It’s Hump Day Hate Day!

Folks, the thing about hate is it’s fluid. It changes. It’s completely ungovernable and can spawn out of nowhere overnight. Identifying hate requires discipline and monitoring multiple situations at once and that’s why each week I bring you a new segment entitled Under Surveillance, where I point out some storylines with hateful undertones that could possibly manifest into full blown Hater’s Guide points. So without further ado, here’s who’s Under Surveillance this week. Word to Stephen A. Smith…

What a season, amirite? Wait…it’s only JUNE you say? Could’ve fooled me because
the girls are fighting like the Lady Larry O’Brien is being wheeled out. Gonna go head
and dive right into this week’s list of who’s Under Surveillance…

Chauny and Andrew will have a video companion to this week’s Under Surveillance and will hold it down on Ball Up Top for another episode of WNBA Insider Trading! We’ll also be discussing today’s announcement that the W will be upping the regular season schedule to 50 games.

Minnesota Lynx broadcaster Sloane Martin joined Andrew on this week’s edition of Luxury Tax where the two workshopped nicknames for Olivia Miles, shouted out Courtney Williams and how Cheryl Reeve keeps building contenders…

And in podcast form! If you give us a particularly fun, creative or ethically hate-filled review (has to be five stars to be eligible!), Tyler will spotlight and read it aloud on Friday’s edition of the NCS Fan Hotline!

So in recent years, the Connecticut Sun have had a player emerge that makes
everyone ask “when tf you start actin like that?”

Previously, it was Bria Hartley.

This year it’s Diamond Miller.

Miller has been the irritant in a few clips this season and I’m like “oh…that’s an interesting route to take as developing player on a tanking franchise.” Meanwhile, her vet, Brittney Griner is still down to hard foul and or throw hands and Rachid Meziane was apparently chirping at Caitlin Clark throughout the matchup against the Fever the other day so the Connecticut Sun are just a big old ball of chaotic energy.

While Diamond Miller did provoke Marina Mabrey in their most recent mini-tussle, the
middle Notre Dame sister gets a lot of country for doing a whole lot of woofin on the
court.

She just elbowed Lexi Hull on the court in Tuesday's game, to which Hull laughed
in her face and she just takes this Crashout Queen moniker too seriously in my humble,
hating opinion. I’m ready to pack her up even if I’m at it alone because sometimes true
hate takes courage to be the first.

While I may be on an island about Mabrey, there’s a whole army against Isabelle Harrison. Her and Angel Reese were chirping all game and it came to a hedge when it initially appeared Harrison hit Reese with a German Suplex, but in actuality Reese was losing her balance somewhat and Harrison wrapped her up and forced gravity to kick in. The play was still cheap given the nature of the competition between the two throughout the game, but it wasn’t as dramatic as the reactions from the Reese’s Pieces would imply.

The two square off again on Monday in Atlanta and it is now must-see mess tv.

Speaking of reactions to cheap fouls by a stanbase, I’m just gonna say y’all got anti-
black in a hurry and that’s unbecoming of people who want to position themselves as
morally superior than certain others when it comes to this here basketball thing.

Nobody is saying remain silent and don’t make jokes, but if your guiding principle is protect black women, but the second another black woman does something you don’t like you start sounding like Don Imus…or Donna Imus (Deep W Lore: If you know, you know!) then your principles ain’t really your principles. Dream fans should definitely ride for 5 and heckle Izzy Harrison on Monday, but do so without sounding like the people you’ve tried so hard to distance yourselves from.

On the subject of fanbase that everybody and their momma hates, the first batch of All-
Star votes are in and it appears they has been vanquished. Caitlin Clark is fifth, yes fifth,
in All-Star votes. Maybe it’s the injuries, the hit pieces, the efficiency talks, the Steph
White lack of reactions, maybe it’s everything, but Caitlinmania appears to have died
down some, for now.

Jason Whitlock (or S#!tlock, depending on who you talk to) is now a ‘Haitlin’ and if that’s who we’ve staved off, then net positive for society. Now my demon can hoop in her new signature shoes peace (this is never going to happen and the dialogue will shift to Paige Bueckers having more votes, but the White Girl War is one worth engaging in). My G’oat is atop the standings, Aliyah Boston is third and honest and truthfully, all is right in my world.

I’m still working around the clock to get Han Xu a spot and if you want to join me in
making history and giving a deserving player who’s endured years of Slack Mamba
antics dimming her shine, then open your app and vote for Han Xu!

Andrew broke the voting down on YouTube here:

For WNBA players of African descent, deciding what name to go by is a choice born of pride, preservation by Sean Hurd, Andscape

WNBA increasing regular-season schedule to 50 games in 2027 by Na’Andre Emerson, Sports Business Journal

How Noémie Brochant has been a bright spot for the Phoenix Mercury by Dylan Kane, The IX Sports

And be sure to subscribe to the newsletter (or have the Ball-Knower in your life subscribe) if you haven’t already!