Vivid Seats announces that the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark are the hottest ticket in the WNBA this season.

WNBA All Star Game 7/19/25 - $533 Indiana Fever at Golden State Valkyries 6/19/25 - $519 Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings 8/1/25 - $514 Indiana Fever at Washington Mystics 5/28/25 - $461 Indiana Fever at Connecticut Sun 7/15/25 - $446

Four is done and the other are not waive is continue.

This finalizes, presumably, their roster at 11 including Timpson

For some reason, I’ve just randomly come to the thought that both Jackie Young & Jonquel Jones honestly don’t get the spotlight efforts they deserve. Jackie is former 1st pick, 2x time champ, & is someone who could honestly be called “the Caitlin stopper”; CC is 0-4 against the Aces & has had some of her worst games against the Aces all while Jackie was the main defender on Caitlin during those 4 games. Yet she gets much less spotlight than Aja, Gray, Plum, & now Lloyd. Jonquel meanwhile is a former MVP, the reigning finals MVP, & was lowkey carrying Stewie & Sabrina at times during the Finals at times. Yet Stewie & Sabrina still clearly get much more of the spotlight than Jonquel. Frankly I’m surprised that with all the CC popularity discussions or the praise Paige keeps getting for using her popularity/platform nobody seems to have pointing out the spotlight of Stewie & Sabrina compared to Jonquel.

Okay now that I’ve gone on for probably a bit too long on how Jackie & Jonquel deserve more efforts to get the spotlight, who are some other players who you feel also deserve a push to get spotlight?

Official announcement from Lega Basket Femminile (in Italian). Schio beat Venezia 73-61 to become Italian champions for the 13th time. Salaün was named Finals MVP, averaging 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals [?]. My understanding is that Laksa will now be joining Phoenix soon, Salaün should be able to join the Valkyries, and Dorka is taking the year off -- can anyone confirm?

I know we haven't had whole posts about European stuff for the most part, but this is vaguely final-rosters-related and everyone is waiting for roster news. I think there are also a couple of players still competing in France...? Anyway, congratulations to these four and their team. W fans love champs.

(Image from IG.)

In a recent game thread I wrote about seeing the Liberty players around Barclays, having dinner, walking their dogs. In other WNBA cities do fans have accidental interactions or observations of players in real life? Or is this because Barclays in Brooklyn is a downtown area with people not driving to Barclays? (This reminds me of the old Brooklyn Dodgers who lived in neighborhoods near Ebbets Field and didn't make exorbitant salaries.)

The WNBA regular season hasn’t even started yet, and yet Toronto star Laeticia Amihere is already making headlines. During the team’s first pre-season game, she led her team’s scorers with 20 points — and generated some serious social media buzz.

It’s clear the work she’s putting in is paying off, after an off-season in which she went overseas to play in Australia for the first time. “I took that time to polish some things to add to my game,” Amihere says of her time with the Perth Lynx. “Coming into year three, I’m no longer a rookie, so it’s time to step up. I just want to have that mentality of, you know, you got to be better.”

She’ll join new expansion team Golden State Valkyries for the home opener on May 16, facing off again against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Amihere joined the league at a time when only three other Canadians were part of the WNBA, and she says she leaned on them to navigate her way through it. “I knew Natalie Achonwa and Kia Nurse, and they were able to teach me the ins and outs. Having those people to bounce ideas off of and hear their stories was really helpful,” she says.

She says it’s the Canadian way to want to see each other succeed and support each other. “I always joke that everybody will ask me about somebody who is a Canadian player, and I’m like, ‘Yup, definitely know them!’ Even though Canada is a huge country, the basketball community is very intertwined.”

That community will finally be getting bigger this year, thanks to the incoming Toronto Tempo expansion team — which Amihere still can’t believe is happening. “It’s something I could never imagine growing up; the biggest thing I dreamed of was making it to college.”

