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.

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Photos via Getty Images.

The post Olympic Dominance: Previewing the 2024 USA Women’s National Team appeared first on SLAM.

But even amidst all of that success, the hometown standout couldn’t shake the perception that the fire that she exudes on the hardwood—the physicality, the celly’s after big-time plays, the hair flips—are intentionally petty acts by a “dirty player.” When the Tigers faced off against South Carolina during the 2017-18 season, fans booed her any time she got the rock. And then, in the second quarter, a scuffle ensued at the top of the key between the Gamecocks and the Tigers, causing a surge of backlash surrounding the Tigers, and Cunningham specifically. 

“For me, I don’t listen to all that noise,” she tells us over Zoom in June. “I got that stuff in college, too. We beat South Carolina multiple years in a row and all of a sudden I’m the dirty player and it’s like, Nah, I’m just out working. I’m working y’all’s ass, you know what I mean?

But I can’t really say that. I’ve been used to it but I just know that I have a very tight circle. I lean on them quite a bit…For me, I just want to be the best teammate, I wanna be the best competitor [and] I wanna do whatever it takes for my team to win and all that other noise can just be squashed.” 

That was six years ago, but throughout her career in the WNBA, Cunningham has still had to deal with the noise that this is who she is, even off the court. There’s been many, many instances of that happening throughout her career, the most famous of which being what went down between her and then-Sky star Kahleah Copper during Game 4 of the 2021 WNBA Finals. Everyone was talking (and tweeting) about the controversial moment. 

But back in 2022, Copper assured us moments like that are all part of what happens when competitive athletes go at it. Some even assumed they had beef, which Kah squashed. “They expect us to be all good and happy and shit, like, that’s not how it goes,” she told us for the cover of SLAM 236. “We are the best at what we do. We are super competitive.” 

When we asked Cunningham recently about how she’s dealt with these narratives about her, she echoed that same sentiment. “Thank you for asking that question because I think that people see me and it’s so funny that any time I get a new teammate that maybe, like, they’re competitive, we kind of go at it. They’re like, Oh, you’re actually like, really nice and fun to be around. I’m like, duh. Why can’t I be competitive on the court and why can’t we all hang out after? I want to change that narrative for females that it’s OK to compete, it’s OK to play physical. It’s ok to go out there, work hard and sweat and then still be a nice human and a different person off the court, too. Like, we’re not going against high school[ers] or anything like that. These are the best people in the world, so you gotta bring it right.

I think for me when Kah came in, I didn’t think two things of it. I was just so happy that we were getting another badass player on our team that’s gonna help us win a championship here soon. For me, I don’t listen to all that noise.” 

It’s what Cunningham brings to the team that’s allowed her to solidify her role on the Mercury, whether she’s been starting, or as is the case this season, mainly coming off the bench. It has earned her praise from legends like teammate Diana Taurasi, who once described Cunningham to the New York Times as someone who likes to “muck it up.” 

“Whenever Sophie plays, the level of the game goes up. And you know, she’s done that consistently every year she’s been on our team. And that’s why she’s so important to what we do,” DT said, per The Next in 2022. Years prior, she gave Cunningham advice about remaining true to herself, too. “You’ve been playing this game ever since you were a kid,” Cunningham once recalled Taurasi telling her. “You know how to play. I have seen you. You know how to play, so just go out there and have fun.”

During the 2022 season, Cunningham dropped a career-high 23 points against the Liberty as a starter in July, and then a few days later, followed it up with a 36-point performance against the Lynx, along with seven boards and five steals, a historic stat line that made her only the second player in WNBA history to do so. The other? Cynthia Cooper in ‘97. Whether she’s dropping buckets, knocking down shots, or dishing out dimes—like she did in her win against the Storm— her ability to adapt to whatever the team needs makes her a key component. 

And as the WNBA continues to grow, and new fans tune in to watch not just the Mercury, but across the League, there’s a sentiment that moments of competitiveness are personal, or that vets are targeting and/or jealous of the rookies. Cunningham kept it real about all of this, and in an exclusive interview, we chopped it up with the star about conversations surrounding Caitlin Clark, her own career thus far, and her interests off the court as an analyst for the Suns, showing out in the tunnel and more. 

WSLAM: Hey Sophie! How do you feel like the season is going so far? What was your mindset going into it?

Sophie Cunningham: You know, since I’ve been in Phoenix, I’ve been here going on my sixth year, it has been a roller coaster. I’m someone who’s gonna shoot it straight that, like, it has not been the most fun years. I didn’t know if I was gonna go to a different team a couple of those years just because it’s just like so much drama was just going on. And so, when we got this new ownership, we got a whole new front office, we got a whole new coaching staff who are absolutely just phenomenal people and they do things the right way and they’re all about making sure us women have the same things as our brothers on the Suns do.

I just love their approach to everything and when I saw, the roster that we got, I was like, All right, we’re gonna be legit this year. With that sometimes people’s egos get hit a little bit—I have been starting the past two or three years, but I knew that I’m gonna have four or five Olympians on our team. So I’m like, you know what, I’m here to win, I’m here to compete. I’m hopeful to be an Olympian one day, maybe the 3×3 team. So, why would I not want to surround myself with people who have been where I wanna go? So, for me, my role does look a little different. I’m coming off the bench this year, but when I tell you, it is just so much fun to be on this team.

It has been like the best experience and everyone’s just genuinely, really good people.

WSLAM: What’s the vibe and energy of the team?

SC: Oh my God, we have so much energy. We have a lot of personalities [and] everyone’s just goofy. I know that we play basketball, but when I say that we laugh 24/7, [it] probably sounds like too much sometimes because like, hey, I’ll need to like dial it in a little bit. It’s fun though because we do compete at such a high level, but right when the ball stops, we’re all just like goofing around having a good time.

WSLAM: From your perspective, how has your game evolved over the years and what have you learned? 

SC: I think there’s a lot of talk about our League right now, which I absolutely love…I think we have a lot of eyes and attention on our League, and I’m just happy to be a part of it during this time. I think the high school, college jump is massive, but the college to the pros is even 20 times more that. So, I think the first couple of years, you kind of have to find your feet. There’s some people who can go into the League and they have the green light right away and the balls in their hand 24/7. You see them kind of take off a lot sooner, whereas [for me], I was DT’s sub for the majority of my career. I finally worked my way into the starting lineup about two or three years ago, so [I] definitely was very persistent, was a lot of ups and downs. It was a mind game at some points. 

For me, I just had to make sure I stayed ready and honestly, I learned that from DT. She’s the ultimate pro, she’s the GOAT of our game. Just the way that she goes about her everyday activity to become better each day and sometimes that’s not doing anything and it’s a mental day. I think I’ve really truly have learned from the very best. And, for me, I’m seeing [in] my career that the more I stack the days the better I become.

WSLAM: You’re a player that people have talked about for a while in terms of being super physical. For new fans, there’s a misconception that that style of play is very specific and targeting one person. What’s your perspective on that?

SC: You kind of hit it on the head because to be honest, I think that there are a lot of new eyes, but with that, there’s a lot of people who are uneducated about our League.

You see a lot of people in the public eye on the men’s side kind of having Caitlin Clark’s back, too, which is kind of surprising just because they know how physical our game has always been. But when I tell you that the narrative that we’re all against Caitlin or the vets against the rookies that needs to be squashed because it’s not like that. I promise you, it’s not like that. I’ve had my jaw broken, I’ve broken a finger, I’ve broken my nose. Everyone has stories of how physical this League really is and I think that is the main jump that people don’t understand.

It’s like, her skill level will come, everything else will come; the rookies in general. But it’s the physicality that people really have to get used to. And so for me, I don’t think anyone’s being targeted. If anything, I think we need to give her a little bit of grace sometimes because she has a lot on her plate and a lot of eyes on her. But with that, I think this is gonna be really good for her. She’s gonna be great. I think the rookie class is gonna be phenomenal for our League once they get that physicality thing kind of worked out. It takes a little bit of time [but] they’re gonna be just fine. 

For me, I’ve always been a physical player. Coming into the League, I was actually a little bit surprised of how physical it was because I thought I was physical. But when I tell you, it doesn’t matter how big, how tall you are, everyone is strong and physical in this League and you better bring it otherwise it’s gonna look maybe bad.

WSLAM: Speaking of physicality, what has it been like teaming up with someone as competitive as Kah? Is this the first time that you guys have really been around each other?

SC: Yeah, it’s definitely like the first time that we’ve been around [each other]. We’ve always competed and I think that any time you put people who compete at that level and kind of have that dog and that, that kind of like shit about him a little bit that it’s gonna be kind of interesting to see how they actually team up.

But when I say it’s me, Kah, DT. You have [Natasha] Cloud. All four of us, we have a little bit of something to us and so to actually put all of us on the same team, it’s been so fun because now we just hype each other up. I feel bad for teams like they haven’t even seen the best of us yet. Kah’s been killing it. She has absolutely been killing it. She’s a dog and I’m just happy that she’s on my team to be honest.

WSLAM: You’re just as outspoken off the court, too. But you’ve also been showing out in the tunnel this year. Can you talk about your sense of style?

SC: You know what? To be honest, I do love fashion but I kind of want to keep it simple, too. The fashion fashion, it’s not my vibe. I think I just wouldn’t look good in it. I think the reason why we’re bringing the tunnel fits this year—it’s been a work in the process. I also think the more money you get, the more you’re able to do what you want, too—[but it] being Year 6 and just last year, they were getting better.

But this year I wanted them to be really good because – the amount of eyes. I’m telling you, the marketing, it is the best time to be in the W right now. And so why would you not kind of show out a little bit in those fashion fits?

WSLAM: We’re here for it! You’re also really into broadcasting as well. Can you talk more about how you got into that and what it’s like showcasing your personality and interests outside of the game?

SC: I have a lot of passions and a lot of loves outside of basketball. I think that’s how I’m able to enjoy basketball still because I have that balance. I don’t go overseas, I make it up in marketing money through endorsements. And then, I was just blessed with a great opportunity that the Suns needed a broadcaster. I’ve never really done it in my life. I’ve always been on the other side of the camera, but I’m like, I could talk to all for 10 hours. This can’t be that hard. And so, I actually ended up doing it two years ago and that was more just in-studio, pre, half and post game, interviewing some of the guys and I really loved it. It’s a lot harder than it looks, too. When I watch games now I’m listening to the broadcaster.

I’m trying to learn this year [and] I got to do in-studio and color commentating and I just fell in love with it. To watch these guys perform at the level they do [and] to see the game kind of break down and be simplified, but also so complicated at the same time. It was just fascinating to me.

I got to kind of become really close with our owner and our CFO and so I’ve gotten to actually learn the business side of sport, too. I’m turning into a nerd. I’ve never been a nerd…but I’ve really found it fascinating this past year.

I would love to get into broadcasting [when] I’m done. But then again, I would love to be an island girl somehow and get paid for that. I don’t even know what I want to do with my life [laughs]. So, we’ll see.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham Keeps it Real About Narratives, Competitiveness and Caitlin Clark appeared first on SLAM.

As we get ready to celebrate the start of the 2024 WNBA season, WSLAM is hyped to spotlight some of the many talented creatives in the industry who are making waves, growing the game and helping push women’s basketball coverage forward, all on their own terms. We asked them a range of questions, from how they got into social to their approach to building their personal brands, what they’re most excited for this season and, of course, their average screen time.

Don’t get it twisted though, this isn’t an exclusive list or “club,” but rather a celebration. And if you’re passionate about women’s hoops, too, we invite you tune in, tap in, and share how much you love the game, one post at a time.

How do you balance being a journalist with your social presence: I think it’s a combination of the two: between being authentic and real and then naturally building a following. I feel like that for me is what works best. There are some other journalists who really try to stick to having their social platforms be just fact based…And that’s fine because that might work for them. For me, I feel like the reason why people tapped into me is because not only did I present whatever story I was working on or whatever information I had, but I did so in a way that was authentic to who I was and was relatable. That seemed to be what my brand has always been: being authentic [and] being unapologetically me, but also being factual and presenting the information that people want to know.

What is your advice to journalists and creators looking to get into this space: For anyone up and coming in this space, I would definitely tell them that one: never lose who you are because that’s important. The more that we are starting to see social platforms and content creators take off, the more we realize that people are really going to relate with what resonates with them. And so being yourself is so important. Don’t lose that [and] anything that makes you feel funny when you sleep at night is probably not something that you want to associate yourself with…But also, there’s no limit to creativity. I think over the last 10 years I’ve done maybe 50 to 60 different things creatively and some have worked and some haven’t, but it’s the fact that you have to try it.

The way that algorithms and things work in the social space, something could be a hit today and two months later, no one’s thinking about it. Always be willing to be adaptable change or not necessarily change, but improve and be willing to step outside of the box to do things..Adaptability is definitely something that I would share with any young up and coming journalist.

Screen time: 12 hours.

How did you start building your personal brand on social: I got into social media because none of my friends in high school cared about basketball as much as I did and they stopped answering my text messages about it. I had to go out and find freaks like me on Twitter, and once I started having fun and making friends online I kept going with it. 

How would you describe your approach to content creation: I’m here for vibes, jokes and highlights – but I think my best work is when I can let my passion for the game and its athletes shine through. I’m never going to be as smart as coaches or players on X’s and O’s, but I think I’m good at describing why someone is easy to root for, what makes a person interesting or why an event was monumental.

What you are most excited for this season: I promise if I had a favorite team I’d tell you! But I don’t. Probably because they’ve all bullied me online at some point (I see you, 2x champs). I’m really excited for both sides of the rookies vs. vets battle, though. Are the new kids as good as advertised? But more importantly, can the vets show us why the W is a different level from college?

Screen time (how long are you on your phone per day?): 9.5 hours last week.

What does content creation mean to you: Covering the WNBA and covering women’s basketball is a public service because there are legions and legions of fans that have been essentially underserved for a very long time. And this is an opportunity to give them, the fans, coverage that women’s sports and women’s basketball should be getting. If we want to talk about the spirit of equality and equity and what that all means. And so I was gonna put my head right into this. I was gonna dive right in.

What you are most excited for this season: What I’m most excited for is actually seeing which pop cultural icons and other folks come to WNBA games. That’s gonna be something that I will be all over because obviously Caitlin Clark has brought so many eyes to the sport. You know that Beyonce sent Dawn Staley a huge flower basket, I believe. And there have been many WNBA players, including New York’s own Betnijah Laney, who has been trying to advocate to get Beyonce at Barclays Center for a Liberty game…I’m looking forward to who is gonna come to games. I’m looking forward to how the ratings are going to grow. I’m looking forward to more Aces vs Liberty battles. I mean, those are the best, right?

Screen time: 4 hours and 8 minutes.

How did you start building your personal brand on social: The Girls Talk Sports TV brand is built off of three pillars where athletes can be seen, heard and valued. I built my brand off of the aspect that women’s sports only receive less than 4% of all media coverage and less than 1 percent of that representation in newsrooms are black women. So those three aspects was important to me when I was building my brand, but also building community was super important, especially in the digital space. For me, I’ve always been a hands-on game grower, especially in my community in terms of with helping with youth basketball programs and the nonprofit sector. So for me, building a brand was all about just being true to myself, but also just true to that aspect of wanting to be a community builder.

What you are most excited for this season: I’m most excited to see the athletes in the spotlight where they need to be. I’m excited to see not only casual fans, but new fans get to know these athletes through their game, but also through the off the court storytelling. I think that women’s sports is more than just a moment, it’s a movement and it’s at its inflection point right now. And I’m just excited for not only the athletes to get what they deserve in terms of the coverage and the spotlight, but also for the people that are doing the storytelling to get bigger opportunities.

Screen time: 15 hours per day.

