The Ringer WNBA Show

@theringerwnbashow · Podcast

Latest segments

• Dream move Finals to State Farm, 2026-10-30
  Frames the arena fiasco as a growth problem
  Auriemma and Sohi discuss the arena fiasco as a growth problem: Atlanta and New York built rosters before facilities, and the Dream likely did not anticipate the demand. Auriemma declines to assign blame. Reaction and framing, no new development.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Previews Game 7 with a coach's defense framing
  Auriemma gives a coach's framing on defense versus shot-making ahead of Game 7, calling the 2024 Liberty-Lynx clincher unwatchable at roughly 20 percent combined shooting. Seerat notes the series flipped from a possession battle to shot-making in the last two games. Opinion and preview, no new development.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Draws the hurt-versus-injured line on Gray
  Auriemma draws his hurt-versus-injured distinction and praises Gray for playing through a broken finger, then the segment recaps the series swings from Golden State's first punch to Reese's dominant games to the Valkyries' response. Reaction and retelling, no new development.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Adds Gray's threes all came during Valkyries runs
  Auriemma picks Allisha Gray as the non-UConn player who stood out, and the segment adds that all five of her threes in Game 6 came during Valkyries runs, that she is playing the series with a broken finger, and that Carl Smesko challenged her before the game.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Credits home court for Atlanta's Game 6 win
  Auriemma, asked about the Finals, says he expected seven games because both teams defend and scoring is hard, and credits home-court advantage for Atlanta's Game 6 win. Stays inside the series result already on the record.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Reflects on the series pendulum after Game 6
  Reflects on the series' pendulum after Game 6: the Dream's bounce-back from the 2025 first-round loss to Indiana, the two-game swings both ways, and the physicality of the matchup. Reaction and framing, with no new development.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Details Gray's hand procedure and 23-point breakout
  Goes deep on Allisha Gray's Game 6: the pre-series procedure on her shooting hand, the foul trouble and targeting in the two losses, and the 23-point breakout that flipped the game. Adds her full line and the Burton block.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Pinpoints Gray's first-quarter three as the hinge
  Walks through the opening minutes of Game 6 and finds the hinge: Allisha Gray's first-quarter three with 9:04 left gave Atlanta a lead it never gave back, part of a 20-minute stretch of praise for her shot-making and Rhyne Howard's aggression.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Describes the State Farm Arena atmosphere
  First-hand color from Game 6 at State Farm Arena: the crowd, the PA announcer's all-game defense chant, the halftime acts, and the Dream's fast start. Atmosphere and reaction, staying inside the game already on the record.
• WNBA Finals Game 6, 2026-10-30
  Frames Game 6 as a Finals first
  Opens the episode on Game 6 as the first Game 6 in WNBA Finals history, played at 12:30 on a Thursday, and recaps Atlanta's win that forced Game 7. The history framing is new to the record; the result itself is a retelling.
• WNBA Commissioner Engelbert to retire, 2026-10-27
  Names Swin Cash as top commissioner candidate
  Shelburne names Swin Cash as the candidate she hears most for the commissioner job, says Nneka Ogwumike does not seem to want it, and floats Bethany Donaphin and Amy Brooks. She reports frustration with how Engelbert handled the situation.
• Dream move Finals to State Farm, 2026-10-27
  Criticizes the league's reactive scheduling
  Criticism of the league's reactive scheduling, arguing Engelbert should have had contingency plans during the eight-day break. Stays inside the venue story already on the record, adding opinion rather than a new development.
• Dream move Finals to State Farm, 2026-10-27
  Details the last-minute logistics of the move
  Shelburne walks through why moving the Hawks-Cavs game was so hard at the last minute - tickets, arena staffing, hotels, film rooms, an Amazon Prime broadcast - and lands on the same point already on the record: it was raised too late.
• Dream move Finals to State Farm, 2026-10-27
  Breaks down the blame for late scheduling
  Shelburne walks through the blame pie for the last-minute Game 6 scheduling: separate Dream and Hawks ownership, a Hawks front office that tried, a Cavaliers team willing to move, and an NBA that stepped in late. She reports the push to move the Hawks-Cavs game to Friday would likely have worked had it started weeks earlier.
• Dream move Finals to State Farm, 2026-10-27
  Explains why Friday would push Game 7
  Shelburne walks through the options the league weighed before landing on the 12:30 p.m. Game 6: a Friday game would have pushed Game 7 to Tuesday because Chase Center is booked for Warriors games Sunday and Monday. She says the issue was raised when Games 3 and 4 times were adjusted and never settled.
• Dream move Finals to State Farm, 2026-10-27
  Sets up the scheduling failure segment
  Opens the scheduling segment by restating the 12:30 p.m. Eastern tip and framing it as a logistics failure against the league's growth, then hands off to Ramona Shelburne. Setup for the interview, not new ground.
• Valkyries take Game 5, 2026-10-27
  Cites Stokes's on/off numbers as the swing
  Pulls on/off numbers for Stokes in the Finals: Golden State is plus-21 per 100 possessions with her on the floor and minus-19 with her on the bench, and the Dream shoot 19% when she is the primary defender. Frames it as the series' swing, with other Valkyries copying her approach.
• Valkyries take Game 5, 2026-10-27
  Breaks down Game 5 chemistry and coaching
  Breaks down Game 5's balanced scoring and the Burton-Stokes record moment, then spends most of its time on the team's chemistry and Natalie Nakase questioning the team's heart after two losses before adjusting her communication. Stays inside the Game 5 story without adding a new development.
• Valkyries take Game 5, 2026-10-27
  Traces Stokes's path from backup to starter
  Traces Stokes's path from backup big to Finals MVP chants after Iliana Rupert's pregnancy made her a starter, and lists her prior backup-to-starter title runs with the Aces and UConn. Background and praise, staying inside the Game 5 story.
• Valkyries take Game 5, 2026-10-27
  Recaps the Chase Center atmosphere
  Valkyries color analyst Morgan Ragan, at Chase Center for Game 5, calls it ugly but beautiful basketball and frames the win as the home crowd carrying a team one victory from a title. Reaction and atmosphere, no new development.