Owen Pence is a freelance journalist who’s work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, and Star Tribune. You can find more of his women’s basketball writing over at Winsidr.
There’s an assuredness in the greatest of the great. It’s not cockiness; it’s earned confidence. Washington Mystics rookie center Shakira Austin has it, and it’s evident in her play. She hasn’t operated as if 2022 is her first year in the WNBA. Shakira possesses the poise of an All-Star, and she’s performed like one, too.
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As the youngest of six siblings, Aari McDonald had to earn every win she’s ever enjoyed on the basketball court. And when family games of one-on-one didn’t go her way? Push-ups were inescapable. “Whoever lost in one-on-one, you owe the other person push-ups,” reminisced Aari McDonald. “That’s how it was, for real. It was always
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Veronica Burton has spent much of her life operating in and around the world of sports. Her mother, Ginni, was an All-American swimmer at Northwestern, where Veronica would later attend. Her father, Steve, played quarterback for the same university before pursuing a career in broadcasting covering the Boston sports scene. Veronica’s siblings all played college
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There was a moment in 2020 when people realized the version of Betnijah Laney they were watching was not the version of Betnijah they remembered. It’s hard to pin exactly when that moment was, but we know it occurred in Bradenton, Florida, where the WNBA held its pandemic-shortened season. Perhaps some raised their eyebrows out
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Flashy players attract eyeballs; put on a show at all hours; and sell tickets. Napheesa Collier is the opposite of flashy, but she’s still a walking bucket – one that probably comes from a rebound. And you’ve absolutely got to have her on your radar. A proper introduction to her game must include mention of defense,
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The top WNBA draft steals are players that got lost in the weeds on draft day, falling out of the first round. Oftentimes basketball fans view late round WNBA draft picks as throwaways when discussing fake trades and cosplaying as WNBA GMs. First round picks? Hot commodities! Second and third rounders? Filler, an adornment to
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WNBA draft picks can make or break a team’s success. As a result, no off-court event gets basketball fans jazzed like the draft. And no player generates buzz like the top overall pick. That said, number one picks are generally viewed only through the lens of their own draft. In other words: we rarely look
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WNBA MVPs: Most. Valuable. Player. Sounds simple enough, no? Yet season after season, year after year, those three words seem to throw folks for a loop. What does “valuable” really mean, we ponder. Does it mean “valuable” or does it mean “best?” Is there a difference? We’re here to answer everything you could possibly want
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