Kilty Cleary is a Los Angeles-based media and marketing pro with 18+ years of experience. He’s worked with top brands like Sporting News and Sports Illustrated, building key partnerships and creating engaging content. Follow him on X and IG @theonlykilty
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The Phoenix Mercury (21-13) and Las Vegas Aces (22-14) sit in a virtual tie in the WNBA standings, occupying the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in the upcoming WNBA playoffs. This game looms large, as it could be the difference between getting home-court advantage in the first round.
Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates with Kiah Stokes #41 after stealing an inbound pass during the final moments of the WNBA game against the Phoenix Mercury at PHX Arena on August… Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces celebrates with Kiah Stokes #41 after stealing an inbound pass during the final moments of the WNBA game against the Phoenix Mercury at PHX Arena on August 15, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Aces defeated the Mercury 86-83.
Phoenix finds itself on a two-game winning streak, the last of which was an impressive comeback victory on the road against the Golden State Valkyries. Phoenix allowed a whopping 59 points in the first half before tightening the screws and giving up just 32 in the second half en route to a 98-91 win. Kahleah Copper led the team in scoring with 25, while Alyssa Thomas put up a near triple-double with 13 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.
Las Vegas is currently riding an eight-game win streak after dispatching the Atlanta Dream 74-72 on Tuesday night. A’ja Wilson was the star, scoring 32 points on 12-for-24 from the field to go with 12 rebounds, four assists, and five blocks. Jackie Young added 16 points, with Chelsea Gray dishing out 11 assists in the victory. The Aces have just eight games left, making this even more important than it is for the Mercury.
This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Mercury and Aces, with the Aces holding a 2-1 lead in the season series.
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Michael Gallagher covers national trending news across the NFL, NHL, NBA, WNBA, college football and entertainment for Newsweek.
He brings over a decade of writing and editing experience in sports journalism, has won multiple Tennessee Press Association awards, and covered several notable events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game, and an NHL Stadium Series.
His previous bylines can be found on Athlon Sports, Yahoo Sports, The Hockey News, Fox Sports, the Nashville Scene, the Nashville Post, Yardbarker, and SB Nation. You can read more of Michael’s work by following him on X @MGsports_.
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It had been three weeks to the day since Angel Reese last played for the Chicago Sky.
The 23-year-old forward had been sidelined since July 29 with a back injury, and in her first game back — a 94-88 loss to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday — she was put on a minutes limit — something she admitted after the game she wasn’t thrilled about.
“I was trying to control what I can control tonight,” Reese told reporters, via Bleacher Report. “I was only supposed to play 25 minutes, and that sucks. I’m not a player that wants to be on a restriction of any kind. But I did what I could do to try and help the team win.”
Reese stepped back in the lineup and seemingly didn’t miss a beat, logging a team-high 19 points along with seven rebounds, four assists, and a block on 9 of 13 shooting.
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky looks on against the Seattle Storm during the second half at Wintrust Arena on August 19, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky looks on against the Seattle Storm during the second half at Wintrust Arena on August 19, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Michael Reaves/Getty Images
It was the 12th time in 24 games this season she scored 15 or more points, and it marked her first regular-season game since June 21 in which she didn’t record double-digit rebounds.
Despite coming out on the losing end, the Sky looked much better with Reese back on the floor than they did while she was out, and the Rookie of the Year runner-up took to social media to let her fans know exactly how thrilled she was to be back in action after missing Chicago’s last seven games.
“So happy to be back playing the game I love 😩🥺,” Reese wrote on X.
Reese’s message struck a chord with her followers, many of whom showed their appreciation for her in the comment section.
“Happy to have you back 5. You were missed,” one fan wrote.
“So glad you are back! The energy, leadership and all around can do attitude you bring really shows! It has been a long 7 games without your presence! Welcome back,” another fan added.
“The engine is back! Sky play with so much more energy when you’re out there 💯” a third fan replied.
Golden State, with only eight players available, lost to Phoenix 98-91 at Chase Center in the third matchup between the teams jockeying for playoff positioning. The Mercury, seeded fourth, have now won all three games against the seventh-seeded Valkyries.
Veronica Burton continued to stuff the stat sheet at point guard, putting up an efficient 24 points and 14 assists, while surprise starter Kate Martin put in 14 points. Janelle Salaun scored 13 and Carla Leite threw in 15.
“I’m really impressed with our ability to step up,” Burton said. “So, testament to everyone just stepping up, testament to Kate (Martin) being ready when her number is called, getting thrown into the starting lineup.”
Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 25 points, while Satou Sabally put up 17 points and triple-double machine Alyssa Thomas had 13 points, eight assists and nine rebounds.
Phoenix’s Satou Sabally (0) and Golden State Valkyries’ Veronica Burton (22) talk one another after their WNBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, May 19, 2025. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State led 73-68 after three quarters, but the loaded Mercury were too much for the home team in the fourth. Phoenix outscored the Valkyries 30-16 over the last 10 minutes.
But the drama began long before tipoff.
Only a few hours after coach Natalie Nakase called Tuesday’s matchup a must-win, veteran guard Tiffany Hayes was held out for rest purposes.
Hot-shooting forward Cecilia Zandalasini went through warmups, but was replaced in the starting lineup by Kate Martin and did not appear on the bench.
“They both warmed up pre-game and they didn’t feel 100% healthy,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “You know my motto, right? If they’re not 100% and they don’t feel right, it’s not time to play.”
The Italian perimeter player was ruled out with a left calf strain midway through the first quarter. Centers Monique Billings (left ankle sprain) and Iliana Rupert (concussion) were already unavailable for the team fighting for postseason seeding.
Golden State led 31-28 at halftime, and 59-47 at halftime in front of the team’s 17th consecutive sellout in San Francisco.
The Valkyries are now seventh in the playoff standings with eight games left. Golden State (18-17) will have two days to rest up before it hits the road and plays a rematch with the Mercury in Phoenix.
Nebraska-Omaha basketball player Deng Mayar drowned Saturday in a Utah reservoir, police said.
Herriman police said Mayar died at Blackridge Reservoir after going underwater about 35 yards from shore.
Mayar, 22, was a graduate student who joined the Mavericks after playing two seasons for Summit League rival North Dakota. Mayar, from Salt Lake City, started 15 games in two seasons and averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds as a senior.
Nebraska-Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement that Mayar had made “tremendous progress” during the summer.
“Deng was a joy to be around and made our culture better,” Crutchfield said. “We will miss him greatly.”
Herriman police responded to a 911 call reporting two people in distress at the reservoir. Sa Mafutaga, 21, made it to shore and then went back into the water to try and rescue Mayar, but could not. Bystanders entered the water to aid Mafutaga, who was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital. The report said Mafutaga is expected to recover.
Mayar’s body was recovered from the reservoir by authorities after several hours of searching.
Inside the gymnasium at North Tampa Christian Academy, the future of its athletics program can be seen dribbling up and down the court.
“Building a good culture through sports and the community as well,” said Squarzon. “To not only win, because it’s not only about that, but to develop character and build a culture and environment that we want to start here in this new adventure with NTCA.”
Squarzon is in charge of leading the school’s sports teams and everything that comes with them, including — as he says — building a “culture” for the seven-year-old program. It’s already taken a major step forward with the hiring of Oliver as the varsity boys’ basketball coach.
“My main goal is going to be to try to get every sport to get to that level,” said Squarzon.
Oliver joins NTCA from USF, where he recently was an assistant coach with the men’s basketball program, bringing some Division 1 experience to Wesley Chapel.
“There’s a really, really good group of young players here that can be Division 1 players,” said Oliver. “With the idea of not moving my family — it just made sense. The timing was right, it made sense to do it and I wanted to get back to being a head coach, again, to be honest. I wanted to be a head coach again.”
Oliver’s appointment is a statement from the academy, showing an ambition to build a culture that goes along with the school’s mission.
