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Posts tagged as “Sports”

Warriors survive Rockets in OT (127-121)

The Golden State Warriors just bagged their 3rd straight win without their leader Steph Curry, and manage to do it even after squandering a 31 points. After the Warriors built a 31-point lead in the first half, the Rockets answered with an 18-2 run to start the fourth quarter.

In regulation, the Warriors lead by 5 with 28.1 secs remaining but the Rockets manage to close the gap on a Jabari Smith Jr. 26-foot three pointer and Tari Eason manage to tie game by making both of his free throw after being fouled by Draymond Green, committing his 6th personal foul of the game.

Jonathan Kuminga, then took over in OT, scoring 4-consecutve points, then Kyle Anderson added another 2-points to build a 6 point lead with just 2:28 remaining in the period. Fred VanVleet was able to answer by making a driving layup but that was the last point for the Rockets but the clock expires.

The Warriors was lead by Buddy Hield with 27 points and 7 rebounds, followed by Jonathan Kuminga’s 23 points and 6 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins added 15 points for the Warrios in his return after missing two games with a strained back.

Tari Eason led the Rockets with 27 points, 9 rebounds and 4 steals. Jabari Smith Jr. added 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Houston Rockets will host the NY Knicks, while the Warriors will visit the Wizards, both games will be this on Monday evening.

Indiana Fever announces Stephanie White as new Head Coach

Five days after parting ways with Christie Sides, the Indiana Fever announces that their new Head Coach will be Stephanie White.

She will inherit an up and coming Indiana Fever, lead by Caitlin Clark and last year’s Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston.

An Indiana native, Stephanie White earn the moniker Indiana Miss Basketball at Seeger High School in West Lebanon, then in college while in Purdue, led the Boilermakers to the 1999 NCAA National Championship.

Stephanie White spent five seasons in the WNBA, the majority with the Fever, joining the team for their inaugural season in 2000. Her contributions to the franchise are significant, as she ranks among the top 20 in games played, assists, steals, and three-point field goals made.

Stephanie White is a seasoned WNBA coach, spending 17 seasons of experience as a player and coach in the league. She previously led the Indiana Fever, guiding them to the 2015 WNBA Finals and the 2016 playoffs. Her coaching journey also includes assistant roles with the Fever, Chicago Sky, and various collegiate teams, highlighting her diverse experience and strategic acumen.

In addition to their announcement, the Indiana Fever release a tribute video of Stephanie White’s basketball career.

Golden State Warriors sweeps the New Orleans Pelicans for their Back-to-Back home games

Golden State Warriors sweeps the New Orleans Pelicans for their two-game homestand. The Warriors got the two-wins even though they are missing two of their starters; Steph Curry with a sprained left ankle and Andrew Wiggins with a lower back strains. It was the Warriors bench who kept them in the game.

Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters III Sharpshooting Leads Warriors to 20-Point Comeback Win Over Pelicans

Buddy Hield (28 PTS, 7 3PM) and Lindy Waters III (21 PTS, 3 3PM) combined for 49 points and 10 3-pointers in the Warriors’ 124-106 comeback victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Chase Center on Tuesday. Hield exploded for 25 points on 8-for-10 shooting in the second half, while Waters scored 17 points over a two-quarter span, which the Warriors won by 25 points.

The Dubs had a 36-point advantage from behind the arc, sinking 21 3-pointers compared to just nine for the Pelicans. Depth and perimeter shooting have been pillars emphasized by Head Coach Steve Kerr about this group and both were on display on Tuesday, as the Warriors were without Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton. They trailed by as many as 20 points and nearly did a full-reversal, winning by 18.

Dubs Defeat Pelicans for Second Time in Two Nights

Six Dubs scored in double figures as the Golden State Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 104-89 at Chase Center on Wednesday night.

Buddy Hield led the way with 21 points off the bench, while Brandin Podziemski finished with a near triple-double, recording 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

Indiana Fever has let go of head coach Christie Sides after a Historic Season with Rookie Superstar Caitlin Clark

It appears that Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will have a new Head Coach next season, as the team announced that they have parted ways with Christie Sides.

