A lot of news and history is unpacked in the latest episode of The IX Sports podcast women’s basketball edition. Cheryl Reeve became the winningest head coach in WNBA history, All-Star teams have been announced in full and two players in particular made headlines this week. What is going on with Skylar Diggins and Chennedy Carter and what happens next for the Chicago Sky and Las Vegas Aces? Later, Howard and Jackie discuss how politics have made it into WNBA circles this week. The new Obama Center will play a role at WNBA All-Star. What is this about a letter going to Cathy Engelbert from members of US Congress?And don’t miss a one-on-one interview Jackie did with the New York Liberty’s Jonquel Jones on what it means to be now a 6X All-Star. 

0:00 - Introduction 

2:18 - # 1 at The IX 

3:16 - Cheryl Reeve’s legacy 

8:47 - All-Star roster reactions 

14:46 - Jonquel Jones talks about being a 6X All-Star 

18:45 - Why Skylar Diggins got benched 

27:39 - Why the Aces waived Chennedy Carter 

31:46 - Obama Center X WNBA 

34:17 - Why was there a letter from Congress to protect Caitlin Clark?

Thumbnail Photo Credits: 

Left: Chicago Sky guard Skylar Diggins (4) reacts against the Toronto Tempo during the first half at Wintrust Arena. Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Right: Chennedy Carter (2) drives the ball  during the WNBA game between the Las Vegas Aces and the Connecticut Sun at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, USA on May 15, 2026. Photo Credit: Chris Poss

Links to click that are referenced throughout the show: 

Howard’s column on WNBA All-Star

https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/wnba-all-star-rosters-are-pretty-much-fine-jonquel-jones-talks-all-star-selection/

Who were Jackie’s snubs?

https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-notebook-2026-all-star-snubs-and-who-could-make-it-as-replacements

Alissa Hirsh on Skylar Diggins being benched: 

https://chicago.suntimes.com/chicago-sky/2026/07/06/skylar-diggins-caught-off-guard-by-benching-as-tension-builds-with-sky

Callie Fin provides context on Chennedy Carter’s time with the Aces: 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/wnba/2026/07/08/why-the-las-vegas-aces-moved-on-from-chennedy-carter/90844488007/

Cassandra Negley writes on Caitlin Clark being used as a pawn: 

https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/caitlin-clark-has-become-a-pawn-in-everyones-game-but-what-about-her-own-155901665.html

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Host Kathleen Gier starts this episode with the news that Gotham FC is moving to Queens in 2028. The team has been playing in New Jersey, but will build a new 25,000-seat venue. Then, Kathleen dives into the last week of NWSL scores and how they've affected the standings after the break.

Links:

https://www.theixsports.com/features/nwsl-returns-sanchez-goals-utahs-streak-broken-gloom-louisville/

https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/san-diego-wave-melanie-barcenas-honors-idol-alex-morgan-with-cheeky-celly/

Photo credit: David Banks | Imagn Images

Video credit: Kansas City Current, Portland Thorns

Lamar Women’s Basketball coach Aqua Franklin starred as a high school hooper in East Texas before matriculating to Texas A&M, where she was a three-year captain and two-time All-American honorable mention. She led the Aggies to their first-ever Big 12 championship, an Elite Eight, and was named to the school’s Hall of Fame in 2018.After spending a few seasons in the WNBA, Franklin moved to the bench, where she learned under some of the best program builders in the country, including Gary Blair and Vic Schaefer. Now, she finds herself at Lamar, where she has been the head coach since 2019. Under her guidance, the Cardinals have won at least 20 games each of the last four seasons, and were Southland Champions in 2024.In this episode, Coach Franklin walks us through what it means to coach in the mid-majors in this era of NIL and revenue sharing, how she’s successfully kept her players in Beaumont year after year, the excitement she feels for the coming season, and the hilarious story of how she ended up at Lamar in the first place.

Merry off-season, podcast listeners!

The entire PWHL is taking a much-needed week off, but there's still news to talk about. Montréal Victoire's captain and playoff MVP, Marie-Philip Poulin, announced that she will be undergoing knee surgery and is out for the foreseeable future. What does that mean for Montréal and why is it going to take so long? Maya breaks all of that down in the #1 at the IX.