“It’s not only to get good coaches but also kids to attend NTCA and feel like they’re getting something more than just being a student athlete and that’s growing in their spiritual development as well,” says Squarzon.
It’s a mission to see that this young athletic department can grow into something special.
“What it takes to build a program and build a culture and have a lot of fun doing it,” says Oliver. “The premise here is to play great defense, rebound, and run and play fast, score and having an exciting brand of basketball for our fanbase to watch.”
It’s all with the hopes of becoming a premier destination for future students.
An L.A.-VEGAS rivalry settles the score with a ‘No Blood? No Foul!’ Full Contact Basketball™ battle on Dec. 1 at Tarkanian Basketball Academy
Online, November 25, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Forget the NBA – this is basketball unleashed. Say goodbye to endless whistles, soft fouls, and players in bubble wrap. Brawl Ball is giving fans what they’ve been craving: raw, relentless, no-holds-barred chaos on the court.
With aggressive defense, breakneck speed, unfiltered trash talk, Brawl Ball isn’t just a game-it’s an all-out full-court war. Even the announcer trashes players when they deserve it.
On December 1, the sport’s newest rivalry will explode as NBA Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond’s Team Los Angeles battles former NBA star Monty “Buck” Buckley’s Team Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy. The carnage tips off at 1 p.m. PST, airing live on DirecTV’s Stadium Stream, Amazon Prime and over a dozen platforms like BIGO, reaching up to 165 million fans.
Born on the streets of Venice Beach, Brawl Ball has skyrocketed to become the world’s most outrageous take on basketball. Viral clips of brutal body checks, wild takedowns, and even a player wielding a steel chair during a game have redefined what it means to dominate the court.
Forget fouls-here, it’s “No Blood? No Foul!” Out-of-bounds doesn’t exist, and two 15-minute halves ensure that every second is packed with adrenaline.
This isn’t just basketball; it’s Full Contact Basketball™. A game where toughness matters as much as tactics. With legends like Richmond backing the league, and semi-pros competing for a spot in the 2025 season, Brawl Ball is basketball’s future-and it’s ruthless, raw, and ready to take over.
Las Vegas fans, this is your chance to witness history. Don’t miss the most intense basketball action you’ll ever see – it’s a show like no other. If you love basketball, YOU NEED TO BE HERE LIVE to experience the chaos firsthand! Visit www.BrawlBallOfficial.com/VIP for FREE tickets. LIMITED SEATING!
NBA legend Mitch Richmond brings ‘No Blood? No Foul!’ Action to Live TV and Vegas Court
LAS VEGAS, November 25, 2024 (Newswire.com)
– Forget the NBA – this is basketball unleashed. Say goodbye to endless whistles, soft fouls, and players in bubble wrap. Brawl Ball is giving fans what they’ve been craving: raw, relentless, no-holds-barred chaos on the court.
With aggressive defense, breakneck speed, and unfiltered trash talk, Brawl Ball isn’t just a game – it’s an all-out full-court war. Even the announcer trashes players when they deserve it.
On December 1, the sport’s newest rivalry will explode as NBA Hall of Famer Mitch Richmond’s Team Los Angeles battles former NBA star Monty “Buck” Buckley’s Team Las Vegas at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy. The carnage tips off at 1 p.m. PST, airing live on DirecTV’s Stadium Stream, Amazon Prime, and over a dozen platforms, like BIGO, reaching up to 165 million fans.
Born on the streets of Venice Beach, Brawl Ball has skyrocketed to become the world’s most outrageous take on basketball. Viral clips of brutal body checks, wild takedowns, and a player wielding a steel chair during a game have redefined what it means to dominate the court.
Forget fouls – here, it’s “No Blood? No Foul!” Out-of-bounds doesn’t exist, and two 15-minute halves ensure that every second is packed with adrenaline. This isn’t just basketball; it’s Full Contact Basketball™. Where toughness matters as much as tactics. With legends like Richmond backing the league, and semi-pros competing for a spot in the 2025 season, Brawl Ball is basketball’s future – and it’s ruthless, raw, and ready to take over.
Don’t miss your chance to witness history in the making. TUNE IN LIVE on December 1 (1PM Pacific, 4PM EST) to see the most exciting, chaotic, and adrenaline-fueled basketball game you’ll ever watch. This is more than a game. It’s a revolution, and you need to be part of it. Brawl Ball is rewriting the rules, and you’ll want to say you saw it first.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Pelicans were even more short-handed than the Warriors, having CJ McCollum, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray unavailable due to injuries.
Their skeleton crew couldn’t keep pace with the Warriors, even without Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins and De’Anthony Melton for a second straight night. Especially with their best two players no-showing.
Draymond Green (14 points, six assists, five blocks, four rebounds and a steal) and Trayce Jackson-Davis (15 points, nine rebounds) outplayed Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, helping key a big third-quarter run. The Warriors outscored the Pelicans 56 to 34 in the paint, a stat that shows equally Green’s defensive brilliance and Golden State’s offensive approach. A night after Buddy Hield and Lindy Waters III lit it up from deep, the Warriors got it done in the front court.
Williamson had a double-double but went 5-for-20 from the field and Ingram was limited to just 14 points on 11 shots. Green had his fingerprints all over the game.
“He’s still one of the best defenders in the world, that’s for sure,” head coach Steve Kerr said of Green postgame.
In a rare back-to-back at home against the same opponent, the shorthanded Warriors (4-1) swept the undermanned Pelicans. Golden State pulled away in the second half for a 104-89 victory in its last home game before heading on a daunting road trip that includes contests against the Celtics, Thunder and Cavaliers.
Through five games, the Warriors have the second-best defensive rating in the league. They’ve made defense their identity and are convinced that new personnel and assistant coach Jerry Stackhouse’s influence can make them elite on that end. Green, as always, is the anchor.
“I spent all summer watching everyone talking about Chet (Holmgren) and (Victor Wembanyama) and what they’re doing defensively,” Green said postgame. “But don’t forget about Dray. I want to be in that conversation as well, and I think I’ve earned that right to at least be in the conversation. So every game, I’m coming out here motivated defensively to get back on the First Team All-Defense.”
In the first matchup with the Pelicans, Williamson went for 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting. Green vowed to make it tougher on the All-Star by meeting “force with force.”
Beyond Green’s work on both ends — he also hit three of four 3-pointers —Brandin Podziemski played another tremendous all-around game, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Hield came alive in the second half, finishing with 21 points. Green also added a trio of 3-pointers.
Golden State’s ball movement started out much less crisp than it was in the first game of the back-to-back. The Warriors committed nine turnovers in the first 16 minutes of the game. A night before, they turned it over eight times total, dominating the possession game.
The Warriors’ turnovers prevented them from building a cushion. After going up 32-20, the Warriors surrendered a 16-2 run in the second quarter, with Steve Kerr taking two timeouts to try to settle things down.
New Orleans Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado (15) defends against Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski (2) in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
After a back-and-forth second quarter, Brandon Ingram sank a 3 with three seconds left in the half to pull the Pelicans within one. But Draymond Green bounced an advance pass up the middle of the court for Buddy Hield, who raced with it for a buzzer-beating trey of his own.
So, despite turning the ball over 11 times in the first half, Golden State entered halftime with a 48-44 lead. They shot over 50% from the field and 47% from 3-point land in the first half, but allowed New Orleans to take 12 more shots than them because of turnovers and offensive boards.
They got both areas under control in the second half, only coughing up three turnovers. Golden State opened the third quarter on a 17-6 blitz, with Jackson-Davis hammering home a pair of dunks, Green slashing to the rim for an and-1, and Podziemski rattling home a 3. And without having to backpedal after turnovers, Golden State’s defense swallowed up the Pelicans in the half court.
On the year, Jackson-Davis is 21-for-27 from the floor.
“Coach Kerr challenged me today, he told me he wanted me to play with a force and to run the floor hard,” Jackson-Davis said.
After Jackson-Davis fed Podziemski for a bucket, Pelicans coach Willie Green called his second timeout of the third period to pause a 21-9 run.
