You always want a viewership story to sell if you are a professional sports league and the WNBA has a great metrics story to sell in 2024. Last week ESPN announced that its WNBA regular season was its most-watched ever for games across ESPN Networks airwaves (including ABC). Games averaged 1.2 million viewers, a massive jump over last year’s games (440,000 viewers). These are unheard of percentage increases in sports television.

Something even more impressive? The WNBA had 22 regular-season games that averaged more than 1 million viewers — the first time since 2008 that a WNBA game topped one million viewers. If you want to add in the WNBA All-Star Game and the WNBA Draft, it makes 24 programming events during the 2024 calendar year that topped 1 million viewers (Caitlin Clark was part of all but three of these windows, per Sports Media Watch).

On that note: The WNBA All-Star Game averaged 3.44 million viewers on ABC, crushing the previous audience record set in 2003. The WNBA Draft, featuring Clark, Angel Reese, Cameron Brink, averaged a record 2.446 million viewers, which is a 307 percent increase in viewership over last year.

What else? There were seven games on ION this season that topped more than 1 million viewers including last Friday’s game between Indiana and Las…

Tuesday night was supposed to be a celebration for the Los Angeles Sparks, their fan appreciation night on the final home game of the regular season. It was also an opportunity for the Southern California crowd to honor one of its own, as Phoenix Mercury legend Diana Taurasi played what could be her final professional game in Los Angeles.

Instead, the contest was marred by an altercation between Sparks rookie Rickea Jackson and Mercury star Brittney Griner. Both were ejected with 18.8 seconds to play in the first half after a conversation between the two following a free-throw box out escalated in front of the Phoenix bench.

Security rushed onto the court, as did Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts, to help separate the players, but a related confrontation between Sophie Cunningham and Crystal Dangerfield also resulted in technical fouls for the pair.

L.A. was up seven points at the time of the ejection and took an eight-point lead into halftime. However, Phoenix junked up the game after the break, pressuring full court and sinking back into a zone defense that frustrated the Sparks into a 10-point third quarter. The Mercury went on to win 85-81.

The WNBA rulebook states, “During an altercation, all players not participating in the game must remain in the immediate vicinity of their…

In the grand scheme of the 2024 season, the identity of the eighth seed in the WNBA postseason bracket is relatively inconsequential. The New York Liberty have been the best team in the league for essentially the entire year. Their net rating of plus-12.1 points per 100 possessions is more than 15 points better than any of the three teams vying for the final playoff spot, and a three-game series should be short work for the title contenders.

But the ultimate outcome shouldn’t overshadow the fun of the process, and the minor miracle it would be for the Washington Mystics to claim that final bid. As a reminder, the Mystics lost 12 consecutive games to start the year. The 2015 Los Angeles Sparks currently hold the WNBA record for the longest opening losing streak (0-7) before making the playoffs. Seven games represented 20 percent of that 34-game season in 2015, but Washington crushed that mark by going 0-fer for 30 percent of this year, yet it has rallied to sit in the No. 8 seed with two games to play.

The Mystics weathered injuries to Brittney Sykes, Karlie Samuelson and Shakira Austin while trading away Myisha-Hines Allen. That simply meant more playmaking duties for Ariel Atkins, who has the highest assist rate of her career; more offense from Stefanie Dolson, now the…

The Athletic has launched a series of sports debates in which two writers break down a specific topic. In this edition, Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman debate which WNBA team will be the most dangerous in the playoffs. (Stats are before Wednesday night’s games.)

Sabreena Merchant: For the first time in three seasons, the WNBA has a new title favorite entering the postseason: the New York Liberty. They’ll have the best record in the league and have beaten each of the other top teams in the standings – the only squad in the WNBA to win against each of the other playoff teams. But even if the Liberty are the favorite on paper, that doesn’t mean they’re heading into the postseason with the most momentum. Ben, is New York the team you most wouldn’t want to play in the 2024 playoffs?

Ben Pickman: If it’s the team most likely to put a top-four seed on upset alert, I have to choose the Indiana Fever, right? Indiana has won nine of 11 contests since second-half play resumed and heading into Wednesday’s loss against the Aces, the Fever had a 6.1 net rating, the third-best mark in the league. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 24.9 points per game (second-most since play resumed) on 49.7 percent shooting, while Caitlin Clark is third in scoring (24.7 points) and first in…

After focusing on the top half of the playoff bracket last week, it’s time to check in on a surprisingly spirited race for the eighth seed. With about two weeks left in the regular season, seven playoff teams are essentially set in stone, though the matchups aren’t yet set.

There is drama at the bottom of the postseason bracket. Chicago has been in a tailspin since the Olympic break, relinquishing what had been a comfortable lead over the lottery teams. The Sky have lost six in a row, suffering from the absence of Chennedy Carter (illness) and already without Marina Mabrey due to the pre-deadline trade. Chicago is still slotted into the No. 8 seed by virtue of a 2-1 head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta; however, a Sept. 17 showdown against the Dream looms charge. The Sky don’t have a true incentive to tank out of the playoffs because they don’t own their first-round pick, but they do have a swap with Dallas. If it seems like the Wings also will land outside the top eight, missing the postseason would ensure that Chicago at least gets a lottery pick, even if it’s not the best selection.