How would you describe your approach to content creation: What’s unique is I’ve been a photographer, but I’ve also been a social media manager for my jobs. And so I think what I bring with photos is being able to bring storytelling into my like social media platforms with my photos. So when I take photos, especially on the women’s side, and I share them, I really try to share, like using the captions and words, I try to tell stories about these players or about these teams and programs. Using my photos, not just you know, dropping the photos is like, Hey, look at these cool photos. It’s like, Hey, look at these photos. And here’s some interesting thing about these women, or here’s something like here’s a crazy game that this player had, and really try to connect the stories to the photos using my social media platforms.

Favorite photo: I probably have a bit of recency bias here because I just recently followed Iowa and Caitlin Clark on like their tournament run. I’m also from Iowa. So that was like extra special for me. So I would probably say, the Caitlin Clark trophy Kobe photo was probably one of my favorites just because I got to pay homage to like Kobe and a very well-known photographer while also showing like Caitlin’s greatness with three back to back the Big 10 titles. I would say that’s probably my favorite. But again, there’s some recency bias there. I think another special one of Caitlin is just like her with her arm stretched out and her tongue out which was like a signature Caitlin move. That’s a really special one to me because it was like the first game of the Big 10 tournament and it shows her personality. I think that’s one of the marks special things about her is like the personality that she has on the court. So, being able to tell that through my photos, I think is really special.

What you are most excited for this season: I’m honestly excited for the new faces in the League and the new fans that it’s going to bring, I think that the WNBA is at a true turning point in regards to the attention that it’s getting and the excitement and buzz around it. And so I think I’m most excited to see, like the records that this season breaks the history that we get from the season that I think will be talked about for decades to come. I’m excited to see this like new generation of fans see this league and how special it is and how special the players are and the level of talent that are in this league. I’m just, it’s honestly the most excited I’ve been for a season in a really long time, I think that this is going to be I think the 2024 season is something that we’re gonna look back on as like a needle mover in regards to the WNBA. So I’m very excited for that.

Screen Time: 9 hours and 12 minutes.

How did you get into covering the WNBA: I had a background in marketing long before I became a journalist. I was actually a content marketing manager right before I transitioned into sports full time. But essentially, I just, when I decided I wanted to transition to sports, I really wanted to look for a place that needed more authentic stories. And a really good friend of mine suggested the WNBA because he knew I was a good storyteller. And he also knew that, you know, the League needed some more storytelling. So once I just opted in certain covering games, I was hooked. And I’ve been here ever since.

What’s your approach to content creation: Once I [started] really focusing on women’s basketball, the following kept coming really quick, and it just escalated I would say in the last couple of weeks. I got the awesome chance to go to the WNBA draft. And in the middle of the draft, I went viral…It’s just been a fun ride to be able to lean into that and keep going.

What are you most excited about this season: I think it’s for everyone to kind of see what I’ve been seeing. I think when I when I got to the WNBA last season, I was kicking myself because I’m like, Where have I been like? Why did I not get here sooner?…To see the League growing and then women’s college basketball growing and now they’re kind of colliding in real-time with this exponential growth, I’m so excited for anyone to get to come to a game or watch a game on TV or really just enjoy the League. The [W] is super, super talented.

Screen time: 10 hours and 33 minutes a day.

How did you get into content creation: If I’m being honest, it was kind of an accident. It was something that I kind of fell into. I love women’s basketball [and] I’ve always been tweeting about it on Twitter cause that’s just what I do. Posting about it on Instagram and stuff just naturally—it’s just something that I’ve been in love with since I was a little girl. I noticed that I had like a following and I would say stuff and I see people repeating it and people would be latching on to some of the things I say.

What’s your approach to your content: It’s authentically me. I mean, in every sense of the word. At this point, people will be able to tell if I’m not being authentically me and then they’re going to be like, Oh no, we’re not messing with you no more. So at this point [for] my brand, it has to be.

Screen time: 4 hours and 31 minutes.

How did you get into being on social: I’m a sports writer more than I’m a content creator. I think it comes with the territory when you’re on social media. The only social media app I have is Twitter. I’ll do funny memes and stuff like that…I’ve tried to leverage it to grow my platform and share my work.

What are you most excited for this season: I think, like everybody, this new draft class, there’s just so much talent, but also, you know, NIL changed things so much that they’re more well known than say other rookies who have come in. They’ve already established platforms. They already have their own brands. They already have their own followings. So, all of that bringing it into the League is like this injection of excitement. I know women’s sports seems to be exploding right now and they are, but this WIC was led a long time ago. Now we’re just seeing the explosion from it. It’s been slowly building to this. And I wanna see how that translates over to the season [and] how the WNBA can capitalize on it.

Thoughts on content creation: Seeing now, especially since I first got into sports writing, so many more people who are contributors, who are writers, who are content creators in the space now is awesome. There’s just so much coverage happening on different levels and in different creative ways. As someone who’s been around for a little while, it’s really cool to see.

Screen time: I watch a lot of games on my phone or tablets or whatever if they’re not on television. But with social media, I try to take breaks on the weekends.

How did you get into content creation: I came across tunnel fits, I want to say like two years ago, and decided to make a video about it. I ended up making a few but they did really well, surprisingly well, and that kind of made me think like, oh my goodness…I just decided to kind of start talking about it here and there and I did the same thing with NWSL. The more I did it, the more I realized that: A, there’s people watching this and love to see the videos and they’re commenting on it and everything. But there’s also the people who are like, oh my gosh, like I had no clue this was a thing, didn’t know tunnel fits were a thing, didn’t know about these players, yada yada. And that kind of made me want to pursue it.

What’s your approach to building your brand: Once I realized that there was kind of a niche for women’s sports, I decided to really expand it and kind of give myself the job to cover everything. And I think it has coincided really well with the rise of women’s sports because I started [in] 2022, maybe ’21. That’s kind of when we saw like this big push to get to where we are now. So it’s been really cool because with that growth, I’ve also been growing as a creator. And there was a little bit of a switch in the fall of last year, where brands started coming to me and all these platforms saying, ‘We want you to make content. We love what you’re doing. We want you to do it for us.’ And that’s kind of honestly how I built it into a career today.

Screen time: 8 hours.

What your approach to building your brand on social media: I’m a freelancer. And what that means is that most big stories are being covered by beat writers or staff writers will say, not always in women’s sports, and particularly the W that’s obviously been growing, and we’re seeing a massive change ahead of this season. But I would say that most of my time covering this League has been really trying to convince publications, that there’s an audience for this. And what has been successful for me is trying to find angles that aren’t, you know, this sports journalism market is really oversaturated. And so for me, either going to try to find a really unique angle that no one has covered.

An example I can think of that’s probably my biggest story to date was I wrote for Sports Illustrated about nonbinary athletes and where they fit and Layshia Clarendon was kind of the focus, the centerpiece of that story. That was in 2021 and that was a space that no one had entered. We were starting to talk about trans athletes, but non-binary athletes really weren’t being talked about. And so that was like a place I could enter. I think also trying to pitch women’s publications things about women’s athletes. I’ve been in the New York Times several times, and I’ve never been published in the sports section, right? I’m really creative about whether I’m writing about in-game proposals for the vows section, or I’m writing about WNBA fashion for like the opinion section. I’ve always tried to be really, really creative about where and how and bringing my coverage and what other communities might be overlapping aside from score.

What are you most excited about this season: The W was really my entry point into becoming a basketball fan and what I loved was how many athletes were queer. I’m like, Oh, I’m queer. And I love their heart and I love rooting for them and seeing them be amazing. I think the women’s soccer team, we hear a lot about that and lesbian spaces, but the W has like been really overlooked I think for a long time…I think to me, that’s really cool—finding people who are not only invested in the game, but can find other reasons to buy in…I’ve loved all of the shit talking before the season. I love all the fact that everyone’s already getting chippy…I’m just excited to watch people see what the W really is. 

Screen time: 4 hours and 32 minutes.

How did you get into sports media: In addition to creating content, I’m a journalist, host and producer, so I am really a jack of all trades. I can do many things, including content creation. I started my career off at ESPN on the business side, and after three and a half years, I realized I wanted to do something different. I wanted to storytell. I wanted to be around people. And I didn’t want to be in my cubicle anymore. I was at the headquarters in Connecticut, and I wanted to bet on myself, so I decided to do that and that changed my life. I really have kind of built this sort of lane for myself. I never saw anybody who looked like me doing what I’m doing. And it’s been a lot of learning along the way.

What’s your approach to building your brand: In every single space and I show up as me. I’m proud of who I am. Part of my journey, it has not been easy at all and I never tell folks that it has been easy but I’m also proudly Dominican and Puerto Rican and you know that’s a huge part of my identity. I’ve realized [that] the more I lean into that, the more I celebrate myself and people who look like me, the more opportunities come.

What are you most excited about this season: There’s a lot of change within the teams— Natasha Cloud in Phoenix, Skylar Diggins-Smith in Seattle, Candace Parker retired. All these changes within women’s basketball. Change can be really good and I’m excited to just see all the competition. There are a lot of eyes, a lot of young players from Caitlin Clark to Angel Reese to Kamilla Cardoso. There’s a lot of excitement right now.

Screen time: 7 hours and 18 minutes.

How did you get into content creation: What has always been important to me was taking the access that I had from being in these spaces [as a sports writer] and finding ways to get that information to the fans. I started just by live tweeting all these press conferences because they weren’t on TV and I knew that fans wanted to know what these players were saying. I guess my brand kind of grew out of that and since then I’ve gotten to write about so many players in the League…It all started with just trying to share and tell stories and the brand, whatever my following has come from there has kind of all grown from that.

Favorite WNBA team: I think so much of my job is easier when things are going well, but the longer I’m in this space and the more players that I get to know and the more that there’s just so much movement in the league that I’m rooting for these players that I’ve built connections with. So now I’ve got players on every single team that I’m rooting for because I know them personally on some level, but I also am just rooting for kind of the overall League success.

Anything else you’d like to add: To have a League that’s majority queer women, to have a League that’s majority Black women and to know that these are spaces, that those stories are very rarely told. And to be aware of my privilege as a white man in this space, but to be able to use whatever platform I have to be able to amplify those stories is really important to me. It’s an honor for me.

How did you get into content creation: It was really something that just randomly happened back in 2018 or so. First of all, I was always a fan of the WNBA and, back in around 2019, a few people reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, we see these opportunities. We think you’ll be good for it. You’re always talking about sports.’…I was like, ‘I don’t have a journalism background.’ I was working in finance, doing the whole corporate America thing at that time And I was like, Okay, I’ll give it a try. And it really just snowballed from there. Went [from] just starting out as a writer and then it grew to working in social and then to being an on-camera host and a photographer. I’ve been able to do a lot of things just by me [and] someone taking a chance on me and thinking that I would be good for the job.

What’s your approach to building your brand: I think what a lot of people enjoy, for me is just, I won’t say hottakes or anything, and I don’t think I’m a comedian, but a lot of people just think that, Oh my God, you’re so hilarious...People just always think that it’s been something of just a breath of fresh air when it comes to especially the women’s sports space surrounding women’s basketball. They just really love my following, or what I’ve done, whether it be written work or on air work or photography, or just something as simple as live-tweeting about the game. I’ve always just made sure that I try to stay true to me, right? Things that I like, I just share that with people. I don’t try to be anyone else. I’m always me. I talk about being late for traveling, food, sneakers and sports. And that’s what I love and for some reason, it resonates with everyone else. They [see] that I have a real life apart from what it is that I do for work.

What are you most excited about this season: This season, I’m really just looking forward to competitive basketball. I’m looking forward to seeing these amazing women being able to play on such a larger stage. We know that over the past few years, women’s basketball and the attention that is received has been on the uptick and, you know, we’re familiar with it. We’ve been here. We’ve been in the trenches covering it. And so now I’m excited that everyone else is finally starting to take notice to something that we’ve known or I’ve known has been great for just so many years. So, that’s what I’m really looking forward to. And I think that this new wave of talent that’s coming in, they’re ready to compete and I’m all for it.

Screen time: 9 hours and 50 seconds.

What’s your approach to building your brand on social media: I think my biggest thing is that I’ve always been unapologetically me. I remember in grad school, one of my professors had said to me, ‘When you become a professional, you have to keep your biases aside.’ But you look at certain broadcasters or radio personnel, who they root for. I think that’s been my biggest thing. I know, too, that I am a little bit of an overshare. I kind of share both the good and the bad of my life, the industry and people really resonate with that because it isn’t all roses. People always say [that] social media is a highlight reel, but I try to be super real with things. And so I’m just kind of a goofy person, I try not to take things too seriously, but also in the same breath, when life gets me down I share that with other people because I think that it’s really important to share that things aren’t perfect all the time.

I think that’s kind of how I built my personal brand. It’s just being true and open and honest all the time. And at the end of the day, I’m still a sports fan. I think that’s the biggest thing, too, is that a lot of the time you see reporters and they’re doing their job, of course, but they’re just tweeting things that are professional and I think I have a lot of fun with it. I still am a fan. At the end of the day, even when I’m covering the WNBA, when you see a sick player or a sick shot, you want to enjoy it the way you would as a regular fan. Yes, reporting is my job. And when I’m going to [do] a story, I’m going to do it without bias, but I still want to enjoy the game. Enjoy the players, enjoy the teams the same way any fan would…Yes, I think I’m good at my job and I try to be as professional and unbiased in my work, but at the end of the day, I’m still a fan and I like to pass on with it. That’s kind of why we all got into sports in the first place.

Thoughts on the growth of women’s sports and content creation: Thank you guys for showcasing these creators. I think it’s huge, especially in the women’s sports space. As much as women’s sports has been growing and we’ve seen the data grow and not even just in women’s basketball, but across women’s soccer you’re seeing like the pro leagues for volleyball and things like that…There’s so many people who have been covering the W. This is my fifth season and I still feel like a rookie because there’s been people who have had boots on the ground since the early days. It’s really amazing that you guys put in the work to showcase these incredible women who have been putting in the work since before everybody else saw the vision and now everybody’s catching up.

Screen time: 8 hours and 37 minutes.

When did you get into content creation: I created a Twitter account in like 2018 because I kept going on Twitter to check [game] scores. I figured I might as well create an account, so I just started out as a fan. But I think when I started to get more into the writing side, that’s when I started to meet more people, especially on WNBA Twitter, too. I think the first year that I started covering in 2021, people were very welcoming and it was just a matter of putting myself out there…Just to kind of put my name out there, I would comment on live games, things like that. I would share where the W games are on what channels because as we know, it can be a little bit difficult at times to accept those and so I think just by doing that, and getting my name out there and more people started to see me and they started to follow me as well. I think being from Toronto, too, there are a large number of Raptors fans that are now WNBA fans as well. I think when I moved into that space of covering a W, a lot of the fan base I had built from the Raptors side kind of follow through and move along with me through this journey. I think that’s just how my platform grew and my brand kind of became covering WNBA and women’s basketball as well as tennis because that’s also my other main sport that I love to watch and to cover.

What are you most excited about this season: I’m so excited to see how all the new additions to different teams kind of paired out, like with the Storm getting Skylar and Nneka… I think there was so much movement in the offseason and so I’m very curious to see a lot of players who are now wearing new jerseys after wearing, you know, one jersey for the entirety of their careers. I think that’s going to be really exciting.

Screen time: 5 hours.

What’s your approach to building your brand: Just kind of having fun with it. That’s kind of my biggest thing is just—I know I like to do video content. I like to be on camera, but ultimately for me, it’s just, [do] I want to watch this and do I have fun making it? And normally if I have fun making it, someone’s going to have fun watching it whether that be social media videos or YouTube videos or whatever that might be. Just kind of just having fun with it. And if I can have fun with it, someone else can have fun watching it.

I love women’s basketball. This is what I love to watch. If I wasn’t doing content for it, I would be talking about it the same way, just in a different manner. For me, my biggest inviting factor is the fact that I’m a fan just like everyone else. Yes, I am in the media. Yes, I am credentialed to things, but I’m a fan and I love women’s basketball.

