This week on The IX Sports Podcast Basketball Edition, hosts Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal break down a jam-packed 24 hours in the Women’s National Basketball League.
Commissioner’s Cup
First, the hosts talked about the Commissioner’s Cup game Tuesday night between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces. The Liberty won, 93-85.
“More than the win or the loss, there were a couple of things that clearly stood out here,” Megdal said.
Breanna Stewart picked up 25 points and 11 rebounds and forced two steals and two blocks.
“Again, just one of these monster games where she does a little bit of everything,” Megdal said. Sabrina Ionescu’s 26 points. Megdal said that a “Sabrina who’s not tentative is the biggest single factor” in how far the New York Liberty can go, besides the performances of Stewart and Jonquel Jones.
Alyssa Thomas comments on controversy
Then Powell and Megdal update listeners on the controversy surrounding the suspension of the Phoenix Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas.
After a game between the Mercury and the Indiana Fever last week, Thomas received a Flagrant Foul 2 Penalty and a One-Game Suspension for for “recklessly making contact with her fist to the throat area” of Caitlin Clark.
This week, Thomas herself addressed the media about the incident, saying that she and her family have been receiving racist hate and threats online.
The IX Sports’ Dylan Kane joins the show to explain what has been learned from Thomas addressing the media for the first time since the suspension — he was on the scene when Thomas addressed the media.
“I think that to me was the biggest takeaway from Alyssa Thomas’s, you know, interview that she did with us … she made it clear that basketball and the hate she’s receiving are two separate things,” Kane said.
“She kind of acknowledged that the frustration she’s feeling isn’t necessarily about the suspension itself or the play itself, and more so how the league handled the situation,” Kane continued.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
The trio then played a clip from Fever head coach Stephanie White, who addressed the situation with media today. White now coaches Clark, but also used to coach Thomas. She condemned racist and homophobic hate that has been circulating online related to the incident.
“If you are one of these people that are online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan,” White said.
Tune in to the episode to hear more from Megdal, Powell and Kane about how the marginalized identities of many WNBA players amplifies hate the players receive — and discuss what the league’s responsibility is to combat it.
Finally, on the Court Vision portion of the podcast, Megdal and Powell discuss Aces head coach Becky Hammon’s comments on women coaching basketball in both the WNBA and the NBA.
Make sure to subscribe to The IX Sports Podcast for in-depth coverage of women’s soccer, hockey and basketball; and tune in each weekday morning for a quick overview of the biggest headlines on Women’s Sports Daily, like WNBA news and PWHL expansion updates.
What you missed on Women’s Sports Daily: JuJu Watkins is back at USC and everyone’s ready for her
