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Tag: Diana Taurasi

  • WNBA round-up: Playoff picture set as record-breaking regular season comes to a close

    WNBA round-up: Playoff picture set as record-breaking regular season comes to a close

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    (CNN) — It has been a WNBA season unlike any other.

    The 2024 campaign has seen unprecedented growth, records shattered and an introduction to one of the most hyped rookie classes in the history of the league – and we still have the postseason to go.

    Eight of the 12 WNBA teams make the playoffs and are seeded from one to eight, regardless of conference.

    The regular season came to a close on Thursday night with all 12 teams in action. While some squads already knew where they stood heading into the playoffs, there were still some matters to be decided on the final day and storylines everywhere you looked.

    Diana Taurasi addresses Mercury crowd after possibly her final regular season game ever

    The Phoenix Mercury fell to the Seattle Storm 89-70 on Thursday, but much off the attention was focused on what happened after the buzzer.

    Diana Taurasi, widely considered to be one of the best women’s basketball players of all time, addressed the Phoenix crowd on the court after what was possibly her final regular season game ever.

    The 42-year-old was drafted first overall by the Mercury in 2004 and has spent her entire WNBA career with the franchise. She is a former MVP, a three-time WNBA champion, six-time EuroLeague champion, six-time Olympic champion, an 11-time WNBA All-Star and the league’s all-time leading scorer.

    It has been speculated that this will be Taurasi’s final season as an active player. While the rumors are still unconfirmed, she delivered an emotional speech to the adoring home faithful.

    “There’s really no place to start, but there’s always a place to finish,” she said. “It seems to be the same place, which, as you guys know, when I got here in 2004, I kinda knew I was going to be here for a long time. I had a feeling that this was home in a strange and mysterious way.

    “I want to thank every single coach, every single player, every single person that’s put on a WNBA jersey because it takes a village and our league is about uplifting each other and, in return, to see where we are now, 28 years later, for the ones who played before, this league is where it is now, we’re thankful for you guys, and we’re thankful for the next generation.

    “If it is the last time, it felt like the first time,” she added.

    Taurasi will get at least one more opportunity to perform in front of the home crowd – the seventh-seeded Mercury will take on the No. 2 Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-three first round playoff series.

    Record crowd in attendance for Caitlin Clark’s final rookie regular season game

    This season has seen record highs in attendance and viewership, continuing right until the end of the regular season.

    20,711 fans packed into Capital One Arena in Washington DC as the Mystics defeated the Indiana Fever, 92-91, making it the highest-attended WNBA game ever.

    After breaking the single-season assist record earlier this month, transcendent rookie Caitlin Clark entered the game eight three-pointers shy of the single-season record of 128 set by Sabrina Ionescu in 2023.

    Though Clark didn’t catch Ionescu’s tally in the game – she played just under 20 minutes with the 20-20 Fever having already secured the sixth seed – she made two triples to take her total to 122, passing Taurasi for second place.

    Indiana’s return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 marks an incredible turnaround for the team. The franchise found itself 3-10 to open the season, but caught fire after the Olympic break to claw its way back to .500 and secure a spot in the postseason.

    “Just really proud of their growth, their resiliency,” Fever head coach Christie Sides said after the game. “They went to work, they got better. We didn’t have the time early, but they just kept getting better as the season progressed.

    “They deserve the opportunity to play in these playoffs.”

    The Mystics came into the game as the ninth seed, knowing that they would have to win to give themselves a chance of making the postseason. The game got off to the worst possible start for Washington, falling into a 20-2 deficit, but it mounted a huge comeback to steal the win.

    Sika Koné led the way with 20 points and four other Mystics players scored in double figures in the crucial victory, but a playoff berth simply wasn’t to be, as the Atlanta Dream took the matter out of Washington’s hands.

    Tina Charles makes history as Dream clinch final playoff spot

    The Dream edged out the Mystics for the eighth seed with a 78-67 win over the New York Liberty, with center Tina Charles etching her name into the record books in the process.

