While W players have long been showing out in the tunnel, Harrison and Austin are continuing a movement of women’s hoopers in the high-fashion space. Thanks to the visionary work of renowned stylist Sydney Bordonaro—who credits the weekend’s success to the help of writer and strategist Kirsten Chen (@hotgothwriter)—Harrison, a dynamic forward on the Sky and Austin, a standout center/forward for the Mystics and ’22 All-Rookie Team honoree, looked stunning in pieces by Kim Shui, DAILY PAPER and more.

To give us the inside scoop, Bordonaro joined the latest episode of hoop(ish) to talk about their recent WNBA NYFW takeover.

Bordonaro was in charge of working around the outfits given by the shows with flashy accessories that best complemented their looks and personality. She says Harrison’s sister, @dolledbydorie, also worked her magic with both players’ makeup, too.

It was Harrison’s second show since her appearance for Kim Shui two years ago and a first for Austin. “Izzy and Shakira ate,” Bordonaro says. “The girls just did what they needed to do.”

On Friday and Saturday, Harrison and Austin both rocked elegant, flowy designs by Collina Strada while accessorizing with handbags.

Then, on Saturday, they took things to another level with more edgier looks. Harrison’s outfit included a Jumpman original with a beaded-corset overlay, while Austin rocked designs by KidSuper. They both also wore more looks by DAILY PAPER.

After an eventful weekend, Bordonaro hopes this was a much-needed wake up call for the fashion world to include even more women’s hoopers. “It was a good introduction for the fashion space to get basketball girls,” Bordonaor said. “They handled themselves like they were stars. So many people when they saw them were taken back.”

This is just the beginning, too. From the tunnel to the runway, we’re hyped to see more looks by Bordonaro this upcoming season and to watch Harrison and Austin show out on, and off the court.

Check out the entire episode of hoop(ish) below:

Photos by Dominique Oliveto (@dommyo).

The post WNBA Stars Isabelle Harrison and Shakira Austin Takeover New York Fashion Week appeared first on SLAM.

After shattering their record for most points scored in a game and the most points scored in a match by ANY team in the World Cup with 145 against South Korea, they reached another milestone. Defeating Bosnia 121-59, the star-studded squad recorded the USA’s 27th consecutive win, breaking the country’s previous record. 

Team USA has been rolling through this year’s World Cup competition. Seven of the team’s 11 active players scored in double-digits, led by Kelsey Plum with 20 points and seven assists, while Chelsea Gray followed close behind with 16 points and seven assists. Breanna Stewart and Shakira Austin each added 15 points to the team’s total. Austin finished shooting 7-9 from the field in just 13 minutes of action.

The USWNT continues its road to the trophy on Thursday against Serbia.

The post USA Women’s Basketball Breaks Second Record in Two Days appeared first on SLAM.

The 12

Our 2022 USA Women’s World Cup Team to chase a fourth consecutive gold medal in Sydney!

#USABWNT x #FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/WnewsZsuw1

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) September 20, 2022

Ariel Atkins and Jewell Loyd are the only other Team USA players besides Wilson, Gray, and Stewart that will play in the World Cup that also played on the Tokyo Olympics teams. Plum will play on her second World Cup team after leading Team USA to Olympic gold with the 3×3 group. Stewie will play on her third World Cup team after winning World Cup MVP in 2018. Wilson and Loyd were members of the 2018 World Cup team.

The World Cup team will be the first in over 20 years not to feature Sue Bird or Diana Taurasi on the roster.

The two WNBA and UConn legends led Team USA to five of its seven consecutive Olympic gold medals and a combined nine World Cup medals. Sylvia Fowles and Tina Charles will also be left off Team USA due to retirement or moving on from national team obligations. Brittney Griner is another notable absence while the United States looks to negotiate her release from Russian prison due to illegal drug possession.

“After we won gold, [Bird] was like, ‘All right, it’s your turn now,'” Wilson told ESPN about Bird passing the Team USA torch, per ESPN. “I’m like, ‘Huh?’ When you really think about it, it’s me and Stewie. Everyone’s gone.”

“I don’t know who’s going to be talking in the timeouts now,” Wilson followed up. “We’ll be figuring it out. But, no, it’s a great thing. They’ve laid a great foundation for us to step in as the next-gen to carry the torch. I am probably terrified, but I’m excited as well just to get back out there with other greats. Let’s go get this gold.”

Shakira Austin, Kahleah Copper, Sabrina Ionescu, Brionna Jones, and Betnijah Laney are Team USA’s newest members for the Olympics or World Cup. Austin is the youngest member of the team and the only player to make it amongst her rookie class and college phenom and defending national champion Aliyah Boston.

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Committee selected the roster, which Connecticut Sun president Jen Rizzotti chairs.

“We’re in a little bit of a transition,” Stewart said. “But it really gives an opportunity for young players to come in and show what they’ve got and help take USA Basketball to the next level — and understand that everybody wants to beat us.

“Nobody wants us to win gold. And still, our goal every time that we are playing is to win the entire thing.”

God is so great to meI made the USA World Cup Team bro….BLESSED

— Shakira Austin (@Theylove_kira) September 20, 2022

Boston, Diamond DeShields, Stefanie Dolson, Rhyne Howard, NaLyssa Smith, and Jackie Young are amongst the most significant final cuts from the women’s national team roster.

“We have been eagerly anticipating the 2022 FIBA World Cup and welcome the opportunities and challenges this competition presents as we face the world’s best teams,” 2021-24 national team head coach Cheryl Reeve said in a news release. “The U.S. roster features some of our game’s brightest stars, and I’m excited to lead this team with the goal of winning a fourth consecutive World Cup for the USA. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who was part of our highly competitive training camp and hope to work with many of them again in the future.”

The Women’s World Cup runs Sept. 22-Oct. 1 in Sydney. Team USA starts group stage play against Belgium on Wednesday at 9:30 P.M. E.T.

The post Team USA Announces 2022 Women’s World Cup Team appeared first on SLAM.

Rhyne went CRAZY this season @howard_rhyne is your 2022 Kia @WNBA ROY pic.twitter.com/ZP9Dcblhti

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 25, 2022

Howard led the Dream (14-22) to a fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings. The former Kentucky All-American averaged 16.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game on 36.1 percent shooting from the field and 34.3 percent from beyond the arc. She was the only rookie to be nominated to the 2022 All-Star Game. She also made history after she became the sixth rookie to score 30+ points in her first four games.

