Do you know the first basketball players ever to win five Olympic Gold medals? Here’s a hint: they’re former college teammates, NCAA champions, best friends and, at one point during their careers, were super competitive rivals. But when they suited up alongside each other in the red, white and blue, they were magic. Did you figure out who it is yet? Nah, they’re not men. Think again.

“Sue joined the national team at the 2002 World Championship, and I joined in 2004. We were the young kids in Athens,” Diana Taurasi told USA Basketball. “It’s very special to have gone through it together, because we went through the same experiences at the same time.”

While Sue Bird retired from the game just two years ago, DT is still out there dropping buckets and taking names against any and every opponent in the WNBA as the League’s all-time leading scorer. She’s been hailed as the GOAT, a moniker that not only encompasses her career thus far on the Phoenix Mercury, but on the international stage, too: throughout the past 23 years she’s spent suiting up for USA Basketball, aside from Bird, she has the largest collection of Gold hardware, including five Olympic Golds, three FIBA World Cup Golds and a FIBA World Cup Bronze medal. It’s an honor she doesn’t take lightly, and in her own words, representing USA Basketball is a commitment that she holds to the highest regard.

“I just think we take this really seriously,” Taurasi told The Athletic. “We don’t look at it as a four-year thing. We look at it as a career.”

Taurasi is part of a illustrious legacy that the USA Basketball Women’s National Team has always embodied. Dating all the way back to 1984, when the women’s team won their first-ever Olympic Gold medal, they’ve consistently put together the most dominant and successful squads ever assembled. Look no further than the past seven consecutive Olympic Gold medals they’ve won, or the fact that the United States is already the favorite in Paris, currently ranked No. 1 in the 5×5 tournament and No. 2 going into the 3×3 tournament.

This year’s roster is full of champions, MVPs, All-Stars, Rookies of the Year and legends. DT will suit up alongside fellow Olympic teammates and Gold medalists, including Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, as well as Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young (both of whom won Gold in the 3×3 tournament in 2021). The roster also includes a handful of standouts who will be making their Olympic debut: Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper and Sabrina Ionescu. Led by a coaching staff that features some of the most brilliant minds in the game—head coach Cheryl Reeve, assistant coaches Kara Lawson, Joni Taylor, Mike Thibault, scouts Curt Miller and Tanisha Wright—the 2024 USA Women’s National Team is locked in and ready to run it back. Three years ago in Tokyo, the U.S. cooked the competition and defeated Japan, 90-75, to win Gold. DT was on that squad, as were Loyd, BG, Chelsea, Stewie and A’ja. Now, add Alyssa, Kahleah and Sab in the mix. That’s a whole lot of bucket-getters on one team.

How did all of these stars come together? The obvious answer is a multi-year selection process that includes training camps and games. But, in the words of Taurasi, there’s more to the roster than just names on a list. It’s about chemistry, problem solving and bringing together a group of competitors who can, and will, execute.

“Once you get to the second training camp, you kind of can see the Olympics from afar,” DT said in an episode of USA Basketball’s “The National Team” series, which is accurately titled, How the Sauce Gets Made. “At least, training camp has become that much more important. Trying to find groups that play well together, that figure out problems pretty quickly together. I think the one thing from all these Olympics that I’ve learned is it’s the best combination of players who can get to a certain place pretty quickly.”

Players are competing for a spot on the 12-person roster, which means setting aside egos and simply showing that you’ve got what it takes.

Taurasi elaborated: “You have to put your best foot forward, that’s the only way you can make an impact—by being here and by buying into what we’re trying to do as a team. Every person who’s put that jersey on so far has made that commitment, and I think that means a lot to the selection committee, to the coaches.”

The selection process is ultra competitive, and while there’s an abundance of talent in the WNBA, Taurasi is spot on. As selection committee chair Jennifer Rizzotti told the Associated Press in April: “We stick to our principles of talent, obviously, positional fit, loyalty and experience. It’s got to be a combination of an entire body of work.”

The final roster is the epitome of just that. Aside from DT, Griner is one of the most experienced Olympians on the team. A two-time Olympic Gold medalist, BG’s USA Basketball résumé also includes being named 2018 World Cup Gold medal game Player of the Game and named a 2014 FIBA World Cup All-Tournament Team honoree. A powerhouse in the paint and a shot blocker, BG’s presence on the team will also bring a sense of resiliency and strength that extends well beyond the hardwood. Then there’s Gray, who was drafted into the WNBA just a year after Griner, and has been a vocal leader. The three-time WNBA champion is the go-to voice on the Las Vegas Aces, even over head coach Becky Hammon. “I’m her assistant,” Hammon once told the media. “I tell them [the Aces] all the time, if Chelsea calls something and I call something, you listen to Chelsea.”

As for her game, Gray brings an unmatched versatility: she’s a scorer who can hit clutch shots, a playmaker with crazy court vision and a savant with a high basketball IQ who can make reads and set her teammates up. Oh, and she knows how to perform under pressure, as the world saw when the Aces went back-to-back and won another WNBA championship last year. What’s even scarier is that Gray will be suiting up alongside the very teammates she just won the ’chip with, including two-time MVP Wilson and All-Stars Young and Plum. If you think the Aces have slowed down at all since they dominated in 2023, think again. Wilson’s star power has only continued to ascend to another level this season and, as we went to press, she set a WNBA record against the Dallas Wings as the first player, ever, to have at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and 5 steals. Which, might we add, is her 10th career game with at least 30/10. She’s also the first to post at least 35 points and 5 steals in multiple games. Wilson is competitive, fearless and true to herself and what she’s about, on and off the court. Hammon said it best. Wilson is “the best in the world.” As for KP and Young, both are lethal guards who know what it takes to hold their own on the international stage. Back in 2021, they both won Gold in the U.S. Olympic 3×3 Women’s tournament. So, yeah, good luck to other countries that gotta go up against part of the Aces’ core.

The other most experienced Olympian is the reigning WNBA MVP. Stewie is a certified winner, so much so that she’s just one of the 11 players, ever, to have won an Olympic Gold medal, FIBA World Cup Gold medal, WNBA title and NCAA title in her career thus far (Griner and DT are also part of that list). Stewie’s been showing out for USA Basketball since high school—in 2011, she was the youngest member and only high school athlete to compete in the Pan American Games, where she started all four games and led the team in scoring (15.3 ppg), rebounds (11.3) and blocks (1.1). Poised and primed for greatness since the beginning, Stewart is coming off a WNBA career-high scoring average last season (23.0 ppg) and the momentum of helping lead the New York Liberty to the WNBA Finals for the first time since ’02. With her suiting up alongside the same players she faced in the Finals, the U.S. team has got to be a scary sight for opponents this summer.

The rest of the roster is stacked with scorers and playmakers. Napheesa Collier was part of that 2020 Olympic Gold medal-winning team, and since then has only leveled up her game. Phee is currently dominating on the Lynx and averaging a double-double (a second-career best 20.0 points and a career-high 10.2 rebounds). Then there’s Loyd, who led the League in scoring last season with a career-high 24.7 points and is an Olympic and three-time FIBA World Cup/3×3 Gold medalist. Another member of that 2022 FIBA World Cup squad is Thomas, a consistent and crazy efficient walking triple-double who will be making her Olympic debut. She’s also the first former Maryland Terrapin to play on the U.S. Women’s National Team since Vicky Bullett, who won Gold in ’88 and Bronze in ’92.

AT brings a decade of WNBA experience and veteran leadership, and she’ll fit right in with her USA Olympic teammates. Then there’s Kahleah Copper, who brings a dynamic scoring prowess and tough Philly mentality that makes her certified. After winning a ’chip with the Chicago Sky in 2021, she elevated her game, too. The three-time WNBA All-Star, who has been dropping 30-plus point games on any given night this season, will bring that same energy on the international stage in her first-ever Olympics, too.

Last, but certainly never least, is Sabrina Ionescu. It doesn’t matter whether she’s going up against opponents in the W or the greatest shooter of all time, Sab, with one furrow of her brow and space at the three-point line, is guaranteed to shoot the lights out of the gym, no matter what gym it is. Oh, and she’s also averaging a career-high this year, her fourth season with the New York Liberty. Experience is one thing, but game always speaks for itself.

And there you have it. If they win it all, the 2024 USA Women’s National Team will make history by bringing the eighth consecutive Gold medal, and lucky No. 10 overall, back to the States. Legends of the past instilled greatness, but this squad has what it takes to carry that legacy and more.

SLAM PRESENTS USA BASKETBALL IS AVAILABLE NOW

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Olympic Dominance: Previewing the 2024 USA Women’s National Team 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.

“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon. 

When news broke of the eight-time All-Star’s freedom, the basketball community rejoiced and sent all BG their best wishes and celebrations.

Griner thanked her family, friends, supporters, and her faith for “keeping her going” during her wrongful detainment in Russia.

“I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner, my family, Lindsay Kagawa Colas and Casey Wasserman and my whole team at Wasserman, Vince Kozar and the Phoenix Mercury, the players of the WNBA, and my entire WNBA family, Terri Jackson and the WNBPA staff, my Russian legal team Maria Blagovolina and Alex Boykov, the leaders, activists, and grassroots organizations, Gov. Richardson and Mickey Bergman of the Richardson Center, the Bring Our Families Home Campaign, Roger Carstens and the SPEHA team, and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration,” she wrote.

Griner’s full statement is below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BG (@brittneyyevettegriner)

The post Brittney Griner Shares Public Statement for the First Time, and Plans on Competing this WNBA Season appeared first on SLAM.

Let’s get it.

Golden State proves (AGAIN) that championship DNA matters:

Klay Thompson scored 34 points, and Stephen Curry added 32 on six triples to help Golden State beat the League-best Boston Celtics, 123-107, on Saturday. Thompson scored 12 of 34 in the first quarter and went into halftime with 24. The win over Boston came despite Jaylen Brown (31 points and nine rebounds) cutting Boston’s 17-point deficit to seven points after scoring five straight midway through the fourth quarter.

However, the Celtics weren’t able to capitalize. They missed their final seven shots and managed to score just four more points after Brown’s flurry of buckets. Boston has been held to less than 110 points just five times after Saturday. The Warriors held Boston’s League-best offense to 43.7 percent shooting, including 12-40 from the three-point line.

It was the sixth time Boston was held below 45 percent shooting this season and the sixth time there were limited to 12 made three-pointers. Boston’s 17 assists were tired of a season-low effort.

“I just thought we competed and did a really good job defensively, tried to make things as tough as possible for them. And we gutted it out,” Steve Kerr said, per The Athletic. “I thought we needed a game like that. We’ve been a little bit stuck in the mud. And it feels like we’ve gotten better over the last few weeks but not a whole lot to show for it. So this was an important win for us.”

Some wins mean more.

Stephen: 32 pts, 6 reb, 7 ast
Klay: 34 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl

(via @nba) pic.twitter.com/7ggWupi8x6

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) December 11, 2022

Don’t forget about MVP threat Joel HIMbiid:

Joel Embiid is a DAWG, and don’t you forget it. The five-time All-Star dropped 53 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists to lead the 76ers to a 131-113 win over the Hornets. Embiid is the third 76er to post multiple 50-point games in the same since Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain. It’s also the 30th game Embiid secured a 40-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Embiid scored 15 of his 28 first-half points over the final three minutes of the second half. Wells Fargo Arena showered Embiid with MVP chants as he became the first player in the NBA this season to score 50+ points after his League-best 59-point performance against Utah on Nov. 13.

“We have a saying that you have to feed the hot hand,” Embiid said, per ESPN. “You got to keep feeding them until the defense stops it once or twice or three times in that situation. I just kept scoring, and they just kept giving me the ball.”

53 PTS | 12 REB | 3 AST

Joel HIMbiid.

presented by @palottery pic.twitter.com/4qgsrvXcd3

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 12, 2022

Times may change, but one thing remains true: D.C will always love John Wall:

An emotional John Wall received the standing ovation from Wizards fans that he expected during the offseason. The city’s favorite point guard returned to Capital One Center for the first time as a visiting player and posted 13 points, three assists, and two steals to help the Clippers win 114-107.

JOHN WALL is really like that pic.twitter.com/g2lSBKZ0he

— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) December 11, 2022

The highlight moment of the night came when Wall hit a signature pull-up from mid-range. After Wall dropped the jumper, he yelled out that the nation’s capital is “still my city.” Although the former No. 1 overall pick said he wouldn’t say goodbye to D.C., he was happy the city showered him with love as their favorite son finally came home.

“This is something I’ve been waiting for four years,” Wall said per ESPN. “The first time I got traded, I came back with Houston; it was COVID, so you couldn’t be here. Then last year, I wasn’t playing. I’m glad I got the opportunity to appreciate it and be here, and get the love that I think I deserved. I feel like I got my flowers.”

John Wall on ‘Still My City’

“In that moment and electrifying the crowd. That’s what I’ve been doing for a lot of years in my career when I was here…. To see the crowd stand up, I’m like, ‘damn I might feel like I’m still in a Wizards jersey now.’ It was a dope moment for me.” pic.twitter.com/GuAcxqEURk

— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) December 11, 2022

Victor Wembanyama continues to solidify his spot as the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft:

SLAM 240 cover star Victor Wembanyama is a force to be reckoned with, and the NBA is beyond ready to see him dominate in the States. The 18-year-old superstar has an eight-foot wingspan capable of blocking everything in sight and a deadly jumper that makes him uniquely equipped to thrive in today’s NBA.

This weekend, Wembanyama posted 27 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and three steals against Monaco. Despite the strong outing, Metropolitan 93 lost 95-82; their next game will be on Dec. 17 against Paris Basketball.

Wemby in action for @Metropolitans92 today:@vicw_32: 27 PTS, 11 REB, 3 STL pic.twitter.com/ep7cc4etFd

— NBA (@NBA) December 11, 2022

Brittney Griner set to announce her future plans soon:

Brittney Griner is back in the States and has no immediate plans to leave Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, according to her agent Lindsay Kagawa Colas. Colas told ESPN that Griner recently put herself through a light contest, with her first shot being a dunk. Griner will reportedly release a statement sometime this week, per Colas.

Colas revealed Griner isn’t ready to say when or if she plans to resume her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury.

“If she wants to play, it will be for her to share. She has the holidays to rest and decide what’s next without any pressure,” Colas said. “She’s doing really, really well. She seems to have endured this in pretty incredible ways.”

The post NBA Weekend Recap: the Warriors Are Still Dangerous While D.C. Still Loves John Wall 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.

The WNBA star has been released from Russia detention after a successful prisoner swap exchanging the former champ for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, according to multiple reports.

BREAKING: Brittney Griner has been freed in a prisoner-swap and is now in U.S. custody. pic.twitter.com/zZlIxNYAEo

— WSLAM (@wslam) December 8, 2022

Griner is now in U.S. custody and will undergo a medical evaluation in the United Arab Emirates. President Joe Biden is expected to hold a press conference at 8:30 in the morning with Griner’s wife, Cherelle, beside him, per the White House.

“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said at the White House Thursday morning, per CNN. “After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under untolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones, and she should have been there all along.”

Cherelle followed up President Biden’s statement and said that her “family is whole” after BG’s release came.

“Today I’m just standing here overwhelmed with emotions, but the most important emotion that I have right now is just sincere gratitude for President Biden and his entire administration,” she said, per ABC.

“It’s a happy day for me and my family,” she said.

Fromer marine and fellow American Paul Whelan was not included in the prisoner swap. He’s been in Russian custody for alleged espionage. The president said that the exclusion of Whelen in the deal “was not a choice of which American to bring home,” and was critical of Russia for “treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s.”

U.S. officials went on to say that Griner’s release was “the only deal we could make” and that once it became clear Russia wouldn’t swap for Whelan, the U.S. accepted it, and it became ” a choice to get Brittney or nothing,” according to the official.

Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.

She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT

— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022

Griner’s release comes a few months after she was convicted of drug possession and smuggling in August. The controversial ordeal began in February after Russian authorities discovered and arrested her for possessing a vape cartridge containing hashish oil, a.k.a marijuana. After her conviction was upheld, Griner spent time in a harsh Russian penal colony.

The post Brittney Griner in U.S. Custody After Successful Prisoner Swap appeared first on SLAM.

“I just did my treadmill workout downstairs and lifts in the hotel before heading to the studio,” Parker said. “I call it my citizen workout. I was working out six days after we (the Chicago Sky) lost this year. I just wanted to compete at everything, whether it was dominos or beach volleyball. That’s my mentality because I hate losing. So right now, yeah, I’m game.”

“Let’s see if my body feels this way in January or February, but I plan to play. I plan to come back. Last year, it was the reverse. I couldn’t imagine lacing up the shoes again. I could not imagine going through Game 27 on the schedule. Then a switch flipped in February, and I was ready to go. I like to take the offseason and take my time, but right now, I don’t know if I’ve dribbled my last ball on the court.

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Parker is set to become a free agent, but according to Dietsch, Parker will likely only play for Chicago or Los Angeles. During her interview, CP3 spoke about her future in the WNBA, the recently announced documentary about her life, Brittney Griner, and her broadcasting career.

Over her 16-year tenure, Parker has accomplished a Hall-of-Fame career. She’s a two-time champ, 2016 Finals MVP, two-time MVP, 2020 Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Olympic gold medalist, 2008 Rookie of the Year, seven-time All-Star, seven-time All-WNBA selection, five-time All-Defensive pick, and a member of the 20th and 25th WNBA anniversary team.

The post Candace Parker: ‘I Plan to Come Back’ for 2023 Season appeared first on SLAM.

On Wednesday, Griner’s legal team announced that she was in the process of being transferred to a Russian penal colony to serve her nine-year sentence for alleged drug smuggling. While Griner’s family may not know where she is for some time because “notification is given via official mail and normally takes up to two weeks to be received,” it is well known that Russian penal colonies have far harsher conditions than Griner’s previous jail in Moscow. 

This heartbreaking news sparked reactions from many prominent women’s basketball figures and organizations.

Following BG’s legal team’s announcement, President Joe Biden stated that he is “determined to get her home.”

“My hope is that now that the [midterm elections are] over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden said.

U.S. officials made a “serious” offer to Russia to trade for BG’s freedom in June, but the offer was unsuccessful. In a statement Wednesday morning, the White House revealed that despite numerous additional attempts, they had not received a legitimate counteroffer from Russian officials.

“In the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russians through all available channels,” it said. “The U.S. Government is unwavering in its commitment to its work on behalf of Brittney and other Americans detained in Russia — including fellow wrongful detainee Paul Whelan.”

“Our primary concern continues to be BG’s health and well-being. As we work through this very difficult phase of not knowing exactly where BG is or how she is doing, we ask for the public’s support in continuing to write letters and express their love and care for her.”

“We are thankful for everyone’s support and hope that as we near nine months of detention, that BG and all wrongfully detained Americans will be shown mercy and returned home to their families for the holidays.”

The Women's National Basketball Players Association's Statement Regarding Brittney Griner's Transfer to Russian Penal Colony. pic.twitter.com/mQg0kJ57I3

— WNBPA (@TheWNBPA) November 9, 2022

Now, and every day, we continue to pray for BG and her family. Visit WeAreBG to learn more about what you can do to help.

The post Joe Biden Is ‘Determined’ to Bring Brittney Griner Home appeared first on SLAM.

According to multiple reports, Griner appeared via video leak from her detention center on Sunday. A three-judge panel of the appeal court in Krasnogorsk, located outside of Moscow, made the decision.

“Brittney is a very strong person and has a champion’s character,” her lawyers said in a statement Monday, per The New York Times. “She, of course, has her highs and lows as she is severely stressed being separated from her loved ones for over eight months.”

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Griner has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17 after authorities at a Moscow-area airport said they found hashish (cannabis) oil in vape cartridges within her luggage. Hashish oil is an illegal substance in Russia, and possession carries a hefty penalty, as we see it is the case with Griner.

BG played overseas during the WNBA offseason and returned to Russia in February to join UMMC Ekaterinburg, her Euroleague Russian team, after a FIBA break. Griner’s sentencing and treatment have drawn criticism and concern from WNBA players who play overseas to supplement their WNBA salary.

After her arrest for illegally possessing less than one gram of the hashish oil, Griner was reportedly investigated for the “large-scale transportation of drugs and went on trial in July. Griner eventually pled guilty to the charges and told a judge she unintentionally packed the cannabis oil while rushing in preparation for leaving Russia. Griner’s legal team said that a doctor prescribed cannabis to her for chronic pain, and medical marijuana is legal in Phoenix.

On Aug. 4, a Russian court found Griner guilty of drug smuggling and illegal possession and sentenced her to nine years in prison. The U.S. state department and White House have opened up negotiations for a prisoner exchange ever since. Earlier this month, the White House said it sent “a substantial offer” on the table and urged Russian authorities to accept it or “bring a strong counteroffer.”

The deal includes a swap for arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, another American arrested and convicted on espionage charges. Whelan was given a 16 years prison sentence in 2020 but has repeatedly denied the charges and asserted his innocence.

The post REPORT: Russian Court Uphold Brittney Griner’s Nine-Year Sentence 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.

• 2020 Olympics
• 2020 Women’s National Team
• 2018 World Cup
• 2016 Olympics
• 2015 Women’s National Team
• 2014 World Cup
• 2011 Women’s National Team

In honor of BG, no one on the USWNT will wear No. 15 during the 2022 FIBA World Cup. Players traditionally wear Nos. 4-15; however, they will don Nos. 4-14 and 16 this year. 

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Although they were missing WNBA champs members Kelsey Plum, A’ja Wilson, and Chelsea Gray, the USA Women’s team opened the World Cup with a decisive 87-72 win over Belgium. Alyssa Thomas nearly finished with a triple-double, recording an impressive stat line of 14 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds. Breanna Stewart poured in 22 points, almost trying her World Cup record, as well as three blocks and three steals. 

The USA Women’s National Team continues its World Cup run against Puerto Rico tonight at 8:30 ET.

The post Honoring Brittney Griner: No One Wearing No. 15 for USA Women’s Basketball National Team 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 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.

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.

On Thursday, Russia confirmed that negotiations were underway between Washington D.C. and Moscow on a possible prisoner swap. The United States proposed a deal to exchange Griner and fellow American prisoner Paul Whelan for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia was “ready to discuss” a potential deal last week. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechayev said Thursday that the negotiations began after Lavrov’s statement.

“Instructions were given to authorized structures to carry out negotiations,” Nechayev said per Axios. “They are being conducted by competent authorities.”

The post Russia Confirms Negotiations Are Underway For Brittney Griner Prisoner Swap appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday, Phoenix Mercury teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith gave an emotional response when she was asked about the WNBA proceeding to play following the news.

“Nobody wanted to even play today,” Diggins-Smith told reporters. “How are you supposed to approach the game with a clear mind when the whole group is crying before the game?

From Griner’s agent and both WNBA teammates and competitors, as well as players across the NBA, many have continued to shared their thoughts and sentiments via social media.

Skylar Diggins-Smith:

Lindsay Kagawa Colas:

Phoenix Mercury:

Connecticut Sun:

Stefanie Dolson:

Breanna Stewart:

Elena Delle Donne:

Jaren Jackson Jr:

Diamond DeShields:

Amanda Zahui B:

Arike Ogunbowale:

Kia Nurse:

Tyasha Harris:

Dawn Staley:

AD:

Layshia Clarendon:

WNBPA:

The post WNBA and NBA Reacts to Brittney Griner’s Sentencing appeared first on SLAM.

When reporters asked the nine-year vet was asked about why the WNBA decided to play out games following the news about Griner, the six-year vet gave an emotional and poignant answer.

“Nobody wanted to even play today,” Diggins-Smith told reporters. “How are you supposed to approach the game with a clear mind when the whole group is crying before the game?”

Please listen to @SkyDigg4’s words. pic.twitter.com/ahDNMKrcSf

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 5, 2022

Diggins-Smith added that emotion around the locker room was “heavy” and that it was hard to want to play as her teammates were having trouble keeping their exposure as the weight of Griner’s conviction hit everyone in the locker room. Before tipoff, the Mercury and Sun came together at the halfcourt line and had a moment of silence for Griner.

“This is our real-life friend, real-life sister,” she said. “Imagine if your real-life friend or real-life sister is out here. I don’t expect everybody to give a damn, but we really do. And we come out here, and we’re still supposed to play this game.”

pic.twitter.com/HnlsGwWqIR https://t.co/R4FFG5LJLp

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 4, 2022

The WNBA also released a statement in solidarity with Griner and W players around the League.

#WeAreBG | @PhoenixMercury, @ConnecticutSun pic.twitter.com/O2BSkbsaZw

— WNBA (@WNBA) August 4, 2022

Griner has been detained in Russia for 169 days for possessing a vape cartridge that contained hashish oil in her luggage. She ultimately pled guilty to the charges levied against her nearly a month ago. The judge of her case decided to hold her in prison while the case went on, and he heard the testimony of all parties involved.

The United States extended an offer to swap Griner and fellow American Paul Whelan in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout, but Russia reportedly declined unless Secretary of State Antony Blinken added another convicted Russian to the exchange, which Blinked called a “bad faith” counteroffer.

Blinken went on to say Griner’s sentence “compounds the injustice” she is dealing with.

“It puts a spotlight on our very significant turn with Russia’s legal system and the Russian government’s use of wrongful detentions to advance its own agenda using individuals as political pawns,” Blinken told reporters Friday.

Giner last played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in Russia and has played for the franchise since 2014 as one of several WNBA players who compete overseas during the offseason for supplemental income. Griner has been an eight-time All-Star in the WNBA, a two-time scoring champ, and a member of the Mercury’s 2014 title team.

The post Skylar Diggins-Smith Reacts to Brittney Griner’s Sentencing appeared first on SLAM.

Griner was also fined one million rubles, roughly $16,300 US. dollars. Griner pled guilty to her alleged crimes nearly a month ago ahead of her trial, but the judge of her case still decided to hear out the circumstances of her case. Griner’s team hoped that entering a guilty plea would help facilitate a prisoner exchange.

Brittney Griner has been sentenced to 9 years by a Russian court, per @TJQuinnESPN.

We love you BG, and we are with you. pic.twitter.com/QBa0AvfkzW

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 4, 2022

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later proposed a high-stakes exchange to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Blinked proposed the swapping of Giner and Paul Whelan, an American imprisoned for espionage, for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout. However, according to Bloomberg, Russia was reportedly leaning towards rejecting the proposed high-stakes prisoner swap unless another Russian prisoner was included

Before the verdict was announced, Griner made a final appeal saying she had no intention to break the law by bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil into Russia. Griner flew into Moscow in February to play basketball in the city of Yekaterinburg.

“I never meant to hurt anybody,” Griner said. “I never meant to put in jeopardy the Russian population. I never meant to break any laws here. I made an honest mistake, and I hope that in your ruling that it doesn’t end my life here.

U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement on the verdict,

“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney. It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates. My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”

The post Brittney Griner Sentenced to Nine Years in Russian Prison appeared first on SLAM.

The Associated Press reports that “Russia has for years expressed interest in the release” of Viktor Bout, an arms dealer who was sentenced to 25 years prison time in 2012 on charges of scheming to illegally sell weapons for millions of dollars in profit. Griner could be facing up to 10 years if she is convicted.

The US is also reportedly trying to bring home former Marine Paul Whalen, who was arrested in Russia in December 2018.

Blinken has not offered any details about the proposal, but has “requested a call” with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. US officials state that the “desire for an answer on the prisoner offer was the primary, but not only, reason that the U.S. on Wednesday requested the call with Lavrov,” writes the AP.

Griner recently testified for the first time in her trial and has revealed that an interpreter translated only a portion of what was said while she was detained in Moscow and that she had to use a translation app on her cell phone to communicate with a customs officer. She also says that officials told her to sign documents, but that “no one explained any of it to me,” and that she received no explanation of her rights or access to a lawyer during the initial hours of her detention.

The U.S. government and Biden administration have faced mounting pressure from the players around the WNBA and NBA to bring BG home.

“My career is my whole life,” Griner said in her trial. “I dedicated everything — time, my body, time away from my family. I spent six months out of the year away from everybody, and with a huge time difference.”

It’s time to bring BG home.

The post REPORT: United States Offers a Deal with Russia for the Release of Brittney Griner appeared first on SLAM.

“I think I speak for the entire WNBA when I say this,” Wade said during his interview with CNN. “We need her home urgently.”

“I think I speak for the entire @WNBA when I say this: We need her home urgently” – Brittney Griner’s former coach @coachjameswade talks to CNN’s @ErinBurnett as the WNBA star faces a fifth month detained in Russia. pic.twitter.com/ICvGVz238l

— CNN (@CNN) July 20, 2022

Griner has been in a cell since February 1 after being accused of possessing hashish oil in a vape pen. She has been held by Russian authorities for over 150 days since then. She recently pled guilty to drug possession charges but her trail will still go on. Her teammates have testified on her behalf as well as front office members of the franchise she plays for during the offseason.

“She’s someone that has played for her country and represented her country at the highest fashion and she’s someone who should be at the top of everythingones thoughts and minds when it comes actually getting her home safely.” Wade said.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials and Griner’s family hold out hope that a prisoner swap can happen between Griner and other Russian detainees held in the States.

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

The post Sky Coach James Wade on Brittney Griner: ‘We Need Her Home Urgently’ appeared first on SLAM.

Griner has been detained in Russia since February 17. Multiple athletes and stars have posted the hashtag WeAreBG to raise awareness towards the efforts to bring Griner home.

“We talk about ‘We Are BG’ and what that means to us. Just trying to embody her spirit carry her legacy on, and just stay alert for her as far as what we can do in our efforts to help bring her home and really get that message out there,” Griner’s Mercury teammate, Skylar Diggins-Smith said.

For all WNBA players speaking out and shining a light on bringing BG home has been their top priority both on and off the court.

“I think the W does a great job; we have Brittney Griner masks,” Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale said. “We have 42 on our shirts, and I’m sure the rest of the league and people are wearing things with BG.”

Every single player for the second half of Sunday’s game wore Griner’s name and No. 42 on the back of their jerseys.

“Wearing the jerseys was a statement to show that we are BG. Yes, we have the shirts and the pins but BG is one of us. She’s our sister and, at the end of the day,” 2020 MVP A’ja Wilson. “We are going to do whatever we can to amplify the platform that we have to make sure that everyone is doing what they need to do to make sure that she gets home safely.”

The post WNBA Stars Honor Brittney Grinner During All-Star Weekend appeared first on SLAM.

How do you measure legacy? More specifically, how do you measure the legacy of 15-year WNBA veteran Sylvia Fowles?

