Well, that was fun.

With time to process everything that went down in this WNBA season, that was the first thought that came to mind. The season actually happened! There was a champion!

Not only that, but the players took advantage of the stage they earned in Bradenton and turned it into their own messaging platform for Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name, all while driving a voter registration campaign and increasing television viewership by 68%. For everyone watching at home, the season was fantastic. From network broadcasts to those on streaming platforms, the fans saw great basketball, and for all of the worries about opt-outs and lack of rest days, this may have been the best season ever.

Here’s why.

Offense was better than ever

Two years ago, WNBA offense peaked. The league average offensive rating (an estimate of the points scored per 100 possessions) was 105.6. While that number dipped ever so slightly to 104.4 in 2020 (the second highest in league history), every other significant offensive number was up.

The league’s 44.6% field goal percentage was the best in the its 24 year history. The 34.6% 3-point percentage was the highest since 2013, when the 3-point line was set at its current distance of 22 feet and 1 3⁄4 inches, and seventh-best ever. The 49.2% 2-point field goal percentage was the highest ever. The 80.7% free throw conversion rate was the highest ever. The 83 points per game was the highest ever.

And none of this was accomplished through isolation basketball either. The league tallied the fourth highest assist rate ever, with 62.7% of field goals coming off a pass.

Even without the numbers to back it up, it was clear from the proverbial “eye test” that offense was on the rise. Over the two months, there were some fantastic displays of individual offensive excellence. Courtney Vandersloot set the single-game assist record with 18 and ended the season as the first player to average double digit assists. In the playoffs, Sue Bird set a playoff record with 16 assists in Game 1 of the Finals.

HISTORY FOR SUE BIRD.

Bird sets a WNBA Finals record with 12 assists in a game ... and it’s only the third quarter ???? pic.twitter.com/5mT7z5eVDS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 3, 2020

Veterans turned back the clock

Speaking of Sue Bird, the four-time WNBA champion showed she still has a lot left in the tank, even now that’s 40. Bird, along with Diana Taurasi and Angel McCoughtry, are three veteran hoopers still deserving of the spotlight. Somehow, in season 17, 16, and 10 respectively, each found new heights.

Taurasi made a career-high 4.1 3-pointers per 36 minutes. Her 17% defensive rebounds percentage was the second best of her Hall of Fame career, as was her 62.5% true shooting percentage. 2020 also saw her record her fourth highest win shares per 40 minutes.

As expected, Taurasi’s star shined even brighter in the playoffs. The 25.5 points and 7.5 assists across Phoenix’s two playoff games were both the highest of her career.

While McCoughtry is still looking for her first Finals win, to say nothing of a championship ring, she was a crucial addition for the Las Vegas Aces, without whom a runner-up season would not have been possible. Las Vegas lost Kelsey Plum to injury and Liz Cambage to opt out before the season even started, but still managed to reach the Finals. Once there, and without Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby, the Seattle juggernaut was just too much. That didn’t stop McCoughtry from giving it everything she had.

Her 51.8% from the field was the best of her career by four percent. And if that’s impressive, then her 47.1% from 3-point range is simply absurd. That number is 10% higher than her next best season.

McCoughtry also shot a career-best 88.2% from the free throw line, despite being an 80.1% shooter lifetime. While her minutes were down from her peak, her 25.9 points per 36 minutes was the second highest of her career, and in those minutes, she had a more positive impact than ever before, recording a career-best in win shares (0.288 per 40 minutes). Her rebound rate (14.5%), true shooting rate (61.1%) and player efficiency rating (29.1) were all the highest of her career, while her turnover rate (12.8%) was the lowest.

It shouldn’t be possible to improve every aspect of your game at this point in your career. But inside the bubble, McCoughtry proved she’s still well in her prime.

And then there’s the champion, Bird, who played the fewest minutes per game in the regular season of this trio while also missing 11 games with an injury. Unbothered, Bird’s 49.4% field goal percentage, 2.1 3-pointers a game and 46.9% 3-point percentage were all the best of her career.

And even as she became a more efficient and versatile scorer, Bird continued to orchestrate the Seattle offense. Her eight assists per 36 minutes tied for second best in her career. And in addition to the single-game playoff record for assists, she averaged 9.2 per game in the postseason, the highest of her career. Breanna Stewart might have Finals MVP, and rightfully so, but Sue Bird proved she’s still the one piloting the Storm’s offensive juggernaut.

While publicly undecided about her 2021 season prospects, the public is begging for another chance to see Bird play in person. And after watching her dominate the 2020 season, it’s hard to see how one of the sport’s great competitors could walk away now.