Howard earned 53 votes out of a possible 56 votes she could’ve gotten from WNBA media members and broadcasters. Howard also headlines the All-Rookie team that features NaLyssa Smith, Queen Egbo, Shakira Austin, and Rebekah Gardner. Austin received two ROY votes, and Smith received one. Howard is the second Dream player to win the RY after Angel McCoughtry received it in 2009.

Howard entered the WNBA after a legendary career at Kentucky. Her accolades include earning First-Team All-American honors twice and winning the Freshman of the Year award from the WBCA, USBWA, and SEC. Her SEC accolades include earning the back-to-back Player of the Year awards, four All-SEC nominations, including three First-Team nods from 2019-2021, and an All-Defensive team nod in 2020.

The post Rhyne Howard Crowned the 2022 Rookie of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

Cheryl Reeves is the head coach of the World Cup team and will be joined by Mike Thibault, Kara Lawson, and Joni Taylor as her assistant coaches.

The training camp will take place September 6-12 in Las Vegas. An intrasquad Red-White game will headline the camp on Sept. 10 before the final roster comes out for the FIBA World Cup that runs Sept. 22-Oct. 1 in Sydney, Australia.

The following is a complete list of expected training camp participants: Ariel Atkins, Shakira Austin, Boston, Kahleah Copper, Elena Delle Donne, Diamond DeShields, Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Chelsea Gray, Dearica Hamby, Myisha Hines-Allen, Natasha Howard, Rhyne Howard, Sabrina Ionescu, Brionna Jones, Betnijah Laney, Jewell Loyd, Kayla McBride, Angel McCoughtry, Arike Ogunbowale, Kelsey Plum, Aerial Powers, NaLyssa Smith, Breanna Stewart, Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Williams, A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.

Invitees will report “pending the conclusion of their WNBA seasons and the progression of the national team selection process,” USA Basketball said in a release.

“I am looking forward to welcoming this amazing group of athletes to a productive training camp as we prepare for the 2022 FIBA World Cup,” national team coach Cheryl Reeve said in a release. “These athletes will report to camp having just completed their WNBA seasons, and it says a lot about their competitive drive and commitment to USA Basketball that they will come to Las Vegas prepared to participate at the highest level.”

Atkins, Chelsea Gray, Loyd, Stewart, and Wilson won gold with Team USA in Tokyo. Alisha Gray, Dolson, Plum, and Young — members of the gold-medal-winning 3×3 team — will be headed to Vegas. Wilson, Stewart, Delle Donne, Loyd, Plum, and Young were members of Team USA’s World Cup team that won gold in Spain in 2018.

Delle Donne and McCoughtry didn’t play in Tokyo due to injuries but were contributors to the 2016 Olympic team in Rio de Janeiro. McCoughtry had appeared in three WNBA games in two years due to knee injuries and is currently a free agent after the Lynx bought her contract out before the season started.

This will be the first Team USA roster that won’t feature Sue Bird, and Sylvia Fowles is retiring. Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi (season-ending quad injury), Skylar Diggins-Smith (personal reasons), Napheesa Collier (played one week of basketball after giving birth in May), and Brittney Griner, who is controversially imprisoned in Russia due to drug possession and smuggling charges.

The post Aliyah Boston Headlines Invitees Tor Team USA Training Camp appeared first on SLAM.

Howard leads a standout rookie group in scoring (15.1 points per game), assists (2.7), and steals (1.5) and is second in minutes (30.6 per game) for an Atlanta team poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018. She was also the only rookie to be named to the 2022 All-Star Game. Although Howard has hit the rookie wall, she became the seventh rookie to score at least 100 points in her first five games (20.4 points per game during that span).

Austin is averaging 8.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 53.8 percent shooting (ninth-best in the W)from the field, good for fifth-best and second-best on the Mytcis, respectively. Coach Mike Thibault has praised Austin’s ability to make plays and be a strong contributor on the court despite not having any plays run for her. She does that by doing the small things, setting solid screens, and crashing the glass.

Need a midweek pick-me-up?

Well, @Theylove_kira‘s block will give you the energy you need!#Mystics25 // #TogetherDC pic.twitter.com/91SJrJ3Wzj

— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) July 20, 2022

What sets Austin apart from Howard, though, is her defensive abilities. Although she doesn’t lead the team in steals or blocks, Ariel Atkins called Austin the “safety of the (Mystics) defense.” As of Wednesday, the Mystics hold the second-best defensive rating behind the Seattle Storm.

Thibault believes that he thinks the former Ole Miss Rebel will be a “mainstay on the (all) defensive team at some point in her career.”

“One of the best attributes of a post player defensively is to be able to direct traffic and call out coverages on pick and rolls and things in the lane,” Thibault said per ESPN. “When we watched her in college, she was a really good communicator with her teammates on defense, calling out screens loud, coverages, blocking out, knowing when to help and when to get back. She just has defensive instincts.”

“It’s hard enough, I think sometimes at any level, to get your whole team talking and communicating the right way. But if you have a rookie that can come in and do some of that stuff on the first day, it’s really helpful.”

It’s the confidence for me #JapaneseHeritageDay // @Theylove_kira pic.twitter.com/cGQmuk1lMr

— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) July 17, 2022

At this point, Howard and Atkins are neck-and-neck in win shares per Her Hoop Stats — 2.5 and 2.4, respectively. However, Austin (0.17) slightly edges Howard (0.14) in win shares per 40 despite only playing 21.0 minutes per game. That’s good enough to place her in third-place in the League behind Breanna Stewart and Ezi Magbegor, who are DPOY candidates.

For what it’s worth, Atkins believes that the fifth-place Mystics (16-11) aren’t in this position without Austin playing well while Elena Delle Donne missed nine games.

“We wouldn’t be,” Atkins said.

“She’s a big part of what we do. I don’t think we necessarily drafted someone to come in and have to do the things that she’s doing. But she stepped up to the plate and showed us that she was capable of doing it. So that’s something that we expect of her every night — and I’m excited to see what she’s going to give us the rest of the season.”

The Mystics are slated for a Thursday morning contest with the Liberty. The Dream is set for a Thursday afternoon matchup with the Sparks.

The post Shakira Austin Making a Run for Rookie of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

The double-digit win avenges their overtime loss to Phoenix on Sunday.

Austin finished with a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds while battling Tina Charles, who scored 19 points. Austin also had this memorable interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, letting the longtime women’s basketball reporter and the world know “I’m Like That.”

