The WNBA Has a Leadership Problem... & Week in Review

This week we're starting with a conversation that's bigger than basketball. The WNBA continues to grow at an incredible pace, but growth also comes with responsibility. I share why I'm becoming increasingly concerned about the league's leadership, Cathy Engelbert's role, and how inconsistent responses to major incidents are creating space for assumptions and distracting from the game itself. We also discuss the racial dynamics surrounding some of the biggest conversations in the league and why those discussions deserve to be handled with more care. From there, we get into everything that happened on the court. We talk about why the Valkyries continue to impress, whether the Tempo have officially won me over, the evolution of the Sparks under Lynne Roberts, the Liberty and Lynx matchup, Atlanta's frustrating inconsistency, where the Mercury go from here, and whether Olivia Miles has entered the MVP conversation. I also share my thoughts on standout performances by players like Frieda Bühner, Nia Coffey, Jessica Shepard, Justine Pissott, and more, while breaking down the biggest games and trends across the league. As always, this is a basketball-first conversation focused on habits, team building, decision-making, and the bigger picture of where the WNBA is headed. - Follow me on social media: https://linktr.ee/toriphillips5 - Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:17 Housekeeping | The best excuse ever 03:54 The racial element of the big conversations happening surrounding the W 09:26 Is the WNBA headed in the right direction? | The Cathy Problem 18:10 Player of the Week: Ola Kosu 20:07 Who Won the Week: Valkyries 22:22 The Basketball 23:14 Valkyries vs Sun 27:11 UCLA Player Ranking 28:20 Wings vs Tempo | The Tempo are moving me 30:16 Arike — A Wing for Life? 32:15 Game Stats continued 33:57 Sky vs Sparks 36:31 Lynne Roberts & The Sparks Evolution 43:49 Liberty vs Lynx 44:22 Liberty Bigs …. Chris DeMarco has to put his foot down 48:39 Sabrina & Stewie | Betnijah Laney Hamilton & Rebekah Gardner 52:07 Lynx Habits 52:50 Olivia Miles MVP | Lynx Championship Odds 56:11 Game Notes 59:02 Dream vs Fire 1:00:19 I can give Portland a 10 | Frieda Buhner you moved me 1:04:22 ATL you’re disappointing me once a week 1:07:18 Rhyne Howard | Are the expectations too high? 1:09:17 Mercury vs Aces | I don’t even know man 1:18:16 Where do the Mercury go from here? | Build around Kah 1:12:50 Justine Pissott 1:14:19 Liberty vs Tempo 1:18:45 Storm vs Mystics 1:21:08 Lauren Betts | Brief Storm thoughts 1:22:51 Sky vs Wings 1:25:53 Fever vs Aces 1:26:45 Sparks vs Dream 1:28:48 Mercury vs Lynx | Nia Coffey DPOY 1:32:48 Fire vs Sun 1:33:35 ONO & Jessica Shepard MIP Convo | Game thoughts 1:37:58 Mystics vs Tempo 1:39:16 Storm vs Sky 1:41:10 Lynx vs Sparks 1:42:47 How Miles is affecting her teammates 1:43:47 Lynx Culture & Sylvia Fowles Speech 1:46:00 Game Stats 1:46:46 Valkyries vs Fever 1:48:54 Fire vs Mystics | How the Fire won & Why the Mystics struggled 1:54:20 Outro