Erin Jackson: Olympic gold medalist, history making speed skater
Wednesday, July 22, 2026
The Iranian War Continues.
On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth and General Caine face lawmakers on the Iranian War. Both human beings answered questions about the proposed more billions of dollars for further American involvement in the Iranian War. Hegseth defends Trump's Iranian war policy of saying that Iranian's military is heavily damaged. Ossoff asked Hegseth about how Hegseth said four months that major objectives involving Iranian military forces being heavily defeated militarily contradicts reality. Hegseth said to Ossoff that America has executed a huge victory against Iranian forces. Obviously, this isn't the case as Iran and America have executed missile strikes against each other for days and months. The reality is also that the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, and the racist Houthis (who have promoted slavery in Yemen) in Yemen are trying to block areas of Saudi Arabia. The reality is that Hegseth used deflection to equate criticizing government policy involving a war to criticizing the troops. That is not the case. Hegseth and Trump used diverse and contradictory statements about the goals and justifications for the Iranian war. Peters and Ossoff asked legitimate questions to Hegseth, and Hegseth turned around and used personal attacks against Peters (by calling him having TDS when dissent against Trump is perfectly fine as Trump is not God. Trump is not immune from critique). The Pentagon is spending billions of dollars in the Iranian war, and members of both parties have paid tribute to the U.S. military troops who were murdered by the Iranian regime. Hegseth didn't outline a clear exit strategy involving the Iranian conflict.
Tariq Nasheed is at it again. During a recent radio broadcast, a racist white man called black people the n word, lied about black people and crime (when crime rates in the black community has consistently declined for 10-20 years). Tariq Nasheed, in that show, didn't refute the racist, he didn't condemn the man using the n word, and he didn't use statistics. He just continued to talk in disagreement and said "Yes, Sir" to this racist man. First, I'm not calling a male Sir if he uses racial slurs against my black people. Second, I would use more passion and strength to refute that racist using history and statistics in a firm fashion. Racists don't care about respectability politics. That means that a black person can wear conservative clothes, speak eloquently, and behave in a respectable manner, and that racist still hates black people. This shows Tariq Nasheed as a coward, because he was all meek to this white racist, but he spews derogatory, offensive language against black immigrants and Africans (along with using slurs like the t word against them, disrespect their hairlines, etc.). I identify as African American or black American, not FBA as my ancestors didn't originate in America. My ancestors came from Africa many centuries ago. My African Americans ancestors lived in America in the 1700s and before that time, but my ancestral origin is from Western and Central Africa (as proven by history and the multiple DNA tests that I have taken. I have almost 90 percent Sub Saharan African DNA from my 2 DNA tests). The FBA and ADOS movements are cultic and false because of many reasons. One is that cultural diffusion is real meaning that many Afro-Caribbeans centuries ago traveled between North America and the Caribbean (and many of them married black Americans). The term African American existed in the 1700s, so that refutes the lie from numerous FBA/ADOS people that Jesse Jackson popularized or invented the term. Second is that you can promote reparations for black Americans specifically without scapegoating Afro-Caribbeans (and Africans) for major economic social and economic problems in the African American community. This problem existed by the system of white racism and other factors not every black person who is from not from America. All people of the black Diaspora should be treated with dignity and with respect. So, anyone (if that person doesn't apologize) slandering black Americans is canceled, and anyone slandering Afro-Caribbeans and Africans is also canceled in my eyes.
Third, there are many black people who are Gullahs in South Carolina who are still black Americans but have blatant Caribbean and African cultural links. Many self-haters want to claim that they are 100 percent Native American which is ludicrous. Many ADOS and FBA followers view black American culture as nearly monolithic when African American culture is very diverse based on regions and urban including rural plus suburban environments. For example, Northern and Southern black Americans have different accents, cultures, etc. along with the Great Migration tying Northern and Southern black Americans together at the same time. Many ADOS/FBA followers have a superiority complex to claim cultural supremacy over every other black person when all people are created equal. Tariq Nasheed created the FBA movement, and he is a notorious xenophobe (many FBA followers consider black Americans the t word if they disagree with them. My ancestors came from Virginia and North Carolina for centuries. I disagree with xenophobic nonsense. Ironically Tariq Nasheed said that it is good that the Trump is trying to stop reparations for Evanston, Illinois in lying to claim that it wasn't a real reparations plan when it was. Tariq is a liar to say that Queen Mother Moore wasn't Pan-African when she was), embraces sexist manosphere talking points, and has been exposed by scholars for years now. The ADOS/FBA movements have been aided by the establishment to try to divide black people. Therefore, as a black American, I will celebrate my black American culture without apology. I do believe in reparations for African Americans. Yet, I won't use that as an excuse to hate Africans and Afro-Caribbeans though. One ethnic group of the black African Diaspora shouldn't be scapegoated for all evils in the black community in America. That point should always be emphasized in opposing bigoted movements (some of the FBA crowd is pro-MAGA too as Tariq praised many of Trump's views on many occasions). At the end of the day, folks (including Tariq Nasheed) who are part of the ADOS and FBA movements need to wake up and reject xenophobia completely.
