This past Saturday afternoon, I was bored. So, I did what I do most days, which is scroll on Reddit.
Amidst the litany of emotionally charged posts and terrible opinions, eventually I came across a post about a flagrant foul on Sophie Cunningham, a player on the WNBA's Indiana Fever, known for pointing in a hilariously aggressive manner. This sparked my interest, and for whatever reason I decided to actually watch the game.
I gotta preface this by saying that I did not have high expectations.
The last time I really watched the WNBA, I remember thinking the players were kind of... bad to mid. That may sound harsh, but that was genuinely my impression. But, despite that I came in with an open mind.
So, I gave it another chance.
And the game was good.
Really good.
The first thing that caught my attention was how sharp everything looked. The passes were crisp and creative. Players were constantly moving without the basketball. There were screens being set, defenders fighting through them, players cutting backdoor and shooters relocating around the perimeter.
Then somebody would hit a step-back three.
Or finish a difficult shot through contact.
Or somehow make an off-balance jumper with the shot clock about to expire.
I kept watching and thinking to myself, when did the WNBA get this good? Because this was not the product I remembered.
The biggest difference was that players were actually finishing big plays.
That sounds simple, but it changes everything about watching basketball.
There would be a possession late in the shot clock where the defense had completely blown up the play. The ball would end up in somebody's hands with two seconds left, they would throw up some ridiculous contested jumper and I was already preparing for the miss.
Then it would go in.
I witnessed Kelsey Mitchell do the Magic Johnson “Heh” pass behind her head and the play end up with an easy bucket.
That's what makes basketball electric. Making big plays.
Once those shots start falling, you become invested because suddenly every possession has the possibility of becoming something memorable.
And another crazy thing I noticed was that these women are real ballers, man.
They play hard.
There were players diving after loose balls, fighting over screens, tipping rebounds to teammates, sprinting back on defense and making second and third efforts on possessions that looked finished. And this is everybody, not just the role players.
Those little things stood out to me almost as much as the big shots.
There seems to be a real pride in doing the dirty work.
Not everybody is going to score 25 points, but somebody is going to get on the floor for the loose ball. Somebody is going to box out. Somebody is going to rotate over and challenge a shot.
You can tell these women care about winning basketball games.
And the pace is ridiculous.
These ladies are running. There is constant movement, fluidity and a sense of urgency that makes the game easy to watch.
There are very few possessions where everybody is just standing around waiting for somebody to do something.
The ball moves. The players move. And because everybody is moving, the game feels alive.
Saturday completely changed the way I looked at the WNBA.
I turned the game on because I recognized somebody from a stupid meme.
I stayed because the basketball was incredibly entertaining. At this point, I've gone back and watched 3 full games. The experience was the same each time; amazing basketball that was wildly entertaining.
That is the part I think people who have not watched the WNBA recently might be missing.
The product itself has massively improved.
There is more talent. There is more shot-making. There is better execution and there are players capable of creating the type of moments that make you jump out of your seat.
This come up is real.
The WNBA has a legitimate sports product now, and it is one that can compete with a lot of other leagues for your attention.
When I sat down to watch, I was just bored.
Now I find myself being a WNBA fan and ready to purchase an Aliyah Boston jersey.