No Offseason Newsletter 🏀 | This is it The Athleticwomen’s basketball newsletter. Apply here to get No Offseason straight to your inbox.
Good morning! Let’s talk basketball. Coming today:
- 🌡️ Fever checking the vibe
- 3️⃣ Taurasi legacy
- 🗳️ Your opinion about Engelbert
Let’s start with our own Brian Hamilton on the state of the fever.
Vibe Check: How does the Fever handle the noise?
There’s been a lot of talk about Sophie Cunningham, but for the purposes of the newsletter, let’s stick to an undeniable fact: On Sunday, the Fever keeper celebrated her 30th birthday.
Also on Sunday, her team played the Dream. And as the first warm-up cycle in the backfield before the game ended, Cunningham issued a motivational birthday wish: Everyone had to make their last shot. When Kelsey Mitchell drained a 3-pointer from the corner, Cunningham’s wish came true. The entire Fever backcourt jumped, hugged and screamed before moving on to the rest of the build-up.
It was deliberately stupid. It wasn’t pointless.
After spending a few days in the Fever’s orbit, it’s clear that this group intends to keep things light despite their heavy existence. Some of it is self-inflicted. A lot of it is just a function of what someone outside the club has done or said. But the reality on the ground belies the hype. They seem to be having a good time with each other.
If that wasn’t the case, it’s hard to believe they would be 23-12 to open the week and they rank fourth overall on the WNBA standings. It’s hard to believe that late in the third quarter on Sunday, they would be down 10 points on the road to a talented dream team and rally to win in overtime. For that to happen, the team cares more about results, and about each other, than political views or personal agendas. The proof, quite simply, is in the victory.
Absurdity will pop up here and there for a very popular team with an incredibly popular point guard. (After 26 points and nine assists Sunday in a key playoff game, Kaitlyn Clarke asked a question about professional boxer Claressa Shields. Clarke apologized for having nothing to offer on the subject.) The circus around this group is real and, potentially, suffocating.
“You can’t shut it up,” Fever coach Stephanie White said before Sunday’s game. “For us, the question is how to minimize it?”
Fever are a candidate for the championship because they recognize by now what needs to be taken seriously, and what I can laugh about along the way.
Back to Annie and Sabreena.
Legacy: Mercury retires number 3 Taurasi
There is simply no one like Diana Taurasi.
Of course this refers to her talent on the court, but she is undoubtedly bigger than that. I (Annie) am by no means someone who knows Taurasi well on a personal level. But throughout my career, I was able to cover the moments that show how special she is, before she retires on February 25, 2025 (😭). This weekend encapsulated that perfectly. So let me paint you a picture.
The Mercury franchise and the city of Phoenix celebrated Taurasi all weekend with various events. Renovated court opening, mural, dinner. But the main attraction was the Sunday game during which Taurasi’s number 3 jersey was revealed in the rafters at halftime. Afterward, she gave a 30-minute speech that was as much a comedy show as it was a love letter to her teammates, coaches, executives, competitors and, of course, fans.
Taurasi’s family sat next to her on the court as others took the microphone to share stories about her. When it was Penny Taylor’s turn, Taurasi’s wife became emotional almost immediately. “About our love,” Taylor said as she held back tears, “what can I say? True love needs no explanation. Diana, my heart is yours for all time. No limits. No holds barred.”
A number of Taurasi’s peers shared video messages of congratulations, including LeBron James, Sue Bird, Magic Johnson, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Devin Booker.
Before Taurasi spoke, 20 former teammates, coaches and executives spanning her entire two-decade career greeted her on the court with a white rose. Each person represented a different year of her career, starting in 2004 with Mercury guard Anna DeForge and ending in 2024 with Mercury guard/forward Kahleah Copper.
When Taurasi finally took the microphone, she had the entire arena laughing when she said, “Green eggs and ham. No, I’m kidding. I’m not a poet.”
The entire ceremony is available for viewing YouTubeand I highly recommend it. But to summarize, I will say every emotion was felt by the nearly 16,000 fans in attendance as Taurasi spoke. She thanked her teammates in the way only she could, through jokes. Speaking about when Mercury drafted DeWanna Bonner, she said she was “the skinniest kid you’ve ever seen in your life”, before revealing how they became recording partners for much of their career together. Taurasi brought Ann Meyers Drysdale to tears as she called her a true trailblazer in women’s basketball and “the most authentic person I’ve ever been around.” She even made light of the struggles her generation endured playing in the WNBA, with its meager pay and poor facilities, before celebrating where the league is today.
