← No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show
2026 Big Award Predictions + Who We Picked to Win the Title
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Sabrina Merchant
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Annie Costable
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Annie Costable
Grab your megaphone and yell it from the rooftop.
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Sabrina Merchant
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Annie Costable
Bring in your at&t t Mobile, Xfinity
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Sabrina Merchant
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Annie Costable
B is a vet. She is a founder of her own league. If she wanted to say something, she would say something. If she wanted to come out and say my future is with the Lynx forever or I don't see myself playing anywhere but the Lynx, she would have said that. The fact that she didn't is definitely raises an alarm in terms of what the future looks like for the links, because again, nothing's done. Not now. She didn't say oh, this is my last year with the Lynx either, but she is injured right now and so having one more year with the Lynx to get her stock back up I think is the strategy at play here. So I definitely took note of the fact that she did not overly commit to a future in Minnesota.
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Sabrina Merchant
Hello everyone and welcome to no off season.
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Annie Costable
I'm Sabrina Merchant and I'm Annie Costable
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Sabrina Merchant
and today on the show, it is preseason predictions time. Who have we picked for all of the major awards in the WNBA this season? Rookie of the year, mvp, Coach of the year. We're going to get into all of it and spoiler alert, we actually have a lot to debate on these picks. But first, Annie, it is the start of the WNBA season today. How are we feeling, girl?
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Annie Costable
I'm feeling like it's the first day of school. Vibes are high, Energy's up. Psych. I'm just joking. I just got off like a 6am flight and I am relatively exhausted. But the vibes being that of first day of school, still very true. And I am very excited. This is my first season with the athletic.
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Sabrina Merchant
I'm the new kid on the block.
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Annie Costable
So, yeah, the vibes really are high. It's a mixture of exhaustion and excitement.
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Sabrina Merchant
Gotcha. I mean, I feel like that's just been the case for all of us since CBA and the tournament and all of this. So, you know, excitement. Let's. Let's power through on the excitement. But it is the start of the season. That does mean that we have had a few roster cuts here and there, people who unfortunately are not going to be on opening day rosters. And I think the place to start here is with the Golden State Valkyries, who waived Kate Martin on Thursday. What were your thoughts when you saw that come through, Annie?
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Annie Costable
I mean, I immediately thought about the uncertainty of her health in terms of that. What was it, a quad strain. And I know they've been talking about her being day to day and that's something that they were reevaluating day to day. So it didn't sound too serious. But that was the immediate thought I had is okay. Ohema. They need players that are ready to go at 100% and Kate's not at 100% right now. I did also immediately think, like, she's gonna get picked up, whether it's by Golden State on a developmental contract or off of waivers by another team. Like, I don't think Kate's a player that's gonna go unsigned this season. I don't know what you think there, but my, my thought there was like, this isn't. This doesn't mean Kate's not gonna play this year.
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Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, I was just thinking about the state of the Golden State roster. You know, they've got Veronica Burton and Caitlin Chen at the one. You know, you've got Tiffany Hayes, you say OG Day, Kyla Charles, Gabby Williams. They just Brought in, like, a lot of players who can play the two and the three, and that's Kate Martin's spot. And I think a lot of this is just positional. Right. Like, we got the news on Thursday as well that Ileana Repair is gonna be missing the season due to pregnancy. And that means you kind of have to carry another big if you're Golden State. And so you see Leticia Me here making the final roster spot and that crowds out Kate Martin. So, you know, I think kind of. It's kind of out of our control. Right. Like, I think part of it might be the injury, like you mentioned. But also, hey, we just, we need another big. Because Kia Stokes is not going to be our only center on this roster if we're trying to make the playoffs this year. Right. So circumstances beyond her control. I think you're right. I think she is the kind of player who is probably going to get picked up in some spot, but just. Just tough to get cut this close to the season. Especially like when for most of camp, I think all indications were that she was going to make the roster.
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Annie Costable
Yeah, it's interesting when you put it that way in terms of like, how something like, again, illy not being available due to pregnancy and how that shifts maybe who they were going to keep versus who in the end they are. And, and I think, you know, the roster size expanding to 12 signed players is a huge get for coaches for players. But even seeing someone like Kate get waived this close to the start of the season really makes you think about how these rosters really could be at 14, 15, you know, because to your point about the backcourt for Golden State being more solidified. Totally true. But they could still use Kate's depth there if they had the extra roster spot. They just don't. And So I think 12. Not to be an early hater of like the win in the cba, but listen, I will be the certified hater. But yeah, it's like you're. Where are we already seeing, like, roster should be at 14?
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Sabrina Merchant
I don't know.
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Annie Costable
I'm just. I'm just going to put it out there. Roster should be at 14.
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Sabrina Merchant
I know everyone's like, the 12 is a big deal, but, like, a lot of teams were carrying 12 in the previous season, so I feel like we added like half a roster spot, you know, which is not nothing. Not nothing. If you get to 15 teams, that's like seven more players across the league who get to make the league. But, you know, Golden State was carrying 12 last year, so it's not like they have benefited tremendously from this new addition.
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Annie Costable
Right?
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Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, I, I'm interested to see if anyone picks up Kate. She is a little bit older than some of the players, you know, who are on their third year of wnba because she did spend six years at Iowa, but we'll. We'll see how that turns out. But sticking on the Valkyries train, just real quick, I feel like we should close the book. The the never ending draft day saga of State Valkyries.
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Annie Costable
Well, we'll officially close the book tomorrow with a story, so come to the website because we'll have a fresh story. I know everyone's sick of talking about it, but we're not. So this will close the book on the podcast, but the. We'll have a story to go along with it. Sorry to cut you off right now.
