LeBron is leaving the Lakers’ kingdom and Raptor great Kawhi Leonard is heading back up north to The 6 in hopes that we, Canada, can be champions again, like one time almost a decade ago in Toronto.
And NBA free agency 2026 has only just begun.
Yet we’ve also had a Commissioner’s Cup in the W to play for.
If you like and subscribe to the National Basketball Association, you’ll already be getting emails about the groups set for the NBA Cup this October. Despite the fact that we’ve practically just entered the offseason that’s already outstanding. This is like when a movie releases its DVD pre-orders, even though it’s just hit cinemas.
Perhaps the NBA have been inspired by the current football World Cup that’s scoring through the Americas. Or maybe just the W Cup that came chicken before the Adam Silver egg.
The letters W-N-B-A spelt out on the Commissioner’s Cup court. Surrounding the iconic orange logo.
The Liberty, with justice and ‘Equality’ on their jersey for all, might just have been influenced by their hometown brothers, the New York Knicks, winning their first NBA championship in 53 years. Two years after the Liberty won their first WNBA championship in franchise history.
Now, three seasons after holding their last Cathy Engelbert cup, the NYC Liberty look to follow the Knickerbockers by becoming the second team in W league history to win the Commissioner’s Cup and championship double.
Soon to take the ‘City of Champions’ mantle from the Shohei Ohtani led Los Angeles Dodgers and Lakers, who have been dodging ‘chips like ‘The Matrix’. If only the Yankees can stop being distracted by their own pinstripes.
The last team to win both pieces of women’s league hardware were the current reigning WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces, back in 2022. The same Aces who the Liberty have just struck 93-85, to take another cup home like Starbucks thieves.
The rivalry between the two torch bearing super-team franchises in the W is really heating up. Especially with the battle of the bigs. This may be even bigger than the storied wars of yore between the Los Angeles Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx (that could be making a comeback) over the seasons.
We’re not saying it’s Lakers/Celtics (yet), but Cup MVP Breanna Stewart, and last year’s MVP of everything A’ja Wilson are the closest thing the women’s game has to Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell, in the NBA’s early history, for a league that’s celebrating its 30-year anniversary in sublime, signature style.
At the pinnacle of its prowess, with most stars at the peak of their powers.
This in-season tournament, now in its sixth year, after being conceived during COVID, saw the undefeated in Cup play, Liberty, take home the $500,000 bag. This rematch of so many league and cup finals before was as competitive as they come. Critical for a league that needs to condemn the cruelty to Caitlin Clark. One major reason, like Madame President Nneka Ogwumike, that the WNBA can even associate with this landmark CBA and the fact that everybody watches women’s sports.
Stewie’s double-double of 25 points and a game-high 11 rebounds made the Liberty laugh and the Aces cry, but for New York’s dynamic duo it was Sabrina Ionescu’s 26 points which really put one over everybody else. Her last shot being the deep, downtown, clutch hands that drove the dagger into the Aces hole and put champagne in the cup.
You have to give it up for Las Vegas though. They rallied back from a 17-point deficit for their sins, despite being without their superstar and W icon A’ja Wilson.
But New York knows all about winning with seconds to spare.
Isn’t that right, OG?
What was promising for Brooklyn’s own Liberty was that even rookie Pauline Astier got in on the action, with 15 points and four assists in this commissioner’s contest.
It was Ace Jackie Young who led all scorers, mind you, with 31. Yet that, and 18 off the pine for a rejuvenated Chennedy Carter, weren’t enough to tip the cup towards Sin City.
The Big Apple took another bite out of league legend and lore. B.I.G. when it comes to the commission. Nevertheless, these Aces out in Vegas are notorious. We will see who is the real champion when the chips fall where they may.
