THREE LEGENDS NAMED TO NAISMITH HOF

During Final Four weekend, we found out who will be entering the Basketball Hall of Fame later this summer. This year, Sue Bird, Sylvia Fowles, and Maya Moore will be inducted into Springfield and take their rightful place among basketball’s greats.

Bird retired in 2022 and is currently the WNBA’s all time leader in games played and assists while being top ten in points, steals, and three pointers. For as impressive as those numbers are, that doesn’t speak to the impact she had on winning across multiple eras in Seattle. Bird won alongside legends such as Lauren Jackson, Swin Cash, and Breanna Stewart and was a player Storm fans could always count on in the clutch. Sue’s continued excellence made the Storm one of the WNBA’s preeminent franchises and her impact in Seattle is still felt to this day.

Sylvia Fowles is the WNBA’s all-time leader in field goal percentage, and, when she retired in 2022, she was the league’s all-time rebounder. The former MVP and four time Defensive Player of the Year was one of the best bigs in basketball in the 2010s and early 2020s, and her battles in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Sparks are the stuff of legend. Syl joined Renee Montgomery and Hall of Famers Alana Beard and Lisa Leslie during the Final Four to talk about her induction into the Hall:

Maya Moore is the prototypical scoring wing many players model their games after. Moore could do almost everything imaginable on the basketball court and win everywhere she went. In addition to her legendary run with the Minnesota Lynx, she has a great case for being the best player in women’s college basketball history as well. Moore’s excellence on the court is only surpassed by her advocacy.

The induction ceremony will take place on September 6 in Springfield, Massachusetts.

📰 WHAT WE’RE READING!

At Black Rosie Media, we love to give flowers to other writers and creators in women’s basketball.

Here’s what we’re reading

• Who’s Next — The Next’s 2025 WNBA Draft Board, V2.0 by Emily Adler, Hunter Cruse, and Lincoln Shafer for The Next

• Hailey Van Lith, Sedona Prince and the wild cards who could bring chaos to the WNBA Draft by Justin Carter for Fansided

• Why Harvard's Harmoni Turner brings fun, flair to WNBA draft by Aishwarya Kumar for ESPN

• WNBA Draft 2025: Introducing Dominique Malonga, the 6-foot-6 French phenom who could go as high as No. 2 by Jack Maloney for CBS Sports

• Five NCAA WBB Storylines That Deserved More Coverage This Year by Andrew Haubner for No Cap Space

• Offseason moves for Dallas add more depth by Arie Graham for The Next

👓🐸 OLIVIA MILES HEADS SOUTH

Following the end of Notre Dame’s season, Olivia Miles decided to shake up the basketball landscape. Miles’ decision to skip the WNBA Draft and return to college, but leave Notre Dame caught the basketball world by surprise. We later found out where she’d be taking her talents this fall.

On April 8th, Miles announced that she would be attending Texas Christian University this fall. She explained why she made the move in a conversation with Candace Parker on TNT:

"There is not a better point guard in the country than Olivia," TCU head coach Mark Campbell said in a statement. "She is a generational talent. Her vision, creativity, and playmaking ability make her a perfect fit in our pick and roll system.”

For Miles, this season with TCU represents a chance for her to work on her game and cement the gains she made in 2023-2024. Last season, Miles shot a career-best 40.6 percent from three-point range after shooting under 30 percent in her first three seasons at Notre Dame.

TCU had a lot of success with Hailey Van Lith at guard last season, and they’ll see if they can keep the party going.

WHAT DO THE STORM DO WITH PICK #2?

The WNBA Draft is right around the corner

Paige Bueckers is expected to be the first pick in the WNBA Draft on April 14, so the Seattle Storm are on the clock. The Storm have the second pick and can go in a variety of directions.

Could they draft a Jewell Loyd replacement at guard and select Sonia Cintron of Notre Dame?

It’s possible, but it appears the Storm have their eye on another potential star.

All of the mock drafts have the Storm taking French big Dominique Malonga with the second overall pick.

Malonga has earned rave reviews across the basketball universe, and over at The Ringer, Mark Schindler made a comparison that should make Storm fans VERY excited

Oh my! If the Storm select Malonga, they can build a tremendous foundation with Magbegor, Malonga, and Nneka Ogwumike in the frontcourt.

During pre-draft media availability, Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea mentioned that the team always works to understand an international player’s schedule, availability, etc.

If Seattle selects Malonga, the Storm will have the infrastructure to ensure her transition to the United States and WNBA is smooth.

 💰 MONEY MOVES

GOOD NUMBERS ALL AROUND

The ratings are in, and the Tournament continues to be a hit at the box office. Sunday’s national championship game drew a rating of 8.5 million viewers, third most for the title game in the ESPN era.

It’s a bit of a dip from the past two Championship games that featured Caitlin Clark, but the fan interest and excitement for the game is still there even without a phenomenon in the big game.

We’ve talked a lot about ratings in the context of the WNBA, but it applies to the college game as well. When you have a good, exciting game that people are interested in, they’ll support you in big numbers no matter what channel or time you’re on. Women’s college basketball has done a great job of featuring the game’s brightest young superstars and schools that captivate and fascinate us. As always the NCAA can be a lot better at it, so it’s up to everybody to keep pushing them.

In addition to the fans' support, the coaches are also receiving major financial support. A report from Jordan Kaye of The State detailed how much each coach in the Final Four made in their base salary, and Steve Berkowitz of USA Today reported on what each coach received in bonuses for making the Final Four.

Well, almost all the coaches. It will be curious to see if Cori Close gets a bump after leading UCLA to its first NCAA Final Four as a one-seed, not to mention being atop the AP Poll for 12 weeks en route to a Big Ten Conference Championship.

When you pay people what they’re worth, you ensure that you create a great work environment that allows them to be the best version of themselves.

With the continued interest in women’s basketball, the compensation should also reflect that.

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