The blistering pace of the WNBA offseason has come to a close. The dust has settled and training camps have opened.
Even as the season doesn’t officially tip off until Friday, May 8, we already have interesting things developing on Day One. Here are three interesting takeaways from the start of W training camps.
With a new CBA producing a frothy free agency market, players had the opportunity to find new WNBA homes. That, combined with some blockbuster trades, has led to plenty of changes, with new faces in new places.
This weekend was an opportunity for players to get situated in their spots.
Angel Reese was traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream and is now ready to win in the ATL.
Training camp is off to a good start 🤣 pic.twitter.com/l6oZcWL0xk
As she is entering her third season, this isn’t her first training camp, but it will be a new experience representing Atlanta and being on a contending team. Everyone was all smiles as the Dream kicked off their first day of work as a team. Reese, during her introductory presser, mentioned wanting to be in a winning situation, and considering that head coach Karl Smesko led the Dream to 30 wins last year, she should experience WNBA winning in 2026.
Reese’s former team, the Sky, will look a lot like the Los Angeles Sparks this year.
Rickea Jackson was traded from LA to Chicago, and Azurá Stevens re-joined the Sky after three years with the Sparks. Now, they have started this next chapter in the City of Wind.
We’ll see how all of these moves pan out, and if everyone remains happy with their decisions, but on the first day, the vibes are high all around.
A new season means a new rookie class is joining the WNBA.
The first-year players are now learning what professional basketball is like. Soon, they’ll get their “Welcome to the WNBA moment,” but for now, it’s just about putting on their uniforms for the first time and embracing this moment.
For the Seattle Storm, Flau’Jae Johnson is taking it all in and isn’t shying away from the fact that playing in the WNBA is a literal dream come true.
Yall don’t understand this is a dream for me https://t.co/mcy3bkUTsM
In the span of two weeks, Lauren Betts went from winning a national title for UCLA to starting training camp with the Washington Mystics.
That kind of transition can give anyone whiplash, but Betts is in The District and getting acclimated to her new team rather well. Here’s what she said about her new teammates after the first day of camp:
It’s been amazing to learn from them. They had an amazing season last season. So, they established themselves really well, and they know what to do, so it’s just been amazing to learn, and they’re all really nice.
“It’s been amazing to learn from them.”@laurenbetts12 reflects on playing with the Mystics young core. @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/x6cJ4RhdMo
The No. 1 pick in the draft, Azzi Fudd, is in Dallas and settling in quickly with the Wings. She’s already being pushed by her head coach, Jose Fernandez, to shoot the ball more and not pass up any open looks she gets.
Azzi Fudd on coach’s expectations of her not passing up open shots:“Seems to be a common trend. I don’t know, I want to share the love but remembering to shoot when I’m open. My teammates remind me of that. It will be an easy adjustment.” https://t.co/CUtuerbum1 pic.twitter.com/lZrMSW0uhu