Do you measure it in championships? Fowles has two titles.

Is it in awards? She’s a two-time Finals MVP, the 2017 League MVP and a four-time Defensive Player of the Year. 

Or perhaps you measure Fowles’ legacy based on her international résumé? In that case, four Olympic Gold medals with USA Basketball sounds pretty solid. 

However, if you talk to Fowles, these are not the things that matter most. Everything Sylvia Fowles has accomplished in basketball has been to prove to herself and her close circle of family, teammates and fans that she can still ball. 

On media day, we asked Fowles’ 29-year-old Lynx teammate Damiris Dantas about playing with the legend during her last season. The Brazilian forward, who usually keeps her comments in English brief, perfectly described the true legacy of Fowles:

“I’m so happy because when [I started to play] basketball in Brazil, I see my Big Mom in here and I think, Oh my gosh, I hope one day I go to play this girl, because I watch video. I watch the games…in Brazil, and now I have good opportunity to play together. She’s so good not only in the court, outside the court. Good teammate. So for me, it’s more special to be here and play together [with] my Big Mom, Syl.” 

The 2020 Olympics were like no other. To begin, they weren’t held until 2021. The global coronavirus pandemic has impacted everything for the past two-plus years, let alone sports. Nevertheless, Team USA and athletes around the world prepared amid the unknown. For the United States, this meant a quest for five consecutive Gold medals under head coach Dawn Staley. 

Fowles averaged 5 points and 4.2 rebounds in her 62 minutes during the 2020 Summer Olympic tournament. Don’t be fooled by these numbers. They are more indicative of the depth of USA Basketball than any declining productivity on Fowles’ part. 

“Everyone knows that coming to Team USA your role pretty much changes,” the LSU alumna said last August during the Olympics. “You have to be mentally prepared, and it starts in practice, making sure you’re getting that starting five ready.”

Fowles accompanied Brittney Griner—who is currently missing the 2022 WNBA season after being, according to the US government, wrongfully detained on drug charges in Russia—as the center or true 5 position during the Tokyo Summer Olympics. The duo accounted for nearly 25 percent of USA’s 273 rebounds in six games. 

After securing her fourth Olympic Gold medal, Fowles announced she was done with her USA Basketball career. 

Stepping away from the national team was just the beginning of the end of the future Hall of Famer’s goodbyes. She’d have less autonomy regarding her exit from the WNBA and more specifically, the Minnesota Lynx, though. 

“I actually wanted no part of the finale at all. When we started talking about me coming back, I tried to express and stress to my agent and Cheryl [Reeve, GM and head coach of the Lynx] how I just wanted this thing to be smooth without the attention. And they was not going for it,” Fowles told the media in February when she announced that she’d re-signed for her 15th and final WNBA season. 

“So if I would have had my way, I think I just would have kept [it] under the radar only because I felt like this is my job. I appreciate, like, the love and the support, but I wasn’t looking for the big hoorah to say that this was my last year,” Fowles said.

The Lynx and the League have other plans. “We really want to take this entire season to celebrate Syl and the amazing person that she is,” Carley Knox, Minnesota’s president of business operations, told The New York Times in May. 

Although not what Fowles wants, this is what she deserves.

In recent years, basketball has evolved into a positionless game. At every level of men’s and women’s basketball, you find post players who have difficulty with their midrange and three-point shot—players who weren’t raised to play all over the floor. There are also post players who struggle in the paint. The same is true of guards who love to drive but struggle with turnovers. 

Two things that never goes out of style are defense and rebounding. As the shot charts for her post-position contemporaries have changed, Fowles has adjusted on the defensive side. She is the all-time leading rebounder for the WNBA. She has won championships while drawing defensive assignments against the aforementioned Griner and fellow MVPs like Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Candace Parker. 

Fowles is also the only active player shooting at a career 100 percent clip from three-point range, because she’s 1-1 from the arc. No misses! Jokes aside, Fowles has learned to contribute offensively with consistency, if not from the deep range we see as common with younger players like the Liberty’s 6-10 center Han Xu—who is 11-23 from the arc in her career, by the way. 

Fowles has eclipsed 6,000 career points (and counting), shooting nearly 60 percent from the floor and 73 percent from the foul line. Her consistency is what dreams are made of if you’re a general manager or head coach. 

Reeve believes the stat sheet doesn’t even tell the full story. 

“I think in terms of her dominance, physically, I think it starts there with her competitive drive, her passion, her will to win,” says Reeve, has coached Fowles since late in the 2015 season. “What that produces in the way of statistics and rebounding, look at where she is in double-doubles.” 

Fowles began her dominance in the post with the Chicago Sky. She earned All-Rookie honors and her first of 10 All-Defensive honors in Chicago. However, she missed most of the 2015 season as she waited for a trade. Fowles wanted out of Chicago, the franchise that drafted her second overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

Just as it looked as though she might miss the entirety of the season, the deal with the Lynx came through. Fowles averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds per game in her first 18 appearances with Minnesota. She ended the 2015 season as a WNBA champion and Finals MVP. And so continued her rise as perhaps the best center in WNBA history. 

“You know, where would she be if she [hadn’t] had a half season that was taken away from her in Chicago? The field goal percentage, just the way you have to scheme for the offensive rebounding, the defensive rebounding. So every statistical category that you can think of, Syl has dominated,” Reeve says. 

“Sylvia Fowles is a center in the truest form, and there’s not been anybody like her. And it’ll be a long time before there’s another Sylvia Fowles.”

The story could end right there. But the most consistent stat for Fowles is her infectious and joyous personality that outmeasures her 6-6, 219-pound frame. She is known off the court as Sweet Syl and if you’ve ever been on the receiving end of her hugs or smiles, you know exactly why. 

“I didn’t really truly understand the nickname Sweet Syl until I got here, because I never saw Sweet Syl when I was in a different jersey,” Lynx forward Natalie Achonwa said during Lynx media day. The Canadian has also battled against not-so-sweet Syl in international competition. 

When Achonwa arrived in Minnesota as a free agent last year, she was drawn in by Fowles’ leadership style. “The way that Sylvia plays and the dominance that she plays with is very different from her leadership,” Achonwa added. 

Fowles is described as sweet and a mother-like figure by her teammates. She is nurturing and encouraging as a teammate and part of her reason for coming back for one more year is to challenge herself to be an even better and more vocal leader. 

“I think that’s one thing that I lacked, was me being vocal. And being vocal was always a challenge for me. So I’m challenging myself to make sure I speak up as much as possible and teach as much as I can, too, while I’m here in my last year,” Fowles said during Media Day. 

If this is her last hurdle—well, that and proving she can still hoop, and even dominate, at 36 years old—Fowles won’t be disappointed. 

And neither will her fans. 

WSLAM 2 is available now. Get your copy here.

The post The Unwavering Greatness of Sylvia Fowles appeared first on SLAM.

“I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said, according to Reuters.

“I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare,”

This was Griner’s second court appearance since her trial began last Friday. Griner has been detained in Russia since February after authorities allegedly found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. If convicted, Griner could face up to ten years in prison for large-scale transportation of drugs. 

The White House said President Joe Biden called Griner’s wife on Wednesday to assure her he’s doing all he can to get BG released. Biden and Griner’s wife spoke after Biden read a handwritten letter from Griner. The eight-time All-Star wrote that she fears she won’t return home.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned Thursday that “attempts by the American side to make noise in the public — don’t help the practical settlement of issues.”

Griner pleading guilty is not expected to end her trial; the judge will continue to read the entire case into the record, which can go on for a few weeks or even months. Reports say the guilty plea was a strategy to help facilitate a prisoner swap that could bring BG home. 

Griner’s lawyer told reporters they hope for the most lenient sentencing possible.

The next court hearing is scheduled for July 14.

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

The post Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession and Smuggling appeared first on SLAM.

Could SDS be on the move? Our @howardmegdal has reporting for WBB Wednesday that indicates that she could be.

Also, don't miss must-click women's basketball links along with Howard and @HaydenCilley breaking down all of the latest drama in PHX.

: https://t.co/Vqm6DeAgQJ pic.twitter.com/cUdB8LXjj3

— The IX: Women's sports in your inbox 6X a week (@TheIXNewsletter) July 6, 2022

The Mercury (9-14) are currently fifth in the Western Conference, with a matchup against the Liberty (8-12) coming up on Monday. The five-time All-Star averaged 19.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game on 45.2 percent shooting from the field and 31.6 percent from beyond the arc.

The Mercury’s season hasn’t gone as planned as they’ve tumbled down the regular-season standings. The season-long absence of Brittney Griner has punctuatedPhoenix’s problems. She is currently detained in a Russian jail for allegedly illegally possessing hashish oil in a vape pen. Griner’s trial started last week, and she will remain confined in a Russian cell for the entirety of her trial.

The post REPORT: Phoenix Exploring Skylar Diggins-Smith Trade Options appeared first on SLAM.

“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner, who’s been detained in Russia since February for possession of cannabis oil, wrote in an excerpt from the letter shared with the media.

“I realize you are dealing with so much,” she wrote. “But please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home.”

Griner wrote that freedom means “something completely different this year,” as she was forced to spend the Fourth of July in custody. Griner’s trial began last week, and a Russian judge ordered her to remain in custody throughout the trial. 

A White House spokesperson did not confirm or deny that Biden had received the letter but provided the New York Times with a statement from National Security Council spokeswoman Adriene Watson.

“President Biden has been clear about the need to see all U.S. nationals who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad released, including Brittney Griner. The U.S. government continues to work aggressively — using every available means — to bring her home,” Watson said in a statement to the Times. 

She went on to say that Biden’s team is in “regular contact” with Griner’s family.

But Griner’s wife Cherelle appeared on “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday, claiming the family has not yet received a reply from Biden. She called the lack of communication “very disheartening.”

“It kills me every time that you know when I have to write her, and she’s asking, ‘Have you met with them yet?’ And I have to say no — I’m sure she is like, ‘I’m going to write him and ask now because my family has tried to no avail, so I’m going to do it myself,'” Cherelle said.

Brittney’s trial began on Friday, and the eight-time All-Star faces up to 10 years in a penal colony if she is convicted.

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

The post Brittney Griner Writes Letter to President Biden: ‘I’m Terrified I Might Be Here Forever’ appeared first on SLAM.

Griner has been detained in Russia since February due to alleged possession of a vape cartridge with hash oil in it. The State Department declared that Griner had been wrongfully imprisoned back in May. 

“It’s not even how great she is as a player, but that’s a person,” Wilson explains. “That’s someone’s wife, and she can’t communicate with them. And I just pray every day that she comes home and she’s just healthy because it’s so much deeper than the physical — it’s the mental, it’s the emotional, and anyone that knows BG knows her spirit; it’s probably the best thing about her”

Just moments ago A’ja Wilson was asked in the post game conference, how she felt about seeing Brittany Griner on television today for the first time, listening to what she had to say. Very emotional and powerful stuff. #FreeBG #BritneyGriner #WNBA #WNBATwitter #LVAces pic.twitter.com/V587VghuTu

— Jose V. – Straight Bet Sports (@Jose_Volonte) June 28, 2022

According to Griner’s lawyer Aleksandr Boilkov, Griner is set to remain detained until the trial is officially over. The start date is just under three days, beginning on July 1. 

Wilson began to mention that over everything, she hopes Griner’s spirit will remain intact. 

“Yeah, she can put the ball in the hoop. But her spirit, I would hate to see that stripped away from her. So I pray, I pray so much for BG, and I hope we can bring her home, but the outlook was so hard to look at today,” Wilson mentioned right before breaking down in tears. 

Many athletes and teams around the League have continued to show support for bringing Brittney home through Instagram posts, tweets, speeches, and post-game interview.

The post A’ja Wilson On Brittney Griner’s Impending Trial: ‘I Pray So Much For BG’ appeared first on SLAM.

A Russian court has set July 1st as the start date for Brittney Griner’s trial. The Phoenix Mercury center will remain in detainment until the trial is over, according to Aleksandr Boikov, Griner’s lawyer.

Griner didn’t talk at the Khimki city court she appeared in during her preliminary hearing, according to the New York TimeTimes’mination of a court video that was posted by state news agency TASS. The former Baylor Beat has been detained in Russia since February due to the alleged illegal possession of vape cartridges with traces of hash oil in her luggage.

We need to come together and help do whatever we possibly can to bring BG home quickly and safely!! Our voice as athletes is stronger together. @uninterrupted #WeAreBG pic.twitter.com/2GWV3Ff81p

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 6, 2022

The State Department declared that Griner was wrongly detained in May. If convicted, Griner could face up to 10 years in prison. Boikov says that he expected the trial to take up to two months, depending on the court’s workload. He also says Griner feels well and has no complaints about her treatment in the pretrial detention center.

“It’s hot in Moscow, so she feels that too, especially while being transported to the court,” Boikov said per the New York Times.

According to the Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, Griner isn’t held hostage and was being held accountable for violating Russian law during an interview he had with MSNBC.

The WNBA has honored Griner with a floor decal with her initials and jersey number displayed on all 12 franchise courts. The city of Houston held a parade calling for her release, and athletes across the WNBA and NBA, including both LeBron James and Hall-of-Famer Penny Taylor, expressed their public support for GrinGriner’sease from Russian detention. James posted a message on Instagram while Taylor used her induction speech to call for GrinGriner’sease.

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Visit http://WeAreBG.org to learn more about what you can do to help.

The post Brittney Griner Trial Set to Begin on July 1 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.

Every day is another day too long #FreeBG

Visit https://t.co/IrnDkEbOOj to learn more about what you can do to help. https://t.co/rGLALx0gDV

— WSLAM (@wslam) June 14, 2022

Griner was detained in February for allegedly possessing vape cartridges that contained hashish oil. As of Tuesday, the All-Star center has been detained for 117 days. On May 3, the U.S. state department classified Griner as being “wrongfully detained,” and just this past Monday, the Phoenix Mercury met with State Department officials about Griner’s case.

“There is a lot involved in getting her back home and safe; they’re working relentlessly,” Diana Taurasi said, per ESPN. “We’re here to do whatever we can to amplify and keep BG at the forefront, which is more important than any basketball game and anything else that’s going on in our lives. We want BG to come home as soon as possible; it’s number one on our list.”

According to a court representative of the Moscow region and per TASS, a Russian media outlet, her extension was extended another 18 days at “the request of the investigation.”

Griner could face a 10-year sentence in prison, per The New York Times.

Prayers continued until your home BG! https://t.co/1TGI4SuHB0

— dawnstaley (@dawnstaley) June 14, 2022

The WNBA has honored Griner with a floor decal with her initials and jersey number displayed on all 12 franchise courts. The city of Houston held a parade calling for her release, and athletes across the WNBA and NBA, including both LeBron James and Hall-of-Famer Penny Taylor, expressed their public support for Griner’s release from Russian detention. James posted a message on Instagram while Taylor used her induction speech to call for Griner’s release.

Visit http://WeAreBG.org to learn more about what you can do to help.

The post Brittney Griner’s Pre-Trial Detention Extended Again to July appeared first on SLAM.

Taylor called upon President Joe Biden and the U.S. Government to safely bring Griner home from Russia after the two-time Olympic gold medalist was detained on Feb. 17 for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil.

“BG is our family,” Taylor said at Saturday’s induction. “She’s yours too. The entire global sport(s) community needs to come together to insist that she be a priority.”

Taylor and Griner, along with Taylor’s wife, Diana Taurasi, were teammates on the Phoenix Mercury squad that won a WNBA Championship in 2014.

Two-time WNBA Champion and current Old Dominion Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones, along with DePaul Coach Doug Bruno, also demanded action for Griner, who has garnered national support.

“Brittney is a great human being, and no one deserves what she is going through,” Bruno, who coached Griner as an assistant with Team USA, said. “Enough is absolutely enough. It is time for the powers that be to bring Brittney Griner home.”

The support for Griner to be released back into the United States has grown, but she remains detained in Russia.

The post Penny Taylor Calls for Brittney Griner’s Release At Hall of Fame Induction appeared first on SLAM.

According to NPR, her pre-trial detainment was extended by a month in March.

Griner has since received an outpouring of support from A-list athletes, including the biggest name in basketball, LeBron James. The four-time MVP spoke up for the release of Griner from Russian detainment via Twitter on Monday night.

“For over 100 days, B.G. has faced inhumane conditions in a Russian prison and has been denied communications with her family and loved ones. As a decorated Olympian and member of an elite global sport community, B.G.’s detention must be resolved out of respect for the sanctity of all sport and for all Americans traveling internationally. It is imperative that the U.S. Government immediately address this human rights issue and do whatever is necessary to return Brittney home.”

There are steps on the statement that include ways to help Griner and a Q.R. code that helps spread awareness.

Griner is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist with Team USA and a seven-time WNBA All-Star with the Phoenix Mercury.

The post LeBron James Expresses Public Support for Brittney Griner appeared first on SLAM.

Monday night’s rally took place outside of the Toyota Center, the home of the Houston Rockets. Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee organized and hosted the rally with the city of Houston and the NAACP Houston Chapter. 

“Unfortunately, I knew that Brittney Griner’s destiny was going to be wrapped up in the leadership of the United States of America and the American people who had expressed their outrage and care for her,” Jackson Lee said in a statement released by the Toyota Center. “…Our nation is founded on the values of equality and democracy. On Monday, Houstonians will stand up with pride in their love of democracy, equality, and justice; and their voices will be heard in Washington DC and all the way to where Brittney is held.”

“We hope this rally and prayer vigil will continue to propel the administration and the President of the United States to continue to work to secure the release of Brittney Griner.”

The rally featured multiple prominent politicians and social activists, including U.S. Marine Trevor Reed. Reed was detained in Russia for nearly three years and was recently released.

“I was wrongfully detained in Russia in 2019, and I was a prisoner there for 985 days,” Reed said. “It’s really medieval.”

A Houston native, Griner was a standout at Nimitz High School and later received national recognition at Baylor, where she led the Bears to an NCAA Championship in 2012.

NBA stars from LeBron James to Carmelo Anthony have called for the release of Griner, who has been detained in Russia for over 100 days.

“She is a WNBA player, an Olympian, a teammate, a sister, a daughter, a wife,” Anthony said in a statement released on social media. “She is a human, and she needs to come home.”

The post Houston Holds Rally Calling For Brittney Griner’s Return From Russia appeared first on SLAM.

A marathon that’s still being run. 

A mountain that’s still being scaled. 

But the grind continues. There’s no turning back now. Too much ground has been covered, and there’s still much more left.

Women basketball players. Women who hoop. Ballers. Athletes on a quest to prove to the world that they are just as skilled, just as competitive, just as worthy of investment as other athletes. There are many who set the table, paved the way and took the hits to make others sit up and take notice. 

Women like Dawn Staley. Long before she started her own dynasty as head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, she was part of one of the greatest sports dynasties ever: the USA Women’s National Basketball Team.

The team claimed its seventh consecutive gold medal at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics, their 55th consecutive Olympic victory since the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The WNT is a hoops dynasty reigning and holding court for more than 25 years. 

Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and then another as head coach in 2020. Her literal blood, sweat and tears helped lay the groundwork for today’s athletes. But she wasn’t alone. 

Team USA teammates like Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes were there, too, helping kick down the door and show the competitive nature of female athletes—both on and off the court. 

Swoopes chartered new territory by being the first woman to have a Nike basketball signature shoe, the Air Swoopes, in 1996. The Air Swoopes showed that female ballers could sell athletic footwear, too. She was also the first player to be signed in the WNBA in 1997. The three-time League MVP and Hall of Famer has won three Olympic gold medals and is one of only 11 women basketball players to have won an Olympic gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup Gold and a WNBA title. 

Leslie, a three-time WNBA MVP and a four-time Olympic gold medal winner, raised the bar, becoming the first player to dunk in a WNBA game and paving the way years later for Brittney Griner to thrill fans with her own high-flying dunks. Leslie is also charting a new course for female basketball players. In 2019, she joined Ice Cube’s BIG3 professional basketball league and is currently the head coach for the Triplets team, whom she led to the 2019 BIG3 Championship in just her first year at the helm.

Breaking barriers, inspiring generations, silencing the naysayers—in the words from Nike’s 2020 Dream Crazier commercial: “It’s only crazy until you do it.” 

Another early barrier breaker was Tamikia Catchings, one of the most decorated and legendary female basketball players of all time. Catchings won a WNBA championship, regular season MVP, Finals MVP and is a 5x Defensive Player of the Year winner. Add to that four Olympic gold medals, a plethora of other awards and honors and you can see why the Hall of Famer and former president of the Player’s Association is a trailblazing icon for young female athletes everywhere. She’s also helmed a team as both VP of Basketball Operations and General Manager, showing that women are about more than Xs and Os when it comes to sports.

The baton was picked up by future Hall of Famers Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore. Bird, considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history, is a four-time WNBA champion with the Seattle Storm. She’s won a historic five Olympic gold medals. With three other athletes, she recently co-founded the digital production platform TOGETHXR, which uplifts women in all sports.

Taurasi, her Olympic teammate, is often called the GOAT of the WNBA. The League’s all-time leading scorer, on June 27, 2021, she became the first player to surpass 9,000 points. Taurasi is one of 11 women to win an Olympic Gold medal, an NCAA Championship, a FIBA World Cup Gold and a WNBA championship.

Moore is a 4x WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist who is considered one of the greatest winners in women’s basketball history, with championships that span across the League, college and EuroLeague. Off the court, Moore walked the walk by taking a hiatus from the League in 2019 to focus on reform in the American justice system. Before 2020 heightened the country’s concern for social justice, Moore was already at work, helping set the stage for the social and political activism rising among women athletes. Their activism has extended from racial injustice and voting inequalities to rights of LGQBTIA citizens and pay and health inequities.

With examples of the aforementioned and many more, a new generation has arrived on the scene to keep pushing the sport forward. That includes the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, the League’s 2020 MVP, who won her first Olympic gold medal last summer in Tokyo. She’s also a key player in the W’s push for social justice and reform as a member of the Social Justice Council and spends time encouraging and uplifting young girls through her foundation, which advocates for bullying prevention and educating about dyslexia.  

Two-time WNBA champion Jewell Loyd of the Seattle Storm, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and the Washington Mystics’ Elena Delle Donne are other examples of the newest generation of women basketball players carrying the torch into the future. 

As we honor the past and celebrate the present, let’s take a look to the future of the women’s game. It is indeed bright—almost blinding—as one thinks of what’s on the horizon. There are so many ways in which the women’s game can be brought up to the level of the men’s game, and I’m not talking about the level of play. 

Personally, I see a female head coach of an NBA team, sooner rather than later. Leslie has already proven it can be done on a smaller scale with the BIG3. Why can’t men in the pros listen to, learn from and win championships with a female coach? Also on the horizon, and definitely long overdue, is expansion of the WNBA from 12 teams to more, and what many are advocating for—Summer League and a Developmental League, much like those in the NBA. Twelve teams and 144 spots is simply not enough for all of the talented, athletic women coming out of our country’s high schools and colleges. They need the same opportunities to hone their skills and play alongside some of the best of the best. This can only happen with expansion, investment and commitment on behalf of the League, fans and businesses.

I also see a future where there is equal coverage of the WNBA and NBA drafts. Sports pundits, writers, columnists, photographers of all races and genders will be sent to cover WNBA games as a regular beat, not just for the moment because it’s the “it thing” to do. They’ll be present to capture the WNBA draft as a major event just like the NBA’s. Covering female ballers won’t be an afterthought, it will be a given.

There’ll be more women-owned sports conglomerates like Bird’s TOGETHXR, pushing female athletes, stories, passions and projects forward into the minds and hearts of all. When a new SLAM cover featuring A’ja Wilson or Sabrina Ionescu drops, it’ll go viral, just like a new Kevin Durant cover would.  

I see a future where support—financial and otherwise—will be equal. From facilities to funding to amenities to pay (for the pros), things will be a lot closer to equal than they are now, regardless of the level. It’s all long overdue.  

Nike said as much in its 2020 ad, “One Day We Won’t Need This.”

“One day, we won’t need this day. We won’t need a day to celebrate how far we’ve come. We won’t need a day to prove we’re just as fast or strong or skilled; We won’t need a day to relive the comebacks, the firsts, or the titles we’ve won. We won’t need a day to rally behind the ones fighting to change the rules. One day we won’t need this day at all. Because one day, this day, will be our every day.”  

Let’s make it happen. In fact, let’s just do it.  

The post Women’s Hoops is the Future of the Game appeared first on SLAM.

“We didn’t forget about her,” Diggins-Smith said of Griner via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. “We think about her every day. We love her and we’re gonna continue to carry her legacy, her voice and play in her honor until she gets back here with us.”

#Mercury G Skylar Diggins-Smith on Brittney Griner #WNBA pic.twitter.com/xbYn1gFKqN

— jeffmetcalfe (@jeffmetcalfe) April 28, 2022

This season, the WNBA is featuring “BG” floor decals and her No. 42 decals in all 12 arenas. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says the League will keep Griner “at the forefront of what we do” throughout the season.

The U.S. recently reclassified Griner as “wrongfully detained” by the Russian government. Back in March, her detention was extended to May 19.

The post Skylar Diggins-Smith and Mercury Dedicating Season to Brittney Griner appeared first on SLAM.

We recently caught up with WNBA standout DeWanna Bonner to learn more about how she’s been able to balance motherhood and her pro hoops career simultaneously. In 2017, the two-time WNBA champion gave birth to twins, and only a year later, she made her second All-Star appearance. In this Q&A, we talked with Bonner about how she made the transition from motherhood back to hoops and what the 12-year-veteran expects going into this upcoming season with the Connecticut Sun. 

WSLAM: How’s overseas play been this year for CBK Mersin Yenisehir? 

DeWanna Bonner: I didn’t get here until January. I decided to take the first half off and only play a couple months because I wanted to be with [four-year-old twin daughters, Cali and Demi]. I’m pretty much wrapping up my career overseas pretty soon because it’s been hard for me these last two times to leave. Basketball-wise, it’s been amazing. This organization is great, one of the top organizations in Europe, so that’s been pretty cool. 

WSLAM: I’m a twin as well. I have to ask how giving birth to Cali and Demi was. 

DB: Cali was born first. She came out around probably 20 minutes, and Demi was two hours later. They were born at 34 weeks and were very chunky and healthy babies. Now they are two totally different human beings. Demi is into baby dolls and Cali is into skateboards and playing basketball or soccer. It’s crazy to see how they grow up so differently. Demi says, “Mom, I’m going to be a cheerleader for Cali.” 

WSLAM: Was it always in the cards for you to give birth personally?

DB: I was married to Candace [Dupree] and after we got married, that was the next step. Actually, when I got pregnant, I was like, “Oh my God, I’m pregnant!” It’s probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done… giving birth to twins and turning around and starting training to play basketball. I didn’t have a trainer. I just did everything on my own. I played my way back into shape. I felt like I never played basketball a day in my life. I couldn’t jump. I lost all my hips. Building that up was my biggest focus. 

WSLAM: What’s co-parenting been like for you?

DB: Candace didn’t play overseas this year so it worked out perfectly. The girls can be in Florida with her. As of right now, she’s not playing WNBA, so it’s working out perfectly, and I can play and they have someone at home. This is the first time one of us have been playing and one of us has been at home. 

WSLAM: Did giving birth to them and returning to the WNBA give you a whole new outlook on basketball?

DB: I think it made me understand I’m not going to have this forever. That was the first time basketball was taken away from me and I couldn’t play. I’m gonna love this with everything I have because it’s not going to last forever. I know the feeling of having it for nine months and not being able to play. I actually went through a whole WNBA season and I had to watch on TV and it was really tough. 

WSLAM: What do Cali and Demi know about your career?

DB: They were there last year with me in Connecticut. They know I’m playing but they’re more into the mascot. “What’s Blaze doing?” When I do lose a game, it’s the same loving spirit. I come off the court and nothing changes from them. I can play the worst game of my life and they still love me as a mom. 

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WSLAM: Have they asked you any funny questions? 

DB: Cali called me one day and said, “I’m not going to school today. I’m coming to Turkey.” I said, “You’re doing what?” They don’t know quite where Turkey is but they know I’m here. They know I’m playing basketball…I’ll ask Cali, “Can you drive and see us?” And she’ll say, “No we have to fly!” 

WSLAM: You have two WNBA championships under your belt (2009, 2014) and four All-Star awards (2015, 2018, 2019, 2021). What are you most proud of? 

DB: Now being a mom, I would say coming back and playing the way I have been playing. I didn’t think I’d get back to the level I was before. Before I got pregnant, I was competing at a very high level. I had competed for a Euro League Championship, playing against the great Diana Taurasi and lost by three points. I felt like I was at the peak of my game so when I got pregnant, I thought, “Is this the right choice? Is this the right decision?” Then when I came back, I made the All-Star Game that year. 

WSLAM: What helped you to rebound in 2018 after giving birth?

DB: When I came back to Phoenix, I was playing with the greats. Diana Taurasi. Brittney Griner. When you come back to an organization like that, you’re expected to be at a standard, so I was going to fight back to get to that same level. They’re dependent on me like I was dependent on them. Just coming back and knowing what kind of player I needed to be to help the team kept me motivated for sure. 

WSLAM: Can you talk about that transition from the Phoenix Mercury to the Connecticut Sun?
DB: I spent ten years in Phoenix. I felt like I had my own identity but when you think of Phoenix, you think of Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, so I think that was my time to step out and see how much I’ve grown. Connecticut was an opportunity that presented itself in free agency. Every team wanted me to come to their team but I just liked the chemistry Connecticut had. They were that close to winning a championship that year. We’re still working on it but I definitely want to bring the first championship to Connecticut.

WSLAM: What’s pushing you this upcoming season with Connecticut? 

DB: I want to win a championship in Connecticut. We’re really, really close as a team. I think that’ll top my career off and I’ll probably be done. 

WSLAM: What’s different about this team for you?

DB: The youthfulness for me. When I was in Phoenix, Leilani had a kid. Diana had Leo at the time. Everyone would go to practice and go home to be with their families or loved ones. Here, they all want to hang out, laugh and go party. This is fun again. Not that I didn’t have fun in Phoenix, it was more like we were grown adults. 

WSLAM: What’s your relationship with your sister [Erica McCall] like? 

DB: Now that we’re both in the WNBA, we talk and bounce ideas off each other. Her path is so different from mine. Of course I was drafted, been on the same team for ten years, and she’s been on different teams. In the bubble, she changed teams over and over. She looked up to me and I admired her. She still has this great personality. She just plays a role and I don’t know how many people can have that strength and the mindset to do that. I think I admire her a little bit more but she always says she admires me.  