In their announcement, “We are incredibly thankful to Coach Sides for embracing the challenge of leading us through an integral transition period over the last two seasons, while also positioning us well for future growth,” said Fever President of Basketball Operations Kelly Krauskopf. “While decisions like these are never easy, it is also imperative that we remain bold and assertive in the pursuit of our goals, which includes maximizing our talent and bringing another WNBA championship back to Indiana. Coach Sides was an incredible representative of the Fever and our community, and we wish her nothing but success in the future.”

Christie Sides still have 2 years remaining in his 4-year contract with the team and in those two years she had 33-47 (.413) regular-season record, which includes the 20-20 this season and making it to the playoffs since 2016. It’s unclear why Sides was let go but it could have been the 1 – 8 “slow” start of the season and the sweep in the postseason, even though the team had the best offensive rating (109.6 points per 100 possessions) in the league after the Olympic break.

Indiana Fever will be the sixth WNBA team to part ways with their coach, together with the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics. Then add the management change of the Las Vegas Aces.

Lakers win over Kings behind James’ triple-double (131-127)

The LA Lakers remains undefeated with their win over the Sacramento Kings (131-127) under the newly minted Coach JJ Redick. Lebron James who had a triple-double, lead the team with 32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Then followed by Anthony Davis with his 31 points and 9 rebounds.

The Lakers lead as many as many as 15 points, when the Kings cut the deficit to just 4 points by the end of the second qtr. The Kings even manage to build a 7-point lead in the 3rd quarter but it was James 16 point explosion in the 4th qtr that gave the Lakers the win.

Domantas Sabonis, who also had a triple-double, lead the Kings with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Deaaron Fox and Demar Derozan, scored 28 points and 23 points, respectively. Six players on both the Lakers and Kings, scored scored in double figures.

This will be Lebron James’ 114th triple-double in the regular season and 143rd for his whole career.

Lakers will visit the Suns on Monday, Oct 10th, to start their 5-game road trip, while the Kings will host the Trail Blazers, also this Monday night.

Golden State Warriors routs Utah Jazz behind Buddy Hield’s 27-points game (127 – 86)

It looks like the Golden State Warriors got the perfect player, Buddy Hield to replace Klay Thompson, in terms of production and shooting prowess. The former Sixers lead the Warriors with 24 points, all in the first half, hitting 6 of 7 three-pointers, to help the Warriors to have a 2-0 start of the season. In his first two games as a Warriors, Buddy Hield is shooting 69.2% on the field, averages 24.5 points per game and 75% from the 3-point line, that’s 12 out of 16 three-point shot.

Steph Curry added 20 points, 3 rebound and 4 assists, from the inside Trayce Jackson Davis scored 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Just like their first game, Warriors Head Coach emptied the bench and gave all players at least 6 mins of game time. This is understandable, since it’s still early in the season and this will be the perfect time to give the young players a taste on what’s it like playing in the NBA, of course this may change when the Warriors face a non-lottery team that would force Steve Kerr to use a shorter rotation.

Here’s the team stats from ESPN;

Next for the Warriors is they will host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday and the Jazz will visit Dallas on Monday night.

Caitlin Clark drains 25-straight threes during an offseason workout

Caitlin Clark is entering Steph Curry territory with her shooting!

It is currently off-season for Caitlin and the entire WNBA. Clark is schedule to participate in the coming LPGA pro-am at The Annika this November.

In an article on Sports Illustrated, Scott Agness of “Fieldhouse Files with Scott Agness” explained that Catlin Clark is practicing in the old practice court of the Indiana Pacers, “Fever use the practice court inside The Fieldhouse, what used to be for the Pacers. Now the Pacers have a $50M facility across the street, the St. Vincent Center, which opened in 2017,”

Golden State Warriors wins 1st game of the Season over Portland Trail Blazers (139 – 104)

On their first game of the season, the Golden State Warriors appeared to have “move on” from Klay Thompson, after trading the “other half” of the Splash Brothers to the Dallas Mavericks.