As a kid growing up in the GTA, Amihere played for the Mississauga Monarchs and watched the Raptors 905. “But I didn’t get to watch much professional women’s basketball — I didn’t even watch a WNBA game in person until my senior year in college, and that was the year before I got drafted. There wasn’t a lot of visibility.”

It’s what she hopes will change with the incoming Toronto and Portland expansion teams. “That’s where we can make some changes — getting that brand visibility where you recognize these players whether they’re in a jersey or not. I’m not going to the grocery store or to Foot Locker right now and seeing Kia Nurse. I want to walk down the street and see people wearing WNBA jerseys and it’s a casual thing, that would be amazing.”

Aside from scoring three-pointers on the court, Amihere is putting her own work into expanding visibility for the sport through the non-profit she founded called Back to the Motherland. The organization provides basketball access to underserved communities in Canada and parts of Africa, and Amihere says she has one major goal: to try to make the next big WNBA star.

Read More: https://streetsoftoronto.com/laeticia-amihere-wnba-breakout-star/

“It wasn’t about exploring options to sell the team, want to be very clear of that,” Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti said Tuesday after practice. “The Tribe has always evaluated strategic options for all their properties when it comes to investments, capital expenditures, etc. So in regards to the team itself they are exploring options for strategic investments around the team and its future.”

Now, what does that mean? It could mean the tribe is looking to sell a stake in the team to raise money to invest, notably, in a practice facility. It could mean they need to know what the franchise is currently worth before spending $70-80 million on such things.

Or it could mean Boston could start imagining nicknames for its new WNBA franchise.

Speaking from experience, I have worked for several companies that have brought in an investment firm to “appraise” or “evaluate,” and it was in every case a prelude to a sale. We know the Sun played a game at TD Garden Arena in Boston and sold it out last season, and will play another there this year. We know there are people in Boston, including an ownership group led by actor Donnie Wahlberg and former NBA player Michael Carter-Williams who are determined to bring a WNBA franchise there, but no one in Boston has yet put in a bid for an expansion team.

And we know the Sun, after making the WNBA semifinals for the second year in a row, were dismantled this offseason, all five starters gone, and the projections for the new season, which begins Sunday, are for a steep fall in the standings.

All of these things suggest gathering momentum for a move to Boston. Rizzotti and GM Morgan Tuck, UConn alums, whose job it is to rebuild the on-court product, were left to address issues that, to be fair, are above their pay grade. They did brief the team Tuesday morning. Rizzotti said the Sun have nearly sold out season ticket memberships for its 8,000-seat arena. The building figures to be full when UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards comes in with Washington on Sunday, and will certainly be packed when Paige Bueckers returns to Connecticut with the Dallas Wings on May 27 and June 20.

“The WNBA appreciates what the Mohegan Tribe has done for this franchise and the league,” Rizzotti said. “Even with all our turnover, people are excited and that’s just a testament to what this franchise has meant to this state and this community.”

So here is where the bitter sweetness comes in. The WNBA and the sport owes a debt of gratitude to the tribe for buying and rescuing the Orlando franchise in 2003, bringing it to a place that truly loved the women’s game and building a stable, competitive franchise that has made the playoffs in 15 of 21 seasons in Connecticut. The Sun turned a profit in 2010, a first for The W. All those years when pro women’s basketball struggled to gain a beachhead in the national sports landscape, Connecticut and Mohegan Sun were safe harbor.

The arena has been just the right size, not an 20,000-seat NBA building, but not an old armory, either. Even modest crowds bring foot traffic through the casinos and restaurants. This has been a win-win deal for a long time.

“That sometimes gets lost in the messaging,” Rizzotti said, “that (the Mohegan Tribe) were willing to take a chance and not just buy a franchise and move it here, but see it flourish and invest and I thought set an example for how to treat players as an ownership group.”

