The writing for former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag]’s future with the Seattle Storm was on the wall for some time. The relationship between the two sides had deteriorated to the point where they no longer could work together.
Now, Loyd will have a new WNBA address for the first time.
According to an ESPN report, Loyd has been traded to the Las Vegas Aces as part of a three-team deal. The deal sends Kelsey Plum from the Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks. The three teams will swap picks in this year’s draft; the Storm end up with the second overall pick from Los Angeles.
Loyd will join fellow former Irish guard and U.S. Olympic teammate [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] in Sin City. She leaves behind a great legacy in Seattle. She was the first pick in the 2015 draft and lived up to that billing. She won two WNBA championships to go with being a six-time All-Star, an All-Star MVP, a three-time All-WNBA selection and the Rookie of the Year.
Aces fans hopefully will get to watch games like this:
Best of luck to Loyd in her new surroundings.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Even though Notre Dame is better known for [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] now, [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] frequently reminds us that she was the face of the Irish first. The latest example of that came in the Irish’s 97-54 win over Loyola (Maryland), which accounted for the final game of their nonconference schedule.
Miles recorded the fifth triple-double of her collegiate career to the tune of 18 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. That’s the most for any Notre Dame basketball player, men or women. There’s a reason she’s projected to be a lottery pick in the next WNBA draft.
Miles wasn’t the only impressive Irish player in this game though. Hidalgo set a season scoring high with 33 points and also had five steals. [autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards, and [autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] scored 15 points.
Irish fans will want to get out to Purcell Pavilion and watch Miles play for their team while they still can. If you need any convincing to do so, here’s her highlight reel for this game:
The Irish now will take a week off for the holiday before beginning their ACC home schedule against Virginia in front of a sellout crowd. Now, the games really will count.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
After a successful career at Notre Dame, [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] was selected first overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2015 WNBA draft. She won Rookie of the Year, and her 10 seasons with the Storm also have netted two championships and six All-Star selections, one of which resulted in an All-Star MVP. She also has won two Olympic gold medals.
But Loyd’s tenure with the Storm could be nearing its end. The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that she is requesting a trade. This comes after the conclusion of an investigation into the coaching staff’s alleged player mistreatment that turned up nothing. Loyd was at the investigation’s center after filing a complaint.
Loyd has one year left on her contract after signing a supermax extension upon the conclusion of the Storm’s 2023 season. That prompted [autotag]Skylar Diggins-Smith[/autotag], another former Irish guard, to sign with the Storm that offseason. While the Storm returned to the playoffs, they promptly were swept by [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag]’s Las Vegas Aces.
Here’s Young scoring a season-high 34 points against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever:
If it’s time for Young to have a fresh start elsewhere, here’s hoping her first season there is a fruitful one.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Notre Dame guards [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] and [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] are headed for the WNBA after this season. At least that’s the expectation. The real question is how high both players will be picked in the draft.
The WNBA draft lottery will take place Sunday. The participants are the Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks, Dallas Wings and Chicago Sky. According to two projects, Miles and Citron both have a chance to be picked by one of those teams in the top four of the draft.
First things first though, both players are focused are bringing the Irish a national championship. Having [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and rising freshman [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag] with them will make the journey a lot easier.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Since news dropped nearly a year ago that the league would be adding an expansion team in the Bay Area, there’s been a ton of excitement around the organization, including partnerships with Sue Bird’s Togethxr brand and who the team might draft, according to singer Kehlani.
Speaking of potential players, who will be on Golden State’s roster when the 2025 season kicks off is still a mystery. But *how* the Valkyries acquire athletes is now available. Per the WNBA, the Golden State Expansion Draft is on December 6. Here’s how the Valkyries will build a team:
After each team completes the 2024 season, it will be required to submit a roster list to the WNBA before the expansion draft that includes every player to whom the franchise has rights as of the final day of the 2024 regular season. (This consists of any players who are active, suspended, on a draft list/reserved, cored and retired.)
The submitted roster list must designate up to six players considered “protected” and unavailable for the draft. All other players on the roster list are eligible for the Valkyries to acquire.
Golden State can acquire the contract or negotiating rights to one available player from each of the 12 teams/the available pool. Additionally, the Valkyries will only be able to select one player in the expansion draft who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024 season.
