Andrew is out this week so the newsletter is in my hands. I hope you haven’t gotten burnt out of hearing the innerworkings of Tyler DeLuca’s brain on the YouTube, which almost always goes back to tanking, because this week you get it in print form as well. Let’s dive in!

In Case You Missed It…

I had boots on the ground in Dallas for the Wings’ matchup with the Mystics and I left VERY moved by how Azzi Fudd performed in the matchup…

Rickea Jackson Tears ACL

Dude. This sucks. Like really really really sucks.

When Rickea Jackson’s time in Los Angeles came to an end it was clear that there was some sort of disconnect between Jackson and the coaching staff/organization. She didn’t feel appreciated. When Chicago was able to make this home run trade by acquiring her, the new setting seemed to immediately work for her.

The confidence was rising and Rickea was playing some of, if not her best, basketball of her WNBA career. Leading the Sky in scoring with 18 points per game, she not only was unlocking her individual output, but it was leading to wins as the Sky started the season 3-1.

We will see what happens now with the Sky as they lose their primary scorer for the rest of this season, but as disappointing as this is to see happen, this sample size of Rickea Jackson under Tyler Marsh in Chicago makes me incredibly confident that when she comes back that it will be the best version of Rickea Jackson the WNBA has seen yet.

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What is going on in The Fire Pit???

Not every team is going to be able to meet the bar set by the Valkyries in their inaugural season in terms of making the playoffs. But let me tell you right now, Ballhalla might be the original, but The Fire Pit is bringing legit competition.

I mean the crowd pops are loud enough that the broadcast mics can’t handle it. It sounds like a crowd pop from when the glass shatters and prime Stone Cold Steve Austin was walking down to the ring. It is genuinely nuts and has happened several times now.

At this rate, Sarah Ashlee Barker is going to become the first Portland Fire franchise legend of the franchise’s revival. From the game winner against the Liberty to the steal against the Sun late in the game leading to an and-1 layup, she is making MOMENTS in Portland’s first season back.

To me, Portland is doing expansion franchise right. Take chances on players that have been casted away by other teams, especially young ones. Establish your culture. Give the crowds moments to remember.

(Maybe just lose a couple more of these close games, that #1 pick is in the balance!)

— # (#)

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A’ja and Stewie will do this forever

“I think you and I are destined to do this forever.”

That is what The Joker tells Batman at the end of “The Dark Knight” as it becomes clear given who they are, they paths will continue to cross over and over.

Now who you might see as who in this might depend on if you are a UConn or South Carolina fan, but A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart feel like they are in the same boat as two of the most legendary characters in superhero media.

The two were named Players of the Week for their respective conferences in the WNBA’s opening week and I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind for just how much fun seeing these two face off has been.

For all the talk about the WNBA entering a new era as the attention has increased and the skill level continues to rise by the season, it is the same two players who have held down the last decade that are still battling at the peak of the league. The future of the WNBA is important, but sometimes the future looks a lot like the past.

Two players that you can’t tell the story of one’s career without the other. Two players that due to the mutual respect they have for each other, might not be heralded as the rivalry that it should be discussed as in the history books of the WNBA, but man am I grateful I have had the pleasure to cover these two players.

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