Shakira Austin is SO GOOD! This rookie gives me one of the best answers ever after another double double for the ⁦@WashMystics⁩ with another win. ⁦@WNBA⁩ pic.twitter.com/JSuaoN2VDa

— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) June 15, 2022

According to the Washington Post, Austin walked into the postgame media session proclaiming “I’m tired,” with two large ice bags wrapped around her knees. Austin was in the trenches for 26 minutes, digging under Charles so much that the former MVP hacked Austin after the rookie forced a Charles miss.

The former Ole Miss Rebel got hers against Charles, beating the WNBA legend off the dribble before banking in a running hook.

“She has no fear,” Coach Mike Thibault said. “She just doesn’t. We interviewed her for the draft, and she was looking forward to all these players to play against because they were people she had looked up to — She’s tried to steal from parts of their games, and she wants to go test herself against them.”

Natasha Cloud (six points and 10 assists) added: “She’s a dog. She’s a dog — She is going to have respect for who you are, but she don’t care at the end of the day. She knows who she is, too.”

The Mystics (10-6) return to action on Thursday with a road game against the New York Liberty.

The post Shakira Austin After Her Clutch Double-Double Against Phoenix: ‘I’m Like That’ appeared first on SLAM.

The 26th annual WNBA Draft was held at Spring Studios in New York and was broadcasted on ESPN. The 2022 WNBA Draft was the first in-person W draft since 2019.

Kentucky legend Rhyne Howard went No. 1 overall to the Atlanta Dreams. NaLyssa Smith of Baylor went second off the board to Indiana followed by the Mystics’ decision to draft Shakira Austin third overall out of Ole Miss.

FIRST ROUND:

No. 1 Atlanta Dream: Rhyne Howard — Kentucky

No. 2 Indiana Fever: NaLyssa Smith — Baylor

No. 3 Washington Mystics: Shakira Austin — Ole Miss

No. 4 Indiana Fever: Emily Engstler — Louisville

No. 5 New York Liberty: Nyara Sabally — Oregon

No. 6 Indiana Fever: Lexie Hull — Stanford

No. 7 Dallas Wings: Veronica Burton — Northwestern

No. 8 Las Vegas Aces (From Minnesota): Minnesota Lynx

No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks: Rae Burrell — Tennessee

No. 10 Indiana Fever: Queen Egbo — Baylor

No. 11 Las Vegas Aces: Kierstan Bell — Florida Gulf Coast

No. 12 Connecticut Sun: Nia Clouden — Michigan Sun

Second Round

No. 13 Minnesota Lynx: Khayla Pointer — LSU

No. 14 Washington Mystics: Christyn Williams — UConn

No. 15 Atlanta Dreams: Naz Hilmon — Michigan

No. 16 Los Angeles Sparks: Kianna Smith — Louisville

No. 17 Seattle Storm: Elissa Cunana — NC State

No. 18 Seattle Storm: Lorela Cubaj — Georgia Tech

No. 19 Los Angeles Sparks: Olivia Nelson-Ododa – UCon

No. 20 Indiana Fever: Destanni Henderson — South Carolina

No. 21 Seattle Storm: Evina Westbrook — UConn

No. 22 Minnesota Lynx: Kayla Jones – NC State

No. 23 Las Vegas Aces: Aisha Sheppard — Virginia Tech

No. 24 Connecticut Sun: Jordan Lewis — Baylor

Third Round

No. 25 Indiana Fever: Ameysha Williams-Holiday — Jackson State

No. 26 Phoenix Mercury : Maya Dodson — Notre Dame

No. 27 Los Angeles Sparks: Amy Atwell — Hawai’i

No. 28 Minnesota Lynx: Hannah Sjerven — South Dakota

No. 29 New York Liberty: SIka Kone — Mali

No. 30 Dallas Wings: Jasmine Dickey — Delaware

No. 31 Dallas Wings: Jazz Bond – North Florida

No. 32 Phoenix Mercury: Macee Williams — IUPUI

No. 33 Seattle Storm: Jade Melboure — Australia

No. 34 Indiana Fever: Ali Patberg — Indiana

No. 35 Las Vegas Aces: Faustine Aifuwa — LSU

No. 36 Connecticut Sun: Kiara Smith — Florida

RELATED: After an Illustrious Career at Kentucky, Rhyne Howard is Ready for the WNBA

The post 2022 WNBA Draft: Complete Results of Every Pick appeared first on SLAM.

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Mercer

UConn will be going against Mercer in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Mercer enters the competition with an impressive 23-6 record after coming off a win over Furman in the Southern Conference Championship. The Bears are led by senior guard Amoria Neal-Tysor, who averages 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting at 43.4 percent from the field. Alongside her is fellow guard Shannon Titus and senior forward Jaron Dougherty, who average 11.7 and 10.9 points per game respectively.

As for the UConn Huskies, this is far from their first time in the tourney. Their win over Villanova in the Big East championship game gives the Huskies the necessary momentum entering the tournament. The Huskies have relied on several contributors, including Christyn Williams and Olivia Nelson-Ododa while Paige Bueckers missed most of the season due to a knee injury—Williams is currently averaging 14.6 points per game, with Nelson-Odada adding on 9.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

No. 6 Kentucky vs. No. 11 Princeton

It wouldn’t be a proper preview without respectfully acknowledging the incredible game-winning shot by Wildcats’ own Dre’una Edwards. Edwards, who averages 16.9 points per game, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, banked in the buzzer-beater three-pointer to upset No. 1 South Carolina in the SEC Championship, marking their first title since ’82. Hoopin’ alongside Edwards is senior guard Rhyne Howard, who is continuing to solidify herself as one of Kentucky’s greats. She averaged 20.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.4 dimes, and 2.4 steals per game this year season.

On Princeton’s side are guards Abby Meyers, who is averaging 17.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, and Julia Cunningham, who adds in 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists to the team’s depth. With both teams coming in hot off conference championship wins, look for one of these two teams to play this year’s Cinderalla in the national tournament. There’s no telling who will come out as the winner in a matchup of this magnitude.

No. 5 Virginia Tech vs. No 12. FGCU

“I’m surprised where we’re seeded, but we’re excited to be in the tournament. We know Virginia Tech has an excellent program and is really well coached. We can’t worry about the seedings; we know we’re capable of winning games away from home,” said head coach Karl Smesko.