Trump administration official Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin threatened to prosecute and imprison state election officials who refuse to comply with federal demands. This is fascism and another example how the Trump regime is promoting extremist behavior. It is no question that the Trump administration seeks to overturn the 2026 midterm election (if Democrats win the House) by using more sophisticated means than in 2020. Mullin spoke this nonsense from the Eisenhower Executive Office building after Trump gave his address about elections. Trump promoted the myth that the 2026 midterms are under threat by China. Trump desires to overturn any election that has a Republican defeat. Mullin wants federal grants, the DHS databases, and the threat of criminal prosecution to impose its views on state election system. This is immoral as state elections are to be controlled by the state governments. There is no constitutional law saying that the federal government should control all aspects of state and local elections. Mullin wants to target states that refuse to use SAVE or the Department of Homeland Security's Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database. SAVE is nothing more than Big Brother on steroids using a "voting" face. Mullin's threat of financial tactics is an attack on the Constitution. The executive branch has no right to unilaterally dictate state voting procedures or prosecute election officials for refusing presidential order. Mullin's views are rightfully rejected by progressives and freedom lovers in general. The traitor Fetterman said that he is willing to reconsider some things said by Mullin. The good news is that the SAVE Act probably won't pass the Senate. The bad news is that threats to our democratic voting rights remain. We desire true justice against the Trump agenda.
The Iranian war has escalated into a new level. The M.O.U. plan seems to have been gone or delayed. This war seems to probably last for a few more months. Iran has targeted many U.S. military bases and other places in the Middle East. The Trump administration has also targeted military sites including bridges, railways, ports, and the power grid. It has enforced a naval blockade with missile fire. The issue is how can the Strait of Hormuz be open for all ships and how can this conflict end in Iran without further military conflict. The answer to those questions is very complicated and won't be solved anytime soon unfortunately. This Iranian war is the biggest foreign policy blunder by the Trump administration, because it is an unjust and unnecessary war. The Iranian war has nothing to do with self-defense or any type of morality. This war existed because of pure, unadulterated imperialism seeking to advance the agenda of oligarchy against humanity. Iranian missiles killed two American soldiers in Jordan on Friday. A third solider was killed in Northern Iraq. The Iranian regime is not a paragon of virtue as it is a theocratic, authoritarian regime that has murdered Iranian protesters and has policies against the human rights of the Iranian people too. The Iranian attack in Jordan attacked King Faisal Air Base and on Prince Hassan Air Base. The Iranian war has increased up gas prices, fertilizer, and other goods and services. No one, who is honorable, is seeking this war, and Trump is continuing this war for narcissistic purposes without concern of public opinion or morality. The Wall Street Journal reported on July 15 that Trump is thinking about option with using ground forces to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz. This is why we have to promote checks and balances (after the Trump administration has limited access of some of the media in Pentagon briefings); Congress must rein in the power of the executive branch.
By Timothy
Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Monday, July 20, 2026
Times of the 21st Century.
