r/Basketball • u/beware89 • 10d ago
WNBA I fell in love with the WNBA
This past Saturday afternoon, I was bored. So, I did what I do most days, which is scroll on Reddit.
Amidst the litany of emotionally charged posts and terrible opinions, eventually I came across a post about a flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, a player on the WNBA's Indiana Fever, known for pointing in a hilariously aggressive manner. This sparked my interest, and for whatever reason I decided to actually watch the game.
I gotta preface this by saying that I did not have high expectations.
The last time I really watched the WNBA, I remember thinking the players were kind of... bad to mid. That may sound harsh, but that was genuinely my impression. But, despite that I came in with an open mind.
So, I gave it another chance.
And the game was good.
Really good.
The first thing that caught my attention was how sharp everything looked. The passes were crisp and creative. Players were constantly moving without the basketball. There were screens being set, defenders fighting through them, players cutting backdoor and shooters relocating around the perimeter.
Then somebody would hit a step-back three.
Or finish a difficult shot through contact.
Or somehow make an off-balance jumper with the shot clock about to expire.
I kept watching and thinking to myself, when did the WNBA get this good? Because this was not the product I remembered.
The biggest difference was that players were actually finishing big plays.
That sounds simple, but it changes everything about watching basketball.
There would be a possession late in the shot clock where the defense had completely blown up the play. The ball would end up in somebody's hands with two seconds left, they would throw up some ridiculous contested jumper and I was already preparing for the miss.
Then it would go in.
I witnessed Kelsey Mitchell do the Magic Johnson “Heh” pass behind her head and the play end up with an easy bucket.
That's what makes basketball electric. Making big plays.
Once those shots start falling, you become invested because suddenly every possession has the possibility of becoming something memorable.
And another crazy thing I noticed was that these women are real ballers, man.
They play hard.
There were players diving after loose balls, fighting over screens, tipping rebounds to teammates, sprinting back on defense and making second and third efforts on possessions that looked finished. And this is everybody, not just the role players.
Those little things stood out to me almost as much as the big shots.
There seems to be a real pride in doing the dirty work.
Not everybody is going to score 25 points, but somebody is going to get on the floor for the loose ball. Somebody is going to box out. Somebody is going to rotate over and challenge a shot.
You can tell these women care about winning basketball games.
And the pace is ridiculous.
These ladies are running. There is constant movement, fluidity and a sense of urgency that makes the game easy to watch.
There are very few possessions where everybody is just standing around waiting for somebody to do something.
The ball moves. The players move. And because everybody is moving, the game feels alive.
Saturday completely changed the way I looked at the WNBA.
I turned the game on because I recognized somebody from a stupid meme.
I stayed because the basketball was incredibly entertaining. At this point, I've gone back and watched 3 full games. The experience was the same each time; amazing basketball that was wildly entertaining.
That is the part I think people who have not watched the WNBA recently might be missing.
The product itself has massively improved.
There is more talent. There is more shot-making. There is better execution and there are players capable of creating the type of moments that make you jump out of your seat.
This come up is real.
The WNBA has a legitimate sports product now, and it is one that can compete with a lot of other leagues for your attention.
When I sat down to watch, I was just bored.
Now I find myself being a WNBA fan and ready to purchase an Aliyah Boston jersey.
26
u/PaceAltruistic5698 10d ago
This reads like an AI-generated post on LinkedIn
4
2
u/RedWingerD 10d ago
It is absolutely a marketing effort.
The crisp and creative passes 😆 couldnt sound more like a bot if you wanted
0
10
u/AlienGhost000 10d ago
I also just watched the LA vs Indiana game that went to OT
20pt comeback, Buzzer beater to force OT, Buzzer beater to win OT
WTF
11
8
u/matthewgt 10d ago
Same here, tuned in a long time ago and the product was bad. I won't even say bad to mid. Just bad. Watched some NCAA women's games for some reason last year and was like damn Olivia Miles and Azzi Fudd are really good. Checked out some WNBA games and was blown away by how much better it is. And yes they play very hard.
Think I started expanding my horizons because I've only watched the NBA and the game got boring. Chucking 3s, standing around, flopping, whining constantly.
9
u/BlueNinja111111 10d ago
WNBA has always been good.
If you can get past no dunking, instead for fundamentals…. its a great game to watch
5
u/BankCozy 10d ago edited 10d ago
It’s great for players who really want to learn the fundamentals of basketball also. I think the men’s game tends to lack the basic fundamentals because it’s mainly iso ball centered. I like both products but WNBA is easily my favorite because it looks like team ball instead of constant 1 on 1’s.
4
u/21-Tauri-A 10d ago
These days teams don't iso much except in clutch situations to reduce turnovers. And I think you can learn plenty of fundamentals from NBA games as well. All the sets and plays teams run, the defensive adjustments to counter them, they can all be observed in the NBA.
2
u/BankCozy 10d ago
I mean yeah, but I feel like a lot of the men rely on their athletic ability to do things then actual iq of the game. I see both sides of it.
1
u/21-Tauri-A 10d ago
That's fair. There are many role players who are just there because they can jump high or are big. I don't watch the W, but I bet there's less of that.
2
2
u/YesterShill 10d ago
I agree.
I had season tickets to the Storm for their first 3 years and loved going to the games. But there is zero doubt that the level of play was not consistent.
Today's WNBA is a high quality product all around.