WSLAM: When Cali and Demi look at you now, what do you want them to see?

DB: I don’t know if I want them to look at me as someone who was a good athlete or a good basketball player. A loving mom is the only thing that can come to my mind. I’m a confident, “be you,” type of person. I hope one day I give them that same confidence. As far as being an athlete or anything like that, I don’t know if I want them to feel that way because sometimes I feel like when kids have parents who played basketball, they get that pressure. Basketball is my happy place. If it was to be their own happy place, I’d want them to find their own paths. 

WSLAM: I hear you’re pursuing teaching in your free time, too!
DB: I only have one class left! Then I’ll officially have my master’s in education. I’m pretty excited about that. I’ve been pursuing it my whole time overseas. I actually want to coach but I want to coach basketball for young children. I feel like that’s the part we’re missing—especially for girls. I don’t think they get the same proper guidance that a little boy would get. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post How DeWanna Bonner is Balancing Motherhood While Playing Overseas in Turkey appeared first on SLAM.

The W’s leading scorer in 2021 is taking her talents to Phoenix after the team announced Tina Charles is signing a one-year $108,000 deal with the Mercury.

Tina Charles signed with the Phoenix Mercury for one-year, fully protected contract of $108,000 @Winsidr is informed.

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) February 4, 2022

“For us, this move is about adding absolute top-end talent into our frontcourt, which already features what we consider the most dominant player in the game in (Brittney Griner) and the league’s best defender in Brianna Turner,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said. “We expect to be able to play all three fewer minutes, which should benefit us in the playoffs.”

The former 2012 league MVP is coming off of arguably her most outstanding season in the W to date, averaging 23.4 points, 9.6 boards, and 2.1 dimes per game with the Washington Mystics last season.

An imposing force in the paint, Charles not only shot 44.9 percent from the field last season but also drastically improved her outside shot, shooting 36.5 percent from deep as opposed to just 18.6 percent the year prior.

Alongside the recent addition of Diamond DeShields, the Mercury is also rocking with five Olympic gold medalists from the 2021 Tokyo Games in Charles, Brittany Griner, Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Kia Nurse.

Entering her 12th season in the W, Charles and the Phoenix Mercury will look to avenge their 2021 championship hopes with a retooled, star-studded roster.

The post Tina Charles Signs One-Year Deal With Phoenix Mercury appeared first on SLAM.

Bird is currently an unrestricted free agent and cannot negotiate a contract with the Storm until the period officially opens on January 15. Players can then sign on February 1. She has played her entire career for the Seattle Storm since being drafted by the team in 2002.

GUESS WHO’S NOT GOING ANYWHEREEEE?!?!

BRB, going to cry happy tears @S10Bird pic.twitter.com/ZzTzFYrs3s

— WSLAM (@wslam) January 7, 2022

The four-time champion was recently named to the W25, a list of the top 25 players that have ever played in the W out of 72 nominees. To be considered, players had to have competed in the WNBA for at least two seasons and fit at least four of seven criteria:

• Winning a major individual playing award.
• Selection to at least one All-WNBA Team at any level.
• Selection to at least one WNBA All-Defensive Team at any level.
• Selection for at least one WNBA All-Star Game.
• Member of at least one WNBA championship team.
• A ranking among the top 40 career leaders in any major statistical category, as of the start of the 2021 season.
• Winner of the WNBA’s season-long Community Assist Award.

10 of the W25 are current players: Sue Bird, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles, Brittney Griner, Angel McCoughtry, Nneka Ogwumike, Candace Parker, Breanna Stewart, and Diana Tuarasi

Who’s y’all GOAT in the W?! pic.twitter.com/ILq6zHk7fi

— WSLAM (@wslam) September 5, 2021

Bird has put up 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game for her career. As the oldest active player in the W, she leads the league all-time in assists, games and minutes played, and turnovers. The 12-time All-Star ranks in the top 10 in multiple categories, including points, three-pointers made and attempted, steals, points, and made, missed, and attempted field goals.

Among her career accolades being voted All-WNBA eight times and led the league in assists three times. She has also won 10 medals with Team USA, making her the most decorated basketball player, man or woman, ever. She is one of only one of 11 players ever to win Olympic gold, World Cup gold, a WNBA title, and an NCAA title.

The post Sue Bird Announces Her Return For Another Season 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.

In honor of the WNBA’s 25th anniversary, SLAM is proud to present WSLAM Issue 001, the first all-women’s issue of SLAM. This all-encompassing magazine features the game’s greatest players, from Sheryl Swoopes and Lisa Leslie, who introduced the W to the world in 1997, to today’s stars, including Betnijah Laney, Diamond DeShields and Arike Ogunbowale, who grace this issue’s cover.

The mag also features Tina Charles, Layshia Clarendon, DiDi Richards, Aari McDonald, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, Crystal Bradford and many more of your favorite players. And don’t miss other powerful stories, including the WNBA’s 25 most important moments, the WNBA players’ social justice initiatives and a look at the W’s most fashion-forward hoopers.

WSLAM 1, featuring Arike Ogunbowale, Diamond DeShields and Betnijah Laney, is available now in this exclusive gold metal edition. Only 94 copies are made.

Diamond, Arike and Betnijah each have stories to tell.

Read about how these WNBA All-Stars are making waves on and off the court.

BETNIJAH LANEY

Take one part ballerina, two parts jumpshot and throw in some nasty handles for fun. What do you get?

A new-world basketball player for the 21st century.

READ THE FULL STORY

DIAMOND DESHIELDS

She’s heard the criticism. She’s noted the judgements. It doesn’t matter.

No one can put out Diamond DeShields’ light.

READ THE FULL STORY

ARIKE OGUNBOWALE

Only three years in, Arike Ogunbowale’s unique game has made her one of the biggest stars in the WNBA.

But it’s her confidence on the court, and her work to highlight women’s sports off it, that truly makes her one of a kind.

READ THE FULL STORY

Go behind the scenes with Diamond, Betnijah and Arike for their WSLAM 1 cover shoot!

The post WSLAM 1, the First All-Women’s Issue of SLAM, is Available NOW! appeared first on SLAM.

As Betnijah Laney takes the court each night, her opponents and her peers ought to be ready to dance. It doesn’t matter if someone is larger or quicker, she’s always ready. Getting beat by anyone makes her skin crawl. 

WSLAM 1 featuring Arike Ogunbowale, Diamond DeShields and Betnijah Laney is OUT NOW!

Laney’s use of her pivot foot was enhanced by years of ballet, tap and jazz classes as a child and is the key to her offensive success on the court. When she began playing basketball at 10 years old, Laney was taller than the boys she played against. As the only girl, she battled against boys who still hadn’t been through their growth spurts and as a result, she learned post moves.

Her mother had Laney focus on that pivot foot, forward, backward, away and through.  

“She would always be able to score against them,” Yolanda Laney tells WSLAM, “not because she was going to be able to jump over somebody who was playing at 6-4 or 6-5 in the post, but she was able to maneuver her footwork.” 

Mechanically, that’s why Laney plays the way she does. But why and how did she acquire the emotion and the swagger that has her commanding each dance she does on the floor? 

According to Liberty teammate Sami Whitcomb, Laney acquired her swag and confidence by working so hard on molding and developing her craft.

“There’s no reason for her to not be confident because she knows how much time and effort and energy she puts into it,” Whitcomb shares. 

Current Baylor University women’s basketball head coach Nicki Collen, who coached Laney on the Atlanta Dream in 2020, noted that her swagger is more reserved and quieter compared to that of a player like Courtney Williams. Collen referred to Laney as someone more work-like, someone who brings her “pail and bucket” to work and can only sit back and enjoy what’s been done once her team gets the win. 

Both Collen and Whitcomb describe something they refer to as Laney’s “resting face,” one that breathes intensity. When Laney takes pictures, she usually doesn’t smile. This is how she likes to see herself: confident and tough. She enjoys the mystique of the alter ego that she’s created for herself. Her dry sense of humor and her selfless and caring nature doesn’t quite come across when you first meet her. 

“Judging by my pictures or just seeing me, you know, you don’t really get to know who I really am,” she shares. 

She might tease her teammates or people close to her with her serious expression. She’ll convince them that she’s upset and then at the flip of a switch, she’ll start laughing. That resting face belongs to a born leader.

Get your copy of the first all-women’s issue of SLAM!

According to Whitcomb, Laney is a gifted communicator, especially so when with her teammates. While quite reserved, when Laney speaks, her peers listen up. She doesn’t come across as abrasive or critical when she talks, but rather in a way that encourages her teammates to grow. 

“She’s not shouting, she’s not too soft, but she’s that perfect blend of demanding the room,” Whitcomb says. “Everybody listens.”

Yolanda Laney knew her daughter was a born leader from the very beginning. She recalls seeing Betnijah unafraid to demonstrate skills even if she got them wrong at basketball camps when she was younger. She was always leading by example.

At around age 13 or 14, Yolanda sat her daughter down and taught her all about how to be the best teammate she could be. Drawing from her own playing days, Yolanda explained to her daughter that a team doesn’t win when teammates don’t lift each other. 

“You will always get receptiveness from people, depending on the way you approach a situation,” Yolanda recalls telling her daughter. “Nobody ever wants to be embarrassed, especially when they make mistakes, so if you notice something about somebody, go over there and give them that encouragement.” 

In addition to her work ethic, her competitiveness and toughness is what has always made her stand out. Growing up playing one-on-one with her younger brother Shakaris and 5×5 or 3×3 with all of her cousins gave Laney her grit and her toughness. 

“I grew up around a bunch of boys so I had to be tough,” she reflects. “You know I couldn’t go in the house crying because somebody pushed me down or anything.”

Although she felt the pressure not to be vulnerable in front of all the boys she grew up with, her peers treated her as an equal. They weren’t any less physical and didn’t treat her more delicately because of her gender. 

Laney’s game has shined a light on a certain type of player in the women’s basketball pipeline. At 6-0, she’s a three-way scorer and a two-way player who can distribute the ball and post up. But more than just her athletic prowess, it’s also the way she exudes her own style and engages in an array of interests beyond basketball that are and will be integral in the growth and influence of the W. 

She is a loud and proud Beyoncé stan who only plays Queen B’s music in the car driving around with her mother. Laney’s love of Beyoncé stems from not only sharing a nickname (“B”), but also in how the singer approaches her art. She performs with a particular style and that’s how Laney wants her performance on the court to be reflected, too. 

The two also have another thing in common: both were named after the matriarchs in their families. The name Beyoncé is adapted from Knowles’ mother’s maiden name. And for Laney, the construction of her first name is a combination of three of her family’s matriarchs. Her grandmother Betty (Bet-), her aunt Nikita (-ni) and her great Aunt Jessie (-jah) all inspired her name.  

WSLAM 1 is OUT NOW!

Yolanda’s Aunt Jessie Green is responsible for Betnijah’s love of the arts. When she and her brother were children, they’d spend summers, Christmases and Thanksgivings with their Aunt Jessie. She took them to the Museum of Natural History, the Met, Coney Island and the theater. Laney grew up surrounded by African art that filled Green’s apartment.

The Liberty wing was disappointed that Broadway wasn’t opening until September due to the pandemic, so she’ll have to wait to see her favorite musical, “The Lion King.” At 6 years old, Laney took up an interest in modeling after being inspired by seeing Green’s headshot in Playbill. Although Green has passed, Laney is proud to cherish the Playbill issue to honor her memory. 

Choosing to return to New York after she signed with the Liberty was Laney’s way of showing her loyalty and respect for the support system she grew up with. Her aunts, uncles and cousins all come to support her in droves. Over 20 of them traveled to Las Vegas and all wore customized Betnijah themed T-shirts that other fans at the game wanted to purchase. 

“Every step we took at that All-Star Game, they said, Did you buy that t-shirt?” Yolanda says. “We said no, ‘We made that coming in.’”

Up 1 point against the Dallas Wings on July 5, Laney found herself being guarded on the block by a smaller but slightly quicker Arike Ogunbowale. Laney swayed side to side on the block to get a bit of space from the Wings’ guard, got behind her and pulled her toes into a relevé, springing into the air to secure the ball on a pass from Sabrina Ionescu. And when she landed on two feet, she made the extra pass to a wide open Reshanda Gray underneath the basket. 

While Ogunbowale wasn’t ready to take on Laney’s dance on the court, the Liberty star made sure that the younger guard was ready for something else weeks later. During the photo shoot for this cover, Laney took it upon herself to make sure that her co-cover stars, Ogunbowale and Diamond DeShields, knew how to look their best. 

Although she’s a different type of performer than what her Great Aunt Jessie was, Laney still knows what looks fierce. Should she put the white hoodie on? How should it sit on her jersey? Those were questions Laney asked herself while assisting the creative direction of the shoot. 

“I was just trying to do that for somebody else because I want to look my best and I know someone else would also want to look their best,” Laney said. 

With her hair styled all by herself, pulled back in a tight ponytail, overalls covering her seafoam jersey and her classic resting face, eyebrows raised, Laney understood the assignment. Paying homage to the ’90s, the decade the League began, was her jam. Just like paving the way forward for the WNBA is her dance. 

Go behind the scenes with Diamond, Betnijah and Arike for their WSLAM 1 cover shoot!

Portraits by Raven B. Varona. Follow Ravie B. on Instagram, @ravieb.

Action photos via Getty Images.

The post Betnijah Laney’s Toughness Has Cemented Her as the W’s Latest Three-Way Scorer appeared first on SLAM.

This marked the seventh-straight gold medal in the event for the US Women, as Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi became first basketball players ever to win gold five times. 

Brittney Griner led all scorers with 30 points, making 14 of her 18 shots. A’ja Wilson was another huge contributor with 19 points, 7 rebounds and five assists. 

On Sunday morning, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics All-Star Five was announced, highlighting the top five women from the tournament. Wilson and Breanna Stewart both got the nod for this honor. 

With their seventh consecutive gold, the United States hasn’t lost this event since 1992 at the Barcelona Games.

The post USA Women’s Basketball Wins Seventh-Straight Gold Medal at Tokyo Olympics appeared first on SLAM.

Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi joined the League a few years after its inception and have played critical roles on and off the court in putting it in the position it’s in today. Nneka Ogwumike joined some years later and has been crucial to the voice of the WNBPA and ensuring that the women who play on the court are heard on everything from basketball-related issues to social justice reform and much more. Skylar Diggins-Smith brought a new era of the game with her as social media flourished, and now she’s one of the most followed women’s professional athletes in the world.

Order your copy of SLAM 232 featuring Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi now.

Each of these four real-life superheroes formed a revolution in women’s sports and helped evolve the game that we love for generations to come.

SLAM: Did you ever imagine yourself saying that you would be playing in the 25th season of the WNBA when you first picked up a basketball?

DIANA: No. I think you know growing up and being a 12-year-old and the WNBA just starting and living in L.A., going to Great Western Forum and seeing Lisa [Leslie] play and all of the visiting teams, it was shocking because I was only going to watch the Lakers and now I’m watching the WNBA. So that to me was kind of the beginning of, Oh, I kinda like this. There might be a future in basketball. But 25 years in, that’s pretty impressive. 

SUE: For me, I remember when it was the 10th anniversary, when it was the 15th anniversary, so I’m just happy. It’s another anniversary because we’re doing well, we’re getting better and better and it’s going to continue to grow.

SLAM: What’s the first thing that comes to mind now that you’re about to begin this historic season?

SKY: I think we have great momentum from last year. It’s rejuvenating almost. I’m super excited, obviously to be a part of it, but to be a part of it with these women, with this group. I’m proud to say everything that we’ve been able to accomplish on and off the floor, all those efforts. I think it’s a culmination and using that momentum into the 25th season I think it’s going to be really exciting. 

NNEKA: I think the timing going into the 25th season is really interesting with what’s going on in the world and where people see us now. For us to be celebrating 25 years, that’s more than 25 years but also about where that 25 years has landed us. Thinking about that legacy and being able to be a part of it, and actually be a part of the history is really huge. I’m really glad to be able to celebrate it with legends that are still in the game and with more coming toward women in sports. 

SLAM: This group has been a major factor in making the League what it is today. What does that mean to you?

SUE: For me, personally, I do realize that 25 years from now when people look back on the League, they’re going to think of our names when they think of the early years. Because I came into the League, I think in its fifth year, I don’t feel like a pioneer. I don’t feel like the Sheryl Swoopes and the Lisa Leslies and Rebecca Lobos, but I know years from now we’ll be kinda in that group. So, it’s interesting because a part of me feels lucky to be a part of the start and to have helped it grow along the way, but also, we’re still playing so we’re kind of part of this younger generation, too. At the same time, for me, personally, everything that I do now is definitely about younger generations and leaving the business of the WNBA in a better place so it can continue to grow.

SKY: That full circle moment, too. I was that girl in ’97. I was 7 years old when the League started so that was my first time not only seeing women play on TV, but women that look like me playing and being on a stage like that. I was that little girl, so to see it come full circle and to see how younger girls respond to us and how they’re taking to our game and want to be like us. Having that in mind, that full circle moment.

SLAM: What are the biggest changes you’ve each seen on the court?

DIANA: Stylistically, the game has changed tremendously. The way it looks, the way it functions, the way we play is night and day from when we came into the League. It used to be a more veteran, more physical League, where now it’s more young and more athletic. These kids are doing shit that we didn’t do until two years ago. They’re so much more advanced skill-wise as far as what they can actually do on the court and it’s impressive to see them working at their craft at such an early age.

SUE: I agree. The two things I would add to D’s point, there’s been an evolution in the rules. I think now we’re almost ahead of the game in terms of the referees and the rules. At some point, when it peaks, it’ll be even better. Then the reality is, it’s 12 teams and 12 roster spots per team. This has been the biggest game of survival of the fittest you’re ever going to find anywhere in athletics. There’s no more competitive League because there’s not many spots. And, well, people like us won’t fucking retire, so you have new draft classes coming in every year and it gets more and more competitive. Which is great, because the product on the floor continues to get better, because it’s literally only the strong survive.

NNEKA: I was raised on teams where it was very fundamental, very conventional. When I came out of Stanford, we were running the triangle, so I was really good at my job. I think it’s interesting, Skylar and I were kind of in between generations a little bit. I always thought I was gonna be playing in the League, then overseas, then back to the League, and so on. Now I find myself in a position where maybe I don’t need to go overseas as much and I can work on my game a little bit more, so I can kinda lean in toward the newer generation. I’m really grateful to have the opportunity to be able to be with people like this group and get to work on my game and to add that dynamic aspect to the game as I’m also experiencing it on the court. D’s right, if you don’t work on something, you’re out. It’s moving fast and you have to keep up with it, you can’t wait for there to be expansion. You gotta stay sharp. I love it.

SKY: That was my thing coming to Phoenix. I knew I was coming with great players. I had to carry the load on my old team. Everybody knew I had to score points, get assists, be top 10 in these categories or it was going to be tough. Coming to Phoenix, I knew I was coming with the greatest player we had in our League, and I was coming with BG [Brittney Griner] who is one of the biggest stars in our League, because I am trying to fucking win. Let’s keep it 100. I’m playing this game because I want to win championships. MVP, that’s not something that’s in my mind, so it’s like, what do I gotta do for us to win? When I come on a team like this, I sacrifice a bit of myself for the greater good, and everybody eats. That wisdom, too, as a player you evolve, your mindset changes with maturity. Having the best teacher of experience, you can’t teach that.

SLAM: What excites you the most about this next generation of women’s basketball players?

SKY: They are athletic as hell. I mean the way they’re dunking the ball, the finishes, the veer steps, it’s so creative. I’m seeing stuff that I’ve never seen before consistently. The skill level, the handles, the one-on-one skills, it’s amazing.

NNEKA: For me it’s the gall and the fearlessness. When I first came into the League, they were like, Oh, she’s a rookie,  but now it’s not really so much that. You can say that yeah, they’re a rookie, but these kids are coming in…

SUE: Expecting, but in a good way. 

SKY: Thinking of someone like Chennedy Carter or Arike [Ogunbowale].

NNEKA: Yeah, they’re like, I don’t care. I love that. I think that’s really great.

SUE: What excites me about the college players, even some high school players, they have legit followings that we didn’t have. The thing that is really exciting about it is that they’re gonna continue to build that. When they do get to the WNBA, they’re gonna take that with them. So, the 22-year-old guy who’s now following XYZ player becomes the decision maker and they’re out in the world talking about women’s professional basketball. It’ll be a different storyline.

SKY: The exposure is crazy. It’s insane.

SUE: Yeah, like Paige Bueckers as a high school kid was on the front of SLAM. That didn’t happen. Chamique [Holdsclaw] was the only person ever at that point. That changes narratives, that changes things. I think that’s pretty dope. 

SLAM: For Sue and Diana, you both have accomplished so much in your careers. Is there anything that’s on your bucket list, career-wise, that you still want to accomplish? 

DIANA: I don’t necessarily think it’s a championship or a record. It’s an internal motor that won’t stop. It isn’t necessarily physically or mentally, but there’s this motor running in me that won’t stop. Where that goes, I don’t know, but it’s not stopping. 

SUE: For me, I make shit up. I’m like, I want to play in the new Key Arena. That’s my new bucket list. I’m making these things up, but I think that’s [D’s point] at the core of it. 

DIANA: Sometimes I wake up and I say, Alright, dude, just give it a rest, and I can’t. I’m obsessed with it. On the car ride over with Nneka, I said, Man, my life is literally my family and basketball. I don’t have time for anything fucking else, and I wish it was like this 10 years ago.

SLAM: The power of the WNBA cannot be mistaken anymore. From changing the course of an election to helping remove and replace a team owner who went against what the women of the League stand for. What were those conversations to strategize and mobilize?

NNEKA: They weren’t easy conversations to have. To be honest, it went before even what we were faced with when it came to us even formulating a social justice council. We were having hard conversations before about what the bubble was going to be like. I mean, we’ve seen panels of “important conversations,” where people aren’t having them, but I can honestly say that we were having them. Whether it was me and Sue talking or me asking D, Hey, what’s up? Even when we had the all-player meeting, D stayed at the end and said, Yo, what the hell are we doing?

For us to be able to have those tough conversations, me asking Sky, Do you have resources for your family? It was more than us demonstrating what we had faced with the course of the election and such, it was real life shit that we were having to deal with. We took it day by day. One thing that never wavered was us letting people speak their mind. I think that’s what people don’t get. People think that the hard conversation needs to have a syllabus. No. You just need to make space for people to be comfortable to express what they need to express and then you really figure it out from there.

SLAM: One of the most emotional and trying moments of last season was when the League refused to play in protest of the shooting of Jacob Blake. What was that experience like for each of you?

SKY: It was insane. We had a conversation that day and we were kind of talking at shootaround and we were like, Do we play? We came together, it didn’t even feel right practicing. I talked to D, we talked to the team, and we ended up meeting together, asking, What do we really want to do? We want to make sure that we’re united in this. Basketball was secondary at the time. We felt like it needed to be a response to what had happened. There was no doubt in our mind, it was a unanimous decision. Everybody supported each other.

SUE: I think the beauty of the WNBA is that it’s not just about this year. What made us so ready and willing to step up were our past experiences. I can think back to 2016 when Minnesota wore their shirts first and then it went to New York and then Phoenix, then our whole League backed everybody. Looking back on that, we weren’t as organized as we were this year, but we kind of had to go through that in a way to understand, Wow, we’re organized and we’re all on the same page. The platform is bigger, the voice is louder.

Fast forward to last summer, that moment was heightened emotions, it was happening in real time. There’s a lot of people with a lot of opinions, rightfully so. The good news is that we’re all on the same page from a values standpoint. But there’s the conversation of how, how we are going to do it? I think what we learned from 2016 is, when we’re organized with it and we’re all on the same page, it’s much more powerful.

NNEKA: We weren’t going to have one game and not the other. There was a camaraderie through it all, even though people had different opinions about it. It was clear that we wanted to let people know things are more important right now and we needed to reset and understand we came to the bubble for a reason. Quite frankly, my opinion was we had a platform to not play because we were playing. I think that was something that people needed to understand as well.

DIANA: I made it really clear, we’re going to do all this shit and then play today? If there’s one day not to play, it’s today. To even have the conversation of maybe playing to me was absurd and I think that I made that really clear. Going back to what you guys said, fast forward a couple hours when we were in that only-players conference, you could tell there was fatigue and sadness, and it was across everyone’s face and across everyone’s demeanor. You felt let down by the world basically, by society, by the people that are supposed to protect you. There was a feeling of grief in a lot of ways. I think that moment was very clear to all of us. 

SKY: We were already in the climate of coming to the bubble and George Floyd happened and then we dedicated our season to #SayHerName and trying to bring forward the women’s stories who have been lost. Trying to bring their stories to the forefront, to light
and then it just seemed like it was back-to-back. I know as a Black woman, it is tiring, and I was like, Hell no. We are not playing. That feeling, I’ve never felt like that in my life.

SLAM: We are now celebrating the 25th anniversary of the WNBA, the longest-standing women’s professional league of all time. Where do you want to see the League when it celebrates its 50th anniversary? 

DIANA: Well, I would like to be on my couch in November, and instead of putting on the Lakers, I’d like to put on the Mercury. 

SKY: You get that? And 30 teams. 

NNEKA: For me, I always say this, I don’t really put a timeline on it. The only timeline I put on it is that I’m gonna be alive when this happens. I want to see the first million-dollar contract signed.

SKY: You gonna be commissioner next? 

SUE: Yeah, she might be commissioner. You’re gonna be putting the contract in front of the player.

SKY: Yeah, manifest that. 

SUE: I always joke about this, but you hear an older NBA player say, I didn’t make that money. They’re the disgruntled older player. I always say that I
hope that’s me one day. I hope I’m somewhere on my couch watching a game and I’m saying, I didn’t make a million dollars. 

DIANA: In November? 

SUE: Yeah, in November. 

DIANA: You might be Kenny Smith and I gotta be Charles Barkley! 

SUE: But yeah, jokingly, I want to see a million-dollar contract and say, Dang, I didn’t get to have that. But simultaneously, the four of us, we will have played a part in that contract. 

NNEKA: You can definitely say that we did that. 

—

Portraits by Atiba Jefferson.

SLAM 232 is available now in these exclusive gold and black metal editions. Only 60 copies are available in black, and 94 are available in gold.

Shop here.

The post Unity ‘Til Infinity: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi Cover SLAM 232 appeared first on SLAM.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Taurasi will reportedly sign a multi-year deal to remain with the Phoenix Mercury.

Drafted first overall by the team in the 2004 WNBA Draft, Taurasi has well-solidified herself as a certified bucket throughout her career. In her rookie-debut, she dropped 22 points in a loss to the Sacramento Monarchs and went on to average 17 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.3 steals a game that season. She was then named Rookie of the Year and was first team All-WNBA.

Since then, she’s led the Mercury to three WNBA Championship titles, is a nine-time WNBA All-Star, a WNBA MVP, and a two-time WNBA Finals MVP. She currently holds the record for most points scored in a WNBA career (8931), passing Tina Thompson in 2017.

Diana Taurasi makes shots that don’t make sense. Deadeye shooter. (via @WNBA) pic.twitter.com/dQCAnmLW1G

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) August 29, 2018

In her 16th season, Taurasi averaged 18.7 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in 19 games inside the wubble.

When asked about retirement, the 38-year old told ESPN’s Katie Barnes that her sole focus right now is to excel on the court. She isn’t stopping anytime soon.

“I’m not stopping; I don’t feel like I should stop right now. Who knows? In six months, it could be a different story. But right now, people ask me what I want to do after basketball … I’m doing basketball right now. I’m doing everything I can to be on the court. Not to be in the front office, not to coach. My sole objective is to be on the court and to be badass. It’s just simple.”

As WNBA free agency continues, the Mercury made a big move by re-signing a veteran and leader like Taurasi and adding guard Skylar Diggins-Smith to their roster. Along with center Brittney Griner, the Mercury’s big three will be a must-watch this upcoming season.

The post Diana Taurasi To Return To Phoenix Mercury, Signs Multiyear Deal appeared first on SLAM.

If you’re into scary movies, go to YouTube and type in “horror short films.” Once you do that, grab a few snacks and get comfy on the couch because you’re going to be there for a while.

This rabbit hole of 15-minute hair-raisers is a good distraction after a long day of work or during a lazy weekend. And if you’re a 22-year-old Texas native playing pro ball in Turkey looking for something to do after a game, you couldn’t ask for a better escape.

“I’m going to check that out,” says Chennedy Carter, peeking from underneath a black Bathing Ape hoodie on a recent Zoom call. “I like all scary movies. With the pandemic, it took me away [from visiting the theaters]. I used to go to the movie theater like every Friday. I didn’t miss Annabelle or The Quiet Place.”

For much of the early fall, Carter played international ball in Elazig, Turkey, a history-rich city of about 300,000 residents that’s roughly a 12-hour drive from Istanbul. Not a whole lot of late-night shenanigans going on in Elazig, so Carter whiled away her free time by playing Call of Duty, doing some shopping and watching creepy flicks.

“I’m such a movie person,” says Carter, who’s appropriately called “Hollywood” by friends and fans—though the moniker has much more to do with her flashy style of play than it does her penchant for streaming. “I love to lay down and just watch different movies. That’s me. I’m chill. I don’t really need too much to keep me company. My [PlayStation 4] game system, my Netflix and my Hulu and I’m good. That’s how I’m lasting over here.”

It can be terrifying being so far from home, especially with coronavirus fears very much alive. Still, Carter braved the unfavorable conditions to play in Europe. She felt she had no other choice.

“I just knew in order to make money—and to provide for myself and my family—coming out of school, it was something I would have to do,” she says. “I was prepared for it. I just got off the phone with my agent. He was checking to see if my mental health was good and that I’m OK. I was like, Yeah, I’m doing the best I can.”

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You can say that again. Through Elazig’s first three games, Carter averaged 16 points a night. She looked especially comfortable during an October 10 contest when she went off for 26.

Unfortunately, that game proved to be Carter’s last time in an Elazig uniform. Less than one week after our interview, Carter and the team abruptly parted ways. At press time, we hadn’t heard the official reason for her departure and couldn’t confirm social media rumors about her possibly playing for another overseas club this year.

We won’t speculate as to what happened in Turkey. All we know is that wherever the super-smooth Carter has played previously, the team benefitted from her presence. She graduated from Arlington’s Timberview High School in 2017 as a McDonald’s All-American and espnW’s No. 6 overall recruit with a 70-4 record over her junior and senior seasons.