Golden State’s blazing start to the second half helped create a 17-point cushion. Williamson had chances to put the Pelicans on his back, but missed a couple point-blank tries and three free throws. After three quarters, Williamson was 3-for-16 from the field.
Green and the Warriors defense never let Williamson get going, and the Warriors never looked back. Hield’s third 3-pointer gave Golden State an 18-point lead five minutes into the fourth quarter before Jonathan Kuminga — coming off the bench for a second straight game — dusted Ingram to push it to 20.
Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) fights for a rebound against New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (1) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
The only moments of drama in the fourth came when Steve Kerr lost his first challenge of the year after starting 4-for-4 — all of which overturned fouls called on Green. Right after that, Podziemski picked up a technical foul for arguing a missed out-of-bounds call that he never touched.
Green picked up his fifth foul on a Williamson and-1 following Podziemski’s technical, then Kuminga failed to box out on a free throw. The string of miscues kept New Orleans within striking distance.
But the Warriors had enough composure to close out the Pelicans. Podziemski braced an awkward fall with his right arm after getting undercut by Javonte Green, but remained in the game to help seal the win.
“I think we’re built around our defense, no matter who’s out there,” Podziemski said. “Offense is always going to come when you have Steph Curry. I think our identity is built on defense and rebounding and getting out in transition. I think that’s something we can hang our hat on no matter who’s injured.”
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) takes a shot against New Orleans Pelicans’ Javonte Green (4) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles against New Orleans Pelicans’ Javonte Green (4) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Jonathan Kuminga (00) heads to the basket against New Orleans Pelicans’ Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Moses Moody (4) takes a shot against New Orleans Pelicans’ Yves Missi (21) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski (2) takes a shot against New Orleans Pelicans’ Jordan Hawkins (24) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Moses Moody (4) takes a shot against New Orleans Pelicans’ Yves Missi (21) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield (7) celebrates his 3-point basket at the end of the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski (2) reaches for a loose ball against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Kevon Looney (5) fights for a loose ball against New Orleans Pelicans’ Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) smiles while on the bench against the New Orleans Pelicans in the second quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) guards against New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (1) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Lindy Waters III (43) high-fives Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) after a play against the New Orleans Pelicans in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) comes down with a rebound against New Orleans Pelicans’ Daniel Theis (10) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Moses Moody (4) fights for a loose ball against New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (1) in the first quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry (30) laughs with teammates during their game against the New Orleans Pelicans in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Buddy Hield (7) takes a shot against the New Orleans Pelicans in the fourth quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
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Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23) takes a shot against New Orleans Pelicans’ Javonte Green (4) in the third quarter at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
University of South Florida’s beloved men’s basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim tragically passed away at just 43 years old.
Source: Mitchell Layton / Getty
The university announced the shocking news of his death on Thursday, Oct. 24. He passed away at a hospital in the Tampa area due to complications from a medical procedure. He leaves behind his wife, Arianne Buchanan, and their three children, Laila, Lana, and Aydin.
The USF Vice President for Athletics, Michael Kelly, remembered Abdur-Rahim and his impact on the campus community.
“All of us with South Florida Athletics are grieving with the loved ones of Coach Abdur-Rahim. He was authentic, driven, and his infectious personality captivated all of Bulls Nation. Coach Abdur-Rahim leaves a lasting impact on our student-athletes, the University, and the community. We are supporting those closest to him, including his family, team, and athletics staff, to ensure they have the resources they need to deal with this tremendous loss,” he said.
USF President Rhea Law added:
“In a very short time, Coach Abdur-Rahim made an indelible impact on the University of South Florida. In his first season as our head coach, he brought an unmatched enthusiasm, achieved unprecedented success and helped generate unforgettable memories for Bulls Nation.”
She continued, “Throughout my time working with Coach Abdur-Rahim, I was continually inspired by his leadership, and truly admired his sincere approach to connecting with our entire student body. His influence on our student-athletes, coaching staff and the university community will live on forever.”
“We are heartbroken over the passing of Coach Abdur-Rahim.
A tremendous man & leader with an infectious personality that was a shining light to all he encountered.
Our thoughts & prayers are with his family, friends and everyone that he left a lasting impact on,” the post said.
Source: Aric Becker/ISI Photos / Getty
Abdur-Rahim’s dynamic coaching took the Bulls team to new heights as he did for other teams with dysfunctional programs. Abdur-Rahim’s leadership took the team its first conference championship with a 25-8 record. In addition to unprecedented success for the team, ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll, he was named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year this year.
As a Southern Louisiana University player, Abdur-Rahim led his school to its only NCAA appearance and first SLC title. Earlier this year, his alma mater inducted him into the Southern Louisiana Hall of Fame.
Before USF, the 18-year coaching veteran doubled the season wins for Kennesaw State, according to CBS Sports. Abdur-Rahim made history with a trajectory from one-win seasons to the NCAA tournament in only four years. At the University of Georgia, Abdur-Rahim helped secure Anthony Edwards before we went on to become the No. 1 NBA draft pick.
Former 13-year NBA star Shareef Abdur-Rahim remembered his brother in a social media post on Friday.
“From God, we come, and to God, we must all return. On behalf of my family, I want to express our gratitude to all who have reached out regarding Amir’s passing. Please remember our family in your prayers. As @sunsetAMIR would say, to God be the Glory,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Our condolences go out to Amir Abdur-Rahim’s family and loved ones.
SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors started Andrew Wiggins at shooting guard in their last two preseason games, and while nothing is decided quite yet ahead of Wednesday’s regular-season opener, Wiggins appears headed to reprise that role.
In a starting-five with Steph Curry, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and a center — likely Trayce Jackson-Davis — Wiggins’ ability to space the floor and to defend opposing teams’ best scorers will be paramount.
Coach Steve Kerr believes Wiggins, after missing two weeks of training camp and preseason because of illness, is up to the challenge.
“The conditioning is looking better and better every day,” Kerr said after Monday’s practice. “The rhythm. I trust Wiggs. It’s been a tough year and a half for him for a number of reasons. But he’s a guy who has won a championship and played an enormous role in that championship. Been a 20-point scorer in the league. We know what Wiggs can do, and I think we’re going to get a really good version of him this year.”
Over the past two seasons, Wiggins has missed 56 regular-season games, many of which because of personal reasons. He left the team for roughly two months in the spring of 2023 before returning for the postseason because of a personal matter. Then last season, he missed four games at the end of February — again excused for personal reasons.
The Warriors have supported Wiggins through his issues. This summer, his dad, Mitchell, died.
After Wiggins’ personal trauma, Kerr said he believes the veteran has a renewed sense of focus and engagement.
“I do. I think he feels it,” Kerr said. “He worked really hard in the offseason. There’s a little bit of closure with his dad’s passing. As difficult as everything has been over the last couple years, I just think that when you lose someone, especially after a struggle, there’s a little bit of feeling of relief because that person isn’t struggling anymore. That alone, I think, allows a person to free himself up. And I can speak to that from experience. I think that’s a factor.”
Wiggins never spoke in detail about what he was going through, and the team respected his wishes to keep things private.
Last season, Wiggins averaged a career-low 13.2 points per game. He attempted just 11 field goals per game, also a career-low.
“I know Wiggs is a very private guy and purposely doesn’t want to open up about this, but I feel comfortable as his coach saying this,” Kerr said. “He’s an incredible human being. Everybody loves him so much. He’s such a great father, great son, and he’s been through a lot. I just think that he’s got some peace of mind in a way. Despite the obvious pain that comes along with it.”
Notable
– One of the reasons Golden State’s practice went so long on Sunday is because they invited Michael McFaul, the former ambassador to Russia. McFaul, who worked in Barack Obama’s administration and currently works at Stanford, is a big Warriors fan. He brought his son, too.
Kerr had befriended McFaul through the years and asked him to speak with the Warriors.
