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😱 BIG TRADE COMING!
Keiana Martin and Erica L. Ayala break down the reports that Jewell Loyd is headed to Las Vegas, and Kelsey Plum is headed to Los Angeles.
Hi Hoops Fans!
I'm typing this once again from Miami! IcyHot invited Black Rosie Media to an ‘Unrivaled’ experience that I cannot wait to share!
IcyHot is the official recovery partner for the new 3-on-3 league setting up shop in Florida this WNBA offseason. I had the chance to have dinner and enjoy last night’s Unrivaled slate with representatives from the brand.
Today, we toured the facilities and spoke to Unrivaled’s Head of Medicine, Lindsey Elizondo, Napheesa Collier (co-founder and league-leading scorer), and Arike Ogunbowale.
Members of our Slack community will get a first look. Join here for free!
We’ll have a more detailed story at BlackRosieMedia.com later in the week. For now, let’s talk about Unrivaled Standings.
Oh, you didn’t think I would leave without mentioning the Loyd-Plum trade did you?!
Brian dives into the former today. We’ll also have you covered on YouTube on the next episode of Tempestade Talk this Thursday at 5:00 PM PT.
With love,
Erica L. Ayala, Head Black Rosie in Charge (HBIC)
📻 WELCOME TO FREE AGENCY
Throughout the season, you couldn’t help but sense that it was the Las Vegas Aces’ last stand. Winning one championship is hard. Two in a row, even harder. Three straight? There’s a reason it hasn’t been done in the NBA or WNBA since the early 2000s.
That history is what the Aces felt throughout 2024 and they ultimately fell short of history at the hands of the eventual champions, the New York Liberty. Following the season, we consistently heard rumblings that maybe, just maybe, Kelsey Plum wouldn’t be back in Las Vegas. The rumblings got louder throughout the winter as we got closer to free agency on February 1. And now, we have an answer.
On January 24, Roberta Rodrigues of Beta Basket and Tempestade Talk first reported that the Storm, Aces, and Sparks were discussing star guards Plum and Jewell Loyd. Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum.
On January 25, Annie Costiable of the Chicago Sun-Times added more reporting and insight on this situation.
On January 26, ESPN’s Shams Charania, Alexa Philippou, Kendra Andrews, and Ramona Shelburne brought it all the way home.
In the mega trade:
Loyd and the number 13 pick in the 2025 Draft go to Vegas
Plum and the ninth pick to LA
Li Yeuru, the 2025 second pick, and Vegas’ 2026 first-round pick go to Seattle.
On the night of the trade, Black Rosie Media’s very own Erica L. Ayala broke the trade down with Keiana Martin of CBS Sports.
At the Women’s Basketball Roundup, we’ve talked extensively about Loyd’s discontent with the Storm and her trade request. She preferred joining her Team USA (and Klutch Sports) teammates A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young in Vegas as they try to return to the Finals.
It marks a disappointing end to a storied career in Seattle that saw Loyd win two WNBA championships, the Commissioner’s Cup, and provide Storm fans with unforgettable moments.
As it stands right now, the Aces are still without a General Manager and still have a lot of issues to address on the roster. Loyd and the Aces will play in Seattle on Sunday, May 25.
For the Seattle Storm, they now find themselves in a fascinating position. They can go in any number of directions with the number two pick in an excellent draft.
Do they go for a guard to replace Loyd?
Do they go for a forward to be Nneka Ogwumike’s eventual successor?
And is there a possibility that UCONN guard Paige Bueckers will try to avoid the Dallas Wings and make her way to Seattle?
For the Sparks, this trade could represent the start of their return to respectability.
The Sparks, an original franchise in one of the most exciting cities in the United States, is expected to compete and put on the best show possible every night for the fans.
Additionally, L.A. has fallen behind its peers in terms of practice facilities and various player supports.
Last summer, Magic Johnson spoke with the Los Angeles Times and made clear that the losing days in LA were numbered. The Magic Man said in part:
“It’s probably been my fault that I’ve let Eric Holoman make all the decisions, and us, as the owners, we’ve been sitting back a little.
I think I have to get more involved, and I’ll do that, that’s a commitment to the fans, that I will get more involved and be part of it more to help bring the Sparks back to a championship level.”
With the addition of Plum and Johnson’s desire to be better, 2025 should be the first step on a journey back to the playoffs for Los Angeles.
The California native will join up-and-coming stars Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson; is there a chance the Sparks will end their four-year playoff drought?