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Sabrina Merchant
You're good. Just a quick reminder. Valkyries traded Flage Johnson for Marta Suarez in a 2028 second round pick on the day of the draft. They ended up waving Marta Suarez and she will now be signing a developmental contract with the Phoenix Mercury, not the Golden State Valkyries. So a bit of a surprise there, right? Not ending up on the team that drafted her or the team that traded for her on draft day night. But I think that this is a good ultimate outcome for Marta just to get away, I think, from all of the nonsense that has pervaded this entire story. I realize we have contributed some of it, but I think, you know, just getting away from that, finding a different start. I also think her ending up on a developmental contract is not entirely unreasonable. You know, I realized she was one of the players invited to the draft, but her college career really like took off later. And I think she still has some growing to go before becoming a full time WNBA player. So interesting to see her on the Mercury. Wondering if you had any further thoughts on that, Annie.
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Annie Costable
Yeah, I mean, I think we talked about this in one of our earlier podcasts and Nick, you Ren being a really great talent to value. And so when I saw them pick her up, I thought, okay, good for her. She's in good hands with the Mercury. But I think the reason just to circle back on the Golden State situation and you know, like the comment of, oh, we're contributing to it too, which obviously, like, I know you didn't mean that as like a slate. It's literally our job to talk about these things. One of the reasons I think this has become such a big story is one because of the curiousness with which this deal like happened and everything that's followed, but also because the GM role, which is something we've sidebarred about, like, this role is no longer just this kind of afterthought role in the WNBA. Everyone is clocking every single thing that these GMs do as they should. And so I think Ohema had this fantastic Year one product she put on the court. And then Natalie obviously does what Natalie does and coaches them up and they're a playoff team. And so to see this take place in year two for Ohema had everybody's, you know, antennas going off. And now to see Marta get signed to a developmental contract by another great organization. And again, going back to the Nick Yren thing as far as being a talent evaluator, it's like, well, wait, what? You know, it's. It's again, another layer that's like, what, What? Like, what happened here? And so, yeah, I just think. I love it. Like, the more scrutiny, the better. Like, give us. Give us stuff to talk about because that's literally our jobs.
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Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. And I think just to add on to that, it's not just that every move by the GMs are being scrutinized step by step. It's also the rationale for them. Right. And I think that was so much a part of this conversation is no one could really understand what was happening because of the way these things were present. And, you know, maybe it's better for Golden State that, like, she's no longer on the team and they can move forward with the 12 that they have without having to discuss this. But I. I don't think this is over. The Valkyries play Phoenix on Sunday this weekend. So if you want to set your screens to something that's one to keep an eye on.
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Annie Costable
And you know who they play Friday? Seattle. So they're just like this. This move is, like, haunting them. It's like Seattle, it's like this saga. It will never die.
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Sabrina Merchant
It will never die. Yeah. One more player who was waived that we talked about earlier in the week was Haley Van Lith. She ended up on the Connecticut Sun. Not a lot to add here, but, you know, she was a first round pick last year. I think this is an easier developmental environment for her on a team that is not outwardly trying to compete for the playoffs.
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Annie Costable
Yeah. I think the other thing I wanted to get into here with the Haley Van lit thing is the microscope it puts on this guy in terms of them not having any players from their 2025 draft on their roster from the first round. And a Lot of people are like, what's going on here? And I don't know if you have.
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Sabrina Merchant
We should just add to that real quick. The reason they don't have first round picks is because their other first round pick chose to play at the University of Kentucky this year instead of joining the NBA. The wnba, I should say. So that's Aja Sifka. She'll be playing at Kentucky for Kenny Brooks, delaying her WNBA entrance, though the Chicago Skies still hold her draft rights.
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Annie Costable
Right. And I did talk to people in her team that emphasize like, she wanted the experience of getting drafted because people have to understand for international players, the year you turn 20 is the year you could get drafted. And if you don't get drafted that year, you can't get drafted in a later draft. You just become an unrestricted free agent. And so for her, it was attending the draft was very much about this moment in her career that wasn't going to come around again. And at that point there was uncertainty of when she would come to the WNBA and whether she would pursue, pursue her collegiate eligibility. And so now we're seeing that she's doing that. But yes, to your point, the sky retained her rights. And what I'll say is, you know, the sky are not putting a lot of stock in draft picks. I mean, they are like trading those bad boys away like Skittles. Like, they're just like, you get one and you get one and you get one. And I think this is the year. I mean, we talked about this in past podcasts, but they gotta, they gotta prove that that method is working because up until now it hasn't. And so I think they got, they went out and got vets in free agency. So you don't keep players like Haley Maddie they brought back on the developmental contract, but they gotta, they gotta prove it with a playoff spot this year. Otherwise. Yeah, all these draft picks that you're giving away and then, you know, waving these players, it's, it's suspect.
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Sabrina Merchant
It is suspect. But yeah, we're, we have some thoughts on Chicago. We'll get into that. I think maybe not over the course of this show, but we've, we've talked about them on these WNBA previews. So just one last thing before we get into our predictions. Nafisa Collier gave an interview with NPR this past week and there were some fun, fun little nuggets in there. I think the one that stood out to me the most, was the most famous line, I think of her end of season press conference was when she said the WNBA has the worst leadership in the world. And she said, you know, thinking about the state of the world right now, I was probably a little dramatic. So I'm glad he came back on that just a little bit. But what else stood out to you from this interview, Annie?
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Annie Costable
Listen, I could say as a fellow like, you know, overreact from the heart, say, yeah, someone who really gets like, you know, when I get riled up, I get riled up and I can be petty. Okay. And it's always good to reel yourself back in in the moment. Sometimes you got to stand on business that way. And so respect to your point that she circled the block and came back to the point like, hey, there's some other stuff going on in the world and maybe we don't have the worst leadership in the world.
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Sabrina Merchant
In the world.