“He was great, couldn’t have been better,” Kerr said. “Our guys were really engaged, asked a lot of questions about what’s going on around the world. It was fantastic. If we can provide experiences like that for our players, then we’ve got to take advantage of that. Because there’s a lot of people like Mike in the Bay Area who are really impressive in their field. And it’s nice to be able to have access to them.”
– Warriors two-way guard Reece Beekman, who played for Tony Bennett at Virginia, said he’s happy for his former coach in the wake of his surprise retirement. Bennett, just 55, announced that he’s stepping away from the program shortly before the college basketball season tips off.
Bennett led the Cavaliers to the national championship in 2019 — one year before Beekman joined the program.
“I was honestly shocked,” Beekman said. “Just because I know him as a person. And just for it to happen that quick. I know how much he loves the game, loves the team. The timing was a little shocking. But I feel like he’s doing what’s best for himself, mentally wise, and then for the team.”
The New York Liberty erased an early 12 point deficit and beat the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in another overtime thriller on Sunday to claim the first WNBA title in franchise history on Sunday.
LeBron James stood on the court next to his son Bronny and couldn’t help but glance over at him to take in the moment. The duo wore matching Los Angeles Lakers jerseys with “James” and “James Jr.” embroidered in big purple letters on their backs.”It was like the matrix or something,” LeBron said afterward. “It just didn’t feel real.”Video above: Lebron James set to make NBA historyThe Lakers helped the 39-year-old James realize a yearslong dream of playing alongside his son when they drafted Bronny with the 55th overall pick in June, making way for them to become the first father-son pair to play in an NBA game together in a preseason matchup on Oct. 6. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has described the draft pick as “magical,” while his organization has drawn criticisms about whether Bronny would have earned the opportunity if his father wasn’t one of the game’s greatest players. Those objections — albeit met with widespread excitement for the James family — reignited conversations about nepotism in sports and how powerful figures leverage their influence, while underscoring the stigma around kids following in the footsteps of a successful parent or family member.”There’s always going to be people who are saying that things are nepotism,” said Alice Leppert, an associate professor of media and communication studies at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. “There’s going to be some cynical assumption that strings were pulled and basically that things are not fair.”That’s often based on people’s desire to believe in a meritocracy, Leppert said, referring to the system where someone gains status or rewards based on his or her abilities, not wealth or social status.”In general, we don’t live in a meritocracy,” Leppert added. “We want to live in a meritocracy, and that’s why we get these sorts of debates.”For centuries, children born into rich and powerful families have inherited businesses, stardom and endless resources for success — a conspicuous display of power in Hollywood, politics and sports.Critics of nepotism argue that those without the same access to resources — i.e. producers and directors in the entertainment industry, scouts and training facilities in sports — are left at a significant disadvantage when it comes to opportunities.Others question why a practice so ingrained in society is being even being mentioned.”I don’t want to hear these charges, people talking about nepotism,” former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said during the NBA draft. “The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don’t want to hear it all of a sudden because Bronny James’ father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league.”There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played. Those young men stepped into the league after the father’s career ended, but they include Stephen and Dell Curry, Kobe and Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Bill and Luke Walton, among others.Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played together with the Seattle Mariners during parts of the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons. Hockey great Gordie Howe played with sons Marty and Mark for the Houston Aeros in the WHA and the New England/Hartford Whalers in the WHA and NHL.In the 65 schools that compete in major college football, there are at least 25 instances of family members on the same coaching staff, according to an Associated Press examination of coaching rosters in 2022. In the NFL, 16 of the league’s 32 owners inherited their teams from family, per a study done by USA Today.”I think we’re resigned in this country to the fact that if you own it, you can do whatever you want with it,” said David Grenardo, a law professor and sports law expert at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. “So I’m the owner. I can pass it down to my kids … And that’s somewhat acceptable because that person has the right to do with their property what they want.”That acceptance changes when it comes to athletes, Grenardo said.”That is where we are completely uncomfortable with the idea of someone getting an opportunity that they did not deserve,” he said, noting the intrigue of watching the best compete against the best in sports.”So then when you have a situation where someone who may not be perceived as the best is getting an opportunity over someone else, and now it’s not a meritocracy, now it’s become political, now it becomes, ‘well whose kid is that?’” Grenardo said.That’s where nepotism conversations have sprouted around Bronny, whose critics have argued that he was unproven before being drafted and has earned more attention than almost any other late second-round pick in NBA history. After recovering from cardiac arrest over a year ago, Bronny played one season at Southern California before entering the draft. He has been praised for his athleticism, defensive ability and work ethic but averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while starting six of 25 games for the Trojans.”Part of this discourse with LeBron and his son Bronny is that he is a visible African American athlete,” said C. Keith Harrison, a professor specializing in sports and business management at the University of Central Florida. “And for some reason, it’s being perceived that he’s not going to leverage any power and privileges that he has as an American, as an American Black man, as a successful athlete, entrepreneur or business person.”Harrison pointed to plenty of examples of sports figures exercising their influence through nepotism: the Buss family’s ownership of the Lakers; the Harbaugh family, which has an extensive football coaching lineage.”If we have these monikers, or these approaches and these realities of nepotism, and people hiring who they are comfortable with … when it comes to (LeBron) and his son Bronny, why is this popping up?” Harrison said.Grenardo, separately, reached his own conclusion.”Some of it may very well just be race,” he said. “That here’s a Black man who’s one of the few Black billionaires, and that’s an American. And he is using his power like others have used their power as well, but ‘I don’t like it that he now is that powerful.’”
LeBron James stood on the court next to his son Bronny and couldn’t help but glance over at him to take in the moment. The duo wore matching Los Angeles Lakers jerseys with “James” and “James Jr.” embroidered in big purple letters on their backs.
“It was like the matrix or something,” LeBron said afterward. “It just didn’t feel real.”
Video above: Lebron James set to make NBA history
The Lakers helped the 39-year-old James realize a yearslong dream of playing alongside his son when they drafted Bronny with the 55th overall pick in June, making way for them to become the first father-son pair to play in an NBA game together in a preseason matchup on Oct. 6.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has described the draft pick as “magical,” while his organization has drawn criticisms about whether Bronny would have earned the opportunity if his father wasn’t one of the game’s greatest players. Those objections — albeit met with widespread excitement for the James family — reignited conversations about nepotism in sports and how powerful figures leverage their influence, while underscoring the stigma around kids following in the footsteps of a successful parent or family member.
“There’s always going to be people who are saying that things are nepotism,” said Alice Leppert, an associate professor of media and communication studies at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. “There’s going to be some cynical assumption that strings were pulled and basically that things are not fair.”
That’s often based on people’s desire to believe in a meritocracy, Leppert said, referring to the system where someone gains status or rewards based on his or her abilities, not wealth or social status.
“In general, we don’t live in a meritocracy,” Leppert added. “We want to live in a meritocracy, and that’s why we get these sorts of debates.”
For centuries, children born into rich and powerful families have inherited businesses, stardom and endless resources for success — a conspicuous display of power in Hollywood, politics and sports.
Critics of nepotism argue that those without the same access to resources — i.e. producers and directors in the entertainment industry, scouts and training facilities in sports — are left at a significant disadvantage when it comes to opportunities.
Others question why a practice so ingrained in society is being even being mentioned.
“I don’t want to hear these charges, people talking about nepotism,” former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski said during the NBA draft. “The NBA is full of nepotism. The ownership level, front offices, coaching. I don’t want to hear it all of a sudden because Bronny James’ father plays for the Lakers. It is rampant in this league.”
There have been about 100 instances in NBA history of players joining the league after their fathers played. Those young men stepped into the league after the father’s career ended, but they include Stephen and Dell Curry, Kobe and Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, Bill and Luke Walton, among others.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played together with the Seattle Mariners during parts of the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons. Hockey great Gordie Howe played with sons Marty and Mark for the Houston Aeros in the WHA and the New England/Hartford Whalers in the WHA and NHL.
