The Golden State Valkyries welcomed a face familiar to Bay Area college sports fans by signing former Stanford center Nadia Fingall to a rest-of-season contract on Sunday. The team also waived forward Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda in a corresponding move.

The Mercury News reports that Fingall was named Pac-12 All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention as a senior while being second on the Cardinal with a career-high 5.7 rebounds per game. Standing at 6-foot-4 center, Fingall's young career has also included leading Spanish squads to two Liga Femenina de Baloncensto titles and two Supercopa de España championships. In 2024, she was named Supercopa de España tournament MVP.

A native of New Jersey, Fingall will become the second former Stanford Cardinal to join the Valkyries in short succession after the team signed Stanford freshman Ashten Prechtel to an injury hardship contract in early May. Once that contract expired, the Valkyries subsequently opted to retain Prechtel with a player development deal.

Fingall's most recent play came for Casademont Zaragoza, where the Mercury News notes she averaged 8.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and a 44.7 field goal percentage in 19 games.

The move to acquire Fingall arrives amidst a solid start to the Valkyries' sophomore season, with the team currently sitting at a record of 6-5. It also follows a nail-biting loss to the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday night despite a career-high 27 points from new Valkyries forward Gabby Williams.

Related: Golden State Valkyries Win Home Opener Against Mercury 95-79, Salaün Shines

Image: Nadia Fingall in action during Euroleague Women Final on April 19, 2026 in Zaragoza, Spain. (Photo by Borja B. Hojas/Getty Images)

• The coyote that made it onto Alcatraz Island earlier this month appears to be thriving there, as rangers reported seeing carcasses from prey that it caught. Authorities were worried about the safety of the visitors the coyote was attracting due to the media attention, but local expert Janet Kessler said the coyote is used to humans, as it was born and raised in SF. [Coyote Yips/Instagram]

• A cute, new mascot called “Maverick,” who’s a descendant of Ma Sheng, the Horse God, has been unveiled for the 2026 Chinese New Year Parade in celebration of the rare Year of the Fire Horse, which only comes around every 60 years. [KGO]

• The ongoing swarm of earthquakes near San Ramon, which have been striking in clusters for over a month, hit the region again Friday with a 3.4M quake, followed by a 2.9. [KPIX]
• The National Football League reportedly told San Jose officials, including Mayor Matt Mahan, that ICE agents will not be targeting Super Bowl events, but leaders are remaining vigilant in case of a surge. [NBC Bay Area]

• San Mateo County authorities are investigating the death of a 31-year-old woman who was found inside a detached garage that was on fire early Friday morning in Fair Oaks and was pronounced dead at the scene. [KRON4]
• Check out this aerial view showing the massive turnout at Friday's walkout and anti-ICE rally at SF's Dolores Park, with more protests to come over the weekend.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

After initially suspending the case due to lack of evidence, Petaluma police arrested a suspect who was allegedly caught on video surveillance tracing racial slurs and swastikas onto the dusty windows of local youth mentor and former Harlem Globetrotter William Bullard’s SUV.

As KRON4 reports, the Petaluma Police Department reviewed a week’s work of surveillance footage from early December, which was obtained from the garage where Bullard’s SUV was parked, and identified Corey Newman, 20, of Petaluma, allegedly defacing Bullard's windows.

As SFist previously reported, the police department initially dropped the case before reviewing the footage, claiming there wasn’t sufficient evidence. The case has since been reopened, per the Chronicle, likely due to Bullard’s posts about the incident, which he shared to his large following, along with the subsequent media coverage.

"I'm doing this for awareness. I'm doing this to educate people, and I'm trying to let them know don't be afraid to speak up for yourself if something happens like this," he said, per KGO earlier this month. "Like, what's the worst thing that can happen? It can be ignored by the police, OK, but at least you spoke up."

“The Petaluma Police Department takes all hate-related incidents seriously and remains fully committed to conducting thorough and impartial investigations,” said the police department in a press release. “Crimes motivated by bias have a profound impact not only on those directly affected, but also on the sense of safety and well-being of the entire community.”

Police arrested Newman during a traffic stop on Christmas Eve. He was booked into the Sonoma County Jail for the commission of a hate crime and vandalism, per KRON4.

