June 21, 2022

Daily Briefing — June 21, 2022: Prelude to a Commissioner’s Cup

Rupert, Stewie battle on June 29

Chicago head coach James Wade stands in front of the scorer's table, looking towards the halfcourt, where an out-of-focus Sky combo forward Rebekah Gardner and Connecticut Sun big Alyssa Thomas stand

James Wade and co. have had a busy offseason in free agency. (Photo Credit: Chris Poss)

It’s Tuesday. Welcome to The Next’s Daily Briefing, featuring the W Roundup and daily Watch List. Day 37 of the WNBA season is here, featuring a preview of the Commissioner’s Cup! Today the Sky travel down to Las Vegas for a matchup that will be repeated on July 26, in the second annual Commissioner’s Cup. The Aces currently hold the tiebreaker in home seeding, but unfortunately for them, what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas; if Chicago wins this game, it’s still got a chance to host the Cup. (See yesterday’s TDB for more details.)

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Elsewhere, Dallas travels to Atlanta for a rematch of the season-opener that shocked the league, Minnesota tests whether Phoenix’s improvement is real, and Elena Delle Donne ducks Nneka Ogwumike. (I jest, I jest.)

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But first, read:

I storied Sue Bird’s final homecoming, from the cheering crowds to teammates’ emotions
Our Lucas Seehafer looks at the hidden Lynx gem that has been the Nikolina Milić signing
Swish Appeal’s Sabreena Merchant breaks down her All-Star ballot (it’s a pretty good one, if I do say so myself)

W Roundup

Las Vegas: Center Iliana Rupert signed her rookie-scale contract, officially joining the Aces

Watch List, Tuesday, June 21

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

Dallas @ Atlanta, 7 p.m., NBA TV (Local: Bally Sports Southwest Extra, Bally Sports Southeast)

Chicago @ Las Vegas, 10 p.m., CBS Sports Network (Local: WCIU, My LV TV)

Minnesota @ Phoenix, 10 p.m., NBA TV (Local: Bally Sports North Extra, Bally Sports Arizona Extra)

Washington @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., League Pass (Local: Monumental, Spectrum SportsNet)

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.