In the 65 schools that compete in major college football, there are at least 25 instances of family members on the same coaching staff, according to an Associated Press examination of coaching rosters in 2022. In the NFL, 16 of the league’s 32 owners inherited their teams from family, per a study done by USA Today.
“I think we’re resigned in this country to the fact that if you own it, you can do whatever you want with it,” said David Grenardo, a law professor and sports law expert at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. “So I’m the owner. I can pass it down to my kids … And that’s somewhat acceptable because that person has the right to do with their property what they want.”
That acceptance changes when it comes to athletes, Grenardo said.
“That is where we are completely uncomfortable with the idea of someone getting an opportunity that they did not deserve,” he said, noting the intrigue of watching the best compete against the best in sports.
“So then when you have a situation where someone who may not be perceived as the best is getting an opportunity over someone else, and now it’s not a meritocracy, now it’s become political, now it becomes, ‘well whose kid is that?’” Grenardo said.
That’s where nepotism conversations have sprouted around Bronny, whose critics have argued that he was unproven before being drafted and has earned more attention than almost any other late second-round pick in NBA history.
After recovering from cardiac arrest over a year ago, Bronny played one season at Southern California before entering the draft. He has been praised for his athleticism, defensive ability and work ethic but averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds while starting six of 25 games for the Trojans.
“Part of this discourse with LeBron and his son Bronny is that he is a visible African American athlete,” said C. Keith Harrison, a professor specializing in sports and business management at the University of Central Florida. “And for some reason, it’s being perceived that he’s not going to leverage any power and privileges that he has as an American, as an American Black man, as a successful athlete, entrepreneur or business person.”
Harrison pointed to plenty of examples of sports figures exercising their influence through nepotism: the Buss family’s ownership of the Lakers; the Harbaugh family, which has an extensive football coaching lineage.
“If we have these monikers, or these approaches and these realities of nepotism, and people hiring who they are comfortable with … when it comes to (LeBron) and his son Bronny, why is this popping up?” Harrison said.
Grenardo, separately, reached his own conclusion.
“Some of it may very well just be race,” he said. “That here’s a Black man who’s one of the few Black billionaires, and that’s an American. And he is using his power like others have used their power as well, but ‘I don’t like it that he now is that powerful.’”
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The new Unrivaled women’s basketball 3-on-3 league will have its games broadcast on TNT and its sports platforms.
The league announced a multiyear partnership with the network to show more than 45 games from the inaugural season that begins in January. Matchups will be shown three nights a week with twice-weekly games on TNT on Mondays and Fridays. Games that are played on Saturday will be shown on truTV.
Games begin on Jan. 17 and will be played in Miami.
“Our TNT Sports portfolio centers on premium live sports and our media and equity partnership with Unrivaled deepens our commitment to further expanding the depth of top tier women’s sports programming we offer our fans and presents an opportunity for us to shape and amplify the continued growth of women’s basketball,” said Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports.
The league features 30 of the top women’s basketball players across six teams and was co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
“I mean, to be able to have a network like that that supports us, especially in Year 1, I think is just a huge testament to women’s basketball right now and how much it’s growing,” Collier told The Associated Press at shootaround before Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday.
Having all the games on one platform was huge for the new league. The league was also having discussions with ESPN, Amazon, ION and the CW.
“We had a lot of interest as you could imagine and you know, we thought about carving this up in certain ways, but to give credit to Luis and the vision that he had, he wanted it all,” said former Turner President David Levy, who is the co-founder and co-CEO of Horizon Sports & Experiences and helped secure the media rights deal. “He thought it was smart for the league. And we talked about it, and we ended up deciding that maybe it is right to go with one entity, and a strong entity.”
TNT will have a studio show at least one of the two nights it’s showing games.
“Being on TNT, you know, for two of the three nights is really important, not just to help grow this league, but also to the women who play in it,” said Levy. “You know, they they grew up watching TNT. And then let’s not forget Bleacher Report and House of Highlights. That’s where all the Gen Z’ers are.”
Unrivaled President Alex Bazzell said that being on TV was received really well by the players.
“I think there’s a lot of nostalgia that goes along with this for the athletes,” he said. “We have an obligation with whichever partner it is that it’s someone they’re proud of and I think that first and foremost they’re really proud of this partnership. I’ve gotten tons of texts that our athletes are pumped up.”
Salaries for the new league will be in the six figures. Compensation was key for players, many of whom have spent their offseason overseas supplementing their WNBA incomes. The average WNBA base salary is about $130,000 with the top stars able to earn more than $500,000 through salary, marketing agreements, an in-season tournament and bonuses. Many of the players also will have an equity stake in the league.
The league will run for eight weeks with the 30 players divided into six teams. The squads will play two games a week with the contests taking place on a court about two-thirds the size of a WNBA one. The teams will stay the same throughout the season.
When basketball stars like Sue Bird retire, they may not use their killer crossover or lethal jumpshot in the “real world,” but one skill that will continue to serve them well (and which many civilians lack) is teamwork.
“Every athlete has that in them,” Bird said during a mainstage interview at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on Tuesday.
During an audience Q&A, an attendee asked the WNBA legend what skills from her playing days she’d found most useful now that they were over. Bird pointed to a litany of skills that she had developed over a lifetime playing basketball. That said, one skill—teamwork—stood out more than any other for its ability to help people find common ground.
“Sometimes I joke, if the country was run the way sports teams are, we’d be in a better place,” Bird said. Athletes “just have an understanding of what it is to interact with each other. Every athlete has this skill set without a doubt.”
Bird, who retired from the WNBA in 2022, was the consummate team player during her stand-out career. She is the league’s all-time assists leader, with 3,234 over the course of her career.
The overlap of business and sports
Business leaders and elite athletes have always considered themselves cut from the same cloth. Both are high-achievers, perform in high-stakes situations in the public eye, and are extraordinarily—even unnervingly—competitive.
For male athletes, becoming businesspeople when their careers end is becoming increasingly common, even expected for some players. Michael Jordan earned a signature brand at Nike, that’s now a pop culture and fashion icon. Jordan also bought his hometown NBA team in Charlotte, the Hornets, which he recently sold for $3 billion after buying it for $275 million.
Upon retirement, Bird, too, had her eye on a similar career path. After feeling a little unsure about her qualifications for life off the court, Bird realized the life skills she developed as an athlete would translate to the business world.
“I feel like I woke up when I retired,” Bird said. “I was like ‘oh, I can walk into these different rooms and I can actually have a voice, because what I’m bringing to the table is a little bit different because of my sports background.”
In addition to teamwork, Bird added that goal setting and discipline had also served her well in her post-playing days. Bird pointed out that that having started playing sports in the first grade—she is now 43—these were among skills she’d honed over a lifetime.
Bird now has several business ventures. She has an aptly-named media company Togethxr, which she started alongside soccer legend Alex Morgan, Olympic gold medalist snowboarder Chloe Kim, and Olympic gold medalist swimmer Simone Manuel. Earlier this year, Bird’s other media company A Touch More, started alongside her fiancee the U.S. Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe, signed a podcasting deal with Vox Media.
However, perhaps her most significant move in business came this spring, when she officially entered the ownership group of the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, the team at which she spent her entire 20-year career.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Honored for his devotion to a basketball team that doesn’t have a Hall of Fame history, Billy Crystal couldn’t help but note the irony.
“How strange to be getting a ring before any of the Clippers,” he said.
The actor is being added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s James F. Goldstein SuperFan Gallery and took part in a ceremony Sunday along with fellow entertainer and filmmaker Spike Lee and Philadelphia businessman Alan Horwitz. Longtime Lakers fan Jack Nicholson is also being added but the three-time Academy Award winner was not able to attend.
Crystal wore a sports jacket and slacks, while Lee and Horwitz dressed as if they were sitting courtside. Lee, with an orange vest over a New York sweatshirt and topped by a black Knicks bucket hat, sparred with the opposition as if he was in his seat at Madison Square Garden.
