Division I in scoring at Florida State, averaging 25.4 points per game as a junior.

She spent her final college season at South Carolina, where her scoring dropped to 14.1 per game but her efficiency was the best of her career. As a rookie she’s averaging 1.8 points, 1.0 rebound, and 0.3 assists in 5.0 minutes a night.

In the clip she talks about staying ready despite the limited role and learning to play point guard after spending most of her college career at shooting guard. Per a recent ClutchPoints interview, she says she stays ready whether the night brings 20 minutes, four minutes, or none.

h/t: johnwdavis

I always enjoy learning about the overseas play experience for W players (as well as how players from outside the U.S. experience the W). I thought it would be fun to try to compile a list of firsthand accounts of playing in leagues outside the W. This can be a massive list and can include media in other languages -- feel free to share anything you've got.

I think Alanna Smith kept a vlog of her time in China somewhere, right? There are also interviews and media where players tell anecdotes about their time overseas within a larger narrative: the Diana Taurasi documentary talking about Shabtai Kalmanovich; Maya Moore's Love and Justice; various interviews with Candace Parker where she talks about her time in Russia; Stewie and Marta telling the story of how they met. What else?