WNBA takes a visit to Canada

WNBA takes a visit to Canada 

This weekend was another historic weekend for the WNBA as they traveled north to host the first-ever regular-season game in Canada. On Friday night, the Seattle Storm took on the Atlanta Dream at Rogers Arena in beautiful Vancouver, BC. Just last year, the WNBA ventured out and had a preseason game in Edmonton, and in 2023, they had an inaugural match in Toronto, all part of an effort to expand to Canada. On Friday night, the atmosphere was immense as the game started between the Storm and the Dream. A first-time experience for many fans because, unlike the previous years, this game mattered, and you could tell by the energy the players were giving. The game was close the whole time; neither team wanted to give up the lead. In the fourth quarter, Seattle’s Skylar Diggins took charge with 21 points during the game she helped carry the Storm to an 80-78 win. With that win, Seattle snapped a 6-game losing streak. This historic regular-season game is just the start of many more to come because next year the WNBA will be expanding to Toronto. The Toronto Tempo will become the first ever Canadian-based team in the WNBA starting in 2026, becoming the sister team of the NBA Toronto Raptors. The expansion is proof that the league is continuing to grow, and the support is felt everywhere.

Seattle Storm Unveils Sue Bird statue

This past Sunday, the Seattle Storm celebrated one of the game’s most legendary players in a special way. In the morning, the Seattle Storm unveiled the statue of long-time Seattle Storm player Sue Bird. Sue Bird, who played for the Storm from 2002-2022, dedicated her talent to Seattle. Within those 19 seasons, she won 4 WNBA titles, holds the record for most All-Star appearances, 13x, and 8x WNBA all-league. Sue Bird also holds the second-longest tenure with one team in the WNBA. After her retirement in 2022, Sue looked to join the ownership of the Seattle Storm, and in 2024, it was announced that she had officially joined the Force 10 group ownership. A player with so much success with one team, some would say it was obvious to honor her with a statue, and that's just what Seattle did. The statue was unveiled outside of Climate Pledge Arena, making it the first time in history that a WNBA player was honored with a statue in front of the team’s stadium. During Sue’s speech, she said, “People keep asking me what it feels like to be the first, and the truth is I never set out to the be first at anything, but if being the first means that I won't be the last, if this statue means that 20 years from now there will statues of other WNBA greats... then I'm proud to be the first.". A humble response from a player who has won it all throughout her career. The loyalty from both franchise and player represents a relationship that resulted in legendary success. But just like Sue Bird said, hopefully this is just the beginning of many more great players getting their statue and recognition.

NWSL Weekly Score Update:

• Washington Spirit 2-2 Racing Louisville

• Angel City FC 0-0 Utah Royals

• KC Current 0-0 Orlando Pride; this game had a four-hour weather delay due to extreme heat

• NC Courage 1-1 Portland Thorns; the Thorns’ Olivia Moultrie ties Jaedyn Shaw's record for most goals scored by a teenager in the regular season with her 13th goal.

• San Diego Wave 2-1 Bay FC

• Gotham FC 1-2 Houston; Houston came back strong after the game experienced a 2 ½ hour weather delay

• Seattle 3-3 Chicago Star; Chicago’s GK Alyssa Naeher scored the game-tying goal in the 99th minute. This was her first career goal, and she just so happened to score it on her 200th club appearance.