What are you most excited about this season: I think you can feel the different level of excitement for this season coming into it. I’m personally most excited [about] all the new fans to be able to see what we’ve known about and how incredible that this League truly is. And a lot of that has to do with how widespread the talent is and how good I think the teams are this season. I’m ready to see these teams go to war and just have some good games. I’m excited for some real, genuinely good basketball this season.

Screen time: 11 hours.

How did you get into content creation: I think social media—I didn’t realize its power in connection with sports. I think until I was working at The Ringer and I just saw how not only the company’s media presence was important but each individual writer and personality had their own following. I was like, Wow, that’s really cool and I kind of had a talk with myself, OK, what do I want my following to really be about? I don’t want to have my hand in everything. What do I want the people following me to really follow me for?

I remember I went to my husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, I was like, I want people when they think of the WNBA, that they mention my name [and] that they have me in those conversations. So, what do I need to do to do that? I learned by sharing my story with my fandom with the WNBA and with the Sacramento Monarchs, really just pulled at the heartstrings of a lot of people…Once I tapped into that fandom, that’s when I started wanting to grow the game by sharing more of those stories and more of those stories about the players as well. I’m not gonna be breaking news, but I want to make sure that players know that they can talk to me and I’m gonna see them as a human.

I’m going to make sure they know that I’ve been here from the beginning and as a former women’s basketball player myself, I see them. I’m not just here for the moment or the movement, I’ve been here.

What would your advice be to people, especially young Black women that are looking to get into the space and questioning whether they should go the traditional media route or content creation: I think having your own brand and going into content creation right now, you have the power to do that. I think that’s both a positive and a negative because sometimes as someone who went to journalism school. I have my degree in this, I’m on the same platform as somebody who has none of those accolades or none of that schooling. You can also just pop up and have your own video and make your own YouTube show, like, the power is very much in the hands of the creator.

[For] the longest time, I was so hesitant and so nervous and looking at a lot of people in the space and saying, well, I can’t do that. I’ll just stay over here or I’ll never get there, I’ll just stay over here.And once I just started and also going into freelance, I just really bet on myself. That is always my advice to young girls, especially young Black girls: you’re always told to stay in this box or stay in this lane or do things that everyone else is doing to get better. When I made the decision to cover the W NBA and women’s basketball, it was very much a, I’m doing something completely different than what you guys are wanting me to do or, you know, just to cover the NBA only. I followed my passion and I said, I have the skill set, I have the knowledge and I’m going to bet on myself.

Screen time: 8 hours.

What’s your approach to building your brand: I think honestly the biggest thing is just authenticity. Anyone who follows me on Twitter, anyone who listens to our podcast, I think you’re always getting me in my truest form. I’m always going to be a fan of my favorite players and I’m always gonna rep the teams and the players that I love while also trying to remain objective and provide insight and analysis and my opinion on things. So I think that rather than like having this perfectly curated brand where everything’s so pristine and whatever, I think I’ve went in the opposite direction where I’ve found that the easiest way to be myself and give people like original unique content is to kind of let that personal fan side come out a little bit more. I think that allows me to access a deeper level of storytelling when I’m writing pieces because it’s more about the person I’m writing about. I’m not as concerned with how it looks or whatever, I just wanna be spreading the stories of these players.

Favorite WNBA team: It’s two answers: the real answer is the Aces, and then the other answer is whatever team Kahleah Copper is currently playing for. For a long time, it’s been the Aces and the Sky, but now I’m gonna have to rep the Mercury, which is gonna be a little weird for me, but wherever Kai goes, I’m gonna be a fan of them. But Aces, you know, Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson are two of my all-time favorites.

Screen time: 4 hours and 20 minutes.

How did you get into content creation: I feel like everyone really started during COVID. I was like, well, I might as well just post some stuff on tiktok because that’s the thing and once school started opening up, I started doing like a little bit of basketball content with the varsity team that I was coaching and that would blow up here and there and then the big blow up was my niece and nephew being as cute as they are. Me being their aunt, it was literally nothing like that special—I mean, it is special to me that I’m their aunt but nothing that special where it was like some big break. It was just like, Wow, that girl loves her niece and nephew.

There was one video I did, it wasn’t even with the kids, it was a dancing video by myself and I kid you not every single comment was like, ‘Get it Auntie Nae! Go Auntie. Yeah, Auntie! I was like, OK, is that my name? Is that what people call me. So, that’s been the thing ever since then.

I’ve always been a fan of the W. I post Detroit Shock throwbacks all the time, but never really had the chance or really never knew l could be someone to talk about it in that way just because I’m not a reporter, I’m not a journalist. I just love the game, love being there. But I was in the right place at the right time: I was in Dallas at the Final Four last year and someone from the League was like, ‘Hey, I’ve seen some of your Tik Toks, I really want you to come to the draft next week…Before going into the draft, I was talking to my wife and I was just like, ‘I’m so scared. I don’t know anybody. I’m not sure how I’m going to be received there because I don’t know if people know me. I don’t want to step on toes. I just wanted to be in experience and all that. And my first interaction walking in, I turned around and I saw Aliyah Boston walking towards me. inside, I’m freaking out, I’m like, Oh my God, it’s Aliyah...That’s the moment I was like, OK, maybe I am supposed to be here.

What’s been your approach to content creation and building your brand: I don’t take a different approach at all with my personal versus my professional brand. I think that if you remain consistent, your audience knows where you are, what you’re going to do. And so by me just authentically wanting to really get to the meat of the story and get to know the players as humans, it’s beyond just rapid fire, right?… People want to get to know people but it doesn’t have to be those quick hitting things. I think I do a great job of long-form, get to know you content, as opposed to short form heavy hitting. I mean, I can do the short form but I keep that consistent in how I talk to people as humans and meet them where they are as humans with the way I tell stories. My personal brand, you see a lot of athletes just having fun, getting real, and just being open and trusting and vulnerable and recognized as a privilege. They feel comfortable enough to do that. And then you see that when I take it to a professional setting, I have a show with the WNBA called Off Top and that’s where we just sit down [and] I don’t have a preconceived notion of what I want to talk about. I just say, Hey, welcome to my Big Comfy Couch. And I let them take it where they want to take it. So I, no matter what I do between my purpose, personal brand or professional brand, I want to open up space for people to be themselves. And I want to facilitate that conversation in a way that it sticks with the general masses, and amplify that I’ve been a cheerleader to my core. And that’s what I bring in my journalism, too.

What are you most excited about this season: I’m really excited to see players take ownership of their stories. I’m really excited to see them step into a landscape that is ready to fully digest the fact that they belong there. And for them to be celebrated the way they’ve always deserved. And because of the empowerment around the game right now. It allows players to show up as fully themselves. So whether that’s translating by how they play basketball stylistically, or how they dress in the tunnel, or how they communicate their stories with media. I’m just excited about the individuality being showcased this season…

I want the general public to not be reliant on the bigger names and really know that when you look around in that locker room. For the W, there are 11 or 12 players in there. Every single person’s story matters. And so going into this season, every single person’s story should be told because we have so many more eyes on it. What I fear is that the legacy players, the players who have been around the super vets, they’re gonna be overshadowed in that. I want media to know like, it’s our responsibility to tell that history and it’s our responsibility to really go out and showcase the excellence. We have greats stepping away, [like] that Candace Parker retirement, which crushed me. And I never thought we gave her enough credit for how transformative she was. I’m a big Candace Parker and really I’m very underwhelmed about that. But like I don’t think we ever gave her enough credit about how transformative she was. And I want these vets [that] decide to step down and step away from the game, an active player role, for them to feel like they’ve been appreciated their entire career. And so, whether that’s us reconciling and having this heavy reconciliation in pushing their stories forward in a way we haven’t before, that’s what we need to do. We need to make the effort to really push them in to knowing that their flowers are there and they should receive them. 

Screen time: 9 hours and 37 minutes.

How did you get into content creation: I’ve always been obsessed with creating content. Even in high school, I had an anonymous Twitter page covering my high school sports. And then when I got to college, I was covering Wichita State Athletics [and] men’s Basketball was like, the biggest thing in the city. This was in 2016, 2017, I was so adamant about using my own social media or like different social media channels to promote our coverage, like the newspaper and everything. Long story short, I was told that using my social media is unprofessional and it wouldn’t get me anywhere. But I really didn’t listen to that. And that’s when I started Sports with Aliyah my junior year of college, and that’s where I’m like, Okay, I’m gonna write articles, do interviews, create content on my terms, and I know I can create an audience that likes me for me and my coverage.

From there, Sports with Aliyah has just grown so much. It was a talk show in Wichita— I’d love to get back to that—but a talk show or just going to any sports-related thing I could possibly go to and just show it from my point of view. I love focusing on things that make the athletes more human instead of just like their stats, like, I want to know their personal stories, I want to show their personalities. I also love the way basketball intersects with fashion, music culture, that’s just my favorite thing.

And when it comes to women’s sports, a lot of people saw me covering women’s sports as like a charity, like, Oh, that’s so nice that you’re covering the women’s game, too. And I’m like, ‘It’s not nice. It’s what I want to do.’ This is what I’m passionate about. That’s kind of how I approached it in my content. I have a lot of men’s sports fans following me, but I would just continue to talk about women’s basketball, women’s sports very casually [and adding] it in with my normal content, instead of just being like, Guys, look, I’m doing such a great thing by covering women’s sports. I’m just like, Yeah, this is what I’m talking about and get with it. And I think that’s kind of how I’ve kind of converted some men’s sports fans into liking women’s sports, and it’s been just integrated into my life at this point. 

What’s been your approach to building your personal brand: My approach has always been community first and not getting wrapped in with the numbers. I mean, it’s social media, things can go viral left and right. But what are you doing to sustain it? I’ve always valued a community, that’s why I started a group chat with my followers to help them break into sports or talk about sports. Community is everything and then also just capitalizing off of what makes me unique in the space. The human stories or the culture, I like to make a big deal out of the little things. I like to show what a normal broadcast wouldn’t show, those small moments between a player and a fan. Or, two players having a nice moment. I want to show things that you can’t see by just reading an article or watching ESPN or the broadcast. I think that’s been my key. 

Screen time: 8-9 hours.

How did you get into content creation: I feel like TikTok really became big my senior year of high school. [In] college, I had a very small platform, not really a lot of followers, but it just gave me a place to be creative and post about my life, post about being a student-athlete. I grew up watching a lot of YouTube and I feel like YouTube is definitely tedious, so having a platform where you can kind of share more short form videos and it’s an easier lift was really appealing to me. I kind of just got started there.

I also am a journalist, so I do some more traditional work, but I feel like TikTok is a place for me to kind of have my own little community and be a little bit more creative and do some untraditional things, whether it be sharing my opinions or doing fun interviews. That is really how I got into it and I’ve continued to post around big sporting events and just kind of giving my takes or getting opportunities to interview players and my platform has grown from there.

What’s your approach to building your brand: I think reporting and being a journalist is a huge part of my brand and I always want that to be the first thing that is conveyed when I’m posting and sharing online, but also sharing that fun side of me and knowing that a lot of these student-athletes who I’m interviewing, especially in college, are similar in age to me and probably people that I could be friends with if I wasn’t working because I was also a student-athlete. So, I totally get the ins and outs of what they’re going through. Trying to combine that perspective in the interviews, in my content, I think reaches them a little bit more because they’re human, too. They have their favorite artists off the court. They have hobbies that they like to do. I think it’s just a really good way for me to connect with these athletes.

Screen time: 5 hours.

How did you get into content creation: I had already been in the queer content creation space…Soccer’s always been my thing and that’s the thing I knew the most about—the intersection of queer and World Cup content. I was able to make like a bunch of like breakdown videos with the World Cup and now I just talk about sports and kind of try and make women’s sports as accessible as possible to as many people and tell the kind of human interest stories behind everything that happens. [It]s] just kind of the stuff I already am interested in and now I get to talk about it on TikTok.

What’s your approach to content creation: I think that a lot of it is that I think that I’ve created a community of people that watch my videos, they care about women’s sports, they care about women’s basketball, they care about what’s going on, and I like being around those people. And so it’s just kind of like, I, in my life, have had friends who I talk to about things happening in the W or things happening in the sports world. And now it’s like, I have a giant community of those people and like so many more friends to talk about…The thing that I always come back to is just like, I wanna grow the conversation and that kind of is the driving force [in] how many more friends can I get to talk about women’s basketball and all that, everything with?

Favorite WNBA team: I’m a DC girl. I’m excited for Aaliyah [Edwards]…that is gonna be exciting for us for the Mystics.

Screen time: 9 hours and 15 minutes.

How did you get into content creation: I have always been very vocal and extroverted and somebody that’s been taking pictures since I was a young age. I always felt that sharing videos [and] pictures as well as my thoughts as a way of bringing people into my life and I guess I never thought of myself as a content creator, I always just thought of myself that was kind of sharing what was going on in my life…

I’ve always just cared about curating. I would say not only an image, but not an image or a brand, but authenticating and showcasing my life, what I’m doing, what I aspire for, how I can help other people, how we can bring more people in. So I would say on Instagram, I really want us to just showcase the ups and downs, but also the possibilities for everybody in their life…On Twitter, which is the app that I have the most following on, I just talk. I’ve always been very vocal and I’ve always wanted to share how my background in African American studies and history has allowed me to look at a lot of things a bit more critically and provide some insight as well as my own personal feelings and thoughts.

What are you most excited about this season: The competition, the outfits, the brand deals that clients get. I think that the Liberty have the best court side experience with the Crown Club, with celebrities that come to games. It’s immaculate. I’m excited for the film pictures that I’m going to take this year—I think I’ve really found my lane in regards to capturing things between my phone and my cameras, and really being able to support W and be a face of the League and people know.

We get down in New York. I’ve been called the mayor. I wouldn’t consider myself as such, but it’s fun to know that when people are coming to game in New York, they know they’re gonna see me and that I’m gonna bring that energy to every game.

Screen time: 4-6 hours a day.

What’s do you think makes your content unique on social: I really like looking at and understanding personal development: why is a player growing? How did they adapt over an offseason? What did they start seeing differently? It’s amazing watching the consistency that they grow into, and understanding them as players and people is what I’m all about.

What are you most excited about this season: I’m excited about a plethora of things, but I’m most excited to watch the Seattle Storm find their way as a team this year. There’s so much talent coming together, and I can’t wait to watch Noelle Quinn fit everything together

Screen time: It’s around 8 in the off-season and then about 11.5 or 12 on average in-season.

The post WSLAM Presents: The WNBA Creators, Journalists and Creatives Making Waves and Growing the Game appeared first on SLAM.

Weatherspoon’s return to the W, this time as a coach, is historic: she was one of the original members of the New York Liberty when the W began play in ’97 and watched the League, and the game, grow and evolve throughout her storied career, which included five All-Star appearances and winning the first-ever Defensive Player of the Year award. To call her simply a basketball great wouldn’t do her career justice—Weatherspoon is a pioneer, an inspiration, a legend. 

“First of all, it’s full circle,” she says of now coaching in the W. “I had the opportunity to play in New York and, as a player, to start something in a professional [women’s basketball] league in America. But then to come back and coach in this League really means a lot to me because it’s still helping the League to grow. I’ve had an opportunity to do some incredible things in between to just have myself very well prepared for any situation or circumstances that might come up. You equip yourself along the way.” 

Those “things in between” that Weatherspoon is referring to are all the coaching jobs she’s had over the past decade—at nearly every level of the game—including as a head coach at her alma mater, Louisiana Tech, and then in the NBA, where she served as a player development coach before moving up to assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans. For her, the decision to join the Sky was simple: they knew she was the perfect person for the job. Period. “They believed in me. They fought for me. They trusted me to lead this organization. For me, that was enough.” 

Weatherspoon has been tasked with bringing the Sky back to glory. After winning its first-ever WNBA championship in 2021, the franchise has not made it past the semifinals in the past two seasons. While 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper is now in Phoenix, they have exciting new additions including Diamond DeShields and Chennedy Carter. But one thing their new head coach has made pretty clear is to not call this upcoming season a rebuilding year. That’s not the framework in which Weatherspoon operates. She has other plans. Big plans.

