Girl Dinner

Welcome to Melanin MVP 👋🏾, where we celebrate minority women athletes making history. I’m writing this week’s sports highlights before I head to spin class. When you reach the last word, let me know! 🥂

Women to Watch 🏅

• Barbra Banda is the first Zambian woman to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or. Tabitha Chawinga is the first Malawian woman to be nominated for the Ballon d'Or. There are many other notable women of color who made the list, and a very noticeable snub.

• With 31 points and counting, Rhyne Howard becomes number 2 in Dream franchise history for 30pt+ games. Howard also becomes one of five Dream players to record two 30pt+ games in a single season.

• Esther Nworgu won silver in powerlifting for Nigeria at the 2024 Paralympics.

• Dijonai Carrington joins the 1000 points club, all of which have come during her time with the Connectcut Sun.

• At 22 years old, Trinity Rodman is now the youngest NWSL player to reach 20 assists. She celebrated with a “dunk” in front of the newest member of the Washington Spirit ownership team.

• Kahleah Copper is presented with a proclamation from the city of Philadelphia.

• The Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Philip J. Pierre announced that September 27 will be declared “Julien Alfred Day,” a national holiday in her honor. Julien Alfred brought home the country’s first Olympic medal last month.

• Aliyah Boston records her first 30-point game performance against the Atlanta Dream overtime.

• Tina Charles has recorded her 190th double-double of her career, and is now only 4 away from becoming the number 1 overall in WNBA history.

• The Los Angeles Sparks may be out of playoff contention, but Rickea Jackson’s season is far from over. She’s scored in double digits in 24 games this season, the 2nd most in Sparks franchise history. There are still a few games left for this number to continue to rise, and for her to make her case for Rookie of the Year.

• Rickea Jackson isn’t the only one making history for the LA Sparks. Dearica Hamby surpassed Lisa Leslie for most rebounds in a single LA Sparks season.

• In the Indiana Fever vs. Las Vegas Aces game earlier this week, A’Ja Wilson crossed the single-season scoring record, reaching 956 points on the season. Here’s the video where she scored the 940th point that pushed her to the top spot.

• Kelsey Mitchell reaches 100+ 3 points made in a single season.

• Arike Ogunbowale is now the leading scorer in Dallas Wings franchise history with 3972 points. With 6 seasons at the Dallas Wings, this celebration was a special one.

• Ezi Magbegor breaks the Seattle Storm single season record for most blocks in a single season, clocking in at 82 blocks.

• Briana Pinto will be stepping off the pitch and joining UNC’s hockey team in their upcoming game against Delaware on September 27th. We love a good crossover!

• Moralake Akinosun is retiring from USA Track and Field. She is an Olympian and Emmy Award Winner. I can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

• The South Carolina WBB team visited the White House ahead of the upcoming season.

• Alyssa Thomas leads the WNBA in triple-doubles. She is the only player with triple-doubles in the double digits. Say that 3 times fast.

• Skylar Diggins-Smith broke the record for the most assists in single season for the Seattle Storm. She has 222 and counting.

• Olympic gold-medalist Jordan Chiles throws out the first pitch at the Mets game with never-before-seen Nike Air Max Muse.

This issue is brought to you by Grain & Gold.

Grain & Gold is a film production company telling underrepresented stories of everyday, college, and professional women athletes. Check out the trailer of our latest film, Trail Therapy, and stay tuned for the director's commentary and behind-the-scenes video coming soon!

Top Stories 📰

• Portland secures the next WNBA team, following Toronto and San Francisco.

• The Chicago Sky have been coming in hot with the brand deals. They’ve recently showcased their partnerships with Microsoft and Olay.

• Venus Williams released her new book, STRIVE. You can order it here. 

• Over 1.5 million fans have attended NWSL regular season games so far, breaking the previous record set at the 18 week mark. Shoutout to the fans, I’m happy to be among them (Go Courage)!

• The Golden State Valkyries unveil their plans for their practice facility in Oakland. They have been loudly announcing their entry into the WNBA and I love it.

Only Fans 🏟️

• Coco Jones showed up at the US Open looking stunning. She was among many celebrity onlookers.

• The New York Liberty had some stars in attendance in their game against the Las Vegas Aces.

• A young fan challenged Jordan Chiles to a headstand contest.

• Tom Brady gives A’Ja Wilson her flowers.

• Jackie Young returned to her hometown of Princeton, Indiana to a lot of love and this cute video celebrating her accomplishments in basketball.

• Angel Reese had a season-ending wrist injury but that didn’t keep her off the sidelines before her surgery. Her coach from LSU Kim Mulkey showed up to show her support.

• After Angel Reese had surgery on her season-ending wrist injury, Issa Rae sent her flowers to wish her a speedy recovery. Does she have Beyonce’s florist on speed dial too?

• Speaking of Issa Rae, she was also caught with this hilarious, yet supportive reaction at the US Open. She was sitting in star studded company, namely Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces.

• After losing a bet to Dawn Staley (the winner of the Olympic women’s soccer final), Kamilla Cardoso is spotted wearing a Trinity Rodman Team USA jersey in the tunnel.

• Bernice King graced center court at the Atlanta Dream game against the Minnesota Lynx to represent the King Center’s partnership with the women’s basketball team, and present the members of the Emerging Dream cohort.

• Kyrie Irving and his daughter greeted Angel Reese after he game in the tunnel.

The Last Word 🥂

There’s some rainy weather headed this way (to Durham), so we’re back for another watchlist!

• I’m really loving this recap video from the Seattle Storm of their Kicks for Equality night. Their victory only makes it that much sweeter (no shade to the Pheonix Mercury of course).

• Ford partnered with the Chicago Sky to tell the incredible story of Diamond DeSheilds. Highly recommend watching as this WNBA season comes to a close. Her success on the court will be even more eye-opening.

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, consider sharing it with someone who wants to celebrate women athletes!