Feature image photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
It’s been an exciting — and messy — week in the WNBA, so we won’t keep you waiting! And as always, we would cherish your comments on this week in the W!
Natalie: Should we start in Phoenix? Following a 2-10 start to the season, Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard was fired. I think, based on our previous conversations, we’d both probably agree that this was a necessary firing but were you surprised at the timing?
Heather: Yes, let’s start with this drama, which we both secretly love. I was surprised the Mercury fired her at this exact moment in time because, well, she’s no different than she was last year — so why not fire her in the off-season? Or! Why not just keep tanking it out and see how you can do in next year’s presumably stacked draft class? The Lynx are unapologetically going that route! How much is Nikki Blue actually going to be able to do with this roster? Honestly, taking it a step further, how much are the Mercury ever really going to be able to move forward until Diana Taurasi retires? I guess this decision both makes perfect sense and also leaves me with so many more questions! How about you?
Natalie: So, I think you’re hitting on the exact right point. Did Nygaard need to be fired? Yes. But does this materially change things in Phoenix in any way? Not at all. And while there are some dynamics in Phoenix that make it special — DT’s strangehold over that team, BG’s future, etc. —- the history of midseason firings/hirings in the WNBA makes the trajectory pretty clear. Last year, Marianne Stanley is fired, mid-season, in Indiana after starting 2-7 and then she’s temporarily replaced by Carlos Knox who goes 3-24. Or you can look at LA, where Derek Fisher was finally fired after going 5-7 to start the season, but Fred Williams comes in and goes 8-16 over the remainder of the season. So, irrespective of who the coach is, the trajectory of this Mercury team still doesn’t change much.
So did the Mercury need to make this change now? Not really. It’s not going to matter much in the end. But I think you were starting to see more outward signs of frustration with Nygaard from the players and it was becoming increasingly untenable.
Heather: I feel like Vanessa Nygaard was out of her depth from the second she took that job, but last year, there was only one thing on everyone’s minds and it was BG and that was correct. There was nowhere to hide this season. I guess I do kind of wonder if this was a calculated move to get Skylar back? Do you think that could have something to do with it?
Natalie: Yeah, I mean…coming into this job, the bulk of Nygaard’s head coaching experience was at the high school level (though she did serve as an assistant in San Antonio, Washington and Las Vegas for short spells) so she was definitely out of her depth. I don’t know how much of this has to do with getting Skylar back…I hope it does, both as someone who loves Skylar’s game and who wants better for BG than this kind of season…but those issues between her and Taurasi are still there and I don’t know what can be done to ameliorate them.
It’s also worth noting: BG only signed a one year deal to return. Everyone’s thinking about Taurasi — for good reason, she’s been the cornerstone of this franchise for a long time — but what if BG doesn’t come back next year? I mean, she doesn’t need to be here…we’ve talked about that, right? So what if she doesn’t come back to the league next season? Or what if she just decides to go elsewhere? There’s so many question marks with this Phoenix Mercury team and I’m not convinced that the front office is prepared or equipped to deal with them in any real way.
Brittney Griner said she texted with Skylar Diggins-Smith last night about her All-Star game selection but said a return to the lineup for SDS is “above her pay grade.” #WNBATwitter #WNBA #ValleyTogether @TheNextHoops
— Jesse Morrison (@morrscode_) June 26, 2023
Heather: I absolutely agree with this assessment wholeheartedly. And I honestly can’t even figure out what DT’s motivation is for staying at this point? She’s done it all, a dozen times over. She’s watching her legacy kind of crumble before her eyes, and she could honestly be doing literally anything else in the world of women’s basketball. It’s so bizarre to me. She, once again, didn’t make the All-Star Team, at least not the starters, and the players only ranked her as the 14th best guard in the league, according to the voting numbers the W released yesterday. Hang up those high tops, Taurasi!
Natalie: I think she’s just someone who loves the game, who loves to compete, and can’t imagine not playing basketball. For other star players who’ve been on the edge of retirement, you see a path forward for them — either in coaching or commentary or as an executive in player development — but I can’t imagine Taurasi in any of those roles…so this feels like the thing she has to be doing. I don’t know.
Heather: That’s a really insightful and empathetic read and that’s why you’re one of my favorite people. I should introduce Diana Taurasi to my therapist!
Natalie: Probably not a bad idea.
Heather: Shall we talk about who DID make the All-Star starting roster? (And one glaring omission.)
