After a marathon of a season, the NBA is enjoying a brief nap. A champion has been crowned. The next wave of incoming talent won't be introduced until next week. The shuffling of the rosters will get going on the next page of the calendar. All that said, I took in a basketball game on Wednesday night.
It has been years — way, way too long — since I sat in the Target Center to watch a Lynx game. I'm not the type of person that goes to a lot of events anyway, but I feel this has been a bit more egregious.
While the NBA appears to be going through its latest bout of superstar transition, the WNBA could be at a "sparkpoint." The rookie class including Caitlyn Clark, Angel Reese, and Cameron Brink (who, sadly, tore her ACL earlier this week) are helping turn more eyes toward the women's professional ranks. The hope is this infusion of young talent (which will include names like Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins in coming years) provides a sustainable and continuous boost for the organization.
Now, if you think this stream of consciousness won't include the NBA, that'd be impossible. The Association continues to have a vested interest in the W's success. Failure not only means the loss of financial tie-ins, but also a loss of face (so to speak). Both entities long to avoid such a scenario. But with two new franchises set to join the premier women's league over the next two years, there is renewed vigor in moving forward.
For those that mainly follow the men's game, thoughts have primarily shifted to next week's draft, impending free agency, and whether the Celtics can harken back to the glory years (instead of raising just two trophies in the last 38 years).
For fans of the WNBA, those type of issues would be the sign of an established atmosphere. And they're hoping to get to that point sooner rather than later. From my hand, Wednesday night was a great one to go out and see a basketball game.
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