🏀🌴 Get Ready fo’ da 2023 W.N.B.A. Season: Superteams, New Rules, An’ Griner’s Comeback!
Da W.N.B.A. goin’ kick off da 27th season dis Friday, an’ get plenny kine stuffs fo’ look out fo’. New rules, new teams, an’ one big comeback, here’s da scoops, bruddahs an’ sistahs.
🎉🏀 Our sista Brittney Griner is back! After almost 10 months stuck in Russia, she’s back on da court. She went get caught up in one big mess last season, when Russia wen’ put her in jail on drug charges in February 2022. But afta getting sprung in one prisoner swap in December, she took time fo’ heal an’ den wen’ sign one one-year contract fo’ come back play with da Phoenix Mercury.
😅 Griner neva played any ball during her time in da slammer an’ she still trying fo’ get back in da game shape. She an’ da Mercury goin’ start their season on Friday against da Sparks in Los Angeles.
⭐🤝 Supa stars teaming up! Off-season wen’ be all about da free-agent signings an’ trades dat wen’ set up maybe two superteams: da Liberty an’ da Las Vegas Aces.
🗽 Da Liberty wen’ do tree big kine moves. First, dey traded with da Connecticut Sun fo’ Jonquel Jones, da league’s MVP in 2021. Next, dey got one of da top free agents: Breanna Stewart, da 2018 M.V.P., who had won two championships in Seattle. Da last move, dey wen’ sign da league’s top assist leader, Courtney Vandersloot. All these tree going join Betnijah Laney an’ Sabrina Ionescu who each made an All-Star team.
🎰 Da current champions, da Aces, already get choke talent: A’ja Wilson, da M.V.P. from last year (an’ she also won in 2020); Chelsea Gray, da 2022 finals M.V.P.; an’ fellow All-Stars Jackie Young an’ Kelsey Plum. But dat no’ enuf, dey went an’ signed Candace Parker, da two-time M.V.P., two-time champion an’ seven-time All-Star. They also wen’ pick up veteran Alysha Clark, who got two titles with Seattle.
Da rest of da league ain’t scared of da superteams. But still, da Aces an’ Liberty da ones da bettors think going win ’em all.
🌟👶 Da rookies lookin’ fo’ make their mark. Some of da newest W.N.B.A. players just wen’ pau their college careers couple weeks ago. How they make da switch going be crucial fo’ how their new teams do.
Aliyah Boston was da easy pick fo’ da Indiana Fever as da No. 1 overall pick in da April draft. Boston, who led South Carolina to a national title in 2022 and back to da Final Four dis year, supposed to be da main piece fo’ da Fever as they rebuild. With da second pick, Minnesota wen’ draft Diamond Miller, who led Maryland with almost 20 points a game in da 2022-23 season. Haley Jones, da No. 6 pick in da draft, was a leader for four years at Stanford, including da Cardinals’ 2021 title run.
📜🔄 New rules adding more spice. Da league also wen’ update its rule book dis off-season.
W.N.B.A. coaches now can challenge one — an’ only one — call per game. Refs also can now ding players fo’ fouling during a fast break without making a legit play on da ball. Fo’ dis, da offensive team going get one free throw, an’ keep control of da ball.
Da W.N.B.A. also get new guidelines fo’ behavior on da sideline. Fo’ keep things running smooth an’ keep da distractions down, da league telling players who not in da game dat they cannot stand up fo’ long time. Players an’ coaches also cannot “attempt to distract their opponents in an unsportsmanlike manner.” Teams could get one warning for delay-of-game or a technical foul for breaking dis rule.
So dat’s da lowdown on da up and coming W.N.B.A. season. Gonna be one wild ride, dat’s fo’ sure! 🏀🔥
NOW IN ENGLISH
🏀🌴 Get Ready for the 2023 W.N.B.A. Season: Superteams, New Rules, and Griner’s Comeback!
The W.N.B.A. is about to kick off its 27th season this Friday, and there’s plenty to watch out for. New rules, new teams, and one major comeback, here’s the scoop, guys and gals.
🎉🏀 Our sister Brittney Griner is back! After almost 10 months held in Russia, she’s back on the court. She got caught up in quite a mess last season when Russia put her in jail on drug charges in February 2022. But after being released in a prisoner swap in December, she took time to heal and then signed a one-year contract to come back and play with the Phoenix Mercury.
😅 Griner didn’t play any ball during her time in prison and she’s still working to get back into game shape. She and the Mercury are going to start their season on Friday against the Sparks in Los Angeles.
⭐🤝 Superstars are teaming up! The off-season was all about the free-agent signings and trades that might have created two superteams: the Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces.
🗽 The Liberty made three big moves. First, they traded with the Connecticut Sun for Jonquel Jones, the league’s MVP in 2021. Next, they landed one of the top free agents: Breanna Stewart, the 2018 M.V.P., who had won two championships in Seattle. The final move was signing the league’s top assist leader, Courtney Vandersloot. All these three are going to join Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu who each made an All-Star team.
🎰 The current champions, the Aces, already have a bunch of talent: A’ja Wilson, the M.V.P. from last year (and she also won in 2020); Chelsea Gray, the 2022 finals M.V.P.; and fellow All-Stars Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. But that wasn’t enough, they went and signed Candace Parker, the two-time M.V.P., two-time champion, and seven-time All-Star. They also picked up veteran Alysha Clark, who won two titles with Seattle.
The rest of the league isn’t afraid of the superteams. But still, the Aces and Liberty are the ones that bettors think are going to win it all.
🌟👶 The rookies are looking to make their mark. Some of the newest W.N.B.A. players just finished their college careers a few weeks ago. How they make the transition will be crucial for how their new teams perform.
Aliyah Boston was the obvious pick for the Indiana Fever as the No. 1 overall pick in the April draft. Boston, who led South Carolina to a national title in 2022 and back to the Final Four this year, is expected to be the main piece for the Fever as they rebuild. With the second pick, Minnesota drafted Diamond Miller, who led Maryland with nearly 20 points a game in the 2022-23 season. Haley Jones, the No. 6 pick in the draft, was a leader for four years at Stanford, including the Cardinals’ 2021 title run.
📜🔄 New rules are adding more spice. The league also updated its rule book this off-season.
W.N.B.A. coaches can now challenge one — and only one — call per game. Refs can also now penalize players for fouling during a fast break without making a legit play on the ball. For this, the offensive team will get one free throw, and maintain control of the ball.
The W.N.B.A. also has new guidelines for behavior on the sideline. To keep things running smoothly and minimize distractions, the league is telling players who aren’t in the game that they cannot stand for a long time. Players and coaches also cannot “attempt to distract their opponents in an unsportsmanlike manner.” Teams could get a warning for delay-of-game or a technical foul for violating this rule.
So that’s the lowdown on the upcoming W.N.B.A. season. It’s going to be a wild ride, that’s for sure! 🏀🔥