Christianity in the 21st century has been filled with excitement, people being saved, and massive controversies in this continuing war on terror. Like in all religions and social movements, there are diverse Christians with divergent views on theology and political matters. By 2001, Armenia marks the 1700 anniversary of Christianity as its state's religion. The King of Armenia in 301 A.D. was the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion. By 2003, Mission Province is formed in the Church of Sweden making a new era for confessional Lutheranism in Scandinavia. There is the publication of "Back to Jerusalem Called to Complete the Great Commission in 2003. By 2003, the Coptic priest Zakaria Botros started his television and internet mission to Muslims, resulting in thousands of conversions. By 2005, Pope John Paul II died, and Pope Benedict XVI was elected by the Vatican. Controversies exist involving Christians grow. In 2005, the United Church of Christ became the first Protestant denomination to support same sex marriage in America, and one of the first denominations worldwide to so do. In 2006, the World Methodist Council voted unanimously to adopt the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. By 2006, Abdul Rahman, an Afghan Christian convert, was forced out of Afghanistan by local Muslim leaders and exiled to Italy. To this day in 2026, Christians are persecuted worldwide from Africa to Asia by terrorists and extremists who don't respect the legitimate, sacrosanct concept of religious freedom (which is a very vital human right). Another theological debate is the issue of Zionism. There are two groups. One group of Christians follow Christian Zionism or the belief that Christians must support Israel in fulfillment of Bible prophecy and doctrines found in the OT and NT. Many other Christians oppose Christian Zionism because they follow the replacement theology (or that Gentiles are grafted into Israel thereby the Church replaces Israel), some are opposed to the policies of the Israeli government, and some don't believe that Israel being a nation now is not prophetic. In 2006, there was the Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism being signed by many Christian denominations in the Middle East that criticizes the doctrine as associating the Gospel with imperialism and militarism. What is the truth? The truth is more nuance. There are Christian Palestinians, and they are our brothers and sisters in Christ who should be treated with dignity and respect. Netanyahu's government in Israel using war crimes in Gaza, etc. have no justification. Yet, the war crimes by Netanyahu are not to be blamed on all Jewish people collectively (which is akin to blaming all Americans collectively for the war crimes in Iran and the Caribbean). Therefore, Israel is an imperfect nation, but God is not finished with the Jewish people as the book of Revelation cited 144,000 people from the tribes of Israel. If the Church replaced Israel completely, then that passage of the book of Revelation would have never existed. Pope Benedict XVI promoted personal ordinariates for Anglican Use Catholic. By January 1, 2011, there was a bombing of a church in Alexandria, Egypt, killing 21 people, mostly Christians. Many people like Shahbaz ZBhatti, a Pakistani politician was murdered. She was the only Christian elected member of the National Assembly and spoken openly against Pakistan's blasphemy laws as a violation of religious liberty rights. By the 2010s, Pope Francis was the Pope. Many Christians in the world, from across the political spectrum support conservative or liberal political causes. In the 2020s, there is growth of climate change, and many Christians have been outspoken on environmental issues too. Theological debates continue Christianity from once saved always saved, legalism, the Trinity, social issues, racial issues, gender issues, economic issues, free will, prophecy, and other matters. Yet, one thing is true. Christianity started with Jesus Christ who brought love, truth, and light in the world that all of humanity can be saved. It is important to have racial justice and economic justice plus equality. Along with that, people should repent of sins, live a holy life, and treat people with dignity and respect too. In other words, it is very great to have social justice, but we don't live by bread alone but by the words from the living God.
The Fall of 2026 is almost here. For generations, we have seen history change all of the time. We are in the later part of this 2020s decade. A lot of things have changed from technology to culture. Yet, one thing remains the same which is the truth. Time is ever going fast. I remember 1996 and the year of 2001 just like yesterday, and now we are less than 4 years before 2030. We have lived through a movement more dangerous and powerful than Reaganism and the Southern Strategy put together. It is the MAGA movement, whose major spokesperson is Donald Trump. MAGA is possible the biggest deception in human history, because it has infected the minds of religious people, secular people, people of all ages, and even some person of color have been brainwashed to agree with Trump unconditionally. Trump is supported by far-right people and white nationalists who have perverted interpretations of American history and the belief in the great lie (that true Americans are only made up of white people and everyone else must submit to the agenda of white racism). If Trump was truly honest, why did he try his best to suppress the Epstein files until public outcry forced him to release the Epstein files? Why is he signing laws that benefit the super-rich that only perpetrates the growth of economic inequality in the globe? Why is glorifying traitors and other folks who harmed lives like Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee, Andrew Jackson, etc. This signifies how MAGA hates America. If they truly love America, they will promote policies and laws to clean our environment, promote diversity, strengthen our voting laws, protect our civil liberties, and expand human rights for all people. We don't need far right authoritarianism and fascism masquerading as "patriotism." We just need true liberty. The unjust Iranian war was truly a turning point. Many MAGA people have left the movement over the Iranian War, because that war was so unjust that the vast majority of Americans didn't agree with it when true, strong diplomacy would have saved lives.