Carter took those dominating ways with her a few hours south to Texas A&M. While in College Station, Chennedy carved her place in the record books (school highs for single-season average, 23.3, and most points in a single game, 46) and etched her name onto numerous trophies (National Freshman of the Year in ’17-18; three-time All-American), all while regularly slashing through SEC defenders with Michael Myers-like precision.

“Chennedy’s ability to create for herself and others is what separates her,” says assistant coach Kelly Bond-White, who’s entering her 19th season on the Aggies staff. “What makes her special is her true desire to want ‘the moment’ in clutch situations.”

Coach Bond-White points to A&M’s second-round match-up in the 2019 NCAA Tournament with Marquette as a perfect example of Carter’s killer instincts. The game was a back-and-forth tussle between evenly matched squads—until you add in the Carter factor, of course. Chennedy exploded for 30 points and 9 rebounds, showing off an arsenal of skills—a nice touch, timely passes and tight defense—in the crucial moments of the 2-point victory. (Oh, after your horror movie marathon, give “Chennedy Carter highlights” a go on YouTube. You won’t be disappointed.)

That must have been one of the games the Atlanta Dream saw because the franchise didn’t flinch when it came time to make its first-round selection in the 2020 WNBA Draft.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Chennedy and her family to the ATL,” Dream head coach Nicki Collen told reporters after taking the 5-9 Carter with the fourth pick. “Chennedy is a gifted scorer, possessing great speed, skill and strength with the ball in her hands… We believe Chennedy has a chance, with time and commitment, to be a special player in Atlanta.”

Now, that’s a frightening thought.

Not sure if Chennedy watched the horror short Other Side of the Box yet. It’s a creepy lil’ flick about a couple who’s gifted a box filled with an eerie surprise that, whenever you take your eyes off of it, gets closer and closer to you. It’s strange as hell.

The same premise basically applies to Carter’s game. The blur of a combo guard can be dribbling at the midcourt line one minute, but if you take your gaze off her for even a second, she’ll have zoomed right past you for an acrobatic layup the next.

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“[Atlanta] coaches did a great job of getting my game accustomed [to the professional level],” says Carter. “They said, Before we get to the [WNBA] bubble, we gotta increase your pace. We gotta make sure when you make a move that you’re creating space. We know you’re used to going by people in college but, in the League, it’s a little bit different. You gotta create a little more space on your crossover. I think that my coaches really did a good job of making my transition easy because they believed in me.”

The NCAA-to-WNBA jump can be daunting. The intense practices. The across-the-board speed. The physical toll in the paint. The A’ja Wilsons. The Brittney Griners. It’s a lot. But if you’ve been paying attention, you know that Chennedy Carter is a different beast altogether.

“I just feel like, once I was three games deep, I was good,” says Carter, who averaged a Dream-high 17.5 points a night. “Those first three games were kinda my testers, the icebreakers. Everybody was tuned in [to the games]. Everybody was like, Yo, what are they gonna do with the rookies? Once I got comfortable, I started to find myself.”

Ask Washington about her. The Mystics and Dream met only once in the wubble. Mystics guards are probably still having night sweats about the 26 points that the rookie scored on them in the Dream’s season finale.

And she didn’t just terrorize the League’s meager teams, either. In a meeting on August 6 with the eventual champion Seattle Storm, Carter had a 35-point showing, making her the youngest player in WNBA history to score 30-plus in a game. Easy to see why she was a unanimous WNBA All-Rookie selection.

The season did present its challenges, though. An ankle injury sidelined Carter for roughly two weeks. Chennedy was forced to helplessly watch as the Dream went 1-5 in her absence, solidifying the team’s second-straight losing season.

A lack of talent isn’t Atlanta’s central issue. In Carter, Elizabeth Williams and the League’s Most Improved Player, Betnijah Laney, they have plenty of hellraisers on the roster. The young squad just needs more time on the court as a unit.

“I think we gotta have more practices together,” says Carter. “We got a lot of people that came late because of COVID [related issues]. That does something to your body. It was a challenge for them to get back out there and get their legs back under them and really get used to the pace.

“I feel like if we could have a normal season and we could really spend time in practice together and get to know each other a little bit better—and it’s not so quickly put together—I think we’ll be on that level.”

But if the Dream are to fully exorcise recent playoff demons—Atlanta has missed the postseason in four of the last six campaigns—Carter will have to lead the way. “I just wanna add more sauce to my game, more unexpected [play],” says Carter, who admits to spending some of her Netflix time repeatedly watching The Last Dance documentary series.

“If I’m going to the rim, you think I’m going to go for a layup, but I end up doing a fadeaway stepback or something. Just being more unpredictable, that’s what I’m going to add to my game. Even though I’ve only played one year, I still want to change everything I’m doing. When I come back, I’m going to change it and expand it the best way I can—whether that’s defensively or offensively.”

Adds Coach Bond-White, “I expect Chen to keep being open to learning. She is surrounded by the greats in our game. She is a sponge, even when it may seem she’s not listening or taking notes. She’s learning and will add every bit to her arsenal.”

WNBA, consider this your lone warning because once Chennedy Carter figures it all out, she’s coming for blood.

—

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DeMarco Williams is a SLAM contributor. Follow him on Twitter @demarcowill.

Photos via Getty

The post Chennedy Carter Is Bringing ‘Hollywood’ to the WNBA appeared first on SLAM.

Griner, one of the W’s most imposing figures, is averaging 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game for the 6-7 Mercury, any extended absence would have a significant impact on the team’s chances of competing in what’s been a competitive season.

Phoenix head coach Sandy Brodello was unable to provide any additional insight into Griner’s decision to leave the bubble, telling Brendon Kleen of The Next: Hoops that the team will play without her tonight and go from there.

Even if Griner does return to the bubble, she’ll be required to undergo quarantine protocol before she’s able to return to action.

The post Brittney Griner Leaves Wubble for Personal Reasons 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.

The highly anticipated opening day battle between the 2018 WNBA champ will mark Breanna Stewart’s return to the hardwood and No. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu’s debut.

Other opening day battles involve the 2019 WNBA champion Mystics despite uncertainty about Elena Della Donne’s presence pending a potential medical exemption, the ever-popular Los Angeles Sparks sans Chiney Ogwumike and the Indiana Fever.

The Phoenix Mercury, too, will play in the initial triple-header, unveiling for all the game’s latest pairing of superstars. Skylar Diggins-Smith will return to WNBA action for the first time since 2018 and she’ll do so alongside perennial MVP candidate Brittney Griner and a healthy Diana Taurasi.

The regular season will run through September 12, at which point the league will proceed into its typical postseason format.

The WNBA season will take place at one location in Bradenton, Florida.

The post WNBA Reveals Modified 2020 Schedule appeared first on SLAM.

It’s unclear at this stage what the Wings will be bringing back in the deal but the Mercury loaded up in draft picks yesterday when they traded DeWanna Bonner to Connecticut.

Diggins-Smith will join a Mercury squad led by the iconic Diana Taurasi and anchored by Brittney Griner, by going along with a sign-and-trade pact she’s able to sign for a greater salary.

Diggins-Smith sat out the 2019 campaign after the birth of her child but represented the U.S. in the Olympic qualifiers earlier this year. In 2018 she averaged 17.9 points and 6.2 assists per game.

The post Phoenix Mercury Acquire Skylar Diggins-Smith appeared first on SLAM.

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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.

Taurasi had her own kicks back in 2006. The Nike Shox DT came and went quickly and it’s already, unfortunately, been forgotten. It was a funky-looking silhouette built on Nike’s patented Shox technology. The cushioning was mixed with Zoom Air and it trailed up to a big overlay that covered the midfoot and eventually wrapped around the collar. Taurasi only played in them for one season. She’s been playing in LeBron PEs ever since.

Taurasi, a three-time WNBA champ and four-time Olympic gold medalist, is the last woman sponsored by Nike to get a signature sneaker. The last woman to get a signature in the WNBA is Parker, who has two WNBA MVP trophies, two gold medals and a WNBA title. She’s consistently been laced in the latest adidas options ever since the early 2000s and adidas hooked her up with three of her own pairs, the last of which was in 2012 when the Ace3 came out.

It’s a stark, stark contrast from when women’s basketball exploded into the mainstream in the mid-’90s. Chamique Holdsclaw, Dawn Staley, Lisa Leslie, Cynthia Cooper, Rebecca Lobo and Nicki McCray were all given their own kicks by Nike, adidas, Reebok and Fila back in the day.

And then there was Sheryl Swoopes, a pioneer in basketball sneakers. Nike made seven different signature sneakers for Swoopes and she wore them as she was winning four consecutive WNBA titles with the Houston Comets and three Olympic gold medals. The impact of the first Air Swoopes still moves the Hall of Famer.

“I remember going to Portland, walking in the room and just seeing all of the stuff,” Swoopes told SLAM at the 2019 WNBA Draft about the first time she saw her signature sneaker. “It seemed so surreal to me at the moment. To walk in and, not only see any shoe, but to see my shoe, with my name on it, and to know that there were gonna be little girls out there, and hopefully little boys too, that have an opportunity to wear a women’s basketball shoe… I love Michael Jordan, but you don’t have to go and buy the Air Jordans anymore. You can go and buy the Air Swoopes. Even today, to say that, I’m like, ‘Wow that really did happen.’ I still get emotional to this day when I think about it.”

But there hasn’t been another player able to feel that type of emotion in nearly 10 years. Even as the talent level has soared across the W and players have taken strong stances against political and racial injustices, developing rock-solid personal brands, no company has stepped up with a sneaker.

The most that the brands do is give a select few players their own team-specific colorways. Parker is always playing in purple and gold kicks, Bird has been given the reigns to the Kyrie line and Taurasi has gotten Phoenix Mercury-themed LeBrons ever since Nike did away with her sneaker. Some of the league’s best young players get featured in marketing campaigns by Nike and adidas, where the spotlight shines on them briefly. But it’s not enough for Breanna Stewart and Nneka Ogwumike, two former MVPs, to get a couple of seconds of airtime in a branded Instagram video that also shows men with their own kicks.

If the high level of skill and the social awareness weren’t enough, the W is filled with huge sneakerheads, now more than ever. There will be old pairs of Kobes, the newest adidas and a wild custom pair on any given night during the summertime. Sneakers matter to them and to their fans.

“I remember in middle school I had Cynthia Cooper’s sneaker,” the W’s Sneaker Queen, Tamera Young, says. “Our team, actually, had it. It’s something for the kids as well that looks up to us. If you had WNBA players that have sneakers, it’s something that little girls could look up to.”

“It would just be an inspiration to young players to be able to wear shoes of their favorite women’s player,” the Chicago Sky’s Diamond DeShields says. “Visibility is key. I believe this would help promote that and ultimately contribute to the common goal of growing the league as a whole.”

The 24-year-old DeShields debuted the “Chicago” Air Fear of God 1 recently, a move co-signed by the sneaker’s designer, Jerry Lorenzo. He personally thanked DeShields in an Instagram post that went out to his one million-plus followers.

“It’s all a part of the evolution of the sport,” DeShields says about a woman having her own sneaker. “At what point is it gonna become normalized for women to share the same platform and opportunities as men? ‘Never’ won’t last in regard to this question so why not now?”

Like DeShields, a few women have been able to show off high-profile pairs. The Aces have a heavy-hitting duo in Wilson and Kayla McBride, both in terms of bucket-getting and sneaker-wearing. Wilson is the first WNBA player to get player exclusive Adapt BB colorways. She first rocked her personal colorway of the auto-lacing sneaker at NBA All-Star Weekend and then went on to debut the “Air MAG” Adapt BBs. And McBride was the first to launch the “NASA 50” colorway of the PG3. Tina Charles and Odyssey Sims got to break out the “SpongeBob” and “Patrick” Kyrie 5s. And the first player to wear the Nike Freak 1 on-court wasn’t Giannis Antetokounmpo or one of his brothers—it was Dallas Wings rookie Arike Ogunbowale.

“We’re at a time where we deserve our own signature shoe,” Wilson says. “It would help the WNBA’s evolution because that’s just a huge step of getting us out there as players. That is a big step. Of course, my favorite Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes, they had their shoes but we need to bring that back. It brings a lot more coverage to our game and notice to our game. That’ll just help our game evolve.

Go down the line and look at the rest of the league and you’ll find ‘heads on every team, players that not only mess with sneakers but that can also truly hoop. Jewell Loyd, Elena Delle Donne, Chiney Ogwumike, Kia Nurse and Seimone Augustus are a few of the best players in the WNBA and a few of its biggest sneakerheads too.

Augustus, a future Hall of Famer that has four rings with the Minnesota Lynx, has been wearing customs for the last two seasons thanks to Salvatore Marcum. Marcum runs Mpls Customs and, in addition to working with Augustus, has also worked with Collin Sexton, Langston Galloway, Josh Okogie and a handful of NFL players.

“These women work harder than anyone I know,” Marcum says. “The passion is there, the love for the sport is there and the signature shoes would be a great step in the right direction for them as a whole to reach the publicity they deserve.

“Seimone’s a player I personally look up to,” Marcum continues. “We’ve done a lot of shoes together to bring awareness to things, such as the ‘Care Bear’ shoes for Pride Month and the native shoes for Native American Heritage Night.”

As Marcum notes, Augustus is one of the players that uses her platform to highlight what’s most important on a personal level. Los Angeles Sparks rookie Marina Mabrey recently did that too, when she used her platform to go after the incessant trolls that constantly leave sexist comments on social media. Mabrey rolled up to a game wearing a shirt with an image of a basketball court that read, “This is my Kitchen.”

“Sneakers are a symbol of a favorite player no different than a jersey,” Mabrey, a collegiate national champion at Notre Dame, says. “The more involved the fans are, the better the league will be. The evolution of basketball begins with participation of the fans. When young girls express their love of the game, we want them to want to be WNBA players.”

Mabrey agrees that a WNBA player with a signature sneaker would help to grow the women’s game and showcase all the skill that doesn’t get highlighted enough. DeShields seconds that.

“It would just help create more iconic players in the league,” DeShields says. “The biggest stars of the NBA have their own shoe, so I think creating that hierarchy within the W would only elevate the popularity of the game as a whole.”

It would also celebrate this group of the world’s best basketball players. It would be definitive recognition of the work they’ve put in and the respect they deserve. In basketball, the sneaker is a status symbol, a marker of the elite. It doesn’t get more elite in women’s basketball than the WNBA.

“It’s super important for us, as women, to have a signature shoe,” the Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner says. Griner’s list of accomplishments runs deep. She’s got a WNBA title, an Olympic gold medal and two DPOY trophies. Plus, when she was drafted in 2013 as the No. 1 overall pick, she was signed by Nike as part of a trio with Elena Delle Donne and Skylar Diggins. It was a big signing at the time but all Griner has to show for it is a couple of PEs through the years.

“With our league being around 20-plus years now and all the hype behind us, women’s sports across the board, from Serena [Williams] in tennis to Megan [Rapinoe] kicking ass at soccer, it’s really time,” she continues. “Everybody always asks, ‘Where’s the shoes?’ It’s not just girls asking. Guys are asking. It’s time to test the waters. Not a shoe where we already had it and we throw a name on it. Actually sit down with the player, let them design the whole shoe and get it out there. Across the board, all brands, everybody. Everybody needs to start doing it. It’s time.”

—

Max Resetar is an Associate Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Additional reporting by Camille Buxeda.

The post No More Waiting: Give the WNBA Its Own Signature Sneakers appeared first on SLAM.

Griner will face the stiffest punishment, a three-game ban, for throwing punches, escalating the incident and making contact with Wings guard Kayla Thornton.

Rookie center Kristine Anigwe and the aforementioned Thornton will each serve two games for their roles in the on-court fight. A scrappy loose ball foul by Anigwe started the altercation and it was escalated from there.

Two other players, Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi and Dallas’ Kaela Davis will be suspended for single games for leaving the bench during the incident.

The post WNBA Announces Suspensions For Altercation Between Brittney Griner, Kristine Anigwe 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.

In a tweet on Sunday, the NBA revealed that the average WNBA player’s compensation during the 2018 season was $116,000. The highest-paid players earned over $187,000.

“There has recently been inaccurate information reported in the media regarding WNBA pay. In accordance with the CBA, the average compensation for WNBA players last season was $116,000. The top-paid player’s compensation was more than $187,000.”

During the 2018 season, many NBA and WNBA players made public comments about the need for increased WNBA player salaries. Some cited a 2017 Forbes report, which speculated that players make “no more than” 22.8 percent of league income.

The same Forbes piece stated that the average WNBA salary for “102 of the 157 players who logged minutes in 2017” was $71,635. The article based its reporting off salary info obtained by High Post Hoops.

Frustrated with current salaries, the WNBA Players Association announced in November that they will opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement after the 2019 WNBA season.

RELATED: Brittney Griner on WNBA Salaries: ‘We Don’t Make Sh-t’

The post NBA Releases Average WNBA Compensation Figures for 2018 Season appeared first on SLAM.

Created in partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation, Her Time To Play pairs on-court training with off-court life skills lessons for girls, ages 7-14.

Featuring a 12-chapter curriculum, the program shares life lessons from WNBA players, including Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner and Nneka Ogwumike.

“Representation matters,” says Wings PG Skylar Diggins-Smith. “Her Time To Play is an important step towards ensuring that young women have access to mentors and others invested in helping them achieve success.”

To learn more about Her Time To Play, visit jr.nba.com/hertimetoplay.

The post NBA, WNBA Launch ‘Her Time To Play’ Initiative During Jr. NBA Week appeared first on SLAM.

Stewart, 24, was also named the 2018 WNBA MVP and unanimously selected as the 2018 WNBA Finals MVP.

Joining Stewie on the All-WNBA First Team were Diana Taurasi, Elena Delle Donne, Liz Cambage and Tiffany Hayes.

Check out the full rundown:

2018 All-WNBA First Team

Breanna Stewart, Storm
Liz Cambage, Wings
Elena Delle Donne, Mystics
Diana Taurasi, Mercury
Tiffany Hayes, Dream

2018 All-WNBA Second Team

Candace Parker, Sparks
Skylar Diggins-Smith, Wings
Maya Moore, Lynx
Brittney Griner, Mercury
Courtney Vandersloot, Sky

The 2018 All-WNBA First Team is announced!@ecambage@De11eDonne@tiphayes3@breannastewart@DianaTaurasi pic.twitter.com/ciwYb4dvb3

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 13, 2018

The 2018 All-WNBA Second Team is announced!@SkyDigg4@brittneygriner@MooreMaya@Candace_Parker@Sloot22 pic.twitter.com/p0F9d2H192

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 13, 2018

RELATED:
Breanna Stewart Wins 2018 WNBA MVP

The post Breanna Stewart Unanimously Selected to 2018 All-WNBA First Team appeared first on SLAM.

Thomas wrote about the joy he felt in bringing his kids to the recent WNBA All-Star Game and said simply:

If you don’t respect women’s basketball, you’re a joke. You’re a joke, man.

I’m not even about convincing people how important the WNBA is anymore. I’m not even about that. Because real heads know. They know that either you can appreciate the WNBA, and either you’re cool with the WNBA, or I’m sorry to say it but the truth is: You’re not someone who deserves a seat at the table of this conversation.

He also outlined how we can bring the W to the next level, stressing the need for support from the NBA, greater exposure and better pay:

I’ll say it: We’ve also gotta make more noise about WNBA salaries. Way more noise. WNBA players should be paid a lot more than they’re getting right now. That’s obvious. They’re professional athletes and role models and the best in the world at what they do — they should be paid like it. Better salaries are there if we want them to be. So let’s speak up about that.

Game 5 of the Conference Finals between the Storm and the Mercury is Tuesday at 10pm ET. Tune in.

RELATED
Brittney Griner on WNBA Salaries: ‘We Don’t Make Sh-t’

The post Isaiah Thomas: ‘WNBA Players Should Be Paid A Lot More’ appeared first on SLAM.

During her end-of-season presser on Monday, Reeve said it would “take a whole lot to move a player or two” but ultimately, every Lynx player will be available for the right price.

“At this point, we are open to how we have this roster shaped going forward,” Reeve said. (Starting at 21:02):

Is there anybody on this roster that you consider untouchable?

Reeve: “There’s nobody untouchable. I think a lot of GMs would say that. There’s certainly preferences. But I think that we’re in a place where any phone call that comes—and talk about anybody—you listen to it.

“We’ve had labels of untouchables in the past. Would it take a whole lot to move a player or two? Absolutely. But at this point, we are open to how we have this roster shaped going forward.”

RELATED:
Brittney Griner on WNBA Salaries: ‘We Don’t Make Sh-t’

The post Lynx GM Cheryl Reeve: ‘Nobody Untouchable’ in Trade Talks appeared first on SLAM.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Griner wrote, “It would be nice to make even half of what they (NBA players) make. […] I just know we (WNBA players) don’t make shit.”

Griner disputed a quote that references Heat guard Tyler Johnson‘s $19.2 million salary next season. “I wouldn’t call out anybody I don’t know,” Griner explained.

Griner, who reportedly made $113,500 this season, warned that more WNBA players could sit out future seasons if salaries don’t increase.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnASVyBgP-G/

RELATED:
Diana Taurasi: WNBA Players Need To Be Willing To Strike for Higher Pay

The post Brittney Griner on WNBA Salaries: ‘We Don’t Make Sh-t’ 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.

While people circle around Plum and Jefferson, Liberty center Tina Charles quietly starts to warm up. She practices her post moves against former Knick and current Liberty assistant Herb Williams and repeatedly knocks down jumpers from the baseline. She puts in her work methodically, finally ending by drilling a three-pointer from the corner.

It’s business as usual for Charles, always the final Liberty player to get shots up before the game starts. But the Queens native, dressed in a grey shirt and black sweatpants, is rocking a never-before-seen pair of the Nike Kyrie 3 that is most definitely not part of Charles’ tried-and-true pregame routine. The 3s are done up in an icy seafoam blue, their black Swoosh accented by a translucent outsole.

When we throw a picture of the sneaks on the @SLAMKICKS Instagram account, Kyrie Irving reacts like the rest of us, commenting “Sheesh” on the post.

For years now, Nike and adidas have been outfitting the WNBA’s biggest superstars with exclusive PEs that nobody else has.

Sue Bird hoops in green and yellow Nike Kyrie 3s. Candace Parker was the first to play in the adidas Crazy Explosive 2017, wearing a one-of-one orange and purple pair for the month of June, honoring her late college coach, the legendary Pat Summitt.

“I’ll be wearing orange kicks all June; it was my coach’s birthday and the month she passed away,” Parker told the LA Daily News in June.

Go on down the line and the W is chock-full of rare colorways. Some of them are PEs; some of them get made on NikeiD; some of them coincide with Pride Month or breast cancer awareness.

All of them, though, are fire.

“[Nike] knows the month of June is Pride Month,” says Liberty forward Shavonte Zellous, who has been playing in a rare version of the KD 9 with a rainbow-colored outsole. “All across the league they shipped shoes. I got them in my locker and I was like, ‘Oh, what’s this?’ It’s just an honor to wear these guys’ shoes, for us to be able to play in them and remix like they do.”

“We do pick shoes according to the players that [we] like,” says Lynx forward and three-time WNBA champ Seimone Augustus, who’s worn Kyries for the past two seasons. “I love Kyrie as a player. We have some similarities in our ballhandling, [and] his shoe fits me.”

During the Finals last year, Augustus wore a purple Kyrie 2 PE with Prince’s logo on it. Since then, she’s shown off other Lynx-related colorways of the 3.

“We have green in our uniforms,” Augustus says. “I try to bring that green out a little bit more when designing my sneakers.”

Sue Bird, one of Irving’s close friends, doesn’t get as flashy with her Kyrie 3s.

“I’m definitely someone who likes to match,” Bird says. “[Nike] knew that I wanted the colors of the shoes predominately green and yellow. Last year the WNBA switched to where no team has a white uniform, so this year the only thing I asked for was something that could match both uniforms.

“[Irving] actually came to a game earlier this month,” Bird adds. “I think I had the green ones on that day. He gave it the once-over. He approved. It’s funny because obviously his colorways are crazy, but the green and yellow are pretty rare. Nobody’s rocking green and yellow.”

It’s a Sunday afternoon in June and the L.A. Sparks are taking on the Phoenix Mercury at the Staples Center. Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike and Chelsea Gray, the home team’s three leading scorers, are all laced with silhouettes from the Three Stripes.

Ogwumike and Gray signed with adidas right before the season started. Nneka’s little sister Chiney, the 2014 WNBA Rookie of the Year, also inked a deal with the brand.

“I like the [adidas] culture of family and also how much they express displaying and advocating individuality for the athletes,” Nneka told us shortly after her new deal was announced. “They always put the athlete first. That’s definitely what drew me to adidas.”

While the Sparks are on their way to beating the Mercury, Ogwumike’s wearing a black-based pair of Crazy Explosives with purple and teal accents. On the other squad, longtime Nike athlete Diana Taurasi is getting ready to make history.

In the closing moments of the second quarter, Taurasi drives hard to the rim. Ogwumike respectfully plays matador defense, because after Diana flips in a layup, she’s officially become the all-time leading scorer in WNBA history.

Taurasi, 10 years removed from her signature sneaker, the Shox DT, wears a personalized pair of Nike LeBron 14s to etch her name in the record books. “DT” is written across the left heel and “3” (her number) is on the right one.

Her teammate, Danielle Robinson, says sneakers are a big part of the Mercury’s locker room culture.

“We comment on everything we bring in, whether it’s me, DT, [Brittney Griner]. BG just got some KDs from Nike, white with a purple Swoosh. We always comment. Whenever somebody gets a box, we’re like, ‘Open it up, let’s see what you got.’”

Though Robinson’s sponsored by Nike and wears the Kyrie 3, she doesn’t always get kicks sent to her. “I’ll be on NikeiD for hours at a time, just for the simplest details,” she says.

The players fortunate enough to get shipments speak with their player reps about which pairs they’d like.

“I just tell them what shoe I want to play in,” says Liberty guard Epiphanny Prince. “They give us a couple options, [but] they know I just want to play in Kobes. When I come here I’m just anxious to see what colorways they put together.”

Sugar Rodgers, her teammate, has been getting the Nike Zoom LeBron Soldier 10 and 11 delivered to her over the past two seasons.

“It feels like Christmas every time a box comes,” Rodgers says with a big smile.

—

Seimone Augustus and the Lynx grab a 93-76 win over the Mystics toward the end of June. Augustus only scores 9 points, but she breaks necks in an absurd pair of multi-colored Kyrie 3s that catches Irving’s attention. He reposts them on his IG.

“When we step on the floor, we want to be the best representation for their gear,” Augustus says. “We want it to be cool. That’s something we always talk about in the WNBA, trying to create a cool factor.”

With the level of basketball talent higher than it’s ever been in the W, and a growing push from both Nike and adidas, there are more eyes than ever on the league.

“[The brands] are big supporters of women’s sports,” Bird says. “They understand that we play a huge role, not just in basketball, [but in] pushing women in sports forward.”

Time to start the clock on the next WNBA signature sneaker.

Related
Sue Bird Talks About Her Nike Kyrie 2 PEs
Elena Delle Donne on her Nike Hyperdunk PEs
The Ogwumike Sisters Share Why They Signed with adidas
Tamera Young Talks About her Sneaker Collection

—

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

Photos via Getty Images

The post Heat Wave appeared first on SLAM.

Such is life.

The roller coaster regular season is over and the second season is about to begin. The Seattle Storm will travel to Phoenix to take on the Mercury in a single elimination first round match up to kick off the WNBA Playoffs tonight on ESPN2.

Interim Storm coach Gary Kloppenburg is optimistic about his teams’ chances. “One thing with the one game playoff is it’s one game,” Kloppenburg told SLAM. “You can play well and beat somebody. You just don’t know what could happen, so we’re going down there to give it our best shot.”

“They’re very good, especially at home,” Kloppenburg said of the Mercury. “Obviously [Brittney] Griner is such a difficult match up for everybody so we have to try to mix things up with her. Obviously [Diana] Taurasi is the other one that you’ve got to get into her and cut down her touches.

“They’re very good. It will be an uphill battle. I know we’re probably not favorites but we’ve got nothing to lose. We’re going down there to see what we’ve got.”

Coach Kloppenburg knows that his team will go only as far as its captain Sue Bird leads them. “She’s such a calming influence and she’s been through a lot of wars when you look back at her career,” Kloppenburg said of the ten-time WNBA All-Star. “That experience going into the playoffs is going to be big.”

Sue Bird is a first ballot Hall of Famer. She’s won two New York state high school championships, two NCAA titles at UConn, two WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, nearly ten league championships in Europe, and four Olympic Gold medals as a member of USA Basketball.

From being the first pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft to now, Bird has represented the W well. She’s the epitome of a winner and always does so with class and grace. Bird’s legacy is one that’s set in stone, but the 36 year old is not quite done writing her story.

SLAM: You guys have lost a few games in a row down the stretch, what’s the Storm’s confidence level like heading into the playoffs?

Sue Bird: I actually think we’re feeling pretty good right now even though we lost three coming into the final game [the Storm defeated the Chicago Sky on Sunday—Ed.]. All were winnable games, all were very tight, all came down to the last one or two possessions, and the last game was an overtime game. We understand in this league it can be tough. You’re not always going to win every close game. Unfortunately we had dropped those, but we’re playing well enough to win games.

SLAM: The core of your team is so young. How have Jewell Lloyd and Breanna Stewart grown over the past few seasons?

SB: Yeah, it’s only been three seasons for Jewell and two for Stewie, but you can see it. They are starting to take more ownership of the team. When Jewell was a rookie and when Stewie was a rookie last year they had a tendency to kind of sit back and see where they fit in. But now you can see they’re taking more charge.

SLAM: How do you feel the team responded to the midseason coaching change?

SB: I think we responded well. I think we understand that a coaching change is a reflection of how the season’s going and we’re the ones on the court playing. I think as players we understood that we needed to wake up as well. Klop’s come in and has done a great job of leading us. We only had eight games left at that point and we were just looking at it as an eight game season. We did enough to get in the playoffs, we’re happy with that, and anything can happen.

SLAM: Speaking of playoffs, you’ve struggled against Phoenix a little this season. What will it take to pull off the upset on the road and advance in the playoffs?

SB: It’s just one game. I’m sure we’re going to watch a lot of film and look at some of the things that worked against them and some of the things that didn’t. We lost to them at home and we beat them at their place so it’s a little backwards—it’s not the usual. Even both times that we lost to them, particularly the most recent one, it was a close game. That was a game that we lost that came down to the end. We understand that they’re a very good team, they’ve got two superstar players that their offense is run through, so like I said, we’re going to watch a lot of film and try to come up with something to beat ‘em. It’s their home court so it’s going to be tough.