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Annie Costable
In the world. That being said, I really was so intrigued not only by the way she handled questions about her future in Minnesota in this interview, but how she handled questions about her future in Minnesota during her the press conference that the Lynx had, you know, talking about players resigning. The kind of introductory press conference that they did when McBride, Fee and Courtney Williams. Courtney Williams all resigned. Yeah. And she is being, being, excuse me, very calculated by not answering this question directly. And I know all the fans and everyone's going to be like, don't put words in Fee's mouth, da, da, da. But let's use some critical thinking here, guys. Fee is a vet. She is a owner or a founder of her own league. If she wanted to say something, she would say something. If she wanted to come out and say my future is with the Lynx forever, or I don't see myself playing anywhere but the Lynx, she would have said that. The fact that she didn't is definitely raises an alarm in terms of what the future looks like for the Links because again, nothing's done. Not. She didn't say, oh, this is my last year with the Links either, but she is injured right now and so having one more year with the Links to get her stock up back up, I think is, is the strategy at play here. So I'm, I definitely took note of the fact that she did not overly commit to a future in Minnesota.
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Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. So just to set the stage a little with what happened with Fee. So she's played her entire career with the Lynx. She started on a rookie contract and had a multi year extension that expired last year. She only signed a one year contract this off season because of the changes in the WNBA cba. She cannot be a core player next year. So she will be in truly unrestricted free agent and can choose anywhere she wants to go. And when she was asked in this interview about her future Minnesota, she just said, I am so focused on right now, which is really not the way to shut down noise about your future with the Minnesota Links. That's something you're trying to do. And the Links lost a lot of players this offseason. They lost Bridget Carlton, Atlanta Smith, just Shepherd, Natisha Heideman, a lot of people who were a big part of their number one seed last season. You know, the team that made the finals and came, oh, so close to winning a title in 2024. So it's already a very different team. And it could look very different with, you know, obviously Nikisa Collier not on the team next year, but just to keep an eye on, you know, there's big changes and the ownership structure in Minnesota, you know, like the. The purchase of the Links and the Minnesota Timberwolves, I should say, went through recent or not recently, but like within the last year or so of Alex Rodriguez and Mark Laurie assuming control of the team. Alex Rodriguez is now the governor of the team. It's obviously very different person to report to than Glenn Taylor was over the last decade, plus that Cheryl Reid's been in charge. So, you know, it's. It's a team that you and I both have our eye on. Just. Just because I don't think everyone's. Everything's gonna be as smooth there as it has been over the last couple of years. And their ability to compete obviously relies a lot about on fee being present for the team.
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Annie Costable
Totally. And I just want to add one more thing. I think the future landscape of the wnba too, with some of these new expansion teams coming in, that has raised my alarm even in the sense of Cheryl's future there. And that's not to say Cheryl should be in question or her job, job security is in question because she's obviously, you know, one of the most respected coaches in the wnba. Her, you know, her accomplishments there are unmatched. But I think the timing of all of this is very interesting. And I'm. I'm definitely going to, you know, I think this season, the question to answer is, is there an overhaul that happens in Minnesota in the off season? And that's has been part of our predictions. Like we did these questions, and that was our question, you know, for Minnesota, is, is Nafisa back after this year and is there an overhaul there? So I would not be surprised if we see Cheryl coaching one of these expansion teams in the future, specifically, you know, I mean, honestly, any of them. She has ties to all of them. Detroit, Cleveland and Philly are being her hometown. So I don't know, maybe getting ahead of myself, but that's where my mind goes.
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Sabrina Merchant
All right, so now that we've made our 28, 29 and 30 season predictions, let's get back to 2026. On the other side of the.
- [20:21]
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- [20:51]
Annie Costable
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- [21:00]
Sabrina Merchant
Now I'm stuck down a rabbit hole
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Annie Costable
filled with images of alarmingly graphic sores in various stages of ooze. I can clear my search history, but I could never unsee that.
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Annie Costable
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Sabrina Merchant
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Annie Costable
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Sabrina Merchant
It's Mom. America's Best network Verizon. That's the one we're talking about. I'll send you text America's Best network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance US second half 2025 four new lines and unlimited welcome and autopay. See verizon.com for details. All right, it's time for one of our favorite start of the season traditions. Our way too early awards predictions. Uh, the athletics official predictions, which Annie and I contributed to along with Chantelle Jennings and Brian Hamilton are now up on the site and we'll link to them in the show notes. But Annie and I wanted to break down our individual votes because they didn't always align. So first things first, let's start with the rookies. Annie, who was your pick for rookie of the year in 2026?
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Annie Costable
I had Olivia Miles, but I wasn't. It's not that I wasn't sold on Olivia Miles. I, I could see Lauren Betts getting, getting this accolade as well when everything is said and done. But the reason I went with Olivia Miles is because to me she, she is the most pro ready player. I thought of the, the draft and I think of this draft class, excuse me. And I think because of the moves that Dallas made to fit Az fudd into that system and obviously who they have in their backcourt page arike like they weren't going to draft Olivia but that doesn't mean that she wasn't a number one overall pick caliber player. That being said, I do wonder how things are going to work with her and Kourtney and if we see not a drop off obviously because it's her working season but if we don't see her explode and maybe the way I, I'm expecting her to because of, you know, the dynamic there at the point guard position, I don't know how it's going to work. I haven't seen them, you know, I haven't been in Minnesota. I haven't evaluated anything that, that they're doing yet. So that's, that's my one curiosity there is is if that limits her in any way.
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Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I guess so. This is not one of the awards that we disagree on. I also had Olivia Miles as my rookie of the year. I should say it's, it's pretty hard not to win rookie of the year as a number one pick. Eight of the last 12 rookies of the year were number one picks including you know, these last four with Ryan Howard, Aaliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and Paige Beckers. So easy fud just like from a odds perspective coming into this would seem to have a good shot especially if Dallas does well. I'm mostly just concerned like if she doesn't start for them because if Arique comes back I would think you would start Odyssey Simmons, Paige and Arique together in that backcourt and bring AZ off the bench. Could be wrong. AZ has been starting in the preseason with a re gay unavailable. So if she still continues to start, I think she could put up a lot of big numbers in that starting lineup. And if Dallas wins some games like that would boost her stock. But I'm just more convinced of the overall role that Olivia Miles is going to have in Minnesota. Like all of the opportunities she's going to have to lead that offense, you know, move Courtney off the ball a little bit, have Kayla McBride as this, do it all wing. Yeah, I just think that the type of stats you can put up are going to be bigger than what Az Fudd can. And frankly, winning doesn't really matter in the Rookie of the year discussion. Like most of these players who win rookie of the year are not on very good teams.
