Dr. Kate Lavelle

Professor at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, communication and sport, rhetoric, coffee, WNBA super fan!

[Minnesota Lynx @minnesotalynx]

Coach gets inducted into the @WBHOF tomorrow. the resume is UNMATCHED.

🏀 4x WNBA Champ
🏀 4x Coach of the Year
🏀 Most regular szn + playoff wins in WNBA history
🏀 2x Executive of the Year
🏀 ‘24 Olympic Gold Medalist

[Pat Borzi @BorzMN]

@minnesotalynx crowd for Pride Night: 11,610, largest of the season. "The crowd was amazing," said Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve. "We should have done it for the gays. We didn't get it done." Lynx led by six with 2:39 to play but faded late against the relentless @WashMystics. 1/

[Richard Deitsch @richarddeitsch]

Legit happy for Mike Breen and I appreciate him coming on this podcast last week to talk about calling this series.

[shireenahmed.bsky.social @_shireenahmed_]

OG won a championship with the Toronto Raptors exactly 7 years ago. Tonight he wins again with the NY Knicks.

June 13 should be OG Anunoby Day.
#NBA

[Aaron Freeman @AaronFreem]

We're hiring! 🐺

The Minnesota Timberwolves Basketball Communications Department is currently hiring a Senior Manager, Basketball Communications.

Find the job description and how to apply:

https://t.co/IwZOuB3QP8

[Richard Deitsch @richarddeitsch]

Game 1 of the NBA Finals averaged 16.9 million viewers. Most-watched Game 1 since 2018. Peaked at 19.63 million viewers in the fourth quarter.

[Cassidy Hettesheimer @cassidyhett]

Standing ovation at Target Center for former Lynx Monica Wright Rogers, now Toronto Tempo GM

[Alexa Philippou @alexaphilippou]

The difference between the last CBA and the new one:

The rookie salary for last year’s No. 1 WNBA draft pick, Paige Bueckers, was $78,831.

The rookie salary for this year’s No. 1 pick, Azzi Fudd, is $500,000.

The average first-year salary for first-round picks last year was about $75,000.

The average first-year salary for first-round picks this year is $386,000.

[bill hofheimer @bhofheimer_espn]

Salute to @MarkJonesESPN who works his final ESPN assignment today - Magic vs. Celtics (6p ET, ESPN) - after an incredible 36-year run.

Best known for his work on NBA and college football, Mark's been with ESPN since 1990 - one of our longest-tenured voices. Wish him well.

[Lindsay Gibbs @linzsports]

do the liberty have a different salary cap what is happening

[Anthony Chergosky @achergosky]

Fourth blowout victory in a row (following 2020, 2023, and 2025) for the liberal candidate in a Wisconsin Supreme Court race. Liberals secure 5-2 majority with opportunity to expand that to 6-1 next April.

[Mitchell Northam @primetimeMitch]

South Carolina vs. UCLA was the third most watched national championship game on record, peaking at 10.7 million viewers and averaging 9.9 million viewers. #ncaaW

[Richard Deitsch @richarddeitsch]

Attn: Women's Basketball fans.

UCLA-South Carolina averaged a massive 9.9M viewers.
Beat last year's 8.6 million viewers across ABC and ESPN for UConn-South Carolina.

Think about this: The national title game averaged 4.68M just four years ago.

[NCAA March Madness @MarchMadnessWBB]

In honor of the women who helped pave the way ❤️

Celebrating the 1976 USA Women's Olympic team 🫶

📺 ABC

#WFinalFour #OlympiansMadeHere

[Dr. Kate Lavelle @lenehan20]

This is the team that introduced me to the awesomeness that is US women's basketball!!

[Basketball HOF @Hoophall]

A roster full of Hall of Fame players led by Hall of Fame Coach Tara Van Derveer helped elevate the global profile of women's basketball and contributed to the launch of the WNBA. Congratulations, #26HoopClass inductees, the 1996 US Women's National Team.

[USA Basketball @usabasketball]

@Hoophall This legendary #26HoopClass includes a trio of Olympic gold medalists & the iconic 1996 🇺🇸 #USABWNT on the 30th anniversary of their gold medal in Atlanta.

https://t.co/PlNKVZmgAZ

[Bill Simmons @BillSimmons]

A Dawn/Geno brawl - the only 2026 sports moment that would have been crazier than Bam’s 83-point game.

[Lindsay Gibbs @linzsports]

Wow, I absolutely love this from Kara Lawson about being back in Sacramento, where she led the Monarchs to the 2005 WNBA championship.

"Everywhere I've gone, I've had people thanking me for winning them their title here. And I think the banner's still in the Arena Bowl."

[Annie Costabile @AnnieCostabile]

For more than a year the WNBA & WNBPA talked about reaching a "transformational" collective bargaining agreement.

Wednesday AM they did.

“I’m really excited about players coming into this league for the first time and not having a sense of lack."

https://t.co/PqwCRXTkqD

[Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds]

Here's your Olympic quote of the day, from USA Luge's Summer Britcher, who was 14th in the women's singles race tonight in Cortina:

"To be standing here heartbroken is a privilege.”

What a great sentiment.