RTG Features have partnered with Heartland Film to launch the first annual event, which will take place February 16-18, 2024 at Living Room Theaters in Indianapolis. There will be a mix of world premiere titles, recent festival circuit favorites and iconic films.

In addition to screenings and post-screening Q&As, the festival will also feature panel conversations with filmmakers, player-owned production companies, and network executives in the sports film and documentary space. ESPN Films, celebrating the 15th anniversary of their award-winning 30 for 30 series this year, joins the festival as a Supporting Sponsor and will host a must-see conversation looking back at the basketball documentaries they’ve produced.

Check out the full lineup below.

Above the Rim

In New York City, where thousands of teenagers compete for very few chances to play professional basketball—and the fame and money that come with it—one talented young man must choose between a scholarship to college and immediate wealth in this drama set on the blacktop courts of Harlem.

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks

Reggie Miller single-handedly crushed the hearts of Knick fans multiple times. But it was the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals that solidified Miller as Public Enemy #1 in New York City.

Hoop Dreams

Two ordinary inner-city Chicago kids dare to reach for the impossible—professional basketball glory—in this epic chronicle of hope and faith. Filmed over a five-year period, Hoop Dreams follows young Arthur Agee and William Gates and their families as the boys navigate the complex, competitive world of scholastic athletics, while dealing with the intense pressures of their home lives and neighborhoods.

Director Steve James and film subjects Arthur Agee and William Gates join us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

Amongst the Trees

Amongst the Trees follows an upstart men’s basketball program at Copper Mountain College—a tiny community college in the middle of the Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree, California—during the final week of their season. In just its second year of the team’s existence, the film drops viewers directly into the action as the Fighting Cacti make one last push for the playoffs.

Executive Producer Paul George and director/producer Jack Jensen join us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot

In 2006, the top 24 high school basketball players in the nation descended on Harlem’s Rucker Park to compete in the first annual Elite 24. Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot follows eight of those players as they showcase their skills at the most legendary playground in the world.

The Syd & TP Show

World Champions and bench warming besties Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance are determined to become the faces of the WNBA, despite the fact no one asked them to. This buddy comedy series follows Syd and TP on their quest to become the most famous basketball players on earth through a mix of stunts, interviews, hijinks and a complete lack of shame.

This 90-min event will feature Syd and TP doing a standup routine, screening the pilot episode and a reel of the funniest sketches from their series, and a panel conversation and Q&A. This event will also be filmed for Season 2 of “The Syd + TP Show” so dress to impress! By purchasing a ticket and/or being present at the event you are consenting to be filmed for “The Syd + TP Show.”

Perfect in ’76

Revisit the journey of the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers and their renowned coach Bobby Knight who led the team to a perfect season of 32-0 and a national championship.

Stephen Curry: Underrated

Stephen Curry’s former Davidson teammate, Jason Richards, joins us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

Candace Parker: Unapologetic

A wide-ranging, revealing, and often intimate portrait of WNBA player Candace Parker, one of the most transcendent women’s sports stars in history.

Candace Parker joins us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

D. Wade: Life Unexpected

For a decade, Dwyane Wade intimately documented his life and career with a film crew. The result is a remarkably candid portrait of one of the greatest NBA players of all time.

Blue Chips

Championship-winning coach Pete Bell runs the cleanest program in college basketball. But when he finds himself on the brink of his first losing season, Bell decides he must make a risky trade to protect his job: under-the-table dollars for talent.

Shattered Glass: A WNBPA Story

This trailblazing documentary is an exhilarating journey into the heart of professional women’s basketball, spotlighting the extraordinary lives, resilience, and triumphant achievements of WNBA MVPs Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Nneka Ogwumike, and Sheryl Swoopes.

Director/producer Andrea Buccilla and WNBPA Executive Director Terri Carmichael Jackson join us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

Handle With Care: The Legend of The Notic Streetball Crew

Handle With Care: The Legend of The Notic Streetball Crew chronicles the rise, fall and rebirth of The Notic, an upstart streetball collective from Canada in the early 2000s. While their creative basketball moves brought them global fame as teenagers, it set them at odds with the status quo in a battle involving self-expression, race and rejection. Driven by a twenty-year quest to finish their mixtape trilogy, the documentary charts how the group of friends from Vancouver played outside the confines of the NBA yet still left an indelible imprint on the game forever.

Directors Jeremy Schaulin-Rioux and Kirk Thomas join us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

Chang Can Dunk

Chang Can Dunk follows Chang, a 16-year-old, Asian American high school student in the marching band, who bets the school basketball star that he can dunk by Homecoming.

Writer/director Jingyi Shao and members of the cast join us for a special post-screening panel and Q&A.

Game Change Game

Game Change Game tells the story of a tumultuous basketball season plagued by once unimaginable circumstances.

The post The SLAM Film Festival is the FIRST-EVER Basketball-Focused Event: Buy Tickets, Full Lineup appeared first on SLAM.

As we get ready to watch yet another showdown, let’s take it back to what went down on Sunday. Here’s a quick recap to get you hyped before tip-off.

Key Moments From Game 3

A’ja Wilson Rocks All-Black Fit in the Tunnel…Then Drops a Double-Double

It’s okay, we’re all thinking it. No one was gonna try to mess with A’ja Wilson anyways, and especially not after she rocked the all-black fit before Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. The black Air Force 1’s sent a message: she and the Aces are really ’bout it as they look to solidify another ring.

Despite the loss, Wilson finished with a double-double of 16 points and 11 points.

France Shows Support for Marine Johannès

France has a true “famille de basket-ball,” which in English translates to, “basketball family.” Early in the WNBA Finals, Liberty wing Marine Johannès showed her support for Victor Wembanyama after he won France’s Player of the Year. Tony Parker, and Wembenyama himself returned the favor this weekend. Parker pulled up to Game 3 to chat with the Liberty sharp-shooter in person while Wemby showed his love ahead of his pre-season game by rockin’ a No. 23 Liberty jersey. Game respecting game.

Electric Environment at Barclays

Liberty fans did their thang supporting the hometown team on Sunday, and so did former hoop stars and celebrities alike. There was too many to count: Dawn Staley, who surprised Jason Sudeikis who plays Ted Lasso, Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, and four Liberty Ring of Honor members, including Vickie Johnson, Crystal Robinson, Teresa Weatherspoon, and Sue Wicks. If you want to count Becky Hammon, and Rebecca Lobo, six out of the seven were in attendance.

New York showed up for Game 3. We cannot wait to see what is in store for Wednesday night.

Jonquel Jones GOES OFF

The 2021 WNBA MVP has that DAWGG in her. Jones said, “No, no, no, not today” more than just once. She had three rejections in total, including one where she threw what looked like an easy layup into the court-side seats.

Not only did she host the block party in Brooklyn, Jones was out here doing it all: snatching rebounds, dishing dimes to Betnijah Laney. JJ was in her bag and delivered in the must-win game.

Joan Jett Loves Rock and Roll, and the Liberty

It was a win or go home situation for the New York Liberty, and long-time Liberty fan and rock legend Joan Jett was there to see it all. There was no voodoo doll this time, but her presence was all that was needed to help turn the luck into New York’s favor. Will she be at Game 4?

Stewie Blocks A’ja and Kelsey in the Span of a Minute

Breanna Stewart was named to the All-Defensive First Team for a reason. Late in the third quarter with Vegas fighting to get back into the contest, Wilson attempted an elite mid-range fadeaway, but Stewie had other plans. Go watch the clip and then play it back. DID YOU SEE WHAT SHE JUST DID?

New York Becomes Scorching Hot From Deep to Secure the W

Did you think New York was going to miss that many open shots again? Nah, everyone on one. In the last six minutes of the contest, the Liberty dropped five shots from beyond the arc from five different players. Clutch.

Ruby Steals the Show at Post-Game Presser

Stewie’s daughter Ruby was at it again following Game 3 with arguably the best moment of Sunday. The highlight was when Stewie, Sandy Brondello, and Jones were trying to answer post-game questions. Ruby was on the side continuously walking up and down the stairs to the stage. She was a straight up mood.

Photos via Getty Images

The post 8 Key Moments from Game 3: Liberty Host Block Party, A’ja Wilson Rocks Black AF1s Before Dropping Double-Double appeared first on SLAM.

The New York Liberty, thanks to their starting lineup—Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Courtney Vandersloot—currently have the best regular-season record in franchise history.

Here’s a backstage look at how these five stars teamed up to take over the WNBA.

The Stars Align Tour. Get your copy of SLAM 246.

There’s no “I” in New York, but there is a “W” and an “E.”

Read about how these five icons came together to dominate the League as we catch up with the squad for their first-ever SLAM cover as a team.

Come behind the scenes with us as the Liberty’s starting five opens up about their group dynamic and their how their individual journeys led them to Brooklyn.

The post The Stars Align: Backstage Look at the New York Liberty SLAM Cover Shoot appeared first on SLAM.

“EVERYBODY ON MUTE!” 

Jonquel Jones, the charismatic New York Liberty star, belts out the lyrics to Beyoncé’s “Energy,” a song off her Renaissance album. It’s August, and we’re all inside a workroom-turned-glam room at the Nets practice facility, where Jones, Breanna Stewart, Betnijah Laney, Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot—the Liberty’s starting five—have spent the past hour or so getting their hair and makeup done before the big moment: their first-ever SLAM cover shoot together as a newly-formed squad. The energy inside the room is a bit hectic, as videographers and producers shuffle in and out, checking to see if our cover stars are ready. 

Almost. But for the first of many times today, we’ve got Beyoncé lyrics to sing. After JJ, who is sitting right next to Sab and near Betnijah, cues everyone to go silent (an iykyk trend tied to Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour), the music continues. 

“Look around, it’s me and my crew. Big energy…”

In one of the salon chairs, a hair stylist is finishing curling Breanna Stewart’s long, brunette locks. Sitting nearby, Courtney Vandersloot is getting eyelash extensions and smiling to herself as she covers one eye, noticing the difference. Sab is the first one ready for photos, and we follow the All-Star guard across the hall to the practice court, which has been turned into a set with a white seamless backdrop and tons of studio lights. 

Off to the side, there’s a table full of vintage goodies—old-school digital cameras, an actual flip camera and a polaroid camera—which Sab immediately gravitates to once she’s done posing for flicks. It’s then that we learn how much of a girl’s girl she is, which is internet-speak for someone who respects and values their female friendships. One minute Sab is hyping her teammates up, the next she’s posing Sloot for her own photo-op moment with a glass of champagne that someone brought on set.

This is the same Sabrina we once crowned the “Next Queen of New York” on the cover of SLAM 231, but who said a queen has to rule alone? Sab came into the W as the NCAA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, the No. 1 overall pick in 2020 and, undoubtedly, one of the most popular young players in the League. Then the team signed Betnijah Laney ahead of the 2021 season, and since then, excitement has been steadily building in Brooklyn. Now, with Sab, Laney, JJ, Stewie and Sloot leading the way, the New York Liberty are the No. 1 team in the East at 32-8—the franchise’s best regular-season record ever.

While the media pushes the narrative that the WNBA has entered a “superteam era,” history shows that superteams ain’t new in the W. The Houston Comets won the first four championships in the League’s existence between ’97-2000, and then the L.A. Sparks won back-to-back ’chips in ’01 and ’02. The following year, the Detroit Shock won their first title and then another one in ’06. The Minnesota Lynx won four titles in seven years between 2011-2017. 

To call this Liberty squad a superteam makes it sound like they’re a machine that’s been programmed to dominate, rather than a group of women who have come together and decided—both individually and collectively—that they want to be the best. 

“I think we’re just super humans,” Sab says when asked about the superteam label. “I just feel like we all have a story to tell, and we’re all at such different parts in our careers, but when we all come together, that’s really the joy in being part of a team.”

Biggest show in Brooklyn. SLAM 246 featuring the New York Liberty is out now.

The story of how this squad joined forces didn’t start with Stewie—JJ was technically the first to join the Libs when she was traded back in January—but Stewie’s free agency announcement did shock the world. It was one thing for the Liberty to have a new superstar in JJ, but when Stewart started posting those emoji-filled tweets, everyone, including Kevin Durant, was hyped. Another star teaming up with JJ?! “They cookin’,” KD said on his podcast, The ETCs. “They bringing the best talent to New York.” 

Then, on February 1, Stewie pulled a move reminiscent of when Yoncé dropped Lemonade: she posted only a Statue of Liberty emoji and a video of her switching into a teal-colored long sleeve warm-up shirt. Just a day later, Courtney Vandersloot pulled her own WNBA insider moment by tweeting that she’d also signed with the Libs. To put in perspective just how crazy elite a trio of Stewie, JJ and Sloot is, we’re talking three WNBA titles, 14 All-Star appearances, seven First Team All-WNBA selections and three All-Defensive First Team selections, plus Stewie’s two Finals MVPs, regular season MVP and Rookie of the Year title, Jonquel’s Sixth Woman of the Year award and Courtney Vandersloot’s place in the record books (she’s ranked second all-time in assists). They’re all undoubtedly future Hall of Famers. 

Still, it’s crazy to think that there was a time when Stewie’s decision almost didn’t happen. “I was back and forth a lot, really,” Stewie tells us. “It was between Seattle and New York.

“The three of us [Sloot and JJ] were talking a lot during free agency,” she continues. “But also knowing who was on the Liberty before us and that’s Sab and B making sure that we want to come here to win.” 

Now that she’s in Brooklyn, Stewie has continued to solidify her rightful place as one of the most versatile players to ever play the game. She was out here setting records on day one, literally—in her Barclays Center debut against the Indiana Fever, Stewie scored a franchise-record 45 points. She’s currently averaging a career-high 23.3 points per game (second in the W) and once again being mentioned in the MVP conversation.

On set, Stewie is poised and exudes a cool and collected type of confidence; she’s even rocking her own signature sneaker, the Stewie 2s, in all the photos. For the next 10 minutes, the 6-4 star is just as involved in the creative as she is in being the main subject. She poses with the camcorder and asks if we’ve got a pair of sunglasses she can throw on, too. The lights end up causing too much glare on the silver shades, but with only a few minutes left to get the perfect shot, she shines the brightest. At one point Stewie turns and stares directly into the lens with her blue eyes, giving us that look. Lights flash as our photographer snaps away. Pop! Stewie tilts her chin down, this time holding her gaze. Pop!

Throughout her seven years in the W, Stewie has done it all: won championships and MVPs, been the face of the Storm alongside the legendary Sue Bird. At this point, what fuels her to keep playing at such a high level?

“Mine is probably perspective,” the former UConn Husky says when asked about her source of motivation. “Obviously loving to win and loving to compete, but also realizing that these moments don’t last forever, and having a glimpse of that through an injury. Some of us have been through injuries where we’ve had to be out for seasons and stuff like that. So, never taking anything for granted, but also knowing that I have Ruby at home, looking up to me [and] watching every single move that I do, and making sure that I’m continuing to help make this team and this League better for her if she wants to play, but also the next generation.”

Stewart and JJ entered the WNBA in the same year, 2016, as the No. 1 and No. 6 picks, respectively, and have played together overseas on UMMC Ekaterinburg. For JJ, her move to New York happened after a trade request prior to the start of the 2023 season. “I didn’t know who was joining me yet,” Jones says. “When I looked at it, I was like, regardless of who joins me, I feel really solid with that decision.” 

Now that she’s found her groove with the Liberty, JJ has reached another level: she’s had 11 double-double performances so far and just dominated in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship in August with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks, all while shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field. She shines on set, too, cracking jokes and flashing her ever-present smile in most of the photos we take. The team’s PR person asks if we want pictures of her with her Commissioner’s Cup MVP trophy, and as the 6-6 forward holds her latest achievement, that smile gets even wider.

“I’m very happy to be in New York and be playing with these ladies,” she says. 

Sloot also had to trust in the vision when it came to whether she’d leave Chicago, where she spent over a decade with the Sky and set numerous records, or take her talents east. At first, she admits she was hesitant. “To be frank, I was trying to find a reason not to [leave] because the move to New York was just, like, never in the cards for me,” she says. “The more it went on, the more conversations I had of course with these ladies here, the ownership and coaching staff and everything, it was just like, this is an opportunity that I can’t pass up on. This is what I work for. This is what I dreamed [of].” 

As one of the smoothest, coldest floor generals in the W over the past decade, Sloot’s led the League in assists per game every year since 2017, with the exception of last season. When we caught up with her for this cover, she had just passed Ticha Penicheiro for second all-time in assists. 

This is what I work for. This is what I dreamed [of].”

– Courtney Vandersloot

It was during the playoffs last season that Sloot saw what she was in for—the energy and atmosphere in Barclays, the fans and, most notably, what kind of squad the organization was building. “We were the away team, of course, and everybody’s cheering against us, but I still [remember] just this energy and I was just like, Wow, this is awesome. They’re really building something here…You could tell they were in a really good place, they were on an upward…”

“…trajectory,” JJ chimes in. 