SLAM: As you get ready for the upcoming season, what do you think the transition will be like, going from coaching in the NBA to taking over as a head coach in the W? What’s your approach?

Teresa Weatherspoon: It’s [about] being aware of who you’re coaching [and] being aware of your personnel. I think when you’re playing the game period, they always tell you to know your personnel. That’s what it is for me. Yes, it is basketball. Yes, I recognize you’re male and you’re female. But at the end of the day, it’s all about knowing your personnel and what fits your personnel—what is best for your personnel for them to be the best versions of themselves.

SLAM: It’s been a few years since the Sky won a chip. What do you think it will take to bring the team back to that level? 

TW: Well, first of all, they did a heck of a job pushing to get into the playoffs, right? That says a lot about who they are, the fight that’s in them, the determination that’s in them. They have goals and they want it…It’s just a matter of me now coming in and putting my stamp on things of how I see things with them and then sustaining the success. We don’t want to be successful for [just] a year, we want to sustain the success, and that’s going to be our attitude. That’s going to be our approach…They have the ability, they have the talent, they have all of that. And it’s a matter of putting together pieces to the puzzle and making it work.

SLAM: When you first got the head coaching gig, did you connect with the players right away?  

TW: As a matter of fact, I sent them a message this morning just to say, Hey, wishing you a great day, because I want them to know that [they’re being] thought of. I’m not just a coach that’s just going to coach you and then forget about you, no. I want to know how you’re doing. I want to know how your family’s doing. I’m different. I approach things differently because I was once a player and I knew what was important to me as a player. So, I want to bring that same thing to them because I want to be a coach that’s open, honest and transparent. 

SLAM: Would you describe yourself as a people person? 

TW: I’ve always wanted to be. Not to be known, but to show that I care. And in that care, especially being a head coach, I’m going to push buttons that you never thought could be pushed. I’m going to push them because as a coach, if I ruffle your feathers, I’m doing my job.  

SLAM: Having coached at every level and now at the highest level—the NBA and, soon, the WNBA—what advice would you give to aspiring coaches who want to get to where you are?

TW: This is crazy [because] I just gave this message in a speaking engagement that I had and I talked about the table. When you talk about the table, it’s your table…It’s a self-constructed table, and every experience that you have is at your table…I want people to break bread with me at my table because I’ve had to experience a lot of things to equip me to get to where I am right now. And it’s my duty—whether it’s hard, whether it’s tough, whether it’s painful—it’s my duty to go through it to make sure that every seat at my table is available for everyone to find solutions. Because at the end of the day, that’s going to be the most important thing: What is your life doing to impact another life? 

SLAM: When did you come to that realization—that you are the player, and it’s your duty to be of service to others?

TW: As you’re growing, you know you have to bring something to the table—you know that you gotta bring something so someone can trust you and know that you’re of value. Especially when you’re playing the game, people have to know, What’s your best skill? What do you bring to this team? And why would you help this team be successful?…That question [has] happened to me all my life, so it has built my table…Now, this table has to help someone else…There’s no way that I should go through something, and at the table there’s no solution for what I went through. It’s just sitting there. It doesn’t sit, you gotta keep moving to find the solution…And that’s all I’ve ever wanted. If there’s something that you don’t like or you don’t see that’s coming from me and it’s what you want, tell me. I’m gonna find the solution. I’m gonna fight my butt off to find the solution, because I always want to be able to help the next person.

SLAM: You had such a storied playing career. As you enter this new chapter, how would you define your legacy up to this point? 

TW: I believe that is still being written. I believe as long as you continue to strive, to thrive, that it’s going to continue to be written, because there’s a lot more, I believe, to come from me. There’s a lot more that God has for me. So, I have to continue to move in that way, knowing that things aren’t over. There are many more things to come. 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Teresa Weatherspoon Talks Vision for the Chicago Sky and Her Own Legacy appeared first on SLAM.

Candace Parker officially announced on Sunday that she is retiring from the game after more than a decade. Parker is undeniably one of the most influential, and iconic, players in the history of women’s basketball.

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A champion and seven-time WNBA All-Star, Parker is also a mentor, a mother and an inspiration to many. As we celebrate CP3’s legacy, here’s a look back at some of the legendary moments throughout her career:

FIRST WOMAN TO DUNK IN COLLEGE GAME

Parker set the tone from the jump. Back in ’06 as a freshman at Tennessee, she defied the notion that women can’t dunk and showed the world that she can by becoming the first woman, ever, to dunk in the NCAA Tournament.

TOTAL DOMINANCE AT TENNESSEE

Playing for the late and great Pat Summitt, Parker dominated while suiting up for the Volunteers. Her college resume includes:

• Winning ’06 SEC Rookie of the Year.
• Being the fastest player in Lady Vols history to score 1,000 career points.
• Winning ’07 SEC Player of the Year.
• Leading the Lady Vols to back-to-back national championships.
• Averaging 19.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game.

THE ARRIVAL

Just one day after leading the Lady Vols to yet another NCAA national championship, the Los Angeles Sparks drafted Candace Parker as the overall No. 1 pick in the ’08 draft. Really, that was just the beginning for Parker, who was set to team up with Lisa Leslie.

THE ROOKIE’S REIGN

In her WNBA debut against the Phoenix Mercury, Parker dropped 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists—breaking Cynthia Cooper’s previous rookie record in a debut game.

Her dominance and skillset was undeniable. Parker became the first WNBA player to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same year. She was also pregnant with her oldest daughter at the end of the season.

“I was actually pregnant with [Lailaa] at the end of the year, my rookie year,” Candace told WSLAM for the cover of SLAM 233. “I accepted the MVP and Rookie of the Year trophy with my daughter and then from there it’s just been our journey.”

THE 2016 ‘CHIP

During a season that was dedicated to Summitt, Parker showed up and showed out during the 2016 season. After beating the Chicago Sky, 3-1, they advanced to the Finals for the first time since ’03 and went on to defeat the Lynx and bring franchise’s third-ever title back to LA. Parker was named Finals MVP.

“I remember a lot about that series. Just the grind, the focus, the energy that it took to even get through that series,” the 2016 Finals MVP told WSLAM. “I think it also speaks to my innocence, because in 2008, we had a chance to go to the Finals and we lost on a last-second shot. I had a number of baskets that rolled off the rim. And I think that recognizing that, like, we won off of a rebound putback…And everybody after that is telling us that we’re the best thing ever off of one moment. I think it just kind of speaks to how you gotta stay the course.”

RETURN TO THE CHI

It was the free agency announcement that shocked the world. After an illustrious career in LA, Parker announced she was taking her talents to the Chi, a decision that was as much about family and her life off the court as it was about her career.

“I believe a lot of things come full circle,” Parker told us. “I think just over the course of my career I realized how much important people have meant to my career. Coming back home, I mean, my dad fixed my blinds the other day, we went over to his house for Father’s Day, my mom cooks me pregame, picks up my daughter all the time. Dad brings doughnuts over sometimes for my daughter, like, it’s just, I can go see my grandma. I really respect the time that I moved away from home because I needed it. I needed to establish myself in my home and get away from that, but to come back, who I am now, to really appreciate it.”

In our SLAM 233 cover story, CP3 opened up about her decision to join the Sky, returning home to Chicago and more.

READ HERE

THE 2021 ‘CHIP

History. Not only did Parker play a key role in helping lead the Sky to the 2021 WNBA championship, the franchise’s first, but she was renowned for her leadership—in the SLAM 236 cover story, even former teammate Kahleah Copper praised her for it (read here).

TO VEGAS

Yet again, Parker’s decision to take her talents elsewhere, this time Vegas, was centered around family. Despite injury, Parker’s presence added to Aces’s star studded roster as the team went on to win their second title as a franchise.

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THANK YOU, CANDACE!

The post Looking Back at Candace Parker’s Legendary Career appeared first on SLAM.

For the cover of SLAM 247, two-time WNBA champion Sydney Colson reflects on what this title represents for the city, her teammate A’ja Wilson’s legacy, her own self-transformation and the team’s place in history. Get your copy and cover tees here.

The year I joined the Aces was the first time I met A’ja Wilson. Well, technically I met her during training camp in 2018, but I officially joined the team in 2019, so we’ll count that. 

I’d obviously watched her play in college at South Carolina, and I remember thinking, OK, this is their franchise player, but I also wanted to see what she’d do at this level. Looking back, and just seeing the growth that she’s made over the years, how vocal of a leader she is and how her game has changed…the way she’s branded herself and markets herself, it’s so cool to see. 

As I write this now, on the day of the championship parade, it brings me back to that moment. I still remember when I had the phone call with Becky Hammon, which was the first time in my career that I was on the phone with a coach and our GM—usually when you’re getting training camp contracts or you’re not a guaranteed player, people don’t just make calls. She was talking about the culture of the program and how they saw me impacting the team and fitting in the locker room. It was amazing to hear that from her. 

One thing that I can’t stress enough is that, as a team, we all genuinely enjoy one another’s company. There are times where you feel like, Alright, I need to not see y’all for a couple of days, but that’s what regular friends do when you need to recharge and be by yourself. But when we’re around each other, it’s easy for stuff to flow because it’s not forced. Our relationships are as genuine on camera as they are off, and I think that’s hard for a lot of people to grapple with because maybe that’s not how they are in their real lives. Or you’re very weary of joy. Seeing too much joy, you don’t believe that it’s real, which is sad. But it is real. I feel bad for the people who always have something negative to say when we’re genuinely having fun. That’s hard for them to fathom, and I get it. You don’t see a lot of teams behave like us in professional sports.

I saw someone say that there’s never been a team more entertaining than us since the 2016 Cavs. That’s interesting, but I think a lot of times, too, in women’s pro sports, women will show their personality more than guys. There’s some things guys are not going to do in a group because of fear of not being cool enough. But we don’t care. We’re going to do stuff that’s cool, stuff that’s corny, whatever. We’re just enjoying life, and the quicker people can get hip to that and accept that it’s the truth, I think the easier it’ll be for them to like and appreciate us. But also, if you don’t want to, that’s fine, too. We’re not losing no sleep.

A’ja embodies that. She just gets it on and off the court. She knows what has to be done and I love how she’s unapologetically Black. Ain’t no code switching. You are getting A’ja. Her book is coming out, Dear Black Girls, and I know that the reception for that is going to be crazy. Once it’s out and people are getting their books, they’re going to love to hear her story. I don’t even know the full story, so I can’t wait to read it, too. 

Here’s a funny thing you might not know about her off the court, though: she’s actually the type of person that, even if they can’t make the function, she’ll still want an invite. Let me clarify. Before we went out to bingo as a team, Kiah Stokes and Alysha Clark had recommended going and I brought my girlfriend there first a day or two before we went as a team. I was on Instagram Live when A’ja hit me on some, “Thanks for the invite.” I’m like, Girl, you don’t be going places when we invite you sometimes so I’m not gonna…” She’s that type of person. But then we all decided to go, and it was a vibe. 

As for the wigs, I can explain. We really wanted to do them throughout the season with our tunnel fits, but then we lost a game and we were all like, Scratch that, we’re not wearing it. We don’t want to be doing stuff and look like we’re not taking the game seriously. Once the season was done, though, we decided to go play bingo and wear them. As a team, we really do the same stuff you’d do with friends: the movies, going to somebody’s apartment, playing games on the road in each other’s room, go get dinner, do this or that. 

Our team already had a sense of togetherness last year, and considering a majority of our team returned this season, it was easy to just pick up where we left off. I think this is what makes our team so special: we can just let it flow and remain unbothered about anything. We just joke with each other—we’re fake mean like we’re siblings or cousins that you grew up with. We have that best friend energy, like, I love you. I wouldn’t do this with just anybody. Honestly, joining this team reinvigorated me in a way that made me more appreciative of every moment, especially this year. When the playoffs started, I told myself that if this is the last year, make sure that you’re fully present for every practice, every film session, every bus ride when we’re joking around together. Make sure that you are enjoying the hell out of every single moment on this run.

I think there was also that added element of people not thinking that we were going to run it back once Chelsea Gray and Kiah went down during the Finals. I remember Coach Becky and the assistants kept saying that it’s so much harder to do it the second time. You got to be that much more locked in and focused, because while you have the benefit of having done it, you have that added oomph that people are going to bring when they play you. But A’ja, her confidence is unwavering. She keeps her people around her, and when you’ve got people who love and care about you, people who at the end of the day, no matter if there’s people who don’t even know you for real or are doubting you, these things really don’t matter. She’s got her parents, siblings and loved ones around her. She’s not concerned about this internet stuff. She’s like, This stuff is for fun, it’s for play and a lot of y’all take it to the head. But if we were to get rid of social media and media today, she knows she’s got her people who care about her. It’s like, I don’t need y’all to affirm me in any kind of way. 

We saw that throughout the playoffs, too. Chicago, they were feisty. They got Kahleah Copper, Courtney Williams, Izzy Harrison will be back in the future. They got people who are gonna talk, but I know they gotta be a fun team because I know some of the players individually. As for Dallas, they’re huge. They’re like The Monstars: they got players who can score at all three levels, they got good guards, posts, they’ll play fast and rebound the ball really well. Coach T (Latricia Trammell) did a good job with them this year. 

As for New York, they’re talented. They’re a really, really, really good team, and I think our matchup was really great for the game and for the W. When you think about sports, you want to see the rivalries, right? The highlights, the stars are going to be out at the game, viewership will be high. That’s what you want to see for many teams around the League and hopefully we’re on the way to getting into that. 

It wasn’t until after Game 4 in the Finals, as the media was conducting interviews, that I thought about saying something about being disrespected. It’s not even that I had to get it off my chest, because I’m not a trash-talking person. I didn’t say anything throughout the whole game, but once I stood on that podium, I definitely let my intrusive thoughts win. If you disrespect me publicly, I’m gonna disrespect you publicly. 

While I may have not played a lot of minutes in the League throughout the course of my career, I’m still here. Fortunately, teams and coaches still see my value, but even if they hadn’t, I was going to always be good in life because God enables me to see my value. I lowkey get emotional talking about it because I’m like, He will put things in your life and people in your path. Even when I think about how my faith has grown from when I got to the League to where I am now, I’m a transformed person. I want to do something to make God proud, to make my family proud, to make myself proud.

This is one of those moments. It’s taken me a couple of days to process everything; I was just telling Alysha about it, that it still doesn’t feel real. I think partially because it’s really, really hard to go back to back and, as we saw, it hadn’t been done in 20 years. I think it just hadn’t set in for us. Like, dang, we did it. We’re really going to get to celebrate another one again.

It was dope last year to be the first pro team to win one here in Las Vegas—obviously the Vegas Knights, shout out to them. They won the Stanley Cup. Hopefully they repeat, too. That’d be awesome. It just feels cool to be in a city where that wasn’t what it was known for, but hopefully people are coming into Vegas now, not just to go to the Strip, but because they want to come see us play.

To the fans: I speak for all of us in saying that we appreciate the support so much. It’s amazing to be able to go out there and feel how electrifying the arena is and how you love our team and appreciate us being role models to your children. When you stop us to sign autographs and take pictures, that makes us feel cool. It makes us feel supported and appreciated. You all are the best fans in the League. 

We’re truly blessed.

SLAM 247 cover tees and more are available now.

The post Sydney Colson on A’ja Wilson’s Legacy and the Aces’ Historic Championship Run appeared first on SLAM.

But the battles weren’t just on the court, they were in the tunnel too. From Olivia Nelson-Ododa strutting in Diesel dresses and thigh-high boots to Natasha Cloud putting her tats on full display in her muscle tee’s, hoopers across the W were fully displaying their own individual senses of style. And our girls know a thing or two about how to accessorize. Tiffany Hayes and her iconic bags, Diamond Deshields and her beaded braids, Rae Burrell and her signature sunglasses – our First Team honorees know a thing or two about how to put together a calm luh fit.