Infrastructure has made the world go around for millennia among human history. Infrastructure is about the foundational physical and organizational systems that support a society's economy and daily functions. It is mainly divided into hard infrastructure (in dealing with tangible physical networks) and soft infrastructure (that deals with services and institutions that support human and economic development). In terms of hard infrastructure, people created these physical, capital-intensive structures to a keep daily events occurring. They can deal with transportation. That has systems that enable physical movements of people and goods such as Roadways, railways, aviation hubs, ports, and bridges. Nowadays, we have plans that can break the sound barrier and light rails that came go above 300 mph (like Japan's L0 Series Maglev and the Shanghai Maglev). You have energy that has facilities and grids that generate transmit, and store power and energy (from coal, natural gas, nuclear, and renewables like wind and solar). Water and waste have networks for clean water supply, irrigation, wastewater treatment, sanitation, and waste management. There are telecommunications that has telecommunication lines, cellular towers, broadband internet, satellites. There is IT infrastructure like hardware, data, centers, and cloud computing architectures that support digital data exchange.
Social infrastructure deals with education, healthcare, public security and governance, and financial services. Education has infrastructure that deals with learning, skill development, and it is filled with locations like public schools, universities, and training centers. Healthcare has hospitals, clinics, and public health agencies that promote public health and physical wellbeing. Public security and governance have institutions that deal with order like police forces, dire departments, courts of law, and national defense. There are many financial services that handle monetary systems like banking networks, and other regulatory bodies that manage economic activity.
I have lived during the time of September 11, 2001. It was a sunny day when it happened on a Tuesday morning. Then, the attacks transpired in a brutal, coordinated fashion. The terror on that day was unlike anything that I have witnessed in my life. It was the worst terrorist attack on American soil since the Pearl Harbor bombing back on December 7, 1941 (and the pogroms against black Americans in Red Summer and during the 19th century). The 9/11 tragedy existed in New York City, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Buildings fell down, there was smoke all-over Downtown Manhattan, and people in New York City ran for their lives. To this day, many victims of 9/11 suffer cancer from the smoke spreading around vociferously in the air. Many victims of the smoke from 9/11 have passed away from cancer and other illnesses for years. The only people responsible for these attacks are al-Qaeda terrorists who were stone cold cowards. There is absolutely no excuse whatsoever for murdering innocent human life in cold blood period. Morality and integrity matter, and Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network are the antithesis of true honor and morality. News coverage of the events was everywhere involving the attacks. Yet, these events never existed in a complete and utter vacuum. Heroes were in 9/11. People in planes fought the hijackers to prevent Flight 93 from hitting the White House or the United States Capitol building. People saved lives in the rubble of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Some first responders sacrificed their lives in protecting lives and saving human beings too. These are the real, sometimes unsung stories of the real champions of liberty and justice for all. Immediately after 9/11, there was a sense of patriotism, but some exploited patriotism for nefarious purposes. Many racists, xenophobes, and Islamophobes illegally and unjustly vandalized mosques and Islamic cultural centers immediately after 9/11. I remembered that vividly back in 2001. There was anthrax in many locations spreading too. Many Muslims in New York City and nationwide were harassed, profiled, assaulted, and discriminated against. Even President George W. Bush had to condemn these evils as a person's creed or religion shouldn't be used as an excuse for anyone to express bigotry and discrimination. Bush Jr. and the neo-conservatives promoted the War on Terror, attacked Afghanistan, created the unjust war in Iraq, and passed controversial (in my opinion) anti-civil liberty laws like the USA Patriot Act. There was the warrantless spying on Americans too by the NSA, etc. So, we live in a Brave New World when police with automatic weapons are around and the growth of Big Brother technology (which has been accelerated with new A.I. devices). By the 2010s and the 2020s, we have more regional wars and conflicts found in the Middle East, other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, etc. September 11th should make us awareness that evil exist and the only way to combat it is to promote goodness and righteousness in causing the Dream to be made real in the Universe.