“Thank you, JJ,” Sloot continues. “I just wanted to be a part of it, and I remember that it was such a fresh feeling for me when I was in the free agency talks.” 

That trajectory wouldn’t have been possible without Betnijah and Sabrina helping set the foundation. B, who is in her eighth year in the W, needs no introduction, and she certainly didn’t need to make one to her new teammates. Drafted in 2015, just a year before Stewie and JJ, she played with Stewie for USA Basketball and attended various camps when they were younger. She was a rookie on the Sky when Sloot was in her fifth season and suited up alongside JJ in Connecticut in 2018.

“For me, the chemistry and everything, it just kind of came naturally,” she says. 

JJ felt it, too. While she admits that she “didn’t know Sabrina that well” initially, she did reach out to her before deciding to come to New York. Since joining forces, JJ’s been impressed with how well they’ve gotten along. “I’ve been so amazed with just how well our personalities mesh on the team,” she says. “That’s really like my little sister, like we’re always goofing off together, always doing silly stuff.”

Sabrina, averaged 17 points, 5.6 boards and 5.4 dimes for the season, has dropped 30-pieces on numerous occasions and nearly broke the internet with her near-perfect performance during the All-Star Three-Point Contest in July. Go back and watch the highlights. Notice her approach, her form, her confidence. When she gets to the right corner, Sab smirks. It’s clear she’s having fun. The crowd goes insane and the camera pans to Sloot, who is equally as hyped. We all just witnessed, in real-time, one of the League’s brightest young stars go 25 of 27 from three and break the contest record for both the WNBA and NBA. That’s pure star power right there. 

She wasn’t done breaking records either. In the Liberty’s 96-89 win over the Sparks on September 7, marking the team’s eighth straight victory, Sab broke the WNBA single season record for total threes (121), which was set by the GOAT Diana Taurasi in ’06. 

“I’m really proud to just watch the way that [Sab] has grown in this League,” JJ says. “Just the level that she has been playing at this season has been amazing.” 

Then there’s Betnijah, who exemplifies what it means to stay confident and true to who you are, both on and off the court. After having a breakout season in 2020 while on the Atlanta Dream—including winning Most Improved Player and being named to the All-Defensive First Team—Laney has elevated her game on both ends of the floor since signing with the Liberty in 2021. Look beyond the box score and simply watch the way she moves from the moment she gets the ball, pulling off behind-the-backs and spin moves reminiscent of a 6-0 dancer (Laney took ballet, tap and jazz classes when she was a child).

With her physicality and quick instincts on defense, Laney’s typically tasked with guarding the other team’s best player, too. Her role, as head coach Sandy Brondello told WNBA.com, is to be the “engine that gets everyone going.”

Adds Stewie: “I’ve known B for a really long time, and the way she is as a two-way player, making things really difficult, taking advantage of whatever matchup she has offensively but also [being a] defensive stopper. Hard-nosed player, never stops, does [the] dirty work, does whatever the team needs.”

Betnijah also has a way of commanding any room she’s in. On set, it’s B’s show when she poses in front of the camera—without needing any direction from our photographer, she effortlessly switches angles and stares deeply into the lens. To quote one of her favorite artists, Beyoncé, Betnijah’s giving I’m that girl energy with each hair flip. Having spent the past three years in Brooklyn, B knows what the city is about, from the food scene (she’s got a whole list of the best food spots) to the way New Yorkers carry themselves. “Brooklyn people just show up,” she says. “That New York atmosphere, that gritty, [it’s] loud, [they’re] into it, they’re backing us. They’ve shown up and showed out, and so it’s kind of a give and take. We’re giving them a show [and] they’re fueling us.”

Together, Laney and Sab have been at the forefront of what the Liberty have been building toward. With a new team dynamic and roster changes, it could’ve been easy for egos to get in the way of the Libs’ success this season, but it’s actually been quite the opposite. “It’s really hard to put a team with this much star power together and for it to succeed,” Sabrina says. “But I think when you have players that aren’t only playing for themselves but playing for one another, and from the beginning, we’ve all committed to playing for one another and wanting to see each other succeed in whatever it is that that individual wants.

“And we’ve really been bought into that because I think to our core, that’s just who we are as individuals, and I think that’s why we’re playing the way we are and we’ve been having the season that we have been having in such a short amount of time [despite] not really knowing each other and playing with each other for so long, ’cause it’s just who we are. And we’ve really stayed true to that.”

As much as this story is about them, our cover stars aren’t the type of people to make things all about themselves. Ask Betnijah about her “why” and what motivates her and she brings up her niece, JJ (who she calls “Little JJ” when she’s around Jones), and how she wants to continue to “inspire [and] be role models.” Big JJ wants to win, but she also wants to succeed for her family and all the people “who have sacrificed” to help her get to where she is today. Sab brings up the process, and how they’re able to “look back” and see how much the organization has grown. 

They’re all playing for something bigger than themselves. As they look to bring a championship to Brooklyn, they all recognize that this team represents the new era of the W. An era of player empowerment, of women making power moves. “I have obviously been in the League for a long time, and for so long there wasn’t a lot of player movement and there wasn’t a lot of this,” Sloot says. “Stewie touched on it, our ability to kind of control our careers and do what we want, create this buzz. Women’s basketball is at an all-time high right now, so why not take advantage of that? Take control of our careers, do what we want, be where we want. And for all of us, that was here.”

For Stewie, it’s simple. “Everyone,” she says, “is chasing greatness.”

SLAM 246 COVER TEES AVAILABLE NOW

Welcome to The Stars Align Tour. Consider this New York Liberty SLAM 246 Cover Tee as our official “tour merch” as the Libs continue dominating the WNBA.

shop now

Cover Story: Deyscha “Sway” Smith

Photographer: Marcus Stevens

Cover Design: Lester Padilla

Cover Shoot Producers: Sway, Sole Ortiz Ruiz, Arvind Pitchai

Video:  Eli Selva

Intern: Haben Fessehazion

Graphics: Erica Davis, Abdel Kyle Traore

SLAM Social: Arvind Pitchai

WSLAM Social: Sole Ortiz Ruiz, Mya Peterson

The post The New York Liberty are Chasing Greatness appeared first on SLAM.

“Shooters shoot.”

That was the explanation provided by Rhyne Howard when asked how she became the Atlanta Dream’s half-court maestro.

A staple of WNBA culture for as long as anyone can remember, half-court shot contests have become a League-wide social media phenomenon. These competitions, which generally follow team shootarounds, come with cash prizes posted by a coach or executive.

Every team flaunts a wide array of shooting styles. Take the New York Liberty. Jonquel Jones lofts underhanded shots at the rim. Nyara Sabally stands on the sideline and chucks one-handed bullets at the backboard. Courtney Vandersloot—perhaps the most prolific half-court shooter on the team—opts for a set shot. 

“The best is Allie [Quigley],” says Vandersloot of her wife, who’s sitting out the 2023 season. “She shoots, like, 50 percent, I swear.” 

When Vandersloot played for Pokey Chatman in Chicago, the competitions got more lucrative as the team stacked wins. If the Sky were on a four-game winning streak, the pot grew to $400. A loss reset it to $100. Cheyenne Parker recalls the pot once growing to $800. For players like Vandersloot and Parker, who were then on rookie contracts, that was a significant chunk of change.

“I don’t make many,” says Parker, “but when I make it, I be geeked.” 

Not all coaches are so generous. Tiffany Mitchell, now a wing on the Minnesota Lynx, remembers a coach who shall not be named offering just $25 to the winner.

In Atlanta, the prize is paid by head coach Tanisha Wright or general manager Dan Padover. Wright, who played in the WNBA from 2005-19, has observed this cherished tradition grow.

“This is definitely part of WNBA culture,” says Wright with a chuckle. “Believe me, if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be giving up my money every game. It’s just a fun thing that the W has adopted over the years, and the tradition should stick.”

To Wright’s left sits Dream guard Aari McDonald, who had won that day’s half-court contest. Smiling, the third-year pro chuckled: “I look forward to taking T or Dan’s money every game day.”

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Inside the WNBA’s Ultra-Competitive Half-Court Shooting Contests appeared first on SLAM.

This season marks a new era for the New York Liberty, who, 27 years after the debut of the WNBA, are eyeing their first championship. 

After working aggressively during the offseason, the Liberty front office was able to successfully recruit 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones, two-time WNBA champion and 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart and 2021 WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot to join the likes of 2021 All-Star Betnijah Laney, 2020 No. 1 overall pick Sabrina Ionescu and the rest of the young Liberty crew.

With a 200 percent increase in Liberty season ticket sales, there’s no doubt that the new trio, which played together on Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg overseas, brought some fans with them, too.

The moment Vandersloot’s move to Brooklyn became official, Michael Giammanco, a Chicago resident and 12-year Sky season ticket holder, immediately knew he had to find a way to also be in Brooklyn this summer to watch the guard.

“I wonder how crazy it would be to try to get Liberty tickets,” Giammanco recalls thinking to himself. “I thought, If this team is as good as advertised, they may be in the playoffs and possibly the Finals. What a great way to be able to have tickets secured to the WNBA Finals, which are harder and harder to get each year!”

The Windy City resident has his travel schedule down to a science. His luggage-less game days start bright and early with a flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to LaGuardia Airport in Queens. Arriving at least an hour and a half before tip-off not only allows him the opportunity to watch Vandersloot and other Liberty players go through their pre-game routines but gives him ample time to enjoy French toast or a cheeseburger at the Crown Club restaurant, located on the floor level of Barclays, before making his way to the Candy Bar to grab some snacks to munch on during the game. When the final buzzer sounds, Giammanco zips out of Barclays and heads back to the airport to fly home.

Just like his travel, his game-day outfits are planned to a T. His fits are fashionable and eye-catching but also comfortable for a long day of travel. His inspiration? Giammanco is just trying to match Breanna Stewart’s energy when it comes to pulling up to games in style. “[The players are] dressed to kill,” he says. “Fashion in the WNBA has really merged beautifully,” he says.

Whether it’s a commitment to a player or a look, commitment is found throughout Barclays Center. 

Helen Settles has been with the team since day one. When Settles, a retired educator of 36 years and current basketball coach of 53 years, is asked how long she’s been a Liberty season ticket holder, she blissfully relays the date “June 29, 1997.” That’s when the Liberty hosted their first-ever home game at Madison Square Garden, beating the Phoenix Mercury 65-57. She sat right across from the Liberty bench back then and 27 years later, she’s courtside in the same position. 

“I had been waiting…to see women playing professional basketball in the United States,” the 73-year-old says. “It was electrifying.” 

Settles still has the keychain embossed with the date of that first home game. She keeps it tucked away in her memorabilia cabinet. Out of everything she has collected through the years, including signed jerseys, a Maddy the mascot doll and her inaugural WNBA ball signed by former New York players, it’s her Liberty stuffed teddy bear with the year 1997 on it which remains her favorite possession.

Whether the Liberty played at MSG, the Prudential Center in Newark or the Westchester County Center, Settles has always been in attendance. She has been with the team through their 17 WNBA playoff appearances as well as their four Finals appearances (1997, 1999, 2000, 2002). “The original Liberty players were great and they should have won a championship,” Settles tells WSLAM. “I’m just waiting for the day when the Liberty get a WNBA championship.”

When New York lost their season opener to the Mystics on the road, Liberty legend Kym Hampton found a mic to address season ticket holders at the team’s watch party. She spoke love and positivity to the fan base like your favorite preacher on Sunday. Her message was well received, especially by Long Island resident and season ticket holder Deidree Golbourne.

“I think that energy from a legend, somebody that played for the Liberty, that knows how the League is, brought such a sense of security for all of us,” Golbourne says. “I know that the energy that former Liberty legends like Sue Wicks and Kym Hampton bring [provides] a sense of mentorship to not only fans but definitely some players…I love that there is a love and admiration there on both ends to make sure that we make it to the other end.”

Stewart and Vandersloot expressed their shared desire to win a WNBA championship for the franchise in their joint introductory press conference at the Barclays Center in February. “I was a part of a first-time champion [with] the Chicago Sky. I do know how special that first time is,” Vandersloot said. “So to bring that first one for the Liberty, it [would be] something special.”

Even though Jonquel Jones is in her first season with Liberty, the phrase “unfinished business” means something to her. 

“When you put together the group of players that we’ve put together, people obviously expect you to be able to do something and go out there and fulfill your true potential,” Jones says.

Despite not having the start that she had hoped for, as she was still in recovery mode from the stress fracture she sustained in her left foot during the Finals last year, Jones feels comfortable in New York.

“I always tell people, you learn a lot about people [based on] the way that they treat you when things aren’t generally going the way that they would expect it to go,” she says. The patience that the Liberty community has had with her isn’t lost on the 29-year-old.

“I’ve appreciated people just staying in my ear about the things that I can do on the court, just giving me that positive reinforcement,” Jones shares. “I think that just makes me feel even more comfortable that no matter what happens, they’re going to have my back and they know what I can do.”

Jones can count on the Liberty fan base’s energy, which she describes as “contagious.”

“I think when you come into this arena, you really get the sense of what New York fans are like and how much they love and know the game of basketball,” she says. “I love that for us and I love that for the WNBA and the Liberty, [who] have never won a championship.”

Ellie, the Liberty’s elephant mascot who has arguably the best dance moves in the League, plays a significant role in keeping spirits high. 

“I feel like every time I’m looking at something, I catch Ellie in the corner [and] I’m like, Damn, Ellie getting it. Ellie is crazy,” Jones adds.

The excitement surrounding the franchise has led celebrities like Issa Rae, Lola Brooke, Chef Kwame Onwuachi and H.E.R. to Barclays Center. Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges is one of the team’s biggest supporters and has yet to miss a home game.

“The energy is loud, it’s bold,” Golbourne says. “It’s very New York. It’s very in your face. I think the energy in Barclays alone—it’s the loudest I think I’ve ever experienced.” 

One of the loudest games was the team’s home opener, when Breanna Stewart broke the franchise record with 45 points, which she topped off with 12 rebounds and 3 assists. “There are so many integral moments that are not captured on camera between fans and players,” Golbourne says. “Those are the moments that make it worthwhile to be a [Liberty] season ticket holder, but also just to support the W.”

All that Golbourne enjoys about the diverse and inclusive Liberty community is thanks to the organization’s Chief Brand Officer Shana Stephenson. The Long Island native oversees the team’s branding and campaigns, which includes working closely with basketball operations when they’re pitching free agents and leading the creative team tasked with establishing the franchise’s tagline, plus helping it all come to life on social media, at Barclays and beyond.

“When I stepped into this role, it was really my goal to help our fan base become younger and cooler and attract my friends, people that look like me, or [fans that] are tapped into the pulse of New York culture, but also maintain the heart of the New York Liberty,” Stephenson says. “And so that means attracting our queer fan base in an authentic way.”

When Stephenson looks at the Liberty fan base, she wants it to be a microcosm of New York City. “We want everyone to feel represented,” she explains. “We don’t want anybody to feel like, I don’t belong here or fit in here. So we’re always very intentional in terms of how we curate games and program theme nights. We want to make sure that we’re really connecting with as many New Yorkers as possible.”

Later this season, the Liberty will give a nod to Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean and Bahamian Jonquel Jones when it hosts its first-ever West Indian Heritage Night. 

“We just felt like this was a prime opportunity to recognize Caribbean culture and celebrate it,” Stephenson says. “I will say that it will be a very lit game. I have roots in St. Thomas and St. Croix and I’m looking forward to just having the culture fully represented that night.” 

While she handles the brand, she lets the players do their jobs on the court. She believes this year’s Liberty team has one of the best rosters in the WNBA, and in Liberty history.

“The expectations around the team and the excitement around the team make my job a lot easier as well,” Stephenson admits. “I don’t have to manufacture a story to create the excitement and interest around the Liberty and the players—it’s there. It’s real and we can just see that more and more fans are paying attention to what we’re building in Brooklyn.”

Heading into the All-Star break, the Liberty are third in the League with a 9-3 record. A recent OT thriller saw 2023 All-Star captain Breanna Stewart seal the game with a three-pointer to beat the Mystics. Sloot, Stewie and Ionescu are ranked top-five in the League for points, rebounds, assists, blocks and three-pointers made. There’s really no reason this team can’t make it deep into October. For fans like Helen Settles, who have been with the team from the very beginning, it’ll be worth the wait.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Fire Fueling the New York Liberty’s Dominance This Season appeared first on SLAM.

Three years ago, the WNBA faced criticism over its hiring practices due to the lack of women in leadership roles, particularly in head coaching positions. Now, in its 27th season, women make up 75 percent of the head coaches in the League, six of whom are former WNBA players.

Read on to learn why it’s so important to have players as coaches and all of the intangibles they bring to the position. 

NANCY LIEBERMAN PAVES THE WAY

In 1998, Nancy Lieberman became the first player-turned-head coach in the W after assuming a dual role as general manager and head coach of the Detroit Shock. Lieberman, a New York City native, was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 1997 at 38 years old. She played one game for the Detroit Shock in 2008 at the age of 50. The Hall of Famer is considered a trailblazer for her advocacy work related to gender equality in sports and for paving a new path for female coaches across both men’s and women’s sports.  

