Layshia Clarendon Leads the Fight in the War Being Waged on Transgender Americans
Emerging as a force to be reckoned with against gender identity discrimination, Layshia Clarendon, the WNBA’s first openly trans and non-binary player, has been nominated for the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award. Yet, in the same breath that we celebrate the joy of gender euphoria for countless people challenging the gender binary, we must band together and fight the intentional harms caused to our transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming siblings. In short, we are at a time where federal and state legislation has waged war against transgender and non-binary Americans. This prompted us to look into where states housing the 12 WNBA teams stand in terms of LGBTQ protections and anti-trans legislation. ...
Black Women in the WNBA Know No Bounds When It Comes to Pursuing Financial Wellness
And Candace Parker -- 2016 WNBA champion, Finals MVP, two-time league MVP (2008, 2013), reigning Defensive Player of the Year, 2008 Rookie of the Year and five-time All Star -- is the perfect case in point. Parker recently returned from an ankle injury and, in just 17 minutes, helped the Chicago Sky snap a seven-game losing streak. The impact of her presence off the court may be even greater. ...
Any Expansion Should Be by Measured Approach, WNBA History Reveals
The WNBA features a logjam of talent that has pushed some of the country's best players out of the league, and expansion is the only solution. Yet, history illustrates the need to proceed with caution when growing a women's professional sports league. Of the four teams the WNBA added on this day in 2000, just two remain....
Seimone Augustus Deserved the Honor of Retiring a Lynx
Like Lindsey Whalen and Rebekkah Brunson before her, Seimone Augustus was a key figure in helping the Minnesota Lynx win four championships in seven seasons. She deserved to retire in Minnesota, where she built her legacy and helped turn the struggling Lynx franchise into a dynasty. Her retirement press conference was filled with wisdom. And on her way off the basketball court, she showed uncommon selfishness toward younger players seeking to become one of the 144 lucky women to claim a roster spot in the WNBA. But the biggest question looms: Which superstars get to retire where they built their legacies and which do not?...
Review: Chiney Ogwumike’s “144” is a revolutionary work of journalistic art
One-hundred and forty-four WNBA players entered a bubble in the coronavirus hotspot of Florida in 2020 engaged in a collective fight for social justice. Finally, we see the gravity of their sacrifices. From executive producer Chiney Ogwumike, ESPN Films and three other women filmmakers, "144" is a triumph of artistic and journalistic achievement. ...
Jennifer Rizzotti’s Journey from the Blizzard of New England to the Mohegan Tribe’s Sun
Jennifer Rizzotti is celebrated for her accomplishments at all levels of the game, from AP National Player of the Year for the UConn Huskies in 1996 to president of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun in 2021. But her professional journey with the Mohegan Tribe's Sun had chillier beginnings. ...
Rick Welts Career Retrospectives Omit the WNBA from His Resume
After long-time NBA executive Rick Welts announced his decision last week to step down as president and chief operating officer of the Golden State Warriors, the career retrospectives poured in. It's too bad, however, that the normalized erasure of the WNBA runs so deep that the league, now in its 25th season -- and Welts' award-winning contributions to it -- were erased from the myriad articles detailing his career....
A’ja Wilson’s Self-mastery Defies Expectations Placed on Black Women and Professional Athletes
Curating a support system that holds her accountable and practicing self-discipline on and off the court, A’ja Wilson, the WNBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2020, is wise beyond her years and hungry to better herself and those around her. But her journey of self-mastery defies many of the expectations placed on Black women and professional athletes....
2: S2E2: All We Needed Was The Chance
Gabby Williams spoke with The Hard Screen in January during a break between the EuroLeague Women regular and postseasons where she plays for Sopron Basket in Hungary. The forward with the WNBA’s Chicago Sky spoke about her new partnership for Ford, the silliness of gendering objects like cars, advertisers’ renewed interest in the league’s players, […]...
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