September 18, 2024
Locked On Women’s Basketball: WNBA expands to Portland
By The Next
'Not only does Portland have a WNBA team, but the owners are paying $125 million for the privilege'
On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal recaps the news that the WNBA will expand westward to Portland, Oregon. Megdal analyzes the fine print of the deal and especially goes into detail about the price the new owners paid. He also goes back in time to look at some other price tags in recent WNBA business history. Later on, Megdal discusses some of the big stories currently dominating the league, like the dominance of the Minnesota Lynx.
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Megdal opens the show by discussing the breaking news out of Portland, and the financial details that accompany it. “Not only does Portland have a WNBA team,” he says, “but the owners are paying $125 million for the privilege.” Megdal wants to make sure listeners understand how stunning that number is. “To put it in perspective,” he says, “the fee for the last little while that the WNBA has been looking for folks to hit was $50 million.”
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Later on, Megdal focuses on stories currently dominating the WNBA as the regular season winds down and teams start looking towards the playoffs. Megdal debunks the idea that a team full of all-stars is any coach’s dream. “Oh well, you have all these stars,” he says. “Not so easy to do. You have to actually make it all work. Everybody needs to share the ball.” He credits head coach Sandy Brondello for managing this type of challenge with the New York Liberty. He also refers back to what head coach Cheryl Reeve called her Minnesota Lynx — not a super team, but a collective.
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After featuring some quotes from Reeve, Megdal wraps up the episode with some league championship predictions. “It would not surprise me if the New York Liberty won the title,” Megdal says. “But this Lynx team wins easily and frequently … and they’re so connected at both ends.”
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Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.
