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What to Know About Women’s Basketball Today
1. South Carolina Adds Justine Loubens 🇫🇷
Le Gamecocks are making international moves. Dawn Staley and South Carolina added French guard Justine Loubens from La Roche Vendée, a French professional team. She’ll arrive in 2026 with four years of NCAA eligibility. (University of South Carolina)
WHY IT MATTERS: Loubens has already been playing against pros, averaging 6.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while shooting nearly 64% from the field. This is the second French player now on the Gamecocks roster, alongside freshman Alicia Tournebize, and both have pro experience. College programs are increasingly looking abroad for talent, now that NCAA rules are fuzzy on the definition of international experience.
🗳️ Will we see more international pros in college basketball?
2. WNBA Preseason Viewership Jumps 📺
Talk about a strong start. The WNBA’s first preseason game on ION, featuring the Fever vs. Liberty, averaged 743,000 viewers. That’s up 76% from last year’s pre-season opener. (Sportico)
WHY IT MATTERS: Fans are tuning in, even for games that don’t count in the standings. That’s a big shift from just a few years ago, when preseason games were tough to find. But fans have increasingly demanded access - remember when a fan’s live stream from the stands two years ago drew over 400k views on social media? The league has responded by making all pre-season games available this season, and fans are here for it. Make the games available and they will watch.
3. Sparks to Retire DeLisha Milton-Jones’ No. 8 👏
This is an honor well earned. The Los Angeles Sparks will retire DeLisha Milton-Jones’ No. 8 jersey on July 28 during a halftime ceremony at Crypto.com Arena. (Los Angeles Sparks)
WHY IT MATTERS: Milton-Jones was a key part of the Sparks’ early success, helping lead the team to back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. She spent 11 seasons in Los Angeles, and was a 3-time All-Star, as well as a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Now she’s guiding the next generation, serving as head coach at Old Dominion University.
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OVERTIME ⏱️
From Bay to LA: The Sparks have hired former Bay FC CEO Stacy Johns as team president, adding seasoned front office leadership to their squad.
Sour Martini: Fan favorite Kate Martin is questionable for the start of the season as she deals with a quad injury.
Ranger Fudd: Azzi Fudd threw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game, with several of her new Wings teammates cheering her on.
🗳️ Poll Results from Yesterday: We asked if you planned on watching Toronto or Portland’s pre-season debuts on Wednesday, and it looks like you’re as excited as us, with 67% of you saying yes.