After holding their own throughout the ACC Tournament, ultimately losing to NC State, Virginia Tech enters the tournament with a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. For the Hokies, this makes it their 11th appearance in the National Tournament, entering with a 23-9 overall record (13-5 ACC). They’re led by junior center Elizabeth Kitley, who averages a team-high 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Then there’s graduate student guard Aisha Sheppard, who is posting 13.4 points in 30.8 minutes per game and 2.6 assists.

With the 69-54 victory over Jacksonville State on Saturday night, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles now have their eighth ASUN championship title. They’re led by Kierstan Bell, an All-American candidate who is now averaging 23.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, as well as Kendall Spray and Tishara Morehouse, who average 11.1 and 15.0 points per game, respectively.

No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 10 South Dakota

For South Dakota University, this trip to the NCAA Tournament marks their third consecutive appearance under head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. South Dakota (27-5) is led by Summit League Player of the Year Chloe Lamb, who averages the Coyotes with 15.9 points per game. Playing alongside her is Hannah Sjerven, a three time Summit League Defensive Player of the Year who is averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks. The league’s Sixth Woman of the year, Grace Larkins, brings along 6.8 points per game.

On the other hand, Ole Miss (23-8) (10-6 SEC) is a force to be reckoned with. The Rebels will be entering this matchup with a 23-8 record, and are led by senior center Shakira Austin. The 6’5 forward is averaging 15.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Alongside the two-time First Team All-SEC honoree is senior Angel Baker, who is averaging 10.7 points per game. The Rebels finished fourth in the SEC.

The post SLAM’s March Madness Preview: Women’s Basketball Matchups You Won’t Want to Miss appeared first on SLAM.

Smith is a 6-2 forward who plays bigger than that, with a wingspan that allows her to make life uncomfortable at the defensive end for 4s and 5s alike. Her ability to finish at the rim has been pro-ready since she stepped on the floor to replace injured teammate Lauren Cox and carried her Bears to the 2019 title.

But in Mulkey’s system, the many talents of Smith weren’t necessarily on display. Mulkey likes her bigs playing at the rim, period. The offense is simplified. And quite frankly, it worked well. However, NaLyssa Smith is capable of doing the kinds of things that make for superstars at the next level, not just the latest center to occupy space for Baylor. So the initial conversation she had with Collen—a tinkerer and players’ coach—reflected a new reality for the certain lottery pick.

“I remember explaining to her how I just want to spread the floor,” Smith says. “I want to spread the floor and make things more available for me, how I want to shoot the ball a lot more than I did last year. Because last year, I remember I was in the post, mainly. This year, I wanted to expand my game to the three-point line and the free-throw line extended.”

This was great news to Collen, whose free-flowing offensive schemes helped earn her the 2018 WNBA Coach of the Year honors with the Atlanta Dream, before an offer too good to refuse took her to Waco this past spring. Collen had an advantage coming in—she’d spent a lot of time breaking down film of Smith in her role with the Dream, knowing there was a good chance Atlanta would be in this year’s lottery. But even so, there were unanswered questions inherent in the system Baylor had been playing.

“I just really wondered, honestly wondered: How good can she be on the perimeter?” Collen recalls. “How good is her handle? Because you just didn’t see it. You saw these explosive moments. You’re on an alley-oop, you bought an offensive rebound on a turnaround pull up, like actions around the rim.”

So, armed with goals that not only would benefit the Baylor Bears but are set to change Smith’s trajectory, the two of them got into the gym for summer workouts. And that’s when Collen got a chance to get to know the real Smith, the one who has to be on any shortlist for 2021-22 NCAA Player of the Year, and whose season has WNBA talent evaluators dreaming of selecting her in April.

The good news is that playing the kind of versatile big role that the League demands is nothing new for Smith. In fact, it was a departure from her entire basketball life to get marooned in the paint for three years at Baylor. 

“I kind of played like the 3 for my whole life,” Smith says. “So back at AAU, I was bringing up the ball, shooting threes, free-throw line extended baseline jumpers. It’s nothing that’s really new to me, right? It’s just, freshman to junior year, I just wasn’t in that position…Coach Kim [Mulkey], she put me mainly on the block, because she felt like that’s where I could excel the most. So coming into this new offense, because of Coach Nikki, it’s more freedom.”

The daughter of Rodney Smith, who once played a versatile guard/forward role for University of Texas-San Antonio, and high school sprinter Nikki Smith, NaLyssa has always been the kind of player who can crush opponents in a variety of ways.

Usually, the story for collegiate superstars comes down to being asked to do it all. Smith, frankly, has a higher ceiling for how much she’s been able to accomplish already without getting the opportunity to show her entire repertoire.

The elite recruit came to Baylor for the 2018-19 season and performed admirably as a reserve big behind future pros Lauren Cox and Kalani Brown, averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Yet a better sense of her immediate impact comes in two ways: her rate stats, where she finished the season grabbing a higher percentage of rebounds than either Brown or Cox, and her performance coming off the bench in the title game against Notre Dame, scoring 14 points on 7-9 shooting in a contest decided in the final moments, after Cox left the floor in obvious pain.

Simply put, the Baylor Bears don’t win a championship without Smith stepping up, unexpectedly, when they needed her.

“I always feel like you’ve got to always be one step ahead,” Smith says, when asked how she was so prepared for the bright lights. “Like, you can’t wait until the day comes for you to want to shine. So I’ve always been in the gym, always working…transitioning from high school to my freshman year—that’s where I put in the most work I ever did in my life, because I just knew it was gonna be a big transition. So I just knew I had to be ready for that moment. When the moment did come, I feel like I was ready for it.”

All of which speaks to how effectively she’s navigating this transition, too. Collen is asking her to do a lot more, but it isn’t affecting her efficiency one bit. In her first 10 games, her overall shooting percentage actually rose from 56.1 to 57.1, and that understates the work she put in—hitting trail threes, stretching opposing defenders out along the baseline, with a touch inside 15 feet that Collen said compares favorably to any big she’s ever coached.

Nor is it affecting the other major goal that Smith and Collen set out in their first meeting: averaging a double-double.

“The points are going to come,” Smith says, “but the rebounding is really where I feel like, that’s where I’m going to take it to a new level this year.”

She’s not wrong. Smith averaged 8 rebounds as a sophomore and 8.9 as a junior. Through her first 10 games this season, she’s checking in at 13.2 rebounds per, leading the country in rebounding—again, with an offense that often pulls her away from the hoop. Well, grab 30.5 percent of the defensive boards, and you can make up for it, although she’s improved on her offensive rebounding numbers, too.