When it comes to style, LeagueFits has officially announced the honorary All-LeagueFits Second Team award winners. There’s Dijonai Carrington, who effortlessly a sporty-chic style from cargos and skirts to sneakers and heels. Shatori Kimbrough-Walker’s got exquisite taste in piecing together streetwear look, while Courtney Williams and Arike Ogunbowale are bold and eccentric in their tunnel fits, and on the hardwood. Then there’s Kahleah Copper – the queen of the two-piece set, who knows that accessories are what makes an outfit an outfit.

Let’s get into it. Here are the 2023 All-LeagueFits First and Second Team award winners.

2023 ALL-LEAGUEFITS: FIRST TEAM

2023 ALL-LEAGUEFITS: SECOND TEAM

The post 2023 WNBA All-LeagueFits First and Second Teams appeared first on SLAM.

Remember a few years back when there were a bunch of people who were around hoops, but didn’t really actually hoop, and they were trying to tell hoopers to quit shooting the midrange? Yeah, nah, Kahleah Copper didn’t listen to any of that. The former WNBA champ and two-time All-Star possesses a middie that’s something out of an instructional video. It’s been a big reason she’s scored the ninth-most points in the W at the time of this writing.

The foundation of her shot is a fluid two-foot hop. It helps her establish momentum on the way up. Her release point is high, at the top of her rise, and it’s followed by an extended and long-held follow-through. Copper’s textbook progression should be studied everywhere.

Her journey to get here should also be studied. Not just the evolution of her shot into a two-dribble automatic machine, but the resolve she’s shown during her eight seasons in the League. It should be a lesson to young hoopers everywhere: This all takes time.

Copper as a freshman at Rutgers (5.1 points and 3.5 rebounds a game on 41 percent shooting) looks like a whole different person when compared to her as a senior (17.7 points and 8 rebounds a game on 50 percent shooting). Patience paid off when the Washington Mystics selected her with the seventh overall pick of the 2016 Draft. She had a solid rookie campaign for Washington, appearing in 30 games, and she was good enough that the Chicago Sky wanted her to be a part of the trade that sent former WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne to the nation’s capital.

Copper played through four full seasons averaging between 14-16 minutes and 6-7 points a game. She couldn’t crack the rotation in a real way in DC or Chicago. Her career drastically changed during head coach James Wade’s second season in the Chi in 2020. Coach Wade increased her minutes by more than double what she played in 2019.

Copper delivered.

In the 2020 wubble, Copper’s stats were more than solid: 14.9 points, 5.5 boards, 2.1 dimes and 1 steal per. Included in 2020 were a trio of 20-plus point games (all wins for the Sky), marking the first time in her career that she went for 20 or more on three separate occasions. The signs that she was evolving appeared in other ways, too. She recorded at least 1 steal in over half the games she played, her rebounding was way up (she got her first career game of 10 rebounds at IMG) and her three-pointer was much improved.

Though the Sky lost in the first round of the 2020 postseason, Copper and her squad were about to get a major roster addition, one that would fully unlock the potential of the North Philly kid. The arrival of future Hall of Famer Candace Parker in Chicago was the final push to get Copper’s game all the way turnt up. Parker was vocally adamant about Copper for the entire summer. She was constantly praising the energy she brought to the floor. With the voice of a legend in her ear, Copper realized what she was capable of.

The 2021 playoffs belonged to No. 2, who was officially stamped by winning the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP trophy. But before she accomplished that, she put up serious numbers: 17.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg. And she shot 52 percent from the field.

Her offense featured a lot of that still-improving jumper with a ton of attacking the rim. She’s both fast and quick, so anybody trying to stay in front of her? Best of luck. Surprisingly, though, as her individual star rose, she played more efficiently within the system that Coach Wade had constructed. About two-thirds of her buckets came off assists, swung from the fingertips of Courtney Vandersloot, Parker and Diamond DeShields. Copper was playing high quality, high efficiency basketball. She maximized success for herself and for her team.

During her cover shoot for SLAM 236, Copper said that her competitiveness has been nurtured since she was a young kid. It had been waiting to burst out of her from the days when she couldn’t get off the bench in DC. That championship run was the truest form of Kahleah Copper. It was her honest aggression in the brightest spotlight, merciless and unrelenting. Her numbers in the Finals tell part of the story: 17 ppg and 5.5 rpg on 50 percent. The rest of the story can be told in Parker’s own words after the final buzzer sounded in 2021.

“Just playing against [Copper] in L.A. all the time and just not being able to guard her, like, I feel like our games could be compatible, we could make each other better,” Parker told NBC Sports Chicago. “I’ve just been so proud of how she’s stayed the course all the time and just been great. I always tell her before the game, like, Show them what we already know. Every game. She did that this entire season.”

That season ended.

The next one began.

Copper continued to ascend as a singular talent in 2022. Her points per game, her rebounds per game, her assists per game and her shooting percentage elevated, and she notched the highest point total of her W career with a 28-point outing against the Indiana Fever. Copper was hooping at an even higher level than before, but the Sky lost in the second round of the postseason. Then Parker and Vandersloot left, and then deadeye three-point shooter Allie Quigley and former WNBA champ Emma Meesseman departed, too. All of a sudden, Copper was alone in the driver’s seat, responsible for leading her team.

That brings us to 2023. Coach Wade has clearly defined the role of his former Finals MVP. He needs her to score, create and compete as well as possible. Those two-dribble pulls in the midrange are out of necessity. Copper is running more pick-and-roll, responsible for reading more of the defense than ever before, even with her new and reliable backcourt mates Marina Mabrey and Courtney Williams along for the ride. This is officially her franchise now, as evidenced by the 16.6 ppg she’s currently averaging, which of course marks a career-best in that category.

It’s likely that by the time you’re holding this magazine in your hands, Copper has been named to her third All-Star team, where she’ll get the chance to build on what she did against the League’s best in both 2021 and 2022.

“I think I was the ultimate competitor,” Copper told us in her SLAM 236 cover story. “Even re-watching the games and seeing how locked in I was and seeing my intensity on defense. Getting hyped, just every little detail. I think that my competitiveness hit another gear.”

Copper got to feel the warmest sunshine imaginable with that championship in 2021. There were difficult times before that win, and there will be difficult times ahead. But it ain’t nothing. Don’t you dare ever count out the kid from Philly.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post With the Keys to the Chicago Sky, Kahleah Copper is Elevating Her Game to New Heights appeared first on SLAM.

However, Team USA has won three straight World Cups for a reason. After Kahleah Cooper went down with an undisclosed injury, the U.S. reeled off a decisive 20-0 run and ultimately beat Serbia, 88-55, to cement their spot in the World Cup semifinals.

“I think that was kind of a moment where we really had to lock in,” A’ja Wilson said of Copper’s injury. “That first quarter kind of stumbled us a little. I know I was kind of caught off guard. We can’t have that. So I think for us and for the rest of the way, we’ve really got to lock in from the jump and understand that we can get whatever we want, we’ve just got to stay the course.”

Semi-Final update

Canada USA will be the first game of the day tomorrow, at 17:00 Sydney time (GMT+10)!#FIBAWWC pic.twitter.com/AZ0WQye1bQ

— FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWWC) September 29, 2022

Serbia, the No. 10 team in FIBA’s ranking, succeeded in executing its game plan to clog up the paint and make the game a grind-it-out physical matchup. Team USA ver Team Servia marked the first time that the Americans were outscored in the pain, 28-26. Kelsey Plum (17 points admitted that Serbia was “more physical than we’ve seen in the whole tournament.”

Team USA’s struggles with Serbia’s physical defense was illustrated by their 17 turnovers, the first time they turned the ball over more than their opponent during the World Cup.

“They had a lot of bodies in the paint,” Alyssa Thomas (13 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists) said. “Rightfully so, with us scoring 94 points in the paint [against Korea], I would do the same. But they focused on that, and we really had to knock down outside shots.”

Instead of relying on the paint to beat the Serbians, Team USA knocked down 11 three-pointers and hit 2-12 free throws. The Americans closed the first half with a 12-0 run to grab a 50-33 lead, and started the second-half with an 8-0 run. Team USA also held Serbia scoreless from the 3:39 mark of the second frame to the 5:15 mark in the thrid, allowing Serbia to score seven points the rest of the third quarter.

“I think we needed this push,” Wilson said. “I think we needed that first quarter to kind of wake us up a little bit because that’s what we’re going to see. It’s going to get tougher from here on out. So I think it was a good game for us to have. It’s also a good game for us to kind of see and toughen it out.”

Team USA will face Team Canada on Friday for the right to play in the gold medal game. The winner of the US-Canada game will play the winner of the Australia-China semifinal.

The post A’ja Wilson: Team USA ‘Needed This Push’ From Serbia Ahead of World Cup Semifinals appeared first on SLAM.

“Kah is just electric,” Stewart told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. “It seems like she just slithers to the basket. She’s able to find these gaps where she gets in and is able to get an easy layup. But she’s a spark. Whenever her name is called, she’s ready.”

Wilson also chimed in, saying, “Kah is very versatile,”

“We need a spark off the bench from her. Even in the starting lineup, she’s just going 100 percent through and through. When it comes to USA Basketball, it’s all about knowing your role, and I think for it to be a rookie, to come in and instantly understand her role, is huge for us. So we play off her energy.”

So far, Cooper has averaged 11 points on 53.8 percent shooting from the field, and 41.7 percent from three, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals while playing 20.0 minutes per game for Team USA.

Team USA Coach Cheryl Reeve also commented on Cooper’s recent play.

“She has been absolutely pivotal to not only penetration that you get, but her defense,” Reeve said. “She’s really taken some players out of games, and so kudos to her. She’s been an important part for us.”

With such high praise and respect coming from both coach and peers, Cooper spoke about what being able to play for Team USA meant to her. Cooper had this to say: coming off a disappointing semifinal loss in the playoffs.

“It was just important that I didn’t miss a beat and that competitor and that fire in me continued to stay lit,” Cooper said. “I think this is special, and this is a big-time opportunity for me.”

One of Cooper’s personal bucket list goals is to win gold as a part of the US Women’s Basketball team, and with this roster, that goal, without a doubt, is attainable. If Team USA can keep dominating, as their recent play has shown, they will likely bring home gold, and Cooper can check an accomplishment off her list.

The post Kahleah Cooper’s ‘Electric’ Play Leading Team USA into World Cup Quarterfinal 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The journey to get to the championship stage has been challenging for Coach Curt Miller and the Sun. They lost Jasmine Thomas to a torn ACL early in May. Miller’s mom passed away in August. During the series-clinching Game 5, the Sun fell behind 10 points. But as it has been all season, Connecticut’s grit and resilience helped them defy the odds.

That resilience, DeWanna Bonner’s refusal to back down from Kahleah Copper specifically, was the catalyst to Connecticut reeling off a game-defining 18-0 run that helped them upset the defending champs and stamped their ticket to their

“Everybody has stories across this league,” Miller said per ESPN. “Ours — it just seemed like one thing after another that we had adversity this season in and out of that locker room. It’s remarkable that this group just refused to use it as excuses.”

Chicago’s elimination guarantees there will not only be a new champion, but whoever wins will be winning their first-ever title. A new coach will also win their first-ever championship as well.

When Connecticut takes on the Las Vegas Aces, they’ll be taking on the top seed of the playoffs led by DPOY and recently crowned two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Sixth Player of the Year and All-Star guard Kelsey Plum, fellow All-Star and SPOY Dearica Hamby, the most dangerous closer in the playoffs, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, the reigning Most Improved Player. Don’t forget rookie Coach Becky Hammon, who won Coach of the Year two weeks ago.

“Not many people will pick us against Vegas either, and that’s OK,” Miller said. “We’re going to prepare and try to make it a Connecticut Sun style of game.”

The Sun and Aces start the WNBA Finals on Sunday at noon on ABC.

The post Coach Curt Miller on Connecticut’s Journey to the Finals: ‘Everybody Has Stories Across This League’ appeared first on SLAM.

The loss has put some things into perspective for Candace Parker, who expressed that she’s open to retiring during the lead-up to the 2022 campaign. Although Parker will tell you she doesn’t feel like she’s dominating like she once did, the two-time MVP did have a career postseason run and has been praised by her teammates and head coach for her leadership and “urgency” to win back-to-back championships

Parker posted five double-doubles during the playoffs, including four straight from Games 1-3 against New York and in Game 1 against Connecticut. Her 27 playoff double-doubles tie Tamika Catchings for most in playoff history. She also became the all-time leading rebounder in WNBA playoff history during Game 4 of the semifinals.

Parker ends her latest playoff run averaging 15.9 rebounds, 11.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game on 44.9 percent shooting from the field.

Despite her individual success, Parker revealed that she is once again contemplating if she wants to walk away from basketball. She reiterated that she will take her time to weigh her options and that she has no intentions to “cheat the game.”

“I’m going to go back and reevaluate whether I’m able to continue to play at the level that I hold myself to,” Parker said. “And I think that’s the biggest thing; I don’t ever want to cheat the game. I won’t cheat the game.”

“So when I’m not able to go out and play and be the Candace that I want to be, I won’t play,” Parker said. “And I think that comes in the offseason.”

"I won't cheat the game"

After yet another dominate season for @Candace_Parker, she speaks on what the off-season will look like and talks about always wanting to play at her highest level pic.twitter.com/Q01tKqFJpE

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 9, 2022

During Game 5, Parker posted seven points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and four blocks.

Her three-pointer and Kahleah Copper’s three-point play gave Chicago a 10-point lead entering the fourth, but Chicago went cold and missed their last eight shots of the night. A scuffle between Copper and DeWanna Bonner led to the Sun reeling off a decisive 18-0 run to win Game 5 and stamp their date to the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday.

“Of course, it was not intentional, but maybe we stopped attacking,” Courtney Vandersloot said. “(Maybe) we were scared to lose, rather than trying to win. But I feel like we got good looks; we just didn’t knock them down.”

The post Candace Parker On Her Decision to Play Next Year: ‘I Won’t Cheat the Game’ appeared first on SLAM.

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

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

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

This is everything we’ve worked for.

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

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 9, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/okMfP4EUGG

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 9, 2022

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

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

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

Definitely Hiedemans night pic.twitter.com/3uEsdqzqGj

— WSLAM (@wslam) September 9, 2022

The WNBA Finals will begin on Sunday.

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

We won. Serena won.

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

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) September 1, 2022

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

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

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

Candace Parker helped Chicago get the DUB:

22 points
4 rebounds
4 assists

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

— WSLAM (@wslam) September 1, 2022

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

During the regular-season, Chicago swept their regular-season series with the Sun 4-0. A continuation of their 3-1 series over Connecticut on the way to the Sky winning the 2021 WNBA title. So the Sun leaving Wintrust Arena with a 68-63 win over the Sun was even more rewarding. The Connecticut Sun hopes that it can be a precursor of things to come.

“This is just about whoever wants it more,” Azurá Stevens said per the Chicago Tribune. “Because they have beef with us from last year. … That’s the type of series this is going to be: Who wants it more, who’s not going to let the ball go.”

Candace Parker finished Game 1 with 19 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, four steals, and six blocks. With that statline, Ace became the first player in WNBA history to post at least 15/15/5 and five blocks. She fell short of the second ever 5×5 game in League history, a feat she achieved as a rookie in 2008.

Looking at the positives, CP3 had an All-Time GREAT performance.

Now we move to Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/D8J0ou8xz4

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 29, 2022

Stevens lauded Parker for the historical performance and gave CP3 props as the walking bucket and security blanket that the defending champs can lean on.

“She was able to keep us alive, especially in the second half,” Stevens said. “It was almost like whenever we needed a bucket, she answered.”

CP with the 3#skytown pic.twitter.com/ib9OMf7o0R

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 29, 2022

Chicago opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 run to take a 57-56 lead with 5:13 seconds left on the clock. From then on, the Sky and Sun traded leads, with the critical moment coming after the Sun forced Sky into a shot-clock violation in the final minute of Game 1. The Sun took a 66-63 lead with 17.1 seconds remaining after a clutch bucket from DeWanna Bonner (15 points, nine rebounds, and five assists).