Golden State is permitted to make trades with teams before the draft, including for specific players and moving those players to another team
The Expansion Draft for Golden State is set for December 6, 2024. Time to be announced. Swipe for the Expansion Draft process
We can’t wait to gather with our #Valkyries community and will share watch party details as we get closer to the event date. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/cvYKprucTa
[autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] is one of the most decorated players in Notre Dame history, and she has continued collecting awards with the Seattle Storm. But it turns out that while she dominated at Notre Dame, her time there was incredibly difficult.
In a new story from Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times, we learn that Loyd, a native of Lincolnwood, Illinois, wasn’t happy in part because Notre Dame wasn’t nearly as diverse as the Chicago area. It got so bad that she frequently thought about transferring only to be talked out of it by her mom, who didn’t like the idea of her sitting out a year. Keep in mind this was before the transfer portal became what it is now.
While at Notre Dame, depression and anxiety set in for the first time in her life. It wasn’t until she struck up a friendship with teammate [autotag]Natalie Achonwa[/autotag] that she really began to feel at ease. But even that wasn’t enough to stop her from declaring for the WNBA draft after only three seasons with the Irish because of how unhappy she was.
This serves as a reminder that sometimes, people you love and care about need you to reach out. You don’t know what’s going on with them necessarily, but all they might need at that moment is someone willing to listen and offer support. Maybe that’s what you should do on this Mother’s Day weekend if you encounter such a friend or family member. It’s the least anyone can do.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Rightfully so, Reese took to X (Formerly Twitter) to reflect on the time the 2024 class spent together. It must have felt amazing for players like Angel, Caitlin, Kamilla and Cameron to hang out in an environment that wasn’t about competition. Everyone was winning on Monday!
the best part of the weekend in NYC was getting to know all the girls after being sooo competitive for the last 4 years!! everybody was such a vibe & we all had so much FUN which shows how competitive we all are ON THE COURT!! NOTHING IS PERSONAL!!!
You’ll definitely want to watch these players for the Irish next season.
The dust barely has cleared on the 2024 WNBA draft. But that hasn’t stopped people from looking ahead to the 2025 draft. And if you do that as a Notre Dame fan, you’ll realize why next season likely will be the best chance yet for the current group to go far.
“It’s hard to design a more prototypically perfect 2-guard than Citron. She is tall and strong, defends well and has a beautiful jumper that goes in 37 percent of the time from long range. Citron is overtaxed as a primary ballhandler, but let her run off screens or handoffs, and she can create her own shot. She is plug-and-play on any team, adding positive value on both ends of the floor.”
“Another player who could have been a first-rounder in this year’s draft, Westbeld does everything well. She can shoot from distance (36 percent on 3s in her college career), and she also can drive to the basket. Westbeld is a load in the paint and dominates on the glass. She can body bigger players on defense; her effort to limit (Elizabeth) Kitley to 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting during the 2024 ACC season was an eye-opener. It’s unclear if she has All-Star upside, but Westbeld is the type of player winning teams find minutes for.”
[autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] rounds out this list at No. 8, but she has an asterisk next to her name since she still has a medical redshirt year:
“It’s been a long time since we watched Miles play basketball, so in case you forgot, she’s an elite passer who excels at creating offense in transition. She rebounds well for her position and is a defensive playmaker with 2.1 steals per game. The 3-point jumper was a work in progress during her sophomore season, but she started to fill it up from midrange at least. Without the jumper, she’d be a solid backup point guard in the WNBA, but she has a chance to be even more if that developed during her rehab year.”
So yeah, the 2024-25 Irish are going to be special. Get excited for it now because there’s no time like the present, but more importantly, all of these special players will be off to greener pastures before you know it.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
The WNBA draft was the most-viewed ever and the most-viewed WNBA event on ESPN platforms.
The 2023 WNBA draft broke viewership records, but the 2024 WNBA draft shattered everything we knew and then some. The 2024 draft drew 2.45 million viewers on ESPN Monday night and peaked at 3.09 million. It was the most-viewed WNBA draft ever and the most-viewed WNBA event on ESPN platforms.
These sort of viewership numbers will come in handy when the WNBA negotiates a new media rights deal. The WNBA is bringing in a variety of viewing audiences and the draft was the most-viewed program of the night among people under 35.
