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Good morning! Let’s talk basketball. Coming up today:
Let’s start with our Brian Hamilton on the state of the Fever.
Vibe Check: How are the Fever handling the noise?
There are a lot of things being said about Sophie Cunningham, but for newsletter purposes, let’s stick to unassailable fact: On Sunday, the Fever guard celebrated her 30th birthday.
Also on Sunday, her team played the Dream. And as the first cycle of pregame backcourt warmups ended, Cunningham issued a motivational birthday wish: Everyone had to make their last shot. When Kelsey Mitchell drained a 3-pointer from the corner, Cunningham’s wish came true. The entire Fever backcourt jumped and hugged and screamed before moving on to the rest of its prep.
It was intentionally silly. It was not meaningless.
After spending a few days in the Fever’s orbit, it’s clear that this group intends to keep things light despite so much of its existence feeling heavy. Some of that is self-inflicted. A lot of it is merely a function of what someone outside the club did or said. But the reality on the ground belies the noise. They appear to be having a good time with each other.
If that wasn’t the case, it’s hard to believe they’d be 23-12 to open the week and sit fourth overall in the WNBA standings. It’s hard to believe they’d be down 10 points on the road late in Sunday’s third quarter to a talented Dream squad and rally to win in overtime. To make that happen, a team has to care more about results, and each other, than political views or personal agendas. The proof, very simply, is in the winning.
Absurdity will pop up here and there for a very popular team with an incredibly popular point guard. (After a 26-point, nine-assist performance Sunday in a game crucial for playoff positioning, Caitlin Clark fielded a question about professional boxer Claressa Shields. Clark apologized for having nothing to offer on the subject.) The circus around this group is real and, potentially, suffocating.
“You can’t silence it,” Fever coach Stephanie White said before Sunday’s game. “For us, it’s how do you minimize it?”
The Fever are a championship contender because they so far recognize what to take seriously, and what they can laugh at along the way.
Back to Annie and Sabreena.
Legacy: Mercury retire Taurasi’s No. 3
There is simply no one like Diana Taurasi.
Of course that applies to her talent on the court, but she’s arguably greater off of it. I’m (Annie) by no means someone who knows Taurasi well on a personal level. But throughout my career, I’ve been able to cover moments that show how special she is, before she retired on Feb. 25, 2025 (😭). This weekend perfectly encapsulated that. So, let me paint the picture for you.
The Mercury franchise and the city of Phoenix celebrated Taurasi all weekend with various events. A refurbished court unveiling, a mural, a dinner. But the main attraction was Sunday’s game, during which Taurasi’s No. 3 jersey was unveiled in the rafters at halftime. Afterward, she gave a 30-minute speech that was equal parts comedy show as it was a love letter to her teammates, coaches, executives, competitors and, of course, fans.
Taurasi’s family sat alongside her on the court while others took the mic to share stories about her. When it was Penny Taylor’s turn, Taurasi’s wife became emotional almost immediately. “Of our love,” Taylor said as she held back tears, “what’s there to say? True love needs no explaining. Diana, my heart is yours for all time. No limits. No restraining.”
A number of Taurasi’s peers shared congratulatory video messages, including LeBron James, Sue Bird, Magic Johnson, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Devin Booker.
Before Taurasi spoke, 20 former teammates, coaches and executives spanning her entire two-decade long career met her on the court with a white rose. Each person represented a different year of her career, starting in 2004 with Mercury guard Anna DeForge and ending in 2024 with Mercury guard/forward Kahleah Copper.
When Taurasi finally took the mic, she sent the entire arena into laughter when she said, “Green eggs and ham. No, I’m joking. I’m no poet.”
The entire ceremony is available to watch on YouTube, and I highly recommend it. But to summarize, I’ll say every emotion was felt by the nearly 16,000 fans who were in attendance as Taurasi spoke. She thanked her teammates in ways only she could, through jokes. Talking about when the Mercury drafted DeWanna Bonner, she said she was “the skinniest kid you’ve ever seen in your life,” before detailing how they became shooting partners for the majority of their career together. Taurasi brought Ann Meyers Drysdale to tears as she called her a true pioneer in women’s basketball and “the most authentic person I’ve ever been around.” She even made light of the struggles her generation endured playing in the WNBA, with meager pay and poor facilities, before celebrating where the league is today.
