If you haven’t seen WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes walking literal goats around New York City for the WNBA’s 30th anniversary, you’re missing out. Every time a new season starts back up, I get pumped from the excitement of the offseason.
This offseason was especially great because of the new collective bargaining agreement. Many WNBA players are finally getting the money they deserve. A’ja Wilson, for example, is staying with the Las Vegas Aces and signed a three-year $5 million supermax deal. Napheesa Collier is staying with the Minnesota Lynx and signed a $1.4 million supermax deal.
While I’m still devastated Angel Reese is going to be with the Atlanta Dream, the Chicago Sky ended up grabbing players I never would’ve thought they would get. Seven-time All-Star Skylar Diggins and fashion icon Rickea Jackson. Courtney Vandersloot and Azurá Stevens are both re-signing. They were on the Sky’s championship team in 2021.
In the draft, the Sky had the fifth pick and they got UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez. Her brother, Jaime Jaquez Jr., is on the Miami Heat and also played for UCLA.
She averaged 12.7 points during the NCAA tournament and she scored 21 points in UCLA’s win against South Carolina in the championship game.
Many popular college players like Azzi Fudd and Flau’jae Johnson had flamboyant welcomes from their teams. Fudd was embraced by Dallas with a long pink carpet with mini tiaras on each seat at the press conference, in honor of her nickname, “The People’s Princess.” Johnson was greeted by her Seattle Storm teammates, standing by a huge sign that said “Welcome Flau’jae.”
It’s awesome to see players get the praise they deserve, especially rookies. The NCAA tournament ended on April 5, and players like Jacquez have to start practicing even though their college careers just ended two weeks ago. The transition from one league to the next is probably like whiplash for them.
I’m also inspired by many of these WNBA players. When I walk around downtown Chicago, I see advertisements of Reese with Victoria’s Secret — the first WNBA player to ever get a campaign with them.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark was a special contributor on NBC’s debut of “Sunday Night Basketball.” She did pregame coverage for some NBA games, like when the New York Knicks visited the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 29.
Vandersloot is a mom, as many other WNBA players are, with her wife and DePaul basketball legend Allie Quigley.
These WNBA players do more than just basketball. They have lives outside of the sport. Whether they stay low and out of the spotlight or absorb the stardom, it’s fun to see they can choose a life that isn’t solely dominated by basketball.
Who knows if that would be possible without the icons who helped make the WNBA what it is today. Swoopes, Teresa Weatherspoon, Lisa Leslie, Becky Hammon, Candace Parker and hundreds more.
I feel like a proud mother seeing the league grow, even though I’ve only been alive for 23 years and only started watching 10 years ago.
It’s been a long but rewarding 30 years, and the WNBA will continue to grow into a successful, entertaining sport for the next 30 years and beyond. If you aren’t watching the WNBA by now, what are you doing with your life?
Related stories:
- Peyton’s Power Hour: WNBA players are making history with new collective bargaining agreement
- Peyton’s Power Hour: Are the Chicago Sky the ‘worst run’ WNBA organization?
- Peyton’s Power Hour: Throwing adult toys onto WNBA courts isn’t a funny prank
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