August 16, 2022

Daily Briefing — Aug. 16, 2022: Lynx, Sparks conduct exit interviews

'I won't miss Minnesota Lynx anything'

Minnesota center Sylvia Fowles sits behind a table that has a microphone sitting on it directed at her face, wearing a black-and-white-patterned blouse and a black bucket hat during the Lynx's exit interviews.

Sylvia Fowles during Minnesota's exit interviews, her last official responsibility as a member of the Lynx. (Photo credit: John McClellan | The Next)

It’s Tuesday. Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the W Roundup, lottery teams’ exit interviews, and another strong reading list. Day one of the WNBA postseason will be here on Wednesday, but until then, we’ve got content from the third of the league that didn’t qualify for the playoffs. And that content comes in the form of exit interviews, the team-wide media availabilities that most franchises provide once their season ends. Yesterday, Minnesota and Los Angeles conducted their exit interviews.

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From the Lynx exit interviews, we had Moriah Jefferson finding a welcome role, Kayla McBride providing proof of concept for prioritization, and Cheryl Reeve owning the team’s struggles:

Moriah Jefferson on her season after battling back from injuries and having a nice year:

"Proving that to myself was really important. … I had a really fun time playing basketball this year."#Lynx #WNBA
— Mitchell Hansen (@M_Hansen13) August 15, 2022

Moriah Jefferson said "she loves the team and loves the Minnesota Lynx" and said she would be open to the opportunity of returning next season.

"Whatever happens, happens. Whatever is supposed to happen will."#Lynx #WNBA
— Mitchell Hansen (@M_Hansen13) August 15, 2022

Kayla McBride says she's going to take some time this fall to rest and return home to Pennsylvania. "Hopefully this winter" she'll return to Turkey to play. When I asked about how prioritization will impact her decision: "I won't miss Minnesota Lynx anything." @TheNextHoops
— Lucas Seehafer (@seehafer_) August 15, 2022

Cheryl Reeve gave a long answer when asked about what went wrong with her team this year. In short, there were many reasons but the biggest? Lack of buy in. Here is just a portion of what she said: @TheNextHoops pic.twitter.com/m4wUK79L1s
— Lucas Seehafer (@seehafer_) August 16, 2022

From the Sparks’ exit interviews, we had Chiney Ogwumike hitching to her sister’s wagon, Kristi Toliver trying to continue playing, Kianna Smith going to the WKBL, and Chennedy Carter opening up to a therapist:

Chiney Ogwumike, an unrestricted free agent, during her exit interview on her future with the Sparks: "I go where my sister goes. So we’re a two-for-one at this point."
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) August 15, 2022

Kristi Toliver says "I will play next season…. I know I'm not done."
— Sabreena Merchant (@sabreenajm) August 15, 2022

Sparks rookie Kianna Smith, who is half Korean, is working on getting her Korean passport and playing for the Korean national team. She'll be playing in Korea this offseason and spending time with her extended family there.
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) August 15, 2022

She's spoken with a therapist before, but said at first she was apprehensive. "I really wanted to get a lot of things that were inside of me out. I had a lot of emotional stress, a lot of things that I felt deep down. … It was a good idea."
— Thuc Nhi Nguyen (@thucnhi21) August 15, 2022

But first, read:

Our Matthew Walter profiled A’ja Wilson’s MVP-worthy season and all that she’s done for the Aces
Winsidr’s Matt Cohen dove deep into the progression of the Dream’s season, including the .500-record first half and second-half collapse, and their offseason outlook
Our Dave Yapkowitz broke down the end of the Sparks’ season and the outlooks of their players
Women’s Health’s Nikolina Ilic talked to Mali’s Sika Kone about how she got into basketball and how it’s shaped her life
Women’s Health’s Lauren Williamson talked to UCLA Bruin Angela Dugalić about her finding basketball and meeting her heroes in the sport as she preps for Serbia in the 2022 FIBA World Cup

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W Roundup

Brittney Griner’s legal team appealed her conviction — which according to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn is mostly just to delay a potential transfer to a penal colony. HIs sources are optimistic on the prisoner-swap talks.

Not technically WNBA news, but: the Basketball Hall of Fame announced its the presenters for its 2022 inductees. Among them: Dawn Staley and Charles Barkley will be presenting former Lynx point guard Lindsay Whalen; Tamika Catchings, Teresa Weatherspoon, Tina Thompson, Isaiah thomas, and Geno Auriemma presenting Swin Cash; Cathy Rush, Lisa Leslie, and Nancy Lieberman presenting former NCAA-champion head coach Marianne Stanley; and Rush, Barkley, and C. Vivian Stringer presenting former Rutgers and Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz.

Watch List, Tuesday, Aug. 16

(All times in Eastern, Game Of The Day in bold)

None — playoffs begin Wednesday

Written by Em Adler

Em Adler (she/they) covers the WNBA at large and college basketball for The Next, with a focus on player development and the game behind the game.