“I saw some Boston Celtic green. Uh-uh,” he said, before showing the fans that he had brought coach Red Holzman’s 1973 NBA championship ring, the last one won by the Knicks.
“It’s been a long time, but I think this year it’s going to be orange-and-blue skies,” Lee said.
Horwitz, known as the 76ers’ Sixth Man, wore a 76ers sweatshirt, a blue Sixers hat and blue-and-white colored sneakers. He got choked up while thinking about how proud his mother would have been had she known about his honor.
Their time as basketball fans goes back more than five decades. Horwitz watched the Philadelphia Warriors when Wilt Chamberlain was a rookie in 1959. Crystal was in high school a couple of years earlier when he was drawn to another high schooler, Larry Brown, who would later be enshrined after winning championships as a coach in college and the NBA.
Lee was in the arena when the Knicks won their first championship in 1970 and Crystal was at MSG plenty of times himself, having started out as as Knicks fan. He went to Lakers games when he moved across the country, before someone recommended he check out a Clippers game.
“And I said, ‘Why?’” Crystal said.
But he enjoyed it and has remained with them ever since, even though the team has never rewarded him with a championship. Lee has had Knicks season tickets since 1985, when they drafted Patrick Ewing, though it took a while to get to the prime real estate he occupies now.
“Every film I moved down,” he said.
While Lee is talking title this season, Crystal doesn’t have such high expectations for the Clippers. But he noted that the devoted fans stick with their teams no matter what.
Not that it’s always easy. A baby started crying as he spoke.
“That’s how we felt for the last 30 years,” Crystal said.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — At the Golden 1 Center, where Golden State’s 2023-24 season ended unceremoniously last April, the Warriors brought a new starting five to their second preseason game.
Absent from it, of course, was Klay Thompson, who went scoreless in the play-in loss before departing for the Dallas Mavericks.
The Warriors want to play faster and shoot more 3-pointers, with more athleticism on the court and more defensive flexibility. They brought in three new veterans and want to play with more structure on offense. Many of the changes head coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors want to implement stem with how last season fizzled.
“I don’t know if it was just that game, I just think the feeling of losing in the play-in and not even making the playoffs is a pretty bitter one,” Kerr said pregame. “But I think we definitely recognized our flaws last year and they were exposed in that game.”
Although the Warriors looked more equipped to handle Sacramento’s fast-paced style in the first half — when all the regulars played — Golden State headed into the second half down 68-66. They hit 15 of their 27 3s, with Buddy Hield (4-for-4), De’Anthony Melton (3-for-6) and Steph Curry (3-for-6) leading the long-range charge, but the Kings’ offense matched them by creating points in the paint.
Golden State kept shooting, and draining, 3-pointers as the game progressed. They hit 28 3-pointers in all, exceeding the regular-season franchise record of 27. Eight Warriors hit at least two 3-pointers, leading to a scorching 53.8% clip from behind the arc in a 122-112 victory; in a statistical anomaly, Golden State shot better from 3 than it did from the floor.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ first preseason game on the mainland, with four remaining before the regular season.
New starters
In the Warriors’ first preseason game, in Hawaii, they started Steph Curry, Draymond Green, De’Anthony Melton, Jonathan Kuminga and Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Looney replaced Jackson-Davis at center and Podziemski swapped in for Melton in the second one.
Melton played terrific next to Curry in the opener, but the offense seemed easier with Podziemski in the group Wednesday (maybe it was Sacramento’s defense, which is expected to be poor). Podziemski’s a more natural initiator and playmaker. On one play, Curry’s isolation went nowhere, but Podziemski ended up with the ball on the wing and fed Green inside for an easy bucket.
Podziemski also missed a pair of open 3-pointers that he’s going to need to hit to stay on the floor. With Green, Looney and Kuminga, spacing is at a premium.
Golden State subbed in Jackson-Davis for Looney after five minutes, but the main core of the starting unit tied the Kings, 18-18, in the first seven minutes of the game.
It’s a miniscule sample size, and a similar result to the preseason opener’s starting unit, but neither group has jumped off the page yet — merely held their own.
One note with starting Podziemski: without him coming off the bench, the second unit (Melton, Jackson-Davis, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Moses Moody) didn’t have a point guard. Staggering minutes in the regular season would fix that fairly easily, but the Warriors want to make sure both their first and second units are cohesive.
Podziemski (8 points, 8 assists in 23 minutes) left in the first half after getting hit in the face, but returned in the third quarter to lead the second unit as the point guard, driving and dishing while also running effective pick-and-rolls.
The preseason is all about experimenting with combinations, and Kerr’s next move just might be to slot Hield — who finished with a game-high 22 points on 8-for-9 shooting — in the back court with Curry. That would maximize their 3-point shooting threat, with as close of a movement-shooting facsimile to Thompson as there is.
Kings are going to cause matchup nightly issues
There are legitimate questions about how Sacramento’s new big three of De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan and Domantas Sabonis are going to fit. None of them are great outside shooters, and none of them are elite defenders, either.
But seeing them in action — before they even have time to strike a rhythm — made it pretty clear that they’re going to be scary on offense.
Just about every possession in the half court, either on a drive, backdoor cut or kick-out, the Kings generated an open look. DeRozan sank his first six field goals, including a corner 3, for 15 points in as many minutes. The speedy Fox engined the Kings in transition and Sabonis operated from the elbows.
DeRozan was effectively the power forward, guarding Green and getting defended by him most possessions. He’s going to be too quick for fours and too skilled for smaller defenders. But defenses will have to choose between guarding him and Keegan Murray, a promising stretch-four, with the
It’s a contact sport
In the second corner, just after Podziemski hit his first 3-pointer of the night, he got hit in the face on a Kings fast break and instantly headed to the tunnel. Warriors trainers followed him.
The game was played with a surprising level of physicality for a preseason bout. Sacramento center Alex Len fouled Green from behind after a broken play, to Green’s dismay. On the other end, Green set a hard screen to free Podziemski for a 3, then he hit his second 3-pointer of the night on the next possession.
Shortly thereafter, Kuminga fouled Domantas Sabonis at the rim, picking up his fourth in just 13 minutes.
With five minutes left in the half, the Golden 1 Center crowd was elated when Green argued an off-ball foul called on him against Sabonis.
Tempers never bubbled over, but this game — like Friday’s preseason rematch with the Kings — was a nice appetizer to what should be a tense Northern California matchup this year.
The Lakers picked LeBron’s 20-year-old son in the NBA Draft in June, making them the first father-son duo in the same team.
LeBron James and his eldest son Bronny James have claimed a piece of NBA history, making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The duo appeared together on Sunday at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles.
While LeBron impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in little more than 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one shot.
“It was cool for both of us, especially our family,” LeBron James, 39, said after playing alongside Bronny, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday. “It’s definitely a moment I’ll never forget.
“As a father it means everything. For someone who didn’t have a dad growing up, to be able to have that influence on your son, to be able to have moments with your son, to work with your son – that’s one of the greatest things a father could ever hope for.”
James senior admitted though that there were moments on court that felt surreal.
“We came out of a timeout and we kind of stood next to each other. I kind of looked at him. It was like being in The Matrix or something. It just didn’t feel real. But it was great to have those moments.”
Anticipation about when the James duo would become the first father-son duo to appear in the same NBA lineup together has built since the Lakers picked Bronny with the 55th pick in the NBA Draft in June.
“I’m thrilled that I get to be a part of this,” new Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the James double act.
“It’s cool as a basketball fan. I think it speaks to the longevity of LeBron and his competitive stamina. And it speaks to the work that Bronny has done to get to this point.”
Redick introduced Bronny James to the floor, with the Lakers leading 34-25 in the second quarter.
LeBron James has said playing with Bronny on the same team has given him a new lease on life as he enters the 22nd season of a glittering career.
“It’s a lot of excitement, a pure joy, to be able to come to work every day, put in hard work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow,” James said.
