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How Negotiating a Historic WNBA CBA Prepared Nneka Ogwumike for the 2020 “Wubble”

Basketball players in court/ JWS
Basketball players in court/ JWS

Nneka Ogwuimke has always put in the work. Anyone who has followed the career of the six-time WNBA All Star, 2016 MVP and WNBA Champion knows that Nneka’s game is the epitome of hustle and technique. But in the past couple of years, it’s been her off-court work that has been the most impactful.

As President of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka helped the players sign a historic Collective Bargaining Agreement in early 2020. With a 53% increase in total cash compensation, upgrades to travel and living accommodations, and new maternity/family planning benefits, the deal has been touted as symbolizing “a radical shift” in how our country values women’s sports. For Nneka (aka “Madame President”) the experience of leading the league’s players to this historic agreement was invaluable practice for guiding them through the rest of what 2020 had in store.

As WNBPA President, Nneka’s top objective is player engagement.

“Up until the last CBA, the [player] participation was abysmal,” she laments to Kelley O’Hara on the JWS podcast, “That was something I knew as President that I wanted to change.”

Luckily her relentlessness on the court translated well as she and her executive committee hounded players to participate in Zoom calls and reply to emails throughout the year of negotiations. They wanted to hear from every player about their individual experience and needs. This “badgering” approach led to widespread buy-in and a sense of cohesion among the player group, which Nneka believes is even more important than the relationship between the league and players.

“One thing that can’t happen is disjointedness among the players,” she tells O’Hara, “When you link up, they don’t have an option.”

Playing the 2020 season against the backdrop of an ongoing pandemic and the George Floyd protests, the now-unified players gave Nneka two clear objectives in negotiating a bubble (“Wubble”) season with the league: they wanted to earn 100% of their salaries and they wanted to amplify their voices on social justice. The league agreed to meet them on both fronts.

The WNBA Wubble season was historic for many reasons. The league played a 22-game season and a full post-season over 14 weeks with zero positive Covid-19 cases. Fans witnessed a new league record of 83.1 average points per game, a new single game assist record (Courtney Vandersloot’s 18), a new playoff game assist record (Sue Bird’s 16), and a new all-time rebound record (Sylvia Fowles’ 3,360). In other words, players showed up, and their audience did as well, with television viewership up 68% from the year before.

But what Nneka is most proud of is how the players used their platform to advocate for social justice. Several initiatives, including messaging around #SayHerName and Black Lives Matter, were incorporated right from the start. Other decisions had to be made in real time as events unfolded outside the Wubble, such as wearing pre-game “Vote Warnock” shirts to support Reverend Raphael Warnock in his campaign against sitting Georgia Senator and WNBA team co-owner Kelly Loeffler, who publicly critiqued the league’s support of Black Lives Matter. (Note: Warnock and Loeffler will be heading to a run-off election in January.)

Most poignantly, the league had to decide whether they would join their fellow athletes in boycotting a night of games after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a police officer.  Fortunately, the league had a leader who had spent the last year and a half establishing a culture of listening to all voices and then acting in unity. After sorting through a sea of emotions about what they should do, the players opted not to play. They also postponed all games the following day, declaring it a “Day of Reflection.” The image from that afternoon of every single player gathered in the gym, standing shoulder to shoulder with arms linked, is an undeniable statement of their solidarity.

For Nneka, the WNBA’s long track record of progressive political activism is easy to explain.

“We’re 70% Black women. It’s just that simple really,” she tells O’Hara on the podcast. “We are, unfortunately, inherently political. We don’t choose to be, it just is. That authenticity drives our action.”

As impressive as the on and off-court accomplishments of the 2020 Wubble season were, it also took a significant toll. Like many of her colleagues, Nneka was emotionally and physically depleted by the end.

“I wasn’t holding up,” she admits to O’Hara, “And I think it’s important for people to know that, because in a world where we’re looking for a release and an escape, people need to understand what these women and men did to put a game on your television. It was hard.”

But they made it through, thanks in large part to the highly-engaged and cohesive culture Nneka began building way before the craziness of 2020 hit. Her innate knack for leadership isn’t displayed in having the biggest voice or by bullishly standing her ground. It’s evidenced in her commitment to listening to ALL voices (even those sitting on the opposite side of the table), recognizing common goals, being comfortable with nuance, and finding creative solutions that serve all stakeholders.

Nneka Ogwumike’s newest nickname may have started in jest, but in a year when our nation is selecting its leaders, we think “Madame President” has a really nice ring to it.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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