    Charles, a former league MVP and an eight-time All-Star, pulled down her third rebound of the game in the first quarter to become the all-time WNBA rebounding leader with 4,007 boards, passing Sylvia Fowles for top spot.

    Her record-breaking performance could not have come at a better time for Atlanta, which needed a lift heading into Thursday’s matchup on the road. The Dream entered the matchup as the eighth seed but had the Mystics hot on their heels only one game behind, and knew that only a win would guarantee a postseason berth.

    According to Charles, however, the outcome was never in doubt.

    “We came here with our bags packed,” said the 35-year-old postgame. “We knew we’d take care of business. For us, honestly, the playoffs had started maybe like a week ago just because of the situation that we had been in.”

    Charles also ended the game with 10 points and 10 rebounds to record her 194th career double-double, the most by any player in league history. Fowles was also the previous holder of this record.

    The matchup also served as a playoff preview: Atlanta will take on the first-seeded Liberty in the first round of the postseason.

    New York had already wrapped up the No. 1 spot prior to Thursday’s game, so it remains to be seen how the squad will fare against a revitalized Dream group when the season is on the line.

    Full WNBA playoff matchups

    First round series are best of three games.

    Away @ Home (Game 1)

    No. 8 Atlanta Dream @ No. 1 New York Liberty

    No. 7 Phoenix Mercury @ No. 2 Minnesota Lynx

    No. 6 Indiana Fever @ No. 3 Connecticut Sun

    No. 5 Seattle Storm @ No. 4 Las Vegas Aces

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  • Caitlin Clark wows with 29-point double-double in return to WNBA action

    Caitlin Clark wows with 29-point double-double in return to WNBA action

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    In the build-up to the WNBA’s return after the Olympic Games, Caitlin Clark said she had been ready to get going again for a while.In Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, the star rookie looked like she’d never been away as the 22-year-old lit up the game with another standout performance.Clark led the Indiana Fever to an important 98-89 win against the Mercury as the Fever began their push for a place in the playoffs.Contributing her 10th double-double of this season, Clark scored a team-high 29 points and added 10 assists and five rebounds in an all-round performance.“It was pretty fun. I think we came out with a lot of energy, it’s just continuing to find a way to sustain that,” Clark said to reporters postgame on returning to the court during the Fever’s hot start.Indiana led Phoenix 33-16 after the first quarter, during which time Clark scored 13 points, and 54-37 at halftime.While the Mercury battled back, led by Olympic gold medal winner Kahleah Copper’s game-high 32 points, the Fever did enough to secure a crucial win.Alongside Clark, Kelsey Mitchell put up 28 points as the backcourt duo got the Fever over the line.“We’re trying to do these last 14 (games) as just one game at a time, just take it one game at a time,” Clark told reporters postgame.“I thought we came out in the first quarter and really set the tone but for us its just one game at a time.”Fever head coach Christie Sides issued a similar sentiment postgame.“I really have just been preaching (to) my staff, just find a way to only focus our energy on the next play which is the next game. We aren’t in a position yet to look ahead, we can’t look at what other people are doing. We’ve got to focus on us and our habits and us just improving every game.”

    In the build-up to the WNBA’s return after the Olympic Games, Caitlin Clark said she had been ready to get going again for a while.

    In Friday’s matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, the star rookie looked like she’d never been away as the 22-year-old lit up the game with another standout performance.

    Clark led the Indiana Fever to an important 98-89 win against the Mercury as the Fever began their push for a place in the playoffs.

    Contributing her 10th double-double of this season, Clark scored a team-high 29 points and added 10 assists and five rebounds in an all-round performance.

    “It was pretty fun. I think we came out with a lot of energy, it’s just continuing to find a way to sustain that,” Clark said to reporters postgame on returning to the court during the Fever’s hot start.

    Indiana led Phoenix 33-16 after the first quarter, during which time Clark scored 13 points, and 54-37 at halftime.

    While the Mercury battled back, led by Olympic gold medal winner Kahleah Copper’s game-high 32 points, the Fever did enough to secure a crucial win.

    Alongside Clark, Kelsey Mitchell put up 28 points as the backcourt duo got the Fever over the line.

