Swish Appeal
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How these three young WNBA players are elevating the championship-hopeful Fever, Valkyries and Liberty
When it comes to the WNBA’s playoff-caliber teams, it’s natural to gravitate towards the big names. Teams like the Indiana Fever, Golden State Valkyries and New York Liberty are not short on star players, and it’s easy to give them most of the attention as they keep winning games. Even on these veteran-laden squads, though, […]
WNBA gameday discussion: With less than 10 games left in the regular season, the playoff seeding race is starting to get real
On Tuesday, four of the teams battling for homecourt advantage in the first round of the WNBA playoffs are in action, unofficially inaugurating the down-the-stretch race for playoff seeding. The current No. 3-seed Las Vegas Aces host the No. 5-seed Atlanta Dream (9 p.m. ET, ESPN), while the No. 4-seed Indiana Fever visit the Toronto […]
Once again, the UConn Huskies are cutting no corners with an incredibly arduous non-conference schedule
UConn women’s basketball announced their non-conference schedule Monday morning, starting some early conversations about which teams could take down the Huskies before they likely undefeated, yet again, in in-conference Big East play. Per usual, UConn didn’t skimp on their schedule. The Huskies’ trek begins in early October with three exhibition games: against Syracuse in the […]
Interview: For Louisville’s Yevheniia Putra, basketball is secondary to the on-going conflict in her home country
This was supposed to be a conversation about basketball, but things that are bigger than basketball ended up occupying much of Swish Appeal’s interview with Yevheniia Putra. The 22-year-old 6-foot-3 center who is preparing for her sophomore season at Louisville is from Kyiv, Ukraine. Putra shared her perspective of the on-going conflict in her home […]
Through expectations, adversity and advocacy, Chamique Holdsclaw’s Hall-of-Fame impact exceeds the boundaries of the basketball court
Chamique Holdsclaw, arguably, was the first women’s basketball prodigy of the WNBA era. After winning four New York state championships at Christ the King, the Queens native arrived at Tennessee in 1995, a year before the announcement of the WNBA. The timing was fortuitous. Holdsclaw fit the profile of the perfect future WNBA star as […]
As she was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Elena Delle Donne celebrated her family and expressed her definition of greatness
Unsurprisingly, Elena Delle Donne’s Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement speech focused on family. She was a top two player in the country in college, won two WNBA MVP awards, a WNBA championship and an Olympic gold medal. But she was comfortable giving her speech even though she knew it was a goodbye—not to basketball […]
Even if you’re not a Husky fan, you’re going to love the docuseries on the UConn dynasty from Apple TV
UConn women’s basketball has won more championships than any other Division I team. The 12 they’ve won came over a span of 31 years—about 39 percent of the time they won it all over that stretch, while finishing in the top 10 of the final AP poll 100 percent of the time. Every player who […]
WNBA gameday discussion: Before her No. 3 Phoenix Mercury jersey is raised to the rafters, share your favorite Diana Taurasi memory
A little more than three years ago, Diana Taurasi became the first player to score 10,000 points in her WNBA career, reaching the milestone in epic DT fashion. The catch-and-shoot wing 3-pointer that pushed her over the 10,000-point barrier were three of the 42 points she scored in the Phoenix Mercury win, a new regular-season […]
After she was waived by the New York Liberty, what should the Washington Mystics expect from Betnijah Laney-Hamilton?
Ahead of their Saturday night game against the Los Angeles Sparks, the Washington Mystics are 19-14, a record that is good for eighth in the WNBA standings and six games ahead of their closest competitor for the final playoff spot. For a season that started with far more questions than answers, head coach Sydney Johnson […]
WNBA gameday discussion: Is Minnesota Lynx-Las Vegas Aces III the final Finals preview?
