The WNBA has a bunch of issues that the league is handling on all fronts. With Caitlin Clark having missed the last 10 games with a severe groin pull, the narratives surrounding her team has been the driving force in her absence. There’s no doubt that Clark’s presence has also elevated the props of her teammates, particularly dynamic backcourt mate Kelsey Mithell and inside force Aliyah Boston, who are both All-Stars this season, along with Clark, the leading vote getter despite her injury.
RELATED: Aliyah Boston Was Invisible Before She Became Caitlin Clark’s Wing Woman
Caitlin Clark Has Missed 10 Games, Is Still Media Focus
While the media moshpit continues to focus on Clark and her team, who recently defeated the Minnesota Lynx to win the vaunted Commissioner’s Cup with Clark playing cheerleader, other players across the league have gotten a chance to shine.
WNBA Analyst, Carolyn Peck came under fire for comments she made, saying that the Indiana Fever were a better team without Clark.
“I think that Indiana is even more dangerous when Caitlin Clark doesn’t play, because she’s a ball-dominant guard,” she said. “The ball’s in her hands a lot, so you know what you need to try to take away. But when you look at Indiana now, they’ve got so many weapons.”
However, similar to last season when Napheesa Collier led Cheryl Reeves’ Minnesota Lynx to a WNBA Finals and won league MVP, the Lynx, who led the rest of the league by a wide margin with a 17-2 record, aren’t getting much publicity.
Minnesota Lynx Coach Doesn’t Think Indiana Fever Should Have More All-Stars: “The W Is More Than One Player”
Although Reeves has been named one of the head coaches, with Collier being a captain, only one other player on the Lynx made the All-Star roster. Head coach Cheryl Reeves wasn’t happy that her first-place team (17-2) had less All-Stars than the Fever who are 9-9.
Speaking after her team’s win over Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky, Reeve said: “I don’t know why only Phee and Courtney are All-Stars when you have the best team in the league by a few games.
“There are teams that are below us in the standings by a lot that have three All-Stars.
“Really disappointing. Really, really happy for Courtney.”
Williams was named as a reserve. But veteran sharp-shooter and defensive stalwarts Kayla McBride and Alanna Smith were snubbed. Reeves just does not understand.
“Historically, teams at the top get a minimum of three, oftentimes four,” Reeves said.
Reeves has been vocal about ensuring that the league is covered equally and she has offered her own words concerning the obsession with Clark. There’s a good, bad and ugly that comes with such a polarizing figure. It’s only right that Reeves fights for her team and the welfare of the entire league.
She’s probably the best coach in the league, having won four WNBA titles as the head coach and general manager of the Minnesota Lynx, in addition to Olympic success coaching USA Basketball, So she’s not just blowing hot air or “hating” on Caitlin Lennon and the Indiana Featles. Even with Clark nursing her injury, the game has been healthy.
WNBA Blessed With New Crop Of Rookie All-Stars
Reeves has a right to want the game called fairly for all teams and all players when it comes to media attention. This season, No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers has made an immediate impact with the Dallas Wings and was voted in as a starter. Over in Washington, the Mystics have two of the top rookies and rising stars, proving there’ been no drop off of talent from last season’s historic crop.
Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were among the 12 reserves selected by league coaches on Sunday for the WNBA All-Star Game on July 19 in Indianapolis.
Iriafen, the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft is currently averaging 12.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Citron, the No. 3 overall selection out of Notre Dame, is averaging almost 15 points per game and five rebounds, while showing her sharp-shooting (46.8% FG) versatility and energy each night.
WNBA Players Reject First Collective Bargaining Proposal, Call It “A Slap In The Face”
Time is of the essence as the WNBPA and the league try to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement amid announcements and criticisms concerning significant expansion into Toronto, Portland, Philadelphia, Detroit and Cleveland by 2030, which will bring the league to 18 franchises.
The Phoenix Mercury’s Satou Sabally, a WNBPA player representative, told the media Tuesday that the WNBA sent a proposal to the union and she described it as a “slap in the face,” which tells you they are far apart.
Sabally is all for expansion but also understands math. The addition of more teams (a 50% increase from 2024 to 2030) also dilutes the potential bag. She would rather see more players on the 13 teams that already exist in the league, making more money.
“I love to see the league growing. … But how cool would it also be to have a little bit of expansion on the rosters? Let’s focus on the teams that have everything set up right now,” Sabally said.
WNBA Players Want Huge Increase In Salaries: Does League Finally Have The Funds To Do It?
According to reports, about 80% of the league’s players are free agents next year as they anticipate significant increases in salaries across the board. The league’s finances, as last reported, seem to contradict the demands of the players although we haven’t been privy to any negotiation numbers. CBA negotiations in the WNBA are super hush, hush.
Compared to what they did have, which reportedly was losses of between $10M-$40 per season, the league is actually raking in the doe. The league agreed to a record 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights cut of the NBA’s $76B media deal. A number that has reportedly increased due to a multi-year extension the WNBA signed with Scripps Sports. ESPN reported last season that the final media deal could be close to $3B —a $270 million average annual value equaling more than four times what the league previously received. According to Front Office Sports, the WNBA also received $250 million in expansion fees for its three new franchises. It’s really up to the league how much more they will compensate players.
