The WNBA Finally Has Stars. Why Is It Fighting Them? | The Riley Gaines Show
Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham are giving the WNBA exactly what every league says it wants: attention, rivalry, ratings, personality, memes, and real fan emotion. So why does the league keep looking uncomfortable with the very energy that is making people watch? On this episode of The Riley Gaines Show, Riley breaks down Clark’s return to elite form, the Fever’s surge, the technical foul controversy, and Sophie Cunningham pushing back on the
Another night, and another "Only in the WNBA" moment. Thankfully, this one had nothing to do with racism, men playing women's sports, or Angel Reese missing a 2-foot layup.
Nope. This one was just some good, clean family fun from last night's Phoenix-Atlanta game.
For those who missed it (and that's literally all of you), the Dream took down the Mercury, 96-82, in a back-and-forth contest. Reese finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
But I don't care about the Xs and Os of last night's game. What I care about is what transpired late in the game, when Kelsey Plum went barreling down the court, veered too much to the bench, and ended up in the arms of opposing coach, Karl Smesko.
You're simply not getting this sort of content out of the NBA, folks.
Soak it all in:
WNBA relies on moments like these
What a scene. What a moment.
What a league!
Every night, it's something new. Most of it's ... not great ... but it's still a talker, and that's all that matters. Yesterday Sophie Cunningham went on some long rant about how WNBA beat reporters don't ever talk about basketball.
Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces appears on the WNBA Live Orange Carpet at the Convention Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on July 18, 2024. (NBAE via Getty Images)
Of course not, Sophie! The basketball ain't what makes the WNBA compelling. Sure, some of the games are good, but most of them are terrible. The officiating is terrible. The matchups are terrible.
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We want to break down the other stuff. Stuff like Kelsey Plum leaping into a coach's arms and putting all of her faith into him.
Stuff like Angel Reese saying black Barbie dolls didn't exist until the 2000s.
Kelsey Plum of the Phoenix Mercury looks on during a game against the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Aug. 3, 2026. (Getty Images)
Stuff like Caitlin Clark getting mugged with no foul being called, or Sophie Cunningham pointing at some obnoxious player, or ESPN drooling over a coach wearing a pro-trans shirt.
THAT's the stuff that gets eyeballs. Fair or not, it's a fact. It's the truth.
Plum, by the way, had a monster game last night. She finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists. Good for her.
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All social media could talk about, however, was the leap. I get it.