    “We’re trying to do these last 14 (games) as just one game at a time, just take it one game at a time,” Clark told reporters postgame.

    “I thought we came out in the first quarter and really set the tone but for us its just one game at a time.”

    Fever head coach Christie Sides issued a similar sentiment postgame.

    “I really have just been preaching (to) my staff, just find a way to only focus our energy on the next play which is the next game. We aren’t in a position yet to look ahead, we can’t look at what other people are doing. We’ve got to focus on us and our habits and us just improving every game.”

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  • Iconic Mercury duo Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi face the end

    Iconic Mercury duo Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi face the end

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    Brittney Griner got to Phoenix right when Diana Taurasi was ready for her. By the time Griner met her in 2013, Taurasi had been the brash, bucket-getting face of the WNBA for nearly a decade, winning two championships and putting the Phoenix Mercury on the map…

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    Brendon Kleen

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  • Women’s sports saw pivotal growth in deals, interest in 2022

    Women’s sports saw pivotal growth in deals, interest in 2022

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    South Carolina coach Dawn Staley has been around women’s basketball long enough to see the growing pains of a young WNBA league gradually shifting to increased interest in the sport at all levels.

    “We probably are bursting at the seams for the people that are decision-makers in our game to allow us to be just that,” said Staley, who led the Gamecocks to their second women’s hoops title this year.

    Popularity across women’s sports has grown steadily over the past few years, but 2022 marked a pivotal moment as several sports saw increases in viewership and ratings, sponsorship deals and prime-time coverage.

    This past WNBA regular season was the most watched since 2006. And storylines were plentiful as the league contended with the detainment of Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner and the retirement of one of the league’s most popular players in Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird.

    According to ESPN, which aired 25 regular-season games and the entire postseason, the 2022 playoffs averaged 456,000 viewers — up 22% over 2021’s postseason — making it the most-viewed WNBA postseason since 2007. The WNBA draft averaged 403,000 viewers, which was the most since Diana Taurasi was the top pick in 2004.

    WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said her league and the women’s college game build off each other.

    Engelbert said the NCAA Women’s Tournament, which had the most viewed championship game in nearly two decades, built momentum for the women’s game heading into the WNBA season. Now she wants to see how far that growth can go.

    “I’m never satisfied,” Engelbert said. “My team is like ‘Ask for more.’ When you’re in hyper growth mode that’s how you have to do it. We don’t rest. We have to take advantage of the momentum when you have it. … You have to keep pushing, too.

    “We’re underinvested and undervalued.”

    The league has a deal with ESPN/ABC through 2025 where the company paid the WNBA $27 million in 2021 and $28.5 million this past season. That number goes up $1.5 million per season until it hits $33 million in 2025.

    At the collegiate level, division I football players continue to exponentially out-earn athletes in all other sports. But name, image and likeness (NIL) deals have been a game changer for female collegiate athletes, particular in non-revenue producing sports. NIL allows women to take advantage of large social media followings and earn sponsorships with brands like Champs and Adidas.

    Olivia Dunne, a gymnast at LSU, has over 8 million followers across all of her social media platforms, more than any other female collegiate athlete. Her sponsorships include deals with the clothing brand Vuori and American Eagle.

    From the July 2021 inception of NIL through November, women’s sports occupied six of the top 10 highest-earning sports by NIL compensation, according to the NIL technology and marketing company Opendorse.

    “The student-athletes are using social media to build their own audiences, which is driving more interest and tune in to their sports,” said Blake Lawrence, CEO at Opendorse. “The industry is feeding itself … the more marketable the women’s sports athletes, the more engaged their audience will be, the more engaged the audience will be, the more marketable the athletes become.”

    Women’s soccer has also enjoyed a boost in 2022.

    The sport has seen increased global revenue from sponsorships and broadcast deals, according to a survey by FIFA, the sports’ governing body. In an October report, the organization found that clubs reported year-on-year commercial revenue growth of 33% — indicating growing interest from sponsors; 77% of leagues had a title sponsor in 2021, up from 66% the previous year.