Image: NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 19: William 'Bull' Bullard of The Harlem Globetrotters Ring The NASDAQ Closing Bell at NASDAQ MarketSite on December 19, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Steve Zak Photography/FilmMagic)

Previously:Hate on the Rise: Ex-Globetrotter’s SUV Defaced in Petaluma, San Jose Teens Form Human Swastika

In a crucial fourth matchup of the season, the Valkyries beat the LA Sparks 72-59 Saturday as fans chanted, “Beat LA!” throughout the night. The teams' infamous rivalry escalated when Sparks guard Kelsey Plum kicked V's guard Veronica Burton in the leg, receiving a foul.

Plum’s flagrant foul — along with the recent flying dildo incidents — are just a couple of factors that inspired sports blog OutKick to compare this season’s WNBA games to WWE matches. As the Chronicle reports, the foul was especially notable given Plum’s earlier claim in June that the Valkyries were “overly physical.”

OutKick also pointed out that Plum faced backlash last month for criticizing Indianapolis Fever’s Caitlin Clark, as reported by Sportsnaut. OutKick added that Plum will likely face disciplinary action over Saturday’s foul.

After the initial chaos on Saturday, the Valkyries took control and never looked back. As the SF Standard reports, the V’s strong defense, led by Veronica Burton, limited Plum to just four points, while forward Cecilia Zandalasini helped build a comfortable lead. The win not only gave the Valkyries an edge over the Sparks but also solidified their spot in the playoffs.

“That was a series-determining game, and that was huge for us,” Burton told the Standard.

Despite injuries and roster changes, coach Natalie Nakase praised the team’s growing chemistry and resilience. With every game now crucial, the Valkyries aim to carry their momentum into Monday’s matchup against the Connecticut Sun at Chase Center.

“I want to give just credit to our players for understanding the meaning of this game and what we had to control: our communication, our game plan, being connected on offense, moving the ball,” Nakase told the Chronicle. “If people want to create this as a rivalry, then sure. That’s part of sports, and that’s what makes sports fun — creating rivalries.”

Image: Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries dribbles against the Las Vegas Aces in the second quarter at Chase Center on August 06, 2025  in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

Previously: Valkyries Put Giant Purple Egg Outside Chase Center, In Apparent Marketing Ploy

Former NBA star Jeremy Lin, known for sparking “Linsanity” back in 2012, is taking on a new role as mentor to young Asian American college athletes at his newly launched JLIN NextGen Basketball Camp in his hometown of Palo Alto.

As the Bay Area News Group reports, the inaugural camp, a two-day program of high-intensity training and drills, kicked off over the weekend. Lin, 35, was born and raised in Palo Alto and rose to global fame during the 2011–2012 season with the New York Knicks, becoming a symbol of inspiration for a generation of Asian American athletes.

His rise was so meteoric that, as SFist reported at the time, Kim Kardashian was rumored to have set her sights on him—though Lin reportedly said he “wasn’t the type.” He also famously bonded with Tim Tebow over their shared Christian faith.

As the Chronicle reports, while Lin’s NBA career quieted after his 2019 championship win with the Toronto Raptors, his impact has grown through activism, mentorship, and media projects like the HBO documentary 38 at the Garden, which explores how his rise reshaped what felt possible for Asian Americans in sports and beyond.

Lin’s “Linsanity” run in 2012 not only made him a global sensation but also a lasting symbol of hope and representation for Asian American athletes, who rarely saw themselves represented in pro basketball. Back then, Lin was the NBA’s only Asian American playing in the current season, as well as the first Taiwanese American player in NBA history.

“When he spoke about his journey, when he spoke about his upbringing, I was like, ‘Wow, this is literally me. This is like exactly what I had to go through,” Pranav Iyer of Cupertino told the Chronicle. “That is the biggest impact that could be had is that you can see yourself in these people.”

Iyer, who created AMAZN (amazingly Asian) HQ, spotlighting Asian American athletes across the country, continued, “I think everyone was able to find that inspiration and was able to say, ‘Maybe I should push myself harder. I think I can do these things that I was forever told wasn’t possible.’”

Now playing in Taiwan, Lin recently led the New Taipei Kings to their second straight title, earning Finals MVP after a grueling seven-game series — calling it the toughest championship of his career, even compared to his NBA win, as NextShark reports.

Lin told the Bay Area News Group he’s still figuring out exactly how he’ll be involved in the JLIN NextGen camp long-term, but sees it as part of his transition from player to coach. “I will for sure be pouring into the next generation and sharing my thoughts. Hopefully, I can import some wisdom,” he said.