A tree is part of nature in many ways. A tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem or trunk, usually supporting trees and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only plants that are usable as lumber, or only plants above a specified height. Wider definitions include taller palms, tree ferns, bananas, and bamboos. Trees are not a monophyletic taxonomic group but consist of a wide variety of plant species that have independently evolved a trunk and branches as a way to tower above other plants to compete for sunlight. The majority of tree species are angiosperms or hardwoods; of the rest, many are gymnosperms or softwoods. Trees tend to be long-lived, some trees reaching several thousand years old. The earliest trees evolved around 400 million years ago, and it is estimated that there are around three trillion mature trees in the world currently. A tree typically has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground by the trunk, which typically contains woody tissue for strength, and vascular tissue to carry materials from one part of the tree to another. For most trees the trunk is surrounded by a layer of bark which serves as a protective barrier. Below the ground, the roots branch and spread out widely; they serve to anchor the tree and extract moisture and nutrients from the soil. Above ground, the branches divide into smaller branches and shoots. The shoots typically bear leaves, which capture light energy and convert it into sugars by photosynthesis, providing the food for the tree's growth and development. Trees usually reproduce using seeds. Flowering plants have their seeds inside fruits, while conifers carry their seeds in cones, and tree ferns produce spores instead. Trees play a significant role in reducing erosion and moderating the climate. They remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store large quantities of carbon in their tissues. Trees and forests provide a habitat for many species of animals and plants. Tropical rainforests are among the most biodiverse habitats in the world. Trees provide shade and shelter, timber for construction, fuel for cooking and heating, and fruit for food as well as having many other uses. In much of the world, forests are shrinking as trees are cleared to increase the amount of land available for agriculture. Because of their longevity and usefulness, trees have always been revered, with sacred groves in various cultures, and they play a role in many of the world's mythologies. In its broadest sense, a tree is any plant with the general form of an elongated stem, or trunk, which supports the photosynthetic leaves or branches at some distance above the ground. Trees are also typically defined by height, with smaller plants from 0.5 to 10 m (1.6 to 32.8 ft) being called shrubs, so the minimum height of a tree is only loosely defined. Large herbaceous plants such as papaya and bananas are trees in this broad sense. Many trees expand by growing more rings. Trees grow large to capture more sunlight.
The popularity of women's basketball has increased around the world for decades. By the 1970s, women's basketball had attracted the International Olympic Committee, which added women's basketball as an official sport of the Olympic Games in 1976; the men had debuted in 1936. Throughout the 1970s, funding for (and interest in) women's basketball began to dramatically increase as schools receiving federal funding began to come into compliance with new laws mandating a lack of discrimination based on sex. The sport was also gaining attention at the collegiate level, under the auspices of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). America's first professional basketball league for women was founded in 1978 as the Women's Basketball League. The WBL competed for three seasons, launching in 1979 with 8 teams. The league expanded to 14 teams in 1980. Financial issues, poor marketing, and the cancelation of America's participation in the 1980 Summer Olympic Games severely impacted the league's viability, and it collapsed at the end of its third season in 1981. The next major development in women's basketball occurred in 1982 when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began to sponsor the sport. After several failed attempts at women's professional leagues in the U.S., the NBA founded the WNBA in 1996. The first nationally televised championship game occurred in 1979. Ivy Kirkpatrick of Stephen F. Austin State University coordinated the collaboration between NBC Sports and the AIAW. Only the title game was televised with Old Dominion University defeating Louisiana Tech University. Thereafter the Women's Final Four has been televised as an annual event.
The creation of the WNBA was officially approved by the NBA Board of Governors on April 24, 1996, and announced at a press conference with players Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes in attendance. The new WNBA had to compete with the recently formed American Basketball League (ABL), another professional women's league that began play in the fall of 1996, but ceased operation during its 1998–99 season. The WNBA began with eight teams: the Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty in the Eastern Conference; and the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz in the Western Conference. While the first major women's professional basketball league in the U.S. was the defunct WBL, the WNBA is the only league to receive full backing of the NBA. The WNBA logo, "Logo Woman", paralleled the NBA logo and was selected out of 50 different designs.
