No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show Episode: WNBA Player Poll: Face of the League in 5 Years
Release Date: July 15, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of No Offseason, hosted by Zena Keita, Chantel Jennings, Sabrina Merchant, and Ben Pickman, the team delves deep into a revealing player poll they conducted among WNBA athletes. The focus is on identifying the league's best player, forecasting the future face of the league, and spotlighting the most underrated talents in women's basketball. This episode is packed with insightful discussions, player perspectives, and expert analysis, making it a must-listen for enthusiasts eager to understand the current dynamics and future trajectory of the WNBA.

Team Standings Update

Before diving into the player poll, the hosts recap the significant shifts in team rankings over the past weekend.

• Sabrina Merchant highlights a dynamic week: "Dallas slid down from 8 to 12, Washington jumped up from 10 to 4, and Phoenix went all the way from number 5 to the top of the scale" (03:07).

• Sabrina attributes Phoenix's rise to their defensive prowess and standout performances by Alyssa Thomas:
  “I think just the way that Alyssa is playing, the level of dominance that Phoenix exhibited both in that game against Dallas and then the win against Minnesota is really what propelled them to the top” (03:30).

• Ben Pickman praises the Washington Mystics' underappreciated performance:
  “They are 11 and 10 in the playoff conversation... They play incredibly hard. The two rookies... both made the All-Star team” (05:27).

Player Poll Insights

The core of the episode revolves around the results and implications of the recently conducted player poll among WNBA athletes.

Best Player in the League

• Sabrina Merchant introduces the poll constraints: players couldn't vote for themselves or teammates, encouraging unbiased selections (14:22).

• Results:

  • Nafisa Collier leads with 17 votes.
  • Asia Wilson follows closely with 15 votes.

  Sabrina notes the evolution from previous polls where Asia was second to Nafisa now taking the lead:
  “Nafisa has apparently done enough individually to be regarded among her peers at least as the best player in the league currently” (15:34).

• Ben Pickman emphasizes the tight competition and surprises in the results:
  “Asia could have definitely been number one here... it was just more telling about how close of a race it was” (17:43).

Face of the League in 5 Years

• Sabrina Merchant reveals that Caitlin Clark dominated this category with 26 out of approximately 40 respondents predicting her as the future face of the league (21:59).

• Ben Pickman discusses the prominence of Juju Watkins, despite her not yet being in the WNBA:
  “Juju's in all these commercials... her brand is well positioned to grow” (24:09).

• Zena Keita and Ben explore the interplay of marketability, player performance, and societal factors in shaping the league's future icon:
  “The face of the league have historically gone to people that are aesthetically more palatable...” (31:32).

• Zena concludes with an optimistic view on diversity and representation:
  “This is how the growth happens, guys. This is where we're at here” (32:59).

Most Underrated Player

• Zena Keita and Sabrina Merchant discuss the wide array of responses, highlighting the complexity in defining "underrated."

• Alicia Gray emerges as the most mentioned underrated player with five votes, despite being a three-time All-Star starter (35:34).

• Other notable mentions include Gabby Williams, Kayla McBride, and Skyler Diggins, each receiving three or four votes, underscoring their significant yet underrecognized contributions on the court (38:17).

• Ben Pickman underscores the multifaceted nature of being underrated:
  “It's this weird mix of who's a good player or a great player who then maybe doesn't have the public presence...” (38:28).

Key Discussions and Insights

• Impact of Supporting Casts:
  Zena Keita ponders how supporting teammates influence individual player recognition:
  “I wonder if there was a way to ask... how players may have evaluated this” (20:02).

• Marketability vs. Performance:
  The hosts delve into the balance between a player's on-court excellence and their off-court marketability, discussing examples like Brianna Stewart and Asia Wilson.

• Diversity and Representation:
  Zena Keita highlights the evolving landscape of the WNBA, emphasizing how diverse representations are expanding what it means to be the face of the league:
  “That's why I think the face of the league conversation is going to continue to expand” (32:59).

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with the hosts encouraging listeners to stay tuned for more insights as the season progresses. They emphasize the importance of ongoing conversations about player recognition, marketability, and the future of the WNBA.

Notable Quotes:

• Sabrina Merchant: "Nafisa has apparently done enough individually to be regarded among her peers at least as the best player in the league currently." (15:34)
• Ben Pickman: "Juju's in all these commercials... her brand is well positioned to grow." (24:09)
• Zena Keita: "This is how the growth happens, guys. This is where we're at here." (32:59)

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