The future looks very, very bright

Perhaps the best part of 2020 was the preview it provided of what’s to come. To say the league is in good hands would be an understatement.

First of all, Elena Delle Donne, Jonquel Jones, Liz Cambage, and Tina Charles, among others, are all set to return after sitting out the reason due to health concerns. That talent infusion alone is enough reason to be excitied for 2021.

Then there are the players whose careers are just beginning. The 2020 rookie class was supposed to be deep, and it proved to be historically so: for the first time ever, a second round pick won Rookie of the Year. Crystal Dangerfield became the second Lynx roookie to win the award after Napheesa Collier did so in 2019. For an organization that is supposed to be rebuilding, Minnesota is well ahead of schedule after making it to the semifinals of the playoffs despite missing Sylvia Fowles for much of the season.

First overall pick Sabrina Ionescu came into the league with unprecedented hype. She’ll basically get a do-over next year after only playing in three games this season before spraining her ankle. Still, in just her second game, Ionescu dropped 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. That was enough to leave Liberty fans dreaming of what’s to come with both a healthy Ionescu and Asia Durr sharing the backcourt.

What we saw from the Dallas Wings inside the bubble is likewise enticing. Arike Ogunbowale led the entire league in scoring, rookie Satou Sabally proved that every aspect of her play can translate to the pros, and Allisha Gray, the only player with a positive net rating for the season, continued to make strides since her Rookie of the Year award in 2017. To top it off, Marina Mabrey made the fifth most 3-pointers per game in her second year.

Many were surprised to hear that Brian Agler and Dallas were mutually parting ways after the season. “Philosophical differences” doesn’t seem like a good reason to walk away from a roster with this much talent. Regardless, whoever steps in will be given the keys to a team that’s ready to make the leap.

And then there’s Chennedy Carter, the walking highlight real who scored in bunches and with ease. Against Seattle, the league’s best defense, Carter put up 35 points and seven assists. Rookies aren’t supposed to do that, and Atlanta wasn’t supposed to be a borderline playoff team. They now have a franchise centerpiece around which to build.

So yeah, 2020 was fun. But I’m already ready for 2021.

Expansion team WNBA Golden State has officially brought on New York Liberty assistant GM Ohemaa Nyanin as general manager, the team announced in a Monday afternoon statement.

The move marks one of the first major personnel hires for the highly anticipated franchise, set to begin league play in 2025. Nyanin will oversee all basketball operations for the Bay Area addition, including building out the roster, shaping the team, and developing talent. 

Nyanin joins team president Jess Smith and senior vice president of marketing and communications Kimberly Veale in the WNBA Golden State front office.

"Ohemaa is the perfect fit to lead our WNBA basketball operations as we prepare for our inaugural season in 2025," Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO Joe Lacob said in the release. "As we moved through the GM hiring process, it became more apparent each day how impressive and well-versed Ohemaa is in all facets of the business, and as a person."

Nyanin was with the Liberty for more than five years, most recently serving as the team’s assistant general manager. Prior to that, she spent five years as the assistant director of the women’s national team at USA Basketball, helping to oversee team operations through gold medal wins at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

"I am truly honored to be chosen as the first general manager of WNBA Golden State," Nyanin said. "Throughout the interview process, it was clear that bringing a WNBA team to the Bay Area was meticulously thought out and those involved are motivated changemakers who will be proactive in growing the league. I look forward to joining this franchise and building a competitive basketball team that the fans deserve."

In a July 2023 profile published by The Next, Liberty assistant coach Roneeka Hodges described Nyanin as the New York team's “Ms. Make-it-Happen."

"She’s a jack of all trades," added Hodges, while Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb paid Nyanin a particularly prophetic compliment.

"She needs to be a general manager in this league," Kolb said. "Full stop, it needs to happen, and that’s her goal."

Chelsea began Sunday with their WSL title hopes a distant dream... before closing out the weekend right back in the thick of the title chase.

The Blues made a last-ditch effort to claim their fifth consecutive Barclays WSL title on Sunday with an 8-0 win over relegation-bound Bristol City. The victory came after a visiting Arsenal upset current table-toppers Manchester City at Joie Stadium, besting the home side 2-1 on back-to-back goals from Stina Blackstenius. With the win, the third-place Gunners re-opened the door for Chelsea to finish level at the top of the table on points.

Chelsea remains second in the standing, with 49 points to Manchester City's 52. But the barrage of goalscoring over the weekend could be enough to overtake City's potential tiebreak advantage in goal differential, leaving even coach Emma Hayes in awe.