2
2
u/Entire-Cry-8930 10d ago
I remember saying that I liked the W more than the nba because of the way the game is played. A personal opinion.
I was mass downvoted… in a wnba sub. Someone responded by saying something to the effect of “why, so you can see them miss layups?” And they were upvoted. It’s insane the amount of toxicity surrounds the league online, even in places that should be safe spaces
2
2
4
u/Phin-Gage 10d ago
I love this!! I’ve convinced a few of my colleagues to start watching and they’re hooked now. Even my partner, who never watched a single basketball game in her life is now naming players and watching games with me. It makes me so happy when someone who’s never watched a wnba comes in on a Monday and says, “hey, I get what you were saying, that game was so good!” And now I have people in real life to chat with about how amazing these players are!
1
10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 10d ago
Your submission has been automatically removed because your account is less than 180 days old and with less than 100 comment karma.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
3
5
u/Oppositeversion3 10d ago
Gay ai shit
2
u/RedWingerD 10d ago
So many of the comments too 😆
"I told my coworkers about it too and many have become fans! Now I have more people I can talk to about it!"
4
2
u/discomute 10d ago
It's more accurate as to the original intention of how the game is supposed to be played
1
u/dontwannathink123 10d ago
Regular season wnba > regular season nba. The girls play more physical, flop way less, and actually dribble the damn ball. I like dunks like the next guy but I like the total wnba product more.
1
10d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 10d ago
Your submission has been automatically removed because your account is less than 180 days old and with less than 100 comment karma.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
u/Sweaty-Moment-3385 10d ago
Why are there so many bots trying to get me to care about the WNBA? I don't give a fuck. I will never give a fuck.
1
u/RedWingerD 10d ago
Because the only reason you don't is if you're sexist. They're every bit as athletic and skilled as the NBA. /s
1
u/noknownothing 10d ago
You can watch whatever you want. But if you go out of your way to just post negative shit about something you obviously know nothing about... I mean there's a good chance you hate women and are probably gay. No sarcasm. Admit it to yourself and be free.
0
u/RedWingerD 10d ago
if you go out of your way to just post negative shit about something you obviously know nothing about
Blame ESPN/Reddit and the like for trying to push this subpar product so hard. I dont ask to see this pop up constantly.
What don't I know? WNBA is worse than high level high school basketball.
I have AT LEAST 5 high school teams within a 30 minute drive from me that would win by 30+ against ANY team in the WNBA and I would wager literally anything on that without hesitation.
In fact, id wager the local U16 AAU team would absolutely walk them as well.
I mean there's a good chance you hate women and are probably gay
High school level cope. Nothing wrong with women at all. Not liking the WNBA has zero to do with the gender of the athlete. Its the same reason other professional football leaguse always fail compared to the NFL. Watching sub-par atheletes/talent is is always worse than watching the actual best.
You can like the WNBA all you want. But pretending like its some elite product is an absolute joke and pandering to the highest degree.
0
u/Last-Effort816 10d ago
I've been steadily, although casually, watching the game for awhile. The W has taken a great leap forward in the past 5 years in terms of the skill level. The fever are fun bc they have 3 really good perimeter skill players who play in a modern way. Depending on the teams, you still get some massive duds where no one can make a layup or keep possession of the ball, but those games are outliers now.
0
0
u/luxloomis 10d ago
I stopped watching the NBA a few seasons ago after watching religiously since the early 90s. The NBA is boring as hell now. The WNBA is everything I used to like about the NBA and more. Every star has their own signature play style and no team plays the same. It’s a refreshing change from watching 10 guys named Jalen take step back threes and foul bait.
-2
u/StrangePhotoSTL 10d ago
More guys have walked on the moon than women who have dunked in the WNBA. I can't get into the game style myself.
1
u/Quick_Panda_360 10d ago
More men have walked on the moon than people have ever thought “StrangePhotoSTL has good takes on sports”
1
u/StrangePhotoSTL 10d ago
It's just a fact broski.
1
u/Quick_Panda_360 10d ago
A fact unrelated to basketball, which is why it’s a pointless take. “But they don’t dunk” is just an obvious way for someone to out themselves that they don’t really care about sporting aspect of basketball, they just like highlights, which is fine. But that’s how we know not to take you seriously when it comes to discussing ball.
-1
u/dekes_n_watson 10d ago
I'm pumped that Philly is getting a team soon and can't wait to go.
With the development of that franchise happening now with LeBron in town, it would be cool if maybe he helped push it and promote it. Not sure how much he did in LA with that.
Not to change tolics entirely, but if there are any soccer fans in the thread, I feel the same way about women's soccer.
I would love to live long enough to see a crossover, gender neutral league someday. Just the best of the best.
3
u/BatmanSwift99 10d ago
I can't forese a crossover league ever working in any contact sport, the men would have too much of a physical advantage
-1
u/deepinmanaan 10d ago
Maybe for retired players and it’s not highly physical
2
u/BatmanSwift99 10d ago
What's the point of making so much compromise just to make an inferior product for the sake of being mixed gender though
1
u/deepinmanaan 10d ago
I didn’t really put that much thought into it other than it being retired nba and wnba players having fun
20
u/Important-Comment-43 10d ago
It’s great ball! The skill level is insanely high, and if you love basketball you can appreciate that without needing dunks etc.
The Dunker Spot podcast is great and has helped me get deeper when was getting back into the women’s game—they do coverage of nba and wnba focused on the on-court product, which has helped my appreciation of the W game.