Steph Curry was flirting with a triple-double, scoring 17 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists and 2 steals. Curry shot 4 for 7 from behind the arc, all this in just 25 mins of playing time. He did received a lot of help from the rest of the Warriors. Seven GSW players scored in double-digit point and every Warriors played at least 5 mins.

Buddy Hield, who was traded to the Warriors this off season, scored a 22 points on a 8-12 shooting and 5 of 7 from the three-point line. Andrew Wiggins also made an impact on the game, contributing 20 points and 4 rebounds.

Portland Trail Blazers had a hot start leading as many as 9 points but that was in the first qtr and the Warriors slowly turned it around and built a 27 point lead by the end of the 3rd, which at the time Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr played his young guys and bench players.

The Trail Blazers will host Pelicans on Friday, while the Warriors will go to the Utah also on Friday.

Los Angeles Lakers takes wins 1st game of the season against Minnesota Timberwolves (110 – 103)

It’s a historic night for the LA Lakers as they win their first game of the season.

First, there was Lebron and Bronny James, as the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.

Then a dominant performance from Anthony Davis who scored a game high 36 points, 16 rebounds with 4 assists, a steal and 3 blocks. Followed by Rui Hachimura’s 18 points, 5 rebounds, an assist and 2 blocks. Lebron James added 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. As a team, the Lakers shot 44.2% from the field and even though they shot poorly from the 3-point line (5 of 30), the Lakers manage to build a 19 point lead to help them secure the win.

This is the first game that the Minnesota Timberwolves is playing without Karl-Anthony Towns and it shows, the team had a total of 16 turnovers versus 7 TO of the Lakers, then there’s 77 points-in-paint that they allowed. Anthony Edwards lead the Timberwolves with 27 points and 6 rebounds. Julius Randle and Donte Divincenzo scored a 16 points and 10 points, respectively.

Timberwolves will go to Sacramento on Thursday, while the Lakers will host Suns on Friday, 25th of October.

Here are some AD highlights;

New York Liberty defeats Minnesota Lynx in OT to win their first WNBA Championship (67 – 62)

New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx in a classic Game 5 OT to take home the franchise first WNBA Championship. It was a low scoring ballgame, which is understandable, since both team have a defensive mindset right out of the gate. By the end of regulation, both team only managed to score 60 points, compare to the last 4 games, where the winning team scores at least 80 points.

Breanna Stewart has a chance to tie the game but misses both of the free throw with 38 secs remaining in regulation but Minnesota Lynx failed to capitalize on the possession and gave Breanna Stewart another chance to redeem herself by sinking bother of her free throw to tie and send the game to over time. Then in OT, Liberty took over by limiting Lynx to just 2 points while scoring 7 points; a 23-footer three point jumper by Leonie Fiebich, a two point lay-up by Nyara Sabally of a steal and a 2-for-2 free throw by Breanna Stewart to seal the game.

Like in the previous game, Minnesota Lynx was able to limit New York Liberty’s stars; Breanna Stewart just scored 13 points but was a monster on the boards, grabbing a game high 15 rebounds. Sabrina Ionescu just scored 5 points but impacted the game by keeping her teammates involved in the game by dishing 8 assists with 7 rebounds and 2 steals. Jonquel Jones, who won the WNBA Finals MVP, scored a team high 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Prior to the 2024 WNBA season, NY Liberty is one of the eight original franchises of the league that has yet to win a championship and the team have been in the WNBA Finals 5 times before winning it all this year.

Minnesota Lynx forces a “Winner-Takes-All” Game 5 of WNBA Finals behind Bridget Carleton Free Throws (82 – 80)

WNBA;

Bridget Carleton made two free throws with 2 seconds left, and the Lynx beat the New York Liberty 82-80 on Friday night. The teams will meet Sunday night in New York in the first Game 5 of the Finals since 2019, when Washington topped Connecticut.

All of Minnesota Lynx starting five scored in double-digits; Kayla Mcbride, lead the team with 19 points, Courtney Williams added 15 points and 7 rebounds, while Napheesa Collier chipped-in 14 points and 9 rebounds with 4 assists and 4 steals. Both Alanna Smith and Bridget Carleton scored 12 points apiece but it was Carleton final free throw that sealed the game for the Lynx.