SANDY BRONDELLO: FIRST FORMER PLAYER TO WIN A TITLE AS HEAD COACH

After she was drafted with the 34th overall pick by the Detroit Shock in 1998, the first WNBA coach Sandy Brondello played for was Nancy Lieberman. The two had actually crossed paths a year prior in Phoenix. 

“I visited Phoenix to spend some time with Michele Timms, who I was quite close to, and I remember shooting around a little bit, and later I heard that Nancy was scared that I was going to take her spot,” Brondello jokes. “But I was injured, so I wasn’t taking anyone’s spot.” 

As a player, the Australian native’s WNBA career would last five seasons, with stops in Detroit, Miami and Seattle. Figuring out what comes next once the ball stops bouncing is a harsh reality that every athlete must face at some point. After 17 years as a professional basketball player, Brondello, then 36, had to confront the big question: What now?  

The answer came to her after the 2004 Olympics, when it became harder for her to recover from the multiple injuries she had sustained over the course of her career.  

“It was my choice to retire. I wasn’t forced out,” says Brondello. “I got to a stage where I played so much basketball and achieved all of the goals I set out for myself. It was all about what’s next. I knew I wanted to coach.”

Brondello’s desire to coach in the WNBA became a reality when she was offered her first assistant coaching job for the San Antonio Silver Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces) by then-head coach Dan Hughes in 2005. “That opportunity paved the way for where I am today,” she says. 

Using her experience as a former player to her advantage, Brondello was able to bridge the gap between the players and the coaching staff. In 2010, she was promoted to head coach of the Silver Stars, a decision she views, in hindsight, as a mistake. 

“Why I wanted to be a head coach and why I shouldn’t have [been] is because I was pregnant and had a baby during the season,” explains Brondello. “Trying to be a mom of two and being
a coach in my first head coaching job—it was tough. I should’ve prioritized being a mom right there because I didn’t have enough support, to be quite honest, to do my job at the highest level with one assistant.”

During that time, the WNBA only allowed one assistant coach per team, a role Brondello had filled with her husband, Olaf Lange. Together, they had to navigate both coaching and parenthood as a team of two.

The Silver Stars finished the 2010 season third in the West with a 14-20 record and eventually lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the conference semifinals.

At the conclusion of the season, Brondello’s and Lange’s contracts were not picked up. Using her experience in San Antonio to learn and grow, Brondello prepared for her next opportunity. 

Since 2005, she has served as either a WNBA head coach or assistant. 

In 2014, Brondello made history as the head coach of the Phoenix Mercury, leading the team to a 29-5 record and a championship in her first season, while also winning the League’s Coach of the Year award.

Now serving as the head coach of the New York Liberty after eight years in Phoenix, Brondello is on a quest to make history again by bringing New York its first title in franchise history. 

BECKY HAMMON: BREAKING BARRIERS

Last year, Becky Hammon joined Sandy Brondello as the only former WNBA players to win titles as head coaches when she led the Las Vegas Aces to its first championship in franchise history. 

“I played against Sandy, and then she coached me [in San Antonio], and now we coach against each other,” says Hammon. 

This season, the Aces and Liberty have been dubbed “superteams” due to their free agency roster additions. The Aces, with Hammon at the helm, are looking to win back-to-back titles, something that hasn’t been done since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2002. Two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker is on the roster, which already includes two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, veteran guard Chelsea Gray and former No. 1 overall picks Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. And the Brondello-led Liberty added Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot. 

“When she signed Stewie and that news broke, it must’ve been a couple of days later when I said, Oh, this is about to be fun, because you want to play against the best,” Hammon says.  

A student of the game, Hammon says she learned a lot from Brondello during her days playing in San Antonio, a true testament to the positive impact of having former WNBA players in head coaching positions. 

“Obviously, it’s not a prerequisite to be a great coach, to have to be a former player, but I think that there are so many great minds in the women’s game [that] just want to give back to the game that has given us so much. I respect that,” she says. “There are so many of us now that it actually speaks to the longevity of the League, now that we’re getting to cycle through having all of these players be head coaches. It’s a cool thing we got going on, [I] definitely want to keep it open and leave something for the next person coming in, opportunity wise.” 

Hammon admits that she never really thought about what she wanted to do after her playing days were done. “Back then, I was more worried about keeping my job and trying to get better every year,” she says.

In 2012, after seeing former player Stephanie White become a coach in Indiana, Hammon started weighing her post-retirement options. After sustaining a knee injury in 2013, she pivoted to broadcasting before officially retiring the following year. 

“When I retired from the League, I went right into the NBA. I had, like, two days off, so there wasn’t a lot of down time. It was one right into the other,” Hammon recalls. “There’s a pipeline now. There wasn’t always that.” 

Today, current and former players have more access to resources, like the NBA Coaching Development Program, that assist them with getting coaching opportunities. WNBA players like Candice Dupree and Kristi Toliver have benefitted from such programs. 

A six-time WNBA All-Star, Hammon is also helping to set a new precedent of pay equity for coaches across the League. In 2022, the Aces signed Hammon to a $1 million annual contract, the largest in WNBA history. 

“The rising tide lifts all the ships so that everybody moves up,” she says. “Investing into people is why I got into coaching, into leadership. It’s because I really feel like I’m mentoring the next generation of leaders with a really simple, straightforward message: Serve the people around you.” 

TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Each of the League’s dozen teams have taken advantage of hiring a former player to join their staff.

“It’s real intentional to re-engage former players. Not every former player wants to be a coach, but the ones who do, give [them] an opportunity,” says current Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White. 

A few years ago, the WNBA implemented a new League policy, allowing teams to carry three assistants (rather than two) on the condition that one is a former player (with at least a year of experience). 

In a League composed of over 70 percent Black athletes, this policy has helped to improve representation and diversity efforts within the WNBA hiring cycle. 

Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright is a by-product of former Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer’s coaching tree. Wright joined the Aces staff in 2020 and was hired by the Dream one year later. 

“Bill absolutely championed women and gave women opportunities to coach in the W,” says Wright. “He’s just somebody who saw the importance of having former players and giving women opportunities to impact this League in a special way.” 

Wright prides herself on helping to create opportunities for others, especially those who are often overlooked when it comes to second chances. This season, she added former Wings head coach Vickie Johnson to her staff after Johnson’s contract wasn’t renewed by Dallas. 

“It’s important for us to create opportunities for ourselves because we [Black women] often don’t get second chances,” says Coach Wright. “So if we have the opportunity to open the door for one another, then we need to do that. We need to leave the door open for the next generation coming.” 

Currently, one fourth of the League’s head coaches are Black. Seattle Storm head coach Noelle Quinn shared similar sentiments when she reached out to Pokey Chatman to join her staff in 2021. 

“Before I put Pokey on my staff, people weren’t checking for her anymore. I think that she is one of the best to have done it and continues to do it,” says Quinn. “If I have the opportunity to put somebody else on, then I’m going to do that. But not because they’re a woman or because they’re Black, but because they’re deserving…Representation matters and it’s not only important to have that on a coaching staff but [in] front office positions, too.”  

With the WNBA in its 27th season, it’s important to recognize those who have paved the way, while still acknowledging that there is still progress to come.

“It’s really important for our League to continue to find ways to embrace and bring back former players,” says White. “Whether that’s on the coaching side, the business side, general managers, ownership. I hope one day our League has a commissioner that’s a former player.” 

WSLAM 3 featuring A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young is available now.

The post These Former WNBA Players are Carrying on Their Legacy as Coaches appeared first on SLAM.

Disgust. Disappointment. Frustration. Embarrassment.

All words one could use to describe the look on the face of a 14-year veteran sitting on the bench for the final nine minutes, watching her team on the brink of defeat after a season low 5-point performance against the defending champions (who, by the way, won that championship in the very same building they’re in right now).

Forty-eight hours later, on the same court, against the same team, a different player emerged. Coming out of the gate with 18 points in the first half, it was clear that the previous game was in the rearview mirror. A message needed to be sent…and it was sent in historic fashion. With 2:52 left on the game clock and a 20-point lead, the forward dribbled the ball down the court, stopped at the three-point line and let the record-setting ball fly, nailing the shot that would etch her name in the Connecticut Sun history books.

Hype. Excited. Gratified. Proud.

All words one could use to describe the look on the face of a 14-year veteran who just posted 41 points—a Sun franchise record—for the first time in her career while handing the defending champions their first loss of the 2023 season.

DeWanna Bonner’s championship pedigree was instilled in her DNA from day one. Entering the WNBA as the fifth overall pick by the Phoenix Mercury in 2009, DB spent the first 10 years of her career alongside stars like Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor and Cappie Pondexter, part of the squad that won a championship in 2007. The 6-4 Auburn standout played a pivotal role in her team’s success early on, scoring 16 points in her first-ever regular season game and making the 2009 All-Rookie Team. Her accomplishments didn’t stop there, as she eventually went on to win the 2009 Sixth Woman of the Year (an honor she would earn again in 2010 and 2011) and contribute 13 points in a decisive Game 5 that gave the Mercury their second title in three years. Phoenix secured their third ring in 2014.

The elevation of Bonner’s game during her time in Phoenix gained her the reputation of being one of the most versatile players in the women’s game. She often talks about how the vets on those early Mercury teams pushed her to become that kind of player and challenged her to be the best version of herself from the moment she walked into training camp, “[The vets] weren’t going to let me fail,” she says. “They supported me, but also pushed me. I learned so much, so fast.”

She once wrote in The Players’ Tribune about how Diana Taurasi practically bribed her with a designer bag if she racked a double-double in the team’s next game. “I had no idea if she was serious or not, but I wasn’t going to risk it. After that conversation, you better believe I went out that night and balled my brains out and got the double-double.”

To this day, DB still has that bag.

It makes sense that her experiences with Taurasi and Taylor, as well as playing alongside Brittney Griner, shaped Bonner into that same kind of leader for the younger players on her current Connecticut Sun team. She’s vocal in the huddles. She brings the energy on the court after every incredible play. She encourages her teammates to excel when she’s on the bench. And she’s also the one to call a players only meeting when there’s additional motivation needed that may be too raw for TV or too real for the coaches to share. But the Sun wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The team loves her,” head coach Stephanie White says of Bonner. “She’s a leader for our group.
She sets the tone.”

The year 2020 was an unprecedented time in sports. The WNBA entered into a then-groundbreaking CBA, while the pandemic was raging around the world. Questions as to whether a WNBA season would even happen surfaced early on, but eventually, the W approved a shortened 22-game season to be played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

Before any talks about possibly canceling the season took place, the Sun had been making moves to ensure a return to the WNBA Finals after losing to the Washington Mystics in 2019. The team
orchestrated a trade for Bonner, sending the seventh and 10th picks in the 2020 WNBA Draft and a first-round pick in the 2021 Draft to Phoenix. Bonner, who was facing personal challenges that forced her to reconsider her role as a member of the Mercury, felt this was a great opportunity.

“I was really going through a tough time in my personal life and that really played into my decision to leave Phoenix,” she says. “It was all about timing. I loved it there. It was a great atmosphere, a family atmosphere, everything about it was amazing, but I felt it was time for a change. “Connecticut was coming off a Finals run, and I really wanted to play with a team where I could bring my own new identity, so I was very open to adapting to Connecticut,” she continues. “I was ready for something new. A fresh start is what I wanted, and that’s what I got.

Things got off to a rocky start, as the Sun opened the 2020 season 0-5, but they wouldn’t be down for long. Winning 10 of their final 14 games, the team ended the regular season 10-12 and secured a No. 7 seed in the playoffs. Despite the slow start and playing without their franchise player Jonquel Jones, who opted out of the bubble, Connecticut moved on to face the Las Vegas Aces in a semifinals matchup to remember, eventually losing the series 3-2. Bonner led the team in scoring at 19.7 ppg and, looking back on it, says she used that season as an opportunity to get to know her teammates better and solidify her place within the organization.

“[There] was always something about the chemistry with this team that drew me to it,” Bonner explains. “I knew coming off of a Finals run, this team wasn’t rebuilding. It was competitive and that’s what I wanted—to play with a competitive team, because I came from a championship caliber organization. I know we have yet to win a championship, but I can honestly say I’ve been on some great teams here in Connecticut and I do want to bring a championship here.”

Reminiscing on the start of her career as a member of the Sun makes the 41-point performance feel even more special. “To do that here in Connecticut at this stage in my career is a huge honor,” Bonner says.

DB took in the 2017 WNBA season the same way that fans did—on television. Missing the entire season due to pregnancy, the All-Star felt for the first time in a long time what life without basketball was like. Upon returning to the game, Bonner won the 2018 Comeback Player of the Year award and had one of the best seasons of her career. But giving birth to her twins allowed her to experience something much bigger than basketball: motherhood.

Being a mom and an athlete is not the easiest job in the world, but for Bonner, “mom” is one of the most fulfilling roles she undertakes. Her twins, Cali and Demi, who will be turning 6 this summer, now have a better understanding of what her job as a basketball player entails.

“It’s pretty cool now because one of my twins, Cali, really loves basketball, so she’s always watching the games and wanting to be at the games and the gym, so that’s really, really cool,” says Bonner.

She credited Cali for giving her “superpowers” before the record-setting game against Las Vegas. And if you look really closely during breaks, timeouts and subs when the girls are at Mohegan Sun, you can see Bonner giving a thumbs up to the crowd behind the Connecticut bench. While it may appear like she’s just showing love to the fans, she’s really checking on her kids to ensure they are OK. It reaffirms the cliché that a mother’s job is never done, even when she’s playing in the WNBA.

Yet, after five years, Bonner’s soft spot is still the challenge of having to leave them behind on travel days. The two-time champion still gets emotional having to say goodbye. “It’s always hard leaving them, especially when I have to go overseas or on long road trips,” she says. “Most recently, I had to take them to Texas because we were about to go on this long west coast trip. Of course, they cried because they didn’t want me to leave, and that makes me all sad. But at the same time, they are getting older now and starting to understand mommy is going to play basketball and will be back. When they realize that, then they’re OK.”

Bonner would be the first to say, “I’m old.”

At 35, she realizes there are more years behind her than in front. Her desire to win has not subsided, and with White now at the helm for the Sun, Bonner is feeling good about her ability to continue to play at a high level in the team’s new offense.

“I’m still having fun and really enjoying this team,” she says. “I never thought that this far along in my career, there would still be things to learn, but there are. I’m learning something new every day and still finding my role with this team.”

Coming into the 2023 season, after losing stars Jonquel Jones and Jasmine Thomas to free agency, as well as former Coach of Year Curt Miller, this Sun team went from being regarded as Finals contenders to “they’ll probably be a first round playoff exit.” But the women who comprise this team share a sisterhood that allows them to thrive. They never gave up on each other and started this season as one of the hottest teams in the League. Like her teammates, Bonner puts no stock in the talk…or lack thereof.

“It doesn’t bother me. I know how good we are,” she says. “I get to play with players like Alyssa [Thomas], who’s so good. It’s funny, I said to her the other day, Dang, I don’t think I even realized how good you were before we started playing together.”

Bonner is in the top two in many all-time categories for the Mercury and leads the franchise in total rebounds. She just recently passed Lisa Leslie on the WNBA’s scoring list and is just points aways from sitting in the top 10 all-time. The future Hall of Famer has admitted that she’s thought about what retirement might look like. That being said, she’s still very much locked in to being present on the court and helping Connecticut win its first title.

“When I retire, that’s when I’ll pat myself on the back and say, OK, you did some things. But right now, I’m still having fun and I’m just going to enjoy this moment,” she says. “As long as I’m still having fun, I’ll still play.”

Photos Via Getty Images.

The post DeWanna Bonner Has Solidified Her Legacy as One of the Most Dominant Players in the WNBA—And She’s Ready for More appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s what happened in the NBA and WNBA over the weekend. Let’s get it!

Draymond Green Gets Candid in Interview with Taylor Rooks

Draymond Green recently sat down with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report. The Warriors legend dropped some revealing gems during their interview. Green admitted “the writings on the wall” when he was asked about leaving the Warriors as a free agent.

The two parties have had some incredible highs as four-time champs and a record-setting 2015-2016 regular, but the lows have been low during public spats with head coach Steve Kerr, Kevin Durant, and a controversial altercation with teammate Jordan Poole. When it comes to that infamous moment, Green said their relationship is “a work in progress,” and he’s willing to do the work because he was wrong.

He also said they “definitely moved forward” and that he’s “seen improvements day by day, week by week, month by month.”

TOMORROW pic.twitter.com/avHPFxt6MV

— Taylor Rooks (@TaylorRooks) January 13, 2023

Ja Morant’s Challenge to All Rim Protectors: ‘Jump with Me if You Want to Go Viral’

Do not get it confused; Ja Morant will never back down. The former No. 2 overall pick has posterized many a rim protector. Few, if any, were as impressive as Morant’s yam on Jalen Smith. The unbelievable slam was punctuated by Memphis winning their ninth straight game after beating Indiana, 130-112, on Sunday.