“We push each other. He pushes me. I push him. We push our teammates, and vice versa. So it’s just a very joyous moment not only for myself, but for our family.
“So it’s pretty awesome. Gives you a lot of life.”
Bronny said at the Lakers’ recent media day he was fuelled by the words of critics who have suggested he owes his place on the Lakers roster entirely to his superstar father.
“I’m just taking all that stuff, that criticism and backlash that people have given me and turning it into something that can fuel me,” he said.
Bronny is expected to spend most of his rookie season in the developmental G League rather than the Lakers senior squad.
The Lakers open their 2024-25 regular season campaign with a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
In June of 1984, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson met in the NBA Finals for the first time; the following week, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley were drafted; and the league would never be the same…Forty years later, the WNBA arrives at a similar hingepoint. A rookie class, as good as advertised, has made a seamless transition from college to the pros, blending with established stars. Sports have a knack for bending stats to fit desired narratives, but the W’s growth figures astound. TV ratings have spiked 153% from last season—and that’s before the playoffs, which began last week… Gradually, then suddenly, this 27-year-old league has become a prominent player in the modern sportscape.
Never mind her slick drives in traffic, the deadeye passes…
…the three-pointers like this.
Caitlin Clark: Hello.
Jon Wertheim: Hey. How are you? Jon.
Caitlin Clark: Caitlin. Nice to meet you.
Jon Wertheim: Good to see you…
A few weeks ago in Indianapolis, we asked Caitlin Clark…
Caitlin Clark: Ask me the hard hitting questions…
…to pinpoint the signature moment of this signature season…and, well we didn’t see this coming… but neither did she.
Caitlin Clark: I remember we were in New York and Jonquel Jones set– a good screen on me, and my– I actually popped my eardrum, ruptured my eardrum just on a screen.
Jon Wertheim: Your eardrum?
Caitlin Clark: Yeah, it was actually, it was a really good screen by– by JJ. She’s a tremendous player, but I think that just kinda speaks to the physicality of the league. It’s just she kinda got me in the right spot.
Caitlin Clark
60 Minutes
Jon Wertheim: You smiled when you told that story. Good clean basketball play.
Caitlin Clark: It’s a good story. I think it’s something that I’ll always remember, like, coming into this league.
Jon Wertheim: Triple doubles, tho– those are all well and good, but it’s the eardrum rupture that–
Caitlin Clark: That’s probably more memorable, honestly.
Then again, maybe it’s fitting…as this is the season the WNBA lowered its shoulder, made its presence felt, and expanded its reach.
These fans came to central Indiana from…Newfoundland, Canada.
Jon Wertheim: And you’re here why?
Fan: Just to see the Fever game.
Fan: Caitlin Clark.
Clark—22, in number and in age—just led the Fever to the playoffs…She’s unquestionably the league’s main attraction …but not the only one. Another rookie, Angel Reese, made her mark too.
But the real breakthrough star of this WNBA season is…the W itself.
Building off a college season in which—unimaginable just a few years ago—the women’s championship game outdrew the men’s, W games can draw more eyeballs than NBA games do….League wide, attendance is up 48%.
In Minnesota, Napheesa Collier is this season’s Defensive Player of the Year…
She just dropped 80 points in the first two playoff games. Collier was drafted in 2019 and bridges two eras of the WNBA….we asked her about the difference this year.
Jon Wertheim: Home and away, you look into the crowds. What are you seeing?
Napheesa Collier: People, which is what we want. (laugh) It makes the game so, so fun. It’s like you’re sixth-man when you’re at home. And then when you’re away, you just can’t wait to silence the crowd. And that’s, like, the best feeling ever.
Jon Wertheim: You figured out a way to benefit from a full crowd even when it’s rooting against you.
Napheesa Collier and Jon Wertheim
60 Minutes
Napheesa Collier: Yeah. It’s almost more fun (laugh) when you’re, like, in a packed arena with the other team. And you hit, like, a big three or a big block or something. And you hear them all go, “Oh.” That’s– I love that feeling.
Jon Wertheim: That’s every bit as motivating.
Napheesa Collier: It really is.
Silencing crowds? Not an issue when the WNBA debuted in 1997, eight teams paired with eight existing NBA teams. From the jump, franchises came and went—the Houston Comets, won the first four titles…only to fold. But amid the instability, the WNBA was giving a generation of girls aspiration and inspiration…. When Clark was growing up in Iowa, already running circles around the boys, her dad took her to see a WNBA game in Minnesota. She returned home hellbent on adding distance to her jump shot.
Caitlin Clark: Like begging my dad to, like, tear up some grass and pour more concrete so I could have an entire three-point line in my driveway.
Jon Wertheim: Did that really happen? You– you extended your range–
Caitlin Clark: Oh yeah.
Jon Wertheim: –by dumpin’ more concrete?
Caitlin Clark: Yeah. ’cause it was, like, kind of slanted. Our driveway was, like, slanted, so I only had a three-point line on one side of the driveway. So… told my dad he had to tear up all this grass, and he did.
Likewise, her Fever teammate, six-foot-five center Aliyah Boston—last season’s Rookie of the Year—had grand ambitions.
Aliyah Boston: So when I first picked up a basketball, at first, I was like, “I want to go to college,” and that was really my goal. Until probably about sophomore year. I was like, “Yeah. Everything I do is for the number one pick.”
Jon Wertheim: I love that. So– so making the WNBA, that’s– became, like, a secondary goal (laugh) at some point. You– you wanted to be the number one pick.
Aliyah Boston: I wanted to be the number one pick.
Aliyah Boston
60 Minutes
She was. Then, this spring, came Clark, Reese, Cameron Brink and the 2024 vintage…
Jon Wertheim: Did you have the level of confidence that this draft class seems to?
Napheesa Collier: I don’t think anybody has (laugh) the level of confidence this draft class does. I think that’s what’s so amazing about them actually is they don’t act like rookies. It feels like nothing gets them down. And I think that’s amazing.
Jon Wertheim: Not a lot of impostor syndrome going on–
Napheesa Collier: Not a lot. No.
New confidence. Old school hoops… This is the league of choice for the basketball purist.…all passing and precision.
Napheesa Collier: Obviously– the men are really fun. They’re very athletic. They can dunk and all those things. But if you’re a true fan of basketball, I think that ours is really interesting. Because we play it the right way. We play it really smart. Our– season is shorter also. So, you know, we go a lot harder I think in our games.
Twelve teams of 12 players. 144 of the world’s best…A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces—the league’s reigning champs—is a three-time MVP, including this season. Her game, equal parts grace and power.
And there’s the O-G, Diana Taurasi, still doing this in her early 40s.
Caitlin Clark: A lotta these players are who I grew up watching on TV and wanting to be like, and now I get to play against them.
Jon Wertheim: Now they’re guarding you on the perimeter.
Caitlin Clark: Yeah, it’s pretty cool.
Clark herself already has a trademark shot: a jumper from just inside midcourt….the logo 3.
Caitlin Clark: Are you guys gonna make me shoot–in these nice clothes?
Jon Wertheim: We got confidence in you.
Caitlin Clark: That’s crazy. I’m not even warmed up either–
Caitlin Clark: I only shoot from back there in games if I’ve, like, made a couple. Then you get a free pass to, like, launch– launch a long three.
Caitlin Clark and Jon Wertheim
60 Minutes
Jon Wertheim: So that’s a free pass with the coach? Or that’s a free pass with yourself, with your own basketball values–
Caitlin Clark: Both, both, both
Jon Wertheim: What would you say your range is?
Caitlin Clark: I don’t know. Sometimes I–I feel like I’m closer than I– than I am. Like, I don’t feel that far back, especially in a game. I don’t know. I kinda just lose sight of where I actually am, which is probably a good thing.
Jon Wertheim: But you know you’re, like, one dribble (BALL) past mid-court sometimes.
Caitlin Clark: Yeah, couple dribbles past mid-court.