One of the most profound moments came when she started talking about her family, especially her father Mario. She recounted his morning commute, saying that for 50 years he woke up at 4 a.m. to drive more than an hour to work in a sheet metal factory to provide for his family.
“So don’t tell me this country wasn’t built on hardworking people no matter where you were born,” Taurasi said. The line brought a large contingent of people to their feet as the arena erupted in cheers.
Taurasi concluded her speech by talking directly to the fans, sharing how Mercury’s fan base has been tweaking the suit for 20 years “every day.”
“It’s been 20 years. One city. One team. One jersey. And tonight that number 3 is on all of our backs for life.”
Fast Breaks
🌆 An important station for Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne on his way to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame? Chicago.
👕 Multiple fans carrying messages about the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports asked WNBA security to cover up during Sunday’s Fever-Dream game. The WNBA statement reads individuals should not have been asked.
🤕 Satou Sabally takes indefinite leave from Liberty due to a long-term head injury.
📈 Will Caitlin Clark-Paige Bueckers become the next A’ja Wilson-Breanna Stewart rivalry? We’ll know more when the latter is finished. But the fever is trending in this week’s power rankings.
🎙️ Na “No off-season” under, Zena and Sabreena break down the biggest performances from the weekend, and how they relate to the playoff race. Enjoy wherever you get your podcasts.
Feedback Loop: What do you think of Engelbert
U last week’s newsletter we asked two questions: What are your thoughts on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert? And what would you like to see from her?
Answers ranged from the belief that she should be replaced to that there is no “right” answer for any WNBA commissioner. Let’s get into some answers from you all:
- “Cathy Engelbert would be a great number two because of her business acumen and her ability to lead W through the current years of hyper expansion and growth, but she lacks the ability to deal with the public, the media, and the players, and because of that, she struggles a lot in the top job. She probably wouldn’t have stuck around if she’d been demoted, but the job has become too much in the public eye for someone as tone-deaf as she continues to show herself to be.” — Ron O.
- “I would like to see her resign As the ‘horse is out of the barn’ unfortunately, she lost her credibility at the start of the Caitlin Clark era and that is irreversible. The WNBA needs a true leader!” — Steve J.
- “In response to your story about WNBA leadership and whether it’s improving, I’d have to say no. I think Cathy Engelbert has to go. She should have come out and made a public statement after the incident between DiJonai Carrington and Sophie Cunningham during the Fever/Sky game. Not only do you hang out with the leaders behind the scenes. She constantly lets the players and fans down with her ignorance when things happen, not addressing them publicly, and her tone deaf stance on player demands during CBA negotiations. The league, its players and fans all deserve better.” — Lori M.
- “Stronger leadership is needed: respond sooner and more definitively, visibly act on serious issues – especially the referees. Be more proactive, maybe work with the players’ union. Punish where punishment is due. Have better PR. Promote the players. Work to change the narrative from trans and LGBTQ to something relevant to the league as a whole. I get the impression that she’s not in charge, or she is, but she can’t project it.” — Roxane M.
- “Commissioner Engelbert should form a steering committee with the Players Union and working to get everyone on the same page to make a great basketball show. Social advocacy is important; however, build the foundation of your product first during this tremendous opportunity for exposure and growth.” — Martin K.
Mostly and unsurprisingly, we’ve seen our readers become disillusioned with Engelbert and want her out. Thank you for your feedback. You can always reach out to NoOffseason@theathletic.com.
Mascot Corner: Toronto’s mascot reveal is today!
The pace is unveiling its inaugural mascot later todaybut we are still in the dark as to what the physical manifestation of “pace” is. There’s a high bar to clear after Golden State’s fantastic induction Violet last year. I mean, just look at her:
While we wait for the Tempo mascot, let’s turn our attention to Portland.
The Flames have listed a job opening on LinkedIn for an “entertainment specialist” who will likely be the team’s mascot. The sun is already there Blaze (who is only described as a fuzzy character), and Mercury has an alien name Scorchso those two heat-related ideas are ruled out. Then again, the mascot doesn’t have to be directly related to the team name; have a look Ellie for freedom!
This is also a useful reminder that they are Dreams the only team that doesn’t expand without a mascot. There’s no time like the present to get into it!
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