Postgame, Morant admitted his thunderous dunk was his best of the difficulty. Morant felt so good about it that he challenged all rim protectors to jump with him if they wanted to go viral.

“It’s what everybody has been waiting for. I finally made it.”

jump with me if you want to go viral https://t.co/3ESSiC3A1w

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) January 15, 2023

Jonquel Jones is Headed to New York Via Blockbuster Trade

Jonquel Jones is on the move! The 2021 MVP was a part of a three-team deal that will send her to the New York Liberty, while Rebecca Allen and Natasha Howard will be sent to the Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings, respectively. The Wings will also receive Liberty guard Crystal Dangerfield, Kayla Thornton will go to New York, and Ty Harris is headed to Connecticut.

Connecticut will also receive the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft.

JONQUEL TO BROOKLYN?!

Welcome to free agency @RachGall @Winsidr pic.twitter.com/PpZqvW1hgn

— WSLAM (@wslam) January 15, 2023

Nikola Jokic’s Game-Winner Sinks Orlando

Nikola Jokic delivered a stepback game-winner to sink the Orlando Magic 119-116. The back-to-back MVP posted 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists on 8-11 shooting from the field and 1-4 from beyond the arc.

“He stepped back, got the space, and just shot over the top,” teammate Aaron Gordon said per ESPN. “It was a beautiful shot.”

EVERY ANGLE OF NIKOLA JOKIC’S STEPBACK GAME-WINNER pic.twitter.com/007JQYDLas

— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2023

LeBron James Inches Closer to History After Scoring 38,000 Career Points

The King is the second player to score 38,000 career points and is now 364 points away from breaking Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbarr’s career scoring record. James accomplished the historic feat after knocking down a three-pointer from the top of the arc. The four-time MVP posted 35 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the Lakers’ heartbreaking 113-112 loss to the 76ers.

LeBron tonight:

35 PTS
8 REB
10 AST

Only the second player in NBA history to score 38,000 career points pic.twitter.com/W7DvUvFB7s

— NBA (@NBA) January 16, 2023

The post Weekend Recap: LeBron James Makes History and Ja Morant Challenges All Rim-Protectors appeared first on SLAM.

The WNBA superstar’s release has garnered reactions across the W and the women’s basketball world. From her Phoenix Mercury teammates to her many supporters, here’s what the hoops community has said about her return home.

Phoenix Mercury

No more days. She’s coming home pic.twitter.com/HsjbdPfdn5

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) December 8, 2022

Brianna Turner

Thank you to every single person that kept Brittney Griner’s name alive #WEAREBG https://t.co/Ltx4PEFqAK

— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) December 8, 2022

Kia Nurse

BG is coming home!!!!!

— Kia Nurse (@KayNurse11) December 8, 2022

Shay Peddy:

Went from FREE BG to BG is FREE!! Won’t he do it!

— Shey Peddy (@SheyP11) December 8, 2022

Lexie Brown:

Brenna Stewart

Dearica Hamby

Rhyne Howard:

Chelsea Gray

A’ja Wilson:

Jonquel Jones:

Sue Bird:

Eric Wheeler

Sydney Colson:

Griner’s alma mater, Baylor University, also celebrated her release. Kim Mulkey, who coached BG at Baylor, told ESPN: “God is good. Prayers are powerful. Brittney is on her way home, where she belongs. Our prayers remain with her and her family as they recover and heal together.”

Current Baylor coach Nicki Collen added, “After nearly 10 months, we are thrilled and relieved to hear the long-awaited news of BG’s return. Today is the day we’ve been praying for, and we will continue to pray as she reunites with her family and begins recovering from her experience. Baylor family, she’s coming home!”

In addition to players in the W and BG’s former coaches, a range of women’s basketball trailblazers and supporters reacted to the news of her release.

Dawn Staley:

Chiney Ogwumike:

Swin Cash:

Holly Rowe:

Ari Chambers:

The NBA and WNBA also made official statements about Griner being released and heading home to be with her family.

Cathy Engelbert:

The following statement was released in regards to Brittney Griner's return home: pic.twitter.com/p0D0nhaNDW

— WNBA (@WNBA) December 8, 2022

Adam Silver:

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver today issued the following statement regarding Brittney Griner: pic.twitter.com/9QFqWIn1a4

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 8, 2022

The post WNBA Players and Coaches React to Brittney Griner’s Return Home appeared first on SLAM.

September 11, 2022

Aces 67—Sun 64

Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, NV

From the time you set foot inside the Michelob ULTRA Arena, the atmosphere is electric enough to raise the hair on your arms. A sea of fans in black are headed in the same direction, ready to see a moment fans across the nation had been waiting for all year long: the start of the WNBA Finals. 

In a sold-out house of 10,135 fans, a record crowd at Michelob ULTRA, the Las Vegas Aces came out on fire, building up an early double-digit lead against the Connecticut Sun.

Out of the gate, A’ja “M’VP” Wilson showed us why she is currently being big-upped as the new face of the W. She was a vital piece of the Aces puzzle, scoring 6 of the team’s first 9 points within two minutes. Wilson finished the night with 24 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks on 6-11 shooting from the field. Although Chelsea Gray didn’t have her strongest postseason performance, the point gawd still got it done, securing 21 points, while Jackie Young put up 11. 

On the flip side, the Sun may have not had the strongest start, but they would go on to redeem themselves in the second and third quarters, building an 8-point lead. Shortly after the Sun had their fun, LV picked the momentum back up and recaptured the lead.

In what went on to become a gritty, physical fourth quarter, Alyssa Thomas came through with back-to-back steals and layups to cut it to a 3-point game. 

Here’s an obvious take: Alyssa Thomas is really good at basketball. 

But her efforts were no match for the Aces. On the final possession, and with seconds dwindling down, DeWanna Bonner had a chance to take it to overtime but missed a three at the buzzer. Former MVP Jonquel Jones finished with 15 points, 9 boards and 2 assists, and AT finished with a double-double: 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.

For Aces fans, this was only the beginning.

SLAM 240 featuring A’ja Wilson and the Aces is out now.

Game 2

September 13, 2022

Aces 85—Sun 71

Michelob ULTRA Arena, Las Vegas, NV

Game 1 gave the impression that this was going to be a back-and-forth series, but Game 2 proved the opposite. The Aces came out hungry in the first quarter and really never looked back. A’ja Wilson hit her stride and was able to continue doing what A’ja Wilson does: knocking down shot after shot. Like the 1-2 punch that kept teams struggling during the regular season, Wilson and Chelsea Gray continued their domination. Gray started hot, setting up the offense which had properly adjusted after Game 1. It was evident from the start that Connecticut’s defense couldn’t find a way to slow down the Aces’ offense, a huge credit to Becky Hammon’s coaching. 

The real x-factor, though, was Kelsey Plum. “I told her she needed to get her shit together,” A’ja Wilson shared in the post-game press conference. And get her shit together she did. Kelsey was aggressive in the second quarter and showed flashes of the player she’s developed into. “I know it sounds harsh,” Wilson continued. “But KP is a pro and she went out there and took care of business.” 

But then the third quarter came around and Connecticut looked to be on the verge of a major comeback. Alyssa Thomas hit her stride and Jonquel Jones knocked down a three, cutting the deficit to 3. 

And then Kelsey Plum happened. And then Chelsea Gray happened. And suddenly, the Aces were back up by 10. Then they were up by 14. Then they were up by 20. 

Wilson finished with 26 points, 10 rebounds and went 10-13 from the floor. Gray closed out the game with 21 points and 8 assists, and Plum finished with 20 points and 7 assists in 35 minutes. “I appreciate that this organization believes in me, coaches believe in me, I believe in myself,” Plum shared in her post-game press conference.

It was a game that spoke volumes to the Aces’ ability to adjust on defense, holding Connecticut’s star DeWanna Bonner to just 2 points. And the win led them to a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3

September 15, 2022

Sun 105—Aces 76

Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Win or go home. If one thing was for certain in Game 3, it was that Connecticut really, really wanted to push the series to a Game 5, and they used playing on their homecourt at Mohegan Sun Arena to their advantage.

You know when the Sun heat up, Jonquel Jones will be right there. The former MVP showed that she still has that fight in her, finishing the night with 20 points, 5 boards and 4 dimes. It was a low scoring game throughout, but the Sun shot 84.2 percent from the floor in just the first quarter, starting off with a 15-point lead. 

Alyssa Thomas again proved that she is very good at basketball. She notched a triple double (16 points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists), placing her in good company with OG Sheryl Swoopes and the Chicago Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot as the third player in League history to have done so in the playoffs. 

The Aces had spurts where it looked as if they were catching momentum, but it just was never enough. The closest they cut the deficit to was 6, with Jackie Young leading their squad with 22 points with A’ja Wilson close behind with 19, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Sun from living to fight another day.

Game 4

September 18, 2022

Aces 78 – Sun 71

Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Going into Game 4, it felt like it really could’ve gone either way, thanks to the momentum Connecticut had gained in Game 3. But then the game tipped off. 

After getting off to a 16-6 start, it looked like Vegas came to this game ready to bring the trophy home. Everyone was scoring. Chelsea, A’ja, Kelsey and Riquna Williams all got on the board early before the end of the first quarter. Connecticut was able to close the gap before the end of the first half behind Courtney Williams and Natisha Heideman, and most importantly, DeWanna Bonner started knocking down shots. The Sun closed the first half down by just 2. 

The third quarter was when it really felt like we were heading back to Vegas for Game 5. The Sun started the second half by tying the game and after a Jonquel three, and they even took their first lead. But Becky Hammon rallied her team back on track offensively. 

With three minutes left in the game, Courtney Williams hit a free throw to tie the game and then a jumpshot to give the Sun the lead. Enter Riquna Williams.

Williams took over the game in the final minutes, hitting three consecutive shots and finishing with 17 points overall, and helping the Aces hold a 75-71 lead. With 25.2 seconds left, it was Kelsey Plum who delivered the final dagger, extending the lead to 6. As the clock wound down, it was clear that the Las Vegas Aces would earn the franchise’s first-ever WNBA championship. 

When WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert stepped to the mic to announce the Finals MVP, there was no doubt that Chelsea Gray’s name would be called. She averaged 18.3 points, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field in the four games.  

“I worked so hard for this,” Gray said to Holly Rowe while fighting through tears. 

The Aces showered each other with champagne in the locker room, celebrating many firsts, including Becky Hammon’s first WNBA championship in her first year as a head coach. While it may have been their first, we won’t be surprised if they run it back next year.

SLAM 240 is available now in this exclusive gold edition. Shop now.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post WNBA Champion A’ja Wilson Covers SLAM 240 appeared first on SLAM.

Typically attracted to Russian leagues by the combination of high salaries and valuable resources and amenities, it has become evident that the costs of going to Russia this season outweigh the benefits. Nearly a dozen WNBA players competed in Russia last year; none are returning.

MVP runner-up Breanna Stewart played alongside Griner in Russia on UMMC Ekaterinburg.

“Honestly, my time in Russia has been wonderful,” Stewart told The Guardian. “But especially with BG still wrongfully detained there, nobody’s going to go there until she’s home. I think that you know, now, people want to go overseas, and if the money is not much different, they want to be in a better place.”

Stewart is headed to Turkey to play for Fenerbahçe this offseason. 

It has been 214 days since our friend, Brittney Griner, has been wrongfully detained in Russia. It is time for her to come home. @WhiteHouse @potus @vp , we are paying attention and we are counting on you. #WeAreBG

— Breanna Stewart (@breannastewart) September 20, 2022

Joining Stewart in their choice to not return to Russia are Jonquel Jones of Finals runners-up Connecticut Sun, Courtney Vandersloot of the Chicago Sky, and Emma Meeseman of the Chicago Sky. Vandersloot will suit up in Hungary, while Jones and Meeseeman will compete in Turkey.

Although she admits her club treated her well, and she formed strong relationships while in Russia, Vandersloot put it plainly:

“The thing about it is, we were treated so well by our club and made such strong relationships with those people, I would never close the door on that,” Vandersloot said. “The whole situation with BG makes it really hard to think that it’s safe for anyone to go back there right now.”

Once again, as long as their sister and teammate are wrongfully imprisoned, Russia is off the table as an off-season destination for WNBA players. In addition to vets like Stewart, Jones, Vandersloot, and Meeseman refusing to return to Russia, young players are electing for other overseas opportunities. Rhyne Howard, the 2022 Rookie of the Year, chose to play in Italy, stating that “everyone’s going to be a bit cautious seeing as this situation is happening”.

Following the 2020-21 season, more than 60 percent of the WNBA’s rostered players went overseas during the offseason. Traveling overseas to supplement their salaries takes players away from their homes and families and puts them at injury and safety risk. With plans to play a record-high 40 games next season and increase postseason bonus pools of money, the League continues to step toward making staying home a possibility.

Visit WeAreBG to learn more about what you can do to help.

The post WNBA Players Refusing to Compete in Russia This Offseason appeared first on SLAM.

The 2022 All-WNBA First Team:

• A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
• Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
• Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces
• Skylar Diggins-Smith, Phoenix Mercury
• Candace Parker, Chicago Sky

Heading the first team are unanimous selections A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. A’ja Wilson adds her All-WNBA selection to her MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards. She averaged 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game this season.

Rounding out the first team are Wilson’s teammate Kelsey Plum, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Candace Parker. Plum received her first All-WNBA honor, while Parker received her seventh All-WNBA selection, tying Tamika Catchings and Lauren Jackson for the third most First-Team appearances of all time.

The 2022 All-WNBA Second Team:

• Alyssa Thomas, Connecticut Sun

• Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
• Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
• Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks
• Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun

With her Second Team selection, Sabrina Ionescu makes her first All-WNBA team in just her second full season in the W. To cap off her iconic career, Sylvia Fowles received her eighth All-WNBA honor. 

A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces and Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun continue to battle for the WNBA championship. Tune in to watch Game 4 on Sunday, September 18, at 4 pm ET.

The post A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart Headline 2022 All-WNBA Teams appeared first on SLAM.

Connecticut dominated Game 4 thanks to Alyssa Thomas’ historic triple-double outing and their ability to dominate the paint. The Sun scored a Finals record 64 points at the rim, while holding Las Vegas to 26 points. The Sun also recieved a resurgent performance from DeWanna Bonner, who contributed 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals for her best Finals performance yet.

Jonquel Jones followed that up with a team-high 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists on 8-12 shooting from the field, including 14 points in the paint. When asked about her dominance at the rim, Jones said that “that’s been the M.O. of the playoffs,” while also admitting that Lisa Leslie basically told her that dominating inside will help Connecticut win a championship.

“That’s been the M.O. of the playoffs,” Jones said per the AP. “Even the Chicago series, the team that won the paint, won the game. That’s where it’s done. A long time ago, I talked to Lisa Leslie and she said to win a championship you have to win the paint. I see it now and feel it now. I can go back to that and see she was right.”

Jonquel Jones on advice she once received from WNBA legend Lisa Leslie:
“To win the championship you gotta win the paint.”

— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) September 16, 2022

When Coach Becky Hammon was asked about what Connecticut did differently to beat her Aces, she could only say that nothing was different, “they just did it harder.”

“They didn’t do a whole lot different,” Hammon said. “They just did it harder.”

She also described Connecticut as a “physical and very resilient,” team that came into Game 3 with a “battle-type mentality.” Hammon also straight up admitted that Connecticut “kicked our ass in every way possible.” on Thursday.

“If you could encapsulate Connecticut, it’s physical and very resilient,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said of the Sun. “They have kind of a battle-type mentality, and we didn’t match that tonight, in any category. They just kicked our ass in every way possible.”

"They didn't do a whole lot different. They just did it harder." – Becky Hammon @TheNextHoops #WNBAFinals

— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) September 16, 2022

Connecticut will look to tie their best-of-five series up against Las Vegas on Saturday at 4 P.M EST.

The post Jonquel Jones Dominates Game 3 Thanks to Lisa Leslie’s Advice ‘to Win the Paint’ appeared first on SLAM.

Wilson’s 26 points and 10 rebounds not only helped her team win, but her phenomenal Game 2 earned her a spot within an exclusive club. Plum, who has had her struggles this postseason, got her swagger back last night, putting up 20 points to go along with seven assists. Then finally, Gray, whose ‘unconscious’ Game 4 performance against the Seattle Storm helped to put the Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals. Gray put 21 points and eight assists in Ace’s Game 2 win over the Suns.

The Suns are down 2-0 heading back home and have to navigate the challenging task ahead of winning a pivotal Game 3 to extend the Finals and surviving. As WNBA history notes, teams that have a 2-0 lead in the finals are historically 15-0 all-time in the finals. However, the Suns this postseason are 3-0 when in elimination games.

“We are taking it one game at a time,” Jonquel Jones said, per CBS Sports. “That’s all we can do. We are going to go back home like you said. We are going to have our fans behind us, who have been with us all season, and we are going to use that to propel us to a win, and that’s all we can do.”