The final dagger of Game 1. @athomas_25 @DEEBONNER24 | #CTSun pic.twitter.com/NdClTBzftw

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) August 29, 2022

Parker had a chance to play hero one more with 7.4 seconds left, but she missed, and the Sky is down 1-0 for the second time in these playoffs.

The Sky didn’t lose on that moment alone, though. The Sun forced Chicago to shoot 35.3 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. Kahleah Copper and Emma Meesseman were the only Sky players to score in the double-digits. Courtney Vandersloot (five points and two assists) didn’t score until the third frame, while Stevens, Allie Quigley, and Rebekah Gardner combined for 13 points.

The Sky will host Game 2 of the semifinals Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena before traveling to Connecticut for Games 3 and 4.

The post Azura Stevens on Candace Parker’s Historic Performance: ‘Whenever We Needed a Bucket, She Answered’ appeared first on SLAM.

The defending champs won two straight games to close out the series after the Liberty after New York shocked the Sky in Game 1 with a 13-0 run to steal the opening game. The Sky came back with a vengeance next time out and won Game 2, 100-62. The Sky being able to recapture that magic during Game 3 is a good sign to Coach James Wade, who believes Chicago has reached “another level of play” through the first round.

“I think after the first game, we’ve added another level of play or sense of urgency — we were able to keep out composure and respond — I think for us, it starts on the defensive end.”

Coach Wade on if the team has reached “another level”: “I think after the first game, we’ve added another level of play or sense of urgency….We were able to keep our composure and respond…I think for us it starts on the defensive end…”

— Her Hoop Stats (@herhoopstats) August 24, 2022

Wade’s confidence and evaluation couldn’t come at a better time for a Chicago team looking to be the first back-to-back champions since the Los Angeles Sparks did it in 2001-02. Those ambitions might happen, led by stalwart talents like Candace Parker, Kahleah Copper, Allie Quigley, and Courtney Vandersloot.

The post Coach James Wade Believes Chicago Has Reached ‘Another Level of Play’ appeared first on SLAM.

The defending champs were led by the combined 44-point effort from Kahleah Copper, Courtney Vandersloot, and Allie Quigley and the near triple-double effort from Candace Parker (14 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks). The win was thanks to their balanced scoring, veteran leadership, and experience from last year’s run to the 2021 title.

Postgame, Copper, said that she learned a lot from Parker and Vandersloot, two W mainstays that have carved out fantastic basketball careers. Especially Parker, who has won two championships and was named Finals MVP in 2016. Parker has been named MVP twice, earned DPY honors in 2020, and voted to the All-Star Game seven times in her career.

“To see them really connect, I’m just like, ‘Wow,'” Copper said about Parker and Vandersloot’s leadership. “I’m just learning. I’m just sitting here and trying to do whatever I can do. That’s the experience, and that’s the leadership we need.”

Kahleah Copper on the Sky's veteran leadership in Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot: "To see them really connect, I'm just like, 'Wow.' I'm just learning. I'm just sitting here and trying to do whatever I can do. That's the experience and that's the leadership we need."

— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) August 24, 2022

Coach James Wade elaborated on that point while also lifting the veteran presence of Quigley and Vandersloot, who he believes embody what the Chicago Sky is about as a team and culture.

“I’m proud of the way they responded (tonight),” Wade said about his starting backcourt. “We love having the both of them, and when you think of Chicago Sky basketball, the names come to mind.”

Coach Wade on Quigley and Vandersloot: “I’m proud of the way they responded, (tonight). We love having the both of them, and when you think of Chicago Sky basketball the names come to mind…”

— Her Hoop Stats (@herhoopstats) August 24, 2022

The Sky will play the winner of the Sun-Wings series that will conclude with Wednesday’s Game 3.

The post Kahleah Copper Credits Chicago’s Success to the Leadership of Candace Parker and Courtney Vandersloot appeared first on SLAM.

CP3, and the “C” stands for “closing them OUT.”#skytown #ReCrownSkytown pic.twitter.com/o89y11FXQH

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 24, 2022

Kahleah Copper, Allie Quigley, and Courtney Vandersloot combined to score 44 points but the star of the show was Candace Parker, who led the Sky to their series win with a near triple-double effort, posting 14 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, and two blocks, including a layup that Betnijah Laney may have deflected. Emma Meesseman followed up with 12 points.

“I’m old, Holly,” Parker deadpanned when asked about coming up short on the fourth playoff triple-double in W history by Holly Rowe. “I’m old in basketball years. No, but our team did a good job of grinding it out and giving everything that they had, and I know I tried to do the best that I could. My shot isn’t falling right now, it will, but I know I can do other things for this team, and I think rebounding is my role but also getting great shots for our team.”

Chicago also knocked down eight three-pointers and hit 10-13 free throws in the game.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯#skytown pic.twitter.com/XMKIXCN4Nh

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 24, 2022

The Liberty were led by Betnijah Laney (15 points and five boards), Sabrina Ionescu (14 points, six rebounds, and four assists against five turnovers), and Natasha Howard (14 points and 11 rebounds).

Game 3 just seemed to go Chicago’s way in every way possible as the veteran unit relied on their championship experience to close out their first-round series. Anytime New York tried to spark a run, Chicago was right there with an answer. Chicago’s most decisive answer came in the fourth quarter after New York came out the gates with a 7-0 run, including a five-point possession from Ionescu, to cut the Sky’s 10-point to 68-65.

However, the sold-out Barclays Center crown happiness at the Liberty’s fight was short-lived. The Sky put the clamps on the Liberty as they only allowed New York to score seven points over the final nine minutes of the game. Chicago also forced Ionescu to miss her final five shots after her quick offensive burst.

The final nail on the coffin came courtesy of a series-clinching 16-0 run, including back-to-back triples from Quigley, to answer New York’s run and essentially put the game away as their lead grew to as large as 20 points.

“We stayed with it,” Parker said during her televised interview with Rowe. “I think we learned from Game 1. Letting our foot off the gas, we were up seven with three minutes left, and we kinda relaxed a little bit.”

“This is a great New York team, they gotta young core, they shoot the three well, so we really have to be disciplined, so when we lose our focus for a second, that’s why they jump back in the game.”

The Queen of the Fourth with an ABSOLUTE DIME to KFC #skytown pic.twitter.com/ZfBlwzgtQW

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) August 24, 2022

With their Game 3 win, Chicago has now won four consecutive elimination games, including back-to-back single-elimination games last year en route to the franchise’s first WNBA championship. The opening round matchup has been a good test for the Sky, especially after the Liberty shocked them in Game 1 with a 13-0 run to steal Game 1. The Sky returned to normal with a dominant 62-100 win.

The reigning champs will play the winner of the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun series.

The post Candace Parker Leads Chicago to Series Clinching Win Over New York appeared first on SLAM.

Wade earned the most ballot votes (11) over Dan Padover and Mike Thibault. Padover won the award in the previous two years. The voting panel comprises one basketball executive from each team, with each rep submitting first, second, and third place votes.

James Wade, the @chicagosky‘s general manager and head coach, is the WNBA’s Basketball Executive of the Year pic.twitter.com/9XpNTWpGLF

— ESPN (@espn) August 22, 2022

Despite finishing the regular-season with a 26-10 record, identical to the Aces, the Sky are competing as the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. They’re in the middle of a tight first-round battle with the Liberty heading into a series-deciding Game 3 in New York on Tuesday.

Wade orchestrated a masterful offseason last fall, re-signing FInals MVP Kahleah Copper, Courtney Vandersloot, and two-time WNBA Sixth Player of the Year Allie Quigley. Wade also signed Emma Meesseman and Rebekah Gardner as free agents too. Wade traded for Julie Allemand, a Belgian national team teammate of Meesseman’s, too. The three acquisitions helped the Sky lead the W in field goal accuracy (48.1 percent) and assists per game (24.3)

Wade has been Chicago’s head coach and GM since November 2019. He won Coach of the Year in 2019, a franchise first. Wade is the first black winner and third coach/gm to receive the honor.

The post James Wade Named WNBA’s Basketball Executive of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

Kahleah Copper emerged from the trainer’s room walking on her own. Said he is “okay” while walk gingerly back to her seat on the court @TheNextHoops https://t.co/D61ugizjIs

— James Kay (@James_M_Kay) August 19, 2022

The WNBA playoffs have already been marred with a possibly season-ending injury to Shey Peddy when the Mercury guard suffered a non-contact lower leg injury during Game 1 of the Mercury-Aces first-round series.

Unfortunately, another injury occurred after Kahleah Copper reportedly suffered an ankle injury during a Chicago Sky practice schedule on Friday, per James Kay. Copper went down with a non-contact injury and was helped off the court.

Kahleah Copper went down at the end of practice and had to be helped off the court. She was grabbing her ankle. I’ll see if there are any updates in a few minutes. @TheNextHoops

— James Kay (@James_M_Kay) August 19, 2022

During a media session with reporters moments later, Coach James Wade was dismissive of any injury worries concerning Copper’s injury.

“Nothing is wrong,” Wade said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re fine.”

“She’s fine,” he added after a reported rebutted that they saw Copper go down. Wade went on to say that “we are fine” after a reporter asked about Copper’s availability to play tomorrow.

https://t.co/dV243s2HW5

— James Kay (@James_M_Kay) August 19, 2022

Copper averaged 15.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 35.6 percent from beyond the arc. Copper led the Sky in scoring during Chicago’s Game 1 loss to the New York Liberty. Copper’s injury, regardless of severity, couldn’t come at a worse time as the defending champs stare down the hole or elimination.

The post REPORT: Kahleah Copper Suffered a Lower Leg Injury During Friday’s Practice appeared first on SLAM.

LIBERTY TAKE GAME 1!!!!!

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 18, 2022

New York was led by Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Howard, who scored a game-high 22 points apiece. Ionescu contributed seven rebounds and six assists, while Howard followed up with seven rebounds, three assists, and one steal.

“We’ve really just stayed committed to the process,” Ionescu said when asked about the Liberty’s first playoff win in seven years. “It’s important that we won a game for this organization, for New York, but there’s a lot of games left in us, so we’re gonna have to do it again.

The @Withings Player of the Game is @sabrina_i20 with an incredible playoff performance tonight!#OwntheCrown pic.twitter.com/SlZDI6MVrC

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 18, 2022

The Sky were led in scoring by Kahleah Copper (21 points and eight rebounds), Candace Parker (17 points and 10 rebounds), Allie Quigley (18 points and five dimes), and Courtney Vandersloot (13 points and 10 boards).

The Liberty used a 13-0 run over the final 3:20 and forced Chicago to miss 10 of their last 11 shots of the game to secure the win. While Ionescu’s five points highlighted the definitive run, Marine Johannes’ over-the-shoulder dime to Howard was the play of the game.

“I was just being ready at all times,” Howard said about the tough dime she got from Johannes. “Because I didn’t know if she would pass me the ball. It kinda reminded me of a Sue Bird pass.”

Natasha Howard on this immediately iconic Marine Johannès pass: “I was just being ready at all times, because I didn’t know if she would pass me the ball. It kinda reminded me of a Sue Bird pass.” pic.twitter.com/sYzLi1TZJf

— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) August 18, 2022

The Sky will look to even the series up when they host New York for Saturday’s Game 2.

The post New York Liberty Steal Game 1 of Series Against Chicago Sky 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.

Make that three in a row!

Plum: 25 PTS // 5 AST // 4-5 3PM // 61% FG
Young: 22 PTS // 5 REB // 42% FG
Wilson: 12 PTS // 6 REB // 4 STL
Williams: 12 PTS // 3 REB // 5-8 FG
Stokes: 9 PTS // 7 REB // 75% FG#ALLIN pic.twitter.com/qvz3z4YWk3

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 12, 2022

The Aces were led by Kelsey Plum (25 points on four triples) and Jackie Young, who contributed 22 points, including 16 in the third quarter. A’ja Wilson and Riquana Williams followed up with 12 points apiece.

In Jackie Young we trust!@jackieyoung3 dropped 16 third quarter points finishing with 22 to help lead the Aces to an 89-78 W over the Sky.#ALLIN pic.twitter.com/NhbQQzY8oC

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) August 12, 2022

Kahleah Copper scored a career-high 28 points to lead Chicago, the second time she’s done so in her career. Candace Parker followed up with 15 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists, while Emma Meesseman scored 14 to round out Chicago’s leading scorers.

Heading into the final game of the season, Las Vegas and Chicago have identical 25-10 records, but the Aces hold the tiebreaker in the race for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Aces end the regular season on Sunday with a home game against the Storm. The Chicago Sky will take on the Mercury on the road this coming Sunday.

Court Vision pic.twitter.com/jyR4uuZdik

— WSLAM (@wslam) August 12, 2022

The post Aces Steal Top Playoff Spot After Win Over the Sky appeared first on SLAM.

Even without their star player Arike Ogunbowale, who ranks third in the League in scoring at 19.9 points, who is out with an ankle injury, the Wings still managed to get the job done.

Mabrey movin' mad pic.twitter.com/EEvaNdMKXl

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) August 3, 2022

Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan stepped up for the Wings. Mabrey scored a season-high of 26 points, and McCowan followed up with 20 points and 12 rebounds, her third straight double-double outing.

Double at your own risk pic.twitter.com/bS7tCYTqDK

— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) August 3, 2022

For the Sky, Kahleah Copper led Chicago with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Azurá Stevens, Allie Quigley, and Emma Meesseman each scored 14 points.

With less than two weeks left in the regular season, the Sky holds a one-game lead over the Las Vegas Aces in the League’s . The Wings truly needed this win in order to fight for a playoff spot Dallas was able to move 1 1/2 games ahead of the Phoenix Mercury who lands at seventh place.

Now the Wings need to lock in and focus on winning the next couple of games to secure one of the final three playoff spots.

The post Dallas Wings End Chicago Sky’s Franchise-Record Home Win Streak appeared first on SLAM.

With their 20th win of the season, the @chicagosky are the first team to clinch a spot in the 2022 WNBA playoffs! pic.twitter.com/9HspEIagdX

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 21, 2022

The Sky won their fifth straight win on Wednesday and was led by Allie Quigley (18 points), Emma Meesseman (16 points and 10 rebounds), Kahleah Copper (11 points and eight rebounds), and Candace Parker (10 points and eight rebounds). Breanna Stewart scored a game-high 24 points, followed by 18 points from Jewell Loyd, and Tina Charles rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and six rebounds.

“That’s amazing,” Julie Allemand (four points, two rebounds, two assists) said about the Sky getting their 20th win of the season. “I think we need to keep pushing, and we need to play every game like it’s just a game, and we have to win. When we think about it, that’s great, but we don’t have to focus on that too. We just have to think about the next game and try to win all the time. That’s our goal, to be first at the end of the day and just keep pushing.”

This never gets old to us.#skytown pic.twitter.com/RTx3DqYMl3

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) July 20, 2022

Chicago secured their tight win after Copper sank 2-4 free throws in the closing seconds of regulation.

The Sky return to action on Friday with a home game against the Dallas Wings.

The post Chicago Sky First to Clinch 2022 Playoff Spot appeared first on SLAM.

We're blessed the BIG GUARD is staying in Las Vegas! @dearicamarie // #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/qbXUt3eTRg

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) June 29, 2022

The eight-year vet was named to her second-straight All-Star game after posting 12.8 points, a career-high 8.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game on 53.5 percent shooting from the field.

“We are very happy to re-sign two-time Sixth Player of the Year and two-time All-Star Dearica Hamby to a multi-year contract extension,” said Williams. “She has been a key piece of our core group for several years now, and her energy and hustle will be invaluable to our future success.”

“I’m blessed,” allowed Hamby. “What we’ve been building in Las Vegas is incredibly special, and I’m excited to continue to be a part of it.”