Then Maya gives a recap of the other PWHL headlines of the week, including a few of the players at NHL development camps this week, like Chloe Primerano and Abbey Murphy. She also talks about the recent signings and what they might mean for teams going forward.

Finally, she kicks off an off-season series doing a deep dive into each PWHL team and where they stand heading into next season. Starting with the Vancouver Goldeneyes, Maya talks about who is under contract, some key question marks, like whether Claire Thompson will re-sign, and what pieces they need to figure out before training camp begins.

Dylan's article on Montréal's future without Poulin: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-montreal/how-the-montreal-victoire-are-built-to-withstand-marie-philip-poulin-absence/

Maya on the Golden V Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1869778/episodes/19419041-maya-smith-the-ice-garden-vancouver-goldeneyes-pwhl-catchup

Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport

Photo credit: PWHL

It was a wild day and some change in the WNBA and Jackie Powell and Howard Megdal broke it all down. They start at the game that was actually played on Tuesday night, the Liberty vs. Aces for the Commissioner’s Cup Championship and then address the off-court drama that is still brewing in the aftermath of Alyssa Thomas’ suspension. The IX Sports’ Dylan Kane joins the show to explain what we learned from Thomas addressing the media for the first time since the suspension where she called out the league after receiving threats over the Caitlin Clark incident. And then her former head coach Stephanie White, who is now on the Fever side, condemned the racist attacks that her former player Thomas has been receiving. And finally for court vision, Jackie and Howard return to this idea of head coaching in the WNBA and who and what credentials are actually ones that lead to success. Becky Hammon spoke passionately on Tuesday about why the lack of women being hired in the NBA are influencing what we are seeing now in the WNBA.

0:00 - Introduction

1:57 -  # 1 at The IX

3:03 - Takeaways from the Liberty’s Commissioner’s Cup win

13:24 - Dylan Kane joins the show to discuss Alyssa Thomas speaking out on death threats following her one game suspension 

21:34 - Fever head coach Stephanie White responds to Thomas’ frustrations and agrees with them

25:41 - How did Nate Tibbetts talk about this?

28:32 - Court Vision: Revisiting how head coaches get jobs in the WNBA with thoughts from Becky Hammon about the NBA’s role in this

Left: New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) waves to the crowd after being named the game MVP after winning the Commissioners Cup Championship against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center. Photo Credit: John Jones | Imagn Images

Right: New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) reacts after winning the Commissioners Cup Championship against the Las Vegas Aces at Barclays Center. Photo Credit: John Jones  | Imagn Images

Links to click that are referenced throughout the show: 

Howard’s takeaways from Commissioner’s Cup championship: 

https://www.theixsports.com/newsletter/live-from-new-york-liberty-assert-who-they-are/

Dylan Kane on Alyssa Thomas speaking out 

https://www.theixsports.com/the-ix-basketball-newsroom/wnba/alyssa-thomas-wnba-threats-caitlin-clark-incident/

Jackie on someone who needs to be considered for a WNBA head coaching job: 

https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-spotlight-roneeka-hodges-has-earned-her-shot

Howard wrote about coaching back when Hammon was first hired by the Aces: 

https://www.legends-mag.com/wnba-legends-breaking-barriers

Cheryl Reeve brings up the idea of a coaching diversity taskforce: 

https://youtu.be/C9gp5GUxLec?t=247

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Host Kathleen Gier and guest Thomas Costello recap Gotham FC's 2-0 win against the Kansas City Current in the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup, and discuss Gotham FC's big new addition in Sam Kerr. They also talked through a couple of the big storylines they'll be watching as the NWSL returns to action this week.

Follow Thomas Costello:

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Photo credit: Barbara Perenic | Imagn Images

In this episode of The IX Sports Podcast: College Basketball Edition, hosts Melissa Triebwasser and Michael Waterloo sit down with On3 National Reporter Talia Goodman to break down a chaotic women's college basketball offseason. With the transfer portal dust finally settling, the conversation offers an insider's look at the moving pieces shaping the upcoming 2026–2027 season.The trio dives into Talia’s preseason Top 25 rankings, analyzing major roster overhauls at programs like Oklahoma State, Tennessee, and UCLA. Talia shares her journey to becoming a premier national news-breaker and talks about a power-balance shift in the Power Four and which mid-majors she's keeping up with, along with much more!

