Electric, resounding, and gripping – these are just a few words that will define tonight’s game in Edmonton. But one thing that stood out for the veteran players like Skylar Diggins-Smith was the crowd. In the second iteration of the WNBA’s Canada game, the fans showed up from everywhere to show their support for the ladies. And even though the Seattle Storm lost 84-79 to Los Angeles, the WNBA won.

Talking about how it felt to see a sold-out crowd in another country for their game, Skylar Diggins-Smith told the real value of tonight in the post-game press conference. She told Christina, “It’s very monumental… Just trying to capitalize the popularity of the game, how great the product is. Fans want to see it, it’s a demand for it. They showed up and showed out. It was loud, could barely hear in that arena. Screaming our lungs off trying to communicate to each other.”

Despite having trouble being able to hear what her teammates were saying, Storm’s latest addition was looking forward to more such experiences as the Canadian fans at Rogers Place gave them. Adding more to her comments, the 6x WNBA All-Star said, “It was amazing, it’s electric…Hopefully, we have a lot more opportunities to play these games globally and expose our league to new fans. And for new fans to be able to see us play and just have that accessibility to watch the game.”

Skylar Diggins-Smith has recently returned to her team after being away from the game for a year on maternity leave. While she didn’t have much time with her teammates, she gave a great performance alongside the new members – Nneka Ogwumike and Jewell Loyd. Let us glance at what tonight’s view looked like.

Stellar turnout at Rogers Place

The WNBA is slowly spreading its legs into the neighboring countries to boost its globalization as a product. Tonight was just another visual that proved that the women’s professional basketball league is on the rise. The WNBA’s official Instagram page posted a story showing what the Seattle Storm and the LA Sparks were seeing in the arena. The caption on it read, “Tonight’s #WNBACanadaGame in Edmonton was SOLD OUT! 16,655 fans in attendance!”

While Cameron Brink’s witty entrance dance turned into good luck for the Sparks, it may have also caused the arena to fill up. The high crowd density could be because this year’s stellar standout rookies were debuting their WNBA journey or because Kia Nurse who is a Canadian was again playing in her homeland. But it may even be because WNBA greats like Skylar Diggins-Smith, Ogwumike, and Loyd were joining forces as well. No matter what the reason was, it is a clear indication of how quickly the landscape of this league is transitioning. And it will surely be worth everyone’s while to see where it extends.

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