WNBA Trivia Challenge: The Carter-Clark Saga, A'ja's Brilliance, and Unrivaled
Breaking down the past week in the W with a handful of trivia questions
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. You can also buy Her Hoop Stats gear, such as laptop stickers, mugs, and shirts!
Haven’t subscribed to the Her Hoop Stats Newsletter yet?
Welcome to week 2 of the WNBA Trivia Challenge! Hopefully, I didn’t scare you off with last week’s slate of questions. In fact, you all did quite well, with the plurality of the 300+ respondents providing the correct answer to seven of the eight questions. The only one that tripped the majority of folks up had to do with the assister-shooter duo who have connected on the most made field goals since 2018 — only 10% of respondents identified Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley as the correct answer.
Of course, this week’s WNBA news cycle was dominated by the Chennedy Carter-Caitlin Clark saga. Minor developments in the story prompted breaking news alerts on cable news channels for crying out loud. And while I do ask one question about it below, the rest of the trivia challenge touches on a few of the many other notable stories from the past week.
And of course, just a friendly reminder that Substack doesn’t have the functionality to display the correct answer after you respond (the checkmark simply denotes which option you chose), so you’ll have to scroll to the bottom to discover the correct answers. As always, good luck!
Question 1. Earlier this week, the WNBA announced its Players of the Month for May 2024. A’ja Wilson, who averaged 26.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks during the month, took home the honor for the Western Conference. Who was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for May 2024?
Question 2. In a much-discussed and analyzed play, Chicago’s Chennedy Carter shoulder-checked Indiana’s Caitlin Clark before the ball was inbounded late in the third quarter of their game on Saturday. What was the call on the court?
Question 3. If the season ended today, the Indiana Fever would set a new single-season attendance record for most fans per home game (16,571). Which franchise currently owns that record, having drawn 16,202 fans per home regular-season game in 2002? (Shoutout to Across the Timeline for the historical attendance data!)
Question 4. Unrivaled, a women’s 3x3 basketball league scheduled to start in January 2025, announced last week that it would pay players a minimum six-figure salary. Which two current WNBA players co-founded this league?
Question 5. The Connecticut Sun is the hottest team in the league (no pun intended), racing off to a 9-0 start. What two franchises own the top two spots on the list of teams with the most consecutive wins to start a WNBA season? The teams in question met in the Finals that season in a memorable five-game series.
Answers
1. D - Alyssa Thomas - During the month of May, Thomas stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 14.6 points per game, 9.0 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. A’ja Wilson’s Player of the Month win was the ninth of her career, tied for the second-most since the award’s inception in 2010 behind only Tina Charles’ 12 such wins.
2. C - Away-from-the-ball common foul - There’s not much more to write about this that hasn’t already been written or said. The league did later upgrade this to a flagrant 1 foul on Sunday.
3. A - Washington Mystics - I think this was a tough one (but maybe you all will prove me wrong!). But yes, it was the Mystics, who, led by all-star Chamique Holdsclaw, set this attendance record in the franchise’s fifth season of existence. The Mystics made it all the way to the conference finals that season, ultimately falling to New York.
4. B - Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier - Unrivaled will provide WNBA players an opportunity to earn more money while not overlapping with training camps and the regular season. Early investors in the league include Geno Auriemma, Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Ashton Kutcher, Carmelo Anthony, and Steve Nash.
5. C - Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx - The Lynx started the 2016 season 13-0, while the Sparks began that same season with 11 straight wins. The two teams met in a memorable five-game Finals series, with Nneka Ogwumike’s game-winner carrying the Sparks to the title.
How’d you do? Let us know in the comments, thanks as always for playing, and hope to see you next week for more WNBA trivia fun!
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.
I was at that Mystics game!
5/5
4 of 5. Missed the Mystics having the greatest attendance.