The first-place Minnesota Lynx and and third-place Las Vegas Aces meet for the third and final time on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, CBS). Thus far, the only two teams that have clinched a spot in the 2026 WNBA Playoffs have split their season series. In the first matchup in mid-June, A’ja Wilson’s double-double of […]
Contender or pretender? Here’s how the Golden State Valkyries stack up against the WNBA’s best
Don’t look now, but the Golden State Valkyries (24-9) have become one of the best teams in the WNBA. After a shockingly successful inaugural season in 2025, it was more or less assumed that Golden State wouldn’t be sneaking up on anyone in 2026. The defensive-minded, “we-before-me” approach instilled by rookie head coach Natalie Nakase […]
WNBA gameday discussion: With 11 games to go, the Portland Fire are still committed to their process
Yesterday, Edwin Garcia wrote about the WNBA teams that have revved up the tank. With USC’s JuJu Watkins headlining a prospective 2027 WNBA Draft class that also includes Texas’ Madison Booker and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, in addition to other players possessing pro-ready skills, it makes sense for the seven WNBA teams outside the playoff […]
Op-Ed: In taking stands against increasing toxicity, WNBA head coaches are offering an example worth following
The toxicity in the WNBA has reached unprecedented levels. We’ve got former NBA players making ridiculous statements and drooling for attention, while others grifters are pushing an anti-trans agenda. And now, media members receiving death threats. The consequences of such unhinged attacks on social media are usually unseen as victims suffer in silence. However, Grant […]
Interview: Denise Solis is ‘sneaky good,’ and that’s why she might be competing in the FIBA World Cup
At this moment, Puerto Rico has yet to announce their final roster for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin, Germany, which tips off Sept. 4. After getting to know her, you’ll certainly be rooting for Denise Solis to make the cut. Born in Windsor, CT, Solis competed for Puerto Rico in the 2025 […]
Playoffs? Nope, for these WNBA teams tanking, not winning, is the top priority—and that’s the right strategy
Making it to the WNBA is tough for a player, but finding success with a team is even harder. Throughout the 2020s, there’s been a chasm between the teams that win and those that lose. During this decade, on average, over half of the league ends the year with a sub .500 record. So, what’s […]
WNBA gameday discussion: It’s Brionna Jones’ turn to experience her Connecticut Sunset
Last Friday night, the Connecticut Sun welcomed Alyssa Thomas into Mohegan Sun Arena for a final time, with Thomas, now of the Phoenix Mercury, playing her Sunset game against the organization that she long defined. On Thursday, Brionna Jones, another avatar of WNBA basketball in Connecticut, will experience her Sunset, as the Atlanta Dream visit […]
The A’Wheaties are a perfect celebration of the champion that A’ja Wilson is
A’ja Wilson has continued to dominate on and off the court. She is once again having a monster year for the Las Vegas Aces, averaging 26.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. She has been named the WNBA Player of the Month for the Western Conference three-consecutive times—meaning every […]
WNBA gameday discussion: How the Dallas Wings, Golden State Valkyries and Minnesota Lynx are readying their star for the World Cup
In less than three weeks, the 2026 WNBA season will pause for the FIBA World Cup, which tips off Sept. 4 in Berlin, Germany and concludes on Sept. 13. On Sept. 17, WNBA play will resume for one week before the regular season wraps up on Sept. 24. How teams navigate this scheduling quirk, and […]
WNBA fantasy grab bag: Evaluating all the implications of Aneesah Morrow’s trade to the Toronto Tempo
As per usual, the 2026 WNBA trade deadline was a fairly quiet one. Aside from the Connecticut Sun trading Aneesah Morrow to the Toronto Tempo and the Phoenix Mercury going all in on Kelsey Plum, there wasn’t much activity, which may have been a letdown for fantasy basketball managers looking to get ahead of things […]
WNBA gameday discussion: The New York Liberty are winning more, but are they now more of a playoff threat?
Since ending a four-game losing streak on July 20 with a win over the Dallas Wings, the New York Liberty have won seven of their last eight games, including four in a row. They’re now seven games over .500 and in seventh place in the standings, with a chance to quickly vault higher, especially if […]
Op-Ed: The WNBA’s success has inspired unfortunately predictable backlash from men who feel threatened
At the outset, it’s getting exhausting having to write about these things again, but alas, here we are. In 1991, feminist journalist Susan Faludi wrote a book entitled Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, where she contended that when women achieve social, political and cultural progress, a vicious backlash follows, usually manifesting from a […]
While thrilling on offense, are the Indiana Fever actually championship contenders?
At 20-12 and in fourth place in the WNBA, could the Indiana Fever be threatening to win their second championship and first in the Caitlin Clark era? If so, the path to get there will undoubtedly face the same scrutiny that has followed them for the past three seasons. The Fever were expected to make […]
WNBA gameday discussion: Among all the losses, there are reasons to be optimistic about the Toronto Tempo and Seattle Storm
The Toronto Tempo and Seattle Storm need a win. Together, the teams are trudging through a combined 19-straight losses, with the Tempo dropping eight games in a row and the Storm now on their second 11-game losing streak of the season. Toronto hasn’t tasted a victory since July 12, while Seattle last celebrated a win […]
How the future stars of women’s basketball proved their Mamba Mentality at the 2026 Mamba Invitational
More than six years since his death, Kobe Bryant’s legacy remains as strong as ever in the basketball world. But if it lives in one central location, that’s Los Angeles. Even more specifically, it lives in the house that Kobe built, Staples Center, now known as Crypto.com Arena. So what better place for Nike to […]
WNBA gameday discussion: With Betnijah Laney-Hamilton on the way, the Washington Mystics, winners of six-straight games, aim to keep ascending
The Washington Mystics are messing up everyone’s plans. Sunday’s WNBA Rivals Week slate begins with the league’s still-reigning premier rivalry, with the Las Vegas Aces visiting the New York Liberty (12:30 p.m. ET, ABC). However, with a less-than-24-hour turnaround since their Saturday tip off, the Aces, rather justifiably, might be punting this one, as A’ja […]
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