“This opened up my eyes to see the world from a pro’s perspective,” said Annika Shah, a Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo point guard and Palo Alto High alum, in an interview with the Bay Area News Group. “It was cool to just understand that I can learn from anyone. He even said he could learn from us. And so I think him saying he could learn from kids at his own camp, I think that humbles us to be willing to learn from anyone that we’re around.”

Over time, Lin has become more reflective about his role in shaping perceptions of Asian American athletes. While he’s not particularly nostalgic about his own moment in the spotlight, he recognizes that the legacy of “Linsanity” still matters to a lot of people.

“Every time I hear about it, I’m like, ‘Don’t tell me how old you were when it happened,’” he told the Bay Area News Group. “It’s still very relevant. A lot of people still care about it. Seeing people tell me they were in middle school or elementary school when it happened—it’s crazy seeing time fly.”

Image: Jeremy Lin/Facebook

The Valkyries and KALW hosted a touching reunion for the legendary Pioneers, a short-lived but groundbreaking Bay Area women’s basketball team that drew huge crowds from 1979 to 1981 — thanks in large part to the dedication of Oakland-raised sportswriter Maya Goldberg‑Safir.

Local public radio station KALW has had some exciting developments in recent years. It was one of nine recipients of San Francisco’s Vacant to Vibrant grant program, securing a pop-up live event space in a prime Financial District spot at 220 Montgomery. The location now hosts an art gallery and regular donation-based community events tied to KALW’s programming. Soon, the station will move its main studios to the historic Warfield Building.

On Tuesday night, SFist dropped by the pop-up for a live event celebrating KALW’s Bounce sports podcast, currently dedicated to covering the Golden State Valkyries’ first season. Four members of the Pioneers — Anita Ortega, Jan Ternyik, Anna Johnson, and Gerry Booker — joined host Erin Lim and reporter Maya Goldberg‑Safir to reflect on their bittersweet time in the Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL), which folded after three seasons due to financial instability, mismanagement, and lack of media and corporate support.

As the Chronicle reports, the Pioneers were honored Monday night during the Valkyries’ “History of Bay Area Women’s Basketball” theme night at Chase Center. The Pioneer players said the moment brought back memories of their team’s heyday, when the Pioneers had the largest and most loyal fan base in the league. Some of the kids who once idolized them from the stands are now Valkyries players and season ticket holders themselves.

The women recalled how growing up, “rover ball” — a limited version of basketball considered “more appropriate” for girls — was often the only option available at school, as explained by Columbia Daily Tribune. They played alongside boys in driveways and gyms to hone their skills.

When they went pro, the obstacles didn’t end. The players faced constant sexism and a lack of resources. Male players often joined practices to make up for a supposed lack of skilled women. Some players received groceries instead of paychecks, and many worked second jobs while training and playing at the highest level.

Each player brought her own grit to the team: Ortega led the offense, Ternyik anchored the defense, Johnson brought hustle, and Booker had a knack for grabbing rebounds.

Goldberg‑Safir is credited with orchestrating the reunion and advocating for the Pioneers’ recognition from the Valkyries and WNBA.

The Pioneers say the Bay Area has always been built for champions — and they’re thrilled to see the Valkyries following in their footsteps. Johnson, a season ticket holder, joked the Valkyries “just need to work on their layups.”

Image: (from left to right) Maya Goldberg‑Safir, Erin Lim, Anita Ortega, Jan Ternyik, Anna Johnson, and Gerry Booker; KALW/Facebook

In this week's Field Notes: a Golden State Valkyries momcast, Audium’s 50th anniversary 176-speaker revival, Bandaloop in Oakland, Tamera Avery’s surreal art, the best swimming holes, Victorian towns, zany dioramas, and more.

Courtside vibes and Bay Area pride

Two former high school ballers turned San Francisco moms, educators, and entrepreneurs have created a podcast that’s as much about community as it is about basketball.

Valkyries, Say Less dives into the stories behind the players and coaches of the Golden State Valkyries, offering insider perspectives, bite-sized game updates, and the best Chase Center eats. Listen on Apple and Spotify.  — KPIX

Bay Area swimming holes worth the drive

Looking to beat the heat and escape the city grind? Bay Area swimming holes like the Inkwells in Marin, Russian River's Sunset Beach River Park, China Hole near Morgan Hill, and Garden of Eden in the Santa Cruz Mountains offer cool, refreshing dips in scenic spots.

