The GIST

Unrivaled’s rollout heats up as it announces key updates

Unrivaled — the new 3v3 pro women’s basketball league tipping off in January — is primed for success. As Front Office Sports recently highlighted, savvy leadership decisions and partnerships have positioned the league to profit as interested parties continue to sign on before ticket sales officially go live this week.

November 18, 2024

WNBA alum and entrepreneur Fran Harris announces Austin’s bid for 16th franchise

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It seems every U.S. city wants in on the WNBA’s 16th franchise. As of yesterday, there’s one more contender: An Austin, Texas, bid led by former Houston Comets player and Shark Tank alumna Fran Harris.

November 13, 2024

WNBA head coaching turnover could signify growth era for league

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On Friday, the Indiana Fever hired former Connecticut Sun head coach (HC) and former Fever player (and HC) Stephanie White. She fills one of seven recent HC vacancies as the league sees unprecedented turnover: Nearly 60% of last year’s coaches are no longer in the same role, the most for any WNBA hiring cycle in history.

November 04, 2024

The latest on the WNBA’s foray into collectibles

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ICYMI, Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark’s autographed memorabilia sold out in mere minutes last week — a sign that collectibles are just the latest space where the WNBA is making waves.

October 28, 2024

The WNBA’s 2024 sponsorship wins by the numbers

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The WNBA’s in its transformation era after a record-breaking season, but what does all this growth mean specifically for league sponsorship? Data platform Relo Metrics released a report this morning exploring how brands are thriving thanks to their women’s hoops investment.

October 25, 2024

WNBPA opts out of historic 2020 CBA to renegotiate with the league

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As discussed on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the WNBPA announced it’s opting out of its historic 2020 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The news was expected, meaning yet another precedent-setting CBA is imminent — let’s hoop to it.

October 23, 2024

WNBA legend Candace Parker talks new trading card venture and the future of women’s hoops

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As the WNBA reaches new heights on and off the court, we chatted with basketball icon Candace Parker about her latest gig — curating a hoops trading card collection with eBay — and her vision for the W’s future as the popularity of women’s basketball continues to surge.

October 23, 2024

Sports Business

Unrivaled inks exclusive multiyear media rights deal with TNT

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October 18, 2024

Unrivaled, the new 3x3 league founded by WNBA superstars (and current Finals opponents) Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, inked an exclusive multiyear media deal with TNT on Wednesday.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #413

Everything we know about Unrivaled, Seattle Storm investigation & WNBA draft lottery results, and NBA storylines

November 19, 2024

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Everything we know about Unrivaled, Seattle Storm investigation & WNBA draft lottery results, and NBA storylines

Hoop, there it is!

Today’s episode of The GIST of It is a hoop-tastic basketball three-parter, co-hosted by Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz. First, it’s all eyes on the WNBA, with the Seattle Storm investigating its coaching staff for alleged player mistreatment and the 2025 Draft order finally set.

Then, it’s the Unrivaled explainer you’ve been waiting for, as the brand-new women’s hoops league prepares to draft its 36 inaugural players into teams, plus a couple updates from Athletes Unlimited Basketball, who are making roster moves themselves.

And finally, there’s so much to discuss from the NBA, from LA Laker LeBron James’ continued dominance to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ historic season start. All hoops, all the time.

A big thank you to Aflac for partnering with us on today’s episode! Add Aflac to your team to close the insurance gap today. Learn more at aflac.com/thegist.