THE EYE OF THE STORM

After two seasons, Nneka Ogwumike has decided to move on.

Late in the evening on April 9th, Ogwumike went to social media to announce that she will be leaving the Seattle Storm

In her two seasons with Seattle, Ogwumike made the All-WNBA Second Team twice and averaged around 17 points and seven rebounds a game.

With Ogwumike leaving, where will she go? Roberta Rodrigues of Tempestade Talk reports that Nneka is likely to return to the Los Angeles Sparks in free agency. Ogwumike spent the first 12 seasons of her career with the Sparks and won an MVP award along with a WNBA championship in 2016. With ownership invested in winning, and a new practice facility on the way.

This morning, a reliable source, Nneka’s sister and ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, posted on social media, confirming what our BRM insider Rodrigues stated. All signs point to Nneka returning to the Sparks.

The Storm now finds itself staring down a rebuild. With Ogwumike officially leaving, all eyes turn to Skylar Diggins. Diggins appeared in 43 of 44 games for the Storm in 2025, playing through two torn menisci in her knee. What will Skylar do? Back to Roberta…

Oh my. If Diggins also leaves, the Storm will officially enter into a rebuild. It’s a fall from grace after they thought they were re-entering championship contention when they signed Diggins and Ogwumike in 2024.

With Noelle Quinn, Ogwumike, and Diggins leaving, Storm fans will have to get used to a brand new ballclub.

On the season premiere of Tempestade Talk, Roberta and Erica L. Ayala discussed the latest surrounding Seattle.

It’s a new day for the Seattle Storm. They are transitioning into a new era led by Dominique Malonga and their upcoming Draft pick.

The Storm won’t be contending for a title any time soon, but they should still be incredibly intriguing to watch.

Here’s what you need to know today:

🏀 Big business in Sin City!
The first million dollar contract in WNBA history has been signed.

☝️ The WNBA Draft is fast approaching
With the first pick, the Dallas Wings select...

💰 Money moves
WNBA expansion is officially here.

📰 What we’re reading
Some of our favorite writing that’s come across our desks.

BIG MONEY IN LAS VEGAS

Max contracts in the WNBA will be over one million dollars, and we have our first recipient.

On April 9, ESPN’s Alexa Phillippou reported that the Las Vegas Aces signed Jackie Young to a one year contract for $1.19 million. Young is the first player to receive a million dollar contract, and it’s a well deserved honor for Young. JY has been one of the best players in the WNBA in the 2020s and is someone that continues to get better every year.

Young will join A’ja Wilson as the Aces’ other million dollar player. As the Aces look to win their fourth championship this decade, Young and Wilson will be key to their success. Las Vegas has made sure to reward their players, and this agreement continues that trend.

THE DRAFT IS FAST APPROACHING

The WNBA Draft is around the corner, and everyone’s gearing up for the next generation of stars entering the league.

The league has sent out invites for players to attend the proceedings on April 13 in New York City. Draft Day is always full of activities for the new players and we’ll keep you posted on all the happenings around town.

Here are the list of invitees:

The Dallas Wings are on the clock and have a list of directions they can go with the first pick. Do they go with Lauren Betts following her amazing run with UCLA in the NCAA Tournament? Should they take Awa Fam? How about Azzi Fudd or Olivia Miles? Whatever direction they go will set the course for the rest of the evening.

For the players coming in, the new CBA will provide a lot more structure and financial security. The WNBA has grown exponentially and the CBA will provide rookies a solid foundation to build on/

"It's just a win for women and it's a precedent set and moving forward it'll only get better," Olivia Miles told USA Today on March 22. "It'll only grow and it means that women's basketball, women's sports in general is headed in the right place."

As we draw closer to the start of the WNBA season, the Draft will be a great night to celebrate the progress made in the 2020s. The game is in great hands and with awesome new talent joining the league, it will help the WNBA become even more daring and exciting.

THE WNBA OFFICIALLY EXPANDS

Over the summer, the WNBA announced that they were planning to expand to Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Now, it is official.

On April 9, the WNBA and NBA Board of Governors approved expansion into those three cities. Cleveland will return to the W in 2028. Before we get there, Cleveland is making sure their finances are in order.

In late March, the Cleveland team announced that they added ten new investors to the ownership team. The investors have experience in sports as they’ve previously invested in various NWSL teams. For Cleveland fans, although there’s a long way to go before Opening Day 2028, the excitement is through the roof.

“We don’t have a name, we don’t have a brand, we don’t have colors, we don’t have a mascot,” team president Allison Howard said. “Cleveland has just totally wrapped its arms around this team since we announced. I mean, we had 3,000 initial payments in the first 30 hours of announcing the team, and we really didn’t even publicize it. And so that’s actually a big reason of why we’re here now, over two years before we’re even going to start bouncing the basketball, is because of the success already of the team.

Things are looking up in Cleveland. They’ll be re-joining a WNBA that has grown exponentially. With the CBA settled, they won’t have to scramble to figure things out. And with ownership that will spend big, they’ll be able to make an impact as soon as they debut.

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

Here’s what we’re reading:

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