🌟 INTRODUCING YOUR 2023 @ATT #WNBAALLSTAR STARTERS 🌟 pic.twitter.com/z8azHF7fvB
— WNBA (@WNBA) June 25, 2023
Natalie: Yes! We shared our initial line-ups for All-Star starters in the Autostraddle WNBA slack channel. I think you got all but one, right?
Heather: I did!
Heather: I am honestly so excited for these two line-ups, except for, obviously, Alyssa Thomas reaaaaally should be here. What’s your overall feeling, first of all? And then: Aliyah Boston! The list of rookie All-Star starters is one of the most legendary lists in all of sports: Chamique Holdsclaw 🧡, Tamika Catchings 🧡, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner 💜, Shoni Schimmel.
Natalie: So, I agree that AT should definitely be among the starters — I mean, she just broke the triple-double record in the W and could easily average one a game if she wanted to — but I think she was disadvantaged by the voting system. When you logged into vote, it gave you the top frontcourt players by scoring…and AT, because she’s doing so many other things for that Connecticut team, isn’t in that top echelon of players.
Heather: YES!
Natalie: I’m genuinely so happy for Aliyah Boston. I didn’t doubt that she’d eventually be one of the greats in this league but I thought it’d take a beat: it’s hard to make the transition into this league…these are the best of the best…the game is so much faster and so much more physical than at the college level….and usually it requires an adjustment period. But Boston has been outstanding from Day One.
Heather: I feel exactly the same. I am so thrilled for her. I think we both were pretty convinced her learning curve would be steep, but that she’d come out on top. But! It hasn’t even been three months since she played her final college game. Isn’t that nuts?
Natalie: It truly is. So, I’m thinking, for next week’s conversation, we’ll do our own All-Star draft. The reserves (chosen by the coaches) will be announced on Saturday so we’ll know who all the participants will be. What do you think?
Heather: Oh my gosh YES! I LOVE THIS IDEA! Were there any surprises for you on the starters list? And also, were there any surprises for you on the — always telling — player rankings?
Natalie: So the player rankings was my absolute favorite part.
Heather: The tea!
Natalie: Everyone’s talking about Sabrina, right? Ranked sixth by fans and media, among the guards…and then 19th by her peers.
Heather: Sabrina Ionescu at 19 — I mean, how many starting guards are in the W total? — is 👀. Also seems like we’re not the only ones who want DT to retire.
Natalie: So, here’s the thing about Sabrina…and to an extent, DT: they are both incredibly talented players — I don’t want to discount that at all, they’re both are tremendously talented — who also benefit from white privilege (or white passing privilege in DT’s case). The W is a league that’s built on the work of black women but the media loves to find a white player to put front and center….and so I wasn’t at all surprised to see Sabrina come in at 6th for the media — who, again, loves a white savior — or for the fans, who embrace that white savior trope readily.
I think there are white players who recognize the dynamics that are at play and those who don’t…and the ones who don’t, to borrow from the great Molly Ivins, were born on third base and think they hit a triple. Sabrina thinks she hit a triple.
Heather: That’s exactly it. It’s almost like the exact opposite of Katie Barnes’ Jonquel Jones profile from last season, right? Sabrina’s a great basketball player. Is she Nike signature shoe great at this point? No. Is she All-Star starter great at this point? No. Liberty fans, online and in person, have been complaining for years now that they can’t get their hands on anyone else’s jerseys, not online and not in the store in Barclay’s. You have to order them custom. Then there’s this constant hype on her friendship with NBA players, with Vanessa Bryant. And there’s Sabrina herself, who is — I’m sorry — not super likable. We didn’t even talk about this yet, but that girl has been going around commenting on TikTok and Instagram that she’s not gay and that her shoes aren’t gay. Everything she does is upside-down for earning respect in this league.
Natalie: That said, while I don’t think Sabrina’s 6th, I don’t think she’s 19th either…but I think when you’re shushing a crowd, while a player from the other team is coming off the court bleeding when you’ve only scored 8 points…players are going to take that shit personally.
Heather: End of story. You know, actually no. Because you know what? ESPN tweeted that out hyping her up! It was so gross and classless and of course ESPN celebrated it!
Natalie: Yes! Because they love a white savior.
Heather: Exactly. Imagine them tweeting out Alyssa Thomas doing that. Not in a billion years.
Natalie: DeWanna Bonner does that shit all the time.
Heather: Absolutely.
Natalie: Nary a mention.
Heather: You know, and on the flip side of this conversation, you’ve got Kelsey Mitchell! Player rank 5!
