Sports
Anonymous WNBA poll reveals more players want roster spots over expansion – The Athletic
WNBA
On Sunday, the WNBA regular season will come to a close. Eight teams will have made the playoffs and four will have not. A much-anticipated postseason will then begin, with that eventually giving way to another offseason full of player movement.
Conversations about where players want to play will then ensue. The Athletic has been polling players around the league for several months for our WNBA Confidential series, collecting their thoughts on players, coaches and franchises, as well as issues facing the WNBA. Earlier this week, we published who players thought is the best player in the league right now and who they think it will be in five years. Part II provides some insight into how some players regard the league’s top teams. It also touches on one of the premier issues in the sport.
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For this poll, about one-third of WNBA players participated, a total of 46 players, including players from all 12 teams. They were granted anonymity so they could be as forthright as possible.
Not every player answered every question, but you’ll get a good idea of the players’ perspectives.
This was one of the questions in our poll that players were the most split on. One reason might be that it’s possible the two possibilities are not mutually exclusive. (There’s no reason that league expansion couldn’t also come with increased roster sizes.)
Some players who said the league should expand team rosters in the short term also noted the WNBA should “develop from within” and improve the current conditions of franchises before expanding to new markets. Of those who said expansion should be prioritized, one of the main appeals was the benefit of expanding into new markets.
More teams
• “It would be cool to bring a WNBA team to a new city.”
• “More teams, more cities.”
• “I just think expansion is needed.”
• “Make it more fun. Show the game.”
More roster spots
• “I feel like we should expand our rosters before we get whole new organizations, but our league tends to do things backwards a lot.”
• “Because I think (having more teams) would water it down a little bit too much. I think that if you add two spots, we’re adding the same amount (of players), and every single team is in hardships every single year so we definitely need more roster spots, and I don’t think we can handle both right now. Of course, I want to see expansion long-term, but in the short-term, I think roster spots.”
• “Adding more teams when things aren’t together already in-house, it’s just going to be two more teams added into the mess that’s already here. So take care of the players that you have. Make sure things are in place before we expand to other teams joining the markets. We want quality.”
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• “There’s still opportunities to develop from within. If you want to add teams, you want to be able to do it right and provide a quality experience, and I don’t know if that’s the case right now.”
• “It’s the easier thing to do right now.”
• “Right now, we don’t have charter flights and you want to add another team and hypothetically, what if it’s in Canada? Do you know what that travel looks like for us? So I would think a 15-man roster with charter flights solves a lot of problems. I mean, we would be quiet. I promise you.”
• “Looking at all of the teams now and how many people are injured and out, it’s like teams are only playing six or seven players at a time. And if you have a roster (limit) of 15, you can suit up 12, so if you know someone needs extra rest, now you already got someone who’s in the system. And by expanding that way, now we get even more exposure because now it’s like, Oh s–-! We have all of these players, now we can build out. The more players we have per team, the more people are gonna come and watch.”
Becky Hammon, last year’s Coach of the Year, was the most common answer by players. The Hall of Fame player turned championship-winning coach is only in her second year with the Aces, but it’s clear her impact has been felt by players beyond Las Vegas.
Beyond Hammon, players didn’t seem to have a clear consensus. As The Athletic polled players about coaches, some even struggled to name each of the league’s 12 coaches. Players were also asked which coach other than their own they would least want to play for, but most claimed they did not know enough about enough other coaches to attempt an answer.
Players could not vote for their own coach.
• “It seems like a lot of (Hammon’s) players, no matter who is out there, are very confident.”
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• “I think (Hammon’s) pretty dope. I think she lets her players play pretty free.”
• “Becky is the top of the top.”
• “I think Tanisha Wright holds them to a pretty high standard.”
• “Brondello’s just won with every team that she’s been with, and she’s coached a lot of great players. She’s been around a long time. I think she’s good with coaching different personnel, so I would think she could find a way to make me successful.”
• “(Stephanie White’s) experience and the way that she treats her players and the culture that she’s building is something that every organization should have.”
At this point, it’s well known the Aces are one of the franchises currently at the top of the league in terms of overall investment. The team unveiled a 64,000-square-foot practice facility this year, and briefly attempted (before the WNBA put a stop to it) to use a public charter operator earlier this season to improve its in-season travel experiences. It’s not entirely surprising then that last year’s champions were the most common answer to this question.
Despite not qualifying for the postseason in each of the past two years, the Los Angeles Sparks also remain an appealing place to play among those we surveyed. In most instances, part of the appeal was simply its location, the warm weather and the Sparks’ history of success.
Players could not vote for their current teams.
• “All the good vibes. They have a lot of fun over (in Las Vegas). Not even just playing, just being around over there.”
• “I would love to play for Vegas.”
• “Los Angeles, because I was always a Candace Parker fan.”
• “I love Curt. I love what he does. I think he’s a phenomenal coach.”
• “(The Liberty) are clearly putting money into their roster and organization.”
• “Honestly, (the Liberty), because of the city. Also, because they play in an amazing gym.”
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— The Athletic’s James Boyd contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: The WNBA Confidential series is part of a partnership with Michelob ULTRA. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
GO DEEPER
Trotter: Becky Hammon was built for the championship moment, just like her players
(Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos of Curt Miller and Becky Hammon: Chris Marion / NBAE via Getty Images, Zach Bolinger / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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