Jackie Powell rides solo this week hosting The IX Sports Podcast Women's Basketball Edition. First she reflects on the latest discourse surrounding WNBA officiating especially following contact between Alyssa Thomas and Caitlin Clark on Wednesday night. Was the league right to fine and suspend Thomas? What did we learn about the state of the WNBA following the situation. Later Jackie is joined by Lucas Seehafer, the creator of The IX Sports' WNBA injury tracker. The two discuss why injuries are up right now in addition to what provisions the new CBA has to address player health, safety and injuries. And last but not least, Jackie shares with listeners how she made her own WNBA All-Star ballot, including which players she chose.

0:00 - Introduction

1:52 - # 1 at The IX

4:59 - Spotlighting pieces from Seerat Sohi and Maitreyi Anantharaman

10:57 - Layshia Clarendon on physicality in the WNBA

16:07 - Lucas Seehafer joins the show to discuss the current state of WNBA injuries

24:57 - What does Lucas make of the WNBA expanding to 50 regular season games?

27:55 - How can the new CBA help with player health and safety?

33:21 - Jackie Powell's All-Star ballot process

35:40 - Marina Mabrey's unifying story

Photo Thumbnail:

Left: Phoenix Mercury Alyssa Thomas (25) talks to a teammate across the court during a game against the Seattle Storm at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix, on June 20, 2026. Photo Credit: Diannie Chavez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Right: Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts in the first half against the Phoenix Mercury at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Photo Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images.

Links to click that are referenced throughout the show: 

The WNBA’s Problem Isn’t Caitlin Clark. It’s Trust. by Seerat Sohi’s 

https://www.theringer.com/2026/06/26/wnba/caitlin-clark-foul-alyssa-thomas-wnba-cathy-engelbert

Don’t Let Bored Football Fans Tell The Story Of Caitlin Clark’s Season by Maitreyi Anantharaman

https://defector.com/dont-let-bored-football-fans-tell-the-story-of-caitlin-clarks-season

Jackie’s WNBA All-Star ballot explanation: 

https://www.nbcsports.com/wnba/news/wnba-2026-all-star-game-olivia-miles-rhyne-howard-featured-in-jackie-powells-ballot

Lucas Seehafer’s WNBA injury tracker: 

https://www.theixsports.com/features/wnba-injury-tracker-who-gets-hurt-how-often-and-why-it-matters/

Layshia Clarendon on physicality in the WNBA 

https://youtu.be/dYDDrLSRig0?si=5AMIy0D6ks7WpYx0

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Free agency is more frenzied than ever, and the PWHL has its first outside investors.

Host Maya Smith and guest host Alyssa Turner start by talking about the new investments. Kilmer Sports Ventures and Ilitch Companies have both invested in the league, with the investments being upwards of $100m. But the league isn't turning a profit. What does this mean, and is it to be expected?

Then, they break down some of the biggest free agent moves, including Emma Maltais heading to the Montreal Victoire, and her thoughtful TikTok about her experience in Toronto. They also talk about Blayre Turnbull's pregnancy and what that means for the Toronto Sceptres.

Read more about the new investors: https://www.theixsports.com/the-ice-garden/pwhl/pwhl-announces-historic-first-outside-pwhl-investors/

Watch Emma Maltais' TikTok: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSCFP4Njx/

Follow Maya on X: https://x.com/mayaxeverysport

Follow Alyssa on X: https://x.com/aturnz11

Photo credit: PWHL

Host Kathleen Gier reports from Kansas City, where the Current signed two-time MVP and Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga to a contract extension through the 2029 season. She shared a clip from coach Chris Armas' availability and discussed the team's upcoming appearance in the Challenge Cup as well.

Photo credit: William Purnell | Imagn Images

Video credit: Kansas City Current