Float beneath the redwoods, hike to hidden beaches, or spend a lazy afternoon tubing in the sun. Just check the water conditions, pack out what you pack in—and be sure to park legally. — Axios

A Victorian road trip through Northern California

From Ferndale’s dairy-fueled “Butterfat Palaces” to the gold-built facades of Grass Valley and Murphys, these Northern California towns flaunt 19th-century charm.

Nevada City saved nearly 70 Gold Rush buildings, including California’s oldest theater. Eureka’s Carson Mansion is a Queen Anne masterpiece. Together, they offer a road trip through California’s ornate architectural past. — Secret San Francisco

Audium at 50

A former donut shop turned sound sanctuary, Audium is celebrating 50 years in San Francisco with a revival of its first-ever tape piece, Audium VI. Created by founder Stan Shaff in 1975, the piece returns as an immersive, in-the-dark experience running now through August 23 — its 176-speaker choreography pulling sound across walls, ceilings, and floors like an aural dance.

Director Dave Shaff, Stan’s son, describes the composition as funky and raw — full of foghorns, field recordings, and subconscious stirrings. The lobby features archival gems: reel-to-reels, taped conversations, and the analog gear that shaped SF’s weirdest legacy venue. — KQED

Dancing on the walls of Oakland’s City Hall

Vertical dance pioneers Bandaloop return to their roots this July with Somewhere to Oakland — a free public series of gravity-defying performances on the walls of City Hall, the Rotunda Building, and more. Catch them through July 26. — Visit Oakland

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Call for zany local historic news dioramas

The Oakland Library is inviting the public to create miniature dioramas based on weird and notable local news stories throughout the ages for a new exhibit, All the News That’s Fit to Build, opening August 9 and running through November 29 in the Oakland History Center.

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KQED’s suggested diorama topics include a raccoon jailed for disorderly conduct, a Lake Merritt mud mishap, and a 1940s tomato spill in Hayward. Dioramas (max 6 inches tall) must be submitted July 21–August 2, along with a copy of the original news story. Outstanding entries will be honored at a special October 4 reception. — KQED

A local’s guide to Alcatraz

Alcatraz is more than just a prison tour—just ask longtime guide Brian Stannard. In summer, skip the crowded cellhouse and head for the quiet West Road, where birdlife abounds and the views of the Golden Gate are unbeatable. Winter is ideal for locals, with fewer crowds and access to the rarely open Agave Trail, marked by towering, Seussian trees.

Time your visit around the Red Power exhibit, which honors the 1969 Native American Occupation. Day tours offer more time to explore, but night tours deliver moody magic. — Broke-Ass Stuart

San Jose time capsule

Nostalgic social media account, Era Envy, featured the interiors of an immaculately preserved 1960–70s era San Jose home. That shag carpeting is just begging to be caressed. — Era Envy

Grappling with absurdity and decay

San Francisco painter Tamera Avery took an unexpected path to art. After earning a business degree at UC Berkeley, she rose through the ranks at Levi Strauss, eventually leading the Youth Wear Division. In 2002, she left to paint full time.

Largely self-taught, Avery creates large-scale oil works based on collages, costumes, and staged photos of friends and family. Her masked, isolated figures appear in surreal landscapes shaped by social and climate anxieties. Her work is currently featured in Force of Nature at Oakland’s Gearbox Gallery through August 9, with an opening reception this Saturday, July 12 and an artist’s talk on Saturday July 26. — 48 Hills

More days, more trips for the free water shuttle

The Oakland-Alameda Water Shuttle is now running six days a week with 63 free daily trips between Jack London Square and Alameda’s Bohol Circle Park. Friday through Sunday hours stretch from 7:20 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. — Port of Oakland

Top Image: tamaraavery.com

• South Bay high schools are updating policies to manage AI use, aiming to prevent cheating while encouraging responsible, ethical use as a learning tool. Teachers are adapting by combining traditional teaching methods with AI detection and support. [Mercury News]
• A San Francisco-based company, Wildtype, has received FDA approval to produce plant-based salmon, offering a sustainable alternative amid California’s ongoing salmon population decline. The founders hope their cell-cultivated salmon, now served in select restaurants, can help ease pressure on wild fisheries and support future seafood demand. [KPIX]