    That structural growth was coupled with unprecedented overall interest in the game.

    An August friendly between the United States and England at Wembley sold out in a day and drew nearly 78,000 fans. That was after 87, 192 people watched England defeat Germany 2-1 in the European Championship finals. It was the biggest attendance for a European Championship match, men’s or women’s.

    “The number and the types of different platforms that are highlighting women’s sports, not just women’s soccer, it’s just showing overall that there is interest,” said Kate Markgraf, the general manager of the U.S. Women’s National Team.

    In the United States, the National Women’s Soccer League saw growing popularity amid the backdrop of a league-wide abuse scandal.

    In August, an independent investigation commissioned by U.S. Soccer found that emotional abuse and sexual misconduct in its pro league were systemic, impacting multiple teams, coaches and players.

    Still, the NWSL title game on Oct. 29 averaged 915,000 viewers on CBS in prime time, a league record.

    As the sport gains global momentum ahead of next summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, U.S., Markgraf expects this year’s trend to continue for the foreseeable future, and she wants the success and popularity of women’s soccer to impact fans personally.

    “When you go to a game and you watch it, it’s like, huh, and you leave changed,” she said. “And the more frequently they happen, the longer they resonate. … That’s the goal of U.S. soccer, is to be one of the preeminent sports in our country.”

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  • US women win fourth straight gold at World Cup, top China

    US women win fourth straight gold at World Cup, top China

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    SYDNEY — The names on the U.S. team have changed, the Americans’ dominance has not.

    A’ja Wilson scored 19 points, Kelsey Plum added 17 and the United States beat China 83-61 on Saturday to win its fourth consecutive gold medal at the women’s basketball World Cup.

    “It feels great,” said Wilson, who was selected as the tournament’s MVP. “We came here on a mission, we got it. We got gold. Now we’re going home with some hardware. It feels great to us. Australia was great to us. I didn’t see any kangaroos, but it’s OK because we are leaving with a gold.”

    This was one of the most dominant teams in the Americans’ storied history in the World Cup that now has won 11 gold medals. They now have won four straight gold medals for the first-time ever. This was also the biggest win in a gold-medal game, surpassing the 20-point wins that the Americans had done twice.

    “Everybody wants to beat us. Everybody wants what we have and that’s gold medals and victories,” Breanna Stewart said.

    What started with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi has now been passed down to Wilson and Stewart. With Alyssa Thomas the oldest player at 30, the domination could continue for years to come.

    “It’s been an incredible journey just to continue to lay that foundation down like so many of the greats in front of us have,” Wilson said. “Now it’s our turn to step up and be in that situation.”

    As they’ve done all tournament, the Americans did it on both ends of the court, playing stellar defense as well as using a high-powered offense.

    The U.S. (8-0) finished the World Cup averaging 98.8 points — just short of the mark held by the 1994 team that averaged 99.1. They won by an average of 40.8 points, topping the mark held by the 2010 team.

    The game was a sellout with nearly 16,000 fans — the biggest crowd to attend a women’s World Cup game since the inaugural tournament in 1953 in Chile.

    Led by Li Yueru and Wu Tongtong, China hung around. The Chinese team trailed 33-28 late in the second quarter before the U.S. went on a 10-2 run highlighted by fast-break layups by Stewart and Wilson to extend the advantage to double-digits.

    Jin Weina hit a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to get China back to within 10.

    The U.S. was just too good to let the upset happen, outscoring China 25-14 in the third. The Americans did have one scary moment when Thomas went down after a collision with Li in the lane. She was helped off the court, but returned a few minutes later.

    “It was a tough game as we expected,” Thomas said. “By no means is this game easy. We stuck to it and pulled out a win.”

    China won its first medal since the 1994 World Cup when the team also took the silver and are a rising power in women’s basketball. After the game, the team posed for a photo with their flag and men’s great Yao Ming, who is the president of the Chinese Basketball Association.

    Li finished with 19 points and Wu added 13 before leaving the game in the fourth quarter after her knee gave out driving to the basket. She had to be carried off the court.

