A RALLY. A SUSPENSION. A LEAGUE THAT STILL HASN'T SAID ENOUGH.

There’s been a lot going on, and we’ll do our best to catalog it all.

This recent controversy began with a feature story by ESPN’s Hallie Grossman. It centered on Indiana Fever forward Sophie Cunningham, and in the story, said the following:

"I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I'm like, 'I never once said that. I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn't have to go against biological men."

Coming out of the All-Star break, a local organization that is opposed to transgender people held a “rally” in support of Cunningham in Seattle, WA. Although the rally was sparsely attended, protesters made the media rounds and did interviews with outlets that have historically attacked transgender men and women.

During the game, Storm minority owner Celeste Keaton allegedly called two of the protesters who were provided courtside seats “effing insane.” That comment drew Keaton a fine from the WNBA and a five-game suspension from Storm home games.

After the game, Roberta F. Rodrigues of Tempestade Talk asked Fever head coach Stephanie White and the players at the podium, Monique Billings and Kelsey Mitchell, about the pro-Cunningham/anti-transgender rally, and Fever public relations quickly interjected.

On the court, Indiana extended their winning streak to four games with a 105-95 win. The Fever have fully turned their season around and can make a deep postseason run if they continue to play well.

Roberta posed the same question to Storm head coach Sonia Raman, and here’s how she responded

The WNBA launched 'No Space for Hate' as a statement of values. Transphobic rhetoric targeting players and the spaces they play in is exactly the kind of hate that campaign was built to address.

The league cannot apply that standard selectively. If No Space for Hate means what it says, it has to mean all of us — including transgender players, fans, and community members who show up to these games and deserve to be there.

On the latest edition of Tempestade Talk, Roberta and Erica L. Ayala discussed everything going on and made the Black Rosie Media position very clear.

Here’s what you need to know today:

‼️ You're Getting This First
The WBB Roundup World Cup Field Guide — First Look for Paid Subs

⏱️ The WNBA trade deadline is fast approaching!
Which players will be on the move?

🏀 Game of the weekend
The youngest team in the WNBA is making noise.

💰 Money moves
A friendly wager leads to a call from the bosses.

🗓 Upcoming games
What’s on deck to begin the week.

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

Before we drop this to the full list — you're seeing it first. Here is the link to the Field Guide for your eyes only!

We built something for Berlin.

Berlin 2026: The WBB Roundup World Cup Field Guide is a living, updatable tracker covering every team, every game, and every storyline heading into the FIBA Women's World Cup — September 4–13 in Germany.

16 nations. 36 games. One trophy. USA chasing a five-peat.

Here's what's inside:

We're updating it before every edition — twice weekly — through the final whistle on September 13.

Starting Five and Legacy 22 subscribers get it today. Free subscribers get access in the next edition.

⏬ Access the Field Guide ⏬

KELSEY PLUM IS LIKELY GONE. NAPHEESA COLLIER AND BETNIJAH LANEY-HAMILTON IN PLAY.

Sunday, August 2 is the WNBA trade deadline. As we draw closer to the big day, the Los Angeles Sparks have become the center of attention.

Kelsey Plum is the biggest name that is expected to be moved. Reports out of Los Angeles indicate that she “most likely” will be traded by the Sparks as they begin to rebuild for the future. The team is trying to figure out what its path is now that it has new General Managers in charge. In their early assessment, they appear to be leaning towards a rebuild.

"We pushed in a lot of chips this year, and we had good reason to do that, but the reality is it hasn't gone as we'd hoped or expected," Sparks special advisor Farhan Zaidi told the Los Angeles Times. "Now we have to be open for anything. Everything has to be on the table for us. We have to take a long-term perspective rather than focusing on the rest of the season.”

That starts with Plum. The Golden State Valkyries are rumored to be interested in acquiring Plum, but it appears they are hesitant to trade “key contributors” on the current roster. Plum has been in the league since 2017, so she knows what the deal is during this time of the year.

“The thing about professional sports is, like, it’s a business,” Plum said. “At the end of the day, you know, people have to do what’s best for them, and I respect that, and I’m not taking anything personally,” Plum said.