• A homeless San Francisco man was permanently blinded in one eye after a firework exploded in his face on the Fourth of July; his family is raising funds to help cover his medical care, housing, and basic needs. [Chronicle]
• Ford is recalling over 850,000 vehicles in the US due to a fuel pump defect that could cause engines to stall while driving, with a fix still in development. [Associated Press]
• KVHS 90.5 FM, a long-running Concord radio station, is set to return to the air after the Contra Costa County Office of Education bought it for $1 and pledged to revive its student training mission while keeping classic rock and news programming alive. [Chronicle]
• Oakland native and NFL player Marshawn Lynch’s Fam 1st Foundation and Jordan Brand teamed up to open new basketball court in West Oakland, supporting underserved youth with gear and community programs. [NBC Bay Area]

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• Former Emeryville mayor John Bauters has joined the Fox reality competition show The Snake, where he’s using his political skills to outwit other contestants in a $100,000 game of deception — despite one rival declaring, “You look like you sell vapes.” [Chronicle]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

The Golden State Warriors have rang in the NBA's annual season of trades by acquiring guard Dennis Schroder and a second-round draft pick from the Brooklyn Nets, in exchange for the injured DeAnthony Melton and three second-round picks, according to leading NBA insider Shams Charania.

In a tweet, Charania referred to trading for Schroder as a "priority" for the Warriors.

"The Warriors envision starting lineups with Dennis Schroder and Stephen Curry in the backcourt, with Schroder able to alleviate ball-handling responsibilities at point guard," he wrote.

Schroder will likely slot into lineups as a Melton replacement, with the latter's scoring being sorely missed late into games ever since he sustained a season-ending knee injury in November.

It might not be the only trade they make in the coming weeks.

"I'm told they remain active in the hunt for a star player, and they can aggregate Schröder's contract in a bigger move later this season,"  said Charania on Saturday night's broadcast of NBA Countdown.

For now, though, Warriors fans seem very pleased that the team made the deal, and likely justifiably so.

Schroder, after playing well while leading his native Germany to a 4th-place finish at this year's Summer Olympics, has carried that momentum into the regular season and is currently having his best year yet.

As of writing, he is currently averaging 18.4 points per game on 45.2% shooting from the field and 38.7% from the 3-point line while also contributing 6.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game, stats that are all at- or near-career highs for the eleventh-year guard.

Athletic Alchemy, whose 77,000 subscribers make him the largest YouTube channel exclusively covering the Warriors, reacted very positively when he heard of the trade. In a video published Saturday afternoon, he heavily praised Schroder for his athleticism, defense, and ability to drive to the rim.

"Christmas has come early for Dub Nation," he said. "Give [Warriors General Manager] Mike Dunleavy his flowers."

Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images

The red-hot USF Dons men’s basketball team is playing at the Chase Center tonight in a monster game that will be on national TV (well, ESPN2), but they’re up against Gonzaga, who have beaten them 28 times in a row.

If you’re one of those people who doesn’t start paying attention to college basketball until March (which is tomorrow) here is your local update: Spokane, Washington’s Gonzaga is very good this year, as they are every year. But their upstart Bay Area rival, Moraga’s St. Mary’s Gaels, are even better, having won their last 15 (!) games in a row, and currently ranked No. 17 in the country. And also in the mix are your University of San Francisco Dons, who are just a game behind those West Coast Conference (WCC) leaders, and all three teams are shoo-ins to make the March Madness NCAA Basketball Tournament.

They’re wrapping up the regular season this weekend before conference tournaments begin, and the biggest game by far is the Dons playing the Gonzaga Bulldogs Thursday night, a game so significant they’re playing it at the Chase Center. The 8pm PT game will be broadcast nationally, though ESPN2, as the main ESPN has some hockey game on instead.

Okay, so who are this year’s USF Dons? There aren't many players left from the 2022 team that made that March Madness tournament. But their big star is towering six-foot, eight-inch forward Jonathan Mogbo, who leads the team in scoring (14.9 points per game) and has the third-highest shooting percentage in NCAA men’s basketball this season. There are also some fun role players in the Chinese-born forward Junjie "Barry" Wang, San Ramon product Ryan Beasley at point guard, and the first Mongolian player ever to win a Division 1 scholarship, the nearly seven-foot Enkhiin-Od “Mike” Sharavjamts.

Parenthetically, Sharavjamts’s father was the first Asian player ever to make the Harlem Globetrotters roster.