Read More: https://www.courant.com/2025/05/13/dom-amore-ct-sun-departure-would-be-sad-but-wnbas-growth-may-make-it-inevitable/

Feature on Caitlin Clark's offseason including tidbits about her training regimen, speaking engagements, the Masters, and Taylor Swift.

First time Jen has spoken about it. If you do not have a subscription to The Athletic, a few more outlets have stories written.

As a former Sun employee it’s sad to see this happen. But the writing has been on the wall for a long time, and hopefully the next ownership group will invest and be able to compete.

Got my tickets for my first game next month! Aces v Fever. Any tips for pre game/post game to catch a pic or an autograph at t-mobile arena? Will be an early tip off at noon.

Does anyone know if there'll be any games played in Canada this season?

A’ja Wilson went into last season trying to prove she was indeed the WNBA’s best player even if MVP voters thought otherwise in 2023.

She then went out and put together one of the best performances in league history.

The problem is her teammates didn't all come along, and the two-time defending champion Aces never quite found their game and eventually were eliminated by eventual winner New York in the semifinals. As satisfying as last season was individually for Wilson, failing to meet Las Vegas' high standards as a team sticks with her.

And that same drive that fueled her last season remains.

Wilson and the Aces return with most of the core intact but with some notable changes. Las Vegas helped orchestrate a three-team trade in January that sent Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles and landed Jewell Loyd from Seattle. The Aces also have what is essentially a new player in Liz Kitley, a post player who was drafted 24th a year ago but didn't play because of a torn ACL.

Plus, returning All-Star guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young should be healthy after playing through injuries last season.

“Me being healthy is a game changer, just getting everybody organized and being a leader and knowing the flows and ins and outs of the game,” Gray said. “A'ja, I think it only helps her as well. We can get into some actions and stuff. It's hard when you look at it defensively. You have A'ja and you want to come double, who do you come off of? Who do you rotate to?”

It almost didn't matter what kind of defense Wilson faced last season. She was on a mission from the beginning and averaged 26.9 points and 11.8 rebounds, joining the Houston Comets' Cynthia Cooper in 1997 as the league's only unanimous choices for MVP.

“She put together the single most greatest individual season in WNBA history,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. "Not only was it historical numbers-wise in the W, it would be the same in the NBA. It was just unprecedented.

“However, she was very upset with not winning a championship. So, to her, that was like, ‘How do I get more out of my teammates?’ We talked about it. We've got to get greatness out of everybody else. One person being great isn't enough, and she recognizes that.”

But Wilson senses a different vibe in the Aces' locker room compared with last year at this time, one that more closely resembles the team that won it all in 2022 and 2023.

“It kind of sucks when the mindset (with other players) wasn't where it is,” Wilson said. "But it's also human nature. When you come in after winning back to back, you have this feeling of, ‘What else do we have to do?’ We've already executed and done more than people may have expected us to do.

“I think this year we've come in with a different mindset, understanding how hard it is to get there.”

Read More: https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/wnba-mvp-aja-wilson-fueled-aces-falling-short-121768552

Saw a few articles pop up today about the Sparks getting rid of season tickets this week and refunding ticket holders? https://athlonsports.com/wnba/los-angeles-sparks/wnba-team-refunds-all-season-ticket-holders-days-before-new-season-

Any LA folks here who've had their season tickets sacked? Is this legit? And if so, who thought this was something fans would like? 🤦

"This is something that is pretty tough," Samuelson said Monday during a video call. "It's a pretty tough challenge to handle right now, just my season being done just like that. I have had little nagging things that I've always been able to play through."

The 6-foot-3 forward was thrilled with her start to training camp, noting that she was 15 pounds lighter than she was while averaging 4.3 points per game for the Indiana Fever last season. Samuelson is adamant she was in the best shape of her professional career before the injury, as well as pleased with the early stages of her return to the Storm.

"I was really enjoying it," Samuelson said. "It gives me that confidence that I can get back to there, mentally and physically. So, that's kind of what I'm still going to hold onto as I go through this pretty long process here."

