The Weekly Roundup: The End of an Era
Sue Bird’s retirement, the latest from A’ja Wilson’s MVP campaign, and takeaways from "Dream On"
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Two things I’ve learned from watching the WNBA are how quickly a team’s fortunes can change and how razor-thin the margin is between success and failure.
Two teams that exemplify the first attribute are Atlanta and New York. The Dream entered their June 7 game at Seattle with a 7-4 record and the W’s top defense. Fast forward two weeks and a four-game skid has left the Dream suddenly below 0.500. Atlanta gave up more than 80 points to an opponent just once in its first dozen contests, yet opponents have hung at least 90 points on the Dream in their last three games. On the flip side, New York transformed a horrid 1-7 start into a 6-10 record that has the Liberty in playoff contention.
Look no further than Minnesota for a team that understands all too well the slim margin that often separates winners and losers in the W. The Lynx have dropped their last three games by a combined seven points, including Sunday’s heartbreaking one-point loss on the road against the league’s top team, Las Vegas. Move each of those losses into the win column and Minnesota, a team with the league’s worst record at 3-13, would be tied for the final playoff spot.
Another thing I’ve learned (not just from watching the W) is that all good things must come to an end. Last Thursday, Sue Bird announced on Twitter that this year will be her last in the WNBA. As the W’s career assists leader explained during Thursday’s press conference, the realization that Saturday’s game against the Liberty could be her last in her home state of New York motivated her to make the announcement. Will Bird’s career end in storybook fashion with her capturing a championship ring for the thumb? We’ll see, but regardless of what transpires over the next 2-3 months, it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch the greatest point guard in league history, someone so instrumental to the W’s growth and the development of its players.
Dream On: A story of success under pressure, sacrifice, and trailblazers
ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary Dream On offers a compelling look inside the 1995-96 United States Women’s National Team’s 14-month journey to the 1996 Olympic Games and how it changed the landscape of women’s sports. Director Kristen Lappas beautifully interweaves several stories, including Ruthie Bolton living with an abusive spouse, Carla McGhee’s remarkable recovery from a near-fatal car accident, and the impact of Venus Lacy’s traumatic brain injury as looks through a scrapbook with her son. The two aspects of this film that really stuck with me were the enormous pressure the team faced and the sacrifices these extraordinary women made to accomplish their goals of winning Olympic gold and growing the game of women’s basketball.
Under pressure
The fate of women’s professional basketball rested with this team. It sounds like something from a movie trailer, but it was reality for Team USA in 1995 and 1996. Then-NBA Vice President of Business Affairs (and future President of the WNBA) Val Ackerman explained that the team’s 52-game exhibition schedule coupled with their performance at the 1996 Olympics “provided an opportunity to test the waters and to see what the response was so that we could see how it lined up with [NBA Commissioner David Stern’s] ultimate aspiration to have a women’s national basketball association.”
The stakes were massive. Yet, incredibly, the players didn’t wilt under the pressure, compiling a 60-0 record en route to Olympic gold in Atlanta. But what if Team USA had fallen flat on its face? What if it failed to generate the excitement and following necessary to justify the creation of the WNBA? How long would fans have needed to wait for a league with the staying power of the WNBA to come into existence? Thanks to these 12 trailblazers, we live in a world where we don’t need to worry about such hypotheticals.
Sacrifices
Director Kristen Lappas expertly chronicles the sacrifices made by Team USA’s coaches and staff. Some of the sacrifices were financial, like the $50,000 salary Team USA players received. At first glance, that seems like a decent sum except when Katrina McClain revealed that she was pulling in close to $400,000 playing overseas. Then, there’s Tara VanDerveer who gave up a year of coaching at perennial powerhouse Stanford to lead the U.S. Women’s National Team. Ackerman underscored the scale of this sacrifice when she recounted that then-President of USA Basketball C.M. Newton and Pat Summitt didn’t believe they could find a coach who would be willing to take over a year off from their program.
But arguably the biggest sacrifice for many players was the ability to be themselves.
“A lot of the women on the national team were not their true selves,” ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel explained. “They didn’t show themselves to the world because they thought that would take away from the popularity of the team, and they were all very committed to the team more so than their own individual comfort level.”
The WNBA’s existence hinged on the popularity of the team, and the conventional wisdom in the mid-90s was that the team’s popularity depended, in part, on the players adhering to a certain aesthetic. As Rebecca Lobo explained, “What’s going to sell is what sponsors want to buy, and it’s the cute woman. We have to present them as straight women. We have to present them as women that can appeal to Middle America. You had to look and speak and act a certain way in order for us to feel like we could sell this product.”
The popularity and success of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team provided the launching pad for the WNBA. Their sacrifices helped create a successful women’s professional basketball league where players can feel freer to be the truest versions of themselves.
Player of the Week: A’ja Wilson
A’ja Wilson and Dearica Hamby shot a combined 4-for-4 from long distance in Las Vegas’ nail-biting 96-95 win over Minnesota on Sunday. Such a shooting performance prompted the Aces star center to call herself and Hamby the “Splash Sisters.” While no one will mistake the duo for Golden State’s Steph Curry and Klay Thompson anytime soon, Wilson’s play this season could see her raising her second regular-season MVP trophy, matching Curry’s total. The latest chapter in her MVP campaign came last week, when she averaged 25 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3 blocks, leading Las Vegas to a 2-0 record.