There’s leadership skills here for Smith, some by example, like the effort it takes to be such an elite rebounder, and other, less box score-driven ways.

Take Sarah Andrews, a sophomore guard and elite playmaker, who’s become close with Smith. Not a day goes by, Andrews says, when they aren’t on FaceTime together, talking basketball and life.

It’s allowed Andrews to flourish Andrews said she decided she wanted to go to Baylor the night Smith took over the 2019 championship game. Andrews figured she’d rather be on Smith’s team than have to play against her.

“I think you just see Lyss handling the ball more overall, like, you see in our game, just flourishing,” Andrews says. “And, you know, it’s something that I do enjoy to watch. I see her developing her game fully for the next level, honestly.”

That’s the part that’s always been on Smith’s radar, too: finding ways to become the best—in high school, in college, and then, she hopes, the top overall pick in 2022. 

There’s competition for that spot: Rhyne Howard of Kentucky was the early leader among WNBA talent evaluators, and both Naz Hillmon of Michigan and Mississippi’s Shakira Austin have their supporters as well. All of which makes Smith’s evolution this season—or really, her return to what her game has always been, now with professional refinement—so important. It’s essentially a one year head start with a WNBA coach in her corner. You see it in moments like her game against Maryland, one of the elite teams in the country with future pro Angel Reese in the middle. Maryland won, but Smith was the dominant force in the  game with 30 points and 15 rebounds.

“I think she’s showing and having moments where you say, Wow!” Collen says. “I don’t think anyone could watch the versatility of her game against Maryland, and not be like, OK, that looks like a number one pick. So I think she’s gonna show moments of it. It’ll be when she shows the consistency of it. Then there will be less question marks on whether she’s one or two in my mind.”

That is the final set of markers the duo laid down. Collen, at Big 12 Media Day, called her, flat-out, “the best player in the country.”

So as Smith envisions what that moment will be like next April—all dressed up, her parents and her brother, Rodney Jr, by her side, her future laid out before her and a WNBA team’s hat handed to her—she sees it as that final, unequivocal answer to everyone who ever questioned her.

“I probably won’t even sleep that night,” Smith says. “Because when something big happens, it’s hard for me to sleep. So I know the night before draft night, I just know I might not sleep because I’m gonna be so anxious…I feel like draft night, that’s when it’s really going to hit me—that my time is coming, finally.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Top WNBA Draft Prospect NaLyssa Smith is Ready to Seize the Moment at Baylor appeared first on SLAM.

Green is the defining color on the women’s side, too, where Oregon and all-world standout Sabrina Ionescu look primed to hang their first-ever championship banner.

MEN’S TOP 10

1. MICHIGAN STATE

If point guard Cassius Winston isn’t the best player in the nation, the other guy is otherworldly. Winston leads an experienced MSU team that also features Joshua Langford and Xavier Tillman. And you know Tom Izzo’s squad will play great defense every night (or hear about it at high volume).

2. KANSAS

It was a busy offseason for the Jayhawks, but the hard work certainly paid off. The NCAA cleared big man Silvio de Sousa to play. Isaiah Moss transferred in from Iowa. Udoka Azubuike and Devon Dotson decided against heading to the NBA. It will take a while, but this will be a dangerous team.

3. KENTUCKY

Yeah, the five-stars (Tyrese Maxey, Kahlil Whitney) are coming to Lexington, but so is Bucknell transfer Nate Sestina. And Ashton Hagans is a first-rate point guard who’s returning. There are other holdovers, too, which means Johnny Cal won’t have to start from the jump this year.

4. LOUISVILLE

There are quick turnarounds, and then there’s Louisville. The program was a giant wreck when Chris Mack took over. One great recruiting class later, and the arrival of St. Joe’s transfer Fresh Kimble, and the Cards could well win the ACC and reach the Final Four. Now that’s fast.

5. DUKE

There’s not much new at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, where Coach K welcomes another batch of freshmen prodigies to launch his annual assault on the ACC. But this year is a little different, because talented sophomore PG Tre Jones is back to help Vernon Carey Jr, Wendell Moore, Cassius Stanley and Matthew Hurt get comfortable, and Zion Williamson isn’t around.

6. FLORIDA

The biggest news in Gainesville came during the summer when former Virginia Tech big man Kerry Blackshear Jr joined the band. He gives the Gators some needed inside pop, while skilled guard Andrew Nembhard leads the perimeter attack, and newcomers Scottie Lewis and Tre Mann fill in everywhere else.

7. MARYLAND

This is the season Terps fans have been waiting for. There is talent all over the roster, beginning with PG Anthony Cowan but also including forward Jalen Smith. The freshman class includes a bunch of big men, and sophomore wing Aaron Wiggins has serious potential.

8. GONZAGA

Here’s the definition of a perennial powerhouse: lose three players early to the NBA and still grab a top 10 rating. The Zags added grad transfers Admon Gilder and Ryan Woolridge for the backcourt and expect Corey Kispert to blossom up front. A bunch of four-star newcomers, led by center Drew Timme, will help.

9. NORTH CAROLINA

What do you do when the top five players from your team leave? You get creative. Ol’ Roy Williams grabbed a couple of grad transfers (William & Mary’s Justin Pierce and Charleston Southern’s Christian Keeling) and a five-star late signee (guard Cole Anthony) to blend with holdovers in a potent concoction.

10. VILLANOVA

The Wildcats have the titles (2016 and 2018), and now they have the recruiting pop, thanks to a great class that includes guard Bryan Antoine (who may redshirt following shoulder surgery) and forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. They’ll work well with returning stalwarts Collin Gillespie, Saddiq Bey and Jermaine Samuels to keep ’Nova elite.

WOMEN’S TOP 10

1. OREGON

Come for Sabrina Ionescu and stay for the rest of the formidable Ducks, who made their first Final Four appearance last year. Ionescu is the nation’s best player, and she’ll get help from frontcourters Ruthy Hebard and Satou Sabally, along with sharpshooter Erin Boley, on the quest to win it all. 

2. BAYLOR

The Lady Bears will mount a national title defense with plenty of ammunition, particularly if Lauren Cox is back in time for the start of the season. Guards DiDi Richards and Juicy Landrum are terrors at both ends, and forward NaLyssa Smith should step up.