This will not be an easy win, as the Gonzaga Bulldogs are the No. 23 team in the country, and already beat the Dons earlier this year 77-72 in Spokane. Moreover, Gonzaga has beaten USF 28 consecutive times in a row, a streak that dates back to 2012.

The USF Dons come into the game 22-7, and 11-3 in the WCC (their only conference losses have been to St. Mary’s and Gonzaga). After tonight’s game, they wrap up the regular season Saturday at Santa Clara. The WCC Tournament begins this Thursday, March 7, Selection Sunday for the March Madness tournament is Sunday March 17, and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament itself begins Tuesday, March 19 with the “First Four” games.

Related: USF Dons Basketball Team Makes March Madness for the First Time Since 1998, Plays Thursday Night [SFist]

Image: SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Malik Thomas #1 of the San Francisco Dons drives against Nolan Hickman #11 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second half at McCarthey Athletic Center on January 25, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga defeats San Francisco 77-72. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)

The increasingly popular WNBA announced at a Thursday morning press conference that they’re bringing a new expansion team to play at the Chase Center, as there will be a Golden State WNBA team starting in 2025.

Things have been moving fast since the rumor broke last week that the WNBA women’s pro basketball league was considering giving San Francisco their next expansion team. Thursday morning, KTVU had a report that a press conference was coming to make the San Francisco WNBA team official. But before that press conference even started, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob spilled the beans to ESPN that there would be an SF WNBA team, playing at the Chase Center starting in 2025, and operated by him and the Warriors organization.

“The WNBA is coming to the Bay Area,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert declared Thursday morning in the press conference at the Chase Center, flanked by Mayor London Breed, Lacob, and Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer, a nod to the popularity of women’s college basketball in the Bay Area.

Lacob, when handed the microphone, could not resist making a boast. “We will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise!” he shouted to applause.

According to ESPN, the team will have the city name “Golden State,” just like the Warriors. They may also be called the Warriors, though decisions on naming, logos, and uniforms will be made in the months to come. The WNBA is expected to add another new expansion team in 2025 as well.

SF’s team will play at the Chase Center, though per KTVU, they “would be headquartered in Oakland.” The Warriors men’s team uses the same model.

And remember, San Francisco is under consideration to be the site of the 2025 NBA All-Star Game. This announcement makes it pretty darned likely we’ll get it, considering that All-Star Game could effectively be a marathon promotion for the upcoming new WNBA team at the same arena. The NBA All-Star Game is typically played in late February, the WNBA generally starts their season in mid-May.

If you want to give yourself a crash course in the WNBA that’s coming to town, Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is this Sunday, October 8 at 12 noon PT, pitting the defending champion Las Vegas Aces against the New York Liberty.

Related: SF and the Warriors Could Be Getting a WNBA Team, Possibly as Soon as 2025 [SFist]

Image: PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 08: A pedestrian walks past a "Black Lives Matter" mural depicting Brittney Griner outside the Footprint Center on December 08, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. WNBA player Brittney Griner was released after being detained in Russia since February as part of a prisoner swap that involved Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The WNBA is looking to add expansion teams as the popularity of women's basketball grows, and SF could be the next city up as the league hopes to add two more teams by 2025.

The Bay Area is a better-than-most market for women’s basketball, as the perennial powerhouse Stanford women’s basketball team has pre-built a fandom for the women’s game around these parts. So as the increasingly popular WNBA looks to expand its league (and revenue), the Bay Area seems a logical choice.

As such, KTVU reports the WNBA is considering the Bay Area a finalist in their expansion plans, citing a report from The Athletic saying the Golden State Warriors organization would run the WNBA team, should it be awarded to the region.

Th Athletic says the Warriors are “finalizing” an agreement, which sounds like talks are indeed advanced.

"[We] look forward to the possibility of being part of the league’s expansion plans," KTVU says the Warriors organization wrote in an email. "However, it would be premature to assume any potential agreement has been finalized."

The WNBA has already indicated it wants to expand the 12-team league to 14 teams by its 2025 season. (The WNBA season generally starts in May of a given year.)

KTVU adds that “Bringing a professional sports team to the Bay Area would be a boon, especially since the Raiders football team left for Las Vegas, and the A's baseball team are threatening to do the same.” Yeah, but. The proposed team would not play in Oakland, it would play at the Chase Center. So it’s just speculation that the East Bay would go wild for a team that plays in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, that developer group that's hoping to redevelop the Oakland Coliseum property, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, was hoping to lure a WNBA team there, but that might have to wait until the league's next expansion.

