We don’t know anything in WNBA world yet — Elizabeth Williams talks Chicago Sky

The events of the weekend, which has spilled into the news cycles this week, are a set of rational responses from everyone involved in search of a villain. But you will not find any, with the exception, should it be uncovered that it happened, of anyone directing racial slurs at Angel Reese or anyone else. Sadly, we know those folks exist in women’s basketball spaces, online and in direct messages, saying disgusting things with regularity, whatever took place on Saturday afternoon.

Would it be surprising if it turns out that someone shouted racial slurs at a WNBA game? Of course not, and that is deeply disturbing. Would it be surprising if it turned out that didn’t happen, and a report from someone on social media led to an investigation down a dead-end alley? Of course not, and that reflects the distorted reality of social media, too, one in which the ever-more-hateful Twitter is designed to amplify. (If you’re spending any time at all on Twitter, I’d urge you to re-examine that choice. Bluesky, at least for the moment, is clearly the place to be. Not sure why teams and leagues would choose Twitter over Bluesky — we didn’t at The IX and The Next, and both our audience and social engagement grew as a result.)

The WNBA, wisely, is looking into the events at Sky-Fever, to establish what we know. That takes time. People seem mad about this, in the way these days so many people seem mad about everything all the time — mad that the league is unable to comment on what its findings are ahead of finding them, or to say how long an investigation will take while it is still happening. Cathy Engelbert is the commissioner, not Dr. Emmett Brown.

Now, the league gets to show right away how it intends to utilize its new tools in its No Space For Hate campaign. The expectations for that cannot be a true eradication of racism within what are inherently public spaces. That’s not a battle any league can preemptively win, particularly within the current American moment. But it does mean a zero-tolerance policy for any words or actions, and a swift response when it happens, are more important than ever. And sunlight — telling us all the WNBA knows once the league knows it — will be a vital, necessary disinfectant. Silence breeds conspiracy theories. This, too, is something the league must commit to not as a byproduct of No Space For Hate, but as a critical feature of it.

I caught up with Elizabeth WIlliams on this today, and I’d urge you to listen to what she has to say on it, along with all other topics we covered. But all we know for sure is that DeWanna Bonner is now third in WNBA history in scoring, and a whole lot of people watched Fever-Sky on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, we turn our attention to the games, the teams and players while we wait, and discover that here, too, we are entirely too early to know, well, anything. I attended the opener between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, a 92-78 win for New York, and the initial signs were concerning for the Aces and head coach Becky Hammon. After all, the Liberty scored 56 points in the paint, and won by double digits in a game New York shot 3-for-21 from three.

Worse still, Jewell Loyd, added to be the Kelsey Plum replacement in the backcourt, didn’t attempt a shot until the second quarter and finished 2-for-10 from the field in her debut.

“I mean, knowing Jewell, she’s not happy about her performance,” Aces star A’ja Wilson told me after the game. “But I just wanted to make sure that I could constantly be in her ear, to let her know, always remember who she is, and I don’t ever want her to get lost in that. And I’m constantly telling her, I trust her every single day with every shot she takes.”

Loyd hit six of her nine 3-point attempts in Game 2, an 87-62 win at Connecticut. Las Vegas allowed only 34 points in the paint. Is New York that good? Is Connecticut going to struggle that much? Is Las Vegas figuring it out?

No one knows yet. Take a deep breath and let’s wait and see.

Similarly, Indiana destroyed Chicago, 93-58. Boom, Stephanie White must have worked her defensive magic, and the Fever are assured of winning it all, right? Ah, Indiana loses Tuesday night to Atlanta, 91-90. What is wrong with the Fever defense? Is Karl Smesko going to win Coach of the Year honors?

No one knows yet. We’ll get more data on those questions… tomorrow. Wild horses couldn’t keep me from watching that one — Tuesday night was an instant classic! And guess what? No matter what happens Thursday night in Atlanta, even then, we won’t know! My suspicions, subject to change: Atlanta is better faster than people think, the Aces will figure out how to use Jewell Loyd to her fullest potential and New York really is that good. But I’m reserving judgement!

Delightfully, this is a 44-game season, with an expanded playoff structure. There’s more time, more drama ahead than ever before. Don’t trust the folks telling you they know anything for certain. That’s probably true in general. But it’s definitely the case right now.

This week in women’s basketball

Annie Costabile joined the Richard Deitsch podcast.

Terrific from Pam Grundy (see also in today’s Five at The IX) on Caitlin Clark.

Ari Chambers and Off Top is back! First up: New York Liberty.

Some lady named Jackie Powell has bylines at NBC Sports now, and can be heard on NPR.

Jenn Hatfield, heard on NPR, too!

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Five at The IX: Elizabeth Williams, Chicago Sky

Mondays: Soccer

By: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer

Tuesdays: Tennis

By: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer

Wednesdays: Basketball

By: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The Next

Thursdays: Golf

By: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX

Fridays: Hockey

By: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden

Saturdays: Gymnastics

By: Lela Moore, @runlelarun, Freelance Writer