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Happy Tuesday and welcome back to Layup Lines, your quick recap of what’s going on in the WNBA.
Saturday’s All-Star Game not only sold out the United Center (the largest professional basketball arena in the U.S.), but also beat the NBA All-Star game in attendance for the first time ever.
Up and to the right!
This 616 word newsletter should take a little over 2 minutes to read.
🤔 Here’s a thought
Courtesy @IndianaFever
My caveat is that there is a .001% chance of this happening. But a boy can dream.
If ESPN is writing about Cathy Engelbert being replaced, that is a pretty clear sign that the current WNBA commissioner is at the end of the road.
There are also reports that the league is expected to look eternally for a new candidate if Engelbert isn’t retained.
I had that bouncing around my head over the weekend, so when the WNBA All-Stars visited the new Obama Presidential Center to practice on Saturday and were surprised by the former president, something clicked.
The absolutely perfect person to lead the league through this intense growth period is Barack Obama.
The former president loves basketball, follows and appreciates the W based on his interactions with the players, and with the Presidential Library done, needs a new project to define his 60s. Cementing the WNBA’s future while in the public eye again would do that.
Having someone with Obama’s gravitas in the commish role immediately adds a level of mutual respect between the players and owners that doesn’t exist right now. Externally, he has more influence to throw around than anyone else qualified for the role. He could super charge expansion, get the league comfortably to 20 teams by the early 2030s and then pass the baton off.
And look, there are a million other things he could do to close out the decade that would all make sense (including running for office again if our current president attempts to override the Constitution and run for a third term).
But from my seat, there are presidents and there are sports commissioners. Obama is probably the only person in the world who could handle being both.
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📺 What’s on this week
Five games tonight to start off a loaded week! What a gift.
Tonight’s best game is Indiana @ Seattle (9:30pm ET, ESPN), though Toronto @ Minnesota (8pm, League Pass) could also be fun.
Tomorrow, we’ve got Atlanta @ Dallas (8pm, USA Network).
On Thursday, tune in for a great doubleheader on Prime Video with Minnesota @ Toronto (8:00pm) and New York @ Las Vegas (10:00pm).
And then close it out with three fun games on Friday on ION: Seattle @ Atlanta (7:30pm), Dallas @ Washington (7:30pm) and Indiana @ Portland (10pm).
If you’re looking to wager this week, I like* the Mystics -6.5 @ Connecticut, Toronto and Minnesota under 184.5 total points scored and Golden State -5.5 @ Phoenix.
*I am 17-15 on bets I like this year.
Courtesy @WNBA
🏆 Fudd to go
Last Friday is now one million years ago, but if you happened to miss the 3-point contest, Azzi Fudd became the first rookie in league history to win the competition. It was awesome. Full performance here.
In the last three years, we’ve had Fudd, Olivia Miles, Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese enter the league — and I’m leaving good players off that list. A completely insane run of talent that has already transformed the WNBA.
Courtesy @wnba
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— Everett Cook, Founder & Editor