Jones dropped 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in Game 2, followed by a team-high 18 points and five assists from Courtney Williams.

Only time will tell if WNBA history repeats itself or if the Suns will be able to create some new history of their own.

The post Jonquel Jones: Connecticut ‘Taking It One Game At a Time’ Heading Into Game 3 appeared first on SLAM.

The Sun has been in the WNBA Finals as recently as 2019, but they lost in the semifinals the past two summers. In fact, with 36 franchise playoff wins, the Connecticut Sun has the most playoff wins of any WNBA franchise without a championship. The Sun has a history of being knocked down, but more importantly, they also have a legacy of getting back up.

Last week the Connecticut Sun faced elimination in back-to-back games, down 2-1 against the reigning champion Chicago Sky. DeWanna Bonner asked Coach Curt Miller if she could hold a players-only meeting after Connecticut couldn’t win Game 3 despite playing their signature “messy” style of play. The Sun may have mucked up the lane and made life miserable for Chicago, but the Sun had an equally tough time on offense, shooting a dismal 39 percent at the rim.

As the lone champion on the roster, Bonner said she saw a Sun team holding on to some nervousness that made them play tight. She saw that the Sun was playing not to lose and not to make mistakes. The meeting reportedly “rekindled an air of levity and belief that saved Connecticut’s season.”

“DB is a champion,” teammate Natasha Hiedeman said of Bonner. “She’s been there. She knows what it takes. Her speeches have been on point lately, so we’ve been feeding off of that — She’s leading the way, and we’re following.”

Following their meeting, they defeated the Sky in Game 4 in a 104-80 drubbing. They then capitalized on their confidence from their Game 4 win and clinched their path to the WNBA Finals after unleashing a game-sealing 18-0 run to win Game 5, 72-63.

The Sun won after refusing to back down when Kahleah Copper got into Bonner’s face after Bonner knocked down a potential and-1 layup.

“I just sat everybody down, I said, ‘Come on, this is not us,'” Bonner said per ESPN. “‘Let’s just play like whatever happens happens. They kicked our ass anyways, so why not just play?'”

“We weren’t ourselves the first couple games of the [semifinals]. As a matter of fact, the whole playoffs, I felt like we just weren’t ourselves.”

The Finals are now underway, and despite losing Game 1 on Sunday, the Sun know they can do anything as long as they stay together and communicate. A task that isn’t difficult for a veteran core headlined by Bonner and 2021 MVP winner Jonquel Jones. With Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, and Courtney Williams on the court, the Sun has a lineup that knows how to utilize their teamwork and camaraderie.

“I don’t even know if we found that confidence at all in the playoffs until we won that Game 4,” Bonner said. “And then it was like, ‘All right, let’s go,’ This is how we want to play. We want to have fun. We can’t have fun if we’re playing uptight.'”

Bonner is averaging 12.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and 3.8 assists per game in the 2022 WNBA Playoffs. Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.

The post DeWanna Bonner Details Playoff-Defining Player-Only Meeting That Led to Connecticut’s Finals Appearance appeared first on SLAM.

The Sky’s loss in a winner-take-all Game 5 against the Sun can be narrowed down by the fact that Chicago’s shot abandoned them during the biggest game of the season. Chicago ultimately shot 34.3 percent from the field and 32 percent from beyond the arc on Wednesday. They also squandered a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter, missing their final eight shots of the night.

“We haven’t had a quarter like that, and to end the season off it, (that) didn’t display what we’ve actually done,” Coach James Wade said per ESPN. “I just wish I could’ve got them a bucket, and I just couldn’t. It’s just a tough feeling.”

While the defending champs struggled to get anything going, the Sun came together and had the perfect response to Chicago’s Kahleah Copper getting in the face of Connecticut’s DeWanna Bonner. Instead of allowing the tense moment and jaw-jacking to get in their head, the Sun responded by putting an 18-0 run on Chicago’s head over the final 4 minutes to cement their place in the WNBA Finals.

All five Connecticut starters were double-digit scorers, led by Bonner and Jonquel Jones, who scored 15 points apiece. Chicago was led by Cooper (game-high 22 points.) Emma Meesseman (14 points and six rebounds) and Courtney Vandersloot (12 points, three assists, three steals) combined for 26 points. Candace Parker could only muster seven points, nine boards, three steals, and four blocks on 2-7 shooting.

“It’s tough,” Wade said per the Chicago Tribune. “It’s probably one of the biggest disappointments that I’ve had professionally — It’s hard to put into words right now. This is going to hurt me for a long time. Felt I could’ve done a better job of getting them a bucket. I couldn’t get them one.”

Chicago will look to figure out how to address their free agency concerns with Parker, Vandersloot, and Allie Quigley headed into free agency and possibly retirement for Parker. Meesseman is also set to hit free agency after her one-year deal expires.

The post Coach James Wade Calls Game 5 Loss ‘One of the Biggest Dissapointments’ of His Professional Career appeared first on SLAM.

DeWanna Bonner knocked down the hoop and the harm despite a hard foul from Kahleah Cooper (game-high 22 points). The latter took exception to Bonner’s celebration of the potential and-1 bucket and pushed Bonner as the two veterans began to jack their jaws in each other’s faces.

The tense interaction didn’t draw any technical fouls, but it did inspire the Sun to unleash a game-defying 18-0 run that eliminated the Sun, 72-63, and set a WNBA Finals date with the Aces. During postgame interviews, it was clear Bonner not backing down from Copper was pivotal for the Sun; when Jonquel Jones was asked about it during her TV interview with ESPN, she said the Sun “locked in” afterward and decided “we’re not about to be bullied.”

“That was our moment to settle it down,” Bonner said per YahooSports. “Yeah, we got fired up. We just looked up and was like, ‘Oh, there’s a lot of time left.’ That was all the fire needed.”

This is everything we’ve worked for.

Sun fans, see you in the Finals #CTSun pic.twitter.com/fNBI4BwHSE

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 9, 2022

The Sun held the Sky to five points in the fourth quarter, the fewest scored in the fourth quarter of a winner-take-all game in WNBA history and the second-fewest in any playoff game. Connecticut also held Chicago to 34.3 percent shooting from the field and outrebounded the former champs 43-28.

All five Connecticut starters scored in double-digits, led by Bonner (nine rebounds and five assists) and Jones (10 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks), who scored 15 points apiece. Natasha Hiedeman posted 14 points and four assists, followed by 12 points apiece from Courtney Williams (six rebounds and five assists) and Alyssa Thomas (10 rebounds and eight assists).

“We wanted this one bad,” Bonner said. “We come up here every year, and Chicago kicks our ass. They do; that’s just what it is. We’ve lost to them like seven times in a row like we couldn’t figure it out. I think that in Game 4, we figured it out and came here and came here with a little more confidence. Cause usually we come here, and we look up at the first score when we play Chicago, we’re down 20.”

“And that time, I think we figured it out at home; I think we wanted it a little bit more (At Wintrust Arena).”

12-0 run for the @ConnecticutSun, they lead the @chicagosky 66-63 with 1:02 left in the 4Q

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/okMfP4EUGG

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 9, 2022

The Game 5 win also helped Connecticut exercise their Chicago demons. The Sky swept the Sun 4-0 in the regular-season and eliminated Connecticut in the first round of last year’s postseason before claiming the 2021 title.

It would’ve been easy for the Sun to fold after allowing Chicago to outscore them by 18 during the second and third quarters, but this playoff-tested Connecticut team needed a moment like that Bonner-Copper action to inspire them to greater heights. Connecticut’s series-clinching 18-0 run is the longest to close out a WNBA playoff game in League history.

“When adversity hits, sometimes we fold,” Hiedeman said. “Not no more, we’re not folding no more. As you all saw (after) the third quarter, we picked up right back up once again. Now we’re going to the championship. Job not done yet.”

Definitely Hiedemans night pic.twitter.com/3uEsdqzqGj

— WSLAM (@wslam) September 9, 2022

The WNBA Finals will begin on Sunday.

The post DeWanna Bonner On the Exchange That Led to Decisive 18-0 Run: ‘That Was Our Moment to Settle It Down’ appeared first on SLAM.

We won. Serena won.

Today was a good day.#skytown #ReCrownSkytown pic.twitter.com/ozppJ4dRsB

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) September 1, 2022

Parker headlined Chicago’s five double-digit scorers with a 22-point, four-rebound, four-assist, and three-block performance. Emma Meesseman poured in 14 points, seven rebounds, and three dimes, and Allie Quigley contributed 13 points, followed by 10 points, four boards, and two assists from Kahleah Cooper. Courtney Vandersloot rounded out Chicago’s double-digit scorers with 10 points, eight helpers, one block, and one steal.

“When you have generational talents (like Parker), they’re just too good, too dominant,” Coach James Wade said per the Chicago Tribune. “Great wine just ages well. — You can’t put an age on that. What did Aaliyah say? Age ain’t nothing but a number.”

Parker also held the Sun to just six second-chance bucks on seven total offensive boards. Wade contributed that effort to Chicago’s will and physicality. Parker summed it up as Chicago simply making “shots hard” for the Sun.

Candace Parker helped Chicago get the DUB:

22 points
4 rebounds
4 assists

Series is tied 1-1 pic.twitter.com/K1WPbLwKz2

— WSLAM (@wslam) September 1, 2022

While the win ties up the semifinals at 1-1 between the Sky and Sun, Ace wants to see Chicago follow up the success with a better effort in Sunday’s Game 3. Playing your best basketball when your backs against the wall is a needed quality, but being able to dominate and establish your will from the beginning is even better.

“I think after a win is when we need to be even more focused,” Parker said per ESPN. “Come ready to play, come focused and come with the right mentality. I don’t think we had the right mentality in Game 1.”

The Sky responded well to Coach James Wade premonition that the team was “going to make shots” after shooting 35.3 percent in Game 1. On Wednesday, Chicago came out the gates, hitting six of their first 10 shots of the game, and finished the night shooting 32-63 from the field and 6-15 from beyond the arc. Chicago also hit 15-22 free throws.

Chicago held Connecticut to 45.7 percent shooting from the field. They also held DeWanna Bonner and Courtney Williams to eight points on a combined 3-16 shooting from the field. Jonquel Jones (23 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks) and Natasha Hiedeman (14 points and three assists against three turnovers) were the only double-digit scorers for the Sun. Connecticut never led after Jones hit a triple on the game’s first possession.

Wade also gave Parker props for her consistency and veteran leadership with championship experience since signing with Chicago last summer. Wade said he’s noticed that Parker has been especially ardent in her belief that Chicago can be the first repeat champs since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 and 2002.

“She wants to do everything in her power to get another championship,” Wade said. “And so that’s where I think you see, I wouldn’t say desperation, but urgency.”

Connecticut will host Game 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday.

The post James Wade Speaks on Candace Parker’s Championship ‘Urgency’ appeared first on SLAM.

HOW DOES IT FEEL, SUN FANS??? #CTSun pic.twitter.com/3twme5dlRy

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) August 25, 2022

DeWanna Bonner led all scorers with 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Alyssa Thomas followed up with 13 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Jonquel Jones dropped 11 points, 10 rebounds, and two assists, and Natisha Hiedeman rounded out Connecticut’s double-digit scorers with 11 points, two boards, and two dimes.

Bonner also became the 10th player in WNBA history to knock down 300 career field goals and passed Angel McCoughtry in the process of doing so.

“Our team is incredibly confident in what they do and who they are,” Sun Coach Curt Miller said, per ESPN. “We’re back to the semis for four straight years. This group wants to take another step, and there’s not one person that’s going to pick us to beat Chicago. So we’re going to go with the underdog mentality and give it our best shot.”

.@DEEBONNER24 with a BIG 21-5-5 Game 3 to lead the @ConnecticutSun to the Semifinals of the #WNBAPlayoffs presented by @google pic.twitter.com/eJAZpTCFrM

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 25, 2022

Marina Mabrey posted a team-high 20 points, Veronica Burton contributed 10 points, six rebounds, and four dimes, and Teaira McCowan followed up with eight points, 12 boards, and two blocks.

The Sun won Game 3 after holding the Wings to perhaps the worse scoring effort of the season. Connecticut held Dallas to 22 points in the second half, and their final tally of 58 was a season-low. Dallas shot just 6-27 from the field in the second half and turned the ball over 11 times.

Part of Dallas’ offensive struggles could be attributed to Isabelle Harrison suffering an ankle injury in the first-quarter that she wouldn’t come back from. Not even Arike Ogunbowale’s short-lived return from abdominal surgery could spark Dallas’ stagnant offense. The former national champ went scoreless in six minutes, going 0-3 from the field and 0-2 from beyond the arc.

Bonner credited Connecticut’s defensive clinic to second-year guard DiJonai Carrington. The 35-year-old forward believed Carrington’s “defensive pressure was unbelievable,”, especially in the last 20 minutes of the game.

Carrington was so successful as a defensive pest that she got into a squabble with Mabrey midway through the fourth. The two guards were jaw-jacking as Mabrey set up to inbound the ball from the sideline.

“Forget all that; the credit to this game goes to DiJonai Carrington,” Bonner said. “I think she was the difference maker for us this whole game. Her defensive pressure was unbelievable; she kinda jump-started us the whole game. So take the ball out of my hands and give it to her cause tonight was all about her and her pressure. She definitely jump-started us that second-half, and (I’m) definitely so proud of her.”

The semifinal matchups will start on Sunday, with Las Vegas and Seattle kicking off the action at 4 p.m EST on ESPN. The Sun and Sky will play at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN 2. The Sky swept their regular-season series with the Sun, 4-0, winning by an average of 4.5 points per game.

The post Connecticut Advances to Second-Rounds After 73-58 Rout Over Dallas appeared first on SLAM.

Allisha Gray led the Wings with 17 points and five rebounds, followed by a 13-point, five rebounds, and three assists outing from Tyasha Harris. Marina Mabrey contributed 11 points, and four rebounds, and Satou Sabally rounded out Dallas’ double-digit scorers with 10 points, two rebounds, and two dimes in 15 minutes of action.

SUN TAKE GAME 1

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 19, 2022

Created to create separation in the third quarter after going on a 13-0 run that helped build a 20-point cushion in the third seed’s favor. The Suns kept the Wings scoreless for over five minutes, leading to the Sun closing out the third quarter with a 17-5 run that gave them an 18-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

After the tough Game 1 loss, Coach Vickie Johnson told assembled reporters that she didn’t “recognize” who the Dallas Wings were on the hardwood and noted that some players were noticeably “complaining” and “not taking accountability.”

“The first thing I told my team is ‘I didn’t recognize my team tonight.'” Johnson said. “If we can think we can do it individually and beat Connecticut, it’s not gonna happen.”

Vickie Johnson: "The first thing I told my team is 'I didn't recognize my team tonight.'"

Said players were "complaining," "not taking accountability."

"If we can think we can do it individually and beat Connecticut, it's not gonna happen."

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 19, 2022

Arike Ogunbowale, Dallas’ leading scorer, is still not healthy enough to play due to an abdominal injury she aggravated during the final days of the regular-season.

It’s really that simple for DB pic.twitter.com/do0bk85mpV

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 19, 2022

The Wings will look to tie the series up with a Game 2 win over the Sun on Sunday.

The post Vickie Johnson Didn’t ‘Recognize’ Dallas Wings Team That Lost Game 1 appeared first on SLAM.

Fowles, who dropped 10 points and 12 rebounds, left the game to a standing ovation at Mohegan Sun Arena and was embraced by teammates and coaches. She has retired as the only player to lead two franchises (Chicago and Minnesota) in career rebounding and the only WNBA player to record 4,000 rebounds. 

Fowles also received a standing ovation during her final home game Friday night at the Target Center, where she and fellow WNBA legend Sue Bird (who Fowles won four Gold Medals as members of Team USA) shared a moment after the game.

The Lynx could not pick up the victory despite Fowles” 193rd career double-double and a combined 48 points from Lindsay Allen and Aerial Powers Sunday night, as Connecticut’s Jonquel Jones, Natisha Hiedeman, Courtney Williams, Alyssa Thomas, and Brionna Jones all finished in double-digits. But the moment of Fowles’ final game took center stage after Minnesota’s season-ending loss.

“In typical Syl fashion, she just thanked us for being her teammates and supporting her throughout the season and then the staff and the coaches and all of that,” Allen said, per ESPN. “She was just very grateful to be able to do it with us this season through the ups and downs and everything that the season entailed.”

An eight-time All-Star, two-time WNBA Champ, two-time Finals MVP, 2017 League MVP, and four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Fowles achieved it all during her illustrious 13-year career in the W. The 36-year-old, who is arguably the greatest center in WNBA history, took time after the game to reflect on her legendary career.

“I learned that this team is going to be different and a little more challenging, so I had to do things that were out of my comfort zone, which I’m gratefulI’mhappy that I stepped out of my comfort zone for this team,” Fowles said “But also just appreciating the love that I got from the fans this year. It put things into a different perspective for me. I never got that in my first 14 years of playing, and so to see that all come together in my last year, I’m very grateful.”