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:
New York Liberty’s community connection continues to grow by Lois Elfman for New York Amsterdam News
Liberty 2024 Year In Review: Kennedy Burke by Geoff Magliocchetti for Sports Illustrated
Lauren Betts' National Player of the Year Case & No. 1 Pick Potential in the 2026 WNBA Draft by Mark Schindler for They’ve Got Now
One-Year Wonder: Chennedy Carter will become an unrestricted free agent by Alissa Hirsh for The Next
The Social Media Sea Change by Anne Helen Peterson for Culture Study
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UNRIVALED RECAP
After two weeks of play, things are starting to come into focus. The Laces and Lonar Owls remain undefeated. Meanwhile, Breanna Stewart and the Mist are struggling to find their footing.
Here are the standings now that we’re a quarter of the way through the season:
Unrivaled Standings as on January 28, 2025
Key Performers:
Napheesa Collier leads all players with 28.5 points per game.
Collier is also the league-leading rebounder, averaging 13 boards per game. Collier also leads the league in defensive rebounds (12). Aliyah Boston (Vinyl BC) leads the league in offensive boards (2.5) per game
Although Rose BC is struggling to collect wins, Chelsea Gray leads all players with 5.8 assists per game
PLUS, Unrivaled announced the participants in next month’s 1v1 tournament. Who you got?!
COMING UP ON THE BRM PODCAST NETWORK…
Closer to home, the New York Liberty are also preparing for free agency. We talked about Courtney Vandersloot in the most recent edition of Gotta Get Up. And on February 3rd, we will be talking in depth about another free agent, Kennedy Burke!
KB was a solid hand coming off the bench for Sandy Brondello in 2024 and it will be interesting to see if she will return to New York in 2025.
And for the Storm, the future is now and begins with their standout rookie, Jordan Horston! Join Roberta Rodrigues and Erica as they discuss the new reality the Seattle Storm find themselves in.
💰MONEY MOVES
Satou gets her stripes
Satou Sabally and Candace Parker. Image via Adidas Basketball
On January 23, we got some big news. It was announced that Adidas signed WNBA All-Star and upcoming free agent Satou Sabally! Satou has been with Jordan Brand since her debut in 2020, but this year is all about new directions and paths for the former All-Star.
“Joining the Adidas Basketball family is a dream come true,” Sabally said in a statement. “Adidas is dedicated to innovation, creativity, and championing women’s sports. I can’t wait to inspire the next generation and continue moving the game forward with the support of my Adidas family.”
She joins a budding roster that features:
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton
Kahleah Copper
Chelsea Gray
Aliyah Boston
and plenty more
The Sabally acquisition was another power play by the President of adidas’ Women’s Basketball, Candace Parker. Since retiring from on-court play, CP3 has kept busy with her new show, The Trophy Room, commentating for Turner Sports, and running Adidas’ Women’s Basketball.
Over the summer, Candace spoke to Boardroom’s Nick DePaula about the job and what she hopes to accomplish. Parker expressed a goal of having five or six Adidas Olympic athletes for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
As a former signature athlete herself, she spoke to DePaula about being a signature athlete, and all it entails:
“Let’s just be honest. There’s a lot of scrutiny that goes along with being a women’s athlete in general. Let alone being a women’s signature athlete. So, we need to make sure that we’re capable of putting the correct resources behind that person to succeed.
Without marketing, without support, and without dollars, Justin Bieber or Beyoncé would have trouble selling anything. You have to correctly, one, pick the right person, but also two, make sure that we’re supporting them and their brand development.”
In a recent edition of the Women’s Basketball Roundup, we talked about shoe companies competing with Nike in the women’s basketball landscape.
The demand is there and through the success of Unrivaled, we’ve seen that the level of investment is there in women’s sports as well. With Parker in a leadership position, look for adidas to shake up the landscape in a big way this year.
📈 AP TOP 25 - WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Texas and LSU swapped spots in the recent WBB AP Poll. UCLA stays on top after a win over Maryland. Yet, it was Michigan State who made the highest leap, and with a win over Michigan to boot!
And congrats to Vanderbilt for making their first Top 25 poll in 10+ years!
AP Rankings (as of January 27):
1 UCLA
2 South Carolina
3 Notre Dame
4 USC
5 Texas (↑2)
6 UConn
7 LSU (↓2)
8 Ohio State (↑4)
9 TCU
10 Duke (↑4)
11 Kansas State (↓1)
12 Kentucky (↓1)
Ohio State (↓3)
13 Oklahoma (↑2)
14 Maryland (↓6)
15 North Carolina (↓2)
16 Michigan State (↑5)
17 North Carolina State (↑3)
18 Tennessee (↓1)
19 California (↑3)
20 Georgia Tech (↓2)
21 West Virginia (↓5)
22 Alabama (↓3)
23 Vanderbilt
24 Oklahoma State
25 Florida State
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