Natalie: I wasn’t surprised by that. Kelsey’s been doing the work in Indiana…not just in terms of getting her own points but she’s constantly been given a roster full of rookies and second year players and has had to lead them through the WNBA terrain. I’m happy that the other players in the W recognize what Kelsey’s done.
Heather: Me too. One of the things you and I keep coming back to, when we talk about the Fever, is how do they stay dialed in and keep their belief in the team when they lose so many heartbreaking close games. And that’s happened to them so much this season. So much of that credit goes to Kelsey Mitchell, who just keeps her head up and keeps pushing and encouraging, stays focused, doesn’t let the little things slip, nose to the ball on every play. She absolutely deserves that recognition and it’s a perfect example for why the player vote SHOULD count 25% toward the all-star score.
Natalie: I think the voting system for All-Star has to change. That much is clear.
Speaking of heartbreak, Week 5 in the WNBA brought us some heartbreaking injury news: Brionna Jones ruptured her right Achilles tendon and is out for the rest of the season with the Sun.
Heather: Absolutely heartbreaking. By the time Natasha Cloud was literally carrying Shakira Austin off the floor yesterday, I was actually in tears. I hate seeing these players go down like this. I know it’s part of the game, but god, they give everything and so much is riding on their (very underpaid!) careers, every game, it’s just a punch in the heart.
Natalie: It really does. We’ve had injuries already this season — DT and BG just came back from their respective injuries this week, for instance — but, unless I’m forgetting someone (which I probably am), Jones’ is the first season-ending injury we’ve had during the season. And it sucks because she was really stepping into her own, now that she’s not splitting time at center with Jonquel Jones, Bri was given the space to really showcase her talent. I hate that that’s been cut short.
Heather: It’s also an enormous blow to the Sun as a whole. They have been defying all odds and expectations this season, and Bri has been a huge part of that.
Natalie: And we still don’t know the prognosis for Shakira’s injury — the Mystics have said it’s a hip injury that’ll be looked at when they get back to DC — but watching it…it looked bad. I’m really just praying it’s not as serious as it looked because she was having an incredible season. Definitely a contender for Most Improved and possibly even an All-Star reserve slot.
Heather: Absolutely. And the Mystics are kind of in that same bucket with the Sun, right? Like they could really be something, but that does depend so much on Shakira. She was in such agonizing pain that Brittney Sykes covered her up with a towel so the cameras couldn’t see her.
Natalie: Ugh, I hate it so much. So, so much.
Heather: We love these players too much to have any kind of objectivity.
Natalie: We really do. I think that’s what’s great about the W…for anyone who’s just becoming a fan…there are so many incredible players, with incredible stories, that you don’t have to pick a team necessarily. You can just cheer for these players.
Heather: Yes, and that means any game can be a joy to your heart! Plus the way these teams are really going all in on social media, it’s giving more access and generating even more loyalty and love. The most classic example from this week? Syd Colson’s reaction to Chelsea Grey’s dime of destiny!
I had an out of body experience. I do not remember doing this or being there. https://t.co/TbrROOht8B
— Sydney Colson (@SydJColson) June 25, 2023
Natalie: Another great example this week was Destanni Henderson, who got cut by the Fever at the start of the season, getting a hardship contract with the Sparks and then absolutely showing out.
https://twitter.com/darcangel21/status/1672651822429814790
Heather: It was so good to see her back out on the floor. I think she has IT and I hope she gets a chance to really prove it. There’s lots of stories of players getting cut and passed around early in their W lives, who then go on to have great careers. I do feel like Dawn Staley prepares her players for that possibility! And I think Henny would be such a great asset and teammate!
Natalie: Given how much she loved Henny’s draft day fit last year, this feels like a good time to turn it over to Carmen for our WNBA Fit of the Week.
Carmen: Fit of the week is gonna be GAYYYYYYYYYYY
I want that shirt so badly, does anyone know where to get it? I want to wear it with some Tomboyx briefs and drink beer and watch basketball on my couch immediately. I want to pair it with some 90s style high rise shorts and go to a sports bar. I want to wear it and be gay in every humanly way possible.
My second round fashion choice is Destanni Henderson. 85% because I am just so happy to see her playing again after getting cut by the Fever during training camp (and to such sensational results!! I know she’s only on a temporary contract with the Sparks, but can they keep her?) but also because Henny is always a vibe.
Natalie: Not to say you’re predictable or anything but…
Carmen: Hahaha! I’m not sure if this is a callout of my noted love for studs with dimples or my allegiance to Gamecock nation, but also? Yes, on both counts. I’m proud of my brand!