This proposed WNBA team would be affiliated with the Warriors, and likely have a similar naming convention and team colors, as we see with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury. Other WNBA teams are not at all affiliated with NBA counterparts (Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Seattle Storm, and Washington Mystics).

If you want to hop on this WNBA bandwagon and get a crash course, the WNBA playoffs are currently down to the final four teams. The New York Liberty play the Connecticut Sun in the Eastern Conference Finals Friday at 4:30 p.m. PT in a series currently tied 1-1, and the Las Vegas Aces play the Dallas Wings Friday at 9:30 p.m. PT in a series that the Aces lead 2-0.

Related: Brittney Griner Is Free [SFist]

Image: NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07: Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty plays against the Los Angeles Sparks at the Barclays Center on September 07, 2023 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The late basketball legend turned coach Bill Russell, who passed away Sunday at age 88, was part of a famous duo in San Francisco basketball lore of the last century, alongside his former USF Dons teammate K.C. Jones (1932-2020). So today, a little basketball history from the early days of the NBA.

There is no official documentation of the birth of the alley-oop, but surely, some of the first-ever lob-to-catch-to-basket points were scored between Bill Russell and K.C. Jones in the 1950s, on the hardwood at the University of San Francisco. This isn't to say that the two future NBA superstars had some kind of patent on the move. One website said that the alley-oop, a word taken from the French expression allez-oop — the cry from circus acrobats about to leap into action — was "invented" in 1891, around the birth of organized basketball.

But several websites credit the USF Dons' Russell and Jones for putting the alley-oop into full-time service. It's not clear if the duo were dunking off the alley-oop lob (they probably weren't; Wilt Chamberlain is often credited to have pioneered that iteration), so we are left to imagine, in grainy black and white, exactly what those exchanges might have looked like. But the fact that Bill Russell and K.C. Jones are widely credited with creating a fundamental basketball play speaks volumes about their forthcoming legacies. The duo would go on to superstardom with the Boston Celtics as both players and coaches, setting records for most career championships, and becoming groundbreakers and all-around legends of the game.

Bill Russell's recent passing at age 88 highlights the evolution of the game of basketball, and the countless contributions made by two Bay Area-bred greats.  

Even the most diehard San Francisco sport's fans could be forgiven for forgetting (or just being flatly ignorant of) the University of San Francisco Dons, who may still be considered one of the greatest college basketball teams of all time. In the early 1990s, my father took an administrative job at USF, and insisted that we go to a basketball game, saying something about how the 'Dons' — short for Don Francisco de Haro, the first mayor of San Francisco — were once great, with legendary players who went on to become iconic Celtics. (My dad was a huge Boston fan.) But in the early '90s, the Dons were no Duke or North Carolina; they were, in fact, quite bad at the time, and the former glory and pedigree of the team was lost on me.  

"In its infancy, college basketball was low, slow and disjointed," wrote the Mercury News in 2020. "Then came the University of San Francisco Dons. College basketball may have gotten off to a slow start, but it was always going to be the game we know now. You could argue USF was the transformative outfit that gave it a huge shove toward its manifest destiny."

The Mercury News writes that almost no one played above the rim as frequently as the Dons. "Give them credit, they warned a sea change was in the offing."

After graduating from high school in West Oakland, Bill Russell was said to be looking for work at Bay Area shipyards, when a Dons player spotted and recruited him. K.C. Jones's family had moved from Texas to San Francisco when he was nine; he learned to play basketball on a patch of gravel, according to popular legend.  

It was Russell's second year on the Dons' squad, during the 1954-55 season and the alleged mainstreaming of the alley-oop, when the Dons' ascendancy began. In that season's championship game, USF beat defending NCAA champion La Salle; Russell scored 23 points, "but it was Jones who led the Dons with 24 points and held La Salle’s 24-point-per game forward to six field goals," the Mercury News reports. After the win, Russell said, "I played on the greatest team in the world, and we defeated the best team we ever played against."

In a game where Russell scored 26 points and nabbed 27 rebounds for the Dons, the announcer called him "the Babe Ruth of basketball." The Dons would go on to 60 consecutive wins between 1955-57.

