Does the NBA hurt the WNBA’s profitability?

The gang is back together to talk about an action-packed weekend in the WNBA – from the Liberty-Sparks buzzer beater to fortunes starting to turn for the Valks and the Lynx.  Then, basketball and business writer for The Athletic Mike Vorkunov joins the pod to talk about the working relationship between the WNBA and the NBA. With a special focus on CBA negotiations and expansion, Zena, Ben and Mike lean into all things money: why hasn’t the WNBA ever been profitable? What role does the NBA play in that question – and what roles do NBA staffers play all throughout the W? Why are NBA owners selling teams at a record rate, while at the same time, investors are clamoring to get into the W? How exactly is revenue defined in the WNBA – and how important is the answer to that question when determining how much the players are owed? REFERENCES: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6517540/2025/07/26/liberty-breanna-stewart-leg-injury-sparks-wnba/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6515867/2025/07/25/valkyries-kayla-thornton-to-miss-season/ https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5843782/2024/10/15/wnba-success-business-cathy-engelbert/ 00:00 - Show Intro 9:26 Kayla Thornton out for the rest of the season 9:50 Minnesota Lynx suffer rare home loss 13:12 How will the NY Liberty fare without Breanna Stewart? 18:27 What's the working interaction between the NBA and WNBA? 22:45 What does the ownership dynamic between the NBA and WNBA look like? 36:57 What counts as revenue in the WNBA? #wnba #nba #cba Thumbnail: Catalina Fragoso, Joe Buglewicz via Getty Images Follow and listen to the audio podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/no-offseason-the-athletic-womens-basketball-show/id1699815468 Leave a comment wherever you’re listening, or email us at NoOffseason@TheAthletic.com. You can also find us on socials: -Instagram: @tanooffseason -TikTok: @no_offseason -Zena on BlueSky: @zenakeita -Ben on BlueSky: @benpickman -Sabreena on BlueSky: @sabreenajm -Chantel on BlueSky: @chanteljennings Visit the Yahoo Women's Sports Hub: https://sports.yahoo.com/womens-sports/?guccounter=1