Tag: Angel McCoughtry

WNBA veteran Angel McCoughtry was …

WNBA veteran Angel McCoughtry was pleased to see the news Saturday that the NBA may allow its players to wear jerseys with social justice or social cause messages, instead of their last names. But she hopes there’s a realization that a WNBA player last week proposed the idea of using jerseys for a cause; it came from McCoughtry herself. On June 22, the Las Vegas Aces guard/forward posted on Instagram the suggestion the WNBA players have the option to wear names other than their own on their jerseys. Specifically, of people who have been killed or injured in instances of social injustice, or of front-line workers in the coronavirus pandemic.

Angel McCoughtry: “My concern is that …

Angel McCoughtry: “My concern is that sometimes our initiatives are not seen by the world. If the NBA has that same idea, it will get so much love and attention, because they have a bigger platform. I get that. We constantly speak out, and it’s a little harder for us. But if this jersey campaign gets done for both leagues, I’ll be really happy.”

Recapping the WNBA’s wild free agency period

The WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement has sparked major movement in its free agency period.

WNBA free agency has only been upon us for a day and a half and things are already getting insane.

In just a couple days, here’s where we are:

  • Angel McCoughtry left the Atlanta Dream and signed with the Las Vegas Aces
  • Kristi Toliver left the WORLD CHAMPION Mystics and signed with the Los Angeles Sparks
  • The Phoenix Mercury signed and traded DeWanna Bonner to the Connecticut Sun

Those are three big moves that all impact last year’s semi-finalists. The Mystics got worse after having a historic offensive year while the Sun, Aces and Sparks all got a lot better.

This is NBA-level chaos for the WNBA in February when the offseason is supposed to be dead. You absolutely love to see it.

It’s all thanks to the WNBA’s new CBA

The league’s new collective bargaining agreement was the secret sauce the league needed to get its offseason popping.

Teams really just ain’t broke anymore, to put it bluntly. They have more money to play with. The league’s max salaries have jumped up to $215,000 from $117,500 last year, and the league’s salary cap spiked by more than 30%.

The league will be a lot better for it

The league might literally have more super teams than it can handle right now. Three teams in the W have at least three 2019 All-Stars their team — that’s a FOURTH of the league.

That’s not even counting the Mystics, who have Finals MVP Emma Meesseman, or the Storm, who were without Brianna Stewart and Sue Bird for most of last season. Or what about the Sun with Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner? The list goes on.

To put things simply, the WNBA is going to be wild next year.

This is absolutely great for the WNBA as it continues to grow its brand. People love watching super teams despite how much they claim to hate them. All we have to do is look to the NBA’s ratings for proof.

The NBA is as competitive as its ever been right now during the Warriors’  lost year and the league’s ratings are down. When people were firing off their snake emojis at Kevin Durant? Ratings weren’t a problem.

That theory withstands the test of time. Whether it’s Magic’s Lakers, Jordan’s Bulls or LeBron’s Heat, people watched. As much as folks cry about parity, it hasn’t gotten people to watch.

Super teams sell. The WNBA has plenty of them. You can do the math from there.

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