How good has the 2020 MVP been this season? Well, arguably better than her 2020 campaign. Sure, her scoring output has dropped a smidge, but that’s mostly a function of how many more offensive weapons the 2022 edition of the Aces have. She’s also scoring more efficiently, dropping 1.17 points per scoring attempt this season, compared to 1.08 in 2020. What’s been arguably more impressive is her effort on the defensive end. She leads the league in defensive rebounding, ranks second in blocked shots, and is third in defensive win shares. Las Vegas’ defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is 108.0 when she’s off the court. How about when she’s on the court? 92.1. That sounds like Defensive Player of the Year material to me.
Stat of the Week: Three cheers for the greatest point guard in WNBA history
In light of her retirement announcement last week, it’s only fitting that this week’s stat of the week is Sue Bird-related. So, which of the legendary point guard’s career accomplishments should I highlight this week? The obvious candidates relate to her passing ability (most career assists, ranking in the top three in assists per game in 14 of her 18 seasons) and longevity (most career games played). Instead, let’s focus on Bird’s proficiency from long distance.
The Seattle guard is one of the greatest shooters from behind the arc in WNBA history. And no, I’m not exaggerating to put her career numbers in a better light because of her imminent retirement; the numbers support this assertion. Her 972 career three-pointers rank second behind Diana Taurasi. That’s not purely the result of volume shooting. Sure, it helps that Bird has been in the league since the beginning of the Bush administration and during that 20-year stretch has launched 2,473 triples (also second all-time). However, it translates to a three-point percentage of 39.3%, seventh-best all-time and the second-highest percentage among the players in the top 50 on the career threes made list. Pretty darn efficient.
Speaking of efficiency from long range, the stat of the week is that Sue Bird has had seven seasons in which she has shot at least 40% from behind the arc and attempted at least 100 three-pointers. No player in WNBA history has more than four such seasons.
As players get older their skills generally deteriorate; Father Time is undefeated. Sue Bird did not get this memo. Three of the seven seasons where Bird shot at least 40% from the three and attempted 100 triples have occurred in the past five seasons. At age 41, Bird is on pace to do it again this season. Father Time may well have met his match when it comes to Sue Bird and her three-point shot.
Her Hoop Stats Power Rankings
Here are this week’s power rankings from the Her Hoop Stats team. As always, these are based on the criterion of who would beat whom in a hypothetical neutral court matchup today.
WNBA schedule this week (All times Eastern)
Here is a full listing of this week’s games, start times, and where you can catch the action.
Her Hoop Stats content in case you missed it
On the latest episode of Courtside, Gabe Ibrahim and Christy Winters Scott discussed Sue Bird’s retirement announcement, the premiere of ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary Dream On, and A’ja Wilson’s MVP campaign.
Over 1,000 Division I players entered their names into the transfer portal this year. So, which teams benefitted the most from all of this activity? Megan Gauer broke down the transfer portal’s biggest winners.
From Sabrina Ionescu’s turnaround to the exciting play of Marine Johannès, Heaven Hill explained how New York has suddenly found itself in playoff contention in the latest edition of the Liberty Notebook.
In his WNBA Dissected column, Richard Cohen analyzed the development of Ezi Magbegor, touched on the recent success of international players in the W, and completed his summary of interesting stats for each team.
Other recommended content
The WNBA is one of the most socially progressive professional sports leagues in the United States, but it hasn’t always been that way. The Athletic’s Lyndsey D’Arcangelo chronicled how the league’s attitudes toward LGBTQ+ issues have changed since 1997.
After short stints with Chicago, Dallas, and Seattle, Katie Lou Samuelson is flourishing with Los Angeles this season, averaging career highs in points, three-point percentage, effective field goal percentage, and steals. The Los Angeles Daily News’ Mirjam Swanson detailed Samuelson’s basketball journey and why she’s found success in the City of Angels.
With Sue Bird and Briann January both retiring at the end of this season, it’s unclear who will be Seattle’s point guard next season. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton broke down a few possibilities.
The NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee offers confidential evaluations and assessments of potential placement within the draft to prospective professional players. The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings described why the WNBA should have a similar entity.
For The Next, Jackie Powell explored how players and coaches across the W have responded to last month’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
With the Bay Area being one of the top contenders for a new WNBA franchise, The Mercury News’ Alex Simon explained the complications involved with selecting an ownership group.
For Winsidr, Myles Ehrlich described the impact of Bec Allen’s length on New York’s defense.
Trivia question of the week
First, here’s the answer to last week’s trivia question:
A whopping seven of the top ten players on the career free-throw percentage list (minimum 500 attempts) are active. Coming in at No. 2 on the list and with a career free-throw percentage of 89.7%, who is the highest-ranking non-active player?
Answer: Becky Hammon. Topping the overall list is Elena Delle Donne with a career free-throw percentage of 93.7%.
And now, here’s this week’s question:
The 1995-96 United States Women’s National Team compiled a 52-0 record in exhibition games leading up to the 1996 Olympics, with 20 of those games coming against college programs. Which of these 20 teams did the U.S. memorably defeat by the slimmest margin, 85-74?
Thanks for reading the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter. If you like our work, be sure to check out our stats site, our podcast, and our social media accounts on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.