No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show

The first-round Game 2s delivered drama, overtime and sweeps. Zena along with James Boyd break down everything you need to know, from the Wings’ overtime battle and the Fever forcing a decisive Game 3 against the Aces to the Liberty sweeping the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and the Dream taking down a young and talented Mystics team. Plus, they unpack the biggest storylines and what’s next for the teams still fighting for a spot in the semifinals.

REFERENCES:

A’ja Wilson, Aces frazzled and frustrated in Fever loss. In Game 3, they must reclaim their identity by Brian Hamilton
A’ja Wilson confronts courtside fan, receives technical during Aces-Fever playoff game by James Boyd
Liberty become first No. 8 seed to beat No. 1 seed in WNBA playoffs, eliminate Lynx by Annie Costabile
WNBA playoffs results, takeaways: Dream ‘old head’ leads team to semis for 1st time since 2018 by Sabreena Merchant
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She’s a full-fledged celebrity. A cultural phenomenon. And a mirror to society through sports. Everyone– from journalists to fans to political pundits– have an opinion on who Caitlin Clark is and what is expected of her.
But, has anyone actually asked Clark herself?
In this episode, Chantel welcomes senior writer Brian Hamilton to discuss his piece, “Can the WNBA’s biggest star just play basketball? Let’s ask Caitlin Clark.” The pair unpacks Clark’s role in advocacy, outside pressure placed on her, and what her day-to-day life actually looks like.
But first: Zena, Sabreena, and Chantel break down all the action from Sunday’s four playoff matchups. From A’Ja Wilson’s historic performance to veterans stepping up for several squads, the crew provides their analysis on each opening contest and what to expect in the final games of round one.

REFERENCES:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7626435/2026/09/25/caitlin-clark-profile-wnba-basketball-gardening/

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7633515/2026/09/27/aja-wilson-vegas-aces-wnba-playoffs/

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7632770/2026/09/27/wnba-playoffs-results-takeaways-scores-first-round/
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No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network

Email us: NoOffseason@theathletic.com

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The WNBA playoff seeding is finally set! Sabreena Merchant and Annie Costabile are LIVE to preview Round One of the 2026 WNBA playoffs. How will the Wings fare against the Valkyries? What adjustments will the Lynx make for the Liberty? And how might A'ja vs Caitlin play out? Sabreena and Annie break it all down to get you ready before the games start on Sunday.
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No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network

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The end of the regular season is upon us, which means it is time give out accolades for the 2026 WNBA season. Annie joins Zena and Sabreena to unpack how the votes shook out for several categories. Does A’Ja Wilson repeat as MVP? Who deserves Defensive Player of the Year?
Plus, Zena and Sabreena break down what you need to know about postseason seeding and which games to keep an eye on during the last night of the regular season.
And to wrap things up, Zena and Sabreena share their takeaways from The Athletic’s All-WNBA first and second teams. Find out who headlines the list— and who didn’t make the cut.

References:
What’s still at stake in the WNBA regular season. Plus: Lisa Leslie gets the statue treatment - The Athletic
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Olivia Miles’ rookie campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary. From breaking the WNBA rookie scoring record to stepping up in Napheesa Collier’s absence, the Minnesota Lynx guard is a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. In this episode, Chantel and Sabreena welcome senior writer Brian Hamilton to discuss his piece, “The curious spectacle of Olivia Miles.” The three dive into Miles’ inquisitive nature, her record-setting rookie season, and how her quiet demeanor meshes with the stardom brought on by Minneapolis.

Plus, Zena, Sabreena, and Chantel break down the last Sabreena Scale of 2026 and get you caught up on all the playoff seeding possibilities as the regular season comes to a close.

And to wrap things up, our hosts revisit some of their boldest predictions. Which hot takes have turned cold?

References:

https://youtu.be/3b2RgueOkHA?si=CuNw89SSrGZwsnrS
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No Offseason is a part of The Athletic Podcast Network

Email us: NoOffseason@theathletic.com

Sign up for the No Offseason newsletter!

YT: @No-Offseason
IG: @tanooffseason
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.