Liz and Karen wrap up this season of Hoops Off with a look at the big business of women sports.Money Mama Karen gives us a deep dive into projected revenues and of women's sports--poised for generating billions--and the massive viewership growth over last season. Also: a critical look at the WNBA players getting brand deals. They also discuss the first official season of Unrivaled, and look at basketball clubs of this new women's sports league. On the NBA side of things, Liz and Karen make their Christmas Day predictions--including their own personal rivalry, The Los Angeles Lakers vs. The Golden State Warriors--as well as build out their 2025 NBA All-Star starters. Lastly, the holiday book club pick is announced!

MENTIONS

Sparks hire Lynne Roberts as head coach:

https://www.thenexthoops.com/wnba/los-angeles-sparks/lynne-roberts-new-los-angeles-sparks-head-coach-pebley-offense/

WNBA Players Are Getting Brand Deals, But Not Equally by Frankie De La Cretaz:

https://www.complex.com/sports/a/frankie-de-la-cretaz/wnba-salaries-endorsements-brand-deals

Unrivaled Basketball Clubs:

https://www.unrivaled.basketball/clubs

NBA Christmas Day Games:

https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/nba-christmas-games-schedule-teams-how-to-watch

NBA 2025 All-Stars:

https://www.nba.com/warriors/2025-allstar

Holiday Book Club Pick: There's Always This Year. On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib:

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/695817/theres-always-this-year-by-hanif-abdurraqib/

This week, Liz and Karen want to share part of a wild true story, a story in which not all the main characters have been heard from before--until now. It's the story of how Seattle lost its NBA team. Listen to episode one of Sonic Boom: How Seattle Lost its Team, produced in partnership with The Ringer, and hosted by reporter and writer Jordan Ritter Conn.

To hear the rest of the episodes, subscribe to the Luminary Channel on Apple podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sonic-boom-how-seattle-lost-its-team/id1567722424

or directly on Luminary:

http://luminary.link/sonics)

The WNBA Draft Lottery numbers are in, and Liz and Karen are not sure if everyone is happy about the top 5 drafting teams. With Paige Bueckers as a major first-round draft pick, predictions as to who will hit the target are still up in the air. With the league poised to grow to 16 teams by 2028, Karen and Liz kick around the cities they think would be natural contenders and lively additions. And, from the women-in-business buzz come these juicy updates: the new JuJu Watkins docuseries (On the Rise) premiers this week; Whoopi Goldberg is launching the All Women's Sports Network, and U.S. Soccer gets a huge cash contributor. Ka-ching. Meanwhile, the NBA is not looking as shiny as the realm of womens sports: a boatload of injuries is plaguing the league and it’s really hitting the starting lineups. Not to mention there is still lots of pettiness going around with Inside the NBA: Clay vs. The Bay and the same old stale foolery. In the face of so many injuries, Liz and Karen share Fantasy League tips to help keep thing optimized from week to week, then they. take their hoops off for some real talk, and tie up this episode with a bow of gratitude.

MENTIONS

NBC, Peacock to premiere docuseries featuring USC Star Juju Watkins:

https://www.si.com/college-basketball/usc-star-juju-watkins-docuseries-nbc-peacock

Whoopi Goldberg launches All Women's Sports Network:

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/all-womens-sports-network-whoopi-goldberg-launch-november-2024/

NBA Injuries Up 35 percent over last season:

https://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/278024/NBA-Injuries-Up-35-perc-Over-Last-Season

In Street Clothes covering sports injuries from the perspective of a certified athletic trainer and backed by analytics:

https://instreetclothes.com/