{"id":408,"date":"2025-07-11T03:12:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T03:12:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/408\/"},"modified":"2025-07-11T03:12:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T03:12:03","slug":"wnba-fans-buzz-over-marina-mabreys-future-in-connecticut-after-latest-mlb-outing-with-teammate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/408\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Fans Buzz Over Marina Mabrey\u2019s Future in Connecticut After Latest MLB Outing With Teammate"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019d be lying if you said we didn\u2019t call it \u2013 Connecticut Sun\u2019s slide was kinda obvious way before tip-off this season. Because losing all five starters from last year is not exactly a \u201clet\u2019s make playoffs\u201d energy. So when the Sun walked into 2025 with a whole new roster, there was really only one familiar face that fans were holding onto for dear life: Marina Mabrey. She came over from Chicago in a midseason trade last year and signed a two-year deal to chase a ring with Connecticut. But, well\u2026 that\u2019s not quite how things are going.<\/p>\n

So, what did she do?<\/p>\n

Mabrey wasn\u2019t too happy with the situation she walked into. There were some behind-the-scenes doubts about what she actually agreed to when she got traded, and she asked out. But the Sun weren\u2019t having it. They already gave up a lot to get her, and after the roster exodus this offseason, they can\u2019t exactly afford to lose the one player who\u2019s still got star power. So they denied the request, and that\u2019s when things got spicy.<\/p>\n

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Mabrey\u2019s agent, Marcus Crenshaw from The FAM agency, didn\u2019t hold back. \u201cThey are doing all they can to try and force Marina to stay when she clearly doesn\u2019t want to be there. It\u2019s interesting,\u201d he said. After which, fans started speculating, reporters kept digging, and her former college teammate Arike Ogunbowale even posted a video of a guy missing every shot he takes, clearly a shady little metaphor.<\/p>\n

But, you know, now a couple of months into the season Marina is not sulking. In fact, she\u2019s smiling. Like, all over social media. The side-eye has taken a backseat to full-on joy. And the reason? That would be rookie Saniya Rivers. Rivers and Mabrey have become unexpectedly real close. \u00a0Rivers is that loud, always-smiling, energy-on-100 type of teammate who pulls people out of their shells. And clearly, she\u2019s helped Mabrey tap into her fun side. The two are inseparable lately, and naturally, fans have gone wild with speculation.<\/p>\n

Just when dating rumors were swirling (a bit too much), \u00a0the two showed up at Fenway Park. Ahead of next week\u2019s big game at Boston\u2019s TD Garden, Mabrey, Rivers, and veteran Tina Charles were invited to throw the first pitch before the Red Sox game on Tuesday. Teammate Olivia Nelson-Ododa was also there hyping them up.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t the pitch that stole the spotlight. It was one photo. Mabrey and Rivers standing side-by-side, Rivers\u2019 hand around Mabrey\u2019s waist. That was it. That\u2019s all it took for fans to absolutely spiral. Some are all in for this duo. Others are wondering if this new closeness is going to impact Mabrey\u2019s future in Connecticut.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sun fans stir the pot as Marina Mabrey- Saniya Rivers bond sparks buzz<\/p>\n

\u201cY\u2019all think Marina canceled that trade request??? \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\u201d That one fan comment started the string. When Saniya Rivers arrived in Connecticut, it was like her mission from Miami just picked up right where it left off. Along with fellow rookie Aneesah Morrow, Rivers met Marina Mabrey literally within 24 hours of being drafted and they were filming TikTok dances. That wasn\u2019t a one-time thing. Since that moment, the videos haven\u2019t stopped. <\/p>\n

At first, it felt like typical rookie fun\u2014Gen Z girls bringing dance moves and slang into locker rooms, stuff the vets can\u2019t even keep up with. But the WNBA\u2019s got this sweet thing going right now\u2026young players are injecting joy and chaos, while the vets offer grounding and wisdom. It\u2019s the ultimate team-up. Except, with Marina and Rivers, fans think it might be more than just basketball bonding. Between their random car live sessions, food runs, and undeniable on-screen chemistry, the internet is absolutely convinced this duo might be what keeps Mabrey in Connecticut longer than expected.<\/p>\n

Another fan (and many others) nodded along, commenting, \u201cNah they a couple couple !! Marina definitely canceled that trade request lol \ud83d\ude02\u201d The receipts aren\u2019t lacking. Whether they\u2019re doing it just to fuel the rumors or not, they\u2019re definitely not dodging the speculation. The flirty comments have made their way into the replies. Their TikToks now come with just the right amount of \u201cwait a minute\u201d energy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And after the Sun\u2019s first win of the season \u2013 their first after a brutal 10-game losing streak \u2013 Rivers went to Mabrey, who was watching from the sidelines due to injury, and literally picked her up in a full-on hug. Whether it\u2019s a bit or it\u2019s real, even the most skeptical fans are doubting now. One chimed in with a deadpan \u201cOk hand wrapped around back.\u201d The moment Rivers and Mabrey stood side-by-side for photos before throwing the first pitch at the Red Sox game, with Rivers\u2019 hand wrapped casually but very intentionally around Marina\u2019s waist and fans lost it. <\/p>\n

Because that\u2019s the same kind of couple-coded placement we saw with Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd in that photo that had everyone speculating for months. While many more hints have basically forced us to accept Paige and Azzi as official<\/a> at this point, it\u2019s not that clear-cut with Marina and Saniya. Still, the d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu is strong. But not everyone is swooning. One fan went full savage mode, dropping \u201cLmao not worth staying in that sh\u2013ty franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Because despite the smiles, one major reason behind Marina\u2019s original trade request might have nothing to do with teammates or chemistry. It might just be the franchise itself. The Connecticut Sun is still among the few WNBA teams without a proper player practice facility. During last year\u2019s playoffs, the team reportedly had to share a practice court with a child\u2019s birthday party. \u00a0It is one of the reasons that it is harder to attract free agents and even tougher to retain the ones they\u2019ve got. So even if Mabrey\u2019s feeling the love lately, it\u2019s not exactly a confirmation that she sticks around long term.<\/p>\n

\"article-image\"\/<\/p>\n

via Imago<\/p>\n

But then there\u2019s that one fan who kept it simple with, \u201cThey look happy,\u201d and maybe that\u2019s all that matters for now. \u00a0Couple or not, the joy is real. \u201cI feel like this is the most random friendship ever,\u201d Rivers admitted with a laugh. \u201cWhen I came back, she was just like anything you need, I\u2019m here. Whether that\u2019s a hug or a conversation or whatever.\u201d She even added that Mabrey\u2019s been trying to boost her confidence to shoot the ball more. It\u2019s sweet, it\u2019s genuine, and it makes you want to root for both of them.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, not to forget, this Sun team, despite making the semifinals the last two seasons and even a Finals appearance in 2022, is in a completely different place now. Tina Charles joining the roster gave their offense a boost, and it was her leadership that finally snapped that losing streak.\u00a0But with a 3-16 record, there\u2019s still a long way to go. And with Mabrey still sidelined, it\u2019s not clear if this off-court bond with Rivers can actually translate into wins anytime soon. Sun fans can only hope that someday, it really does happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You\u2019d be lying if you said we didn\u2019t call it \u2013 Connecticut Sun\u2019s slide was kinda obvious way…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}