One of the greatest to ever play the game, the memories Fowles brought basketball fans will last a lifetime. From two championships to winning the League MVP to throwing down a one-handed slam at the most recent WNBA All-Star game, Fowles’ legacFowles’live on for years to come.

Photos via Getty Images

The post Slyvia Fowles Plays Final WNBA Game in Loss to Connecticut Sun appeared first on SLAM.

Hartley’s injury occurred during the third quarter of Sunday’s win against the Minnesota Lynx. Hartley came down and twisted her left leg after trying to save a loose ball from going out of bounds.

Hartley signed a rest-of-season contract with the Sun on July 18 after she was cut from the Indiana Fever. She’s been averaging 4.6 points, 0.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steals per game during the three games she’s played with the Sun.

“I think she fits well into our system, and just the way that she played, like when you saw her out there with us, it just looked like she had been with us before. So we appreciate that energy, and we were so excited about what the future for her and with our team. But ultimately, right now, it’s about her getting healthy and focusing on her body and us just giving her that love and support, which is all we can do right now. Definitely, our hearts go out to her,” reigning MVP and teammate Jonquel Jones said per CT Insider.

Hartley will be recovering from her second major injury in the last two years; she tore the ACL in her right leg playing with the Mercury during the WNBA bubble in 2020.

“It’s terrible,” teammate Courtney Williams said. “She worked so hard to get back, right. Just her story and her process, and to get here and she was gonna be such a big factor in what we were about to do and trying to accomplish.”

With Hartley out, the Sun signed Kiana Williams Wednesday to a seven-day contract. The Seattle Storm drafted Williams was drafted 18th overall out of Stanford during the 2021 WNBA Draft.

Williams is set to be available on Thursday when the Sun hosts the Storm.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Bria Hartley Out For Season After Tearing ACL appeared first on SLAM.

This is the year, right?

With 2021 Coach of the Year Curt Miller at the helm, this must be the year the Connecticut Sun translate their regular-season success into playoff glory…right?

Championship windows don’t linger for long, so the pressure is on for the Connecticut Sun. A premier team in the League for the past three years, the Sun was labeled the early season favorite and predicted by many experts as the team most likely to be the last standing at the end. But, in reality, the Sun has come up short of the ultimate goal in the final moments in each of those seasons. With the League growing more and more competitive, and the parity in the WNBA reaching an all-time high, Connecticut must make good on its promise to grab what the franchise has yet to capture in its 20-year existence: a WNBA title.

After losing 3-2 in a thrilling five-game series against the Washington Mystics in the 2019 Finals, the team fell short of reaching the Finals the following year. With the big free agency signing of DeWanna Bonner ahead of an unprecedented time in not only sports, but in our country’s history, the Sun found themselves in a semifinals losing battle with the Las Vegas Aces during the 2020 bubble. However, last season’s early exit seemed the most disappointing.

After earning the No. 1 overall seed and claiming a bye through the first and second rounds, and posting 14 straight regular-season wins going into the postseason, Connecticut failed to hang a banner at the end of one of the franchise’s best seasons. 

“We feel like we fell short,” reigning MVP Jonquel Jones says in reflection of last season. “We understood what we were able to do, and it’s just been a lot of talk about that.”

Head coach Curt Miller echoed those sentiments. “It’s a fine line between wins and losses in our League,” he says. “You look back at that series and you think about all the little things that could have been done differently.”

In hindsight, there were a myriad of things that could have been “done differently.” Executing on a missed open layup in Game 3 from Briann January that could have ended the game in regulation for the Sun is one such play that comes to mind. The team never seemed to find their groove in that series against Chicago, which presented arguably the toughest matchup Connecticut had seen all season. One could see in that series, as late as being on the brink of elimination, how much the Sun yearned to finish their season as champions. Miller even said then that there were moments where their desire to win overshadowed their execution and took them out of character. The team would be overpowered, outplayed and outcoached by the Sky and eventually lose the series 3-1. Chicago would continue on to defeat the Phoenix Mercury and eventually become the 2021 WNBA champions.

“There are lessons learned in every situation,” Miller continues, “but that fine line just serves as a reminder that all the little things matter in a game that make or break a loss, and you have to show up in the smaller moments just as you do in the biggest moments.”

A franchise that has been knocking at the door of a championship but can’t seem to find their way in, Connecticut believes this is the right team and the right season to push the needle forward. With the abrupt end to their previous season in the rearview mirror, the Sun are looking to this season as the one where all the pieces will finally fall into place.

Well…almost.

After returning most of their core players this season and re-signing Courtney Williams from Atlanta, a key component to the 2019 Finals run, Connecticut was expecting to have a year where the Fteam could finally have all their stars healthy and on the court. After playing without Jones in 2020 and without Alyssa Thomas (out with an Achilles tear) for all but a few games in 2021, the Sun once again find themselves having to tinker with their lineup now that point guard Jasmine Thomas has been ruled out for the season after tearing the ACL in her right knee near the end of May.

“Disappointing. Heartbreaking. [J. Thomas] is an iron woman. She doesn’t miss games,“ Miller stated after Thomas’ injury. “It’s difficult. And quite frankly, I’m tired of having to figure out how to play without a starter. But sometimes injuries can equal opportunities.”

Without J. Thomas in the lineup, the team has seen the other Thomas, who has an incredible comeback story of her own, put her versatility on display. “I feel like a utility player has always been my role,” Alyssa Thomas says.

There’s no telling where you’ll see her on the court and in what position. With Thomas’ flexibility to switch to the 1 guard, it creates an opportunity for Miller to use a larger lineup on the floor, which has really given defenses a tough time in the paint. Since returning from an injury, Alyssa has eased back into the form that made her the engine for Connecticut. She’s become an even more unstoppable force in how she facilitates the offense, from passing the ball to getting her teammates involved to driving to the basket and creating plays for herself. 

The absence of J. Thomas has also led to the emergence of Natisha Hiedeman. The 5-8 guard out of Marquette has been one of the most energetic role players for Connecticut since joining the team in 2019. As her game has continued to grow, so have her opportunities to play in other places. But Hiedeman is aware of how close this team is to the dream that all WNBA players share.

“I love playing with this team and learning from my teammates,” Hiedeman tells WSLAM. “Of course I’d rather have Jas healthy and on the court, but I’m ready for any situation. I got the opportunity to learn and grow from Jas and Bri and maybe I could go and play somewhere else, but why would I? We’re a good team and of course we want to win a championship.”

Hiedeman has been displaying more confidence in her three-point shooting this season and using her ability to draw contact and generate points from the free-throw line. The consistency and inside dominance of Brionna Jones, who’s averaging double figures as the sixth woman off the bench, is another bright spot. With all these pieces, the Sun remain in prime position to vie for a championship, despite the growing parity in the WNBA.

Connecticut knows the assignment this season, but the League is far more dangerous this year than in years past. With the change in the postseason format and the elevation of teams like the Dallas Wings and the Atlanta Dream, who are thriving under new head coach Tanisha Wright and rookie sensation Rhyne Howard, the separation between the top tier teams is thinning. But according to Jones, this Sun team doesn’t shy away from the notion that they are no longer the underdog lacking the respect they rightfully deserve. Remember disrespeCT? The increased competition in the W hasn’t distracted the Sun from the mission at hand.

“This year, we want to embrace being the hunted,” Jones says. “We understand that people are going to kind of come at us, and we have all the necessary pieces. So we’re ready. The desire is definitely there. [I guess] the best way to describe it is just hunger. We’re hungry.”

Connecticut is feeding off this craving to be the team crowned champions when it’s all said and done. 2022. This could be the year…right?

WSLAM 2 is available now. Get your copy here.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Connecticut Sun are Hungrier Than Ever for a Title appeared first on SLAM.

The excitement wasn’t just in the win itself, but the way Sun players Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones, and DiJonaiCarrington worked together to secure the dub. It was a special day for Carrington in particular, who reached her career high of 18 points in just 18 minutes of playing. Carrington also secured seven rebounds and one steal.

Carrington’s prior career-high came against the Liberty back in September; Carrington scored 14 points.

Jones tied her season high of 21 points, and Thomas followed up with 18 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, and a season-high of six steals.

By the fourth quarter, the Suns had pulled away from the Liberty with a 27-5 run and an 80-57 lead. In the last ten minutes, the Liberty scored 13 points, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Sun.

Even though the Sun was without Jonquel Jones, who averages 15.1 points and nine rebounds, the Sun’s defense held the Liberty to 36.4 percent shooting and 18 turnovers.

The Sun is expected to play against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday.

The post DiJonai Carrington Reaches Career-High With Win Against the New York Liberty appeared first on SLAM.

The players selected include Ariel Atkins, Kahleah Copper, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Dearica Hamby, Natasha Howard, Rhyne Howard, Jewell Loyd, Brionna Jones, Emma Meesseman, Arike Ogunbowale, Alyssa Thomas, and Courtney Vandersloot.

2022 WNBA ALL-STAR RESERVES:

Ariel Atkins, Kahleah Copper, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Dearica Hamby, Natasha Howard, Rhyne Howard, Jewell Loyd, Brionna Jones, Emma Meesseman, Arike Ogunbowale, Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Vandersloot. #WNBA |

— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) June 28, 2022

Howard, the rookie out of Atlanta, will make her All-star game debut while the Chicago Sky send a mob over with their championship core all making an appearance. The Sky will be represented this year by Kahleah Copper, Courtney Vandersloot, Emma Meeseman, and Candace Parker, who was voted in as a starter. 

The All-Star starters were announced on June 22, including Candace Parker, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum, Nneka Ogumike, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu. The captains for the All-Star Game are A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. WNBA legend Sue Bird joins Team Wilson as a co-captain, while Sylvia Fowles will join Team Steward.

Wilson and Stewart pick their teams on Saturday afternoon, with the starters chosen first and then the 12 reserve players. Since Wilson led in fan voting, she will have the first pick on Saturday. 

The post Kahleah Copper, Skylar Diggins-Smith Headline 2022 WNBA All-Star Game Reserves appeared first on SLAM.

The other six starters include Sabrina Ionescu, Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Jonquel Jones, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young. An incredibly talented and fire list for this year’s All-Star game. 

It’s a bitter-sweet moment in WNBA history with four-time WNBA champion Bird retiring after the 2022 season. She was the most selected player for the AT&T All-Star game, earning 13 selections. 

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that Brittney Griner would hold a place as an honorary starter. The Phoenix Mercury center has been selected for the AT&T All-Star game six times before and will be there in spirit for her seventh selection. 

The League’s head coaches will vote for the 12 reserve players. Coaches will vote for three guards, five frontcourt players, and four players from either position. The announcement will be made Tuesday, June 28. 

The captains will pick their All-Star rosters on Saturday, July 2, from the eight starters and the 12 reserves that the coaches voted for.  

The post WNBA Announces Starters For 2022 All-Star Game appeared first on SLAM.

The Mother of Dragons is coming…home. pic.twitter.com/fsUZuT3FqE

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) February 1, 2022

” I am so happy to be back in Connecticut,” Jones said in a statement. “This organization has believed in me since day one, and I definitely feel like we have unfinished business.”

Jones was named MVP last year after averaging 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. In her five-year career, she has earned All-Star accolades three times and has led the League in rebounding three times, in 2017, 2019, and 2021.

The Sun went a W-leading 26-6 in 2021 before falling to the eventual champion Chicago Sky in the semifinals.

The Sun went 26-6 and finished with the best record in the WNBA in the 2021 regular season but were eliminated by the Chicago Sky in the semifinals.

The post Jonquel Jones Re-Signs With Connecticut Sun, Team Says appeared first on SLAM.

The Connecticut Sun are finalizing a multi-year deal with Jonquel Jones to officially bring back the reigning MVP, sources tell @justwsports

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) January 24, 2022

The 28-year-old was nearly named unanimous MVP in last season’s race, receiving 48 of the 49 first-place votes. Her MVP season, and fifth in the W, accounted for a career-high 19.4 points, 11.2 boards, 1.3 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game in 31.7 minutes on 51.5 percent from the field. The League’s leader in rebounds finished fourth in scoring while serving as the defensive anchor for the League’s best defensive team.

After entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the League, the Sun (26-6) were defeated in four games by the eventual WNBA champions, the Chicago Sky (16-16).

The news of Jones’ resigning comes less than 24 hours after Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports reported All-Star Courtney Williams was expected to finalize a deal to return to the Sun for the upcoming season.

The post REPORT: Reigning MVP Jonquel Jones Finalizing Multi-Year Deal with Sun appeared first on SLAM.

Connecticut Sun forward and 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones was the only unanimous selection amongst the All-WNBA First Team.

Jones is joined by the Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd, along with the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

Certified Buckets

Congratulations to the 2021 All-WNBA First Team!@jus242 @SkyDigg4 @brittneygriner @breannastewart @jewellloyd #CountIt pic.twitter.com/C0h35cciUe

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 15, 2021

Earning the honor for the first time, Jones received all 49 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters after averaging 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

Diggins-Smith received the second-highest amount of First Team votes with 37 after averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 assists per game this season.

Griner finished with the third-most votes (31), after averaging 20.5 points and a career-high 9.5 boards a game.

Diggins-Smith and Griner joined Stewart in receiving the honor for a third time. Stewart—the 2018 WNBA MVP—would average 20.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game in 2021.

The post WNBA Announces 2021 All-WNBA First Team appeared first on SLAM.

Jones also led the Sun their highest winning percentage in franchise history (.813) despite missing the entire 2020 season with .

Now in her fifth season out of George Washington, Jones will receive $15,450 and a trophy by Tiffany & Co after becoming the first player in the WNBA 25-year history to win the Most Improved Award (2017), Sixth Woman (2018) and MVP.

Jones received 48 out of 49 first-place votes (487 points), winning the award nearly unanimously, while Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner came in second place (224 points) and Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (156 points) came in third place for the prize. 

The Sun locked up the top overall seed in the postseason due to Jones’s strong play and great depth on a team that also features WNBA’s Most Improved Player for the 2021 season, Brionna Jones.

The post Jonquel Jones Wins 2021 WNBA MVP Award appeared first on SLAM.

Straying away from the typical East-West format due to the Olympic year, fans have been anxiously awaiting the list of their favorite players that will get their chance to face off against Team USA.

That being said, the All-Star roster is loaded on both sides, featuring veterans and a few newbies as well.

First-time All-Stars include: six-year veteran Betnijah Laney (New York Liberty); second-year forward Satou Sabally (Dallas Wings); seven-year veteran Dearica Hamby (Las Vegas Aces); third-year guard Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings); sixth-year wing Kahlea Copper (Chicago Sky); six-year veteran Courtney Williams (Atlanta Dream); and five-year pro Brionna Jones (Connecticut Sun).

Notable players returning to the All-Star Game include two-time MVP Candace Parker (Chicago Sky), four-time All-Star Liz Cambage (Las Vegas Aces); and three-time All-Star Jonquel Jones (Connecticut Sun).

Team WNBA and Team USA will face off in Las Vegas on July 14 at 7pm (ET) on ESPN.

The post WNBA Releases 2021 All-Star Roster appeared first on SLAM.

The reigning WNBA Finals MVP has just been named the Western Conference Player of the Month after averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in May.

Forward Jonquel Jones of the Connecticut Sun took home the award in the East.

Breaking News @breannastewart is like really really good at basketball. #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/savegtUoXc

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) June 2, 2021

Two years removed from her Achilles injury back in April 2019, Stewart is averaging career highs in points (23.3) boards (9.7) and blocks (2.0) while leading the Storm to a league best 6-1 overall record.

Just last night, Stewie scored 28 points and collected a pair of steals and blocks in a 88-73 victory over the Indiana Fever (1-8), marking her fourth outing of the season where she scored at least 25 points.

@breannastewart also added in 2 BLK + 2 STL to stuff the stat sheet tonight #CountIt pic.twitter.com/BZdfu6vJIy

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 2, 2021

The 2021 WNBA season has been nothing short of remarkable with over 80 percent of the games still to be played.

The post Breanna Stewart Named Western Conference Player of the Month appeared first on SLAM.

The season tips off on Saturday, July 25 at noon ET with the Storm against the Liberty. Below is our 2020 preview to get you ready for the action. Let’s go.

EAST

1. Chicago Sky

If there’s one team everyone in the League should fear this upcoming season, it’s the Sky. This Chicago group is one of the youngest in the League, so it’s no surprise that they are also one of the most athletic. Behind prolific scorers in two-time Three-Point Contest champion Allie Quigley and Diamond DeShields, the Sky were second in scoring last season, just behind the champion Washington Mystics. Not only that—they were also  second in assists, in large part due to Courtney Vandersloot, the record holder for most assists in a single season. In keeping core pieces like Stefanie Dolson, Cheyenne Parker and Gabby Williams, while also picking up Sydney Colson and Azura Stevens, Sky Town has a lot to look forward to in the 2020 campaign.