- [25:02]
Annie Costable
Okay, so I'm so intrigued by that response from you because to me, I was wondering if Cheryl's plan was to move Courtney off the ball because Courtney has for the last two seasons. I mean, going back to when she was with the sky, she has been working to become this, this point guard. Right. And she's excelled at it. I think a lot of people didn't kind of have her in that lane and she's proven how valuable she can be in that lane. So I really wondered if you know what her vibe was, if that is the case, if she is going to get moved back to the two guard spot and, and kind of what kind of discussions had to happen there. And then when it comes to the Dallas wing starting back court, I kind of thought Odyssey would come off the bench when are healthy. But again that just was my immediate thought. So I'm, I'm really like intrigued to hear kind of your, your take there and I'm even more intrigued to see what actually ends up happening in terms of these lineups.
- [26:03]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, totally. So I guess these are more predictions that are coming our way. I think Paige works well with the point guard next to her, which is why I think Odyssey is going to be at least like the caretaker point guard to start the season. And I also think Liv like has played next to another point guard for so much of her college career. Whether that was Hannah Hidalgo in Notre Dame for that season or Donovan Hunter at tcu. Like she can play on and off the ball just based on their preseason starting lineups. Like she's been playing next to Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride and with the talent they have on the roster, I think those are the best three guards you can put there. I also think that for all the work Courtney Williams has done to make herself a suitable point guard, there just are limitations in the way that she reads the floor. And I think Cheryl Reavis talked about those in postseason play. And so if you're thinking about the next era of success in Minnesota, I think you need a better point guard than Courtney Williams. Maybe not a better 2 guard than Courtney Williams, but definitely a better point guard. And that's where you start developing Olivia Miles.
- [26:54]
Annie Costable
That's fair. I just have to say one more thing about Olivia Miles. I am here for the in game trolling of Your opponents during the tournament. I'm shocked.
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Sabrina Merchant
Annie. I'm shocked. When she was trolling her defenders, like,
- [27:10]
Annie Costable
in the moment, I was like, girl, Paris. More of that.
- [27:14]
Sabrina Merchant
Took an L from Olivia Miles.
- [27:16]
Annie Costable
Yeah, more of that, please. Like, I wish. I wish I could do that. Like, I wish I had some reason
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Sabrina Merchant
to do something like that.
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Annie Costable
Oh, my God. Sorry.
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Sabrina Merchant
Moving on from. We're good. Moving on from Rookie of the Year to mvp. I do think we have some disagreement here. So, Annie, start us off. Who do you think is going to be the 20, 26 Most Valuable Player?
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Annie Costable
I got Stewie. I got Stewie with this car.
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Sabrina Merchant
Okay.
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Annie Costable
Yeah, okay, hear me out. Last year, it's. And I wrote about this in our preseason prediction, so forgive me for being redundant if you're listening and you're also reading what we wrote. But Stewie last year had this drop off, right? Which is hard to even say. You know what she was averaging last year as a drop off. But compared to what I think we all know of her and what she even expects of herself, what her team expects of her, like, there was this slight drop off. And as we, like, learn at the end of the year, she's dealing with these nagging injuries and all kinds of things. Whatever. This season, this off season, was her healthiest, and she's now coming into this season again at her healthiest, feeling at 100% in a way that she just didn't last year. And not to put too much stock in. And I was talking about this yesterday with some people, but not to put too. To. To put too much stock in, kind of like energy or like, what? Just. Just how you're evaluating a player's. How they're carrying themselves coming into a season. It's like, we got to see what they do. But there's something to the way Stewie is coming into this year that is screaming like, she's. She's in. She's locked in in a way that. I mean, I was scared. I was like. But no, being serious. Like, she just. Yeah, she's locked in in a way that. To me, knowing what she's done in past seasons, I'm like, oh, we're gonna get an MVP caliber season from Stewie. And so, yeah, I mean, I think that it's as simple as that. I just. There's the way she's coming into this year healthy. I think she's got one more MVP year in her at least. And. And this is it.
- [29:36]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I think most Brianna Stewart seasons are MVP caliber. Um, just. That's the kind of player that she is. The problem is, is that she plays at the same time as Asia Wilson, who is my pick for mvp. And I really think that, like, you know, Stewie, like, we watched her on unrivaled. She was obviously wonderful in that season, winning the championship for the Mist, getting her three ball back in a way that hasn't been in the WNBA for the last couple seasons. But, like, the WNBA is. Is all Asia Wilson cares about. Like, this is all she invests in her entire off season is working towards how she can maximize herself for this, these six months for the Las Vegas Aces. And I don't. I don't think it's a controversial take to say that Asia Wilson is the best player in the world, like, comfortably. You know, she's regarded as such. She's been the MVP the last two seasons. The fact that she didn't win MVP in 2023 was, like, such a massive shock to her system that she put on this insane postseason run and then came back and set all these records in 2024. So just all of the things that, like, how much she invests into the wnba, how much it matters to her to be at her best during this part of the year, and then the fact that, like, everything in Las Vegas revolves around Asia Wilson, right? Like, in New York, you could see games where, like, Sabrina takes over. You could see games where Jonquill takes over, or maybe even Satu. Having, you know, some big moments for this team, like, their bench is so de with Benija, Laney Hamilton, and like, Leo Feverich could have important moments. But I look at Vegas and, like, the reason they win is because of Asia Wilson. Like, it has to be because of Asia Wilson. Like, the value there is just so much higher than it is with any other team because of what they ask her to do and how the roster is built around her particular skill set. So I realized, like, there's an element of voter fatigue that happens. Nobody's won three MVPs in a row, at least I don't think so in WNBA history. And, like, it's. It's hard to see that happening. I think, like, it's possibly even voter fatigue that, like, prevented Asia from winning that MVP in 2023. But I just look at her like she's going to be on what I think is the best team in the league. She is the best player in the league. She's going to put up numbers that reflect that value. Maybe it's boring, but, like, I've started these last two seasons thinking, like, oh, Somebody's going to usurp Asia. Like, maybe it's going to be Nafisa Collier. You know, like, maybe Caitlin Clark could have a big season. I've given up that hope at this point. Like, I think. I think it's just Asia Wilson's award to lose, and I'm just not predicting that she's gonna lose it.