One of the most profound moments came when she began talking about her family, specifically her father, Mario. She recounted his morning commute, saying that for 50 years he woke up at 4 a.m. to drive over an hour to work at a metal sheetwork factory to provide for his family.
“So don’t tell me this country is not built on hardworking people from no matter where you’re born,” Taurasi said. The line sent a large contingent of people to their feet as the arena erupted in cheers.
Taurasi closed her speech by talking directly to the fans, sharing how the Mercury’s fan base made suiting up for 20 years worth it “every single day.”
“It’s been 20 years. One city. One team. One jersey. And tonight, that No. 3 is on all our backs for life.”
Fast Breaks
🌆 An important stop for Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne on their ways to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame? Chicago.
👕 Multiple fans wearing messages about transgender athlete participation in women’s sports were asked by WNBA security to cover up during Sunday’s Fever-Dream game. A WNBA statement said the individuals should not have been asked that.
🤕 Satou Sabally is taking indefinite leave from the Liberty due to a lingering head injury.
📈 Will Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers become the next A’ja Wilson-Breanna Stewart rivalry? We’ll know more when the latter ends. But the Fever are trending up in this week’s power rankings.
🎙️ On the “No Offseason” pod, Zena and Sabreena break down the biggest performances from the weekend, and how they relate to the playoff race. Enjoy wherever you get your podcasts.
Feedback Loop: What you think of Engelbert
In last week’s newsletter we posed two questions: Where do you guys stand on WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert? And what would you like to see from her?
The responses ranged from a belief she needs to be replaced to there being no “correct” answer for any WNBA commissioner. Let’s get into some responses from you all:
- “Cathy Engelbert would be an excellent number two because of her business acumen and ability to shepherd the W through the current years of hyper expansion and growth, but she lacks the ability to deal with the public, the media and the players and therefore is struggling big time in the top job. She probably wouldn’t stick around if she were demoted, but the job has become too much in the public eye for someone as tone deaf as she continues to demonstrate herself to be.” — Ron O.
- “I would like to see her resignation as unfortunately the ‘horse is out of the barn’, she lost her credibility at the onset of the Caitlin Clark era and it is irrecoverable. The WNBA needs a true leader!” — Steve J.
- “In response to your story regarding WNBA leadership and whether it’s improving, I’d have to say no. I think Cathy Engelbert needs to go. She should have come out and made a public statement following the incident between DiJonai Carrington and Sophie Cunningham during the Fever/Sky game. Not just huddle with leaders behind the scenes. She continually lets players and fans down with her ignorance when things happen, not publicly addressing them, and for her tone-deaf stances on player demands during CBA negotiations. The league, its players and the fans all deserve better.” — Lori M.
- “Need stronger leadership: respond sooner and more definitively, visibly act to address serious issues- referees in particular. Be more proactive, maybe work with the players’ union. Punish where punishment is due. Have better PR. Promote the players. Work to change the narrative from trans and LGBTQ to something relevant to the league as a whole. I have the impression that she isn’t in charge, or is but can’t project it.” — Roxane M.
- “Commissioner Engelbert needs to form a leadership committee with the Player’s Union and work on getting everyone on the same page to make the outstanding entertainment about basketball. Social advocacy is important; however, first build the foundation of your product during this enormous opportunity for exposure and growth.” — Martin K.
Largely and unsurprisingly, we saw our readers were disappointed in Engelbert, and want her out. Thank you for your feedback. You can always holler at NoOffseason@theathletic.com.
Mascot Corner: Toronto’s mascot reveal is today!
The Tempo are unveiling their inaugural mascot later today, but we’re still in the dark as to what the physical manifestation of “tempo” is. There is a high bar to clear after Golden State’s fantastic rollout of Violet last year. I mean, just look at her:
While we await the Tempo mascot, let’s turn our eyes to Portland.
The Fire have listed an opening for an “entertainment specialist” on LinkedIn that will presumably be the team’s mascot. The Sun already have Blaze (who is only described as a fuzzy character), and the Mercury have an extraterrestrial named Scorch, so those two heat-related ideas are off the board. Then again, a mascot doesn’t have to directly relate to the team’s name; look at Ellie for the Liberty!
This is also a useful reminder that the Dream are the only non-expansion team without a mascot. No time like the present to get on that!
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