2. Connecticut Sun

Connecticut came just short of the championship in 2019 with one of the strongest rosters in the WNBA, but this year’s roster looks slightly different. Although they’ll be without leading scorer Jonquel Jones, who has chosen to sit out over health concerns due to COVID-19, they won big time in acquiring DeWanna Bonner during free agency. Along with veteran guards Alyssa Thomas and Jasmine Thomas, Bonner will help fill the major scoring void. The big question for the Sun revolves around team chemistry, having lost on-court leader Courtney Williams, as well as having picked up multiple free agents this offseason.

3. Washington Mystics

The reigning WNBA Champions will aim to defend their title in 2020, although they’ll be without some major pieces. They took a big hit during free agency in losing Point God Kristi Toliver, and will be without 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne and free-agent signee Tina Charles due to health concerns over COVID-19. Washington added vet Essence Carson to help fill the void of Natasha Cloud, who has chosen to sit out the season in order to focus on the fight for social justice. Even without some serious offensive pieces, they still have last year’s Finals MVP Emma Meesseman, who will need to step up once again if the Mystics are to make another deep playoff run.

4. Indiana Fever

Indiana has struggled since their last playoff appearance in 2016, but this new squad could be considered the sleeper of the League. With lottery picks in the most recent drafts, the Fever are now young, quick and hungry to win. Indiana’s biggest strength is their talented bigs, including Natalie Achonwa, Teaira McCowan and the 2020 No. 2 overall pick Lauren Cox. They also have strong young guards in Kelsey Mitchell and Victoria Vivians, who returns this season after missing last year due to a knee injury. Behind the veteran leadership of Candice Dupree and Erica Wheeler, as well as former Mystics assistant and new head coach Marianne Stanley, Indiana’s ceiling is extremely high.

5. Atlanta Dream

Having lost Angel McCoughtry during free agency, Atlanta has a lot of question marks around this upcoming season. With significant movement in the offseason, the Dream’s roster has several new faces playing together for the first time. Courtney Williams and Shekinna Stricklen join the team after a WNBA Finals run with the Sun last season, and therefore will need to provide leadership in the locker room. Additionally, their frontcourt crew of Elizabeth Williams, Glory Johnson and Kalani Brown is extremely strong. The future definitely looks bright for the Dream, as they also picked up scoring sensation Chennedy Carter in this year’s Draft.

6. New York Liberty

The team with the most unknowns is the new Brooklyn crew. With one of the most inexperienced rosters, new head coach Walt Hopkins will need to rely on veterans Layshia Clarendon, Amanda Zahui B and Kia Nurse to help transition the rookies into the pros. That being said, the Liberty have some of the best prospects from this year’s draft, including NCAA phenom Sabrina Ionescu and former Husky Megan Walker. If Sabrina, Megan and the rest of the rookies are able to adapt quickly, the Liberty could have a surprisingly successful season. New York will be without Asia Durr, though, who decided to opt out of the 2020 season due to health concerns over COVID-19.

WEST

1. Seattle Storm

The 2018 championship team is finally back together after a year of many injuries, and we have a feeling they’re about to pick up right where they left off. Stewie is back, Sue is back, and the best part is that a lot of the younger players now have more experience to help take Seattle back to the top. We witnessed Jordin Canada and Jewell Loyd really come into their own in 2019, leading Seattle to the second round of the playoffs. With last year’s Defensive Player of the Year Natasha Howard, as well as new additions in Morgan Tuck and Epiphanny Prince, the Storm are destined for another title run.

2. Phoenix Mercury

Skylar Diggins-Smith, Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi are the new “Big Three” of the WNBA, and they’re likely to take the Mercury near the top at IMG this summer. Phoenix already had a stacked roster and the addition of one of the best scoring guards in the League only makes them that much better. With Bria Hartley and 2019 champion Shatori Walker-Kimbrough joining the mix, there’s no doubt that Phoenix has the deepest roster in the League. Diana “The GOAT” Taurasi is back this year after missing most of last season due to injury, which makes Phoenix one of the early favorites to win it all. 

3. Las Vegas Aces

The Las Vegas Aces are one of the top teams to watch in 2020. In another major free agency move, Vegas picked up Angel McCoughtry, who adds the experienced guard play they have been missing. Although they’ll be without Liz Cambage (due to health concerns over COVID-19) and Kelsey Plum (due to a torn achilles suffered in the offseason), the Aces roster is still strong. With some of their major players missing, 2018 Rookie of the Year A’ja Wilson is set to have another breakout season and potentially be an MVP candidate.

4. Los Angeles Sparks

You know the competition in the West is great when the Sparks are somehow in the middle of the pack, even though they have one of the greatest players ever hooping for them. The big question for L.A. this year is how Coach Derek Fisher implements his offensive system with top scorers Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Chelsea Gray and Riquna Williams. The Sparks also picked up Brittney Sykes and longtime rival Seimone Augustus. If Coach Fisher and his staff are able to put together a game plan that gets everyone on the roster involved, the Sparks could be the team to beat in the West.

5. Minnesota Lynx

Cheryl Reeve’s Lynx look a lot different than most years, as they continue their rebuilding period. Their leader, Maya Moore, has continued her inspiring path of pursuing social justice reform, which leaves Sylvia Fowles as the veteran in the locker room. The Lynx have lots of promising young talent on the roster, including 2019 Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier. They also picked up some strong prospects in this year’s Draft with Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Crystal Dangerfield. With sharpshooters Rachel Banham and Lexie Brown, the Lynx still have a chance at a solid season that could help develop a lot of their talent for the future.

6. Dallas Wings

Dallas has the most inexperienced roster in the West, but don’t let that fool you—they have some true bucket-getters on their squad who are poised to have big seasons. All eyes will be on 2019 Rookie of the Year runner-up Arike Ogunbowale, who averaged 19.1 points per game in her first season. Most exciting, though, is their pickup of Katie Lou Samuelson, who didn’t see much playing time with Chicago last year. As a UConn product, you know she’s bound to be a sponge and learn quickly how to be implemented into the offense, especially under head coach Brian Agler. With the addition of top prospects Satou Sabally and Bella Alarie, the Wings are low-key our favorite to shock the League this season, potentially even clinching a playoff spot.

—

Camille Buxeda is a Senior Content Producer at SLAM. Follow her on twitter @CamilleBuxeda.

Photos via Getty.

The post 2020 WNBA Season Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Some players have cited health concerns surrounding the COVID-19. Others say they will use the time to fight police brutality and racial injustice in the United States.

Below is a complete list of players who have opted out of the 2020 WNBA season.

WNBA Players Opting Out of 2020 Season

Rebecca Allen, Liberty (story)

Jessica Breland, Mercury (story)

Liz Cambage, Aces (story)

Natasha Cloud, Mystics (story)

Asia Durr, Liberty (story)

Tiffany Hayes, Dream (story)

Jonquel Jones, Sun (story)

Renee Montgomery, Dream (story)

Chiney Ogwumike, Sparks (story)

LaToya Sanders, Mystics (story)

Kristi Tolliver, Sparks (story)

Cecilia Zandalasini, Lynx (story)

The post List of WNBA Players To Opt Out of 2020 Season appeared first on SLAM.

Both Cloud and Sanders played key roles in leading the Mystics to their first WNBA championship last season. Cloud averaged 13.1 points and a team-high 6.1 dimes during Washington’s postseason run.

Cloud, 28, said she would use the time to fight police brutality and racial injustice.

“I have a responsibility to myself, to my community and to my future children to fight for something that is much bigger than myself and the game of basketball,” Cloud said. “I will instead continue the fight for social reform, because until Black lives matter, all lives can’t matter.”

Playing a key role off the bench for the Mystics, Sanders averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 boards in the playoffs last season. The 33-year-old said she believes the decision “is what’s best for my health and family.”

Cloud and Sanders join a growing list of WNBA players who will sit out the 2020 campaign.

On June 15, the WNBA announced plans for a 22-game regular season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

RELATED: WNBA All-Star Jonquel Jones To Sit Out 2020 Season

The post Mystics’ Natasha Cloud, LaToya Sanders To Sit Out 2020 WNBA Season appeared first on SLAM.

Jones, 26, led the Sun to Game 5 of the WNBA Finals last season. She averaged team-highs in points (17.9), boards (10.4) and blocks (1.5) during Connecticut’s playoff run.

Citing health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 virus as one of the reasons for her decision, Jones said she would use the time to focus on “personal, social and familial growth.”

“This was one of the toughest decisions I’ve made but the resurgence and unknown aspects of COVID-19 have raised serious health concerns that I do not feel comfortable competing in,” Jones said.

In a tweet, Jones wrote, “Tough times, even tougher decisions. Huge thanks to the Sun organization for always having my back. See you next year Sun fans.”

On June 15, the WNBA announced plans for a 22-game regular season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL.

The post WNBA All-Star Jonquel Jones To Sit Out 2020 Season appeared first on SLAM.

Previous stories:

LIVE FROM MADISON STREET: Zach LaVine Talks Playing in Chicago

ALL OF THE LIGHTS: REMEMBERING 1988 ALL-STAR WEEKEND IN CHICAGO

—

Few people have greater insight into the basketball madness set to descend upon Chicago for February’s NBA All-Star Game than Allie Quigley. After all, Quigley is the defining basketball player of this Chicago generation.

A Joliet, IL, native, Quigley has blossomed in her pro career thanks to two facts. First, an ability to sink long-distance shots—she has two WNBA three-point contest titles to her name and is the WNBA’s active leader in three-point accuracy at 39.9 percent. And second: Allie Quigley, for her entire life, has been Chicago basketball. 

Joliet Catholic Academy. DePaul University. And now, the longest-tenured member of a Chicago Sky team that reached the playoffs in 2019 and has championship aspirations in 2020.

It’s all pretty improbable, especially considering Quigley’s early professional path: A second-round draft pick who struggled to stick on rosters in a variety of other WNBA outposts—Phoenix, Indiana, San Antonio and Seattle.

“I mean, especially because my first couple of years were either overseas, or in Phoenix, or Seattle, San Antonio,” Quigley says. “I just thought that was going to be my life and that was that. I never really imagined that I’d get to be so close to my hometown every single summer. So I’m definitely lucky, I know not a lot of players get to do that.”

Accordingly, Quigley has enjoyed a lot of time to figure out the quintessential Chicago question: Where do you get the best deep dish pizza? Fortunately, you have the Allie Quigley seal of approval to choose either of two elite options in town.

“You definitely have to try some deep dish pizza if you’re from out of town, at either Uno’s or Due’s downtown,” Quigley says. “Either of those is fine with me.”

Quigley won’t be eating at either one of them come NBA All-Star Weekend, however. During the WNBA offseason, she plays overseas along with some of the best players in women’s basketball. 

She’s giving her advice from the airport, about to fly back to Russia, where she suits up for a powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinberg team with her wife and Chicago Sky teammate Courtney Vandersloot, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner, 2019 WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman of the Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun franchise player Jonquel Jones and many others.

The result is the loss of an opportunity to showcase the WNBA through the ultimate Chicago player. Quigley will return this spring, though, and after a heartbreaking last-second loss to the Las Vegas Aces, she and the Sky represent one of Chicago’s best opportunities to celebrate a championship in 2020. It’s not lost on her that a Chicago product can help lead the city to greater glory, either.

“I think we’re always trying to grow the women’s game and at the same time just have Chicago notice us and notice our success,” Quigley says. “But mainly, I think we’re just thinking small picture, just about our franchise and how far we’ve come, and we’re trying to do something special, something that we’ve never done before.”

As for Quigley’s legacy, it’s already secure. There will never be another. She followed the WNBA from the very birth of the league and has shown an entire city that girls can grow up to hoop—not just casually, but professionally, at the highest level.

“I just hope that I’m a player that helps Chicago do things that they’ve never done before, in terms of the Sky, helping us get to our first ever playoff appearance, hopefully getting our first championship ever,” Quigley says. “Just helping the program go in the right direction. Just positivity, good chemistry, interaction with the fans. I just hope that’s what people remember.”

—

Howard Megdal is a contributor to SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @howardmegdal.

Photos via Getty.

The post BORN & RAISED: Allie Quigley Has Been Repping Chicago Since Day 1 appeared first on SLAM.

In exchange for Bonner, who spent the first 10 years of her career in Phoenix, the Mercury will bring back a total of three first-round picks, including the No. 7 and No. 10 choices in next April’s draft.

As part of the deal, Bonner will sign for the full $215K max permitted when players sign with their existing team. Had she signed straight up through unrestricted free agency she would have only been entitled to $185K.

Bonner will join a Connecticut squad that competed into the WNBA Finals and she’ll round out a loaded frontcourt that already includes the likes of Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas.

The post Connecticut Sun Acquire DeWanna Bonner appeared first on SLAM.

Anigwe entered the league fresh off a dominant run in the NCAA – including a 30/30 game during her senior season at California – but never got consistent minutes during her stint in Connecticut.

She’ll now join a Dallas squad that sits last in the Western Conference but has turned their attention to the future with high profile rookies Arike Ogunbowale and Megan Gustafson already aboard.

In Plaisance, the Eastern Conference-leading Sun will get an established veteran. The 27-year-old has averaged 6.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the rebuilding Wings and will help round out a Connecticut frontcourt that already includes the likes of Jonquel Jones and Alyssa Thomas.

The post Wings Acquire Kristine Anigwe In Trade With Sun appeared first on SLAM.

Entering its 23rd season, the WNBA has more talent than ever before, making final roster cuts even more excruciating for teams.

The WNBA season will tip off tonight with the Wings visiting the Dream at 7:30 p.m. EST. Check out the 12-player, opening-night rosters for every WNBA team below!

(NOTE: Some opening-night rosters do not include players on the temporary suspended list while injured, sitting out or fulfilling overseas commitments.)

ATLANTA DREAM

Alex Bentley (G)
Monique Billings (F)
Jessica Breland (F)
Maite Cazorla (G)
Nia Coffey (F)
Marie Gülich (C)
Tiffany Hayes (G)
Angel McCoughtry (GF)
Renee Montgomery (G)
Haley Peters (F)
Brittney Sykes (G)
Elizabeth Williams (C)

CHICAGO SKY

Kahleah Copper (GF)
Diamond DeShields (G)
Stefanie Dolson (C)
Jamierra Faulkner (G)
Chloe Jackson (G)
Jantel Lavender (FC)
Astou Ndour (C)
Cheyenne Parker (F)
Allie Quigley (G)
Katie Lou Samuelson (GF)
Courtney Vandersloot (G)
Gabby Williams (F)

CONNECTICUT SUN

Kristine Anigwe (FC)
Rachel Banham (G)
Bridget Carleton (GF)
Layshia Clarendon (G)
Bria Holmes (G)
Jonquel Jones (FC)
Brionna Jones (C)
Shekinna Stricklen (GF)
Alyssa Thomas (F)
Jasmine Thomas (G)
Morgan Tuck (F)
Courtney Williams (G)

DALLAS WINGS

Kaela Davis (GF)
Skylar Diggins-Smith (G)
Allisha Gray (G)
Isabelle Harrison (F)
Tayler Hill (G)
Glory Johnson (F)
Brooke McCarty-Williams (G)
Imani McGee-Stafford (C)
Arike Ogunbowale (G)
Theresa Plaisance (FC)
Azura Stevens (FC)
Kayla Thornton (F)

INDIANA FEVER

Natalie Achonwa (FC)
Candice Dupree (F)
Shenise Johnson (G)
Paris Kea (G)
Betnijah Laney (G)
Stephanie Mavunga (F)
Erica McCall (F)
Teaira McCowan (C)
Tiffany Mitchell (G)
Kelsey Mitchell (G)
Asia Taylor (F)
Erica Wheeler (G)

LAS VEGAS ACES

Liz Cambage (C)
Sydney Colson (G)
Dearica Hamby (F)
Kayla McBride (G)
JiSu Park (C)
Kelsey Plum (G)
Sugar Rodgers (G)
Carolyn Swords (C)
A’ja Wilson (FC)
Tamera Young (F)
Jackie Young (G)

LOS ANGELES SPARKS

Alana Beard (GF)
Kalani Brown (C)
Chelsea Gray (G)
Alexis Jones (G)
Marina Mabrey (G)
Nneka Ogwumike (F)
Chiney Ogwumike (FC)
Candace Parker (FC)
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt (GF)
Maria Vadeeva (FC)
Sydney Wiese (G)
Riquna Williams (G)

MINNESOTA LYNX

Seimone Augustus (G)
Lexie Brown (G)
Karima Christmas-Kelly (F)
Alaina Coates (C)
Napheesa Collier (F)
Damiris Dantas (F)
Sylvia Fowles (C)
Danielle Robinson (G)
Jessica Shepard (F)
Odyssey Sims (G)
Stephanie Talbot (F)
Shao Ting (F)

NEW YORK LIBERTY

Rebecca Allen (G)
Tiffany Bias (G)
Brittany Boyd (G)
Tina Charles (C)
Asia Durr (G)
Reshanda Gray (F)
Bria Hartley (G)
Kia Nurse (G)
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (FC)
Tanisha Wright (G)
Han Xu (C)
Amanda Zahui B (C)

PHOENIX MERCURY

DeWanna Bonner (F)
Essence Carson (G)
Arica Carter (G)
Sophie Cunningham (G)
Brittney Griner (C)
Briann January (G)
Camille Little (F)
Sancho Lyttle (F)
Alanna Smith (F)
Diana Taurasi (G)
Brianna Turner (F)
Yvonne Turner (G)

SEATTLE STORM

Sue Bird (G)
Jordin Canada (G)
Alysha Clark (F)
Natasha Howard (F)
Anriel Howard (F)
Crystal Langhorne (FC)
Jewell Loyd (G)
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (F)
Courtney Paris (C)
Mercedes Russell (C)
Sami Whitcomb (GF)
Shavonte Zellous (G)

WASHINGTON MYSTICS

Ariel Atkins (G)
Natasha Cloud (G)
Elena Delle Donne (F)
Tianna Hawkins (F)
Myisha Hines-Allen (F)
Kiara Leslie (G)
Emma Meesseman (F)
Kim Mestdagh (G)
Aerial Powers (F)
LaToya Sanders (FC)
Kristi Toliver (G)
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (G)

The post WNBA Opening-Night Rosters Set for 2019 Season ✅ appeared first on SLAM.