The Atlanta Dream (11-21) have now matched the Chicago Sky’s record! #WNBA pic.twitter.com/ei16oNr1V1

— I talk hoops (@trendyhoopstars) September 2, 2024

Atlanta seems to…

Three-quarters of the way through the WNBA season, the playoff picture is starting to take shape. One of the most interesting fault lines will be between fourth and fifth place in the standings, as teams battle for home court in the first round of the playoffs.

The New York Liberty have a clear path to the top overall seed. Although they won’t claim it as an accomplishment, entering the playoffs with the best record means something. Over the past seven seasons, only once has a team won the WNBA title (No. 5 seed Chicago Sky in 2021) without having been or being tied for the best record in the league. The Liberty are two games clear of Connecticut and own the tiebreaker, which means they’d have to lose three more games than the Sun over the final 10 to fall out of the top spot.

The battle for the No. 2 seed is slightly more contested. Connecticut is one game up on Minnesota, also with the tiebreaker in hand, so the Lynx would have to outdo the Sun by two games. However, they play each other once during this final stretch, so Minnesota can make up one game then. The Lynx also have the second-easiest remaining schedule, with no games left against the Seattle Storm or the Las Vegas Aces, and Connecticut has four. Considering Minnesota’s recent run, I’d wager that the Lynx…

The WNBA is already full speed ahead into the second half of the season, and it is going to be a sprint to the finish. Regular-season action ends in exactly one month, with each team packing 12-14 games in the final stretch.

As players re-acclimate to following the Olympic break and make one last push for the postseason, here is a look at which teams I project will make the playoffs as well as a to-do list for each team to focus on to be in the best possible position come playoff time.

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Playoff-bound

1. New York Liberty

Stay the course

The Liberty remind me of the Aces at this point last season. New York is the best team in the league, and a couple of bad games or a bad week won’t change that, just as an August swoon for Las Vegas didn’t prevent the Aces from repeating as champs. It will be interesting to see if the Liberty choose to chase the single-season wins record of 34, set by the Aces last year. New York can also tie the best winning percentage of all-time — the Houston Comets won 90 percent of their games in 1998 — by winning out, but that might be a Pyrrhic victory if the Liberty tire themselves out and don’t cap off the season with a ring. Just ask the 2016 Golden State Warriors.

The bag was DEEP and the Libs closed the West Coast tour out the right way

PHOENIX — At halftime of Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game, Arike Ogunbowale received a bit of a surprise. Team WNBA coach Cheryl Miller was talking about the group’s first half performance — which saw it enter the locker room trailing by two points — but paused amid her comments and pointed at the Dallas Wings star. Ogunbowale said Miller told her to “take a deep breath and play your game.”

Coming out of the locker room, Ogunbowale did. The former league scoring champion collected all of her All-Star Game-record 34 points in the second half.

“You guys saw what happened,” she said, reflecting on how she took Miller’s advice to heart.

Ogunbowale’s scoring barrage saw her claim her second All-Star MVP and will go down as the most memorable performance of the night. But there were plenty of other moments that delighted the sellout Phoenix crowd during Team WNBA’s 117-109 victory.

Here’s a breakdown and grade for every player who participated.

Team WNBA

Starters

Nneka Ogwumike: B+

Ogwumike was among the tone-setters for Team WNBA. She got off to a fast start — with 1:35 left in the first quarter, she had scored what was then a game-high 8 points. Her 14 points were the third-most of any Team WNBA participant and she missed only two shots.

DeWanna Bonner: B-

Bonner…

In the midst of the most highly touted WNBA rookie class in recent memory, or perhaps league history, I’ve been a bit negligent on spotlighting the veterans in 2024. Rather than focus on the WNBA’s newest entrants, let’s take a look at the opposite side of the coin as we head into the midseason break: the 40 players in the league who are at least 30 years old.

First, one caveat: This group excludes players who are already All-Stars or Olympians. A quick hat tip to DeWanna Bonner, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Dearica Hamby, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride, Nneka Ogwumike, Diana Taurasi and Alyssa Thomas. They’ve already received recognition. With that in mind, here is my All-30-and-Older team.

At point guard, Natasha Cloud. In her first season in Phoenix, Cloud is posting the best 2-point percentage of her career, along with her highest assists, blocks and steals per game. The 32-year-old guard is the fulcrum of the Mercury’s unique defensive approach, as she guards the point of attack and the post, and she allows Phoenix to play without a traditional power forward because she can defend fours. When the Mercury missed three starters against the Sparks last week, Cloud stepped in as the No. 1 offensive option, scoring a career-high 31 points, including the…

The 2024 WNBA rookie class was the most anticipated in league history. So far, expectations largely have been met, if not exceeded. With less than a week until the All-Star break, this year’s Rookie of the Year race between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese sets up to be one of the closest in years.

“It’s tight. That’s for sure,” New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “They’re both wonderful players for their respective teams. That’s a hard (one). You guys (with media votes) are going to be naming that, aren’t you? Good luck with that.”

Brondello’s Liberty has seen both over the last week. New York lost to Indiana on Saturday, but rebounded with a win on Thursday. “They’re both impacting their team in a massive way,” she said.

The award won’t officially be decided until mid-September. But with the All-Star and Olympic break fast approaching, here is how rookies stack up. As with past editions, this week’s rookie rankings are not a reflection of what my current all-rookie team ballot would look like, but a gauge of how rookies have performed since June 5.

(All stats through Wednesday.)