Hey readers!

Firstly, our hearts go out to anyone impacted by the fires in California.

If you or someone you know needs support, Togethxr posted a list of resources, including:

If there are other ways to help, send us a message so we may spread the word.

With love,

Erica L. Ayala, Head Black Rosie in Charge (HBIC)

We’ve talked about it on Gotta Get Up, but not the word is official. Satou Sabally confirmed she has already “played her last game in Dallas.”

So, where will the unicorn land?

Naturally, we discussed her reuniting with Sabrina Ionescu and her younger sister, Nyara, in New York. However, as mentioned on the podcast, that would likely take a few moving parts.

Some parts of the WBB interwebs want to see Sabally connect with Caitlin Clark in Indiana. I suppose it could happen, and Stephanie White will likely be one of the top coaches in the WNBA next season. Her ability to run the floor and stretch the defense could be useful for the Fever. Yet, they may have to determine if they need to reload their backcourt.

Kelsey Mitchell has said she will take her time to decide where she will land next season. If the Fever believes they will lose Mitchell, they will likely need to prioritize finding a shooting guard to play alongside Clark. Kelsey Plum may be available.

All this to say, with Sabally making her stance known, it will give us plenty to discuss as we march closer to the official start of Free Agency on January 21.

Joining a new team is never easy. Joining a new team after 12 seasons with one squad that included an MVP award and a championship? Even tougher. For Nneka Ogwumike, after an incredible run with the Los Angeles Sparks, it was time for a new direction. Ogwumike joined the Seattle Storm as an unrestricted free agent last winter and had a good first season in the Pacific Northwest.

During the New Year’s Day edition of Tempestade Talk, Roberta F. Rodrigues joined Erica L. Ayala to discuss Madam President and her busy 2024

Nneka was an All-Star and named to the All-WNBA (second team) and All defensive team (second team). She was a steadying force for a Storm team that dealt with many internal and external troubles. Although Seattle didn’t meet their expectations, Ogwumike proved a terrific player who helped Noelle Quinn and the Storm win plenty of games.

Off the court, her role as President of the WNBPA saw the union pick up some big wins. The players finally have charter flights and have continued to make the WNBA a major attraction on and off the court.

As President, she will lead the union into new Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations this fall when the current contract runs out. In the new CBA, players seek salary increases, among many other pressing issues. In October, Ogwumike shared her vision of the WNBA’s future with Kimberly Wilson of Essence Magazine:

For WNBA players, Ogwumike’s leadership has helped them on the court and in communities across the United States.

2025 will be a big year for Ogwumike on the court and in the boardroom. If she can help the players land a fantastic new CBA, it will set them up for future generations.

The work never ends when you’re the champs.

On the latest episode of Gotta Get Up, Erica & I did a deep dive into Leonie Fiebich, the German rookie who played a big role in securing New York’s first-ever WNBA title.

Will she be a starter in 2025?

Erica & I discussed this, and much more on the latest episode of Gotta Get Up!

In other Liberty news, after saying goodbye to Kayla Thornton, New York Liberty renounced Raquel Carrera and Kaitlyn Davis's rights. As Jackie Powell of The Next reported, Carrera is recovering from a torn ACL.

New York has held on to the rights of Marine Johannes, Rebekah Gardner, Marine Fauthoux, and Han Xu. MJ is recovering from ankle surgery and will return to the court sometime this winter.

In October, Johannes spoke about her time overseas and early 2025 plans:

The New York Liberty has a lot of big decisions to make this winter. We’ll be here to document it all.

We’re approaching Opening Day, and Unrivaled unveiled a brand new partnership. On January 3, they announced a new multiyear agreement with the beauty and personal care company Sephora!

Sephora joins TNT Sports, Under Armour, State Farm, Wilson Basketball, and many more businesses as official sponsors of Unrivaled. The players have made their way down to Miami, Florida, for training camp, and some familiar faces are ready to shine.

January 17th is the big day, and we here at the Women’s Basketball Roundup newsletter will have full coverage of Unrivaled’s maiden voyage.

And then there were four!

UCLA, LSU, and Ohio State are the only remaining undefeated teams in NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball.

Until recently, Georgia Tech was among the undefeated. Our fellow Beehiiv users, Women’s Hoops Network, caught up with the legendary Nell Fortner to discuss the hot start and her 100th win at Georgia Tech.

If you are looking to start your newsletter, we highly recommend BEEHIIV! Sign up using our affiliate link. It’s free for you and helps us grow Black Rosie Media.

AP Rankings (as of January 6):

1 UCLA

2 South Carolina

3 Notre Dame

4 USC

5 Texas

6 LSU

7 UConn

8 Maryland

9 Ohio State (↑1)

10 Oklahoma (↓1)

11 TCU

12 Kansas State

13 Georgia Tech

14 Duke

15 Kentucky (↑1)

16 Tennessee (↓1)

17 West Virginia(↑1)

18 Alabama (↑1)

19 North Carolina (↓2)

20 Michigan State (↑1)

21 North Carolina State (↑1)

22 Utah

23 Iowa

24 California (↓4)

25 Michigan (↓1)

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

Here’s what we’re reading:

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