Each of the past two seasons, the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx have battled in the WNBA Finals after finishing with the two best records in the League by far.

But dynasties, even concurrent ones, don’t last forever, and among several rising WNBA squads, the Connecticut Sun are first among those aspiring to overtake the Lynx and Sparks some day—perhaps as soon as this season.

“I think we’re trending very positively,” Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller told SLAM when asked about that goal. “And I think we overachieved last year, so we got to do it without a lot of pressure and a bulls-eye on our back. This year the expectations are higher.”

The numbers bear out Connecticut’s status as the next WNBA title team in waiting. While the Lynx finished first and the Sparks second in both offensive and defensive rating, respectively, only the Sun also managed to grab a top-four spot in both metrics last year. The Sun finished 21-13, and as Miller pointed out, they did it without franchise big Chiney Ogwumike, who missed the season due to an Achilles tendon injury. That opened the door to a starting five that presented opponents with endless matchup problems.

At the 5, Jonquel Jones built on a strong rookie season by blossoming into an All-Star, finishing fifth in the League in player efficiency rating, third in win shares and first in rebounding percentage. Next to her was Alyssa Thomas, whose work as secondary facilitator at the 4 (her assist percentage of 24.3 trailed only point guard Jasmine Thomas’ 24.9 among Sun rotation members) and defender earned her an All-Star bid as well. Courtney Williams combined elite athleticism with a knack for the big shot at shooting guard, and the veteran among the group, small forward Shekinna Stricklen, shot 41 percent from three to stretch the defense.

Stricklen won’t turn 28 until July 30. Not one expected rotation member is going to be as old as 30.

If anything, Miller’s biggest problem coming into 2018 isn’t figuring out where he’ll get production at both ends of the floor. It’s determining what his best lineup will be, working Ogwumike back into a group that looks like it has ample room to grow. Miller has a little time to get it right, saying Ogwumike has told him, “I want you to be patient with me,” as she returns to the League, but a healthy, talented Ogwumike is a player no team wants to waste on the bench, either.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that Alyssa Thomas guarding a 3 and putting the length of JJ and Chiney on the floor together is exciting to us defensively, but we lose the spacing and scoring and shooting of Stricklen with her off the floor,” Miller said. “But if Alyssa’s out of the game and you’re playing Chiney and JJ together, if you’re down the stretch with a lead you have better foul shooters. You keep a really good foul shooter like Stricklen on the floor, you keep the spacing, but you may not be quite as good defensively.”

That doesn’t even take into account a frontcourt stalwart like Morgan Tuck, third overall pick in the 2016 draft, who drained threes in droves playing overseas this past offseason and appears ready to take on the facilitator/perimeter work that allows a 4 in Curt Miller’s offense to shine. Nor does it mean regular time right away for the Sun’s first-round pick, Lexie Brown, a capable two-way point guard out of Duke who will need to battle Jasmine Thomas, Courtney Williams and super sub (and former All-Star herself) Alex Bentley just to get on the floor. Miller did not sugarcoat that to Brown.

“He told me I might be a role player for a little bit and if I could handle that,” Brown said shortly after getting picked. “Absolutely I’ll be able to handle that.”

Ultimately, Miller believes the path to a championship comes more from how much better his top eight can be than the enviable depth he has 1-12 and beyond entering training camp. He wants Jones to supplement her diverse offensive game and unparalleled rebounding with better rim protection, and thinks Ogwumike lineups will help on that score.

Miller had been thinking 2018 would be the playoff breakthrough for the Sun. It came a year ahead of schedule, before the Sun lost a one-game playoff to the Phoenix Mercury. Can a championship run show up early, too?

“Getting back to the playoff was a start,” Miller said. “We now understand that pressure. So I’m not saying we can’t, but we all know there’s still growth and there’s still steps that a lot of this team has hasn’t experienced yet.”

—

Howard Megdal is a contributor to SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @howardmegdal.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post The Future is Bright for the Connecticut Sun ☀️ appeared first on SLAM.

Fowles received 35 of 40 first-place votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The 2017 #WNBA MVP… @SylviaFowles of the @MinnesotaLynx! #WatchMeWork pic.twitter.com/sq3q34RSCs

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 14, 2017

The 10-year veteran earned her first MVP award, and becomes the second Lynx player to win the award (Maya Moore, 2014).

2017 WNBA MVP VOTING (Total Points)

1. Sylvia Fowles (385)
2. Tina Charles (199)
3. Candace Parker (132)
4. Nneka Ogwumike (89)
5. Jonquel Jones (88)
6. Brittney Griner (82)

Other players receiving votes (total points): Elena Delle Donne (11),
Maya Moore (9), Skylar Diggins-Smith (7), Breanna Stewart (2), Courtney Vandersloot (2), Diana Taurasi (1)

RELATED:
Sylvia Fowles on Minnesota’s Hot Start, 2016 Finals, All-Star Game and More

The post Sylvia Fowles Named 2017 WNBA MVP appeared first on SLAM.

“No one’s gonna outwork him,” Sun assistant coach Steve Smith says. “He’s a tireless worker. But he has a true passion for coaching. It’s not really work, it just comes natural to him.”

The Sun have the third best record in the WNBA, sitting at a comfortable 19-10. Miller’s making use of a talented roster of young players, led by first-time All-Stars Jonquel Jones, Jasmine Thomas and Alyssa Thomas.

“Coach Miller has the philosophy that he brought to the organization–championships are won in the locker room. It begins with character first,” Smith says. “He’s done a great job of implementing all of that and getting the players to buy into it.”

Across the country, the Minnesota Lynx have also gotten their players to buy in. Head coach Cheryl Reeve’s best ability, according to her long-time assistant Shelley Patterson, is getting through to their roster.

“She helps the players to believe in themselves, no matter what’s happening in the media, no matter what people are saying,” Patterson says. “The literature on us is that we’re old, we’re slow, we shouldn’t be where we are right now. But one of the things she does well is make them believe in themselves. Inspire them to do more than they think they can. That’s what good teachers do. That’s who she is.”

Like the Sun, the Lynx are currently on fire. However, unlike the Sun, the Lynx have had consistent greatness for the last eight years. Patterson traces that back to Coach Reeve.

“One of the things that’s impressive, for seven seasons, we’ve won 20-plus games,” Patterson says. “You have to be very creative to be able to motivate players like that every single season. Every single motivational speech she gives is something different. In eight seasons, I have not heard her say the same thing twice. Our players, they just weigh on her every word.”

Reeve has found the winning formula. She’s got the Lynx atop the league, yet again, with a 22-6 record. It’s become the norm in Minnesota. Since Reeve and Patterson have been on-staff, the Lynx have captured three championships. They’re trying to avenge last season’s close loss in Game 5 of the Finals against Los Angeles.

“When you’ve been in a marriage, if you will, with most of the core players for eight seasons now, you have to change some things,” Patterson continues. “You can’t always be the same. But at the same time, you also have to keep things exciting. That’s just like any kind of relationship. Most marriages don’t last eight years without something being different and having to bring about change. Making it exciting, making the words that you say continue to motivate you year in and year out.”

Reeve and Patterson have faced new challenges in 2017. Even though Sylvia Fowles is playing like an MVP candidate, and even though Maya Moore and Seimone Augustus are still devastating on the wing, Rebekkah Brunson and Lindsay Whalen have missed games with injury.

Coach Miller’s also missing one of the key players on his roster. Chiney Ogwumike, the 2014 Rookie of the Year, hasn’t played at all this season due to an Achilles injury. It’s the second time she’s missed an entire campaign— she sat all of 2015 after undergoing microfracture surgery in her right knee.

Smith says that Coach Miller’s been able to replace some of what Ogwumike, a high-basketball IQ player, brings to the table.

“He’s very, very talented,” Smith says. “One of the most talented coaches I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching with. In terms of the complete approach to the game, being able to anticipate what opponents are going to do, being able to put our players in position to have success, being able to have the foresight to, anticipate the gameplan that really makes it difficult for opponents to have success against us.”

More often than not, it’s the Lynx and the Sun that are having success against their opponents this season. With Reeve’s steady winning and Miller’s upstart youngsters, it’s also more likely than not that the Coach of the Year trophy’s ending up in either Minnesota or Connecticut.

—

Max Resetar is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @maxresetar.

The post Lean On Me appeared first on SLAM.

East:

• Tina Charles, New York Liberty
• Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics
• Jonquel Jones, Connecticut Sun
• Tiffany Hayes, Atlanta Dream
• Jasmine Thomas, Connecticut Sun

West:

• Sue Bird, Seattle Storm
• Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury
• Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx
• Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks
• Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx

Jones, Hayes and Thomas, all having the best season of their careers, are the first-timers. Charles, Delle Donne, Taurasi, Moore and Parker have all won regular season MVPs, while Parker and Moore have both won All-Star Game MVPs.

With the 2017 ASG being played in Seattle, Bird will serve as the host. She ties Tamika Catchings with her 10th All-Star Game appearance, too.

Moore was the overall leading vote-getter among fans (32,866), followed by Delle Donne (31,414), Parker (29,133), Fowles (24,904) and Bird (24,841). Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve will serve as the West head coach and New York’s Bill Laimbeer will guide the East after the Lynx and Liberty finished with the best regular-season records in their respective conferences in 2016.

The All-Star reserves, to be selected by the WNBA’s 12 head coaches, will be announced on Tuesday, July 18 during ESPN2’s telecast of the Seattle Storm and the Chicago Sky (9 p.m. ET).  The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game will be played on July 22 at 3:30 ET on ABC.

The post 2017 WNBA All-Star Starters Announced appeared first on SLAM.

EASTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS

Backcourt: Tiffany Hayes (Atl) 4,288; Tiffany Mitchell (Ind) 4,202; Kristi Toliver (Was) 3,498; Sugar Rodgers (NY) 3,480; Courtney Williams (Con) 3,239; Cappie Pondexter (Chi) 2,967; Tayler Hill (Was) 2,794; Jasmine Thomas (Con) 2,696; Shavonte Zellous (NY) 2,128; Ivory Latta (Was) 2,042; Allie Quigley (Chi) 1,939; Briann January (Ind) 1,531; Erica Wheeler (Ind) 1,507

Frontcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Was) 19,280; Tina Charles (NY) 12,055; Jonquel Jones (Con) 10,585; Candice Dupree (Ind) 4,965; Stefanie Dolson (Chi) 3,170; Alyssa Thomas (Con) 3,038; Kiah Stokes (NY) 2,567; Tamera Young (Chi) 1,924; Morgan Tuck (Con) 1,740; Imani Boyette (Chi) 1,730; Natalie Achonwa (Ind) 1,385; Bria Holmes (NY) 1,320

WESTERN CONFERENCE — EARLY RETURNS LEADERS

Backcourt: Sue Bird (Sea) 16,139; Diana Taurasi (Phx) 15,207; Skylar Diggins-Smith (Dal) 11,462; Seimone Augustus (Min) 11,198; Lindsay Whalen (Min) 10,131; Jewell Loyd (Sea) 9,639; Allisha Gray (Dal) 5,766; Alana Beard (LA) 5,003; Kelsey Plum (SA) 4,221; Chelsea Gray (LA) 3,975; Moriah Jefferson (SA) 3,823; Kayla McBride (SA) 3,034; Jantel Lavender (LA) 2,002

Frontcourt: Maya Moore (Min) 19,949; Candace Parker (LA) 17,127; Sylvia Fowles (Min) 15,159; Breanna Stewart (Sea) 13,793; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 13,563; Brittney Griner (Phx) 12,818; Rebekkah Brunson (Min) 6,236; Glory Johnson (Dal) 5,680; Ramu Tokashiki (Sea) 2,653; Karima Christmas-Kelly (Dal) 2,651; Alysha Clark (Sea) 2,517; Crystal Langhorne (Sea) 2,046

The post Delle Donne, Moore Lead First Fan Voting Returns for the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game appeared first on SLAM.

Rodgers broke out last season as a full-time starter for the New York Liberty, hitting a franchise record 86 three-pointers.

“I just waited so long for an opportunity, and I got it,” Rodgers says. “I took full advantage of my opportunity because I knew what I was capable of.”

Basketball helped Rodgers escape the drugs and crime of her hometown of Suffolk, VA. She endured the deaths of her mother, uncle, nephew and father. The incarceration of two siblings. The seizure of her house. Homelessness throughout high school.

Her jersey number is a tribute to her mother, who passed away from lupus in 2005.

“I wear No. 14 because my mom passed away on July 14, and also the coincidence of me getting drafted 14th (in 2013),” Rodgers says.

A four-time All-Big East First Team selection who holds Georgetown school records in points (2,518), threes (346) and steals (326), Rodgers sat on the bench her rookie season with the Lynx as Minnesota captured the 2013 WNBA title.

Minnesota then shipped the 5-9 shooting guard to New York for the right to swap draft picks with the Liberty. Rodgers started just five games over the following two seasons before putting up career-highs in every statistical category last year (14.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg).

Still, she’s not satisfied. With the harsh realities of her hometown serving as constant motivation to keep improving her game, Rodgers can’t forget the treacherous road she took to get to the WNBA.

“I look at myself like I’m one step away from being back there,” Rodgers explains. “I try my best to keep going forward so that I don’t go back to those things.”

Related
Mo’ Money – Moriah Jefferson is ready to build on her rookie year.
The Sun Also Rises – Already a star in the Bahamas, Jonquel Jones is about to blow in the WNBA.

—

Ryne Nelson is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow @slaman10.

Photos via Getty Images

The post Sweetness appeared first on SLAM.

“I was the best on the island when I left,” Jones recalls. “But when I came to the States, I was probably on the other end of the spectrum.”

It wasn’t until Jones hit a massive growth spurt before her senior year that she caught the eye of Division I programs.

Jones eventually grew to 6-6 while at George Washington (she claims she’s grown another inch since), and earned a reputation as a rebounder and rim protector. But she maintained her ability to put the ball on the floor and shoot the three.

It was her unicorn potential that enticed the Connecticut Sun to select Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect it,” Jones says. “I didn’t actually think that I would be able to sit here one day and say that I accomplished it.”

In just over 14 minutes per game last year, Jones averaged 6.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. Those numbers increased over the season’s final two weeks to 11.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and a blistering 74.7 true shooting percentage.

Now, the newly minted Women’s Korean Basketball League foreign MVP is facing a probable starting role with the Sun and on the verge of a breakout sophomore campaign.

But she’s already a certified star back in The Bahamas.

“It’s hard to go anywhere without people asking you for a picture and different stuff like that,” Jones says. “I was just a regular old name and doing what I did. Now people have seen what I’ve accomplished, and they’re proud of me and they want to be a part of it.”

—

Ryne Nelson is a Senior Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @slaman10.

Photos via Getty Images

RELATED:
Rookie Jonquel Jones Leads Connecticut Sun With 20 Points, 10 Rebounds (VIDEO)

The post The Sun Also Rises appeared first on SLAM.

When starter Chiney Ogwumike got hit with early foul trouble, Jones stepped up and recorded her first career double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals en route to a 94-89 win over the Chicago Sky.

The 6-6 Jones has shown flashes of all-around dominance this season, using her versatility to stretch the floor and length to control the paint on both ends.

Connecticut has now won five of their last eight games (including four wins on the road), and are just one game back of the 8th and final playoff spot.

The post Rookie Jonquel Jones Leads Connecticut Sun With 20 Points, 10 Rebounds (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

While individual statistics are a main consideration, so is the ability to help the team in crucial moments. On this week’s mock draft board, the top four picks remain the same, while shuffling characterizes the rest of the list.

George Washington’s Jonquel Jones makes her first appearance in this mock draft at the 10th pick.

Previously:
WNBA Draft Index, Vol. 1

The post WNBA Draft Index, Vol. 2 appeared first on SLAM.