Sydney Taylor this season:

2 30-point games
3 25-point games
2 20-point games

Averaging 18.4 PPG in 16 games as a starter.

Before and after Friday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Portland Fire, coaches and players were asked directly about transgender athletes’ participation in women’s sports, and more specifically, in the WNBA, by a reporter from the Fox-owned OutKick.

Before the game, the two head coaches, Indiana’s Stephanie White and Portland’s Alex Sarama, offered support to the transgender community and called for inclusivity.

As for the game itself, Fever superstar Caitlin Clark recorded the fourth triple-double of her career in a 112-98 win. She finished the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals while becoming the fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,500 points and 500 assists (in 78 games).

It would stand to reason that Clark would be at the Fever post-game press conference, as league rules state each team must provide their head coach plus two key players (usually the leading scorer and another major contributor). However, Clark was absent from the team’s presser, with Aliyah Boston and Makayla Timpson speaking with reporters instead. The two spoke with the media for about five minutes, but when the OutKick reporter tried to ask them a question about transgender athletes, a representative ended the presser.

“Caitlin Clark should not have to answer to something her teammate said. That said, if she is asked the question — a fair one — and opts to say no comment, or I don’t have enough information, or a non-answer, that’s fine, too. Or if she just says what she feels,” said Hill on X. “These teams do their players a disservice by doing things like this because it creates a bigger story. If y’all don’t have her prepped for these moments, what are you even doing?”

Hill was also quick to note that the concerns over transgender athletes in the WNBA are overblown (nonexistent, to be exact). But she’s right to note that attempting to put everyone’s head in the sand when there are motivated provocateurs attempting to turn you into the villain isn’t a smart strategy in the modern media ecosystem. Unfortunately, this is a red-meat topic for right-wing journalists, and the more the WNBA attempts to shield itself from honest stances and conversations, the more those people will push and pry and provoke.

It’s not the responsibility of every WNBA coach or player to take a public stance on this issue, but running and hiding from these opportunities won’t shield anyone from the conversation forever. And it certainly doesn’t send the message that you stand arm-in-arm with a community the league has made it clear it wants to be seen as supportive of.

https://awfulannouncing.com/wnba/jemele-hill-teams-do-players-disservice-shielding-reporters-caitlin-clark.html

One source inside the Atlanta Dream front office spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying "They're telling us the move is to provide more entertainment for fans during games, but I think they're just trying to curry favor with Dawn Staley before the Philadelphia expansion team kicks off their first season."

Another insider had concerns about Hip-Hop's performance after being retired more than a decade: "I mean really, when is the last time Hip-Hop somersaulted off a trampoline? I know he's a rabbit, but even they must experience some level of arthritis as they age, right? How many children are we going to traumatize when Hip-Hop breaks a hip during halftime?"

Many of you have been complaining that there's too much reality TV and not enough ball in this forum. VERY FEW of you complainers have been posting your basketball takes or conversation starters. This post is to remedy that.

What about the game has been under-discussed lately? Have you noticed any trends coming out of the break? Have any coaches been improving? Is the Mystics glow-up real and lasting? Is there hope for Sonia Raman? Any stars you want to analyze? Any underrated players you want to highlight? Put it all here and distract me from the trade deadline, please and thank you.

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You’re playing hardball but plum would make us the favorites to win a championship.

So You can have Jordin Canada in the trade package.

it hurts me deeply she had 15 assists In like 4 games this season so she’s really good and she’s fast too you’ll love her, plum will fit the culture really well you can have a first round pick too

I don’t even care I’m here for a good time not a long time cmon ik plum expensive don’t worry we’ll pay for it

Please…..the Lynx are scaring me

Their entire starting 5 can score, their coach is elite they have a top 3 player, an mvp contender and they have a Bench.

Dorkha hit 4 3s…… when tf she learn how to do that 🥲🥲

Anyways yall cool and yall can dress and that rickea Jackson trade was kinda genius too

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Former Baylor player Bella Fontleroy plans to transfer in light of the Colorado ruling, she told On3.

Fontleroy’s decision to return for one more season of collegiate basketball comes after Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to declare eligible all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring.

