The WNBA will have a replay center similar to the NBA next season, commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced at her state of the league press conference Saturday before the All-Star Game.
Officiating has been a hot topic around the league for the last few seasons since Caitlin Clark’s arrival, with physical play being a major point of contention. The league put together a task force in the offseason to help clean up some of the physicality in the game.
Most notably, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas delivered a vicious strike to Clark’s throat during a heated sequence last month. Clark, the WNBA’s golden goose, admitted this week she has been left ’emotionally exhausted’ by the non-stop controversy.
‘This is one of the most significant investments we’ve ever made in our basketball operations, this investments of tens of millions of dollars will help bring greater consistency, efficiency, and transparency to our officiating process while continuing to improve the quality of the game,’ Engelbert said.
Engelbert said that a lot of the details on the replay center still need to be worked out, although she said, as of now, the last two-minute report that the NBA has won’t be used in the WNBA yet.
Fouls have been up this season as there has been an emphasis to help players’ freedom of movement. The increase in fouls has led to more offense as teams are averaging a record-high number of points. It has also led to longer games. Earlier this month, league gametimes were at an average of 2 hours, 8 minutes – the longest in league history.
The WNBA will have a replay center similar to the NBA next season to help tackle physical play
Alyssa Thomas ignited outrage after she was seen punching Caitlin Clark in the throat
Clark got the last laugh at Saturday night’s All-Star game in Chicago, helping captain Team Spoon to a 129-122 victory in the offensive showcase.
Clark set the tempo right from the opening tip, scoring the first bucket of the night on a breakaway layup before sinking three quick triples to stack up 11 points in the opening minutes.
The Indiana Fever guard finished the evening with 17 points, four rebounds, and five assists as Team Spoon controlled the pace for much of the contest.
While Clark ignited the offense early, it was New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones who took home All-Star Game MVP honors after putting up a dominant 22 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists.
Team Coop kept the pressure on behind a 28-point performance from Kelsey Mitchell and a blistering 23-point effort from former Sky fan-favorite Marina Mabrey, but Team Spoon pulled away in the fourth quarter as the defense finally ramped up.
Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga also brought the United Center crowd to its feet in the second quarter, throwing down a roaring dunk to highlight an unforgettable night in Chicago.
Engelbert also said the league is continuing to work with the players to try and improve their safety off the court. The league and players’ union had a virtual meeting on Tuesday night to discuss what more can be done to combat the online hate.
‘(For) too many players across the WNBA, that experience is unacceptable,’ she said. ‘Many cases, it’s disgusting. Racism, misogyny, homophobia, the harassment and threats directed to our players has no place in sport or anywhere else.’
Cathy Engelbert said the league is working with players to improve their safety off the court
She also sidestepped a question about if she planned to be the commissioner next season.
‘I’m so blessed to have to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hypergrowth period. So blessed that these players are putting the product on the court,’ she said. ‘I will just continue to, you know, do my job, execute the strategy because it has been working.’
Engelbert said that this is already the most-watched WNBA season of all-time, with the 117 broadcasts reaching over 73 million unique viewers. Twenty-nine of the games averaged over one million viewers – the most ever at the All-Star break. They had 11 all of last season.
There have been more than 2.2 million fans at games so far this year, which is up 16 per cent from last season.