- [32:07]
Annie Costable
Yeah, and you know what? That's respectable. And I respect everything you just said there, and I think it's. It's actually completely factually correct. Like, nothing you said there was incorrect. If Stewie's gonna win mvp, it is going to be because Asia's not quite Asia. Like, and that you could say, anybody listening? Anybody reading my take on it could be like, oh, well, then why did you pick Stewie? And I think that's. That's just what I'm maybe predicting is like, we. We see a bit of a shake up. We'll see.
- [32:41]
Sabrina Merchant
What. I think voter fatigue is a real thing. I think voter fatigue is absolutely a real thing. We see it in other leagues. You know, it's. People just are unwilling to consistently vote for the same player over and over and over again. Like, totally.
- [32:53]
Annie Costable
But I.
- [32:54]
Sabrina Merchant
The NB, you know, and like LeBron James winning fewer MVPs than he probably should have because it was just getting boring to vote for him again and again. And maybe we get there with Asia.
- [33:04]
Annie Costable
I hope we never get there with Asia, because let me be clear. If Asia does what Asia does, she's going to get my vote for mvp. Like, I agree with you in terms of the way voter fatigue ruins things. And I didn't have a vote last year. I was working at a business outlet. I know everyone thought I got my vote taken away. It was just because I switched outlets. I wasn't covering the league in the same way. That aside, all right, I got. I. I'm assuming I get my vote back. And I'm going to vote based on what we see, not some narrative that gets created. And I know, you know, coaches and even players, like, have spoken about the preseason stuff getting in the way of who you actually pick. That's not going to happen here. At the end of the day, it's about who is most valuable day in and day out. And if, again, if Asia does what Asia does, then it's going to be her. But again, there's something about the way Stewie's coming into this year that is giving. It's giving mvp, as the kids say. It's. It's giving.
- [34:09]
Sabrina Merchant
If it were not to be Asia or Stewie. Is there anybody else, do you think that could put themselves in this conversation this season?
- [34:16]
Annie Costable
My MVP dark horse, which maybe sounds crazy to say because of, you know, her ceiling and who she is, but Caitlin Clark, I know she's coming off this injury, and so that's to me why she's such a dark horse. But. And also because of everything we just said about these two other players who, you know, we're betting are going to be in this conversation, leading this conversation. But yeah, I think, I think this is going to be the year that Caitlyn gets into that conversation in a real way. What about you?
- [34:46]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I had on my preseason ballot, Paige Beckers is third on this list behind Asia. And Stewie is sort of a toss up between her and Alyssa Thomas, who is just perennially in this conversation. But like, yeah, just behind this other two, I think Paige is just a. It's a different type of candidate because frankly, like power forwards or centers always win this award. Like, it's hasn't been a guard in a very, very long time. But if Dallas can surprise some people, you know, I think Paige is going to be at the center of all that. She has looked excellent during unrivaled USA preseason. She looks so much stronger. I wish we did Muscle Watch in the WNBA the same way we do in other sports. But like, Muscle Watch is definitely happening with Paige Beckers.
- [35:26]
Annie Costable
I'm like, what's her workout plan, girl?
- [35:28]
Sabrina Merchant
She's, she's well positioned to be in this conversation. She was already second team all debut last year. Takes a step up, you know, put her in that first team conversation and then maybe in the MVP conversation.
- [35:38]
Annie Costable
Yeah, I think that's fair. I think Paige is going to, to everything you just said have. It's hard. It's. It's not a breakout year. I mean, she, she, you know, it's
- [35:48]
Sabrina Merchant
only your second season in the years.
- [35:49]
Annie Costable
Right. Okay. The next topic we got to get into is coach of the year and I do know we disagreed here. So obviously a lot of teams heading into this season with a whole lot of expectations. The same ones that have been at the top, I think are still at the top, but with these revamped rosters. Who was your coach of the year pick and why?
- [36:14]
Sabrina Merchant
I just want to give a be brief, like, tirade on coach of the year because, yeah, I feel like the best coaches never win coach of the year. It's always just the coach who exceeds expectations. And just because your roster is trash coming into the start of the season and we Thought you like weren't going to win very many games. Doesn't mean that I think you should win coach of the year because you, you know, managed to win eight more games and like the preseason prognosticators thought possible. I really wish that it was more a reflection of hey, like this coach is just better than every other coach in the wnba. And that is how I went with my vote this year. I realized the GM survey picked Cheryl Reeve as the best coach in the wnba. I happen to believe the best coach in the WNBA is Becky Hammond. I think the last four post seasons have borne that out and I think the Aces are going to win a lot of games. So yeah, if I were to pick my coach of the year again, I'm not entirely sure this is actually going to happen because like this feels like this award is screaming for Jose Fernandez to win because Dallas is going to win a lot of games and it's going to be a massive turnaround. But I think Becky Hammond should be the 2026 Stuffing NBA Coach of the year.
- [37:18]
Annie Costable
Well, I disagree and here's why. No, I think you make a great point in terms of sometimes the best coach doesn't win coach of the Year because the expectations.