“For me, I’m going to be where my feet are. I play for the Sparks, so on Sunday, I’m going to suit up, and I’m going to give them—whatever minute restriction—fill in the blank in minutes of hell coming off the bench. I’m actually really excited about it.”

Someone else that might be on the go is Cameron Brink. The Toronto Tempo reportedly offered a first-round pick to the Sparks for the former lottery pick, so we’ll see if something happens on that front. Could Nneka Ogwumike be on the move? The All-Star forward is having another solid season, and if a team thinks she could be the player that puts them over the top, maybe something can happen?

Other names such as Aneesah Morrow and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton have been floated as trade options. And in the unlikeliest option, Napheesa Collier’s name has been bandied about. Collier’s contract status is something we’ll have to watch closely as we enter the off-season, as she will be the biggest free agent on the market. The Lynx are on top of the standings, so it’s HIGHLY unlikely they make a drastic move like that, but stranger things have happened.

The trade deadline is here, and teams have big decisions to make.

Do you make a big push for the postseason and beyond, or is this the time to reset and prepare for the future?

The choices you make now will have ramifications for years to come.

THREE STRAIGHT WINS. A DATE WITH THE WINGS. AND A YOUNG TEAM LEARNING NOT TO LOOK AHEAD.

The Washington Mystics have been one of the best surprises in the WNBA, and tonight they have a chance to pick up a signature victory.

On July 29, the Mystics improved their record to 15-12 following a 92-85 victory over the Connecticut Sun. The win was their third in a row and puts them on track to make the playoffs for the first time since 2023. For a group as young as the Mystics, they’re doing what they can to stay in the moment and not look too far ahead.

“We have to do everything we can to make sure we’re on top of our games as pros,” Shakira Austin said, “and I think that goes hand-in-hand with taking it one game at a time.”

With the All-Star play of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the Mystics have an incredibly strong foundation to build off of. Players such as Shakira Austin, Lauren Betts, Cotie McMahon, etc. have made the most of their minutes this year and are hoping to be a part of this team’s exciting future. The Mystics have been rumored to be active on the trade market, but nothing has materialized as of yet.

Washington hosts a Dallas Wings team that is coming off of a stunning home defeat. The Wings were up five points with under 40 seconds, but a pair of missed Jessica Shepard free throws, an Arike Ogunbowale landing zone flagrant foul on an Allisha Gray three-point attempt, and a late Gray jumper conspired to take a 79-74 lead into an 82-81 deficit.

Despite all of that, the Wings still had the ball with a chance to win on the game’s final possession. Did it happen? Well…

Final score: Atlanta Dream 82, Dallas Wings 81

For the Mystics, they will be facing a Wings team looking to bounce back.

The Wings play the Mystics twice over the next week, but after this game, they fly home to face the Connecticut Sun before flying back to Washington DC to face the Mystics.

PAIGE BUECKERS AND ANGEL REESE MADE A BET. THE INTERNET MADE IT WEIRD.

Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese found themselves in the midst of a strange controversy.

During All-Star Weekend, the duo made a friendly wager about who would win the next game against each other. It was posted on the WNBA’s Twitter account, and nothing seemed too ominous about it. However, outrage began to foment online, and the league deleted the video from its social media channels.

There were some calls to discipline Reese and Bueckers, but the WNBA office quickly decided that no punishments would be handed out.

On the latest edition of We Need to Talk, Erica L. Ayala and Alicia Jay spoke about this kerfuffle.

This feels like much ado about nothing. Reese and Bueckers meant no harm and aren’t doing anything untoward.

The WNBA quickly investigated, and the matter is settled. Just to be safe, it would be best not to do something like that again, though.

Here’s the schedule for the next few days

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:

If you enjoyed this newsletter, consider subscribing to receive the latest updates from Black Rosie Media directly in your inbox—it's completely FREE!

Subscribers will gain access to the Black Rosie Media Slack Channel to interact directly with our contributors, participate in game-day chats, and much more!

You can also connect with us on BlueSky, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube!