Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve added her voice to the growing push for WNBA roster expansion. Under the current collective-bargaining agreement, teams are limited to 12 roster spots — a tough constraint during a 44-game season filled with injuries, travel and international absences.
Reeve noted the NBA added its first extra roster spot after 25 years. The WNBA is in Year 28, which, in her view, makes expansion ‘‘overdue.’’
She also pointed out that several teams had to rely on hardship contracts in the first two weeks of the season, a burden that puts coaches and players in a strange position early on.
‘‘There are things we could do to mitigate some of those things — and the way that our league looks on national TV — at a time when we’ve got the most eyeballs,’’ Reeve said.
The NBA allows 15 roster spots, though it plays nearly twice as many games with longer minutes. Still, calls for a 13th player have been echoed by Williams, who serves as the players’ union secretary.
Sky coach Tyler Marsh also has suggested an extra spot would afford coaches some necessary flexibility and help with development.
Atkins chooses Athletes Unlimited for offseason
Sky guard Ariel Atkins will play in Athletes Unlimited this offseason, choosing a league focused on fun — and five-on-five.
Atkins made the decision after consulting with Sky teammate Kia Nurse and former teammate Theresa Plaisance, both of whom have competed in AU. Plaisance won a championship with Atkins with the Mystics in 2021.
So what appealed to Atkins about AU?
‘‘The structure of the game,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s back to five-on-five, bringing a bunch of people together that really want to play pickup and do it in a fun way.’’
Atkins was a relief player last offseason in Unrivaled, a three-on-three league based in Miami, where she played alongside Angel Reese. This time, however, she opted for AU, a four-week domestic league that begins in February.
AU redrafts teams each week and tracks individual stats on a running leaderboard. The player with the highest score at the end is crowned champion.
Wings forward Maddy Siegrist won last season. Sky center Elizabeth Williams finished sixth and Nurse 11th.
Reese thanks Lynx star Collier
After torching the Lynx for 19 points on 57.1% shooting Saturday, Reese credited her offseason experience in Unrivaled — and league co-founder Napheesa Collier — for helping her improve.
‘‘That’s one of the big reasons we created Unrivaled — to have players leave better than how they came,’’ Collier said before the Lynx-Sky rematch Monday. ‘‘Angel’s part of the future of the league. I’m the present right now, but she has a long career in front of her.’’
During the Sky’s victory Saturday, Reese showed off some mid-range touch — something she has been working on — along with flashier ball-handling moves to create space.
All those tips are paying off, but perhaps a little too well for Collier’s liking.
‘‘I’m like, ‘I want you to get better, just not when you play us,’ ’’ Collier said, laughing.