The GIST

NBA Paris Games illustrate how women’s basketball can capitalize on French fandom

As seen from the craze surrounding Victor Wembanyama’s first NBA game on French soil yesterday, the European nation is quickly becoming a basketball hotspot. And it’s not just the NBA that stands to benefit — women’s basketball is primed to capitalize on the American sports trend of going overseas.

January 24, 2025

Warner Bros. Discovery enjoys early success from Unrivaled’s debut weekend

🏀

Unrivaled saw solid viewership numbers for its opening night doubleheader, indicating the 3v3 pro women’s basketball league is off to a strong start. Keep scrolling for some major takeaways from Unrivaled’s early numbers.

January 24, 2025

Women’s March Madness fosters financial growth one year into ESPN extension

🏀

It’s been a year since the NCAA extended its ESPN media rights partnership, which includes coverage of the women’s March Madness tournament. While women’s college hoops fans wanted it to have a separate media deal like the men’s, the tourney has still been able to make meaningful progress toward getting its athletes paid.

January 17, 2025

Coretta Scott King Classic illustrates future for tentpole holiday events in women’s sports

🏀

The College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship isn’t the only significant collegiate event on Monday — the inaugural Coretta Scott King Classic (CSKC), a first-of-its-kind women’s basketball doubleheader, will air on Fox ahead of CFP kickoff.

January 17, 2025

Sephora Canada inks Toronto Tempo sponsorship as beauty retailer expands sports footprint

🏀

Yesterday, the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo announced Sephora Canada as the team’s first founding partner and official beauty partner. It’s a major step forward for sports newcomer Sephora — which recently signed a multiyear U.S. partnership with Unrivaled — as it quickly covers ground in women’s basketball, where the next generation of beauty shoppers is sitting courtside.

January 10, 2025

Unrivaled confirms $222K average salary thanks to extensive VC, partner investment

🏀

In a recent SB Nation interview, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell confirmed the new 3v3 pro women’s basketball league boasts a salary pool exceeding $8M. That’s a $242K average salary for the league’s 33 players (and $222K if all 36 spots are filled), exceeding the WNBA’s current $214K max salary. This doesn’t consider player equity or revenue sharing, which is worth millions.

December 16, 2024

Paige Bueckers, Flau’jae Johnson, and JuJu Watkins pave the way with latest NIL wins

🏀

LSU basketball star and Puma athlete Flau’jae Johnson announced a player exclusive shoe deal on Friday, shortly after UConn phenom Paige Bueckers’ historic player edition shoe with Nike last week. These moves are the new normal in college basketball, where women are outperforming men in terms of NIL and shoe deals.

December 09, 2024

Sports Business

WNBA builds on 2024 draft success with December expansion draft

🏀

December 06, 2024

As discussed on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the WNBA is hosting its first expansion draft since 2008 today as the Golden State Valkyries post up to join the league. With today’s draft seeing historic interest from media and sponsors, the W is primed for the big leagues.

Read Full Story

The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #429

Blockbuster WNBA trade & the evolving women’s hoops landscape

January 28, 2025

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Blockbuster WNBA trade & the evolving women’s hoops landscape

Happy Tuesday!

Or should we say hoopy Tuesday because today’s episode of The GIST of It is all about the WNBA. A blockbuster three-team trade sent shockwaves through the league over the weekend, so co-hosts Ellen Hyslop and Steph Rotz are breaking down which players are on the move (hint: it’s two All-Stars) and the potential impact of this massive deal.

Then in part two, the gals keep the focus on the W, discussing the evolving landscape in women’s basketball and some free agents to keep an eye on as the offseason rolls on. Thanks for tuning in!