It was a close game and the largest of any team is just 6 points and there have been 14 lead changes and 13 ties.

Lynx was able to contain Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina to a combined 21 points, and limit their impact to the game. Lynx appeared happy to just let other Liberty players score particularly Jonquel Jones, who scored a game-high 21 points and 8 rebounds.

Game 5 of the WNBA Finals will this Sunday, October 20, 2024 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Here’s the high-lights of Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.

NY Liberty takes Game 3 behind Sabrina Ionescu’s step-back 3 with 1 sec left (80 – 77)

If Minnesota Lynx stole Game 1 from the New York Liberty, it appears that NY Liberty did the same to the Lynx by stealing Game 3 of the WNBA Finals behind Sabrina Ionescu’s step-back 3 dagger. Liberty came back down-15 in the first qtr and crawl their way back for more than three qtr.

But before Sabrina Ionescu heroics took place, it was Breanna Stewart to anchored Liberty’s comeback scoring 30 points, 11 rebounds and blocking 4 shots. Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich added 13 points a piece. Sabrina Ionescu ended the game with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, before burying the Lynx with that dagger three, Ionescu was 2-7 from behind the line.

Before the game, WNBA named Sabrina Ionescu as part of the All-WNBA second team.

Four Minnesota Lynx players scored double-digits point; Napheesa Collier lead the Lynx with 22 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals. Bridget Carleton scored 14 points, Kayla Mcbride added 19 points and Courtney Williams, the hero of Game 1, contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.

Game 4 will be this Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 at the Target Center Minneapolis. NY Liberty will have a chance to wrap-up the finals for the franchise’s first WNBA Championship.

WNBA announces 2024 All-WNBA First Team headline by Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson and Napheesa Collier

Just hours before Game 3 of the 2024 WNBA Finals, the league announced the 2024 All-WNBA First Team which is headline by the Caitlin Clark, who was named the 2024 Rookie of the Year; A’ja Wilson, the first unanimous MVP and Napheesa Collier, who was named as the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Caitlin Clark is the first rookie since Candace Parker in 2008 to be selected to the All-WNBA First Team, and the fifth rookie so honored since 2000, joining Sue Bird (2002), Tamika Catchings (2002) and Diana Taurasi (2004).

Joining Clark, Wilson and Collier, the league also named Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart as part of the 2024 All-WNBA First Team.

The 2024 All-WNBA Second Team consists of Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu, Phoenix Mercury guard-forward Kahleah Copper, Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and Liberty center Jonquel Jones.

New York Liberty evens the series behind Stewart and Laney-Hamilton (80 – 66)

Doug Feinberg – AP Basketball Writer via WNBA;

Breanna Stewart wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

With the Minnesota Lynx making another fourth quarter run, the two-time league MVP refused to let the New York Liberty lose again.

Stewart scored 21 points and had a WNBA Finals record seven steals to help the Liberty beat the Lynx 80-66 on Sunday in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

Just like Game 1, New York built a double-digit lead in the first half, only to see it evaporate. This time they didn’t completely collapse, holding on to even the series 1-1 as it shifts to Minnesota for Game 3 on Wednesday night.

New York Liberty made sure that Minnesota Lynx won’t be stealing this game, even after the Lynx erasing the Liberty’s 9-point lead early in the 4th qtr, to just 2 points. But from the 3:40 mark in the final qtr the New York Liberty went on a 12 to nothing run to build a 14-point cushion to end the game.

There are four Liberty players who scored double-digits points, you have the regulars like Breanna Stewart who lead the team in almost every category, she had 21 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 7 steals and 1 block. Sabrina Ionescu, because of the “Caitlin Clark” treatment that she received, was not able to score in the 2nd half but was a big contributor in the first half. She added 15 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists.

Then you also have the towering Jonquel Jones who was also a monster on the boards and got some timely tip in to help secure the W for the Liberty. Jones scored 14 points, a game-high 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Then there’s Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who was the unlikely-hero of the team by draining 4 pressure packed three-pointers, she end up with 20-points with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.

The next two games of the WNBA Finals will be hosted by the Minnesota Lynx. Game 3 will be this Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024 at the Target Center Minneapolis.