3. CONNECTICUT

By this time next year, the Huskies will have a new/old home: the Big East. For now, UConn will scoff at predictions of a drop-off and return to the Final Four for the 97th straight year, or something like that. Crystal Dangerfield and Megan Walker will lead the way. 

4. SOUTH CAROLINA

They don’t often do one-and-done in women’s ball, and that’s a good thing for Gamecock fans, who’ll get to enjoy a dynamite recruiting class for a few seasons. There’s a lot of young talent on the roster–hello, Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke–and Dawn Staley is the perfect coach to bring it together.

5. TEXAS A&M

Just about everybody is back in College Station, especially high-scoring guard Chennedy Carter, the nation’s runner-up in points. The Aggies haven’t made it to the Final Four since they won it all in 2011, but this loaded team looks ready to end that drought.

6. MARYLAND

All the Terps did was add the nation’s top high school point guard (Ashley Owusu) to a lineup that includes high-scoring Kaila Charles, sharpshooter Taylor Mikesell and 6-5 Shakira Austin. The Big Ten is officially on notice. The rest of you are playing for second place. 

7. STANFORD

From 2008-14, the Cardinals made six Final Four appearances. It might be time for another. No. 1 overall recruit Haley Jones joins guards Kiana Williams and DiJonai Carrington in a potent lineup that should be strong enough to challenge Oregon for the top spot in the Pac-12.

8. SYRACUSE

While ’Cuse fans will certainly miss Tiana Mangakahia, who’s taking the season off as she gets treatment for cancer, the Orange doesn’t need to fear. Digna Strautmane and a bunch of experienced returnees are around. This squad could be your ACC champs…and more.

9. OREGON STATE

OSU fans will spend the season clamoring for 6-9 redshirt freshman Andrea Aquino, and why not? But the key to the Beaver’s success—beyond a redwood-style front line that also includes 6-7 Patricia Morris—is the backcourt, which is led by junior point guard Destiny Slocum and has depth and versatility. 

10. MISSISSIPPI STATE

On paper, it looks like the Bulldogs are in trouble because of some critical losses, but Vic Schaefer has a lot of talent ready to embrace larger roles, like Andra Espinoza-Hunter and Promise Taylor, who defected to Starkville from Mississippi. The youngsters need to step up, but they can handle the responsibility.

—

GRAB YOUR COPY OF SLAM 224

Michael Bradley is a Senior Writer at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter @DailyHombre.

Photos by Ashley Walters and via Getty.

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So, Ben and I returned from All-Star on Monday afternoon, then went from out of the frying pan into the fryer, stepping into the SLAM Dome on Tuesday just in time to have to finish the next issue of SLAM. We’re nearing the end of the road now, nearly done with it, and with another fresh cover on the way.

(What, you haven’t received the Kobe issue yet? Don’t worry, everyone else is dropping their Kobe covers now, a couple of weeks after us.)

As usual, we did a ton of All-Star coverage from Dallas, including liveblogs, interviews, etcetera, etcetera.

I brought along my camera to Dallas, and I thought I’d get my photojournalist on and document our experience via film. (Or digital. Or whatever.)

Ben and I were scheduled to fly from New York City to Dallas early Friday morning and land in Big D around 11 AM. We wanted to get there in time for media availability (which was around 1:00 PM). Also, I was scheduled to be on an hour-long live version of our NBA TV show “The Beat” that started at Jam Session at 3:00 PM, and a mid-season recap show that was going to be live on NBA.com from the Rookie-Sophomore game at 7:00 PM.

We had a huge snowstorm in NYC on Tuesday of last week, but that had blown through and airports were scheduled to be open and fine by Friday. Then, unbelievably, on Thursday afternoon a huge snowstorm hit Dallas, the biggest snowstorm in Dallas history, and flights into Dallas started getting canceled left and right. Around 3:00 PM on Thursday afternoon, during a break from brainstorming cover lines, I checked online and saw that our flight into Dallas on Friday morning had been canceled. Awesome. So I called the airline, and while I sat on hold for half an hour, I sent an email to the production crew from NBA TV, letting them know I probably wasn’t going to make it in time. I got a call back on my cell from my main man Tony, who’s the managing editor at NBA TV, who said the NBA had told him there was a charter flight leaving NYC Friday morning in case they needed to get people down to Dallas. Just about then the airline picked up and said the flight had been un-canceled. Whew.

Thursday night, as I started packing, after reading more and more Twitter tales of people trying to get into Dallas but getting stranded, I checked online and found that the flight had been canceled again. I emailed Tony, he sent some emails, and before I knew it, Ben and I had snagged two seats on the NBA charter leaving Newark at 11:00 AM, getting into Dallas at 2:00 PM. So the plan was we’d land, and I’d cab it straight to Jam Session for our live version of “The Beat,” where I’d hopefully arrive just in the nick of time.

Because of all the travel problems all week, we were told to arrive at the airport at 8:00 AM to make sure we had time to clear security, etc. We arrived on time and ran into my main man John Schuhmann from NBA.com, as well as a bunch of people from the NBA who’d all had various flights canceled out from under them. Pretty much immediately upon arriving, we were told our flight had been delayed until 1 or 2. Then it became 3 or 4. Or 5. So we all found our mostly-empty gate area and sat around for about 8 hours. I read a lot, wrote a lot, did some work, twittered around, talked to John and other people. Finally we boarded our flight at 4:55 PM. So much for NBA TV. Above is a picture of snow-covered Jersey from the window when we took off.

The flight was great, uneventful, and we landed in Dallas at 8:00 PM. It was too late to get to the Rookie/Sophomore Game, so we took a shuttle bus to our hotel and checked in. The moment we stepped inside the hotel, we were confronted by DMC, who was taking a photo with some fans in the lobby. Spent less than an hour cleaning up, checking emails, etc., then went down to catch a cab to the Jordan Experience, an interactive space Jordan Brand had set up.

Ben and I hit the taxi stand and asked for a taxi downtown. Dude told us it would probably be about $15, or there was a limo that would take us for $20. You better believe we took that stretch limo. (Photo above is not the actual limo, but it is perfectly representative.) I was wearing the Jordan 2010s, which hadn’t come out yet, and when Ben and I pulled up at that Jordan space and I stepped out in the 2010s, everyone outside gaped at us, trying to figure out which big-time celebrities we were. I wanted to convince everyone we were the newest members of Young Money, but instead we just went inside.

