The 2024 WNBA season begins tonight, and you’ve probably heard that women’s basketball is having a moment. But with ratings and excitement skyrocketing around the college game, and an incoming rookie class stepping into the W, bringing along more social media followers than ever, the question is: has that moment turned into an era? 
 Hall of Famer and ESPN basketball analyst Rebecca Lobo is here to tell us how the game is evolving right before our eyes, and what Caitlin Clark and the rest of this rookie class has in store for them. Plus, she breaks down whether or not we’re heading for a rematch of super teams from New York and Las Vegas.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Women's Basketball’s “Moment” Exploded into a New Era?

Wake up to the best sports story you'll hear all day. Monday through Friday, we bring you an inside look at the most interesting stories in sports, as told by ESPN's top reporters and insiders. The breaking news of SportsCenter. The deep dive storytelling of 30 for 30. Get the very best of ESPN. Daily. Hosted by Clinton Yates.

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The teams meeting in the Stanley Cup Final this season, the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, are both trying to get over the hump. 
 For the Panthers, this is year three in their recent turnaround. Having the best record in the NHL two seasons ago didn’t get it done, and last year they fell a step short of lifting Lord Stanley’s trophy into the air for the first time as a franchise. 
 Up in Edmonton, the Oilers haven’t won it all since 1990, when a guy named Wayne Gretzky was still lacing them up. And after falling short in the playoffs themselves over the past few seasons, they are looking to bring home the cup not just for their city, but for the entirety of the nation. 
 So today, ESPN NHL reporter Emily Kaplan tells us what to watch for ahead of Saturday’s game one. 
   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who Will Get Over the Hump? Emily Kaplan Previews the Stanley Cup Final

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the WNBA continues to be a hot topic, showing fans and the world that excitement around women's basketball is expanding beyond a “moment.”  
 With all the chatter about aggression towards rookies, vet players, crazy record stats, and even team mascots dominating the floor, there is one thing that has been looming top of mind for many over the last few weeks: money. 
 The two-time reigning WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces are again at the forefront, as all twelve of the players on the team are negotiating with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) on a $100,000 sponsorship deal. A number even higher than the league salary minimum. 
 The news came as a welcome surprise to many, but also sparked an investigation from the league. So today Aces beat reporter, Callie Lawson-Freeman of the Las Vegas Review-Journal is here to share what she has been able to find out on the ground about this sponsorship and what it could mean for the league.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How a City Sponsorship Could Signal Change in the WNBA

This year’s NBA finals feature one team everyone saw coming and, according to Brian Windhorst, another we probably should have seen coming.  
 The Boston Celtics have been on a hot streak all season long –– easily claiming the league’s best record –– while the Dallas Mavericks have been pushing their way towards the mountaintop week by week. 
 Game 1 of the NBA Finals tips off Thursday night and there’s so much to think about, including how Dallas might actually have the two best players on the court, whether or not Kyrie Irving can shake his Celtics curse, and why it’s win now or maybe never for this iteration of the Celtics. 
 Brian Windhorst has been in the building with both teams as they’ve made their run through the playoffs and joins us to share what we can expect as the Finals begin.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Windhorst Previews a Fascinating NBA Finals Matchup

For years, names like Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, and Satchel Paige were well known as legends in the Negro Leagues, but unrecognized in the record books alongside their white contemporaries. Last week that changed, as a nearly quarter-century long endeavor to collect and verify decades of statistics was unveiled for the first time. The news seems to have been met with every emotion under the sun: confusion, anger, disdain, but not joy. And part of that is because many are confused as to what’s actually happening. This story was never about Josh Gibson unseating Ty Cobb as the single season batting average leader. It was about presenting the statistics of major professional baseball leagues as evidence to support the legends that played. So Today, our host Clinton Yates sits on the other side of the table and joins our very own Alex Hyacinthe to break down what this process undertook, and what this really means for baseball.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What the Negro Leagues' Statistical Integration Really Means

Major League Baseball teams have developed a habit of manipulating contract rules so as to prevent a player from realizing his true financial value. Many contend it’s all part of a player exploitation system perpetrated by the league under the guise of “maximizing efficiency.” But five years ago, while pitching for the Brewers, reliever Josh Hader and his agent employed an unprecedented strategy to fight back. 
 Today, Buster Olney joins us as we explore Hader’s story, the greater context of how MLB uses and abuses pitchers, and the impact this new tactic could have not only on their contracts, but also their long-term health.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has Women's Basketball’s “Moment” Exploded into a New Era?

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