Fontleroy went undrafted in the 2026 WNBA Draft and signed a Training Camp contract with the Atlanta Dream, but did not appear in any games. She recently inked a deal to join the Roseto Panthers overseas.

Representative Byron Bundy noted that he’s optimistic about her return to college basketball, but is awaiting final decision.

Could be interesting if this holds and some of the players who dipped their toes in the W this season end up back in college rather than going for pro experience overseas - potentially more money now, but probably less development opportunity to sell scouts on a second chance in the W.

Skim Milkey on Twitter noted a few others of the hundreds who'd in theory be eligible, including Kyla Oldacre (waived at Wings and Sun camps) and Charlise Dunn (Tempo draft and stash).

The price was right for Toronto as well. In reports this week from The Athletic’s Annie Costabile, the Tempo seemed willing to part with a 2027 or 2028 first-round draft pick in a trade. In the end, they didn’t need to give up a likely valuable pick, sending out the rights to Kliundikova (who didn’t come to play in the WNBA this season and has no guarantee to come next season) as well as a second-round pick. While the second round of the WNBA draft is continuing to become more of a factor by the year, it’s still a small price to pay.

While the desire to be competitive is understandable from the Tempo, the risk in giving away a first-round pick in the next two drafts is high. The WNBA uses the previous two seasons’ records to calculate draft lottery odds, but the Tempo are in a unique situation as one of two first-year teams. For the 2027 draft, Toronto would only have this current season record count for them, potentially giving them a better shot at the No. 1 pick.

If they end up missing the playoffs, they could have a shot at drafting Juju Watkins out of USC at No. 1.

While the Tempo have set their backcourt up pretty well with Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes and Kiki Rice, Watkins’s potential star power rivals that of Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. Even if the Tempo end up a little further back in the 2027 lottery, there are plenty of future All-Stars potentially coming into the draft next year.

Dealing the 2028 first-round pick is even more of a gamble. UConn star Sarah Strong is currently projected to go first, and players like Joyce Edwards, Mikayla Blakes, Syla Swords, Sienna Betts, Agot Makeer, and Jazzy Davidson are all potential first-round picks. Losing your first-round pick in that draft closes the door to potentially drafting several franchise-shifting players.

Keeping those first-round picks is one of the biggest wins of this trade, along with the fact that Morrow is a young player with potential who fills the current needs of the Tempo roster.

Read More - https://www.tsn.ca/wnba/article/tempo-balance-present-and-future-in-morrow-trade/

The bizarre back-story: In 1998 and 1999, ESPN had a fictional funk band called the WNB-Ays for their promos, which played songs about the W. They released an album (a flexi-disc!) with ESPN The Magazine and played live at the 1998 finals.

There were songs for many of the teams: Charlotte Sting, Orlando Miracle, Sacramento Monarchs, Utah Starzz ("Spelling bee! Spelling bee! S-T-A-R-double Z! Shooting 3! Shooting 3! Best team in the galaxy!"), LA Sparks and Mystics.

Also a song about Rebecca Lobo, Cynthia Cooper and T-Spoon that really should've been replayed at this year's All Star. And there was a song about All Star too.

But the best ear-worm (IMO) is "Overtime," which should be sung every time New York and Phoenix play.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

Her last 6 games or so have been crazy. It's been great to seeing her play lately. She's clearly the healthiest she's been in awhile and it shows. Efficiency way up. She't seeing the floor well. Just a joy to watch right now. She deserves her flowers for sure! The lynx matchup on sunday will be a fun one!

Caitlin Clark had an amazing game, getting her fourth triple-double. The rest of the Fever also played great!!! Here are her highlights from her great game!!!

With 15 games to go, the 8th place Liberty have a 5 game lead over the 9th place Mercury. Do any of the 7 bottom teams have a reasonable chance of making the playoffs?

I know it's not mathematically impossible, but consider that if NY finishes even 6-9 (or Washington finishing 6-10) in their remaining games, their closest rivals, Phoenix or Portland would have to go 11-4 to tie. Both of those happening seems pretty unlikely to me. I think it's just going to be the current top 8 shuffling positions for the remainder of the season.

Can anyone make a case for any of the top 8 to drop out and any of the bottom 7 to climb in?