Minnesota Lynx stole Game 1 of the WNBA Finals from the the top-seeded New York Liberty in OT (95-93)

ESPN;

The Lynx, who trailed by as many as 18 points, are the first team in WNBA postseason history to win a game after trailing by 15-plus points in the final 5 minutes of regulation.

Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals will forever be a classic. This was a game that New York Liberty should have won, or must win. Since this is just a best of 5 series, one win could swing the whole series and this is a great start for the Lynx.

Three Lynx players scored 20-plus points; Courtney Williams, who went berserk in the 4th quarter and made a 4-point play in the last 5.5 seconds left in regulation, scored 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Napheesa Collier finished the game with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals. Kyla McBride added 22 points and 4 rebounds.

Game 2 will still be at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY this Sunday, Oct 13, 2024.

WNBA to change Game Format of Playoffs and Finals of 2025 Season

WNBA just announcedx that they will change the game format of First Round of the WNBA Playoffs and the WNBA Finals.

The league said “the WNBA Board of Governors has approved a new, best-of-seven format for the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV, effective with the 2025 season, replacing the best-of-five format. The Board has also approved a 1-1-1 setup for the best-of-three First Round of the WNBA Playoffs presented by Google, with the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 3 and its opponent hosting Game 2 – a change from the higher seed hosting Games 1 and 2 and its opponent hosting Game 3.

Currently, the First Round of the WNBA Playoffs is 2-1. From a financial perspective, the current 2-1 format benefits the higher-seeded team. This is because they host the entire first round, assuming they sweep the series. This gives them an advantage in ticket sales, broadcast revenue, and other game-related income.

A good example, is the first round series between the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever. The Fever got swept in the series, since the first two games was hosted by the Sun, both games got an attendance of total of 17,820. If there was at least 1 game being played in Indiana, them being the most popular team because of Caitlin Clark, we can assume that the attendance will be similar to their last home game in the regular season, with an attendance of 17,274.

The WNBA announced an increase in regular-season games to 44 per team starting next season, up from 40 games in the past two seasons. This is to accommodate the addition of the Golden State Valkyries as the league’s 13th franchise. Each WNBA Teams have played 40 regular-season games in each of the last two seasons.

“We are seeing an incredible demand for WNBA basketball, as reflected in the number of cities pursuing expansion franchises, fans attending games and engaging with our social and digital platforms in record fashion, and game broadcasts and streams being consumed like never before,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “The incredible demand for WNBA basketball makes this the ideal time to increase the regular season to 44 games per team and expand the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV to a best-of-seven series,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “These changes will create more opportunities to watch the best players in the world compete at the highest level and give our fans a championship series format that they are accustomed to seeing in other sports.”

Minnesota Lynx eliminate the Connecticut Sun to advance to the 2024 WNBA Finals (88-77)

via ESPN;

Collier had 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 11 rebounds and Courtney Williams contributed 24 points and both-ends-of-the-court energy to lead the Minnesota Lynx past the Connecticut Sun 88-77 and into the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years on Tuesday night.

Collier, the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, added four blocks in a vintage all-around performance.

They will face the NY Liberty who eliminated the defending champs, the LV Aces, two days ago.

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is scheduled this Thursday, October 10, 2024, and will be hosted by the NY Liberty in Barclays Center.

Caitlin Clark to play in the LPGA pro-am at The Annika this November

Rather than going abroad to play basketball elsewhere, it appears that Caitlin Clark will playing a different sports this off season. Clark will participate in this year’s The Annika in November, the penultimate tournament on the LPGA Tour schedule hosted by Annika Sorenstam. Caitlin Clark will is a panelist at the Women’s Leadership Summit on Tuesday, then will play in the Wednesday Pro-Am game, both taking place at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla.

“I love golf so the opportunity to play in the Pro-Am for a tournament with a legend like Annika Sorenstam’s name on it is so exciting,” said Clark. “Gainbridge® is a leader in supporting women’s sports and that’s clear through their commitment to me, this event, Billie Jean King, and Parity Week. I’m looking forward to seeing all the LPGA players on the driving range, being part of the Women’s Leadership Summit, and, of course, teeing it up in the pro-am with Annika.”

