Seattle Storm Win 2020 WNBA Championship

The GIST: The Seattle Storm won the 2020 WNBA Championship...and in a way, we all won.

How so?: By getting to watch the Storm absolutely dominate the Las Vegas Aces, winning Game 3 92–59 and sweeping the series 3-0. By getting to see two-time WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and 17-year veteran Sue Bird come back with a vengeance after an injury-plagued 2019 season. And by getting to witness the strangest but most successful and inspiring WNBA season in the league's herstory.

• In the face of a pandemic, the entire regular season was held inside a bubble wubble, but that didn’t limit the impact of the players’ voices. Outspoken and amplified, WNBA players were the most vocal, participating in wildcat strikes, wearing messages of equality and consistently calling for justice.

• The league also found unprecedented footing in the sports world: despite direct competition from all major leagues, the W saw a 68% increase in average viewership and the #OrangeHoodie became this year’s “it” item.

Shivers. When does the next season start?: We’re not sure yet. However, given this momentum and the fact that some star-studded players will likely return to the hardwood, whenever it starts, it’s going to be incredible.

And in the NBA?: The LA Lakers are just one win away (or the Miami Heat are three wins away...) from the NBA Championship. After a sleepy Game 3, the Lakers came back to win 102–96 in Tuesday’s Game 4 and have all the history on their side.

• If LeBron James & Co. can hold off Jimmy “Buckets” Butler for one more matchup, the 2020 NBA Finals could be over by tomorrow night. Game 5 tips off at 9 p.m. ET.