The WNBA players are on the verge of a potential opt out of the current CBA, which could lead to increased salaries and benefits for players. The WNBA’s recent Collective Bargaining Agreement started in 2020 and runs through 2027, but there is an option to opt out of the agreement earlier. WNBA and the Players Association each have the option, exercisable by providing written notice on or before Nov. 1, 2024, to terminate the CBA effective on Oct. 31, 2025, or, if later, on the day following the final playoff game of the 2025 season.
If the players were to exercise the option, the first things they would likely bargain for would be increased salaries and charter flights. After this season, things will be shaken up one way or another, either with the players opting out of the CBA, a new media rights deal that means increased revenue, or all of the above. The future is bright for the W and women’s basketball.
Good morning, Winners! My name is Meghan L. Hall, your resident WNBA and women’s college basketball savant, and I want to discuss something that so many people are talking about right now — WNBA salary.
Let’s talk about how we got here.
The 2024 WNBA Draft was one of the most anticipated draft classes ever because it was loaded with talent and spearheaded by college basketball greats like Cameron Brink, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Caitlin Clark. The collision of the WNBA’s growth and the rise of women’s college basketball is spectacularly happening in real time.
Naturally, that puts the WNBA under a microscope. Issues that have plagued the league for many seasons, like salaries, are bubbling up to the surface again. People are learning the league’s inner workings and calling out the elephant in the room: Why aren’t WNBA players making more money?
For example, according to salary data from Sportrac, Caitlin Clark’s WNBA rookie scale deal will have her make just $338,056 over the next four years. The Aces’ Jackie Young makes a bit more than $250,000 annually in base salary, reportedly the highest annual value on a contract in the league. Some players have earned up to $600,000 through a base salary and other league earnings, according to the WNBA.
Still, other leagues dwarf those raw salary numbers, and folks new to the league are curious about why. Particularly when it comes to the NBA comparison.
To understand that, one must know the league is only 28 years old — well below the 75-plus years its NBA counterpart has been around. It’s been around longer, so it’s seen more investment from outside resources. The NBA has $2.5 billion in media rights deals. The WNBA, comparatively, only has $60 million.
The WNBA’s talent, which so many people have recently discovered, is certainly worth more investment. The league and its owners know things like expansion teams, state-of-the-art practice facilities, and more charted flights are how you sow into the long-term success of its athletes.
But investment can’t just come from the league itself. It comes from TV and media rights deals, partnerships, better negotiations in the next collective bargaining agreement, and detailed storytelling about players. And, just as crucially, it comes from you. Fans consistently watching and showing up to games matters. It shows big-money investors how much people care about this league.
WNBA Chief Growth Officer Colie Edison told For The Win in 2023 that the WNBA is “the best-kept secret that is not so secret.” She’s right.
The secret has been out. It’s time for everyone else to join the women’s sports movement.
The Warriors’ Big 3 might be finished
Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Golden State Warriors’ season is over after a loss in the 9-10 Play-In Tournament game to the Kings, Mike Sykes writes.
This certainly isn’t how the team envisioned itself finishing, but that happens when you’re not constantly on your A-game in an all-time competitive Western Conference.
This may have been the last hurrah for this Golden State team — particularly with the trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Thompson in particular, who shot a putrid 0-10 from the field against Sacramento, is up for a new contract. It’s not a guarantee he’ll be back.
Curry was asked about the possibility of the Big 3 returning. On one hand, he said, “I can never see myself not playing with those two,” about Green and Thompson. On the other hand, though, he also said, “I just want to win.”
Steph Curry on Draymond/Klay: “I can never see myself not with those two guys.”
Otherwise, Philly was out, and some of that might open the door for the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins to grab the second Wild Card spot in the East.
Here’s the thing: the Red Wings went to overtime against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday BEFORE the end of the Flyers game, which eliminated Philly on the spot. But John Tortorella and the Flyers didn’t know that. So in a tie game, the scenario we wanted happened — in a tie game, Philly pulled its goalie, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS UNNECESSARY! — and the Capitals scored to win the contest.”
That’s a tough way to go out, man. I offer condolences to Red Wings, Pens, and Flyers fans.
Quick hits: This INCREDIBLE Kate Martin story … Nurkic stomping on the Warriors’ grave … and more
2.45M viewers, peak 3.09M
