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Heidrick starts the show off by describing the successes of the All-Star break over the weekend. She touches on not only the game but also the additional festivities, like the 3-Point contest and the Skills Challenge. She also addresses the big news — Caitlin Clark‘s absence. “She was going to be able to play, but wasn’t able to participate because of that ongoing groin injury,” she explains. But, as Heidrick continued, the All-Star weekend still “brought all of the drama, and [was] a really great exposure and display of what makes this league so good.”
Later on, Heidrick provides some thoughts on the latest collective bargaining updates from the league. “More than 40 WNBA players gathered, including the likes of Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, the leadership of the Players Association,” Heidrick says. “They met for a meeting with the league to discuss the ongoing negotiations … It marks the largest in-person talks they’ve had about the CBA, and … That speaks volumes to the thought that these players know they need to be in the same room, that they have to have one united voice.”
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To close out the show, Heidrick talks about the controversial officiating that has caused problems for the WNBA this season. “There’s been times where no one really cared, but now we have more people watching,” Heidrick says about the increase in foul calls this season. “There’s more eyes on the game. There are more people tuning in. … It becomes a thing that people are more aware of.”
To stay up to date with every episode of the podcast, subscribe on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch up on all our WNBA coverage here.
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Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, released his latest book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.
If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.