Caitlin Clark have been known to play golf while playing with the Iowa hawkeyes in college, she played with former Masters champion Zach Johnson at the John Deere Classic Pro-Am in 2023. So this is nothing new to her but it remains to be seen if her golf skills will be as good as her basketball skills.

Lakers Lebron and Bronny James, father-son duo share court for the first time

A historic moment in the NBA!

This was a pre-season game between the LA Lakers and Phoenix Suns. The Suns won the game (119 – 114), the elder James lead the game with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in just 16 mins of playing time, while the younger James played for 13 mins with 2 rebounds and 4 turnover.

NY Liberty eliminates LC Aces to advance to the WNBA Finals (76 – 62)

ESPN;

Ionescu rebounded from a rare off game to score 22 points, and nearly a year after the Aces ended the Liberty’s dream of a championship, New York returned the favor Sunday afternoon by defeating Las Vegas 76-62 to advance to the WNBA Finals.

It was a masterful performance by the New York Liberties, the team was able to keep their composure and lead despite their key players, Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich, being in the foul trouble for most of the game.

The Liberty was lead by Sabrina Ionescu who scored a team high of 22 points and 7 rebounds, followed by a double-double from Breanna Stewart, who scored 19 points and 14 rebounds. They will face the winner of Game 5 of the Lynx-Sun series this Tuesday, 8th of October. Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is scheduled this Thursday, October 10, 2024 hosted by the NY Liberty in Barclays Center.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese named as one of the 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team

Together with the announcement of the Rookie of the Year, WNBA also announced the players for the 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team, that includes Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, arguably the two most popular of the 2024 rookie class.

  • Caitlin Clark (IND)
  • Rickea Jackson (LAS)
  • Angel Reese (CHI)
  • Kamilla Cardoso (CHI)
  • Leonie Fiebich (NYL)

Caitlin Clark bags 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award

WNBA News:

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark has been named the 2024 Kia WNBA Rookie of the Year, the WNBA announced today. She gives the Fever back-to-back winners of the annual award after Indiana forward-center Aliyah Boston earned the honor last season.

Clark received 66 votes from a national panel of 67 sportswriters and broadcasters. Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese received one vote.

After weeks of waiting, the WNBA has officially named Caitlin Clark as the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. The announcement of the ROTY award have been controversial, since the league had been delayed its announcement, the league announced the MVP awards, took home by A’ja Wilson, last Sept. 22nd.

Caitlin Clark writes “Thank You” message to Fans after Historic Rookie Season

WNBA Rookie Phenom Caitlin Clark rookie season is now in the books and to appreciate all the supports that Clark has received, she posted an emotional “Thank You” message to her fans for their support in her first year in the league and then ended with a “See you all in year two 🖤💫”

Caitlin Clark helped the Indiana Fever reached the WNBA Playoffs (20-20 record) for the first time since 2016 and lead the team in scoring, assists and steals (19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals).

Clark also broke and set a number of WNBA records including the first triple-double by a rookie in WNBA history, set single-game record for assists (19), single-season rookie record for three-pointer, and accolades like “Unanimous Associated Press Rookie of the Year and AP All-WNBA First Team,” being named both WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month and WNBA Rookie of the Month for August, and much more.

Not to mention all the records for digital consumption and merchandise sales for the league.

The same message was posted to her official IG account (@caitlinclark22.

If this just the start of Caitlin Clark’s WNBA career, I’m sure that her fans will be excited to see what her second year will be, where we will be getting a full off season of rest and time for working on her game.

KAT to Knicks trade now Official

That Karl-Anthony Towns 3-team trade to the Knicks is now official. NBA wrote “Karl-Anthony Towns joined the Knicks on Wednesday after the Minnesota Timberwolves sent their four-time All-Star to New York in a three-team trade that also included the Charlotte Hornets.”

