VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France – Germany’s Satou Sabally soared from the rim, drained a 3-pointer and the 25,000-plus crowd inside the Stade Pierre Mauroy erupted. At the other end, Breanna Stewart hit a long 2, and the fans roared again.
On and on it went to the first round here at the 2024 Paris Olympics, two WNBA basketball stars as they represent their countries.
Wouldn’t it be great if this happened more often?
Unfortunately, due to the WNBA’s priority rule, which forces international players to choose between playing overseas or the W, it’s a very rare occurrence.
However, the back-and-forth between Sabally and Stewart didn’t last beyond the first quarter, as the United States women’s basketball team once again used its depth to knock off the Germans 87-68 on Sunday in the playoffs. the ultimate pool game. With the win, the United States won Group C and advanced to the quarterfinals. The next American opponent will be announced on Sunday evening.
2024 Olympic Medals: Who is leading the awards list? Follow along as we track the scores for each game.
Stewart (13 points) and A’ja Wilson (14), each a two-time WNBA MVP, led the US and crossed it in the first quarter. Off the bench, Jackie Young led all scorers with 19 points while Kahleah Copper added 9 points, going 3-of-4 from deep.
Sabally led the Germans, in their women’s basketball championship, with 15 points, while Leonie Fiebich, who plays with Stewart New York Liberty, scored 10 points. Alexis Peterson, a former of the WNBA player, scored 14 points. Sabally said he was very happy. his team, as the second seed from Group C, is heading for the quarterfinals, eager to talk about his teammates and his country.
But wouldn’t it be great if Peterson could do that at the next W? If only it were that straightforward. As Team USA’s Kelsey Plum said Saturday, “Peterson, he was at our (Las Vegas) training camp and he picked me. Someone like Peterson would definitely be a player on any W team.”
Now in its 28th season, the WNBA has a distinctly American feel, which is in direct contrast to its counterpart. The NBA has a global impact, developed by many players from overseas, many of whom have been showcased at this Summer Games, including France’s Victor Wembanyama, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. . Fans have been seen throughout the Stade Pierre Mauroy wearing NBA jerseys, boys and girls speaking rapid French or German or Dutch until they point to the court and shout “Steph Curry!”
But when asked Sunday if the game should serve as proof that the WNBA needs to go global, Sabally didn’t mince words.
“Obviously, I’m critical of the priority rule that the WNBA used,” the two-time All-Star said.
The rule, outlined in the collective bargaining agreement, forces veteran players to choose between the W season and an overseas league (such as France) that will arrive in April. Players are no longer allowed to attend WNBA training camp because they are playing overseas, where top players can make north of $1 million per season compared to the average WNBA salary of just over $100,000 .
“I think it’s very bad to beat international players … that’s unfair,” said Sabally. “I think the NBA is doing a better job of including international players, and pushing them in the media. There’s a clear divide in that … they want to keep us in the league and as of now, when It doesn’t seem like the WNBA actually supports or accepts the international game.”
Stewart, who has spent many winters playing overseas to boost his basketball income, is sympathetic.
“It’s a complicated situation,” Stewart said. “For an international player, their priority is to play in Europe. The priority is really to reduce playing in both worlds. I hope that with our new CBA we can make (the WNBA) an attractive place and more for everyone.”
Would it help if the WNBA moved to a winter schedule, when basketball is traditionally played?
“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Stewart said. “We have a lot of other things to fix and deal with before then. That will be very interesting, because that will make you choose. ”
For Sabally, the solution is obvious. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, Sabally said, has the authority to “have the feeling of wanting to include international players. In the new CBA talks, I think that could be a point that we talk about like, ‘ Hey, maybe we were too strict about priorities’ … Because you make a lot of money overseas. What do you do?”
Sabally is right. The WNBA’s summer schedule complicates things, but there are certainly compromises that can increase the league’s talent pool even more. This season, French players Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes, two favorite players of the Seattle Storm and New York Liberty, respectively, are missing the entire 2024 WNBA season because they were forced to vote.
Although there have been concerns within the NBA that the international league could turn off the average American fan, it is undoubtedly a better product when all the best players in the world are under one umbrella. So will the WNBA.
Cheryl Reeve, who is the head coach of the women’s team of the United States and the Minnesota Lynx said: “The spread of this game is our next step. “If you look at the journey of the NBA, it is clear that it is a league that more mature but – all they did is kind of what’s coming to us.
“It’s the same with the globalization of the game. As the league continues to grow and players from other countries come into the league – which I know the WNBA franchises find important for the development of list – the further we go, the more we’ll see, just like we see in the NBA.”
The WNBA likes to boast that it is the best women’s basketball league in the world. But that can’t be true as it continues to take out some of the best players in the world.
Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell
#WNBAs #priority #rule #hurting #growth #game #Olympics #proves