- [37:34]
Sabrina Merchant
I'm sorry, you already have Asia Wilson, like she does really good things with Asia Wilson and Chelsea Gray, like Bill Lampier was there and not doing these things with that team so well.
- [37:43]
Annie Costable
I mean it also, you know, was still early in the in the cores, you know, years in in the W. Becky definitely got the developed versions of that roster. That aside, I don't disagree with you. Becky is a fantastic coach. I picked Stephanie White and here's why coach about exceeding expectations and that sometimes is why people vote for coach of the year the way they that they do. I think that's fair, but I don't think that's necessarily fair. When we look at what Steph did last year, that roster was taken out at the knees. Talk about like mob.
- [38:24]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean literally at the knees.
- [38:26]
Annie Costable
So many of them took everybody out like they were like just, just checking everybody at the knees and she was just like next man up, next man up. And it wasn't even just about that cliche of next man up. And we're gonna go out and see what we can do. She maximized the talent of a roster that again was depleted by injuries. And the do that is if you're a good coach. You know what I'm saying? Like you lose your best player and then you continue to lose players and you still are a game within making the WNB finals. So obviously that's last year. Right. And I'm. I'm not voting for her based on last year, but I think with this healthy roster, we're going to see a. A coaching performance from Stephen that rivals last year. And so that's why, you know, going into it, she's got my vote for coach of the year, because, again, the possibilities of what she does with a healthy roster, very intriguing to me.
- [39:37]
Sabrina Merchant
How many wins do you think Indiana would have to have to make Steph White, like, really coach of the year conversation?
- [39:45]
Annie Costable
Hmm. That's a good question. Um, I don't even know if I have a solid answer for that.
- [39:55]
Sabrina Merchant
Like, the baseline different for different coaches. You know, like, I think for the. So what would be your win? Coach of the year? She's got to win, like, 36 games. You know, like, it's got to be a big number, because otherwise no one is going to be impressed with what Vegas is doing.
- [40:11]
Annie Costable
You know what? I don't disagree with that. And I think that's actually a fair standard to hold her to, because look at your roster. Like, yeah, you should be winning 36 games, or. You know what I'm saying? Like, your room for error is why
- [40:24]
Sabrina Merchant
I don't understand, like, when they actually did win 34 games out of 40 a couple of years ago and she didn't win coach of the Year, it's like, what do we want from her?
- [40:31]
Annie Costable
Right. I don't know what that was about, but it's almost like Becky and Asia are reflected in each other in terms of that the expectation of excellence is there. And I think if you're that kind of person, like, if you're as good as Becky is and you're as good as Asia is. I'm sorry, but that's a chip you wanna. You want to carry. You know, that's something you wanna shoulder. Why not? Like, everyone expects greatness from you like that. Yeah. Yeah. That's who you guys have proven to be. So I don't disagree that. I think the standard for, um, Becky is higher in terms of number of wins she has to get. I was immediately for Steph gonna say, like, 30 to 33. Um, but 30 seems low, so I don't know. Um, but that was immediately what I was gonna respond with to that question. Um, but now that I'm saying it out loud, it seems a little bit low.
- [41:31]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I mean, Carl Semesto won 30 games with Atlanta last year, and I don't think he was meaningfully in that conversation. Even if I think he finished second behind Natalie Nicase for Coach of the Year, but I would think it's going to be higher. 30.
- [41:41]
Annie Costable
Yeah, he got some decent votes last year or. Yeah, he was second. I mean, so obviously he was in the conversation a little bit, but. Yeah. So 30 doesn't make sense for. For the Fever, when you put it that way. But I don't think it's got to be the same standard as.
- [41:59]
Sabrina Merchant
I don't think it's the same as Becky.
- [42:00]
Annie Costable
Yeah, no, Becky. Sorry, you're out of. Yeah, okay. Coach of the Year, big conversation, but we've got a bigger one to talk about, and that's the 2026 WNBA championship prediction. Like we just said, a lot of the teams that have been at the top are still at the top, but who you got standing at the end? Sabrina?
- [42:23]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah, I think this is a little boring and pretty much teased based on all of the award predictions I've already made. But I've got the Aces winning the title. I think they're going to end up playing the Liberty. I really like a lot of what New York did during the off season in terms of building out that roster. I just don't think they're going to quite be ready to put it together in year one under coach Chris DeMarco. So I've got the Aces over the Liberty in six. The reason I'm giving the Liberty a couple of games is because I think their length could cause Las Vegas some difficulties, but not enough to actually win the series. What about you, Winnie?
- [42:56]
Annie Costable
I too have the Aces winning it all, but I have the Aces winning in seven against the Indiana Fever because, again, I know if you look at
- [43:07]
Sabrina Merchant
Steph White, Coach of the Year.
- [43:10]
Annie Costable
I know, I know. So now I'm, like, contradicting myself.
- [43:13]
Sabrina Merchant
It all comes together. I like it. I like it.
- [43:16]
Annie Costable
If you look at last year's semifinals series, I mean, we got a healthy Fever roster, so I just think building on that, that season, last year. Another thing, though, I'm curious about is with Caitlyn healthy, not to say that presents challenges, but you know, it. I'm just contradicting myself all over. And you're laughing like we had this
- [43:43]
Sabrina Merchant
conversation on the Contender show on Monday where, you know, Indiana makes the semifinals. They're healthy now, you'd think next step is to make the finals, but it's a different roster, right? It's a different team. It looks different and has a different identity. And so Steph's gonna have to do a different job this year than she did in 2025.
- [44:00]
Annie Costable
Right. Totally fair. But again, I think building to that point that you just made about the expectation that, you know, they build off of the semifinals, that's where my mentality was at going into this is a healthy Caitlin Clark completely changes things for them. And I could see them, yeah. Pushing that semifinals series last year to the finals and take it at the full length. So yeah, my pick was the Fever. Fever. Aces.
