The WNBA becomes the first U.S. pro sports league to host events at the Obama Presidential Center as All-Star Weekend returns to Chicago. Sports columnist Charles Hallman and broadcaster Cindy Brunson break down a surprising first half of the season.
Lynx/WNBA
Sports: a space for local and national sports news, with emphasis on stories pertaining to African Americans.
Posted inAnother View
Parker, Delle Donne, Reeve headline WBHOF Class of 2026
Candace Parker, Cheryl Reeve and the late Barbara Kennedy-Dixon headlined the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026. Sports columnist Charles Hallman reports from Knoxville on the induction weekend’s most moving moments.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Back together again
MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman sits down with Janel McCarville, now in her first year as a Minnesota Lynx assistant coach alongside Lindsay Whalen, tracing a friendship and partnership that began at the University of Minnesota and has lasted nearly three decades.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
McCowan: Still in the league
Teaira McCowan was preparing for her first extended break from basketball when Cheryl Reeve called. Five minutes later she was a Minnesota Lynx, signing a one-year deal as one of the league’s most accomplished post players enters her eighth WNBA season.
Posted inAnother View
In a 30-year league, Black female head coaches are nearly extinct
The WNBA is 64% to 70% Black, yet there is not a single Black female head coach in the league this season. MSR sports columnist Charles Hallman examines why that disparity is not getting the attention it deserves.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Natasha Howard returns to Minnesota for a full-circle moment
Natasha Howard has returned to Minnesota, where she won her first WNBA championship in 2017, signing as a free agent and immediately becoming one of the Lynx’s most impactful contributors alongside fellow free agent addition Nia Coffey.
Posted inOdds and Ends
Lynx veteran Nia Coffey is her father’s daughter
Nia Coffey, St. Paul native and nine-year WNBA veteran, is back home with the Minnesota Lynx, bringing a decade of professional experience and a commitment to pouring into younger players on a roster that is 71% new this season.
Posted inAnother View
Lynx’s Collier says the WNBA has ‘the worst leadership in the world’
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier blasted WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert for what she called dismissive leadership, prompting league-wide debate and player support. Engelbert disputed Collier’s account. With the CBA deadline near, questions about leadership, player treatment, and accountability are front and center.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Lynx favored to prevail in playoffs
As the Lynx head to Phoenix for Game 3 of the WNBA Semifinals, online “hate the best” chatter continues. Alanna Smith’s co-DPOY with A’ja Wilson drew heat, yet her defense helped fuel a league-best 97.5 rating. Analyst Shimmy Miller still has Minnesota as the title favorite and predicts a Lynx vs. Vegas Finals.
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Black Expo shares city with WNBA All-Stars
The Indiana Black Expo’s Summer Celebration and WNBA All-Star Weekend overlapped in Indianapolis, sparking conversation around timing, impact, and community engagement. Players and vendors shared their thoughts.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Whalen gladly back coaching
WNBA Hall of Famer Lindsay Whalen returns to the All-Star Game as an assistant coach for Team Collier. After two years away from coaching, the Minnesota Lynx legend says she’s right where she belongs — back in the gym.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Courtney Williams’ biggest fan is her dad
Don Williams is a fixture at Lynx games, proudly cheering for his daughter Courtney Williams, the team’s starting point guard.
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Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 inducts three Black players
Sylvia Fowles headlines the 2025 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame class, joining Alana Beard and Cappie Pondexter in celebrating their legacy and impact on the game.
Posted inOpinion
Fans must do what the WNBA won’t — protect its Black players
Racist fan behavior is escalating in the WNBA. League leadership must step up to protect Black players—or fans will need to take action themselves.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Majority Black league’s first team with all-Black coaches
For the first time in WNBA history, the Chicago Sky has an all-Black coaching staff, a milestone in a majority Black league and a powerful statement on representation.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Looking ahead to WNBA 2025
Opening day for the 2025 WNBA season is Friday, May 16. “This year the talent has never been greater,” stressed Shimmy Miller on America’s longest running women’s pro basketball league and perhaps the hardest in pro sports for players to make a team roster.
Posted inSports
Top WNBA prospects: ‘Fab Five’ selected in 2025 draft
The WNBA Draft has showcased the “Fab Five” players, including Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Justė Jocytė, who are set to make significant impacts on their respective teams.
Posted inSports
WNBA Draft hopefuls work out and wait
Dee Dee Hagemann and Diamond Johnson are preparing for the 2025 WNBA Draft, with Hagemann looking to move forward in her hoopin career and Johnson hoping to be given a true opportunity to make a pro team.
Posted inLynx/WNBA
Minnesota Lynx Superstars Napheesa Collier & Kayla McBride Lead the Unrivaled League
Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride, two standout players for the Minnesota Lynx, have scored over 100 points in the first two weeks of the Unrivaled League, setting a high bar for the rest of the season.
Posted inSports
Unrivaled joins Athletes Unlimited for off-season women’s pro play
Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women’s pro basketball league, and Athletes Unlimited, a traditional five-on-five league, are both benefiting from the new popularity of women’s sports, with the former set to begin play this Friday and the latter starting in February.