The Jordan Experience was a cool space, a couple of big rooms with interactive stuff about the history of Jordan Brand (and a VIP room with an open bar). Bobbito was in the house, and our dude DJ Rich Medina was spinning, so we hung around to listen to him and let the open bar soothe our travel woes. And it did. (Just now as I was typing this, I realized that we never did eat dinner on Friday night. All-Star is such a whirlwind that sometimes you just forget basic things like meals.)

Once the game ended, we were joined by SLAM’s Maurice Bobb and Nima Zarrabi, and we decided to hit the ESPN the Magazine party, which was around the corner at Ghostbar, high atop the W Hotel. We weren’t on the list for the party, but Nima knew someone or something, and we breezed right in past security and up to the top floor. There were a ton of NBA-related people there. I ran into Nate Robinson right away and asked if he had any tricks up his sleeve for the dunk contest, but he said,”No tricks, no props…I’m just gonna dunk it and see what happens.” Also spotted Danilo Galinari, David Lee, Kevin Love, talked with Hasheem Thabeet longer than I ever thought I would in my life, literally ran into LeBron, talked with tons of writers and agents and PR people. At one point I came across my fellow “The Beat” contributor David Aldridge, who shouted, “You made it!” DA and I have spent so much time this year speaking via Skype and on conference calls, it was cool to catch up in person. I ended up mostly hanging with my dudes Arthur Triche (who you might recall from this story) and NBA.com’s Sekou Smith (above). We all spend so much time on the road all over the place, that when we finally found ourselves in the same place (with an open bar, no less), it was really great to catch up.

Eventually the clock ticked past 2:00 AM. Ben was fading fast. Arthur was texting with Dominique Wilkins, who was trying to get us to come to some party he was having there in Dallas. It was late but…heck, it was Dallas, it was All-Star Weekend…whatever, let’s go. After something of a fiasco at the coat check counter, we finally got downstairs, grabbed a cab and headed out. While the cab driver tried to find this place Nique was allegedly having his party, I tried to get AT, since his defenses were at least weakened, to divulge what really happened to Mike Woodson’s eyebrows. He still pleaded that he had no idea. Not sure if I believe him or not.

We finally pulled up to where Nique was supposedly having this huge party, and the club was dark, the parking lot completely empty. Which was for some reason hilarious. I thought it would’ve been great if we went inside and found Dominique sitting alone at a table in an empty club.

But we didn’t even bother going inside. Instead, we turned and headed for our hotels. It was around 3:30 AM when I finally drifted off to sleep.

The alarm on my Crackberry is the most annoying thing in the world. Every time I hear it, I want to pick up my damn phone and hurl it against the wall and watch it shatter into a million little pieces. The key part there is picking it up: It wakes me up, makes me move. By the time I wake up and grab it, I’m up and my sense of fiduciary concern kicks in and I don’t throw it anywhere — I quietly turn it off and set it down. Perhaps angry, but definitely (or defiantly) awake.

On Saturday morning the Crackberry alarm went off at 9:00 AM, and I looked out the window at my picturesque view of beautiful downtown Dallas (above). I threw on some clothes and went downstairs to get coffee and breakfast from the lobby Starbucks, needing something to get me going. I was on the elevator, which was stopping at like every other floor and filling up with people, when I suddenly noticed I hadn’t zipped up my pants. Good morning!

Ben and I left the hotel by 10:30 AM and went down to the American Airlines Center, where the Mavs play and where All-Star Saturday night would be held, grabbed our credentials, then rode down to the Dallas Convention Center to hit All-Star practices and media availability.

Dropped by the NBA TV booth to see what time they’d scheduled me to sign autographs. Wisely, they hadn’t.

They had, however, constructed a special area just for David Aldridge to eat his meals.

Finally made it over to the practice court, where the Eastern Conference team was finishing up practice. Here’s Derrick Rose pretending to be interested in whatever Stan Van Gundy was yelling at him about.

“I mean, at some point did you think that jacket was a good idea?”

Melo.

I can think of about a dozen jokes for this, but the picture might just be funny enough on its own.

You knew Zach Randolph would come with the custom kicks. The socks, however…

“He who denied it supplied it!”

After we left the Jam Session, we went by ESPN’s Winnebago, parked outside. Ben spent 10 minutes talking to this cardboard cutout of Mark Jackson.

My friend Matt, who I’ve known since sixth grade, lives in Dallas, so he swung over and picked me up, along with former SLAM contributor/current ESPNlosangeles.com columnist Arash Markazi, and took us to lunch.

Seeing as New York City is the food capital of the world, you’d think you could get whatever kind of food you want. You would, however, be wrong. It’s damn near impossible to get even decent Tex-Mex up here. So when in Dallas, I head to Mia’s for great Tex-Mex. Above is the brisket taco (with gravy for dipping!) that Matt and Arash and I all inhaled in a matter of seconds. Just thinking about it is making me wistful. And hungry. This was the first real meal I had in Dallas — about 18 hours after arriving.

From there we went over to the LRG Gifting Suite, which was sponsored by SLAM. We met up there with Ben and Maurice, and we all caught up with our dude Saia from LRG. While we were sitting in there, Detroit Lions QB Matt Stafford walked in. My friend Matt and I both went to UGA, as did Stafford, though he was in school a few years after us. We were all surprised that Stafford was so much smaller than we thought he would be. A few minutes later, Kevin Love and his whole family rolled through, and they’re about as real of a crew as there is.

(Continuing my theme of wardrobe malfunctions, Saia blessed me with a dope LRG jacket that I brought home and wore to work yesterday. I wore it from my apartment, on the subway, into the office, put it back on and wore it out to get lunch, came back into the office and sat down at my desk, then noticed the tags were still dangling off the back. Hopefully people think that’s a new style.)

After an hour or so there, We went back to our hotel, dropped stuff off and freshened up, and then Ben and I headed right back out to go downtown, where we had a super-secret meeting with some sneaker company folks.

From there we headed inside the American Airlines Center for All-Star Saturday Night. I live-blogged it, and honestly, I don’t have much to add. Oh, except this:

That’s Darryl Dawkins, who was wearing a blazer that seemed to be made from a kimono. I think he’s angling for Sager’s job.

