More on Cleveland Sirens & Allison Howard & Lady Cavaliers & WNBA: Recent HoopsHype Rumors
It's been a long time coming, but Clevelanders will now have a name to cheer for at the city's WNBA games. The team will officially be known as the Cleveland Sirens
. — 8/4/2026 News 5 ClevelandThe team will play its home games at Rocket Arena in Downtown Cleveland, with the Cleveland Clinic Courts in Independence set to become the Cleveland WNBA team's exclusive training and practice facility. Support for the WNBA in Cleveland has been widespread, from nearly 9,000 initial down payments for season tickets to founding partners signing on,
like Progressive, which has claimed the sponsored patch chest and abdomen placements on the team’s jersey. — 8/4/2026 News 5 Cleveland
The Dallas Wings are getting a major upgrade. The Wings will play their 2027 season at American Airlines Center, also home to the NHL’s Dallas Stars and the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Since moving to Dallas from Tulsa in 2016, the Wings have played at College Park Center at UT Arlington, which seats 6,251. The American Airlines Center has a capacity of around 20,000 for NBA games and reached 20,409 when the Wings hosted the Indiana Fever there last season. — 8/3/2026 New York Times
The Wings had previously planned to move downtown to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium in 2026, but there were construction delays on the renovation project. The Dallas Morning News reported that the renovation is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 season. That space, which used to host the Dallas Chaparrals of the ABA, would only accommodate about 9,000 fans. — 8/3/2026 New York Times
Shams Charania: BREAKING: The Los Angeles Sparks are trading five-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, sources tell me and @kendra__andrews. — 8/2/2026 x.com
Fast-forward to the current season. Once again, Clark wants to focus on her game, not get dragged into polarizing political debates. Once again, Cunningham is acting as the lightning rod, fearlessly wading into the debate regarding transgender athletes. As she told ESPN: “I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.” Whether intentional or not, Cunningham has become the story instead of Clark, who’s averaging a career-best 21.5 points per game in her third season in the W. When the media tried to make Cunningham backtrack on her ESPN comments, she stuck by her position that little girls–and all women–need protection. “I said what I said. I think it’s kind of common sense.” — 7/31/2026 Front Office Sports
Enter Cunningham, the feisty, 29-year-old Fever sharpshooter, who’s embraced the role of Clark’s older sister/protector. NHL clubs have long used on-ice enforcers to protect their skill players. When Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey of the Sun got physical with Clark last year, Cunningham reacted like Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers enforcer Dave Semenko. On a fast break at the end of the game, Cunningham yanked Sheldon down with a flagrant foul. When Sheldon jumped up to brawl, Cunningham put her in a headlock for good measure. A star was born. — 7/31/2026 Front Office Sports
Sophie Cunningham is not just Caitlin Clark’s bodyguard on the court; she’s become her bodyguard in the court of public opinion. If I were WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, I’d thank Cunningham for protecting the health and image of the league’s biggest star on and off the floor. Notice I said biggest star, not best player. That’s four-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Aces. But the 24-year-old Clark is without question the league’s biggest attraction in terms of TV ratings, box office, and merchandising. Despite her fame, Clark is “politically anodyne,” notes The Ringer’s Seerat Sohi, especially compared to the NBA’s biggest star, LeBron James. Unlike the Chosen One, Clark doesn’t want to talk about politics or social issues. She doesn’t pick a side in the political proxy wars dividing the WNBA and fans over race, sexuality, and transgender athletes. Clark just wants to hoop. — 7/31/2026 Front Office Sports
Along with the suspension, Keaton was fined an undisclosed amount, the league said. "We respect the league's decision to fine and suspend co-owner Celeste Keaton," the Storm said in a statement Thursday. "We remain committed to creating a welcoming and respectful environment for anyone who attends a Storm game." — 7/30/2026 ESPN
The WNBA has suspended Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton from attending the team's next five home games after her exchange with two fans during Tuesday's matchup with the Indiana Fever, the league confirmed Thursday. According to multiple reports, Keaton had admonished a pair of fans who brought signs into Climate Pledge Arena supporting Fever guard Sophie Cunningham following her recent comments about transgender athletes. The fans told unDividedPod.com that Keaton directed expletives at them for a sign that thanked Cunningham "for speaking up for girls." — 7/30/2026 ESPN
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Cleveland Sirens exec Allison Howard: 'We don't want to be the Lady Cavaliers'