In 1956, Jones and Russell represented the US at the Olympic Games in Australia, where they won gold. (The US men's team beat their opponents by an average of 53 points per game.) K.C. Jones tried out for the NFL, but ended up a Boston Celtic.

"Jones wasn’t much of a scorer, and he was often overshadowed by flashier teammates," the New York Times wrote in December 2020, after Jones passed away. (He was also 88.) "But he was renowned for his defensive play — the work that doesn’t necessarily show up in box scores — in frustrating many an opposing backcourt star." Jones and Russell would win eight consecutive championships as Celtics; they also won two championships each as head coach of Boston. They are two of only eight players in basketball history to win an NCAA championship, an NBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.

It has been a nostalgia-filled year for the NBA, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2021-22, and saw two of the league's original teams facing off in the Finals. With the passing of Bill Russell, one can't help but reflect on how the game, and America, have evolved. (And how much the latter continues to spin its wheels in the mud.)

I wish my early-'90s self was as attracted to nostalgia as I am now, and could have absorbed the context of that USF Dons' game 30-ish years ago. I am left to imagine the two young stars, who would go on to dominate the game and pave the way for future phenoms and coaches, dishing passes to each other. I can see Jones lobbing the ball to the nearly seven foot Russell, who grabbed the rock while in mid- air, scored the two-pointer, and showed the fans something they'd never seen before, but something future generations would come to know as a staple of the game.

Top Image: Wikipedia

The Warriors have formally entered a bid to host the NBA All-Star Game in their soon-to-be-built arena in San Francisco.

This report comes from ESPN, whose sources say that they haven't quite figured out what year they want to host the ASG. That said, ESPN also points out that 2021 would be the earliest that such a deal would go through. The timeframe fits, given that the current scheduled opening (barring any major delays) of the Chase Center a.k.a. the Warriors Arena is set for the 2019-2020 basketball season. That would give the organization a year to work out any possible kinks and wrinkles in their shiny new stadium and allow them to come correct when the 2021 season rolls around.

The last time the Bay hosted the NBA All-Star Game was in 2000 at their current home in Oracle Arena. Tim Duncan and Shaquille O'Neal were named MVPs of the game, with the Western Conference taking the win.

Of course, the idea of an East versus West showdown will soon be a thing of the past, as the NBA announced the 2018 All-Star Game would buck tradition and take on a more "schoolyard-style" format, with team captains picking and choosing players for each team. Warriors Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have already voiced their approval of the new system to the Mercury News. Thompson even went on to make an argument that Curry would likely be one of those captains. He said, "My guess it would be LeBron [James] and Steph because they so popular worldwide." It's not too much of a stretch to imagine, as Curry was certainly one of the more impactful players of the 2017 season.

As well, just last year, the Warriors tried to get the 2017 All-Star Game relocated to Oakland after controversy arose regarding North Carolina's divisive "transgender bathroom bill" resulted in many sporting events to pull out of the state. It was officially held in New Orleans, Louisiana instead.

All that said, ESPN's sources believe that the chances are pretty good that the Warriors will get their wish and get to host the 2021 All-Star Game. They also said that SF's current rival bidders are Cleveland, Milwaukee, Orlando, Detroit, Houston, and Indiana, with all but the last also placing bids for the 2020 season.

Related: Warriors Arena To Host March Madness Games (In 2022)

Continuing in his predictable fashion of not being able to stay quiet in the face of a slight, President Trump tweeted his displeasure about Steph Curry's public comments regarding his vote to not visit the White House as has been traditional for championship teams. Coupled with that, he rescinded the invitation for the team, and he went on to make comments in a speech Saturday disparaging the NFL and saying that football is being "ruined" by new rules and referees. As the New York Times reports, the President "urged N.F.L. owners to fire players who do not stand for the national anthem, suggested that football is declining because it is not as violent as it once was."

LeBron James responded to the tweet about Curry by tweeting "U bum" at President Trump, and the Warriors organization responded with their own statement.

"We believe there is nothing more American than our citizens having the right to express themselves freely on matters important to them," the Warriors' statement reads. "We're disappointed that we did not have an opportunity during this process to share our views or have an open dialogue on issues impacting our communities that we felt would be important to raise."

The team added that they would use their February trip to DC to "celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion."

Trump's disinvitation comes just as the Warriors were set to take a vote as a team on whether or not to accept the ceremonial invitation for a White House visit — something that they were reportedly intending to reject as early as June, shortly after the NBA championship win.