SLAM: What does it mean to you to be the WNBA’s all-time assist leader?

SB: In every way it’s a reflection of a long career. One in which there’s been longevity there, consistency there, but also it’s assists so you need some amazing players around you at the same time. I’ve been really fortunate to play as long as I have and be surrounded by some great players.

SLAM: I know you’re not done playing, but do you ever sit back and think about the championships, the all-star games, and Gold medals and say, ‘Damn, I’ve had a hell of a career?’

SB: Only when I’m asked do I have those moments of reflection. I do feel fortunate; I do feel lucky that I’ve played on the teams that I played on and won the championships and whatnot that I’ve been able to do. Whatever day I do retire, whether it’s tomorrow, in a year, in eight years, or 30 years I know I’ll be able to look back on my career and know that I’ll have no regrets.

—

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Sue Bird On WNBA Playoffs, Her Career and Seattle Storm’s Season appeared first on SLAM.

PUMA says that the “long term relationship” was a no-brainer.

“Skylar represents our women’s category to a T,” said Adam Petrick, Global Director of Brand and Marketing for PUMA, via press release. “She is confident, talented, and an inspiration to young women.  We are excited to have her join our team of female ambassadors.”

Diggins-Smith joins PUMA as a brand ambassador and to grow the reach of her Shoot 4 the Sky camps and the Do You campaign that PUMA has started. She’s the newest member of a roster that includes Rihanna, Cara Delevingne and Kylie Jenner.

The Dallas Wings point guard wore Nike for the first four seasons of her career and had her own line of Swoosh-supported headbands and a pair of Nike Zoom HyperRevs release. But she started wearing Dame 3s, an adidas sneaker, at the beginning of the 2017 season and wore the the Three Stripes at the 2017 All-Star Game.

We’ve reached out to PUMA, a direct adidas competitor for decades, to see if Diggins’ deal extends to on-court, but they haven’t responded with a comment. Stay tuned for more updates.

Photos courtesy of PUMA

The post Skylar Diggins-Smith Announces She’s Joined PUMA appeared first on SLAM.

The rest of the Western Conference reserves are Seimone Augustus, Chelsea Gray, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner, who will miss the game with injuries to her ankle and knee.

The Eastern Conference reserves are Layshia Clarendon, Stefanie Dolson, Candice Dupree, Allie Quigley, Alyssa Thomas and Elizabeth Williams.

Along with three first-time All-Star starters, Stewart, Clarendon, Gray, Quigley, Thomas and Williams have all made it for their first time.

The reserves were selected by the W’s coaches.

During halftime of Saturday afternoon’s game, five players will compete in the first WNBA three-point contest in eight years.

Maya Moore, Sue Bird, Sugar Rodgers, Quigley and Jasmine Thomas will shoot for the three-point title.

The ASG tips off at 3:30 ET on ABC on Saturday, July 22.

Related
2017 WNBA All-Star Game Starters Announced

The post WNBA All-Star Reserves and Three-Point Contestants 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.

First Colorado HS Girls Dunk in history. Fran Belibi 15 yr old soph. Regis Jesuit HS #SCtop10 @coloradopreps @9NEWSSports @COSportsNetwork pic.twitter.com/793MFUtsEF

— RJHS Girls Basketball (@regisjesuitgbb) January 7, 2017

The 6-1 Belibi told the Aurora Sentinel that she “didn’t expect to dunk:”

“I didn’t expect it to be honest with you,” said Belibi, who finished with a game-high 21 points.

 

“I don’t know, I just did it,” she added. “I didn’t realize it went in until I heard the crowd and heard the snap (of the rim). Then I definitely heard my teammates. I think the crowd definitely understands the importance behind it — the first girl to dunk — but it was completely unexpected.

 

“Girls don’t dunk.”

Related
WATCH: Brittney Griner Throws Down One-Handed Dunk

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To promote the loser-goes-home game, the WNBA brought the stars together. In the video above, you’ll spot Griner, Diana Taurasi, Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, Drizzy, Kevin Durant, Candace Parker, Maya Moore, Jerome “The Junkyard Dog” Williams, Kevin Hart, DeMarcus Cousins, Skylar Diggins, Kyle Lowry and Sue Bird. Serious star power.

Tune in to NBA TV at 7 EST to watch the game tomorrow night, when you’ll this commercial during the broadcast.

Video courtesy of WNBA

The post Drake, Kevin Hart Star in WNBA’s ‘Pass the Ball’ Commercial appeared first on SLAM.

This season has also served as Breanna Stewart’s personal playground. The rookie is playing like anything but, averaging 19 points and 9 rebounds, both top-10 in the W.

Her stellar play and overall appeal has landed her at the top of WNBA.com’s sales page. The League just announced their highest selling jerseys, headlined by the 2016 number one overall pick.

1.      Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm

2.      Skylar Diggins, Dallas Wings

3.      Elena Delle Donne, Chicago Sky

4.      Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx

5.      Shoni Schimmel, New York Liberty

6.      Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

7.      Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks

8.      Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury

9.      Sue Bird, Seattle Storm

10.  Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever

—

The WNBA resumes its historic 20th season on Friday, August 26 with the Seattle Storm hosting the L.A. Sparks and it tips off the WNBA Super20 sweepstakes, where fans can buy a ticket to a WNBA game and be automatically entered for a chance to win tickets to WNBA All-Star 2017, NBA All-Star 2017, or a grand prize of $20,000!

The post Breanna Stewart Has the Highest Selling Jersey in the WNBA appeared first on SLAM.

“We’re a family, number one,” Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello said after her two superstars chopped it up with the opposition. “Every team says that, but we’re like that.”

Every team hasn’t had its core together for six seasons and two titles, though. Turnover in the 12-team WNBA is common. Most players don’t stay with the same squad for a long time, which is what makes what Phoenix has done truly special.

Since Taurasi’s first season in ’04, the Merc have won three chips—2007, 2009 and 2014. She and Taylor are the only ones to be around for all three of them.

That ’09 win included a rookie-year DeWanna Bonner, averaging 8 points and 4 rebounds during Phoenix’s playoff run. Bonner has evolved into one of the W’s most lethal weapons. At 6-4, she can handle, pass, come off screens and create her own shot. She patrols passing lanes and hits the glass, too. She’s now second in scoring and rebounding for the Mercury.

“We have a damn good starting five,” 10-year vet Candice Dupree said. Dupree was the fourth member of the current starting five to come to Phoenix, and by far the chillest member of that group. With Taurusi and Bonner’s all-world trash talking skills, Taylor’s worldwide fame and Brittney Griner’s other-worldly presence (more on BG coming up), Dupree consistently takes a backseat, often being forgotten about by the defense. But she’s the guiding light that steers the whole ship.

Though it’s impossible to measure everything Dupree does on the court (‘And the awards for best Screen Setter and best Box Out Technique go to… Candice Dupree!’), her IQ is clear after watching her play for a second. She smoothly glides around the court, finding open spots for duck-ins and O-boards. She directs traffic from the backline. Even though Bonner has three inches on her, Dupree plays the 4. Plus she has a mid-range game that looks like Karl Malone.

“These days, we’re feeling pretty good,” Dupree said. “We got the tallest player in the league on our team, the best player in the world, one of the other top players in Penny, and DB has been playing her butt off.”

The tallest player in the league came to them with the No. 1 draft pick back in 2013. At 6-8, 200 pounds, Brittney Griner is the most physically imposing player in the W. And she knows it. During the game against the Liberty, she bullied Carolyn Swords on the block. She swallowed up two shots. She attacked the rim, daring a New York defender to stop her.

In her ear the whole game is Taurusi. The 34-year-old constantly high-fives Griner, encourages and yells at her. Each member of the Mercury’s core five is important, but Taurasi is still the face of this franchise and its best player.

“Taurasi is a very clutch player,” Liberty head coach Bill Laimbeer said after the game. “She’s tall, she’s big and strong and she’s smart.”

And she loves to play the villain. Once the fourth quarter and overtime come, Taurasi is the one to stick the knife in the Liberty with big shots, time and again. D doesn’t only talk to Griner the whole game. Nah, she talks to everyone. She barks at the refs and talks shit to Sugar Rodgers. She smiles at injured Liberty guard Epiphanny Prince, who sits in the stands. She argues with with a teammate at least once a quarter.

The youngest member of the starting five is Griner, 25, who has played in pressure packed situations her whole life, as the team’s best player. But she isn’t the Mercury’s best player. And neither is the 28-year-old Bonner, the 31-year-old Dupree, or the 35-year-old Taylor. Taurasi, 12 years into her Hall of Fame career, will be the one to take this wildly experienced group as far as possible.

The playoffs will be a formality for the Mercury, who stand at 6-9. In a season where two teams have set new records for wins, Breanna Stewart is dominating headlines and the league is celebrating 20 seasons, the Phoenix Mercury just continue to plug away, under the radar, as the best team.

“Early in the season, we didn’t necessarily show that but we’re getting things rolling now,” Dupree said. “Things are falling into place and we’re feeling good.”

Do you feel any pressure to get things turned around quickly?

“Pressure? Nah, no pressure.”

The post Here They Come appeared first on SLAM.

The initial boom of the WNBA rang out across the nation. Here were these larger-than-life women, getting buckets, raising awareness, inspiring a younger generation. Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, Ticha Penicheiro, Katie Smith, Teresa Weatherspoon, Yolanda Griffith. They could absolutely ball.

The W kept rolling out the star power. Next came Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, Cappie Pondexter, Swin Cash. And eventually Candace Parker came down the pipeline, along with Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne and Brittney Griner.

The league’s list of high-profile players has never been short. Somewhere between Lisa Leslie catching her first poster and Maya Moore hitting that game-winner in last year’s finals, however, something changed. The national narrative shifted back to women’s basketball not being worth a man’s time. But there hasn’t been a better time than now to tune in.

“We have a lot of different types of women and players,” Mystics center Stefanie Dolson says. “We still have those superstars, like Diana, like Candace, they’re still in the game. Then you have a new generation of players coming in. Brittney Griner, Skylar, Elena. And then my class. In my class, we have some great personalities. We’re very skilled too.”

Damn skippy, Stef.

The League is littered with extremely talented players, who can shoot, pass, dribble, rebound and defend. Dolson, at 6-5, shot 47.6 percent from distance last year. And she was top-10 in blocks.

Incoming Chicago Sky rookie center Imani Boyette credits grassroots ball for the uptick in talent.

“We’re getting better younger,” Boyette says. “High school basketball, AAU, people aren’t just playing for fun anymore. Everybody’s developing more skills.

“My mom was a center back in the day, at 6-2. And she’s huge. Now, 6-2, you need to be a guard,” Boyette says. “Our game is changing. We have players like Candace Parker, Elena Delle Donne.

“I asked Elena how she became a guard. Did it happen slowly? I was just wondering. She was like, ‘No, I’ve been a guard my whole life.’ We’re not one-dimensional anymore,” Boyette adds. “That’s great.”

Boyette’s mother is Pam McGee, former No. 2 overall pick in the ’97 Draft, at age 34. Pam also starred for the Trojans and the Women’s National Team. Boyette’s brother is JaVale McGee. Her family friend is Lisa. Well, she gets to call her Lisa. We know her as Lisa Leslie.

“I was actually at the game that Lisa dunked at,” the 21-year-old says. “I don’t think I realized how important it was. I was just like, Oh, everyone’s screaming.” Imani was only 7 when LL packed that one home.

2014 ROY Chiney Ogwumike is only two years older than Boyette. She has very deep feelings about those early days in the WNBA. Specifically her hometown Comets.

“Before we even knew basketball, we went to a Houston Comets game,” Chiney says about herself and her older sister, Nneka, who won the 2012 ROY with the L.A. Sparks.

“I’m mad we don’t have the Houston Comets anymore,” Chiney continues. “It was such an integral part to the sports culture in Houston. We had the best players in the WNBA in Houston.”

Sheryl Swoopes still has a hold over Ogwumike.

“I feel like we’re the last of a dying breed,” Ogwumike says. “[Sheryl] says back in her day, the game was tough. We wanna cary that legacy of playing basketball the right way, of being fierce competitors.”

This is the modern WNBA. Where Chiney Ogwumike crashes the offensive boards like a young Charles Oakley. Where Stefanie Dolson steps out to 23 feet like Bob McAdoo. Where Imani Boyette runs the floor like Anthony Davis. The game has never been better.

The W’s brightest aren’t only getting b-b-buckets on the court—they’re making a difference off of it, in both life and basketball.

“To have a voice in a positive way for younger girls, I wanna take the opportunity that I have to be a positive role model for girls,” Dolson says.

Ogwumike knows how many kids she has an influence over. “If you show them, ‘Hey, this is what’s possible. It’s possible to do multiple things,’ I think people will see that and do it as well,” she says.

“I’m proud to be myself, in the WNBA. We’re very much on the right side of history,” Boyette says. “Look at these women. These powerful women. I want my daughter to be like Lisa Leslie, Elena Delle Donne. It’s bigger than just the sport.”

“Before you start talking about the WNBA, go to a game,” Ogwumike adds. “More often than not, you’ll enjoy it.

“It’s laziness on people to not have an open mind, because they’re just sitting behind their phones,” she continues. “This is how people have decided to write off our league. But there’s a reason why it’s still standing after 20 years.”

It’s still standing because of how hard these players and coaches are working.

“The achievements that most of us women have gotten through the years, not even just in the WNBA, but through college and overseas, if they really stopped and watched us play, they would be surprised,” Dolson says. “Most people that don’t watch us, they think that we’re boring because we can’t dunk and it’s not as fun as the guys, but we do so many little things and we play basketball as such a team sport.”

“It’s a grind,” Ogwumike says. “You don’t wanna be crossed up by Seimone Augustus, you don’t wanna be running down the paint on a fastbreak next to Brittney Griner, you don’t wanna have to contest Maya Moore late. The WNBA is the best league of women’s basketball in the world. There’s a lot of work ethic.”

“We’re the real basketball wives,” continues Ogwumike, without a hint of doubt in her voice. “We’re the real ones married to the game.”

—

The WNBA tips off its 20th season on Saturday, May 14 with five games, highlighted by an ESPN telecast showcasing a matchup between the Lynx and the Mercury (7:30 p.m. ET), rivals who met in the Western Conference finals in each of the past three seasons. For more info, go to WNBA.com.

The post Watch Them Work appeared first on SLAM.

Back in 1996, there were those who believed “Macarena” had more legs than the WNBA, but you win a free game of Trivial Pursuit if you can name the band that did that song—meanwhile, 20 years later, the WNBA is still in business.

Sure, the league has gone through growing pains, but it’s carved out its own niche in the sporting world, and proven that 5,000-plus people will pay cold hard cash to watch women play basketball on hot summer evenings. There are 12 teams now, and while there are still issues (the Olympics interrupt the season every four years, for one) and transient franchises (the Tulsa Shock are now the Dallas Wings), the basketball is better than ever. Oh, and NBA followers should pay enough attention to see how the new Playoff format works: instead of four teams qualifying from each conference, it will just be the top eight teams by winning percentage moving on at season’s end. If it works as well as many hope, the odds will go up that the NBA will make the same move in the near future.

In honor of that new format, the teams are listed in predicted order of finish, from one to 12, with last year’s regular-season record and overall position in parentheses.

1. Phoenix Mercury (20-14, tied for 4th)

If it were 2006 instead of 2016, adding Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor to a team that went 20-14 would basically concede the WNBA title to Phoenix—but even at 34 and 35, respectively, the Taurasi-Taylor one-two punch will be a formidable addition to an already strong team. If the Mercury’s many veterans perform even close to their capabilities, and Brittney Griner continues to be a force of nature in the paint, Phoenix will be very hard to beat.

2. Minnesota Lynx (22-12, 2nd)

For the Champion Lynx, age is just a number—but you have to wonder when all those 30-somethings on the Minnesota roster will start to break down. Seimone Augustus, the third youngest of the starters at 32, missed 18 games, but otherwise the Lynx stayed healthy. And healthy, they were clearly the best in the league. But can Lindsay Whalen (34), Rebekkah Brunson (34), Sylvia Fowles (30) and new reserve Jia Perkins (34) dodge time’s bullets one more summer?

3. Los Angeles Sparks (14-20, 10th)

The Sparks planned to solve their problems on the wing by trading for gunner Riquna Williams, but she then tore her Achilles tendon. Plan B was then instituted, trading for point guard Chelsea Gray, who will allow Kristi Toliver to play the 2, but Alana Beard is going to have to play heavy minutes at small forward—or Coach Brian Agler will have to go big with three post players (Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike and Jantel Lavender) in the game at the same time.

4. Chicago Sky (21-13, 3rd)

Elena Delle Donne is one of the best players in the world, and there was a time when Cappie Pondexter was in that conversation, too. Pondexter, though, is 33 now, and Brazil Olympian Erika de Souza is 34, and how much those two—who may recall that Los Del Rio recorded “Macarena”—have left will determine how far Chicago can go.

5. Washington Mystics (18-16, tied for 6th)

In an age of look-at-me middling talents, 23-year-old Emma Meesseman is an anomaly: She’s one of the best young players in the world, but critics complain she avoids the spotlight. At 6-4, Meesseman needs to be the star in Washington so the role players have room to play those roles—and maybe this will be the year she takes center stage. If not, it will be another early playoff exit for the Mystics.

6. New York Liberty (23-11, 1st)

With Epiphanny Prince out until after the Olympics—if she comes back at all—the Liberty need newcomers Shavonte Zellous and Lindsey Harding to step up. Tina Charles anchors the frontcourt, but coach Bill Laimbeer has to find some more offense until (or whether) Prince returns. If second-year players Brittany Boyd and Kiah Stokes score consistently, though, New York could be a dark-horse contender for the title.

7. Dallas Wings (18-16, tied for 6th)

Skylar Diggins returns from an ACL injury to join Odyssey Sims in one of the league’s most exciting backcourts, and Glory Johnson returns from a soap-opera relationship with Brittney Griner (with twins), so look for the relocated Tulsa Shock to give Dallas fans plenty to talk about in year one. But someone—rookie Aerial Powers, perhaps—needs to take charge at small forward.

8. Connecticut Sun (15-19, tied for 8th)

There’s justifiable optimism in out-of-the-way Uncasville, as a healthy Chiney Ogwumike and solid Kelsey Bone give the Sun a powerful presence in the paint. Connecticut sees Morgan Tuck as the WNBA version of Draymond Green, and if a shooter emerges on the wing, the Sun could be a menace.

9. Indiana Fever (20-14, tied for 4th)

The focus will be on Tamika Catchings’ final year, but along with keeping Catchings healthy, Indiana needs Erlana Larkins in peak form, too. Another big question is how well Briann January recovers from microfracture knee surgery—without her, it’s Shenise Johnson and lots of uncertainty in the Fever backcourt.

10. Atlanta Dream (15-19, tie for 8th)

It starts with the Angel everyone loves to hate, but after her, the drop-off is steep; there are too many unknowns for a return to the glory days of back-to-back trips to the WNBA Finals. McCoughtry is one of the elite, no doubt, but Shoni Schimmel needs to be in good enough shape to play 32 effective minutes every night and someone (first-round draft pick Bria Holmes?) needs to surprise.

11. Seattle Storm (10-24, 11th)

After four years of playing with the best at her level, Breanna Stewart will recall her days at Cicero North High, when she was pretty much the whole show. Sure, Crystal Langhorne is a solid player, and Jewell Loyd showed promise as a rookie, but Sue Bird is a shadow of the great player she was, and no one else can score. Put it all together, and Stewart will likely lose four times as many games (20, or more) in a 34-game summer as she did in her four years at UConn (five).

12. San Antonio Stars (8-26, 12th)

The Stars were the worst team in the league last year, and their best player, Danielle Robinson, will miss this season with a torn Achilles. Second-leading scorer Jia Perkins was inexplicably handed to Minnesota for some spare change, and third-leading scorer Sophia Young-Malcolm retired. Kayla McBride (38.2 percent from the field last year) and rookie Moriah Jefferson must carry the load in 2016, but they probably won’t be able to carry it very far.

—

Photo via Getty Images

The post For The Summer appeared first on SLAM.

The season starts with the Dallas Wings in Indiana at 6 ET. The defending champ Lynx start their season against the Mercury at 7:30 ET.

Check out the video up top and hit up the WNBA‘s Twitter account for more.

The post WATCH: Preview of WNBA’s Newest Ad featuring Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins, Maya Moore, Brittney Griner appeared first on SLAM.

A prized recruit out of Houston, Bone packed her bags for Columbia, SC, to play for Dawn Staley’s upstart program at South Carolina. After a freshman season in which she was named the SEC’s Newcomer of the Year, Bone decided to transfer to Texas A&M in order to be closer to her family.

“That decision,” she says. “It’s been six or seven years now, but it’s still probably the hardest decision that I’ve ever made in my life.”

Bone had to sit out the following season due to NCAA transfer rules, and in twist of fate, could only to watch as the Aggies won the National Championship in 2011.

The title only added fuel to Bone’s fire when the 6-5 center finally took the court and proved that she had the chops of a premiere post player.

Bone eventually entered the 2013 WNBA draft and was selected fifth overall by the Liberty. She endured an 11-win rookie season before New York sent Bone, along with two first-round picks, to Connecticut for former MVP Tina Charles on draft-night trade in 2014.

Whereas Bone’s role in New York was murky, the Sun clearly wanted Bone to be a part of their exciting young core.

“To be able to go into a situation where there were other younger players and they were trying to make us a core and build a team around us,” says Bone, “that was very exciting.”

Last season, Bone proved her worth, averaging 15.4 ppg (seventh in the WNBA) on 50.8 percent shooting (seventh) with 6.3 rpg (13th) en route to her first All-Star selection and winning the WNBA’s MIP award.

With a new head coach and up-tempo system in place this season, Bone will still be terrorizing opponents in the paint, but she’ll be deploying a new element to her game—a three-point shot.

“I think you can look forward to that,” she laughs. “I’m still going to get on the block, and I’m still going to love that contact. That’s still going to be my bread and butter, but I am looking to add a little bit more versatility.”

We sat down with the fourth-year center prior to WNBA training camp. Here’s the full conversation:

SLAM: What did you take from watching Tina Thompson as a young kid?

Kelsey Bone: The biggest thing for me was the type of competitor that she was. She didn’t back down from anything. She was always ready to fight. She was a post player who could knock down the three. She could knock down the mid-range game. She was just so versatile. For me as a young player trying to find my way in the game and figure out if it’s I really what I wanted to do, it was great to have that kind of role model right in my backyard.

SLAM: When did you take the game seriously and decide it was something you wanted to focus on?

KB: Around the time I was about 12, going into maybe the seventh grade. Up until then, I played, but I wasn’t very good. I didn’t really like it, but I did it because my mom kind of forced me to do it. And then one day the light bulb kind of clicked, and I decided that if I was going to be forced to do it, I might as well try to be good at it. It was something that didn’t come quite naturally to me. To have the opportunity to work at something and become what I have and do the things that I’ve done, that means a lot to me.

SLAM: Were you always taller than most kids?

KB: Yeah, I was always huge [laughs]. I was always tall, and that was pretty much the reason why my mom steered me toward basketball. By the time I was in the fourth grade, I wore a size 10 shoe and I could fit in my mom’s clothes. And so she said, “We got to find something for you to do because cheerleading is not going to cut it.” So I was forced into the sport because of my size.

SLAM: You got a chance to watch Lauren Jackson play in Seattle when you were in high school. Was she a big influence to you as well?

KB: Absolutely. I was in Oregon for a Nike camp, and we went to the Seattle game. After the game, we got to talk and meet with the players, and she actually ended up giving me a pair of her shoes that I still have. Again, just another post player who didn’t mind getting dirty on the block, who could knock down the outside shot, who never backed down, and at the end of the day was a winner and champion at every level that she played on. To see her retire; the last few years of her career had been plagued by injuries. It’s tough on our bodies as professional athletes, especially in women’s basketball because we have to play year-round. But for the type of career that she’s had, and the legacy that she is, and the name that she’ll always have, and how her name will ring here in America, she has definitely been an influence on my career.

SLAM: You faced off against Brittney Griner in the state playoffs in high school. Can you talk about that rivalry and how competitive those games were?

KB: The funny thing about that rivalry is that we only played against each other twice in high school in our senior year. When you’re talking about the two best players in the nation, being from the same city, being in the same backyard, we always bring out the best in each other. Since then we’ve played in college, we’ve played against each other as pros. That’s a rivalry that will last forever. We will be forever bonded by that rivalry. It’s a very competitive rivalry, but it’s also a very friendly one. Just being able to say that we were the best two players in the country at that time, and we were both from the same city. It’s always been about that for us—making sure that our city is recognized for what it is with women’s basketball.

SLAM: Was it difficult to see the Houston Comets fold as a franchise? Do you think a franchise will come back to Houston?

KB: It was definitely difficult to see the Comets fold. I think when you’re talking about the hotbed Houston is for women’s basketball, it’s hard because now the kids growing up don’t have that influence right here. There’s still the WNBA, there’s still teams in other cities, but the way he had it growing up, to be in our city, it’s something that you can’t recreate. I hope that the league can get another franchise here just because of the hotbed that is, the fan base that is here that’s hungry for a team. I think when you start talking about the Ogwumikes, when you talk about Brittney, when you talk about myself, when you talk about Karima Christmas, Lindsey Harding. When you start talking about all of the players in the WNBA who have been top-five draft picks that are from Houston, it’s a lot. So for me, I do hope to see a team here again.

SLAM: When it became time for you to pick a college, you had your list narrowed down to Texas A&M, Texas, South Carolina and Illinois. How tough was it to choose a school?

KB: It was the toughest decision of my life [laughs]. Being from Texas and all, my family wanted me to go to A&M. But me wanting to play for an Olympian in Dawn Staley and the staff that she had put together, it was really hard for me to go against the grain. At 17, I made a decision, and I didn’t factor in all of the pros and the cons like most 17 year olds do. So when I got there, and I was far away from home and I was far away from my family, I had to make a tough decision to leave when it was the best decision, but it wasn’t the decision that I necessarily wanted to make. I knew that I had to be back home in order to be comfortable and be successful and be the best me that I can be. That decision, it’s been six or seven years now, but it’s still probably the hardest decision that I’ve ever made in my life.

SLAM: And then when you transferred to Texas A&M, you had to sit out a season and watch as your team won the NCAA Tournament. How much motivation did that add for you to show what you can do?

KB: Oh man, just my luck. The year that I can’t play, we win a National Championship. What a lot of people don’t realize about kids who transfer is that that year sitting out is probably their first time not playing basketball for 365 days. And so I was so motivated. I was so ready to get back on the court and play, and I was behind because I hadn’t played in a game in over a year. It took me a while to get back adjusted, to get back acclimated, to understand the speed. You can practice, and you can work out, but when you’re not playing in basketball games for a whole year, you feel that. To be able to have the luxury of that transition and figuring it out, it was helpful for me. I was one of the lucky ones because we returned so many players from that national championship team that it didn’t all fall on my shoulders. So I had time to get back acclimated and back in sync with the game.

SLAM: During that transfer season, you kept busy doing a basketball show and writing a blog. Is broadcasting and media something you’re interested in doing after your basketball career?

KB: Absolutely. I love to talk. Anybody who knows me knows that I never shut up, and I love basketball. So those are two areas for me that I’m totally interested in. When you start talking about working for ESPN or even Primetime on ABC—my ultimate goal is to work for Good Morning America, I’ll be completely honestly with you. I am in love and I am fascinated by Robin Roberts. She is like my favorite person in the world, and I really hope to meet her one day. I have a huge interest in broadcasting and journalism, and for me, being able to talk all day and talk about basketball and just talk in general, it excites me.

SLAM: You decided to enter the 2013 WNBA draft with a year left of eligibility. Looking back now, would you have stayed another year?

KB: No, I would have made the same decision because I was able to play on one of the best teams in Europe (during the WNBA offseason). I played for Galatarsay in Turkey. In my first year, we won Euroleague, and we won the Turkish League and we won the Turkish Cup.

SLAM: Everything.

KB: Yeah, we won everything [laughs]. And I still benefit from that experience to this day. To have that opportunity in my first year in Europe, to win Euroleague—it’s people who have played in Europe for 10, 15 years who have never done that. And so to do that at 21, 22—no. I got a chance to play for a great coach in Europe, I got to play with some of the best players in Europe. So for me, the experiences that I’ve had as a professional, from playing for Bill Laimbeer, to playing for Anne Donovan, playing with Katie Smith, Cappie Pondexter, Katie Douglas, being coached by Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Barbara Farris. Those are things that have helped shape me into the person that is now blossoming and becoming now. So for me, no, I would definitely make the same decision because I do think that experience is the best teacher.

SLAM: After your first season overseas, you and Alyssa Thomas were involved in a big draft-day trade involving Tina Charles. Did you have any idea that it would happen, and how did you feel about the trade at the time?

KB: I’m very aware of my surroundings and things that are going on. I knew New York was looking to shake some things up and make some moves. And I knew that there was a possibility that I would have to be a part of something for that to happen. When it happened, the way it happened, I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t surprised I was a traded. The whole draft-day dramatics and all that stuff, that was pretty interesting to me. But other than that, it didn’t really catch me by surprise or catch me off guard. When you’re dealing with professional sports, it’s a business first. I wasn’t too surprised, but I was excited to still have an opportunity to play in the WNBA.

SLAM: Was it exciting in a way because you had the opportunity to be part of a young, talented core group in Connecticut?

KB: Absolutely. In talking to our GM Chris Sienko, and even talking to Anne [Donovan] when I first got there, they wanted me. They said, “If the trade was going to go down, you had to be a part of it.” So having support and belief and to be able to go into a situation where there were other younger players and they were trying to make us a core and build a team around us, that was very exciting.

SLAM: Coming into that first season with Connecticut, you arrived to training camp late due to overseas obligations. The following season, you were able to return early and the results showed. Do you think that was a major key for you in having a breakout season?

KB: Absolutely. I got to that first training camp in Connecticut about three days before our first game. I was learning everything on the fly, I was trying to figure things out, I was trying to get chemistry down, trying to get off European jet lag—it was just a lot. And so to be able to come into training camp last year on time with everybody from day one, I was a lot more comfortable. And I’m a creature of habit. I love being comfortable. I do understand there are times when you’re not going to be comfortable, but I am at my best when I’m able to relax and just go with the flow and get into a rhythm. To be in training camp on time and to see everything from day one, it was a big help. And it helped that I had already played in the same system, so it was good.

