The WNBA expansion team Golden State Valkyries lead the league in home attendance. Seen here is the Valkyries point guard Veronica Burton - (WNBA - Photo)

# 2 on our JULY NR TOP 10 is: FINDING A WNBA HAPPY PLACE - (John Mac - photo) July NR TOP 10

Atlanta Dream center Brittney Griner - (Lorie Shaull - photo)

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart is a co-founder of the Unrivaled League - (WNBA photo)

Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier is a co-founder of the Unrivaled League - (WNBA photo)

Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics ALL TIME NBA 1st TEAM - BREAKING IT DOWN

SPORTS NOTES EXTRA EXTRA - The WNBA is BUSTING LOOSE

James Loving/National Radio Text Service

The Indiana Fever are by far the WNBA league's top attendance draw on the road - The Golden State Valkyries lead the league in home attendance - The Connecticut Sun are having a nightmare season - Is the Unrivaled League leverage for WNBA players wanting a bigger piece of the WNBA pie? - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Monday August 18, 2025

TOP DRAW

The Indiana Fever are by far the league's top attendance draw on the road even without Caitlin Clark. On the other hand, the leagues two top teams the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx don't put as many fannies in the seats as their first-place records would dictate.

The Lynx play in the cavernous Target Center which has the highest ceiling that I've ever seen in an arena. They are lucky to fill half of the stadium leaving it to still feeling empty. The Liberty are in the top four in home attendance but there are a number of empty seats that could be had.

The Golden State Valkyries lead the league in home attendance but are not so well received on the road. At present they are in the hunt to be one of the eight teams to make the playoffs providing the can play above 500% ball over their remaining six games.

At present the Vals have a better record than perennial contenders Seattle Storm and the not so solidified Los Angeles Sparks. At the time of this writing the 18-16 Vals were one and a half games ahead of the 17-18 Storm. For an expansion team the Vals are thought to be playing above their weight. They broke the WNBA record for wins by an expansion team.

The reason why could be they have a mature, balanced squad with several players over 30 years of age. Their other strength is they are culturally solid with a number of international players on the roster.

RISE & FALL

Although the Atlanta Dream are having a great season being in 2nd place with a 22-12 record they have attendance concerns. Their home attendance ranges from 3,000 to 6,000. The team has improved over their 15-25 record from last season. They have won eight of their last 10 games but the fans and not responding.

What stands out is the Dream played a game against Seattle in Vancouver with Atlanta being billed as the home team. An astounding crowd of almost 16,000 attended. Seattle won a close game 80-78. It raises the question, could Vancouver be a better home for the Mystics?

Others in the league suffering poor attendance are the Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, and the Chicago Sky. It appears the Sun have an easier way out of the problem with a move to Boston in the mix. They drew over 18,000 in a game in Boston earlier this season.

The Sun have a major problem currently dwelling at the bottom of the standings with only six wins and 27 losses. It's a go figure issue since they were the third best team in the league last season with a 28-12 record.

MO MONEY, MO MONEY, MO MONEY!

While WNBA players are at issue with the league for having an increased percentage of the profits. The league isn't complying. To counter the league Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier founded the Unrivaled League. They play between the NBA seasons. Last year was their inaugural season.

The games are three on three teams that play on a downsized full court.

In their first season they had a TV deal. Their league was a success in part due to their revenue sharing. Some players can make more than their WNBA salaries.

The league was founded in part to allow WNBA players to play domestically and to bypass complications from the WNBA's prioritization rule for players who choose to play overseas in the WNBA offseason.

On February 14, 2025, Collier won the Unrivaled 1x1 tournament and the $200,000 prize. Her win also meant each of her Lunar Owls teammates received $10,000. Collier was named league MVP.

At issue is the NBA is reported to have a 50% revenue sharing agreement with their players. The reality is the NBA has been developing since 1947. Regardless of the current success of the WNBA they still lack the maturity, strength and background of the NBA. Regardless, they should receive a bigger piece of the WNBA pie.

According to AI, the current TV deal, which began in 2021, is reportedly worth around $75 million annually. It includes a mix of national and local broadcasts, allowing for greater visibility of the league.

THS DAY IN THE NBA

August 18, 1992 Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird announced his retirement from the NBA after 13 seasons. Bird joined the Celtics management as a special assistant to Celtics Senior Executive Vice President Dave Gavitt.

NBA GAME CHANGE SUGGESTIONS:

Make a rule where a team can only take 30 three-point shots a game. This will create more strategy. A shot clock can be doubled in two sections where one side is about 3-point shots taken and the other being the 24 second clock.