- [44:30]
Sabrina Merchant
Aces and seven A game seven would be wild. I think about game five a couple years ago in the finals and how just it was a rock fight, honestly. And we didn't really get to experience what a seven game series meant last year because the Aces just made, with all due respect, light work of the Phoenix Mercury. So I would be interested in seeing a longer term series this time around.
- [44:52]
Annie Costable
I mean, that series last year, I know we were all exhausted at the end of the season. We're like, okay, is this going to be over in four? But I, I truly was stunned by the ease with which the Aces handled that series last year. Um, but I gotta follow up about the championship when it comes to. Or your. Your title pick. I mean, both of we both picked the Aces.
- [45:17]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah.
- [45:17]
Annie Costable
Is this about depth, roster depth? Is this about who's got the best coach? Is this about who's got the bigger star? Like, how are you going about thinking about who is truly a championship contender? And I guess that broadens it to. To consider other teams too. But yeah. What, what do you really think about when you're thinking about who's going to be the last team standing?
- [45:43]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, it's a little bit of all of it. And I should preface this by saying that I'm on a historically bad run of predictions. So please take all of this with a grain of salt. My WMA predictions last year were not. Not good at all. And hoping to get back into the swing of things because 2024, I think I had a very good pulse of the league. So, you know, even year maybe. But when I think about, you know, championship squads, I think so much of it is like, who do I think is the best player in the series? Because that's helps cover up for a lot of the flaws that you might have. Like when you can just throw the ball to Asia Wilson at the end of the game and know that she's going to get a good shot. Like that just covers up a lot of the other deficiencies on your roster. So that's part of it. I genuinely believe that like Becky's just a shoulder above a lot of the other coaches in the league and she outmaneuvers other teams during playoff series because she thinks the game in a different way. Like, I think, you know, Steph White having coached against her, even like Nate Tibbets having coached against her last year are gonna be better for it. You know, having had to go through experience of coaching against her because Becky kind of just like pants other coaches, like, during the playoffs. Like, she's just better than them and she like, runs circles around them. So that's part of it. I also kind of like the depth that Vegas has this year. You know, you've got the core four coming back. You've got ideally a healthy Dana Evans by the end of the year. I think Bri Turner is a good depth piece. I think Kennedy Carter could be helpful for this team. You know, I think Melissa Smith has a lot more that she can do, like having a full off season, working with the Vegas staff and like, knowing how the system works. So, yeah, I think they just got a combination of everything and tiebreaker just goes to who I think is the best player, and that's Asia.
- [47:22]
Annie Costable
So what did you make of that semifinals series last year and how close it came with with the Fever? Like, what was your actual perspective?
- [47:29]
Sabrina Merchant
I think Leah Boston defends Asia better than just about anybody in the league. So that was part of it. Just like the games that she was good was really helpful, just neutralizing that part of the matchup. But I think, like, the defensive identity that the Fever had during that series is just not something that it's going to be the same with a Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell backcourt. Like, I think you're better off trying to slow down the game and get in the mud with Vegas versus playing up tempo and trying to outscore them because, let's face it, like, both of these teams can really score, you know?
- [48:00]
Annie Costable
Yeah.
- [48:00]
Sabrina Merchant
So that's sort of where I land is I think the way they played last year was just better suited to how Vegas plays than the way they might play this year. You also, like, have to get through, I think, a better New York team this year that could potentially stop them from getting the Finals, which is something that I have predicted here. And frankly, I don't expect Vegas to be as casual for parts of the season as they were last year. Like getting Melissa to start the season knowing, like, where Jewel fits at the start of the season. I think they'll just be in a better place all year long than they were a year ago because, like, even the Seattle series was really touch and go. For them, like, they could have been out in the first round pretty easily. So I know I would expect a much better version of the aces in 2026 than in 2025.
- [48:43]
Annie Costable
Yeah, I think that's a good point. Because one thing, when you look back at their stretch, where seemed rocky, to
- [48:51]
Sabrina Merchant
be honest, they were under.500, like, halfway through the year.
- [48:54]
Annie Costable
Right. What was. What was Asia's text to the team after the Links loss? If this doesn't embarrass you, don't come in tomorrow.
- [49:02]
Sabrina Merchant
I mean, I think the finals sort of made us forget how bad it was for long stretches of the Aces.
- [49:07]
Annie Costable
Yeah. And that, to me, is what. I mean now we're kind of getting sidetracked here. But that, to me, is why that championship, if I. If I'm part of that team, that one is the one that hits the hardest because of the way you had to get it done. And so I do think, to your point, they worked out those kinks last year. They have a better understanding of where each piece fits with Jewel Lloyd in the fold. And. And I think that some of the challenges that they faced last year, they're not. They're not going to face the same challenges. So to that point, I am interested in what. What hits are going to come their way because as we all know, no season is a perfect season. And despite how Monstar ish they look, that team's going to go through. That team's going to go through the mud, too. And it's just a matter of. Of how. How it's going to get thrown their way. So that's something I'm interested to see.
- [50:08]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. And I trust a team that's been together a little bit longer to understand how to weather that adversity. You know, like, I'm fascinated by New York because they have so much talent. They're going to go through adversity like everybody does. You know, they're already missing Sabrina for the first couple of weeks of the season. How does a first year head coach navigate that? Like, I think he's obviously been given this great opportunity in New York, but like a great responsibility as well.
- [50:32]
Annie Costable
Yeah. And what. Becky was the first coach to win a title in her first year. Is that. Is that correct?
- [50:39]
Sabrina Merchant
Probably since, like the first year of the wnba.
- [50:41]
Annie Costable
Right. So I think it's hard. I think it's. Yeah, it's not easy to do that. So, yeah, I'm with you in terms of the evaluation of New York, too. And it's not that they're not going to be Great. But I think it's going to take them a year in Chris's system to really maximize that greatness.
