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.
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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.
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Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you taking the time.
Hopefully, you watched the WNBA draft last night! That felt like a real watershed moment for the league. I don’t know how the ratings will turn out, but everyone on my social feeds was tapped into it.
Caitlin Clark was the night’s big draw, but folks were also there to see where Kamilla Cardoso, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson and more would go. The names we know all now have homes in the WNBA.
But I’ve got to be honest, folks. I know some of us are new to the league. And I’m so glad you’re still watching. But for some of those names? I wouldn’t get too attached.
There’s a solid chance some players you heard getting their names called on Monday night might not be on those same teams by the end of the season.
Making it in the WNBA is hard. Just look at the 2021 draft class — four of the top five picks from that class were cut by the teams that drafted them within two seasons. That’s how it goes.
It’s a numbers game. There are only 12 teams in the league and 12 available roster spots per team. That’s 144 players without a ton of churn. Making room for 36 more players yearly is a tough proposition — especially when there’s no developmental space like the G League to place them.
This is why expansion matters so much for this league. More teams mean more roster spots. More roster spots mean more space for talent. The W is working on it — Cathy Engelbert said she expects the league to have 16 teams by 2028.
In the meantime, though, rookies remain at a disadvantage. It’s not that they’re not good — they just don’t know the tricks of the trade like the W’s vets do. They’ve been there already. They’ve done the work. The rookies still have a lot of heavy lifting to do.
Best of luck to every single one of those ladies who heard their names called last night. They’ll need every bit of it over these next few years.
A wild finish on the ice
Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
We’re just a few days away from the start of the NHL playoffs and almost everything is settled…except the Eastern Conference race for the wild card. The landscape has changed a bit from a week ago.
You’ve got two spots available for four teams: The Washington Capitals (89 points), Detroit Red Wings (89 points), Pittsburgh Penguins (88 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (87 points).
The Capitals are in a “win and you’re in” situation on Tuesday night with the Flyers on schedule for their season’s final game.
A Washington win would give the Caps 91 points on the year and the top wild-card spot in the East since the team owns the tiebreaker over the Red Wings.
A Flyers win would give the Flyers, Caps and Red Wings 89 points on the year with the Flyers in pole position through tiebreakers.
Pittsburgh would have to beat the Islanders on Wednesday to get 90 points and become the conference’s top wild-card team.
It’s chaotic. It’s a mess. It’s playoff hockey. You love to see it.
One way the NBA In-Season tournament worked
Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Debates on whether the NBA should’ve considered the NBA In-Season Tournament a success or failure raged on in the middle of December when we had nothing else to talk about.
It was the classic NBA ratings talk. Were people watching the games more because of the tournament? Sure. But was the impact large enough for the NBA to tout it as a huge win? Probably not.
However, the league did make some gains in another area because of the tournament: in-person attendance. The NBA released numbers on game attendance this year and set sellout records for the second consecutive year.
“The total attendance of 22,538,518 in the 2023-24 regular season surpasses the previous record of 22,234,502 set last season. The other records include 873 sellouts (up from the previous record 791 in 2022-23), 71% of games sold out (up from 63% in 2022-23) and an average attendance of 18,324 (up from 18,077 in 2022-23). Additionally, NBA arenas were filled to an all-time-high 98% capacity.”
It’s hard to get people to come to games between the improving at-home experience and expensive ticket prices. The NBA getting these numbers is impressive.
Does it mean the In-Season Tournament is a no-brainer win? No. But it is a good sign that shows people are still interested in NBA basketball.
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Correa became the 20th Gator in program history to be selected in the draft on Monday night.
Florida women’s basketball’s senior guard Leilani Correa was picked by the Indiana Fever in the third round with the 27th pick in Monday night’s 2024 WNBA draft.
The selection made her the 20th Gator in program history to be selected in the WNBA draft and the first UF athlete since Kiara Smith was taken by the Connecticut Sun in 2022. She is also Florida’s third player in program history to be selected by the Indiana Fever, with the most recent being Ronni Williams in 2017.
Correa transferred to Florida from St. John’s in 2022 and played under head coach Kelly Rae Finley for two seasons. During her tenure in Gainesville, the Garden State product earned the 2024 SEC Sixth Woman of the Year award, led the conference in scoring with an average of 21.4 points a game and surpassed 2,000 career points.
Correa holds the highest amount of career points in Florida basketball history across both the men’s and women’s programs. She wrapped up her collegiate career with a combined 2,132 points, recording 1,272 at St. John’s and 860 at UF.
Below is a look at some of Correa’s highlights with the Orange and Blue stretching from 2022 to 2024.
Charisma Osborne gets selected 25th overall by the Mercury.
The UCLA Bruins women’s basketball team has a lot of pieces returning for next season after a Sweet 16 run. However, one big loss is Charisma Osborne, who played her final game in that loss to the Tigers.
On Monday, Osborne heard her name called in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She was selected with the first pick of the 3rd round by the Phoenix Mercury.
Osborne played all five seasons at UCLA and was an instrumental part of the Bruins success every year. She played in 152 games and started all but two of them, even earning multiple All-Pac-12 honors, including another All-Defensive team award this year.
Her time with the Bruins and at Pauley Pavilion will be remembered for a long time by UCLA fans as she begins her new journey. Here is the video of the announcement of Osborne being selected.
Nothing like hearing your name called on the @WNBA draft stage 🥹
Sometimes, Caitlin Clark doesn’t have to do anything to get a reaction.
That was the case on Monday, as Angel Reese put together a TikTok video with fellow WNBA Draft pick Cameron Brink in which they went from their orange hoodies during the day of the draft to their beautiful fits for the night, all to the tune of a sped-up Barbie Girl by Aqua.
So what did Clark have to do with it? She’s just chilling in the background on her phone. It’s a photobomb without being a photobomb, but fans had a laugh over it either way on social media:
Photos of Lady Vols’ Rickea Jackson at the 2024 WNBA draft.
The 2024 WNBA draft was held on Monday at Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York.
Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson was selected by Los Angeles in the first round (No. 4 overall). She is the fourth consecutive Lady Vol selected in the first round of the WNBA draft during the last four years.
The Lady Vols have produced 44 all time selections in WNBA college drafts and 46 including elite drafts.
Jackson averaged 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the 2023-24 season at Tennessee. She played for the Lady Vols from 2022-24 after transferring from Mississippi State.
Below are photos of Jackson at the 2024 WNBA draft.
She becomes the first Husker to go directly from Nebraska to the WNBA since Jordan Hooper in 2014. The Tulsa Shock selected Hooper as the No. 13 overall pick.
The native from Moe, Australia, averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while helping the Cornhuskers to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Over her three-year Nebraska career, Shelley finished 16th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,364 points. She was one of three Australians taken in this year’s draft, and one of seven Big Ten Conference players selected.
Phoenix is coming off a 9-31 season in 2023 with a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference.