SLAM: You played with an upstart team in Turkey this past season. How was that experience?

KB: That was rather interesting for me. The good thing was I was able to play with Alyssa [Thomas], so we were teammates again. We also had Tiffany Hayes on our team. It’s interesting when you go and play in Europe because sometimes you can end up on any kind of team with any kind of coach with any kind of anything. At the end of the day, it was a really good, growing experience for me because it’s the first time I’ve been on a team in Europe that wasn’t very successful. We qualified to stay in the league, but be did not make the playoffs. To go from the two previous years winning the entire league to not making the playoffs was really interesting to me. But it helped me understand that you have to persevere. You have to keep fighting, you have to keep going to work every day no matter what. And I struggled, and we had a coaching change in the middle of the season, and there were a lot of different things going on. It helped me understand the other side of basketball overseas. And so, I’m home. I’m actually home in Houston now, so I will be returning to training camp on time again this year. So I’m really excited about this season.

SLAM: Are we going to see you shooting threes a little bit this year?

KB: [Laughs] I think you can look forward to that. I’ve talked to our coach Curt [Miller], and he’s kind of said, “We’re going to need you to step out and knock it down a little bit.” So I have been working on that. I’m still going to get on the block, and I’m still going to love that contact. That’s still going to be my bread and butter, but I am looking to add a little bit more versatility and ultimately, getting us over that hump and getting us into the playoffs. It’s been a long time, and our fan base is so loyal and so deserving of the postseason. If they need to run through a wall or sit on the goal, that’s what I’m doing so we can get into those playoffs.

SLAM: Have you and Coach Curt talked specially about what your role will be this year?

KB: Yeah. He’s super energetic about this season, and that’s so refreshing. He’s really excited. He’s ready to get the ball rolling. We talk a couple times a week. He wants us to be an up-and-down, high-scoring team. He loves the fact that I can get on the block and that’s where I want to be. We had a couple conversations about me shooting the three. But overall, we’re trying to get this team to the playoffs. And that’s our goal, and that’s our focus, and we’re going to take it one day at a time. We know it’s a marathon, not a sprint, but at the end of the day, that is the goal.

SLAM: The team started off hot last season and was eventually derailed by injuries. Do you think this team, now that it’s healthy, can have a breakout year this season?

KB: Absolutely. When you talk about the way we started last season, and then we were derailed by injuries. But at the end of the day, we’re still young. We’re probably still the youngest team in the league. We’re a lot more experienced now. We have a lot more experience playing together. We understand each other. And to add a couple key pieces in this draft, with this draft class, we’re going to be right on the right path. If we can all stay together and stay focused and, god willing, we’re injury free, we’ll be fine.

The post Q+A: Kelsey Bone appeared first on SLAM.

Three-time Gold medalists Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings and Sue Bird will captain the veteran squad. Reigning WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Brittney Griner join the team for the first time:

• Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx)

• Sue Bird (Seattle Storm)

• Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever)

• Tina Charles (New York Liberty)

• Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky)

• Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx)

• Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury)

• Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream)

• Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx)

• Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut)

• Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

• Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx)

Five of head coach Geno Auriemma’s  former players were named to the squad, including 21-year-old WNBA rookie Breanna Stewart.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Candace Parker was left off the roster.

I'm very disappointed @Candace_Parker wasn't selected to the USA Basketball Women's Olympic Team.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 26, 2016

I feel @Candace_Parker is the best all around women's basketball player in the world!

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 26, 2016

I was surprised & disappointed to be left off the 2016 USA Olympic Team. But I wish all the members of the team GOODLUCK in Rio. #Gold

— Candace Parker (@Candace_Parker) April 26, 2016

The post Five Former UConn Huskies Headline 2016 Olympic Women’s Basketball Roster appeared first on SLAM.

There are now 25 basketball players competing for 12 spots on the US Olympic Women’s Basketball Team. Fifteen of the 25 recently participated in a three-day training game run by USA Basketball at the University of Connecticut from February 21-23.

On the first day of the training game, SLAM spoke with Carol Callan, USA Basketball’s National Team Director to discuss the selection process. Callan is the chairperson of the selection committee for the women’s team that will compete in this summer’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

The other members of the selection committee are Renee Brown, the WNBA’s Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations, Dan Hughes, Head Coach and General Manager of the San Antonio Stars, Chris Sienko , General Manager of the Connecticut Sun, and Katie Smith, assistant coach with the New York Liberty.

Carol spoke about how the following factors played a role in the selection process: individual talent, players who fit roles on the team, sentimentality, age, previous Olympic or international experience, previous opportunities to be in the Olympics, and previous relationships with coaching and administrative staff.

Ten of the players have played in previous Olympics: Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Sylvia Fowles, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen.

The US Olympic Women’s Basketball Team has won five straight Gold medals going back to 1996.

This roster is so loaded that if the 6 of the 25 players who played at UConn under current Olympic head coach Geno Auriemma constituted the starting five and the sixth man, they could probably be in the mix for the Gold. Auriemma was also the head coach for the US Olympic Women’s team in 2012.

It is expected that cutting the 25 to the final 12-woman roster will occur at one time, most likely late spring or early summer.

The current roster is:

The post Selecting the 2016 Women’s Olympic Basketball Team (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

All the same, no basketball fan in her right mind considers Horry to be greater than Jordan. Horry was a great complementary player, sure, but it was the all-timers around him who did the heavy lifting.

Imagine, though, Horry was considerably more talented, skilled and athletic—imagine his abilities resembled Kawhi Leonard’s. In that case, he certainly would have played a bigger role in the titles his teams won, and he would have bagged a few NBA Finals MVPs himself.

Yet as good as Leonard has become, he’s still not on par with Bird, Magic or LeBron in their primes. And even if a Leonard-level player had Horry-level hardware, he still doesn’t surpass Jordan.

Why? Because Jordan’s greatness doesn’t come solely from the quantity of titles he won. It also comes from his individual exploits, the sheer consistency of the overwhelming dominance he displayed throughout every regular and postseason he played with the Chicago Bulls.

The point is worth remembering in the wake of Tuesday night, when the UConn women beat Syracuse to secure their fourth straight championship. The win further catapulted UConn superstar Breanna Stewart into rare air, prompting the question of whether she is the greatest player—man or woman—in the history of college basketball.

“Stewie” has proven to be as devastating at her level as Kawhi Leonard is at his, steadily crushing opponents’ will with her 6-4 length, shooting range and versatility. On top of that, she was the best player on the only Division I women’s team to lose only once in a three-season span and the only team to win four consecutive national titles. Oh, and she’s also the only person to win four NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards.

As great as Stewart was though, she’s not the greatest college basketball player of all time. Other players—men and women—make stronger arguments despite winning fewer national titles.

Take Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, for example. For three straight seasons at UCLA, Abdul-Jabbar (aka Lew Alcindor) matched or one-upped Stewie in practically every category. The Bruins’ prestige has dropped in recent years, to the point where their odds to win the 2017 NCAA Championship are on par with Vanderbilt’s, but in the late 1960s UCLA was even more dominant than the UConn women are now. Abdul-Jabbar’s Bruins won 98 percent of their games compared to 96.8 percent for Stewart’s Huskies.

Both Abdul-Jabbar and Stewart won the Most Outstanding Player award every postseason they qualified for it. In the late 1960s, freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity, but had Abdul-Jabbar been eligible he likely would have won it as a freshman too.

Abdul-Jabbar separates himself from Stewart when it comes to individual statistics. He bore more of the burden for his team and delivered more often at a higher level. The fact Stewart averaged 10.3 rebounds and 19 points in national title games looks really impressive—until you compare that line to Abdul-Jabbar’s title game averages: 18 rebounds and 30.3 points (on 70 percent shooting).

A side-by-side comparison of statistics from each player’s first three seasons further confirms that Abdul-Jabbar is in a class of his own when it comes to mixing individual accomplishment and team success:

Year One

Year Two

Year Three

OK, so maybe bringing the men into it was a bit much.

In terms of women’s college basketball only, how good is Stewart’s G.O.A.T. case? Here nobody separates themselves like Abdul-Jabbar, but a few players still surpass her in important areas. USC legend Cheryl Miller, for instance, won two titles but was a vastly more dominant individual force. Her freshman season alone was a masterpiece, while Stewart’s freshman year looked relatively pedestrian (more to come on this later).

Critically, Stewart is far from the consensus best player in the history of her own program. More insiders maintain that distinction belong with Diana Taurasi, whose Huskies won three titles from 2002-2004. Taurasi didn’t have the benefit of playing with as many All-Americans as Stewart did, ESPN analyst Doris Burke points out to the Hartford Courant: “In Diana’s final two seasons, so much of their success on those National Championships was driven by her. She had the ball in her hands for extended periods. She had the ball in her hands for the most important moments.”

Burke continues: “She made the players around her be above the level that maybe they thought they could play at. In terms of the weight of responsibility and that certain something that certain athletes have to raise the level of the people around them, Diana didn’t have Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson, the next two best players in the country [after Stewart] in my estimation.”

Taurasi had the luxury of those caliber of players in her sophomore year, but it was pretty much her show the next two seasons. Whereas Stewart et al rolled in as overwhelming favorites in practically every post-season game played later in her career, Taurasi’s Huskies were an underdog in the semifinal against Texas her junior year. “We had no business winning that game,” Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma told Zach Lowe. “She made everybody around her feel like they could do anything.”

Comparing The Best of The Best

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

Senior Year

Make no mistake about it: Whether surrounded by other All-Americans or not, Stewart is a great player. But her greatness doesn’t transcend and overwhelm in the same way Michael Jordan did in the NBA, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Cheryl Miller did in college. Hardly any players ever reach this level, so that shouldn’t be an indictment against Stewart or take away from all that she has helped accomplish.

As Burke put in during Tuesday’s title game broadcast, “After a rocky first year at Connecticut, Stewart has gone on to become the most decorated and most successful player in history.”

Those two descriptions should be enough.

What about other all-time college greats like Bill Walton, Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Sheryl Swoopes and Chamique Holdsclaw? See how they stack up to the above players here.

The post Back To Back To Back To Back appeared first on SLAM.

Check out the video up top.

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Congrats to the 25 @TeamUSA finalists named today by USA Basketball! READ: https://t.co/AVzwGLnXQ1 #RoadToRio pic.twitter.com/RqcDwmmuXC

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) January 25, 2016

Fifteen of the 25 finalists for the USA Basketball Women’s National Team earned a combined 41 Olympic and FIBA World Championship gold medals.

The team will be coached by Geno Auriemma, who has a 23-0 record with the USA National Team and three gold medals.

See the full list of players below:

Finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team include: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx), Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Tina Charles (New York Liberty), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago Sky), Skylar Diggins (Dallas Wings), Stefanie Dolson (Washington Mystics), Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury), Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx), Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Briann January (Indiana Fever), Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks), Kayla McBride (San Antonio Stars), Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream), Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx), Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun), Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks), Candace Parker (Los Angeles Sparks), Danielle Robinson (San Antonio Stars), Odyssey Sims (Dallas Wings), Breanna Stewart (University of Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury), Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky) and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx).

 

Additionally, Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm), who took part in the USA National Team’s minicamp in Las Vegas this past May, was added to the USA National Team pool and is among the 25 finalists. The No. 1 pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft and the 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year, Loyd is a two-time world champion with USA Basketball. She helped the 2010 USA U17 World Championship Team collect gold with an 8-0 record, and she returned as a member of the 2014 USA 3×3 World Championship Team that swept its competition for a 9-0 record and gold medal at the 2014 FIBA 3×3 World Championship.

Related:
USA Basketball Names 30 Finalists for 2016 Olympic Team

The post USA Basketball Names Finalists for Women’s National Team appeared first on SLAM.

From a pop-culture standpoint, it was rather fitting that the Golden State Warriors ruled over the NBA in the same way Star Wars Episode VII did the box-office. Both were throwbacks to previous game-changing trilogies, both tap into nostalgia and each is a story for a new generation that’s both a continuation and a complete rethink. Elsewhere, be it with advertising (NBA’s antigun violence campaign), fashion (take a Stance) google search terms (Lamar Odom!), gender equality (Female assistant coaches: Becky Hammon and Nancy Liberman), media (ESPN closes Grantland), movies (LeBron survives Trainwreck), politics (Daily Fantasy Sports is deemed gambling), publishing (Kevin Love undresses for The Body Issue), social media (NBA surpasses one billion Vine loops), sneaker releases (Jordan Brand’s 30th anniversary; LeBron debuts new shoe on SLAM 192) or TV shows (Jeremy Lin guest star on ABC’s “Fresh Off The Boat”), 2015 was a mighty big year for Basketball.

Before commencing the countdown, there were five not quite honorable mentions but too large to be footnotes items that this humble author felt the need to include: Zach LaVine’s gravity defying night Brooklyn… Jimmy Butler sounding the Bull-horn… The Kentucky Wildcats’ almost perfect run… DeAndre Jordan double crossing Mark Cuban… and the quiet brilliance of Kawhi Leonard. With all that in mind, here are the 15 people who made the biggest difference to Basketball in 2015.

15. Kristaps Porzingis

When Phil Jackson (Team President) and Steve Mills (General Manager) were seemingly forced to select Euro prospect Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, many feared the Knicks would end up with another flameout — think Yi Jianlian (2007) or Nikoloz Tskitishvili (2002) — not the second coming of a Euro saviour in the Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki mold (and it’s worth noting the latter, now one of the six best point producers in NBA history, has publicly praised Kristaps for his early development).

Playing in the media capital of the world is part of the story but the hype and hysteria surrounding the SLAM 195 cover subject is less Linsanity and more harbinger for real hope — New Yorkers can be forgiven for fawning over the rapid adjustment made by Porzingis because his skill set appears to have the potential to carry the storied franchise back into the contender conversation. While part of his immediate fame is ballyhoo attached to Great White Hope marketability, all the celebration is made possible because he has started to deliver like Dominos.

While it’ll be another 24 months before the true quality of the 2015 Draft class is known, Porzingis has done enough over the early stages of the 2015-16 season that there appears to be life beyond Carmelo Anthony. That sort of (contagious) optimism gives the Blue and Orange a significant piece to finally build around. It’s easy to dismiss Porzingis as “flavor of the month” but over the second half of 2015 few have matched the Latvian’s foreign exchange rate (which has climbed from modest to money in the bank).

14. Christopher Arena

Both Google and Facebook decided to give their respective logos a facelift in 2015 and while no singular NBA team carries as much weight as either tech giant, that doesn’t mean that even the slightest franchise identity change isn’t met with the same intensity by fans, be it backlash or praise.

As yours truly highlighted in SLAM Presents: KICKS 18, there has been a noticeable and somewhat dramatic change to a large portion of NBA franchises in 2015. With more and more fans viewing games/highlights via their smart phones, the League has consciously tailored uniforms, courts and branding to fit with consumption. It has been the job of department captain Christopher Arena (and his crew) to oversee the transition from the traditional one-size-fits-all, road and home uniform systems to autonomy/flexibility based on team desires. White (or in the Lakers’ case, Yellow) is no longer the prerequisite for the host just like limiting uniforms to dual sets has become a ghost of the NBA’s past.

The Atlanta Hawks (fearless fusion of eras/errors), Los Angeles Clippers (nautical theme sans nautical theme), Milwaukee Bucks (masterclass in decentralized rebranding), Philadelphia 76ers (losing never looked so good) and Toronto Raptors (goodbye Jurassic Park, hello Jurassic World) all introduced new identities in 2015 with varying degrees of appreciation or animosity. Wherever you looked in 2015, be it Dallas (fan designed skyline jersey), Indiana (30th anniversary “Hickory” get-ups), Memphis (ABA Sounders set), New Orleans (purple and green “Mardi Gras” uniforms), New York (1950’s throwback), Oklahoma City (Sunset alternate) or Sacramento (Baby Blue retro), the NBA wardrobe was expanding at a rate never seen before. Between Christmas Day, Latin Nights, Chinese New Year, St. Patrick’s Day and whatever other occasion team’s wish to emblazon on their players, there’s certainly no shortage of outfits to fill the Association’s shiny new Fifth Avenue store.

While Stance socks were added to the on-court system and the inclusion of a sponsor’s logo on all 2016 All-Star uniforms is a step closer to Advertmageddon, it was the ongoing invasion of sleeves that dominated jersey chatter. In 2015, certain sleeved offerings worked (white edition by Denver, Buzz City tees in Charlotte, racing stripes in Washington DC) while others offended good taste (Chicago and Houston in grey?!?). Dirk Nowitzki spoke out against the t-shirts in late 2013 but it wasn’t until LeBron James ripped his that the disdain threatened to disrupt the adidas x NBA agenda.

13. Maya Moore, Elena Delle Donne and Diana Taurasi

In an ideal world, the major storylines/stars of the WNBA wouldn’t need to be clumped together but as long as the League remains the NBA’s little sister, reality defeats wish. Powered by the highly popular triptych of Brittney Griner, Skylar Diggins and Elena Delle Donne, the WNBA’s 19th campaign — it hasn’t even been around as long as Kobe Bryant — show tremendous progress even though its blemishes were visible Diana Taurasi sidelined, Isiah Thomas’ ownership desires, etc.. If nothing else, both sides of the WNBA coin served as a reminder that the Lady’s Association is worthy of your attention even though it still needs advocacy.

Maya Moore: In Game 3 of the 2015 WNBA Finals, Maya Moore hit what could become the W’s signature shot. Her dramatic, top-of-the-key triple against Indiana (as time expired) has been compared to another No. 23’s heroics but what she has done over the course of her first five pro seasons (four Finals appearances, three champagne showers) is reminiscent of Bill Russell’s Celtics, who owned the NBA in the 1960s. There’s a reason why Michael Jordan hand-picked her to endorse the Jumpman and in 2015, the world was treated to another reminder that we might be witnessed basketball’s version of Serena Williams.

Elena Delle Donne: On September 16, 2015, Chicago shotmaker Elena Delle Donne was named the WNBA’s 11th MVP (after averaging 23.4 points — fifth-highest scoring average in league history — 8.4 boards, 1.4 dimes, 1.1 steals and two blocks per). The Sky won 21 of 31 regular season outings with Delle Donne in the line-up and went 0-3 without their 6-5 dynamo. She might’ve registered a pair of 40-point outings and finished top three in both rebounds and blocks per but her showing from the charity stripe (95% accuracy) meant defenders had a better chance of surviving an encounter with Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons than stopping Delle Donne in 2015.

Diana Taurasi: Imagine Mixed Martial Arts without Ronda Rousey. That’s what the WNBA was without its marquee name in 2015 (only it was capitalism, not injury, that kept the mighty Diana away). Instead of defending her WNBA crown, Taurasi’s Russian employers, UMMC Ekaterinburg, made her a Godfather offer to the tune of $1.5 million (for just a few months “work”). Financially speaking, it would’ve been irresponsible for Taurasi to turn down the foreign employment offer… but the bigger dilemma remains: the WNBA – and to an extent, its deep pocket parent – will need to figure out ways to curb more lucrative leagues from ransacking its talent. Whether the WNBA liked it not, Taurasi’s absence was noticeable, preventing the season from being near perfect.

12. Chris Paul

The longer he plays the more gifted he appears (compared to his playmaking peers) and the worse he seems to be cursed (another year, another early postseason exit or team collapse). Appearing in all 82 games for the first time, CP3 was later betrayed by his body in the conference semis but managed to return from a leg strain in time to help the Clippers  lose Games 5 (!), 6 (!!) and 7 (!!!) to Houston. That series defeat — another on a long line in a career that’s now reminiscent of Tim Hardaway’s over Isiah Thomas’ — instantly erased memories of CP3’s opening round heroics and that impossible shot over Tim Duncan that helped Steve Ballmer’s boys advance.

Once it appeared as though DeAndre Jordan would depart for Dallas (only to return) because he was unhappy with the situation in Los Angeles, all the long brewing criticisms of Chris Paul finally surfaced, many given justified airing. Salty, difficult and demanding, CP3’s reputation wasn’t painted with flattering remarks but NBA fans are always won over/back by winners, even problematic ones, so all is not lost for Chris Paul — Isiah Thomas wasn’t well liked but having rings alters how he’s viewed. Still, CP3 remains a hard figure to digest partly because his prickly artistry has been overwhelmed by complaints.

Now 10 years into his pro career, it’s safe to consider Chris Paul one the 10 best point guards ever — he is, after all, a career 19-10 guy (with two steals per) and top five on both the career assists and thefts per game leaderboard. Yet his ticket to the Greatest Five club expires soon and once it does, the only way CP3 can guarantee entry to the prestigious lounge is to reach the Finals.

11. Mike Krzyzewski

In early 2015, all eyes were squarely fixed on John Calipari, the eventual Naismith Coach of Year, and his stacked Kentucky Wildcats. While JC’s crew attempted to chase down the perfect season, Duke University’s 68-year-old hardwood zealot Mike Krzyzewski became the first D1 Men’s coach to collect 1000 victories (following his Blue Devils’ win over St. John inside MSG). He squad might’ve started fourth on the Associated Press’s pre-season poll but when all was said and done, Duke won yet another NCAA tournament — this time by blowing out Michigan State (a surprise Final Four entrant) before narrowly beating Wisconsin, 68 – 63, inside Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.

Throughout the memorable run, Krzyzewski carefully prepared freshman pivot Jahill Okafor for college basketball’s main course (March Madness) and the delectable centerpiece was rewarded with an All-American selection. Coach K also served up the right amount of Tyus Jones and Justice Winslow, two perfectly portioned side dishes to complete one of the finest meals of his tenure.

In 2015, Coach K also joined the late, great John Wooden with the most Final Four appearances (12) in D1 tournament history. Now a five-time NCAA Champion (1991, ’92, ’01, ’10, ’15), Krzyzewski’s employers mightn’t be well liked but this tactician, trainer and timber tutor is rightfully revered. In 50 years from now, when we think back on who cut down the nets in 2015, it’ll be Krzyzewski’s gleaming smile and his Blue Devils’ (not-all-that) surprising triumph.

10. Lamar Odom

Had it of been Dennis Rodman who was found unconscious inside the Love Ranch, a brothel 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Crystal, Nevada, no one would’ve been all that surprised. Yet when news broke in October that former NBA Sixth Man of the Year recipient Lamar Odom was hospitalized, the story quickly turned into a global conversation piece. The Odom incident became a highly publicized story primarily because of its linkage to the so-called “reality” television monstrosity that is the Kardashians but aside from being custom made for supermarket checkout gossip rags, Odom’s epic fall from grace showed the frailty pro athletes can mask.

For anyone who enjoyed the southpaw’s style of play or his infectious, sincere personality, the Nevada event was a puzzling fixture, so much so that Lamar Odom became one of the most searched names in 2015. While a portion of that search engine traffic would’ve been housewives trying to find out more about the New York native hitting rock bottom, the fact that basketball was mentioned in almost every report meant publicity for the NBA. While the Association never chased more visibility, it didn’t stop the headline hogging Kardashians from turning one man’s (much needed) recovery into television ratings.

In an interesting wrinkle, James Harden — who was dating Lamar’s ex-wife Khloe (the two filed for divorce in 2013 after four years of marriage) at the time — himself went into a funk after showing up out of shape to the Rockets’ season in tow of their break-up. Granted SLAM is hardly the forum to worry about lifestyles of the rich and famous but in this instance, a former cover subject was one of the year’s most talked about topics, thus, once the commotion reached fever pitch it made sense to study what was on the other side of the wall. The findings? One man’s critical situation created a TMZ-style circus with every media outlet jumping on the Odom story because it was linked to the Kardashians. Thankfully, Lamar is rehabilitating his life but for a brief time in 2015, his name was everywhere.

9. Anthony Davis

Despite the fact he was only in year three, Anthony Davis was able to pace the NBA in blocks (2.9) and Player Efficiency Rating (30.8). Those averages in tandem with a host of other two-way performance measures saw the emerging star finish fifth in MVP voting. More so, Davis hit the shot – a double-pump triple at the buzzer over Kevin Durant that doubled as one of the year’s best game winners – that effectively gave New Orleans their first postseason appearance since he joined the pros, courtesy of the tiebreaker over Oklahoma City.

All that production and elite understanding of the game (combined with his freaky genetics) meant predicting Davis to be the 2015-16 NBA MVP would be met with little resistance. Experts, including SLAM (193), looked favorably on the recent past and expected their to be more of the same in the immediate future… and yet Davis finished 2015 on uneven footing, leaving many to raise an eyebrow on what was supposed to be one of the surest bets in the pros. Still, he’s ahead of Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett after their respective third campaigns and it’s not insane to compare last season’s All-NBA First Teamer to a young Tim Duncan (given his defensive prowess and offensive ceiling).

Even though there are growing pains to be had and a suspect supporting cast in the Big Easy, Davis has been elevated by the NBA (and its legion of fans) because you never know what wonders his might display. There’s a good reason why the NBA gave his team a coveted Christmas Day 2015 spot: Davis may play in a smallish local television market but he’s part of Basketball’s promising future. That rationale is also why he’s now a major fixture on Nike basketball’s agenda and it’s why the taxation preparation firm H&R Block have signed Davis to be their spokesperson — plus, someone has to help him manage that five-year, $145 million extension, why not the financial experts?

8. Draymond Green

As Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors, Don Nelson tried to implement small ball in the early-to-mid 90s with a Chris Webber-Billy Owens-Chris Mullin-Latrell Sprewell-Tim Hardaway line-up. The concept, which was novel at the time, didn’t get a chance to prove itself because Webber was traded following his rookie run. The strategy was again employed by Nelson when he took the gig in Dallas but the effectiveness of small ball wasn’t fully realized, in its creators image, until 2014-15. The mismatches created by playing the versatile Draymond Green in the middle, especially once his three-point form vastly improved, was good enough to help the Dubs ruin LeBron James’ quest to bring Cleveland a title parade.

For 25 years, basketball fans have seen various attempts to make small ball effective, and one could argue that the reason the 2013-14 Spurs extracted sugar sweet revenge on LeBron James’ Heat was due in large to Boris Diaw’s time at center. However, that (Gregg Popovich) property wasn’t nearly as much fun as Steve Kerr’s 2014-15 Warriors, thus Green’s defensive potency and willingness to do the dirty work helped to make Golden State as likeable as they are watchable.

Like Jackson Pollock, Green’s isn’t worried about perfecting the process, he’s more focused on the emotions stirred up by the outcome — but that doesn’t mean his compositions (on the court) haven’t caused many critics to concede his skillfulness. Once upon a time, it helped to be Catholic — in the broad-minded sense — when appreciating the beauty of Draymond’s artistry. Now? Well, he’s widely accepted as both the team’s spiritual leader and its cocksure kingpin. Conservative thinking has never been welcomed in the Bay Area and in 2015, the Green Beret played like the evolutionary Dennis Rodman (circa 1990) which became the perfect running mate to Steph Curry’s fearless sniper. (More on that in a bit.)

7. Ben Simmons

Bill Simmons (no relation) believes the Australian native is the surest college prospect since Kevin Durant in 2007. That’s some seriously high praise but given a survey of the 2016 mock drafts reveals one consensus: Simmons at No. 1. It’s no wonder people are buying up stock in the LSU freshman.

On the surface, adulation for Ben Simmons appears every bit the tantamount to “Pistol” Pete Maravich, Chris Jackson (now Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf) and Shaquille O’Neal, all former Louisiana State University prospects turned top lottery picks who captured imaginations during their respective stints in Baton Rouge. Yet a deep dive on the kid suggests the skilled 6-10 forward could be everything Len Bias was supposed to be (if you replace Bias’ athleticism with playmaking)… and yet all that pro potential could go unfulfilled (think Derrick Coleman or Joe Smith). What happens tomorrow is unknown but what’s certain today is this: no other collegiate hooper has been as talked about in 2015 as young Ben.

Anytime a player is flagged “franchise saviour,” NBA fans immediate show interest in hopes their general manager will get lucky at the lottery. Adding to the intrigue is the fact LeBron has given permission for commentators to make early comparisons and so long as Simmons continues to stand tall under the intensifying spotlight, he’s well positioned to be for basketball what fellow countryman Liam Hemsworth is to the silver screen.

6. Russell Westbrook

If NBA honors were handed out like Academy Awards, Russell Westbrook’s 2014-15 tour de force would’ve won him Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. While the other nominees — Anthony Davis, the year’s breakout star who’s capable of carrying an average feature film; LeBron James, perpetual favorite; Stephen Curry, a surprise lead of a box-office smash with never before seen acting range and James Harden, the year’s best villain — were all terrific, it was hard to argue against Russell’s scene stealing performance, especially because he turned a troubled script into a genuine NBA thriller.

More hurricane than human, Westbrook somehow turned the Thunder’s 3-12 start into a 45-37 finish. He not only paced the League in scoring in the process but ended his campaign ranked second in steals per, fourth in assists and first among guards in rebounding… but none of that mattered to him because OKC missed the postseason. Now that’s a hardwired competitor of the highest order.

Away from the timber, the fashion-forward Russ — he’s as likely to be seen gracing the cover of Esquire or GQ as often as he does SLAM — released his first Jordan Brand shoe (Westbrook 0), opting for a signature lifestyle release over yet another performance product. Allen Iverson labelled him a “certified killer” but the folks at Mountain Dew, Kings and Jaxs, L.V.M.H./Zenith watches, Subway and True Religion all hope he doesn’t do to their brands what he does to defenders. With a dapper style that’s straight from the gospel, according to Walt Frazier, Westbrook has become a lightening rod thanks to his fearless ways.

When thinking about the people who made the biggest impact on 2015, Russ ranks just outside the top five for one reason: his Tom Cruise-level dedication (pathologically competitive, driven by perfection) narrowly outweighs his Clint Eastwood coolness. Should that ever flip, there’s every chance Russ will be the NBA’s brightest star. But as of right now, he lives outside the final five because the names ahead of him either carry more cultural clout, have been granted greater governance by the general electorate or they’ve stolen the spotlight with a poetic revelation.

5. James Harden

While the majority of bearded bad guys (from Russian Street Fighter Zangief to Globex Corporation owner Hank Scorpio) are fictional, James Harden’s basketball villainy is very real. After producing a memorable regular season, one in which No. 13 paced the NBA in Win Shares (16.4), total points scored (2,217) and minutes played (2,981), Harden helped H-Town complete one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history before being voted MVP by his peers at the inaugural Players’ Choice Awards.

Additionally, he dished out more assists than LeBron (565 to 511) and led all shooting guards with an average of 7.0 apg. – the only player from his starting position ranked inside the top ten. Yes, he also turned it over a lot (321) for a variety of reasons, some his fault, others not so, but Harden also stole possession back 154 times. Along with teammate Trevor Ariza (registering another 152 swipes), the pair helped to give Houston one of the stingiest perimeter tandems in the pros, even with his matador impersonations.