After a much-publicized gold medal run by the USA women's national team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the WNBA began its first season on June 21, 1997. The first WNBA game featured the New York Liberty facing the Los Angeles Sparks in Los Angeles. The Liberty defeated the Sparks 67–57. A crowd of 14,284 attended the game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. The game was televised nationally in the U.S. on the NBC television network. At the start of the 1997 season, the WNBA had television deals with NBC (NBA rights holder), ESPN, and Lifetime. Penny Toler scored the league's first point. The early era of the WNBA dealt with the Houston Rockets dominance in team play from 1997 to 2000. The WNBA centered its marketing campaign, dubbed "We Got Next", around stars Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Sheryl Swoopes. In the league's first season, Leslie's Los Angeles Sparks underperformed, and Swoopes sat out much of the season due to her pregnancy. Perhaps the WNBA's first star was MVP Cynthia Cooper, Swoopes' teammate on the Houston Comets. The Comets defeated Lobo's New York Liberty in the first WNBA championship game. The initial "We Got Next" advertisement ran before each season until it was replaced with a "We Got Game" campaign.
Two teams were added in 1998 (the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics), and two more in 1999 (the Orlando Miracle and Minnesota Lynx), bringing the total number of teams in the league to 12. The 1999 season began with a collective bargaining agreement between players and the league, marking the first collective bargaining agreement to be signed in the history of women's professional sports. That year, the WNBA also announced it would add four more teams for the 2000 season (the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Miami Sol, and Portland Fire), bringing the league to 16 teams. WNBA president Val Ackerman discussed expansion, saying: "This won't be the end of it. We expect to keep growing the league."
In 1999, the league's chief competition, the American Basketball League (ABL), declared bankruptcy. Many of the ABL's star players, including several Olympic gold medalists (such as Nikki McCray and Dawn Staley) and a number of standout college performers (including Kate Starbird and Jennifer Rizzotti), joined the rosters of WNBA teams, enhancing the overall quality of play in the league. On May 23, 2000, the Comets became the first women’s professional team to be invited to the White House Rose Garden. At the end of the 2000 season, the Comets won their fourth championship, capturing every title since the league's inception. Led by the "Big Three" of Cooper (who won the Finals MVP for all four championships), Swoopes, and Tina Thompson, the Comets dominated every team in the league. Under head coach Van Chancellor, the team posted a 98–24 record their first four seasons (16–3 in the playoffs). After 2000, Cooper retired from the league, and the Comets' dynasty came to an end. Cynthia Cooper entered the WNBA at the age of 34 and won Finals MVP in each of the Houston Comets' four championships. Then, the L.A. Sparks had success in 2001 and 2002. Back then, Lisa Leslie led the L.A. Sparks who was a three time MVP and the first player to dunk in a WNBA game. The Los Angeles Sparks had the best record during the 2001 WNBA season. Led by Lisa Leslie, the Sparks posted a regular-season record of 28–4 and advanced to their first WNBA Finals, sweeping the Charlotte Sting.
Looking for a repeat in 2002, the Sparks again made a strong run toward the postseason, going 25–7 in the regular season under head coach Michael Cooper. Again, Leslie dominated throughout the Playoffs, leading the Sparks to a perfect 6–0 record, beating the New York Liberty in the 2002 Finals. Teams and the league were collectively owned by the NBA until the end of 2002, when the NBA sold WNBA teams either to their NBA counterparts in the same city or to a third party as a result of the dot-com bubble. This led to two teams moving: Utah moved to San Antonio, and Orlando moved to Connecticut and became the first WNBA team to be owned by a third party instead of an NBA franchise. This sale of teams also led to two teams folding, the Miami Sol and Portland Fire, because new owners could not be found. The Women's National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) threatened to strike in 2003 if a new deal was not reached between players and the league. The result was a delay in the start of the 2003 preseason and the 2003 WNBA draft, along with negative publicity for the league.
Bill Laimbeer took over the Detroit Shock in 2002 as head coach and general manager. He had high hopes for the Shock, despite the team having gone 9–23 its previous season. Three Shock members made it to the 2003 All-Star Game (Swin Cash, Cheryl Ford, and Deanna Nolan), and Laimbeer orchestrated a worst-to-first turnaround with the Shock finishing the season 25–9 and in first place in the Eastern Conference. In the 2003 Finals, the Shock defeated the Los Angeles Sparks 2–1, winning game three in front of a league-record crowd of 22,076. After the 2003 season, the Cleveland Rockers, one of the league's original eight teams, folded because its owners were unwilling to continue operating the franchise.
