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/

Hoops Off podcast welcomes Jenny Nguyen, founder of the The Sports Bra, located in Portland, Oregon, and dedicated ENTIRELY to women's sports. Jenny’s origin story and her journey to getting the bar off the ground travel a fascinating trail--from the shoe-squeaks of hoops courts through professional kitchens, the pandemic, rounds of deep introspection, amateur Keynote pitch decks, and wildly encouraging rejections, Listen to her immersive journey and find out what's next as she discusses the current infusion of monetary investment from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, who is also husband to award-winning tennis champion Serena Williams, as well as life in the world of franchising. Also in this episode, Karen breaks down the Emirates Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament) including the renaming, how it works, fancy new courts and foolish heist marketing.

MENTIONS

There's never been a better time to run a women's sports bar:

https://www.thecut.com/article/how-jenny-nguyen-the-sports-bra-owner-gets-it-done.html

This popular women's sports bra in Portland is bringing its winnning formula to other cities:

https://www.fastcompany.com/91111766/sports-bra-womens-sports-bar-portland-franchise-alexis-ohanian

The Sports Bra announces plan to franchise with investment from Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian:

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2024/04/the-sports-bra-announces-plans-to-franchise-with-investment-from-alexis-ohanian.html

NBA's Emirates Cup Features New 2024 Courts. What's Changed:

https://frontofficesports.com/nbas-emirates-cup-features-new-2024-courts-whats-changed/

Women's basketball courts are still going strong with the start of Women's College Basketball. Meanwhile, the revolving door of WNBA head coaches are making heads spin. Liz and Karen run through the firings that have popped up just a few weeks into the WNBA offseason. Then, Money Mama Karen breaks down the millions--in both dollars and reach--for the college WBB. The NBA's numbers are trending in a less favorable direction than the W's, particularly in the viewership department. Liz and Karen discuss what the league can do to be better. Plus they breakdown the slew of injuries happening way too early in the season, reflect on the Joel Embiid suspension, dig into the on court player beefs, and Giannis trade rumors, before laying up some insightful Fantasy NBA tips. To close it all out, this week's Hoops Off segment gets personal.

Give us your thoughts and questions in an email or, better yet, a voicemail: Send it here: hoopsoffpod@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram @thehoopsoff https://www.instagram.com/thehoopsoff/

MENTIONS

Over Half of WNBA Coaches Have Been Fired. What's Happening?

https://frontofficesports.com/half-of-wnba-coaches-have-been-fired-whats-happening/

Opinion: The NBA is causing its own failure:

https://www.dailynebraskan.com/opinion/nba-viewership-declines/article_f6b829f2-9a26-11ef-8aaf-83b76cb16d34.html

Joel Embiid suspended three games for shoving columnist:

https://nypost.com/2024/11/05/sports/joel-embiid-suspended-three-games-for-shoving-reporter/

Nets predicted to cut ties with $177 million guard to acquire Bucks superstar:

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/milwaukee-bucks/news/nets-predicted-cut-ties-177-million-guard-acquire-bucks-superstar/a03bb4e3cf4bfb31a3f46070