Thanks to his delicious 2015 showing, the Bearded wonder has joined an elite group of bad guys — Heavyweight boxer James “Clubber” Lang (Rocky III), Krypton warlord General Zod (Superman), Agrabah’s royal vizier Jafar (Aladdin), Istari leader Saruman the White (The Lord of the Rings), international terrorist Hans Gruber (Die Hard), Mongo tyrant Ming the Merciless (Flash Gordon), the grandiose “Macho Man” Randy Savage (WWE) and the most dastardly gamer of them all, Billy Mitchell (King of Kong) — and appears set to continue his wicked ways in 2016.

While he remains bad news for defenders, Harden is certainly good for business. It’s why adidas offered the creator and shot maker a $200 million deal. A self-styled standout, Harden’s alignment with the Triple Stripe places him alongside Kanye West, a move that’s sure to enrage some and delight others. If nothing else, Harden has carefully created an NBA persona that’s one of his generations most memorable.

4. Kevin Durant

His offseason might’ve included the release of an eighth signature sneaker in addition to welcoming both Neff and The Players’ Tribune to an endorsement portfolio that features 2K Sports, Kind, Nike, Sprint, Sparkling Ice, Sonic and Unilever but all anybody wanted to talk about was possible NBA destinations Kevin Durant could land in 2016. The former MVP grew tired of the chatter and eventually pushed back. Sick of the distortion, KD let the media know he’ll be stonewalling any questions on the subject until the time was right for him (because there’s a multitude of items that require his full attention prior to any free agency decisions).

In an age when it’s all about daily clicks, the Fourth Estate didn’t necessarily turn away from KD because of spite but his reluctance to dance their dance made it easier for editors to overlook the Thunder and overload on Golden State. While the Warriors have earned the extra coverage, the Thunder still have two of the five best players in the game and with Durant healthy, their collective confidence grows stronger by the day.

Additionally, Durant made it clear during training camp that he was done talking about his injured foot. As far as he was concerned, the all-clear from his team’s medical staff meant he was back to full strength (and it didn’t make sense to live in the past). Through 25 appearances, Durant is averaging 27-8-5 — on 52-42-89 shooting splits — with a block and steal per in 36 minutes of action. Those are some impressive numbers and suggest that KD is all the way back– only fewer folks are talking about Kevin Durant now that Curry is on a crusade. But that’s okay with KD, he’s paid to play, not provide content.

While Paul George’s return to the Indiana Pacers was just as important as Durant’s, his Eastern Conference counterpart isn’t nearly as popular (KD now has roughly 13 million Twitter followers, Paul George just 1.4 million), as revered by their peers (LeBron and Kobe both believe KD is otherworldly) or under the same microscope given the coaching situation or the uncertainty circling his future. Once the most talked about NBA player, the Durant allure has subsided temporarily because of his sullenness combined with refocused efforts on all things Steph but again, Durant is gunning for the one prize he covets over all others: a championship… and he knows from experience, the media is whatever you make of it and right now he’s keeping his distance but that has made him more fascinating than ever.

3. Kobe Bryant

Before riding off into the Californian sunset, Kobe Bryant will embark on a season long retirement tour despite not wanting to ever make a fuss about his departure from the game. A cultural icon that will go down as one of the most popular, polarizing and proficient point producers to ever step into the NBA arena, Kobe’s a Hall of Fame lock who was much more than a bridge between Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

While Kobe’s game has devolved of late — his play in the opening portion of the 2015-16 season resembled Arnold Schwarzenegger’s sad attempt to once again travel back in time via the godawful Terminator: Genesys — he’s managed to regain some form, an interesting addition to his resume given he hasn’t played much basketball over the past couple of years. Thanks to a personally penned poem that was first published on The Players’ Tribune, a digital platform that Kobe partly owns, the Black Mamba conceded that he’s a superstar player who refuses to go quietly even though his body broke up with basketball long before his heart ever will. Still, as tribute for all he has done (and means) to the NBA over the past 20 years, Kobe will be granted one final All-Star spot and possibly an Olympic team berth too (in 2016).

There’ll be no classic Hollywood ending for the NBA’s top individual earner ($25,000,000 this season), only a slow, sad march towards the retirement home but before he goes, the ruthless leviathan will travel the land and soak up the NBA experience in a way that he has never allowed himself to before: as living legend.

2. LeBron James

When LeBron James decided it was time to return to Ohio, everyone expected there to be chemistry issues, teething pains (with Head Coach David Blatt’s system) and somewhat modest year one objectives. Once their deficiencies were addressed by GM David Griffin, LeBron’s cerebral stratum took care of bringing the Cavaliers up to speed, which meant they could jump head first into the 2015 postseason pool.

Playoff injuries to both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving soured the summer fun but it wasn’t until Andre Iguodala, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes started circling LeBron that everyone got that sinking feeling. Forced to swallow his fourth career Finals loss (from six appearances) LeBron was so valiant in defeat that his showing actually added to his legacy — it also didn’t hurt that his one-man army act resulted in averages of 35.8 ppg, 13.3 rpg and 8.8 apg during what turned out to be his fifth consecutive trophy round invitation.

For the year, Forbes had the King as the sixth highest earner — $65 million — and the N.B.A.’s top pitchman (when combining athlete salary with endorsement offerings). Then seemingly out of nowhere, James signed a new lifetime deal with Nike, the first such deal of its kind in the Swoosh’s storied history. While figures weren’t disclosed, the partnership could be worth as much as $1 billion given the power of LeBron, the success of his signature sneaker line over recent years, his cache in pop-culture, the value/structure of Kevin Durant’s recent deal and his philanthropic desires. Basketball remains Nike’s most successful division and after Steph Curry slipped through their fingers, one can safely assume the decision makers in Beaverton were keen to have LeBron on side for life… and given how fruitful their arrangement with Michael Jordan continues to be, you can bet King James wants to build an empire all his own, one that’s all about the kid from Akron.

1. Stephen Curry

Like there was ever any doubt.

The fact that Steph Curry, not Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis or any other preordained talent, managed to created a movement that disrupted everyone’s hopes, plans and preferences (while fending off every challenger) is as impressive as it is inconceivable.

In 2015, Dell’s son didn’t just trump the likes of LeBron James on multiple fronts (2015 Finals, most popular), he showed the history books/conventional wisdom that a jump shooting team can claim the title (so long as their powered by a pair of marksmen that reside on the Steve Nash and Ray Allen end of the spectrum).

Just the fourth basketball player — following Larry Bird, Michael Jordan and LeBron James — to be named Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press, Steph was recognized by the news organization editors and directors because of the way he elevated the expectations for all future perimeter players whenever efficiency or long distance production is evaluated.

As Jalen Rose recently noted how “the best player in the NBA usually is also physically opposing” but with Steph “we see him on a national stage be a son, a dad, a husband, a father, a brother.” That softening, harmful to any athlete who builds a name solely on their masculinity, has made Curry more endearing — a relatable David who contrasts the NBA’s vast collection of Goliath’s. But it’s a lie. Curry didn’t reach the pinnacle of his sport by remaining normal and yet, it’s because of his size (6-3) and that reliance on a seemingly obtainable skill-set that Curry has connected with fans in a way that most never even dream possible. As a result, demand for his pre-game warm-up routine has changed NBA arena policy while his traveling band of ballers has garnered record television ratings. He plays golf with the (44th) President, has the best selling jersey in multiple countries, and best of all, Curry is now lending his name/time to advocacy.

Prior to 2015, Curry had a lone All-Star appearance and Playoff series win next to his name. Then rookie coach Steve Kerr set him free. Not only did Curry collect the most All-Star votes while guiding the Warriors to the 10th best regular season record ever (67 wins), he was catalyst for the franchise’s first title in 40 years. Along the way, he won over hearts and minds leaving the media with no other choice but to reward Steph with the 2015 MVP trophy. That made him just the sixth Point Guard, following Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Earvin Johnson, Steve Nash and Derrick Rose, to receive the decoration.

And yet, Curry did it all on a below-market contract extension. To his credit, he never complained. While Steph may currently be the NBA’s 60th (!) highest earner — collecting less than Enes Kanter ($16,407,500), Roy Hibbert ($15,592,216) and DeMarre Carroll ($13,600,000), among others — his popularity has seen a range of brands come calling. From 2KGames to ESPN; from Muscle Milk to Sony; from Unilever to Under Armour, Curry has quickly become one of the most bankable names in sport. It’s why in mid-2015 UA trademarked the saying “Slay Your Next Giant” shortly before they extend Curry’s contract until 2024.

He’s far from done but what Curry accomplished in 2015 makes him the Ultimate Warrior.

—

Brad Graham is a freelance graphic designer/basketball writer who moonlights as the co-host of the Full Court Report podcast (new episodes every Monday and Thursday). Follow him on Twitter: @BackpackBaller. Images via Getty.

The post 15 People Who Defined Basketball in 2015 appeared first on SLAM.

The 60-second spot acknowledges some of the perceptions surrounding the women’s game:

You think I can’t go as hard as you.

 

Can’t cross you up.

 

You think I can’t open doors.

 

Be legendary.

 

Box her out.

 

Get her to school on time.

 

Show them I care.

 

D you up.

 

Be who I want.

 

Love who I want.

 

All while chasing my dream.

The commercial ends with a confident, “Watch me.”

To add to the dope narration, the commercial features clips of Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon, Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus and wife LaTaya Varner, L.A. Sparks forward Candace Parker and daughter Lailaa Williams, Houston Comets great Cynthia Cooper as well as Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner, Maya Moore and more.

The post WNBA Addresses Stereotypes In New ‘Watch Me’ Ad (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

BG finished with 12 and 9 for the Mercury, who lost 71-63.

The post Brittney Griner Throws Down One-Handed Dunk (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Elena Delle Donne, the league’s leading vote-getter, will start alongside Tamika Catchings, Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles and Shoni Schimmel.

In the West, it’s Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Candice Dupree, Seimone Augustus and Skylar Diggins (although Diggins and Augustus will need a replacement due to injury).

Head coaches and four players will be wearing live microphones over the course of the game. Additional highlights are below:

In-game Access

 

· Rowe will have in-game access to both the Eastern and Western Conference benches, conducting live interviews with players;
· Pre-game and halftime locker room access;
· On-court camera access during the action, specifically free throws and dead ball situations;
· ESPN anchor Matt Barrie will host the State Farm Halftime Report with guest Chiney Ogwumike (Connecticut Sun).

 

Live Microphones

 

· A total of four players – one per half from each team will wear live microphones during the games;
· The head coach of each team will also wear a live microphone.

 

espnW

 

· Columnist Mechelle Voepel will report from Mohegan Sun Arena;
· Leading up to Saturday’s game, Voepel will profile leading All-Star vote-getter Elena Delle Donne, name her top five MVP candidates at the break, and provide additional on-site pre-game coverage and features;
· W @ The WNBA All-Star Game will have one-on-one interviews with WNBA participants and coaches;
· Live social media content involving fans and All-Star players;
· The @espnW Twitter account will use the official @TwitterMirror during All-Star practice;
· Before regular-season games resume, Michelle Smith’s midseason report will break down all 12 teams, including midseason grades for the first half of the season.

The post 2015 WNBA All-Star Game To Air July 25 on ABC appeared first on SLAM.

Sky forward Elena Delle Donne, the leading vote-getter in the entire league, will start alongside Tamika Catchings, Angel McCoughtry, Tina Charles and Shoni Schimmel.

In the West, it’s Maya Moore, Brittney Griner, Candice Dupree, Seimone Augustus and Skylar Diggins (though Skylar will need a replacement due to a torn ACL).

More from the WNBA:

NEW YORK, July 14, 2015 – Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky, who is on pace to set the WNBA single-season record for scoring average, finished as the top vote-getter in WNBA All-Star Balloting 2015 presented by Boost Mobile. Delle Donne (25.8 ppg) garnered 18,034 votes to lead the Eastern Conference for the second year in a row and all players for the second time in three seasons. In 2013, she became the first rookie in WNBA history to earn the most votes overall.

 

Tamika Catchings of the Indiana Fever will join Delle Donne in the Eastern Conference starting lineup after being selected to the All-Star Game for a record 10th time, all starts. The 2011 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung, Catchings (9,923 votes) had been tied with Tina Thompson for the most overall selections.

 

Tulsa Shock guard Skylar Diggins, who was selected as a starter for the second straight year, and Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore, the 2014 WNBA MVP presented by Samsung, paced the Western Conference and ranked second and third overall with 15,895 and 13,706 votes, respectively.

 

Joining Delle Donne in the Eastern Conference backcourt is Boost Mobile WNBA All-Star 2014 MVP Shoni Schimmel of the Atlanta Dream (8,881 votes), who was selected as a starter for the second straight year. Lining up alongside Catchings in the frontcourt for the East will be Angel McCoughtry of the Atlanta Dream (7,619) and 2012 league MVP Tina Charles of the New York Liberty (6,129), both selected for the fourth time overall. McCoughtry will be making her fourth start, Charles her second.

 

Moore, a four-time selection and four-time starter, will be joined in the West frontcourt by Phoenix Mercury stars Brittney Griner (7,138) and Candice Dupree (5,954). Griner, the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year presented by Samsung, was selected as a starter for the third time in three seasons. Dupree, a five-time All-Star, was voted in as a starter for the first time.

 

Along with Diggins, the other backcourt player selected to start for the West is six-time All-Star Seimone Augustus of Minnesota (9,599). The MVP of the 2011 WNBA Finals presented by Boost Mobile, Augustus will be making the second All-Star start of her career.

The post Elena Delle Donne Headlines 2015 WNBA All-Star Starting Lineups appeared first on SLAM.

Griner issued a statement on Friday, saying that the couple made a mutual decision to separate last week. Griner claims in the court documents that she was “pressured into marriage under duress by [Johnson’s] threatening statements,” and says she had nothing to do with planning for the child.

Johnson-Griner’s agent released a statement saying that Johnson was “extremely hurt and blindsided” by Griner’s actions.

From ESPN:

Brittney Griner has filed papers seeking to annul her 29-day marriage to Glory Johnson.

 

“Last Wednesday, Glory and I agreed to either legally separate, get divorced, or annul our marriage,” Griner said in a statement Friday. “I can confirm that today I filed for an annulment. In the week prior to the wedding, I attempted to postpone the wedding several times until I completed counseling, but I still went through with it. I now realize that was a mistake.”

 

Despite Griner’s statement that the couple had discussed a divorce or annulment, Johnson’s agent, D.J. Fisher, said in a statement late Friday that she was unaware of the filing and was “extremely hurt and blindsided” by Griner’s actions.

 

“She loves Brittney and made a huge sacrifice to carry a child, put her career on hold, invest in their relationship and their future,” Fisher said, adding that Johnson was requesting privacy.

Related:
Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson-Griner Are Having a Baby
Glory Johnson-Griner Objects To WNBA’s 7-Game Suspension
WNBA Suspends Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson For 7 Games
Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson Arrested After Fight at Home

The post Brittney Griner Files To Annul Marriage To Glory Johnson-Griner appeared first on SLAM.

Eastern Conference

1. Washington (16-18, tied for second): In a conference filled with questions, the Mystics may have the fewest. Emma Meesseman is an emerging star (just 22) at power forward, the backcourt is solid, Kia Vaughn is serviceable at center, and if either Armintie Herrington or Kalana Greene lay claim to the small forward spot, Mike Thibault has enough pieces to maneuver his way to a first-place finish.

2. Atlanta (19-15, first): Wisdom says the most important position is PG, and the Dream jettisoned theirs, Jasmine Thomas, who got most of the minutes last year. Word is Celine Dumerc will not return to the league. That leaves rooks Samantha Logic (is she quick enough?) and Brittany Hrynko (is she consistent enough?) to run things. The rest of the lineup, led by Angel McCoughtry, is quality, so a solid performance at point guard from Shoni Schimmel (pg. 62) should put the Dream back on top.

3. Indiana (16-18, tied for second): The Fever have a lot of players in their prime but the question is whether that prime is good enough to get Indiana back over .500. One reason for the uncertainty is that the team’s best player, Tamika Catchings, waved goodbye to her prime long ago, and this will be her last season as she turns 36 in July. Like ATL, though, the pieces could fall into place, and Indiana could surprise. Or not.

4. Chicago (15-19, tied for fourth): Will she or won’t she? It says here Sylvia Fowles won’t return (she supposedly wants a trade), and that pushes the Sky down a notch. With the 6-5 Olympian, Chicago would have been the heavy favorite in the East and had a good shot at a title. Elena Delle Donne is one of the best, Cappie Pondexter could be rejuvenated by a return home, and the rest of the roster has enough juice to give the stars room to work.

5. New York (15-19, tied for fourth): Bill Laimbeer got two first-round picks, but it’s unclear if either (Brittany Boyd and Kiah Stokes) will be difference-makers this year, or ever. Otherwise, the Liberty have Tina Charles, tremendous when motivated, Epiphanny Prince home (when she’s not fulfilling overseas obligations) and well, not much else.

6. Connecticut (13-21, sixth): If Chiney Ogwumike hadn’t hurt her knee in Europe, the Sun would be in the mix. Without her, though, they need to have Chelsea Gray make her delayed debut (she sat out last year with an injury) in grand style, and some pretty good players (Alyssa Thomas, Alex Bentley, etc.) figure out how to be very good. It could happen, but without Ogwumike and consistent outside shooting, the Sun could find it hard to rise.

Western Conference

1. San Antonio (16-18, tied for third): Dan Hughes always gets the most out of his teams, and this year, he has a lot of pieces in place for a surprise run. Kayla McBride, Danielle Robinson and Jia Perkins are very good; Jayne Appel, Danielle Adams and Sophia Young-Malcolm do their part up front; and if Alex Montgomery can again shoot better than 40 percent from three, the Stars could shine very brightly.

2. Los Angeles (16-18, tied for third): The big question is when Candace Parker will return—and forgive Sparks’ fans if they replace “when” with “if,” as CP3 doesn’t need the money, has a bad knee and like all the other elite players, knows she won’t get any time off in 2016, an Olympic year. Even without her, though, this is a very strong team, with solid Jantel Lavender and exceptional Nneka Ogwumike up front, good guards (Kristi Toliver, Erin Phillips and Temeka Johnson) and a vet in Alana Beard.

3. Minnesota (25-9, second): The Lynx have been blessed with incredible injury luck in recent years: Only once in the past three seasons has a starter played fewer than 29 games, but all those starters, except Maya Moore, are now 31 or older. Healthy, this is the best team here; but the law of averages says that the Lynx are due to be unhealthy in 2015.

4. Tulsa (12-22, tied for fifth): The Shock have been giving youngsters big minutes in recent years, and the growing pains are evident, but it looks like they’ll give that scenario another whirl by tossing No. 2 overall pick Amanda Zahui B. into the mix. Courtney Paris is fine at that spot but limited enough that the combination of Skylar Diggins, Odyssey Sims and Glory Johnson aren’t quite enough to challenge the league’s best. But if Zahui is indeed wowie, the Shock could live up to their name.

5. Phoenix (29-5, first): That thud you hear is the mighty Mercury coming back to earth. Taurasi is taking the summer off (with financial encouragement from her Euro team), Aussie vet Penny Taylor is doing the same and Erin Phillips is in L.A. Yes, Phoenix still has the very great Brittney Griner and the very good Candice Dupree, but unless 6-5 DeWanna Bonner can play all three perimeter positions, it’s going to be a long summer.

6. Seattle (12-22, tied for fifth): The basketball gods smiled on the Storm, gifting them Jewell Loyd with the No. 1 pick, but new coach Jenny Boucek still has little to work with. Sue Bird is 35 with bad knees, Lauren Jackson isn’t playing, Camille Little is gone, and only undersized Crystal Langhorne is a quality player in her prime. Then again, Breanna Stewart awaits the lottery winner next year, so maybe the skies aren’t completely dark.

The post 2015 WNBA Preview appeared first on SLAM.

Johnson-Griner, who is carrying the child, announced the pregnancy on Instagram on Thursday with an image of a bun in an oven.

Johnson-Griner will sit out the upcoming season before serving her seven-game suspension for her part in a domestic dispute, which she plans to appeal, next season.

She released this statement on the Shock’s website:

“It has always been a dream of mine to start a family with someone I love. Being a professional athlete that plays year round, there is never a perfect time to get pregnant without putting my career on hold.

 

“The entire process, from learning our fertility options, to making the sacrifices necessary nine months before this child is born, is merely preparing me to become a great wife and an even better mother. The hardest part is sitting out this WNBA season, being away from my loving teammates, and not being able to be on the court and play for our devoted fans.”

Related:
Glory Johnson-Griner Objects To WNBA’s 7-Game Suspension
WNBA Suspends Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson For 7 Games
Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson Arrested After Fight at Home

The post Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson-Griner Are Having a Baby appeared first on SLAM.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Johnson-Griner stated, “For [the WNBA] to release a statement saying that we were both guilty in the situation, it’s not right. It’s not correct.”

The article reported medical evidence showing that Griner was the aggressor in the incident. Johnson-Griner suffered head and spinal trauma while Griner suffered only minor scratches.

Just two days before the WNBA season tips off, Johnson-Griner still hasn’t been cleared to practice. Her objection to her suspension could be the reason why.

On May 15, the WNBA suspended Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson—two married all-stars for the Phoenix Mercury and Tulsa Shock, respectively—for seven games apiece, calling the behavior of both parties equally “unacceptable” in a statement. However, contrary to what was originally reported, evidence provided by Johnson’s attorney, Howard Snader, suggests that Johnson was the target rather than the perpetrator of the incident.

 

Many of the details of the incident remain murky, but in a medical evaluation conducted two days after Johnson was arrested—according to records provided by Johnson’s lawyer—Phoenix-based orthopedic doctor Thomas C. Fiel noted that Johnson had been struck twice “on the back of her head by a hard carrying case.” A CT scan corroborated that Johnson had experienced head trauma and suffered a concussion. The CT scan also found evidence of spinal trauma. Griner, according to the police report, suffered only minor scratches.

 

“If I’m being fought,” Johnson said during an exclusive interview with SI.com last Thursday. “I’m not just gonna sit back … there’s probably a better way to handle it. But at the time … you’re just thinking of protecting yourself and doing what you need to do to stand up for yourself.”

 

Despite having access to all of the legal and medical information, the WNBA still decided to punish both spouses equally.

 

“[The WNBA] definitely knew about it,” Johnson said, referring to her injuries and how they occurred. “And that’s another reason it surprised me that they came up with the same conclusion. I’m not going to throw Brittney under the bus … and she’s not going to throw me under the bus … [but] what the [WNBA] did not say in the statements they released was that I pled not guilty … So for them to release a statement saying that we were both guilty in the situation, it’s not right. It’s not correct … Brittney pled guilty … Brittney understands why I pled not guilty, and I understand why she pled guilty … she was even willing to speak to whoever she needed to, to get the point across.”

Related:
WNBA Suspends Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson For 7 Games
Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson Arrested After Fight at Home

The post Glory Johnson-Griner Objects To WNBA’s 7-Game Suspension appeared first on SLAM.

WNBA President Laurel J. Richie issued the following statement today regarding the incident:

The WNBA takes all acts of violence extremely seriously. It is our strong belief that violence has absolutely no place in society, in sports or in this league.

 

As president, it is my responsibility to protect the league and uphold its values. Our athletes represent the WNBA, and they all must abide by the league’s standards of conduct. In this case, Brittney and Glory failed to do so, and that is unacceptable.

 

The WNBA immediately initiated its own investigation into the incident. It was extremely important for us to review the events thoroughly and carefully. Over the course of three weeks, the league conducted interviews with both players and three witnesses present for much of the altercation, and reviewed the police report, medical records, photos and other materials in order to determine the facts. Based on the WNBA’s investigation, the following summary of facts is largely undisputed.

 

Brittney and Glory were involved in a physical altercation with each other at their home. It began when Glory pushed Brittney in the shoulder and Brittney pushed Glory in the back of the neck. The confrontation escalated to include wrestling, punches, and the throwing and swinging of various objects. Brittney received a bite wound on her finger and scratches on her wrist, and Glory received a scratch above her lip and was diagnosed with a concussion.

 

On April 28, Brittney pleaded guilty in Goodyear City Court to misdemeanor disorderly conduct and entered a diversion program. The assault charge was dismissed. Brittney is required to complete a 26-week domestic violence course, and if she successfully completes the course (and meets other standard conditions), the disorderly conduct charge will be dismissed. Glory’s case was transferred to county court and is still pending.

 

ln the course of the WNBA’s review of the incident, I received guidance from a group of domestic violence experts: Dr. Valli Kalei Kanuha, Professor of Sociology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, a national consultant and trainer on gender violence, including same-sex partner violence; Linda Fairstein, former Chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office; and Kalimah Johnson, Founder and Executive Director of SASHA Center, a Detroit-based healing and awareness center focusing on sexual assault. I also consulted with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and an internal group that focuses on education and counseling of players, including Kathy Behrens, the NBA’s President for Social Responsibility & Player Programs, and Renee Brown, WNBA Chief of Basketball Operations and Player Relations.

 

With consideration of all the facts and circumstances of this matter, we are suspending Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson each without pay for a period of seven regular-season games. Brittney and Glory’s conduct is detrimental to the best interests of the WNBA and violates applicable law. We also understand that people make mistakes, and that education and training are as important as imposing discipline. Accordingly, each player will be required to attend individual counseling sessions with a counselor satisfactory to the WNBA. If either player fails to comply with this condition or any of the conditions imposed by the court, we reserve the right to revisit this matter.

 

The WNBA will continue to focus intently on the issue of domestic violence. Along with our partners in the Players Association, we will continue to educate our players so that they are equipped with the appropriate tools and resources and provided with necessary support systems. As such, we will be conducting education sessions with all WNBA players and team personnel throughout the season focused on domestic violence and related issues. We recognize that our league has an obligation and an opportunity to set an example for people around the world, and we will continue doing everything we can to ensure that situations such as this do not happen again.

The post WNBA Suspends Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson For 7 Games appeared first on SLAM.

The incident, which ABC15 in Phoenix describes as “a domestic violence situation at their house in Goodyear, AZ,” occurred on Wednesday around around 4:30 p.m. No weapons were involved and the couple suffered only “minor injuries,” according to an AP report.

UPDATE: WNBA spokesperson Dina Skokos released this statement regarding the arrest: “We are aware of the incident involving Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson and are working with the Phoenix Mercury and Tulsa Shock organizations to obtain more information.”

More from the AP:

Phoenix Mercury standout player Brittney Griner and fiancee and fellow WNBA player Glory Johnson were arrested on suspicion of assault and disorderly conduct following a fight at their home in suburban Phoenix.

 

The two 24-year-olds were booked into jail in Phoenix following their arrests Wednesday and later released. Agents for the players did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.

 

Officers arrested Griner and Johnson, who plays for the Tulsa Shock, after a fight between the couple turned physical, Goodyear police spokeswoman Lisa Kutis said. No weapons were involved, and neither woman required hospital care for their minor injuries, Kutis said.

 

The pair announced their engagement late last summer and expected to wed next month.

The post Brittney Griner, Glory Johnson Arrested After Fight at Home appeared first on SLAM.

“Can we smile?” Diggins asks. The typical game face doesn’t seem appropriate right now. The gym at the Boys & Girls Republic in Manhattan’s Lower East Side has been cleared out for the afternoon photo shoot. They’re geared out in Nike Training apparel with matching pairs of the Zoom Solider VIII, KD 7 and Kobe 9 EM. They’re smiling from ear to ear.

Entering their crucial third season in the league, Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins are now undisputed leaders of their franchises and the faces of the WNBA. They’re providing the blueprint for the league, which is heading in a healthy direction with its stars becoming more visible and outspoken than ever before.

Rewind just about two years ago, and the WNBA was spiraling down the wrong path with low television ratings and stars sitting out entire seasons with injury. The WNBA desperately needed to change its identity.

Enter three players—different on every level, but perfect complements to one other—who were set to join the league in the 2013 draft. Products of the social media boom, these college All-Americans already boasted a greater online presence than the WNBA itself.

In the first of several savvy moves, the WNBA extended its broadcast agreement with ESPN through 2022. A new logo was unveiled as part of a complete rebranding of the league. Then came the marketing campaign that prominently featured Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins as the “3 To See.”

Perhaps a bit corny, but in no way contrived, the campaign highlighted three of the most talented and accomplished players to ever join the WNBA—let alone all in one year.

Griner led Baylor to the 2012 National Championship, was a two-time POY and is generally regarded as a game-changing talent. Delle Donne led mid-major Delaware to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 while leading the nation in scoring as a junior. Diggins led Notre Dame to the Final Four in three consecutive seasons.

Through the countless appearances and off-the-court obligations, the trio became like family in the weeks leading up to the first game of their professional careers.

Two years now removed, and it’s clear that Griner, Delle Donne and Diggins have lived up to their lofty billing. And they’ve managed to do it in their own way.

Griner’s impact has been, without exaggeration, comparable to that of Shaquille O’Neal’s during his prime. “Brittney completely changes the game when she’s on the floor,” Delle Donne says. “That length of hers and being able to move the way she can is something special. You don’t see it very often.”

At a legit 6-8, Griner towers over the competition and moves with agility and precision. She draws double- and triple-teams in the post and has added a floor-stretching mid-range shot.

A never-ending wingspan allows Griner to swat any shot in her vicinity and easily collect rebounds off the rim. She ranked second in the league in 2014 in total win shares—an estimate of wins contributed by a player—and first overall in defensive win shares (wins produced by defense alone). And unlike the Diesel, don’t think about intentionally fouling her—BG makes 80.2 percent of her free throws.

Dunking, however, is what Griner first became known for, and remains so to this day. She has no problem throwing it down—sometimes multiple times per game.

Simply put, Griner’s dominant two-way game (did we mention she led the WNBA in blocks during her first two seasons?) makes her a force the likes of which the league has never seen.

She was arguably the most important player in the 2014 playoffs, as the Mercury beat the defending champion Lynx en route to a 3-0 sweep of the Chicago Sky in the WNBA finals.

But that’s really only half of why Griner is a paradigm-changing star. Her social impact as being an openly gay athlete has caused the league to rethink its own image. Will its motto be, “We Got Next” or “We Keep It 100”?

When Griner announced her engagement to Tulsa Shock All-Star Glory Johnson during the 2014 season, the WNBA didn’t even acknowledge the groundbreaking news. In her autobiography, In My Skin, Griner has no problem calling out the W for misrepresenting its players and ignoring its core fan base.