Here’s the details of the trade;

Knicks receive: 

  • Karl-Anthony Towns (via Timberwolves)
  • Draft rights to James Nnaji (via Hornets)

Timberwolves receive:

  • Julius Randle (via Knicks)
  • Donte DiVincenzo (via Knicks)
  • Keita Bates-Diop (via Knicks)
  • Future first-round pick (from Knicks via Pistons)

Hornets receive:

  • Charlie Brown (via Knicks)
  • DaQuan Jeffries (via Knicks)
  • Duane Washington Jr. (via Knicks)
  • 2 future second-round picks (via Knicks)
  • 2025 second-round pick (via Timberwolves)
  • Cash considerations

KAT also posted a farewell message, embedded above, to the Timberwolves organization and the Minnesota fans, where he played since 2016 and won Rookie of the Year awards, All-Rookie 1st Team and All-NBA 3rd Team (twice).

Dikembe Mutombo Career Highlights

Wikipedia;

A 7-foot-2-inch (2.18 m), 260-pound (120 kg) center, Mutombo moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of the Congo at age 21 to play college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas. In 1991, the Denver Nuggets chose Mutombo with the fourth overall pick of the NBA draft. During his NBA career, he played for six teams. Mutombo played in the NBA Finals for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001 and for the New Jersey Nets in 2003. He received the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, tied with Ben Wallace and Rudy Gobert for the most awards. Mutombo led the NBA in blocked shots three times, led the league in rebounds twice, and was named to eight All-Star teams. On January 10, 2007, Mutombo reached second place on the list of NBA career leaders in blocked shots.

At the conclusion of the 2009 NBA playoffs, Mutombo announced his retirement. His number 55 jersey has been retired by both the Denver Nuggets and the Atlanta Hawks. Mutombo was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on September 11, 2015.

Dikembe Mutombo passed away at the age of 58 from brain cancer

NBA announced the death of one of the greatest big man in the NBA. He known for wagging his right index finger whenever he blocks a shot.

Drafted by the Denver Nuggets, Mutombo was the fourth overall pick in the 1991 NBA draft. After 6 season with the Nuggets, he signed a 5-year, $55 million free agent contract with the Atlanta Hawks, then one-year with the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Nets, he reached the NBA Finals while playing for both teams. In October 2003, he signed a two-year deal with the New York Knicks, then in 2004 the Knicks traded him to the Chicago Bulls, but before the start of the season the Bulls traded Mutombo to the Houston Rockets where he played for 5-years and retired in 2009 as Rockets.

Messages from the NBA and the teams that Mutombo played with;

2024 WNBA Individual Awards   

Shams Charania via X (@ShamsCharania);

Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark has won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier has been awarded the Defensive Player of the Year, sources confirm.

Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson received MVP and Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington won Most Improved Player.

Except for Las Vegas’ A’ja Wilson MVP award, WNBA has yet to officially announce this years 2024 WNBA Individual Awards.

It would have been great if A’ja Wilson was also named as the DPOY, since Wilson lead the league in blocks, and top 5 in steal and rebounds.

As for the Rookie of the Year, with all other rookies sideline by the end of the regular season, Caitlin Clark will be the runaway winner for ROY, I was thinking that Cameron Brink could at least make it to a interesting race at the start of the season.

Reports: Knicks acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns in 3-team deal   

Dave Campbell & Tim Reynolds | The Associated Press via NBA;

Per Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, New York is adding All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns, sending back All-Star forward Julius Randle to the Timberwolves, along with guard Donte DiVincenzo and a protected first-round pick (via Detroit).

The Hornets soon emerged as a reportedly crucial third team in the deal, taking on DaQuan Jeffries and draft compensation to help facilitate considering the cap implications that come into play with a pair of “apron” teams.

A blockbuster trade but it appears that this is more on the salary cap situation of than anything else.

Former MVP Derrick Rose announce retirement after 16 years in the NBA   

Shams Charania, reporting for The Athletics/NYTimes;

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose is retiring, the 35-year-old guard told The Athletic. He made his announcement official Thursday morning via social media and by placing ads in local newspapers of the six NBA cities he played for: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Detroit and Memphis.

Derrick Rose, like Grant Hill, is one of those players that we did not get to see their full potential and their career are cut short because of injury.