The WNBA's growth continued. The Seattle Storm had consecutive first-overall draft picks in 2001 and 2002, selecting Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird. The Storm's young core broke through in 2004, finishing second in the Western Conference and advancing to the Finals. In a battle of two first-time finalists, the Storm defeated the Connecticut Sun 2–1 and won their first WNBA title. Anne Donovan became the first woman coach to guide a team to a WNBA championship. Val Ackerman, the first WNBA president, resigned effective February 1, 2005, citing the desire to spend more time with her family. Ackerman later became president of USA Basketball. On February 15, 2005, NBA commissioner David Stern announced that Donna Orender, who had been serving as the senior vice president of the PGA Tour and played for several teams in the now-defunct Women's Pro Basketball League, would be Ackerman's successor as of April 2005. The WNBA awarded an expansion team to Chicago (later named the Chicago Sky) in February 2005. In the off-season, a set of rule changes was approved that made the WNBA more like the NBA. The 2005 Finals was the first played in a best-of-five format. In another matchup between two teams seeking their first championship, the Sun came up short for the second consecutive year, falling in four games to the Sacramento Monarchs led by Yolanda Griffith. In 2006, the league reached a milestone as the first team-oriented women's professional sports league to exist for ten consecutive seasons. On its tenth anniversary, the WNBA released its All-Decade Team, comprising the ten WNBA players who had contributed, through on-court play and off-court activities, the most to women's basketball during the league's existence.
The Shock bounced back in 2006 behind newly acquired Katie Smith, along with six remaining members from their 2003 championship run. The Shock finished second in the Eastern Conference and knocked out first-seeded Connecticut in the second round of the Playoffs. In the Finals, they faced reigning champion Sacramento, winning in Game Five on their home floor. In December 2006, the Charlotte Bobcats organization announced it would no longer operate the Charlotte Sting. Soon after, the WNBA announced the Sting would not operate for 2007. A dispersal draft was held on January 8, 2007. Teams selected in inverse order of their 2006 records with the Chicago Sky receiving the first pick.
The Phoenix Mercury hired coach Paul Westhead before the 2006 season. His up-tempo style of play was perfect for the team, especially after the league shortened the shot clock from 30 to 24 seconds in 2006. Led by their "Big Three" of Cappie Pondexter, Diana Taurasi, and Penny Taylor, the Mercury averaged a league-record 89.0 points per game in 2007, far surpassing the previous record, and were propelled into first place in the Western Conference. Facing reigning champions the Detroit Shock in the 2007 Finals, the Mercury beat Detroit on their home floor in front of 22,076 fans in Game Five to claim their first-ever WNBA title. In October 2007, the WNBA awarded another expansion franchise to Atlanta. Atlanta businessman Ron Terwilliger was the original owner of the new team. Citizens of Atlanta voted on the new team's nickname and colors, selecting the name Atlanta Dream.
During the 2008 regular season, the first-ever outdoor professional basketball game in North America, the Liberty Outdoor Classic, was played at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty 71–55 in front of over 19,000 fans. In the 2008 Finals, the Shock swept the first-time finalists, the San Antonio Silver Stars, winning their third championship in six years under coach Bill Laimbeer. The victory effectively marked the end of the Shock dynasty, as Laimbeer resigned early in the 2009 season, with the team relocating shortly thereafter. Late in 2008, the WNBA took over ownership of one of the league's original franchises, the Houston Comets. The Comets ceased operations on December 1, 2008, after no owners could be found. A dispersal draft took place on December 8, 2008, with the first pick, Sancho Lyttle, taken by the Atlanta Dream.
Paul Westhead left the Mercury following the 2007 title, and the team faltered in 2008, becoming the first defending champion in league history to miss the playoffs. New head coach Corey Gaines implemented Westhead's style of play, and in 2009, the Mercury once again broke their own record, averaging 92.8 points per game in the regular season. Helped by the return of Taylor, who missed the 2008 season and a large part of the 2009 season, the Mercury clinched first place in the Western Conference and advanced to the 2009 Finals. The championship series was a battle of contrasting styles as the Mercury, number one league offense, faced the Indiana Fever, number three league defense. Phoenix won Game One in overtime, 120–116, the highest scoring game in WNBA playoffs history, and defeated the Fever in five games, capturing their second WNBA championship. Westhead's system influenced his Mercury team, but it also created a domino effect throughout the league. Young athletic players were capable of scoring more and playing at a faster pace. As a league, the 2010 average of 80.35 points per game was its best, surpassing the 69.2 average in the league's inaugural season.
By Timothy
By Timothy
Saturday, July 18, 2026
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