Hamby is a back-to-back Sixth Player of the Year winner, taking the awards home in 2019 and 2020.

The Aces (14-4) have the best record in the W and will play a back-to-back set against the Storm and Lynx before the All-Star break starts.

The post Dearica Hamby Locked in With Aces After Signing Multi-Year Extension appeared first on SLAM.

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

2022 WNBA ALL-STAR RESERVES:

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

— Khristina Williams (@Khristina) June 28, 2022

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

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

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

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

“To be honest, I’ve always liked fashion. I always liked getting dressed. From the beginning, I just liked clothes. I liked sneakers all the time. It was always a thing for me; I just never thought of it as something to actually make a living out of and make my job,” the 28-year-old tells SLAM.

Barnes ended up connecting with James Johnson, who suited up for the Brooklyn Nets this season, during his time in Dallas. It was then that Barnes truly made strides in the fashion industry, largely because of this relationship with Johnson, who he calls one of his ‘best friends’ to this day.

“I’ve always met different members and teammates on his team. At the time, he was playing with the Mavericks, and I met Dorian Finney-Smith and Trey Burke at dinner. We all just got cool. Probably like two weeks later, Dorian booked me for my first game, my first time styling him. They played the Knicks probably like a week or two later, and I styled him, and he wore my hat,” explains Barnes about the first time he styled an NBA player.

Barnes started his brand, Drip Sold Separate, in July 2020, a mere nine months before styling Finney-Smith. Since then, he’s worked with standouts around the L, fellow Pennsylvania natives Wayne Ellington and SLAM 236 cover star Kahleah Copper to four-time rebounding champion Andre Drummond back when he was a member of Barnes’ hometown Sixers earlier this season.

However, little did Barnes know that Drummond would eventually end up teaming up with his best friend Johnson and another player he would soon work with: Kevin Durant. If you told Barnes back in July of 2020, when he first started Drip Sold Separate that he would work with Durant, he might have called you crazy. Barnes has been a fan of KD since “forever.”

“Kahleah was in New York, they were playing the Liberty, so I was already going to the game. This was probably not too long after I came out with my first hat, and she texted me like KD gon’ be at the game, and I was like, alright, bet I was going to take a hat. One of my friends that knows KD as well, I tell him bro you gotta hit KD up, I’m going to the game, and I wanna give him a hat,” Barnes explains how he first met Durant.

Everything then changed after Johnson signed with Brooklyn over the summer.

“I always go to James’ games, and being that I’m in Philly and New York is right there, I started going to almost every home game. I started going to the games, and me and K [Durant] just started seeing each other all the time too. So like, we starting to put a face to the name. We acknowledging each other, we’re shaking hands, we’re catching up for a couple seconds, and then I made James a 1-of-1 hat, and I made [Durant] a 1-of-1 hat [too],” Barnes says.

Durant ended up wearing that hat in a postgame press conference following a game against the Clippers. “I was just geeked up like I was hype. My favorite player got my hat on, and then we started building a rapport; we got pictures speaking together at the game. It was dope.”

From there, a true relationship blossomed into what eventually would become a collab between Barnes’ Drip Sold Separate and Durant’s media network company, Boardroom.

“I’m just like, man, he liked my hat so much I gotta figure something out. One of these days, I was just in the house watching the [Boardroom] podcast, and they had their merch link in the bio. I click on it, and I’m like, they don’t got nothing for real — and they don’t have hats like KD loves hats, how do you not have hats,” Barnes explained on how he first got the idea to try and make something between the two brands.

“So, just thinking ahead, I just created something. It just so happened the “D” from my logo fits right in the middle of “Boardroom” so I just created the hat at first, and then I was like, let me make a sweatsuit just in case this goes somewhere, and they wanna see what else I got.”

When Durant and the Nets were in Philadelphia on March 9th, Barnes had a sense of urgency to talk to Durant about his mock-up designs. Who other to turn to than James Johnson? Going into Johnson’s hotel room, Barnes expected to talk about the game that was scheduled for the next day. Instead, he was greeted by the two-time NBA champ sitting ominously on the couch.

“I’m like, oh shit. Damn. KD right there. I instantly got nervous. Inside I’m going crazy; I’m sweating for the first 30 minutes. So then we just chilling, watching the game, listening to the game like normal people. I’m comfortable now; we’re laughing and joking. I said something about the 1-of-1, and he said that’s one of his favorite hats.”

“I’m like, yeah, I was watching the podcast the other day, and I seen y’all don’t really got that much merch, you need some hats. And he literally was like cook it up. That simple,” Barnes explained on how the two agreed to a collaboration. “I showed him the picture of the hat, and he like, damn bro, that’s tuff. I showed him the picture of the hat and sweatsuit, and he went crazy about it.”

After getting Durant’s blessing to work with his brand, Barnes knew he had to speak to Durant’s business partner Rich Kleiman since Durant was focused on the season at hand. After meeting with Kleiman following a Nets game, a mutual agreement to work together was formulated. In fact, Durant had already talked to Kleiman about Barnes’ proposal.

The drop was officially released on May 15th. That day marked not only a momentous occasion for Barnes, but it came with mixed emotions.

“The date was the one-year death anniversary of my brother; he got killed last May 15th. So Sunday was just a crazy day for me; my emotions was all over the place. I was upset and hurt about my brother, but I did something monumental, so I made that day really like a honorable day.”

Having top-of-the-line quality fabric for both pieces of clothing with such a tremendous backstory behind it, Barnes says the collaboration with Boardroom couldn’t have gone any better, especially when it came to decision-making. “They let me do my thing with it. I really appreciated that, for real,” Barnes said. “It means everything. Opportunity don’t come by very often, especially an opportunity like this.”

“This just the beginning. This is just the beginning. For sure. That’s family now; we locked all the way in.”

Photos via Taron Barnes

The post Taron Barnes Talks Dream Merch Collab with Kevin Durant’s Boardroom appeared first on SLAM.

Our 𝙼𝚅𝙿
Your 𝙼𝚅𝙿
Everyone’s and everywhere’s 𝙼𝚅𝙿 @kahleahcopper pic.twitter.com/AbSd4ZsTMe

— Perfumerías Avenida (@CBAvenida) May 12, 2022

Just in April, she took home Euroleague MVP after leading her team with 21.4 points per game. Copper is coming off her first W season as an All-Star, having averaged a career-high 30.8 minutes per game for the championship-winning Chicago Sky.

Now Copper heads back to the States to reintegrate with the Chicago Sky (1-1) and any possible changes to the system she helped cultivate with their next contest against the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday night.

The post Kahleah Copper Wins Spanish League Championship, Named MVP appeared first on SLAM.

“I can’t wait to be back, especially with our core returning,” Copper said. “We want to run it back, and we know it won’t be easy, but with all of us 100% committing and making sacrifices for each other, I really like our chances. Chi-town, let’s get it!”

Last season, Copper averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on 45.9 percent shooting from the field on the way to her first All-Star appearance. During the Sky’s playoff run to become the first sixth seed in W history to win a title, Copper averaged 17.1 points per game.

Since joining the Sky, Copper has cemented herself within the franchise record book, ranking in the top-10 in games played, points scored, field goals made, field goal accuracy, made three-pointers, and free-throw percentage.

The upcoming season will be Copper’s seventh in the League and sixth with Chicago and will be running it back with Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, and Azura Stevens. The only significant contributor to the Sky’s championship that won’t be returning is Diamond DeShields. She is headed to Phoenix after Chicago moved her in a sign-and-trade deal in early February.

The post Chicago Sky Re-Sign Finals MVP Kahleah Copper appeared first on SLAM.

“This was just the beginning of me just having to prove myself. Prove my intelligence.”

Chicago Sky head coach James Wade has said these words before—he powerfully delivered them after the Sky won its first-ever WNBA championship title. When he’s asked about it over the phone two months later, the first thing the Memphis-native does is tell the story of what happened to him when he was 11 years old. 

In sixth grade, Wade was an honor roll student. That is, until his school bussed him out to a predominantly white school the following year. Suddenly, his grades dropped. He got a D in reading and a C in math. It didn’t make sense. At home, his father had him reading the Book of Genesis, Deuteronomy and Leviticus. In his head, he could calculate “quicker than anyone.” And yet, the perception at school was that he couldn’t read at all.

“I [felt] like I wasn’t invested in,” he says. 

Wade still has the report cards. He remembers that time vividly—it’s one of the reasons why he wanted to go into teaching initially. “This is an education in a different domain, but it’s another reason why I want all our players to feel appreciated. Maybe sometimes I don’t do the best job, but I try my best to make sure everybody feels appreciated and feels seen and heard. Because I know I wasn’t when I was growing up.”

What Wade did have was the game. “Basketball kind of gave me an outlet, where it was mine. I took joy from it. It’s the only thing that I had, really.”

Wade played college ball at Middle Tennessee State, Chattanooga State CC and Kennesaw State University before pursuing a 12-year pro career overseas, including stops in the United Kingdom, Russia, Spain and France.  

The game, Wade says, had given him so much, and after finishing out his pro career, he “couldn’t imagine” his life without it. While he thought that he’d coach at the junior high or high school level, it was then-San Antonio Stars coach Dan Hughes who invited him to lunch and offered him an internship in 2012. All Wade needed was an opportunity, and a year later, he became a full-time assistant coach with the Stars and then spent the 2013 offseason in Russia as an advance scout with the FIBA Euroleague championship-winning UMMC Ekaterinburg.

After a three-year stint as an assistant coach of the Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomération (BLMA) in France, Wade returned back to the W and served as a player development coach with the Minnesota Lynx during the 2017 season, working directly with players like Sylvia Fowles, whom he says was “undervalued by the League” at the time. That February, he called her and proposed a challenge to her.

“I was like, Hey, Syl, this is what’s going to happen. We’re gonna win MVP. She was like, Let’s do it. I was like, We’re gonna win Finals MVP, we’re gonna win everything.” 

And she did. “[That was] one of the first times that I said, This is what I want. And this is what’s going to happen,” he says over the phone. 

From the minute he arrived in Chicago as head coach in 2018, Wade knew the Sky would see this moment. He’d let them know it, too. “I told Courtney [Vandersloot] and Allie [Quigley], We’re going to win a championship here. Sloot said, How? and I said, Don’t worry, just buy in. Everything will be fine.” 

And, as only the third Black coach in the W to win a chip, he wants to be a light for other Black kids and coaches. 

“I know that my rise to this place is unique. It’s not common. Every time I go to work, every time I get up, I know I’m not doing it for me.”

This story also appears in SLAM 236, featuring Chicago Sky’s Kahleah Copper. Shop now.

Photos via Getty Images.

The post James Wade Opens Up About His Childhood, Working With Sylvia Fowles and Always Believing the Chicago Sky Would Make History appeared first on SLAM.

“Philly Kah is the ultimate competitor, just a dog,” Copper says over the phone. “Like, just a real representation of flat-out toughness. I think it’s important for me to be like that, and for me to be able to even flip the switch once I’m off the court. But, when I’m on the court, like, I’m just so locked in, in this zone. That’s just who I am.”

It’s December, and Copper is calling from Spain, where she’s been suiting up for the Perfumerias Avenida in the EuroLeague this WNBA offseason. Fresh off her “world tour” of winning a chip and putting everyone on notice, she took three weeks off from basketball, went to Philly for her first SLAM cover shoot, and then quickly jetted off to Europe, where she admits that even her teammates noticed that she “talked different.” 

“[They were] like, Wow, you’re so much nicer than we thought. We didn’t think you were mean, but like, we didn’t think you was this nice. And I’m like, Yo, that’s really not me. On the court, that’s really Philly Kah.” 

SLAM 236 featuring Kahleah Copper is OUT NOW!

Chicago Sky head coach James Wade explained it perfectly: “It’s like when she gets on the court, she has something like, You ain’t taking my candy. Like, this is my game, and you can’t have it. And if you try to take it, I’mma show you…It’s just a toughness. It’s that North Philly.”

North Philly is the place that birthed her intensity, nurturing it in the parks on 33rd and Diamond, where she’d play against the guys, and then on 32nd and Berks Street against her own cousins on a “makeshift” rim they’d built near both of her grandmothers’ houses. 

“Now this is some Philly shit,” Copper says, as she explains over the phone how the rim was created. At first, they had a crate, but then “someone” stole a blue-trimmed Lifetime shatter guard backboard from the park and nailed it to a street pole. That’s where it all started. 

“I think that really heightened my competitiveness, because I always wanted to beat them. It was never like, You a girl and  you can’t play. It was just like, You need to be tougher. We all out here playing, it don’t matter that you’re a girl. Be tougher.”

That toughness never left her, and this past season, the world watched Philly Kah take her full form. During the regular season, Copper averaged 14.4 ppg. During the playoffs, those numbers jumped to a playoff career-high 17.7. She played with an energy that couldn’t be contained, or defended, from anywhere on the floor. Not in the first round against the Dallas Wings, where she shot 71 percent from the field, knocked down pull-up jumpers with a fury and effortlessly caught no-look dimes from Courtney Vandersloot in transition. Or, in the semifinals, when she dropped a playoff-career high 26 points against the Connecticut Sun in a Game 3 win to help give the Sky a 2-1 series lead.

“I think my competitiveness just reached an all-time high. I think I was the ultimate competitor…Even re-watching the games and seeing how locked in I was and seeing my intensity on defense. Getting hyped, just every little detail. I think that my competitiveness hit another gear.”  

That fire poured out of her in the Finals against the Phoenix Mercury. In the second quarter of Game 2, after Sophie Cunningham caught an outlet pass from Diana Taurasi and missed the layup, Kah was right there, diving onto the floor and muscling her way to try to snag the loose ball. As the refs blew the whistle, she jumped up, got right in Cunningham’s face and gave her the look. 

The photo that was captured became so iconic that Copper even put it on a t-shirt. “Yo, I love that picture. That’s Philly Kah right there,” Copper says. “They expect us to be all good and happy and shit, like, that’s not how it goes. We are the best at what we do. We are super competitive.” 

Oh, and just to be clear, Copper doesn’t have any beef with Cunningham. “People keep asking me if I have beef with that girl. I won a chip, that’s over with,” she says.

That’s just what happens when you challenge the kid from North Philly. She’s been dominating since her high school days at Prep Charter, where she emerged as one of the top ranked prospects in the country and was named a McDonald’s All-American. The legacy continued at Rutgers where she learned from the legendary C.Vivian Stringer and established herself as one of Rutgers’ most dominant scorers ever, finishing her four-year career as the program’s third all-time leader in points. 

By the time the 2016 WNBA Draft came around, Copper, who was selected with the No. 7 pick by the Washington Mystics, knew she wanted to carry the Rutgers legacy for Coach Stringer, for the program and for her own family. Her mother, grandmother and great grandmother have all had breast cancer. Sharing that moment on draft night with her grandma, specifically, was special. 

“I was in college, and she had [it] and didn’t tell me,” Copper says. “When I finally found out, she was like, I didn’t want to distract you. You’re trying to accomplish goals and I know that you’re going to do it…I think she held on to every pain that she had, or whatever the case may be, just for her to be able to share that moment with me. I’m just so grateful that she was able to see the seeds that she planted really blossom. And to see me reach one of my ultimate goals.” 

Copper came into the League with the sole focus of wanting to make an impact and be whatever the team needed her to be that year. And she did. As a rookie, she came off the bench and averaged 6.2 points in 16.2 minutes, a modest start to her pro career. But when she went to play overseas, she started seeing a “whole bunch of shit on Instagram” that a trade could possibly happen. Next thing she knew, she got a call from Mystics head coach Mike Thibault with the news: She had been traded to Chicago.  

“I was mad,” she admits. “I was close to home [in Washington]. My family was coming to the games, my grandma was coming to the games. Once I got to Chicago, it was a little more difficult for them to come.”