Part of her process: gauging the distance… this isn’t like shooting a free throw. Logos vary court-to-court.
Caitlin Clark: Like I would always wanna see how big the logo is. ‘Cause, like, some people have, like, bigger logos at center court, some have smaller ones. So it’s, like, if it’s pretty big, I can usually get there. I can probably get it here from here.
Jon Wertheim: All right.
Caitlin Clark: But I’m not– (ball) do you want me to try–
Jon Wertheim: Heck, yeah. (ball)
Caitlin Clark: OK, but you have to try second.
Jon Wertheim: All right.
Caitlin Clark: Let’s see.
Jon Wertheim: All right.
Caitlin Clark: This is my off day. You guys are putting me through a workout, it’s crazy. It’s crazy. I didn’t know I was signing up for this. There we go–
Jon Wertheim: Bang…
Caitlin Clark: Whoo.
The bottom-of-the-net success has changed the W’s balance sheets. Corporate sponsors have arrived.
So have the celebrities. The league recently signed a media rights deal that will pay $200 million a season, more than a three-fold increase….Cathy Engelbert is WNBA commissioner.
Jon Wertheim: The Caitlin Clark phenomenon. How do you describe it?
Cathy Engelbert: She’s clearly an unbelievable player, came in with an unbelievable following, has brought a lot of new fans to the league. If you look at our historic season around– our attendance, our viewership, Caitlin, Angel too, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink. This class of rookies, we will be talking about them a generation from now.
Jon Wertheim: I notice when you’re asked about Caitlin a lot, you– you bring up other rookies as well.
Cathy Engelbert: No league’s ever about one player. That player could get hurt or whatever. So I think it’s just to give recognition that in sports, people watch for compelling content and rivalries. And you can’t do that alone as one person.
Though the commissioner touts league rivalries, competition has also brought out a certain ugliness…. this season saw an onslaught of vitriol – often racist – targeting players…this in a league that is 75% black.
Here’s veteran star Breanna Stewart, earlier this month, welcoming new fans, but demanding they act respectfully.
A happier earmark of growth: The WNBA announced plans to expand from 12 teams to 16. And for the first time this season, players travel on charter flights.
Aliyah Boston: I mean, that’s amazing. I– I miss my points a little bit. It’s OK.
Jon Wertheim: Oh, your miles? Your air miles.
Aliyah Boston: I miss my little points.
Jon Wertheim: No Delta miles–
Aliyah Boston: My little miles.
Jon Wertheim: –this year.
Aliyah Boston: No Delta miles but it’s ok. I think this is great, too, especially for recovery. You’re able to get back on that plane, get right back home after a game. The women that came before us, it’s like, this is because of you guys. Like, you guYs worked all this and now here we are. We’re able to step into that. And it’s– it’s a blessing for us.
Napheesa Collier recalls the old days on the road, staying two-to-a-room.
Napheesa Collier
60 Minutes
Napheesa Collier: We used to have to stay in, like, the team accredited hotels and now we can stay wherever. So a lot more five star hotels which is nice.
Jon Wertheim: Five star hotels flying private.
Napheesa Collier: I know. We’re living the life.
Jon Wertheim: Life’s good. You’re living the life.
Napheesa Collier: We’re like professional athletes or something.
The surge in success this season is about more than the basketball. The arrival walk to the locker room is now a fixture in pro sports— W players absolutely own this space…social media rocket fuel that engages fans. Players love it, Caitlin Clark included.
Consistent with the life cycle of other successful pro sports leagues, the players are done taking one for the team… They now want to get paid. Note the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between the league and the players…A rookie salary for the 42-game season? $76,000. Base salary for the MVP? $200,000…Yet, the median NBA player salary this season: roughly $12 million.
Jon Wertheim: You talk about this growth and these ratings numbers. What’s a fair salary?
Aliyah Boston: I mean, someone like me, I love multiple commas just because, like, we deserve it. That’s– we come in here night in, night out. We work hard. You see the viewership numbers up. You see everything up. I mean, I’m– I’m all for it, ’cause I love a comma.
Jon Wertheim: Like a comma in that salary.
Aliyah Boston: Yeah.
As a union leader, Napheesa Collier will be at the bargaining table….The NBA shares revenues with its players roughly fifty-fifty and she wonders: is the W willing to do the same? As for commas?
Napheesa Collier: Of course, that would be obviously amazing. I don’t know how realistic. Like, that is obviously the goal. And I hope that we can get there.
Jon Wertheim: How much should we compare NBA and WNBA?
Napheesa Collier: We’re not asking for the same salaries as the NBA. What we’re looking for is rev shares. They’re making that because of rev shares. And so that’s what we’re wanting. That’s how we close that gap.
Jon Wertheim: How we’re sharing that pie.
Napheesa Collier: Yeah, how we’re sharing it.
Meantime, building on this watershed season, the women of the WNBA will keep shooting their shot.
Caitlin Clark: There we go.
Jon Wertheim: Bang. You knew that when it left your hands?
Caitlin Clark: I know when I’m gonna miss–I know when I’m gonna make it. The worst is when it feels good and you still miss–
Jon Wertheim: But you know as soon as– soon as it leaves your fingertips.
Caitlin Clark: If it feels good, yeah. So, like, if I miss it and it feels good. Like, that’s fine.
Jon Wertheim: You’re OK with that.
Caitlin Clark: You feel good about your shot, yeah.
With that as encouragement, from this season’s Rookie of the Year, we finally gave in.
Caitlin Clark: I think you have to go now. Come on. Let’s see if you can get it there–
Jon Wertheim: Two more, two more. You know, I have no legs.
Caitlin Clark: No, I feel confident. Let’s see.
Jon Wertheim: I’m wearing this jacket.
Caitlin Clark: Oh.
Jon Wertheim: Uh, terrible.
Caitlin Clark: That’s not bad. Get it there.
Jon Wertheim: Oh my god.
Caitlin Clark: You got to jump.
Jon Wertheim: Tight rims.
Jon Wertheim: I’m tellin’ you.
Caitlin Clark: No. (laugh) I think that might just be you, honestly.
Produced by Nathalie Sommer. Associate producer, Kaylee Tully. Broadcast associate, Elizabeth Germino. Edited by Craig Crawford.
It’s been a year unlike any the WNBA has seen. Players Caitlin Clark, Napheesa Collier, and Aliyah Boston talk about sold-out arenas and the physicality of the league.
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MINNEAPOLIS — The trade of four-time NBA All Star Karl-Anthony Towns came as a surprise to many.
“I did not see this trade coming,” said Travis Whitehead from Minneapolis.
But some, like Whitehead, said it’s a solid move.
“Julius Randle is the perfect mentality for Anthony Edwards, (Jaden) McDaniels, they got a full team that’s hungry. DiVincenzo is a great pickup, I think that that’s the sleeper pick of the whole trade,” said Whitehead.
“He stuck with us through thick and thin. His loyalty to us has been wonderful,” said Dan Herman, founder of Falling Knife Brewing Company.
Whether it’s his KAT t-shirt, or his Timberwolves wrestling championship belt, it’s clear Herman supports his team.
His brewery brought in some big crowds to watch the Timberwolves during this year’s run to the Western Conference Finals.
“Without question, he’s the second greatest Timberwolf of all time,” said Herman.
“He spent a number of years here and you can’t say that a whole lot in sports,” said longtime fan Greg Overpeck. “A little bit sad that we lose somebody that really really wanted to invest into the community.”
Fans said Towns will be remembered for his greatness on and off the court. In May, Towns was the recipient of the NBA’s social justice award for his efforts to help restore voting rights for formerly incarcerated felons.
“Players coming and going is just part of the game,” said Overpeck. “You realize that times change, and to construct a team, you might have to move some different pieces around.”
People like Herman said they are grateful that Minnesota had someone like KAT for as long as they did.
“Thank you KAT, thank you for what you did. It’s made the most fun team that we’ve ever had,” said Herman.