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Chelsea holds a game in hand, but the Blues will need to win their May 15th match against Tottenham to give them a shot at the title. Should they take all three points, the title race will come down to the final weekend, when Chelsea squares off with Manchester United while City faces Aston Villa on Saturday, May 18th. 

Set to take over the USWNT in June, Hayes acknowledged the likelihood of finishing out her time at Chelsea with zero trophies, after losing in both the Conti Cup final and UWCL semifinal last month. But for now, her initial pessimism has subsided.

"Let me be clear, it's not f*****g over," Hayes said after coaching her last home match with Chelsea on Sunday. "There's no time for sentimentality, all work drinks are canceled. There's a title to be won.

"This group of players taught me something so special this week — that you never ever give up."

A WNBA League Pass error left fans scrambling to watch Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso make their preseason debuts for the Chicago Sky in Minneapolis on Friday. 

Despite indicating streaming availability via YouTube before tip-off, the evening’s game was later removed from the league’s platform. With no streaming options — along with no live TV broadcast — WNBA fan Alli Schneider began livestreaming the game on X from her seat inside Target Center. As many as 400,000 people logged on to watch the game live, and by Saturday, the resulting two-hour video had amassed over 2 million total views. 

In the lead-up to the preseason showdown, fans on both sides voiced frustrations over the WNBA's error. The league apologized in response, saying their app was "incorrectly showing that every preseason game (including CHI vs MIN) is available on League Pass."

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"The growth is happening so fast, it’s so accelerated. Business as usual isn’t going to work anymore, you’re going to get left behind," Reeve said of the blunder. "This is an example... We have to capitalize on those things."

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon echoed Reeve's sentiments, calling it "awesome" that so many fans followed along via Schneider's DIY livestream.

"We would love for us to be on and for everyone to take a look, especially for this team, you have a great group of young women who are exciting to watch play," said Weatherspoon. "Tonight we had an opportunity to kind of get a feel for where we are and what we need to do. It’s awesome to know that a lot of people really tuned in."

On the court, Reese had a near double-double in her first professional outing, notching 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes. A viral pass inside to set up fellow rookie Cardoso's bucket served as the icing on the cake. The Sky ultimately lost to the Lynx 92-81, despite Minnesota newcomer Alissa Pili netting just two points and one rebound in 13 minutes of playing time.

Due to overwhelming fan demand, the WNBA confirmed today that it will indeed stream the Sky's next preseason game against the New York Liberty on League Pass. The two teams square off on Tuesday, May 7th at 8 PM ET.

The Caitlin Clark WNBA era has officially begun, with the star-studded rookie making her preseason debut with the Indiana Fever on Friday. 

Clark scored a team-leading 21 points — including five threes — and recorded a game-high 16 points at the half. But it was Arike Ogunbowale who got the last word for Dallas, knocking down a splashy buzzer-beating three-pointer in front of the sold-out crowd to deliver the Wings the 79-76 win.

"I think there's gonna be a lot to go back and look at and learn from, because a lot of it is kind of different from college," Clark said shortly after the Fever's loss. "Just from, you know, a technique standpoint or you know, scheme standpoint, and what we do is not always always going to be the same. So I think those are the biggest things, but I think overall, I just played really hard and that's always something to be proud of."

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For Clark, the biggest transition challenges lie in WNBA's physicality and talent levels. 

"No matter who steps into the game, you can never really relax, because that’s how competitive the league is," she added.

Fever coach Christie Sides also commented on's Clark on-court adjustment in her postgame remarks. Noting that the team will have to take steps to protect their star as she navigates the W's upgraded athleticism, Sides shared that at one point in the game, Clark was "completely gassed" and called for a sub. 

"We have to do better, we can't let her get to that point," Sides said. "She just won't be able to last and the way people are guarding her — I mean, she's seeing a double team, she's seeing hard hedges, they're being real physical with her. That's how it's going to be for her. And so we've got to make sure we're doing what we can to protect her so she's able to go into fourth at the same level she is in the first."

Clark wasn't the only rookie making their pro debut in Dallas that night. Ohio State ace Jacy Sheldon racked up six points and one rebound in her 13 minutes on the court (plus an unfortunate viral moment), but the breakout performance of the night went to Jaelyn Brown, a Cal grad who went undrafted in 2020 and spent the last few years playing overseas. On Friday, she carried the Wings to the finish line with 21 points in 29 minutes on 7-of-15 shooting.

After the game, Brown attested that she's "ready to compete" in an atmosphere that she "belongs in."

"I just try and treat it as any other game," she continued. "The crowd was amazing, it’s a little different from overseas, a little bit, but it’s the same game. I just [came] out there with a calm composure and did what I can do."