SABRINA SIGNS WITH UNRIVALED

‘Tis the season of Giving, and this week’s WBB news cycle has not disappointed! JuJu Watkins and USC get their kickback over UConn, Reebok enters the WBB chat, and Unrivaled rounds out their inaugural season rosters with Sabrina Ionescu.

Ionescu has reportedly signed an “unprecedented and historic” contract with the 3×3 league. Her Liberty teammate and Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart has been open about wanting to see Ionescu join the new league.

“Imma just keep telling Sab to come,” Stewart said in an interview during the Liberty playoff run.

We at Black Rosie Media will be on-site for the Media Days and opening week of Unrivaled. Stay tuned for more details and ways to support our work!

On tap in this edition of the WBB Roundup:

• 🎁Nyara Sabally, New York Liberty give back

• 💰Reebok x WNBA

• 🗽Remembering 16-year Timeless Torches veteran Denise Bellog

As we reflect on the first month of our weekly newsletter, we want to thank our readers. We wish you a merry and safe holiday season.

Cheers to more growth in 2025!

Erica L. Ayala, Founder

✍🏽 FEATURE OF THE WEEK

Season of Giving with Nyara Sabally

Recently, 2024 WNBA champion Nyara Sabally participated in two community events on behalf of the New York Liberty. Our Brian Fleurantin was on-site and spoke to Sabally about the events and her unique path to a WNBA title.

During her visit at the Hospital for Special Surgery, Sabally was asked what she thought about the potential for her sister Satou to join her on the New York Liberty.

Satou is an unrestricted free agent and spent a lot time in New York supporting her sister’s successful championship run.

You can read the full feature at BlackRosieMedia.com to learn more about Sabally’s latest appearances and her outlook on her professional career.

🎙️ PODCAST HIGHLIGHT:

Seattle’s Ongoing Storm

Erica L. Ayala and Roberta Rodrigues continue their Storm Season-in-Review series with a deep dive into Skylar Diggins-Smith. The conversation inevitably includes what we know and don’t know about the turmoil in the locker room and what role, if any, Diggins-Smith herself played in the, at minimum, miscommunication throughout the 2024 season.

You can watch the latest episode of Tempestade (Portuguese for Storm) Talk on the Blakc Rosie Media YouTube page.

IN MEMORIUM

In sad news, the Liberty announced that Timeless Torch member Denise Bellog passed away. The New Jersey native spent sixteen years with the WNBA’s most treasured Dance Team.

Denise served as a teacher at Teaneck School District and a professor at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ. The O’Brien Funeral Home shared the following to honor Denise's life and legacy.

The O’Brien Funeral Home shared the following to honor Denise's life and legacy.

The family has requested donations be made in Denise's memory to the Paper Mill Playhouse - Rising Star Program in lieu of flowers.

On behalf of Women’s Basketball Roundup, we offer our sincere condolences to Denise’s friends, family, and loved ones.

MONEY MOVES 💰

Pump it up! WNBA Partners with Reebok

On December 19th, the WNBA announced a new partnership with Reebok. The sneaker company and the W will begin a multi-year partnership as Reebok will be an authorized footwear supplier for the league. This partnership ties into a broader push for companies investing more in women's sports. In October, Nike and the WNBA signed a 12 year agreement that will see Nike continue its role of manufacturing team uniforms.

Nike’s role in the growth of women’s basketball is something to watch going forward. Nike struggled in 2024, but Sabrina Ionescu’s shoes continued to be a major hit with fans and players alike.

Mike Sykes of the Kicks You Wear made a pretty interesting point:

• Speaking of women’s hoops, will anyone compete with Nike in the space after it really gets cooking? Other brands have established sneakers but don’t have the rosters to compete.

  Puma has the Breanna Stewart line, which has been solid. Adidas also has some women-centric non-signature models out there. Reebok will push hard with Angel Reese and her upcoming signature model. But Nike is adding A’ja Wilson’s signature shoe to the mix next year. If it also has a Caitlin Clark signature shoe coming soon, the competition gets a little less heated.

It’s a great time for women’s basketball fans, and companies will have to do more to ensure they earn the business and support of fans here in the United States and around the world.

Speaking of business, Unrivaled secured another win before the inaugural season tips off in February. On December, they announced their latest round of investors, and it’s a who’s who of college and professional basketball luminaries:

• Dawn Staley

• Giannis Antetokounmpo

• Richard Hamilton

• Juju Watkins

Juju’s presence here is incredibly interesting. The USC prodigy has had a spectacular 2024. On the court, USC picked up a signature victory after surviving an intense primetime road game against UConn on Saturday night. Off the court, she’s the star of her own documentary that airs on NBC/Peacock and stars in various commercials and signed a multiyear contract extension with Nike in October.

Watkins has made all the right moves so far, and we’ll be keeping an eye on her journey to the NCAA Tournament and WNBA.

WEEKLY AP POLL

The USC Trojans narrowly hold on to a first-half lead to take down UConn in Storrs. If this game is a preamble of what’s to come this spring, YES PLEASE!

Cal hosts and wins the fourth annual Raising the B.A.R (basketball, activism, representation) Invitational and jumps three spots.

AP Rankings (as of December 23):

1 UCLA

2 South Carolina

3 Notre Dame

4 USC (↑3)

5 Texas (↑1)

6 LSU (↓1)

7 UConn (↓3)

8 Maryland

9 Oklahoma (↑1)

10 Ohio State (↑1)

11 TCU (↑1)

12 Kansas State (↑1)

13 Georgia Tech (↓4)

14 Duke (↓5)

15 Tennessee (↑3)

16 Kentucky

17 North Carolina (↑2)

18 West Virginia (↓4)

19 Michigan State (↓4)

20 Alabama

21 California (↑3)

22 North Carolina State (↓1)

23 Michigan (↓3)

24 Iowa (↓2)

25 Ole Miss

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:

• Stars and Sky push for equality in public stadium funding for men’s and women’s sports in Illinois by Meghan Montemurro and Olivia Olander

• Nyara Sabally steps into the future by Brian Fleurantin

• JuJu Watkins leads USC to victory over UConn by Doug Feinberg

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