(Also, I mentioned in the live-blog a tremendous moment when Benny the Bull walked over in front of Jay-Z and Diddy during a timeout and started doing the “Single Ladies” dance, and they both looked like they’d rather be anywhere else in the world at that moment, particularly Jay-Z. They showed this on the scoreboard live as it was happening, but because it was during a commercial break, it never aired on TV. I’ve been looking for it on YouTube since I came home and couldn’t find it, but my peoples at NBA TV unearthed some footage from somewhere and we showed it yesterday on The Beat. It’s the first clip on this segment from yesterday’s show. That look on Jay-Z’s face at the very end is priceless.)

By the time all that was over, it was nearly 11:00 PM, and we were running on fumes. We walked from the AAC over to the Jordan space, where Wale was going to be putting on a secret show. As Maurice, Nima, Ben and I walked in, we could hear someone rapping inside, and Maurice said, “Is that Bun B?” Sure enough, it was. Bun B went for about half an hour, and then he left and Wale (above) came out and did about an hour. And it was great — relatively small space, not crowded but not empty, maybe 300 people there. And Wale is so good, too. Made me proud that we put him in Dime Drop in SLAM about six months ago.

After that we had a beer or two, sat down and unwound, then walked with Nima to his car in a parking lot nearby. As we walked through downtown Dallas, we looked inside some club window and noticed Snoop Dogg on a stage, rapping away. So funny the crazy stuff you stumble across. When we found Nima’s car, we also saw another hallmark of All-Star Weekend — a guy arguing with his girlfriend, who was so drunk her pants were falling off, then the guy jumping into his car and speeding away. It would have been more sad if the dude wasn’t driving a mini-van.

Time to go. Fell asleep around 2:00 AM.

Woke up early Sunday morning and headed over to the Hyatt, where I met up with Tony from NBA TV and Shaun Powell, from NBA.com, to roll out to Cowboys Stadium well early. The game was set to tip around 7:30, but we were doing a live episode of “The Beat” on NBA TV from courtside in the Stadium. We drove about 30 minutes outside of Dallas to Arlington, where we were driving along in flatlands and all of a sudden happened upon what you see above, a colossus rising from nothing. We parked, went through security, went inside and walked out onto the concourse to see this…

From down on the court it looked like this…

Now, I’m no rube: I’ve been all over the world, been on the field and in the stands in some of the world’s most famous stadiums, from The Coliseum in Rome to the Maracana in Rio, from Old Trafford in Manchester to Neu Camp in Barcelona to the Superdome in New Orleans, but I’ve never seen anything like Cowboys Stadium. Just look in that first picture at how much bigger that scoreboard is than the court. The second picture is probably even a better example of just how big that scoreboard is. There were levels and levels and levels of seats, rising way up into the air. It was almost too much to comprehend.

It was still early enough that the stadium was mostly empty, which just made it seem even more cavernous.

We eventually made it down courtside to the NBA TV set…

We hooked up with Marc Fein and David Aldridge, and our producer Damon Fisher, and we had a quick meeting in the Turner green room to discuss what we were going to talk about on the show. I was then introduced to Maxie, the Turner makeup specialist, who did her best to made me look less exhausted and puffy and tired.

Hey, even people who are great at what they do have their limitations. As Pres. Obama said, you can put lipstick on a pig, but…you know.

Makeup applied, we walked over and grabbed lunch in the dining area, then walked out onto the court where Shakira was rehearsing (above). I’d forgotten she was on the bill, so I sat down in the empty stadium and enjoyed a mostly private concert. Then she left the stage and Alicia Keys came out and ran through her set. It was a nice 15 minute break from running around all weekend, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see two of the most, ahem, talented artists in the world perform.

And then we were live! It happened fast, and it was a pleasure to have the chance to do it live and in the flesh with DA and Marc and Shaun. I also learned that the TV does add at least 10 pounds (fact!), though I think HD adds about 18 (fact!). And of course, because it was live TV, there were all sorts of hiccups. For instance, as soon as the show started, the monitor in front of us went out, so we had no idea what was actually on the screen while we were talking. And then, just before we started broadcasting the final segment, we heard a deafening “Yeeeeeeeaaaaah! OK!” over the PA system, and Usher came out on the stage behind us and started rehearsing, which lasted through the entire final segment. (Watch the video clip below and you can see this happening.) We made it through intact. Also, you know how DA had no voice during the All-Star Game? He actually loses it during this clip:

And then the game started. The SLAM crew was sitting behind the basket, two rows back. From our seats were couldn’t really see the scoreboard because we were underneath it, and the baskets were in the way of us being able to see the stage across the court from us. Still, when the stands filled up and lights went off, it was a pretty awesome sight:

Once again, I live-blogged the game, and by that point was so exhausted that I was running on pure adrenaline.

At halftime I walked over to grab a Coke and try to perk up, but found my path blocked. I peered around the crowd to see what the delay was, and of course…

…it was the Rev. Jesse Jackson taking a photo with some soldiers. You see all kinds of things at All-Star that you never see anywhere else, whether it’s former presidential candidates meeting the military, or a row of inflatable mascots…

When the game ended, I went back into the media zone, where people were asking the players what it was like to play in front of so many people. My man Joe Johnson was asked, “Was it exciting playing in front of such a huge crowd, the biggest crowd ever at a basketball game?”

Joe began with, “Well, it was exciting…”

And just being there, it was, it definitely was. I’m supposed to be good enough with words to describe what it was like, but it was one of the more overwhelming experiences I’ve ever had.

We finished updating the site and doing postgame interviews, and then Ben and I caught a ride back to the hotel with some NBA employees (which made it hilarious when some guys came up to our car in the parking lot trying to sell us bootleg t-shirts). We stopped in the hospitality room and grabbed a bite to eat (and since we were in Texas, a Shiner) and by the time I got back in my room it was 1:30 in the morning. I packed and fell asleep around 2:15 AM, and was awoken by my Crackberry at 4:10 AM.

Showered, grabbed my gear and did the TV-checkout system, then went down the hall to the elevator. I was on the 19th floor, and all weekend, whenever I went up or down on the elevator, it seemed to stop on just about every floor to pick-up or drop-off. I figured since it was 4:30 AM, I was finally going to get an express ride, as I stepped in and hit the “L” button. The elevator started descending…and stopped on 18. I rolled my eyes as the doors slid open, and who should step aboard?

DMC, of course.

Thankfully, the rest of the trip was uneventful. On the plane (commercial this time) by 6:45 AM, back in Jersey by 11:30 AM, back home by 12:30 PM.

I think this was my 8th All-Star Weekend, and it never ceases to amaze. There’s always something happening, some surprise waiting around every corner. It’s exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

See you next year, LA…

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