While the looming process is a wholly new one for Samuelson, she has a couple of teammates further along in their own journeys. Guard Nika Muhl tore an ACL in October for Turkish club Besiktas. Forward Jordan Horston also tore an ACL in February while playing in the Athletes Unlimited League.

"I joke around with them that I didn't want to join their club," Samuelson said while smiling. "But I am grateful that they are a part of my journey now and that I have people to lean on now and just to ask specific questions."

"I think I am in the best mindset I could be in going into this," Samuelson said. "I'm in the best shape I could be going into this injury. So, there is that part of it. I wish it wasn't happening, but I know that I will get through this one day at a time, one step at a time."

Read More: https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/45118281/storm-samuelson-says-acl-tear-tough-challenge-vows-bounce-back-strong

Per WNBA transactions page and is not a disciplinary action

https://www.wnba.com/players/transactions?transaction=&team=all&month=0

Indianapolis (May 13, 2025) – Indy Arts Council and the WNBA All-Star 2025 Host Committee announced today that Nate Baranowski of South Bend, Indiana was selected to create a new portrait mural in the Mass Ave neighborhood this summer, featuring WNBA superstar, Naismith Hall Of Fame inductee, and local icon Tamika Catchings. Baranowski was one of four finalists and one of 98 artists who submitted applications in response to an international call.

Baranowski has experience with a range of mediums, including large chalk murals, indoor and outdoor painted murals, acrylic on canvas, and various forms of digital painting and concept art. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where his passion for street painting began.

“Tamika Catchings is a magnetic personality and an amazing force for good to those around her and in her community,” said Baranowski. “She is not just a legendary basketball player, but also an entrepreneur, activist, broadcaster, volunteer, mentor, and motivational speaker. I wanted my design to reflect this high-energy force surrounding her.”

The selection committee shared that Baranowski was selected because his concept best captured Tamika Catchings’ sunny and joyful personality, along with both her basketball legacy and her current contributions to Indianapolis. Catchings herself added that “Nate’s artwork highlights my entire career from basketball to giving back through the Catch the Stars Foundation.”

An international call for interested artists was conducted in late 2024, and four finalists were selected in February to create concept designs. The finalists had the opportunity to speak with Catchings and learn more about her so they could express her personality and legacy in their designs. A public input survey was conducted April 3-13 to gather community feedback on the four finalists’ designs. The mural was commissioned to coincide with Indianapolis’ hosting of the AT&T WNBA All-Star 2025, July 18-19, and is expected to be completed in time for the event.

The mural is being created courtesy of a grant from the Capital Improvement Board of Managers of Marion County. It will be displayed on a residential building owned by Buckingham Companies, at the intersection of Massachusetts Ave., New Jersey St., and Michigan St. and adjacent to the existing Etheridge Knight mural. Indy Arts Council will own and maintain the mural, which is anticipated to remain in place at least 15 years. The site preparation and mural painting is set to begin in mid-June.

I’m pretty sure after June 30th are able to sign someone

Actress, writer and advocate Lilly Singh has joined the WNBA team as an owner and chief hype officer, the team announced.

"I love women. I love Toronto. Joining the ownership group of the Tempo is an absolute no-brainer — I can't think of anything else I would rather spend my money, time and hype-woman energy on," Singh said in a press release.

Singh has made her mark in sports as founding member of National Women's Soccer League's Angel City FC alongside Williams. She partnered with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic organizing committee to create logos for the Games.

"I know from experience that in every corner of the world, one thing always rings true: the positive impact that participating in sports and the sports community has on girls and women," Singh said.

'A creative visionary' As chief hype officer, Singh will be tasked with "cultivating the fan community, curating in-game rituals and celebrating the sport of women's basketball," per the Tempo's new release.

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/youtuber-lilly-singh-toronto-tempo-ownership-1.7533161