- [51:02]
Sabrina Merchant
Well, again, these are just our way too early predictions. I imagine within 10 days a lot of these could look very silly. So please feel free to point them out as they come along. You know all the things that we've missed. But we're going to come back on the other side of this break and tell you how we are starting this 2026 WNBA season.
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Annie Costable
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Sabrina Merchant
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- [52:57]
Sabrina Merchant
All right, now usually at the end of the show we like to do something called set your screens, tell you what to watch over the weekend. We've kind of hinted to that at the start of the show, but you and I, Annie, are actually going to be at games this weekend. So I figured we'd let the listeners know maybe where they can look for us and what we're going to be watching over these first couple days.
- [53:15]
Annie Costable
Yeah. So weekend one, I am in Indiana to cover the Fever and the Dallas Wings. I'm really intrigued by this matchup. As I think you mentioned at the top of the show, before we even started recording, basically the entire league, all of our peers are too, because this is really in A lot of ways, like the future of the league in terms of Caitlin Paige, these two young rosters, they're both like. It seems like they're in a race to win a title. Who's going to win it first? And so I'm. I'm happy to be reporting from Indiana this weekend and bringing you guys all the tea.
- [53:54]
Sabrina Merchant
Last four number one picks. I don't know that that's ever really happened in a basketball game before. So that's. That's pretty nuts to happen on opening weekend. Yeah.
- [54:02]
Annie Costable
Right. And where are you going to be at?
- [54:04]
Sabrina Merchant
I am going to be on Aces duty this weekend, so that means I'll be in Las Vegas for ring day. It's not night. It's a 12:30 game. So. Ring against the Phoenix Mercury, who, as we mentioned earlier, lost to the Aces in the finals last season. And then it's back to back. I'll be in Los Angeles for the Aces second game against LA on Mother's Day.
- [54:25]
Annie Costable
Sabrina is not the Aces beat reporter, despite what her schedule is indicating early in the season. But no, I mean, who doesn't want champs? Yeah. Yeah. Who doesn't want to open the season by covering the reigning champs?
- [54:42]
Sabrina Merchant
Yeah. I'm excited to see what the jewelry looks like every. I feel like every year they just up the ante a little bit. Like it becomes harder and harder to wear, but looks better, you know, in a little display case. And the Aces have increasingly large display cases for all of the success that they've accumulated over the last four years.
- [55:00]
Annie Costable
Listen, I've never won a championship ring, so I know I have nothing to stand on here, but I think all these rings, no matter what league it is, no matter what team it is, I. They're ugly. Like, they're worth a lot, but they're ugly. Like, let's be real. Who is wearing these rings? Like, I would never in my life wear any ring like that out. And you want to know what? I. I'm not a professional athlete, so I have no room to talk.
- [55:26]
Sabrina Merchant
I have worn a Lakers championship ring before, and I gotta be honest, it feels real good. So I don't really care what it looks like. There's just something about it. I'm on board. Make it as gaudy and ostentatious as possible. Because when you're just looking at, you know, the year and remembering what happened during that title run, I think. I think it's all worth it.
- [55:46]
Annie Costable
Yeah, I like looking at them. I just.
- [55:48]
Sabrina Merchant
We're here to disagree.
- [55:51]
Annie Costable
I love to.
- [55:52]
Sabrina Merchant
I rock one around Summer league once. It was a great time.
- [55:55]
Annie Costable
I'm a Libra Aries moon Cancer rising. I love to argue.
- [56:01]
Sabrina Merchant
I will just say one thing. I know it's not banner day for the Aces because they are not in their home arena of Michelob Ultra. They're going to be at T Mobile Arena. I would love for teams to stop putting world champions on their banners because it is a league that they're playing in. It is the WNBA champions. The world champions are when you play the World Cup. I think I am on the Noah Lyles thing here, but we're.
- [56:25]
Annie Costable
We're going to end this episode.
- [56:25]
Sabrina Merchant
This is where I stand.
- [56:27]
Annie Costable
We're going to end this episode disagreeing again. Because what. Like this is the world championship. When every.
- [56:32]
Sabrina Merchant
It's not the world. They're not playing, girl.
- [56:35]
Annie Costable
When every other player in every other league is like, it's my dream to play in the wnba. The WNBA is the best league in the world. That makes it the world championship. Like this is.
- [56:45]
Sabrina Merchant
There's already something called the world championship. Like, it's been established before. So I think you can just separate it. It's fine. Yeah, I'm, I'm just not on board. But whatever. They're gonna put up a banner that says world champions. That's what they've done the last three times. Last two times. I should say it's fine. Anyway, I won't be there for that. So I don't have to worry about it.
- [57:06]
Annie Costable
But Sabrina doesn't have to worry about it. She won't be there in person.
- [57:09]
Sabrina Merchant
That's all for today. Let us know if you think it's a WNBA or world champion thing. I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I just, I wanted to get it out there because when else are we going to talk about it? Thank you all for listening to our show. We're so excited to have you back for WNBA season and we'll see you back here on Tuesday to break down opening weekend. A quick reminder, check out our newsletter, no off season. Written by myself and Annie. Please sign up. The link is in the show notes and it comes out every Tuesday. And as always, please follow our show. If you're watching on YouTube, please subscribe. Tell your friends to check us out. While you're at it, give us a rating, drop us a comment. We read everything. I promise. We love to hear from you. On behalf of the Athletic and Annie Hostable, I am Sabrina Merchant. Thank you for listening and we will see you next time. No off season is hosted by Zena Keda the Chantelle Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, Blasia Clarendon and Annie Constable. It's produced by Tanika Burrell. Our executive producer is Andrea B. Scott. Monica Compton is our video editor. Our theme music is by Marcus Bogala. Shannon Ryan is managing editor of Women's basketball at the Athletic. Be sure to like and subscribe. We drop new episodes every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
- [58:17]
Capital One Announcer
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- [59:18]
Annie Costable
when you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.