Stewart said the Storm deserve a "huge gold star" for to their championship win during the pandemicNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Seattle Storm won the WNBA title last night over the Las Vegas Aces, and Storm F Breanna Stewart said the greatest challenge to playing in the "wubble" in Bradenton was "just all of the adversity." Stewart: "We didn't know what to expect from one day to the next, but ... we're a chill team and we kind of rolled with the punches" (“Aces-Storm,” ESPN, 10/6). ESPN's Rebecca Lobo said the "wubble" experience was "crazy for everybody involved." Lobo: "A couple of months ago we did not know if there was going to be a season. These players played every other day and then when they got to the ... playoffs had a chance to perform and we didn't know what to expect going in." ESPN's Ryan Ruocco: "An amazing season, kudos to everybody who helped pull it off" (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 10/6). Stewart said of winning the title during the pandemic season, "It's a huge gold star next to that. This season wasn't easy" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/7).
ABOUT MORE THAN BASKETBALL: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Rachel Bachman notes the year "began with a big victory for the WNBA," with players "securing their best-ever collective-bargaining agreement, including raising average player pay above six figures." The WNBA, for years a "leader in social-justice activism," also found "renewed purpose after the May 25 killing of George Floyd" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/7). In N.Y., Gina Mizell notes the league and its players "took on a bigger purpose, putting Breonna Taylor's name on the backs of their jerseys as part of a broader push for awareness about social justice issues." Storm F Alysha Clark said, "It's a championship for little Black girls and Black women across the country, honestly" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/7). Clark: "We wanted to bring awareness and give a voice to the Black women that are often forgotten in this country. We are often overlooked and often unheard." In Seattle, Percy Allen notes toward the end of the season, WNBA players "pushed to raise awareness on voter registration" (SEATTLE TIMES, 10/7).