“If we want to be edgier, we should focus more on finding clever ways to embrace the people who are more likely to attend our games, like the LGBT community, which has always been an important part of our audience,” Griner explains.

Fresh off a WNBA championship and a Gold medal at the FIBA World Cup, Griner played in China’s WCBA for the second straight season. Like most WNBA veterans, Griner now spends her offseason competing overseas. Whether it’s at home or overseas, Griner stays true to two things: “I care about hooping, and I care about winning,” she says.

As strange as it seems, Griner has yet to display her full offensive arsenal as a member of the Mercury. An incredibly unselfish teammate, Griner played a complementary role to one of the game’s all-time greatest scorers in Diana Taurasi during her first two seasons.

But with Taurasi sitting out the 2015 campaign, an MVP-type season is expected out of Griner. She averaged over 23 points on 60 percent shooting during her final two seasons at Baylor, so the Mercury center should have no problem filling it up.

“Brittney’s definitely continuing to improve,” Delle Donne says. “I think that’s a big reason why she goes overseas—just to continue to get touches and continue to get better and play in game situations.”

Delle Donne and Diggins, however, have decided to keep their talents stateside—at least for the time being. The WNBA has offered them a platform to become lead endorsers of brands like Nike Women.

“It’s a blessing for Nike to pick me to almost be the face of the training realm among so many amazing athletes,” Diggins says. “I’m just trying to continue to keep getting in the gym and keep working. Building my brand as far as what I’m doing on the court. Because it has to match.”

Diggins will probably never get used to seeing herself on posters in sporting goods stores around the world. She’s still amazed by the Nike Training Club app, which features personally tailored workouts from Diggins herself.

“It’s like, Wow, I’m really global now, which is always a goal,” Diggins says. “For an athlete, you want to be out there; you want to be known not just to your American fans but fans all over the world who are fans of the WNBA and just basketball in general.”

Diggins’ magnetic personality has earned her celebrity off the court (need we say more about her hundreds of thousands of Twitter and IG followers?), but her game deserved all the attention during the 2014 season. After a disappointing rookie campaign, Diggins put together a stellar second season that amounted to the biggest single-season improvement in league history. Averaging 20.1 points and 5 assists on the year, Diggins cruised to a First-Team All-WNBA selection, started in the All-Star Game and easily won the Most Improved Player award.

Following the season, Diggins was expected to compete with USA Basketball in the FIBA World Cup. But she surprisingly missed the final cut and was sent home after traveling with the team to Paris for an exhibition.

“It was just something that really humbled me, that, You made a great jump through your second year, but you still have a lot of work to do,” Diggins says. “So I took it in that sense—as a positive as far as to never become complacent, to never be satisfied where you’re at. But to continue to raise the bar.”

For the 5-9 guard, wins are the ultimate currency—and her Tulsa Shock deposited precious little in the bank during a 12-22 season in 2014. But with the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft and a talented backcourt, the Shock have every reason to be optimistic about making the playoffs in 2015.

Diggins thrives when she’s in the open court and attacking the rim—two things the fast-paced Shock offense allowed her to show last season. Her strength and craftiness allow her to get into the lane at will. Diggins, along with fellow lefty guard Odyssey Sims, got to the line a combined 10.7 times per contest—the most of any backcourt in the WNBA last season.

“People have a lot of talk about us being one of the best backcourts in the league,” Diggins says.

Diggins watches tape of James Harden, another southpaw with a penchant for attacking the paint: “People know he’s going left, but they still can’t stop it,” she says.

To make the playoffs, Tulsa needs to patch up a porous defense that ranked dead last in points allowed per possession and add shooters to spread the floor for Diggins and Sims’ deadly drives to the hoop.

Delle Donne has enjoyed a much different level of team success with the Chicago Sky. During her rookie season, EDD led Chicago to a 24-10 record and the franchise’s first playoff appearance in 2013 before falling to the defending champion Indiana Fever in the conference semis. She averaged an unreal 18.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 43.8 percent on three-pointers and 92.9 percent from the line en route to unanimous Rookie of the Year honors.

Her unique physical profile (6-5, with reach for days), skill set (endless range, solid post game and handle) and high basketball IQ allows her to make the game look all too easy. She’s a rare type of player who can drop 30 within the flow of a game or single-handedly lead a team to victory in crunch time.

She’s an impossible matchup, with the speed to take bigger players off the dribble and smaller players in the post. Her shot is deadly from anywhere within 30 feet of the hoop, and she’s near automatic from the charity stripe.

With Delle Donne coming off a historic rookie season, the Sky were the early favorites to win the East last season. But complications with Lyme disease and a lower back injury caused EDD to miss a significant portion of the season.

Delle Donne returned to the lineup just in time for the postseason, and the Sky miraculously limped to the WNBA finals despite having the worst regular-season record of any team in the playoffs. Once in the finals, however, Chicago didn’t stand a chance without their star at full strength, and were easily swept 3-0 by the Phoenix Mercury.

“I’ve been fighting [Lyme disease] for five years,” Delle Donne says. “Right now, there’s no cure for chronic Lyme, so it’s just kind of continue the treatment and hope one day for a cure.”

EDD’s healthy perspective is in part due to the resiliency of her older sister, Lizzie, who has cerebral palsy and is blind and deaf. The fight that her sister exhibits every day puts basketball into a perspective few can comprehend.

Despite her rare gifts for the game, Delle Donne’s humility is her defining characteristic. There has perhaps never been a more down-to-earth superstar.

“I’m doing a lot better,” Delle Donne says during the cover shoot. “I’ve been staying up on my Lyme disease treatment a lot better this offseason. Working on my back, strengthening my core and it’s really been helping me a lot. So huge improvement so far.”

It’s encouraging progress for the Delaware native who knows as well as anyone that we don’t control the cards we’re dealt. This offseason is all about staying healthy during the 2015 season.

She knows that the Sky have a chance to do something special in 2015 with new All-Star running mate Cappie Pondexter. The Sky acquired the dynamic scoring guard for Epiphanny Prince in a mid-February trade. A Chicago native, Pondexter brings the team much-need veteran leadership and championship pedigree.

“I’m sure once we all get to Chicago and have [our team] meeting, we’ll set some goals,” says Delle Donne, careful not to make any predictions. “We’ll have to work really hard to get to the playoffs and then continue to push forward from there.”

Television ratings during the 2014 playoffs were up 90 percent from the previous season, with single-game viewership hitting a six-year crescendo during Game 2 of the Mercury-Lynx Western Conference finals.

Its audience is growing, but the league still stubbornly tries to market to mainstream male sports fans who have little interest. The WNBA even pitched using smaller and tighter uniforms to players, who universally shut the idea down in 2013. “We care more about comfort on the court than sex appeal,” Griner says.

To its credit, the league acknowledged LGBT Pride for the first time in 2014, launching a Pride Month and a WNBA Pride website. Eighteen seasons in, it was about time.

As the talent level continues to grow along with the fan base, the WNBA has other issues to address in order to solidify its legitimacy. With the regular season currently spanning just three short months, the WNBA is treated as a second priority for players who earn a living in overseas leagues.  Case in point: The sport’s biggest star of the past decade, Diana Taurasi, announced that she will sit out the upcoming 2015 season due to a contractual agreement with her team in Russia, UMMC.

Cut it however you like—losing the reigning Finals MVP is an ugly headline for the league. If the WNBA wants all of its stars to play, it has to offer players incentives to stay at home.

The league is slowly coming to understand this, as evidenced by the introduction of a “time off bonus” (albeit a minimal one) in its recent CBA. By giving players a choice to take time off, or perhaps not feel the need to play year-round, the WNBA has shown a willingness to change. It’s time to take action, and there couldn’t be a better group of stars leading the way.

The 3 To See have arrived just in time.

—

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

The post No Turning Back appeared first on SLAM.

More from our friends at USA Basketball: 

On the heels of gold-medal performances that secured the USA men and women a berth into the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, the 2014 USA Men’s World Cup and USA Women’s World Championship teams have been selected as co-recipients of the 2014 USA Basketball Team of the Year. USA Basketball’s Board of Directors is responsible for selecting its annual award winners.

 

“USA Basketball is proud to recognize the accomplishments of the USA Men’s World Cup and USA Women’s World Championship teams and to honor them as the 2014 USA Basketball co-Teams of the Year,” said USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director Jim Tooley. “In addition to playing basketball at the highest level, these athletes and coaches demonstrated impressive sportsmanship and teamwork that led to tremendous success. We are very grateful for their commitment and dedication.”

 

The 2014 USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Team captured a 9-0 record and the gold medal at the FIBA Basketball World Cup from Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid, Spain. 

 

“We talked about selflessness on this team when we first got together in Las Vegas, and I think this team epitomized that,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director. “Different people stepped up on different nights to lead the charge, and it was just a great experience. With no discredit to our previous teams, this may have been the hardest-working team on our tenure because the attitude was there every day. This was also the youngest team we’ve ever had, and maybe that’s a part of that reason or logic. But the work ethic was terrific; we couldn’t have asked for more.”

 

“I think the most special thing about this team was the experience as a whole,” said USA men’s head coach Mike Krzyzewski(Duke University). “In other words, where we started from, with injury, with people with contracts or personal issues that were not able to attend. The prediction was not one of victory, and where it turned out was at the completely other end of the spectrum. And the journey was the best one we’ve had, I think. I loved it. I love our staff, and we became a very, very close team.”

 

The 2014 USA Basketball Women’s World Championship Team captured a 6-0 record and the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship from Sept. 27-Oct. 5 in Istanbul, Turkey. 

 

“We really didn’t have a lot of time or preparation and had a lot of new players on the team we tried to incorporate,” said USA women’s head coach Geno Auriemma (University of Connecticut). “We played exceptionally well in Istanbul and had a great group in terms of how easy they were to coach. The chemistry we had on the team was about as smooth sailing as any USA Basketball team I’ve been involved with.”

 

This year’s announcement marks the 19th time USA Basketball has presented the Team of the Year Award, which first was earned in 1996 by the historic USA Women’s Olympic/National Team.

 

The USA Men’s World Cup team featured: DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors);Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Rudy Gay (Sacramento Kings); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors). Assisting Krzyzewski were Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University), Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls) and Monty Williams (New Orleans Pelicans). 

 

The USA men became just the third country in FIBA Basketball World Cup history to capture consecutive titles, and its +33.0 points per game differential was the most by a U.S. men’s team in a FIBA Basketball World Cup or Olympic Games since the 1994 Worlds (+37.8).

 

The USA women’s team featured: Seimone Augustus (Minnesota Lynx); Sue Bird (Seattle Storm); Tina Charles (New York Liberty); Candice Dupree (Phoenix Mercury); Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury); Angel McCoughtry (Atlanta Dream); Maya Moore (Minnesota Lynx); Nnemkadi Ogwumike (Los Angeles Sparks); Odyssey Sims (Tulsa Shock); Breanna Stewart(University of Connecticut); Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury); and Lindsay Whalen (Minnesota Lynx). Auriemma was assisted by Doug Bruno (DePaul University), Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx) and Dawn Staley (University of South Carolina).

 

The women’s title was a record ninth FIBA World Championship gold and second consecutive gold for the USA.

The post USA Men’s & Women’s National Teams Share Team of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

First let me say I’m OK! But last night me and three of my teammates got [chased] and [attacked] by a man with a big ass knife. Got a little scratch and my teammates walk away unharmed. He chase us into our bus and had us [cornered], yelling at us, then he finally left. Ugh, let’s just say I’m ready to get out this city we are visiting. Life can be [taken] at any moment. Cherish every moment. AGAIN I’M OK! Thank you to everyone that has been checking on me!

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Mercury center Brittney Griner sat out the final game after sustaining a right eye injury in Game 2. She was dominant throughout the Playoffs, even shutting down Sky All-Star Sylvia Fowles, who some considered the best all-around center in the game. Mercury forward Candice Dupree was unstoppable throughout the finals, averaging 20 ppg on 74 percent shooting.

This is the Mercury’s third championship in their fourth trip to the WNBA finals.

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The 24-year-old All-Star received 29 of 38 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. As you can see from the results, it really wasn’t a contest:

2014 WNBA Most Improved Player Results
Player, Team (Points)

1. Skylar Diggins, Tulsa Shock (29)
2t. Emma Meesseman, Washington Mystics (2)
2t. Courtney Paris, Tulsa Shock (2)
2t. Allie Quigley, Chicago Sky (2)
3t. Alex Bentley, Connecticut Sun (1)
3t. Jessica Breland, Chicago Sky (1)
3t. Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury (1)

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Moore led the league in scoring at 23.9 ppg while shooting an efficient 58.6 true shooting percentage. If you’re into advanced metrics, Moore’s PER (29.4), net plus/minus (+23.9) and win shares (8.1) were also tops in the WNBA. She may have solidified her MVP status when she dropped 12 points in the fourth quarter against Phoenix to snap the Mercury’s 16-game win streak on July 31.

Earlier in July, after Moore dropped 32 points in a 93-82 win over Tulsa, Shock coach Fred Williams called Moore “the Michael Jordan of the WNBA.” Moore told the Pioneer Press that she believes the comparison is a testament to her work ethic:

“I’m hoping that he meant the winning habits, the competitiveness, the leadership, trying to make teammates better, willing to learn, willing to put in the work,” she said. “That’s what I think of. I constantly look to get better.”

The 25-year-old received 371 points (including 35 of a possible 37 first-place votes) from a panel of 38 sportswriters and broadcasters. It’s Moore’s first WNBA MVP, but most likely not her last.

2014 WNBA MVP Voting Results
Player, Team (Points)

1. Maya Moore, Minnesota Lynx (371)
2. Diana Taurasi, Phoenix Mercury (242)
3. Angel McCoughtry, Atlanta Dream (112)
4. Candace Parker, L.A. Sparks (91)
5. Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury (67)

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Here’s Griner and Johnson throwing down at All-Star in Phoenix last month:

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When playing a Phoenix team with two superstars in Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, one basketball strategy might be to pick your poison. The Mercury showed that its potency extends beyond these two players to the team concept. The team game was on display.

The veteran Mercury team showed beautiful ball and player movement, unselfish play, and tough defense.

The ball seemed to find players in open positions for fluid shots, particularly starter Candice Dupree who shot 9-14 from the floor and reserve Erin Phillips who scored 11 points in 17 minutes of play, hitting 3-4 from the field. Dupree also collected 10 rebounds.

One telling stat is that five Mercury players scored in double figures in a game in which they scored 76 points, and with numbers close to each other (points of 18,14,14,11 and 11). Four players took double-digit shots, but no one shot more than 14 times.

This was no aberration for a team that has five players averaging double-figure points for the season, with Taurasi being high at 17.

And the Mercury leads the WNBA in fewest points scored against a team, at 74.2.

The winner of more championships in professional sports than anyone at 11, the great Celtic center Bill Russell has said that it’s important to like your teammates. In the locker room after the game Taurasi said that the players on the team really like each other.

Hard to believe that point guard and team leader Diana Taurasi is in her 11th WNBA season and is now 32. Her enthusiasm, drive and skill are in high gear. Her UConn college coach, Geno Auriemma was at the game, watching four of his former players, Tina Charles, Swin Cash and Charde Houston on the Liberty, and Taurasi. It was hard to tell whether or not she was dead-panning after the game when she emphatically said Geno had rooted for her.

You get the sense that Taurasi could carry the Mercury if the team finds itself not playing well in a playoff game. Her experience should guide her in knowing what the team needs out of her.

By the way, you get the impression that Taurasi will be playing b-ball forever; she will always find a game somewhere.

There was no celebrating or whooping it up for the Phoenix Mercury after the game and no plans to celebrate later. They had business to conduct in New York and they got the job done. Quietly satisfied with their work, they knew there was still important work in front of them. And the next order of business was to play in Atlanta the next night.

The Liberty, behind center Tina Charles’s 16 points in the first quarter, were down by only 5 at the end of the first quarter, 25-20. The Liberty hung tough for a good part of the second quarter despite Charles not scoring. But with three and a half three minutes left in the second quarter, the Mercury went on a 10-0 run to close out the first half 43-30.

In the third quarter the Mercury lead increased to 17, but the Liberty brought it down to 12 by the end of the third period with Charles scoring only two points that quarter.

In the fourth period, the Liberty kept playing hard and cut the lead to 12 with 2:27 remaining. For a while, it looked like the Liberty had gone to a 2-3 match up zone with Plenette Pierson playing the middle of the back three.

Candidly, Coach Laimbeer said his team was not a good shooting team. The 28-76 shooting, at 38 percent was even below the team’s season average (42 percent). “We get good looks, we just don’t make them,” Laimbeer said.

Although the Liberty is not a good shooting team, too many times player and ball movement became stagnant if the first option on an offensive movement did not pan out.

One other thing for Laimbeer to consider. Are shots also not dropping because the defenses are forcing then to take shots out of the players’ sweet spots or out of rhythm? In other words, are defenses forcing the Liberty to take shots they are given but don’t want, even if the shots are open looks? Not every open look is necessarily a good shot for a player.

It is hard to deny there are individual matchups in the team game of basketball that are exciting. If you grew up enjoying watching Russell go against Chamberlain, watching the 6-8 Brittney Griner and 6-5 Tina Charles go at it promised to be compelling.

Two of the best centers and players in the game, the 25-year-old Charles and the 23-year-old Griner were crucial players on teams that won a National Championship in college (Griner played for Baylor, and Charles won two titles at UConn). Both were overall No. 1 draft picks in the WNBA. They are still very young, and with room to get even better.

They did not disappoint.

Griner guarded Charles the whole 36 minutes Griner was in the game. But Charles, who played practically the whole game, guarded Griner only about half the time—perhaps to avoid foul trouble and also spare Charles’ energy as she carries her team’s scoring burden.

Offensively, Charles came out strong and finished strong, scoring all but two of her game leading 26 points in the first and fourth quarters.

Her 16 first-quarter points came on an array of shots, but tellingly, with two jump shots beyond 15 feet and two shots at 7 and 9 feet out, most were not that close to the hoop. She shot 6-10 that quarter.

In the first quarter, Griner seemed at least a step too slow in getting on Charles as Charles went outside the paint or further away from the basket. Griner was not able to close in her quickly enough to disrupt her shot or prevent Charles from shooting.

When Griner was drafted in 2013, the Mercury who had the first pick in the draft could have picked Elena Delle Donne instead.

Delle Donne, a great shooting and driving forward who led the nation is scoring for Delaware as a junior with 28.1 points per game in the 2012-13 season, has also turned out to be a great pro player.

She helped turn around a Chicago Sky team that went 14-20 and out of the playoffs in 2012 to 24-10 and a first place finish in the Eastern Conference regular season in 2013. She was last year’s Rookie of the Year. (Unfortunately, Delle Donne had to miss 17 game this year due to a reoccurrence of Lyme Disease and the Sky is under .500.)

Selecting a tall center that can block shots, defend, rebound and score, over a scoring forward, was once my unshakeable preference. Such a center had potential to be more transformative of a team and was a rarity, compared to a high scoring forward.

The outcome of the 2007 NBA draft had me rethinking my premise at the time of the 2013 WNBA draft.

In 2007, the Portland Trail Blazers were faced with deciding between forward Kevin Durant and Ohio State center Greg Oden. Portland picked Oden, correctly I thought at the time.

Oden suffered significant knee injuries before and after he suited up to play, which derailed his career. So we don’t know how good he would have been without the injuries.

Durant became such a great, great player—not just a dime-a-dozen scorer—who helped transform his team into a terrific team.

Because of what Durant did (and not what happened to Oden, at least consciously) I wasn’t sure who should be the first pick, Griner or Delle Donne.

Griner dominated in college. She was better and much taller than the players with whom she matched up, and was able to roam the paint area and score, rebound, and block shots fairly easily. At 6-8, with arms stretched up or out, it was difficult for most comers to score against her. Each wing in her span could envelope smaller players driving to the hoop.

Her pro opponents would be taller, stronger, faster, quicker and more agile than her college opponents, requiring her to move better defensively in the half-court.

Each team got the right player, as Chicago already had a terrific center in Sylvia Fowles.

Just two years ago, before Griner was drafted, the Mercury was 7-27, finishing last in the West. They improved to 19-15 in Griner’s first year, and made the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs.

As Charles get going in the first quarter, Griner needed to move better defensively. And she did. Griner, particularly in the second and third periods, stayed attached to Charles as Charles moved outside. Charles did not get the ball much in those periods.

When the Liberty was able to get the ball down low to Charles, Griner’s height advantage and the positioning of her feet kept Charles from getting off unforced shots. Charles was 0-4 from the floor with no points in the second period, and had just two shots in the third, making one.

Charles, who looked tired in the third period, did not get much help from teammates to get free in the second and third quarters. In the fourth period some help came in the way of a low double stack set on the left side of the lane. Charles received some better entry passes in better position. She scored 8 points off of 4-6 shooting in that last period.

Charles could develop a more consistent old-fashioned hook shot—not the jump hook variety—but it is more of a relic at all levels of basketball today.

In the second quarter, Charles played strong defense on Griner who had just one shot.

Griner scored 14 points on 7-12 shooting. She was patient on offense and also showed various types of shots, with a very nice touch. She did “settle” for a number of short to mid-range fade-aways or quasi step-backs when bodied-up down low, as she could not power her way in against Charles or Avery Warley-Talbert. But she can hit those shots.

But there was a glimpse of things that might come down the road. One shot she hit looked like a sky hook. If Griner develops that as a go-to shot a la Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, it could be her power move.

And near the end of the game, Griner made a quick short drive from the left side blowing past Charles for a lay-up. After the game, Griner said she made a good pivot on that shot. With people often asking her about dunking, it was refreshing and revealing to hear a star talk about one of the fundamentals of individual play, the pivot.

Griner had 11 boards and 3 blocked shots. She averages 4 blocks a game. She has a great chance of finishing the season with a record number of blocks. Charles had 12 rebounds.

It’s fun to watch team basketball being played—it is the winning way. But great matchups add to the rooting interest. It would be nice if Charles and Griner could play against each other more than two times a year.

The post The Winning Way appeared first on SLAM.

But Schimmel wouldn’t back down, challenging Griner again in the fourth quarter. With her back turned to the rim, Schimmel threw up a dazzling shot over her head, just beyond Griner’s reach, for two of her All-Star game-record 29 points.

Over a year ago, she pulled that exact move on Griner to upset No. 1 Baylor in the Sweet 16 in what would become the highlight of the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Schimmel’s life is much different now. The rookie for the Atlanta Dream isn’t a starter anymore. She isn’t the first, second or even third option on her team, either. She’s a spark off the bench, averaging 7.6 points and 3.7 assists in 20.3 minutes a night.

That’s why the move on Griner during the All-Star game was refreshing. We were finally seeing Shoni ‘Showtime’ Schimmel fully in her element again; the creative, flashy playmaker we’ve watched cross women left and right since her high school days in Oregon.

She looked comfortable. She looked like she was in the middle of a pickup game, passing the ball between her legs and behind her back, and pulling deep threes without hesitation.

Earning MVP honors with 29 points (seven threes) and 8 assists after starting just two games this season, Schimmel broke through, leading the East to a 125-124 overtime win.

“It’s definitely something I will remember for the rest of my life,” she says. “For me to kind of never really play like that before and to do it at such big of a stage with all the greats there, I hope it makes an impact on what I can bring to this league.”

She held up the MVP trophy on national television. She was trending on Twitter. She has the WNBA’s top-selling jersey.

But now almost a week removed from the high of it all, it’s back to the grind for Schimmel; back to her role in Atlanta as a reserve.

It’s an unfamiliar position for Schimmel, the eighth overall pick in the 2014 draft, who has always been the go-to player on every team she’s ever played on. For the last four years at Louisville, she was one of the top college point guards in the nation.

Now, she’s adjusting to making the most of erratic minutes. Sometimes she plays 25 minutes, other times she plays seven.

“At first I tried not to worry about it. Just to sit there and go out there and play basketball and have fun,” Schimmel says. “And then it just kind of kept going and I just didn’t really know how to handle it. It’s really frustrating, but at the same time, you know, if we’re winning, I can’t sit there and be mad about not starting or not playing much because you know, hey, at least we’re winning.”

The Dream (15-7) comfortably sit at first place in the East. All-Star vets Angel McCoughtry and Erika de Souza are leading an Atlanta team eager to return to the Finals after making three appearances in the last four years without a ring.

Schimmel is doing her part whenever she can.

Though her shooting percentage is down (just 37 percent from the field), she’s posted double figures nine times, including three 17-point games. She’s also dished out seven or more assists six times, including a 10 and 11-assist outing.

“Whenever Shoni’s number is called, Shoni’s ready,” says Karleen Thompson, who recently took over Dream head-coaching duties when Michael Cooper left on medical leave. “She’s sitting right beside me all the time so I can see that. She’s always ready, she’s watching the game, she’s a student of the game, she knows what’s needed when she gets in there. She’s just always ready.”

So what’s keeping her from the court? If Schimmel can perform like she did in the All-Star game against the likes of Diana Taurasi and Maya Moore, why can’t she see more time on her own team?

“Everyone knows that Coach Cooper sits on his defense. And that’s the one thing that Shoni has been working on, getting better at, to be able to come in and defend out there on the court. Her confidence is building in that. She’s working hard,” Thompson says.

“There are big things in store for Shoni’s future. Everyone can see that,” Thompson continues. “But that would probably be the one thing that I think that Shoni is really taking the time to get better at.”

Schimmel is specifically working on her one-on-one defense. She wants to be able to contain the elite players in the league, not just be able to break them down with a single crossover and get to the basket.

Every day she works on her agility, using ladders to develop more quickness to help with sliding laterally so she can better stay in front of whoever she’s guarding.

This isn’t the first time Schimmel has had to make adjustments. The same questions that followed her as she transitioned from high school to college ball follow her now as she adapts to the pros: Is she too ‘streetball,’ too ‘showy,’ to thrive at this level?

“A lot of people would say she’s not going to be able to be successful with the way she plays in college, there’s too much razzle dazzle, too much showboating,” says Schimmel’s former coach at Louisville, Jeff Walz. “But it’s not trying to change someone’s game, it’s just trying to adapt it to what you’re trying to do and what you can get the most out of that player and I think that’s what Shoni’s been willing to do.

“When she came here, we didn’t try to change her game, we wanted to just educate her. Know when to make the behind the back pass, know when to make the no look pass, or when to simply make a bounce pass. She was willing to do that and I think that’s why her game has continued to progress. We didn’t want to take away her flair, her charisma. That’s the thing that’s good for our game, and I don’t think Atlanta wants to do that either.”

In her first game back from the All-Star game on Tuesday, Schimmel played 31 minutes off the bench in a 112-108 double-overtime loss to the Lynx. She scored 17 points (including 5 threes) and had 8 assists.

Maybe the tide is beginning to turn for her. Maybe she’s inching closer to securing a more prominent role. But even if Schimmel didn’t play half as many minutes against the Lynx, she would probably still be in the gym working on defensive slides or three-point shots right now.

“I want to go out there and be one of the best,” Schimmel says. “This whole transformation to college to the WNBA has been crazy. I haven’t had much time to sit there and let it sink in with everything going on. I’m trying to learn everything, trying to sit there and do whatever I need to do to continue to keep growing as a player.”

The post Dream Big appeared first on SLAM.

East
Starters
Shoni Schimmel, Backcourt (Atlanta Dream)
Cappie Pondexter, Backcourt (NY Liberty)
Elena Delle Donne, Frontcourt (Chicago Sky)
Angel McCoughtry, Frontcourt (Atlanta Dream)
Tamika Catchings, Frontcourt (Indiana Fever)

 

Reserves
Jessica Breland, Frontcourt (Chicago Sky)
Tina Charles, Frontcourt (NY Liberty)
Erika de Souza, Frontcourt (Atlanta Dream)
Katie Douglas, Backcourt (Connecticut Sun)
Briann January, Backcourt (Indiana Fever)
Chiney Ogwumike, Frontcourt (Connecticut Sun)

 

West
Starters
Diana Taurasi, Backcourt (Phoenix Mercury)
Skylar Diggins, Backcourt (Tulsa Shock)
Maya Moore, Frontcourt (Minnesota Lynx)
Candace Parker, Frontcourt (L.A. Sparks)
Brittney Griner, Frontcourt (Phoenix Mercury)

 

Reserves
Seimone Augustus, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)
Candice Dupree, Frontcourt (Phoenix Mercury)
Glory Johnson, Frontcourt (Tulsa Shock)
Nneka Ogwumike, Frontcourt (L.A. Sparks)
Danielle Robinson, Backcourt (San Antonio Stars)
Lindsay Whalen, Backcourt (Minnesota Lynx)

Sorry Tiffany Hayes, Erlana Larkins and Penny Taylor. There’s always next year—or at least until a current All-Star is ruled out due to injury. The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game will take place in Phoenix on Saturday, July 19 at 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Previously:
Maya Moore, Skylar Diggins, Shoni Schimmel Headline WNBA All-Star Starters

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Elena Delle Donne led all Eastern Conference vote-getters for the second year in a row, but may not play in the All-Star game due to complications with Lyme Disease. Indiana forward Tamika Catchings will be making her ninth All-Star appearance despite having played just two games this season. Atlanta rookie Shoni Schimmel finished third overall in total votes despite averaging just 7.8 points this season.

Here’s how the final balloting played out:

2014 WNBA ALL-STAR FINAL RETURNS

 

EAST

 

Guards: Shoni Schimmel (Atl) 25,601; Cappie Pondexter (NY) 10,104; Ivory Latta (Was) 9,932; Briann January (Ind) 8,717; Courtney Vandersloot (Chi) 7,504

 

Frontcourt: Elena Delle Donne (Chi) 26,129; Angel McCoughtry (Atl) 17,562; Tamika Catchings (Ind) 13,939; Erika de Souza (Atl) 12,859; Chiney Ogwumike (Con) 11,980

 

WEST

 

Guards: Diana Taurasi (Phx) 19,404; Skylar Diggins (Tul) 17,937; Seimone Augustus (Minn) 16,143; Lindsay Whalen (Minn) 13,691; Sue Bird (Sea) 8,210

 

Frontcourt: Maya Moore (Minn) 28,389; Candace Parker (LA) 23,555; Brittney Griner (Phx) 18,432; Nneka Ogwumike (LA) 10,697; Kayla McBride (SA) 10,192

Reserves will be announced on July 15 at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN2. The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game will take place in Phoenix on July 19 at 3:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The post Maya Moore, Skylar Diggins, Shoni Schimmel Headline WNBA All-Star Starters appeared first on SLAM.