Her first season with the Sky was, in her own words, “a lot.” Copper didn’t get as much playing time as she had the season prior in DC, only 14.3 minutes per game, averaging just shy of 7 points a game. That would be the case for the next few years. But she knew that this was the WNBA, and the process wasn’t ever going to be easy. “That’s how you build your character. That’s how you build that toughness. Most people can’t handle a little bit of adversity, so for me to have it so early in my career, well, that was good.”

She decided that she needed to refocus. She had a conversation with Wade about her growth and what she needed to do to take it to another level. “He was just like, We’re going up from here. We’re never looking back. You’re going to be that player for us….There’s nothing like having somebody truly believing in you because that changes everything. Especially your head coach. When [your coach] and your teammates genuinely believe in you, and want you to win, a different person comes out.” 

She played with a vengeance during the 2020 WNBA wubble season, listening to Dreams and Nightmares before every game. As a full-time starter, Copper posted career-highs in nearly every category, including points (14.9), assists (2.1) and rebounds (5.5) per game. Not only did Wade believe in her, but she believed in herself. She was putting the work in and now seeing the reward. 

“I think that I’ve always believed in myself, and I think I was able [to] because of how I prepared. Prepared in a sense of putting the work in…Even rewinding to the bubble season, there’s people who are always like, I want to play more. I deserve to play more. But when you get more time, what do you really do with it? I was always like, When the preparation meets the opportunity, I’m gonna be ready and I’m never gonna go back.”

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She spent the offseason as an assistant coach for the Purdue Northwest women’s basketball team and then returned for the 2021 season with two clear goals: become an All-Star and win a championship. To get there, Wade challenged her to become an even better defender. And then there was the arrival of Candace Parker, who pushed her every day to be the player the team needed her to be. 

But the road to a championship wasn’t an easy one. The Sky battled through a seven-game losing streak early on in May, only to come back and embark on a seven-game winning streak by June. Still, many doubted that the Sky could make it all happen. Copper admits that at one point during the “bumpy season,” she could have “went one or another way,” and while she won’t go into too much detail about it, she does reveal that she and Parker had to have a conversation. 

“When she hears this, however it’s translated or whatever, she’ll know exactly the conversation that we had,” Copper says. “[It was] just about me having growth and me being mature. I think that without that conversation, the season would not have gone the way it went. We’re so much the same—stubborn. So stubborn. She’s worse than me, but she knows when to be super stubborn and when [to be] like, OK, alright. And that’s the point that I needed to learn, like, OK, you pick and choose these battles.” 

In the end, those moments are what has shaped her into the champion she is today. This offseason, Copper found herself sitting in her room in Spain, thinking about the “long ass year” that she’s had and how she’s stayed the course and trusted the process. Not only did the Chicago Sky make history by winning the first title in franchise history, but Copper has cemented her own legacy.  

“I’ve got legit superstars on my team, like, Finals MVP could have easily gone to anybody. Allie [Quigley] hit big shots in that game, we wouldn’t have won that game without her. Candace’s leadership, period, outside of her game and what she does for us on the basketball court. Then you got [Courtney Vandersloot], who sets everybody up. I feel like we have so many great players that, for it to be me, is—I feel like it’s a testament to what I’ve been through and just a reward for, just everything.” 

Even on the highest mountain top, Copper is ready to ascend to another level. To become the type of player who can help orchestrate an offense, not just dominate within it. When Spain played against Russia this past December, Copper talked to Vandersloot about how she can be unguardable. 

“I think the next level for me is being a better passer. I was telling Sloot, You think I’m unguardable? You know how hard it is to plan to play against you?…If I’m out here driving and dropping dimes, now the weak side don’t want to help ’cause now I’m that good of a passer, so now there’s no weak side and I’m shooting the three. That’s unguardable. I think that people don’t understand [that] there’s so much more to being unguardable than just to create for yourself. When you’re able to create for other people, that’s it. 

“And when I tap into that, it’s over.” 

Photos via Getty Images and Johnny Lewis.

The post Kahleah Copper on Her North Philly-roots, Emerging as Finals MVP and Becoming ‘Unguardable’ appeared first on SLAM.

Surrounded by her parents Damon and Shwanda, as well as other loved ones, Evans receives the long anticipated, and overdue, call from the Dallas Wings. She has been selected first in the second round with the 13th pick in the draft. For Evans, this beautiful moment came with slight disappointment—she expected to be drafted much higher. 

“Honestly, I was a little disappointed because I thought I should have [gone] earlier,” Evans says looking back. “Everyone that I talked to prior to the draft told me that I was a first round pick, for sure. Early on, top five, lowest would be like top eight that I [would]  fall, so it was surprising to me but it was also a blessing.”

Despite sliding a few spots down the board, the moment was still a dream come true. 

“That’s something that I dreamed about. Hearing my name being called was something that I’ve always wanted. So it was still something that I look at, and thank God for, because like I said, that’s what I worked for my whole life. And I finally did it.”

For Evans, her spirituality is what keeps her optimistic and hopeful no matter what occurs. Being a 5-6 guard (on a “good day” she once tweeted) came with being overlooked, and for her, this was another moment where she knew that trusting the process was key. Throughout her basketball journey, Evans has had to look past perfection and remind herself not to rush things. She believes that God always has a plan and timeline. 

Evans is from Gary, Indiana, a small city that’s sent a handful of players to the pros, including Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson (Bucks), Dick “Skull” Barnett (Knicks) and Wilson Eison (Lakers). Her hometown instilled a sense of toughness in her, as she saw things around her neighborhood that forced her to grow up fast. 

“Growing up in Gary groomed me into the person I am today,” Evans says. “It made me tough, it made me blue collar, It made me appreciate the little things in life as well. Not to take anything for granted. Seeing people that I grew up with get killed or go to prison for something that could have been avoided is sad watching but that was just the reality. I will say it helped me mature quicker than usual. But it made me the person I am today.”

The game has another way of teaching you how to deal with adversity. After spending a little over a month on the Dallas Wings’ roster, Evans was traded to the Chicago Sky, which meant she was less than an hour away from the 219. She found a sense of comfort in the move.

“I think it was the best move for me,” Evans tells SLAM. “Me being close to home, me being able to be the backup point guard for [Courtney] Vandersloot and learn from her is huge.Dallas had a lot of guards so I didn’t think that was the best fit for me. And that’s okay, because it’s a lot of girls out here that’s really good. So, finding the right fit in an organization is important in this League.”

Chicago presented the perfect opportunity for Evans to thrive, as she joined a stacked roster with perennial All-Star veteran Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, as well as elite hooper Diamond DeSheids and Kahleah Copper. Assistant coach Olaf Lange and Parker were two people that really welcomed the rookie with open arms.

“Candace is somebody that I always wanted to get pictures with after games and I never could because it was always so hard,” Evans says. “I always used to go to the Sky games and I used to see Vandersloot, even Sylvia Fowles when [she] was on the Sky. So going from watching them and then playing with them and then also playing against two of my favorite players in the Finals was honestly mind blowing, because it’s like, I’m really here.”

Although Evans’ career started off as somewhat of a roller coaster, it’s been nothing short of full circle moments. She played in 23 regular season games this past season and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team, averaging 3.9 points and 1.2 dimes. 

The former 2x ACC Player of the Year went from being overlooked in the draft to now sending the Dallas Wings home in the first round of the playoffs and winning a WNBA championship against Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury in front of 10,000-plus fans in Game 4 of the Finals.

“Honestly, that was the best time of my life, especially being able to do it with my family, with my friends, the people that I grew up with close to home,” Evans says. “It was big because I think when you do it with people that [have] been there with you from start to finish, it makes it a little better just because they know how hard it’s been, they know what I’ve been through—they know how bad I’ve been wanting the championship, and to get it at the highest level was crazy.”

Someone who can truly speak to the testament of Evans’ basketball career and how far she’s come is her former Westside High School coach and Indiana Basketball Hall of Famer Rodney Fisher. He first started coaching Evans when she was in the fifth grade and became her coach again once she started attending Westside. It was her defense that stood out to him most. 

“That’s what sold me,” Fisher tells SLAM. “She was just outstanding and relentless on defense. Couldn’t shoot the ball, didn’t have the handles, but you [could] see her willingness to learn and just how hard she played. Just a great, great attitude. The will to win. The time that she put in, even in the fourth and fifth grade, she put in the time. So everything she’s gotten she’s earned.”

Leading the pack at Westside her junior and senior year of high school, Evans scored 2,832 career points, the fifth-most in state history. As a senior in 2016-17, she helped lead Westside to a 20-7 record while averaging 36 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 6.2 assists. 

She had her options of playing at Purdue, Tennessee or Louisville, and ultimately chose to take her talents to the Cardinals and suit up for head coach Jeff Walz. Her four-year career at UL was nothing short of spectacular: as a freshman, Evans was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in 2018 and the following season she doubled her scoring average from 5.1 points to 10.4, earning ACC Sixth Player of the Year.

That was just the beginning: she turned things up as a junior and became the first player in the history of the conference, men or women, to go from Sixth POY to ACC Player of the Year. As a senior, Evans averaged 20.1 points and played a key role in leading the Cardinals to the Elite Eight.

“Louisville was the stepping stone to get to where I really wanted to go in life. Obviously, graduating college and playing at that level was huge too because that’s something that I wanted to do as a younger kid, and being able to finally do it was huge,” Evans tells SLAM. “Louisville helped groom [me] and made me better on and off the court.”

With all that she’s accomplished throughout her career, Fisher says that Evans hasn’t switched up at all. She’s still just a kid from Gary.

“She’s got so many accolades from high school to college and being drafted, but she’s always level-headed. It’s never about her,” Fisher says. “She still comes over to the house, you know, whenever she can. She makes everybody feel like I’m really something special. And she doesn’t have to do that.” 

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Just a Kid From Gary: How Dana Evans Went From Being ‘Disappointed’ on Draft Night to a WNBA Champion appeared first on SLAM.

Kahleah Copper really picked up where she left off overseas. SHEESH @kahleahcopper

(via @EuroLeagueWomen) pic.twitter.com/AmLP54eQtq

— WSLAM (@wslam) December 7, 2021

In 26 minutes, the 2021 All-Star dropped 35 points, grabbed three rebounds and four steals on an efficient 12-18 shooting from the field, leading Avenida (6-2) to a 77-69 win over MBA Moscow (2-6).

The former 7th overall pick in the 2016 draft has been playing in the EuroLeague since November 16th, when Spanish club Perfumerias Avenida announced its signing of Copper. Since joining the EuroLeague, Copper has been on a tear. In her November 24th debut, Copper scored a team-high 25 points, shooting a scintillating 9-11 from the field while swiping two steals in Avenida’s 96-54 win over KSC Szekszard.

In her very next game against UMMC Ekaterinburg, Copper dropped 34 points, six boards, and three dimes in 30 minutes on the court. Copper and Perfumerías Avenida Basketball Club’s next matchup will be against fellow WNBA guard Jasmine Thomas and TTT Riga on Saturday.

The post Kahleah Copper Becomes First Player to Record Multiple 30-point Games in EuroLeague This Season appeared first on SLAM.

“We deserve this moment and we worked so hard for it,” said Diamond DeShields per NBC Chicago. “So definitely just been enjoying ourselves. Man, it’s been great. Also along with the entire city, like, the love, the way the city showing up for us – it’s just incredible. Something I’ll never forget and I wouldn’t want to do it with another group, this is it. This has been amazing.”

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The celebration for the 2021 WNBA champs began at Wintrust Arena where the team took Game 3 and Game 4 as party buses brought the team along Michigan Ave before making their final stop in Millennium Park.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Chance the Rapper and even the locker room door that Diana Taurasi reportedly broke post Game 4 were in attendance for the celebration.

Live from Chicago @chicagosky has surpassed every level of petty pic.twitter.com/LsvBvoIaGR

— WSLAM (@wslam) October 19, 2021

Hundreds of fans rocking teal and yellow trimmed jerseys cheered on each player as they were announced. The crowd went ballistic when Finals MVP Kahleah Copper graced the stage, followed by Chance the Rapper, who led the crowd in a swag surf.

SWAG

pic.twitter.com/t3aLUzHsIC

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) October 19, 2021

Head coach James Wade let fans know that this was just the beginning:

“Remember the seat you are sitting in right now, Wade said, because we are going to make sure you are sitting in the same one next year.”

The post Chicago Sky Celebrate 2021 WNBA Championship With Victory Parade appeared first on SLAM.

Led by WNBA All-Star Candace Parker, WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and standouts including Allie Quigley—who finished with a team-high 26 points—the Sky have won the first-ever ‘chip in franchise history.

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An emotional Parker, who finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, also acknowledged the impact that the late-Kobe and Gigi Bryant had on the WNBA:

“I think Kobe and Gigi have meant so much to our League,” Parker said per Yahoo! Sports. “So the advice I got from Vanessa before the game was, ‘Play Gigi’s way.’ And I think we’ve done that. We did that all playoffs. And so I just want to acknowledge [Kobe’s] contribution.”

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The win is not only a momentous occasion for Parker, who is now a 2x WNBA champion, but for the city of Chicago. Even Chance the Rapper, who promised to get a tattoo if the Sky won Game 3, told NBC that he’ll be fulfilling that promise.

Parker had shared in her SLAM 233 cover story just how special it was for her to return home:

“I believe a lot of things come full circle,” Parker said. “I think just over the course of my career I realized how much important people have meant to my career. Coming back home, I mean, my dad fixed my blinds the other day, we went over to his house for Father’s Day, my mom cooks me pregame, picks up my daughter all the time. Dad brings doughnuts over sometimes for my daughter, like, it’s just, I can go see my grandma. I really respect the time that I moved away from home because I needed it. I needed to establish myself in my home and get away from that, but to come back, who I am now, to really appreciate it.”

While Parker has continued to solidify her legacy, teammate Kahleah Copper emerged as a superstar in the Finals, averaging 17 points and 5.5 rebounds in the series. As her teammates chanted “KFC,” Copper was named the 2021 WNBA Finals MVP after winning her first title.

Per CBS Sports, Copper says that Parker really pushed her to step up her game:

“I just lived up to the challenge and her expectation,” Copper said. “It felt like it was really far for me at first but every day she consistently told me what I could bring to this team and I just continually brought it every single day.”

The post Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky are Crowned 2021 WNBA Champions appeared first on SLAM.

Parker will join the Eastern Conference playoff contender and immediately bolster its already impressive core. In her 13th season with the Los Angeles Sparks last summer, Parker averaged 14.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

The move will serve as a homecoming for Parker who grew up dominating the Illinois hoops circuit before heading to Tennessee for college. In 2021, she could slot in to Chicago’s frontcourt alongside 2020 breakout star Azura Stevens.

The Parker signing could signal the end of Cheyenne Parker’s tenure with the squad. Cheyenne Parker is the lone unrestricted free agent on the Sky this offseason.

There was no All-Star Game held in the bubble last season but the 2019 WNBA event saw three Sky players – Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley and Diamond DeShields – represented.

Adding Parker to that bunch, not to mention Stevens and Kahleah Copper, makes Chicago an early contender for the 2021 title.

The post Candace Parker, Chicago Sky Agree to Deal 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.

Entering restricted free agency, Delle Donne, 27, would have had any offer matched by the Chicago Sky.

Instead of waiting for this to happen, Delle Donne made it clear that she would be willing to sit out the 2017 WNBA season if she was not traded.

The Sky ultimately worked out a deal with the Washington Mystics, who will send All-Star center Stefanie Dolson, last season’s No. 7 overall pick Kahleah Copper, and the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming 2017 draft.

More from the NYT:

Delle Donne, who has spent her entire career with the Chicago Sky, will join forces with another young talent, Emma Meesseman, in Mike Thibault’s high-octane offense, which is heavy on perimeter shooting.

 

In exchange, the Sky will receive the 2015 All-Star center Stefanie Dolson, last season’s seventh overall pick Kahleah Copper, and the second overall selection in this year’s draft.

 

The Sky’s owner, Michael Alter, confirmed the Delle Donne trade Monday night.

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