Wnba Truths And Fictions: The Real State Of The League In 2025

The WNBA is 1 of those leagues that is perpetually astatine nan crossroads. In nan 1990s, nan convention saw disconnected nan situation of nan American Basketball League (ABL), which paid higher salaries but lacked nan NBA’s trading muscle, but possibly that triumph gave nan NBA and WNBA a dose of complacency. Attendance steadily dropped for respective years, and went done revolving doors from metropolis to metropolis – aliases into imperishable hiatus.

Now, pinch women’s sports successful nan mediate of a maturation spurt and nan dazzling skills of Caitlin Clark connected display, nan WNBA has an age-old issue: More money, much problems – or, astatine least, much critics conjuring up much questions.

In All-Star voting, WNBA players classed Caitlin Clark ninth. Is that absurd?

We unrecorded successful a media scenery successful which nan fretting complete “generational talents” is truthful robust that NBA fans started panicking astir Cooper Flagg erstwhile he had a mediocre shooting capacity in his first Summer League game. As anyone knows from pursuing her assemblage career, she doesn’t conscionable person bonzer shooting range. She tin predominate a crippled pinch her passing moreover if her shots aren’t falling.

This year, Clark is struggling pinch injuries, and astir of her scoring and shooting numbers person dropped significantly. Given nan ridiculously short model of a WNBA season, she whitethorn not person clip to propulsion her play averages up to wherever they were past year.

The WNBA really has a trio of young “generational talent” guards who person travel into nan convention successful nan 2020s. The first was Sabrina Ionescu, a record-smashing triple-double instrumentality from Oregon who had a slow, injury-riddled commencement to her pro profession but has since made nan All-WNBA 2nd squad 3 consecutive years – and surely had a lawsuit to make nan first squad up of Clark past year. The adjacent is Paige Bueckers, who is putting together a rookie play almost connected par pinch Clark’s play past year. In a twelvemonth aliases two, depending connected erstwhile she declares for nan draft, nan WNBA will adhd USC’s JuJu Watkins.

In nan media and subordinate All-Star voting, nan leader was Bueckers’ teammate successful Dallas, Allisha Gray. Funny really they don’t look to beryllium held responsible for nan Wings being successful past place, and yet critics harp connected Clark because Indiana isn’t dominating.

So nan fans sewage it incorrect successful ranking Clark first and Ionescu fifth. But nan players’ votes were harsh connected stars (Clark) and Olympians (Jackie Young was 12th; Kelsey Plum a bewildering 16th). For once, nan media whitethorn person gotten it right, ranking her third.

Truth aliases fiction: Truth

Is nan convention excessively limited connected Clark?

In a caller anonymous study of WNBA by nan Athletic, a mostly of respondents said Clark will beryllium nan look of nan WNBA successful 5 years. But it was a slim mostly of 53.8%. Watkins was second, Bueckers was third. Next was nan first non-guard, Clark nemesis Angel Reese, and A’ja Wilson, who was simply nan MVP of nan WNBA (for nan 3rd time) and the Olympics successful 2024.

And yet nan WNBA is headed toward its highest mean attendance ever (see below), propelled somewhat by Clark but besides by nan fervor down nan description Golden State Valkyries. While ratings certainly drop erstwhile she’s retired injured, they don’t autumn done nan floor.

Perhaps nan truth that Clark has not instantly established herself arsenic nan champion subordinate successful nan convention has made group recognize that veterans for illustration Wilson, Stewart, Griner, Collier and Ionescu cognize really to play immoderate ball, too.

Truth aliases fiction: Fiction

The deficiency of dunking holds backmost nan league

In nan animation Futurama, a female machine is horrified to study that nan men who person landed connected an all-women’s satellite made nosy of women’s basketball.

“What??! Did you explicate really nan women’s bully fundamentals dress up for their inability to dunk?” roars nan computer, voiced by Bea Arthur.

The men scoffed astatine nan concept. But WNBA players’ fundamentals are so beautiful good, astir notably free throws – nan NBA’s highest overall percent of nan past 10 years (78.4%, 2023-24) trails down nan WNBA’s lowest (78.5%, 2024, down from 80.0% nan twelvemonth earlier and 80.8% successful 2021).

Truth aliases fiction: Fiction

Is nan WNBA plagued by substandard refereeing?

WNBA officials person had their stock of detractors this year, among them standout players Angel Reese (Chicago) and Kelsey Plum (Los Angeles), coaches Natalie Nakase (Golden State) and Stephanie White (Indiana).

The latter’s disapproval followed a crippled against nan Connecticut Sun successful which Clark was poked successful nan oculus successful nan 3rd quarter, and Clark’s assailant was fouled adjacent nan extremity of nan crippled pinch nan result not successful doubt, prompting a scuffle that saw 3 group ejected.

White’s title was a acquainted refrain: “The referees mislaid power of nan game.”

Did they?

The oculus flick connected Clark drew a flagrant foul connected Connecticut’s Jacy Sheldon, while Clark and 2 Connecticut players sewage method fouls for nan ensuing fracas. In nan past minute, Sheldon drove into Indiana’s Sophie Cunningham, who pulled Sheldon down onto nan floor.

The Indiana Fever and their fans person embraced nan conception that Sophie Cunningham, above, has filled nan domiciled of an NHL enforcer. Photograph: Matt Krohn/Getty Images

Cunningham could argue that Sheldon initiated nan interaction by lowering her enarthrosis and charging into her for illustration a moving backmost aliases rugby player, and that she accidentally pulled down Sheldon while stumbling backwards. But she and nan Fever person embraced nan conception that Cunningham filled nan role of an NHL enforcer, protecting their prima subordinate erstwhile nan refs wouldn’t. Cunningham’s jersey income went done nan roof, and entrepreneurs are trading commemorative T-shirts successful her honor.

Maybe nan WNBA has recovered a caller root of revenue?

WNBA refs are paid acold little than their NBA counterparts, truthful nary 1 should beryllium amazed if nan men’s convention attracts much knowledgeable referees. But nan refs aren’t nan ones escalating things moreover aft nan flagrant and method fouls person been called.

And NBA refs aren’t precisely supra reproach. Even if we flip retired nan aberration of Tim Donaghy, nan referee who spent clip successful situation aft a gambling scandal, NBA referees person been nan entity of galore fine-worthy infractions done nan years. Anthony Edwards’ fines successful a azygous play could salary respective WNBA players’ salaries.

Should WNBA refs do much to protect stars for illustration Clark truthful that Cunningham won’t consciousness compelled to do it herself? Maybe. But they’d besides do good to debar nan absurdity of nan 1990s, erstwhile nan specified enactment of trying to defender Michael Jordan could tie a whistle.

Truth aliases fiction: Mixed