June 21, 2022

Daily Briefing — June 21, 2022: Prelude to a Commissioner’s Cup

Rupert, Stewie battle on June 29

Chicago head coach James Wade stands in front of the scorer's table, looking towards the halfcourt, where an out-of-focus Sky combo forward Rebekah Gardner and Connecticut Sun big Alyssa Thomas stand

James Wade and co. have had a busy offseason in free agency. (Photo Credit: Chris Poss)

It’s Tuesday. Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the W Roundup and daily Watch List. Day 37 of the WNBA season is here, featuring a preview of the Commissioner’s Cup! Today the Sky travel down to Las Vegas for a matchup that will be repeated on July 26, in the second annual Commissioner’s Cup. The Aces currently hold the tiebreaker in home seeding, but unfortunately for them, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas; if Chicago wins this game, it’s still got a chance to host the Cup. (See yesterday’s TDB for more details.)

Continue reading with a subscription to The Next

Get unlimited access to women’s basketball coverage and help support our hardworking staff of writers, editors, and photographers by subscribing today.

Join today

Elsewhere, Dallas travels to Atlanta for a rematch of the season-opener that shocked the league, Minnesota tests whether Phoenix’s improvement is real, and Elena Delle Donne ducks Nneka Ogwumike. (I jest, I jest.)

The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom

The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.

Subscribe to The Next!

But first, read:

I storied Sue Bird’s final homecoming, from the cheering crowds to teammates’ emotions
Our Lucas Seehafer looks at the hidden Lynx gem that has been the Nikolina Milić signing
Swish Appeal’s Sabreena Merchant breaks down her All-Star ballot (it’s a pretty good one, if I do say so myself)

W Roundup

Las Vegas: Center Iliana Rupert signed her rookie-scale contract, officially joining the Aces

Watch List, Tuesday, June 21

(All times in Eastern, Game Of The Day in bold)

Dallas @ Atlanta, 7 p.m., NBA TV (Local: Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Bally Sports Southeast)

Chicago @ Las Vegas, 10 p.m., CBS Sports Network (Local: WCIU, My LV TV)

Minnesota @ Phoenix, 10 p.m., NBA TV (Local: Bally Sports North Extra, Bally Sports Arizona Extra)

Washington @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., League Pass (Local: Monumental, Spectrum SportsNet)

Written by Emily Adler

Emily Adler (she/her) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.