    The victory was the 30th in a row in World Cup play for the Americans, who haven’t lost since the 2006 semifinals against Russia. The Soviet Union holds the World Cup record with 56 straight wins from 1959-86. This is only the second time in the Americans’ storied history they’ve reached four consecutive gold medal contests. They also did it from 1979-90, winning three times.

    This U.S. team, which has so many new faces on it, also continued to dominate the paint even without 6-foot-8 Brittney Griner, outscoring its opponents by an average of 55-24.

    These two teams met in pool play and China gave the U.S. its toughest game, losing by 14 points.

    CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE

    Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Plum are part of an incredible group that won a World Cup and WNBA title in the same year. There have been 14 total now.

    WOMEN’S WORLD

    FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis was pleased that half of the officials in the tournament were female and five of the 12 head coaches were women. Both China and the U.S. had women in charge of their teams, marking the second straight time that two female coaches made it to the gold medal game.

    MISSING IN ACTION

    The U.S. was without Kahleah Copper for the second straight game after injuring her left hip in the win over Serbia in the quarterfinals. Copper landed hard on her hip driving to the basket and had to be helped off the court. China was missing its star guard Li Meng, who sat out a second consecutive game with what Chinese media reported as having a fever due to body fatigue.

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    More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Australia wins bronze, Lauren Jackson scores 30 in finale

    Australia wins bronze, Lauren Jackson scores 30 in finale

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    SYDNEY — Lauren Jackson admitted she couldn’t have imagined a better ending to her Hall of Fame career.

    Jackson willed Australia to a win in the bronze medal game at basketball‘s World Cup, scoring 30 points to lead the Opals to a 95-65 win over Canada on Saturday.

    “I could have never dreamed of this,” Jackson said. “I can’t imagine it. I can’t actually articulate how I feel right now. It’s a dream come true. The fact that it’s over, there’s nothing bittersweet. It’s so, so special and I’ve the pleasure doing it here. It’s been perfect.”

    It was a throwback performance for the 41-year-old mom, who came back to the Opals after retiring in 2016 because of injuries. Jackson said on social media Saturday that this would be her final game for Australia and that she was “lucky to have this opportunity to represent Australia and also say goodbye. I didn’t get that chance all those years ago.”

    “To say goodbye this way is just magnificent,” Jackson said. “I couldn’t imagine that.”

    She played in 43 World Cup games in her career, matching Brazil’s Janeth Arcain for most all-time. Jackson won three bronze medals and led the Opals to their lone gold in 2006.

    The U.S. won its fourth straight World Cup gold medal, defeating China 83-61.

    Australia (6-2) was coming off a disappointing last-minute loss to China in the medal round. After a sluggish start, Jackson got the team going scoring nine points in the opening 20 minutes as Australia led 51-43 at the break. Kia Nurse kept Canada in the game with 19 points in the first half. She didn’t score in the second half.

    Jackson then took over scoring 12 of her points in the third quarter when Australia extended the lead to 71-54. Jackson, who had been used sparingly throughout most of the tournament, broke out an array of post moves that were reminiscent of her dominant MVP seasons in the WNBA playing for Seattle.

    Her three-point play with 1:07 left in the third gave Australia a 17-point advantage — its biggest lead of the game to that point.

    Australia coach Sandy Brondello, who played with Jackson on the national team, put Jackson back in with just under 6 minutes left and took her out to a rousing ovation with 2:22 remaining as she hit two free throws to end her night. Jackson received hugs from her teammates, who then lifted her up after the final buzzer.

    “It was a fairytale ending and I couldn’t be more happy for her,” Brondello said.

    Canada (4-3) was looking for its first medal since 1986 when the North American country won the bronze. Even with the loss, the Canadians advanced further than they had in any World Cup in 36 years.

    The teams met in pool play with Australia coming away with a 75-72 win that helped them earn the top seed in the group.

    TIP-INS:

    Jackson became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup medal-round games, surpassing her friend Diana Taurasi’s mark of 63. Jackson finished with 81. … Jackson has now scored over 30 points in a medal game twice — the only player to do it. She had 31 against South Korea in 2002.

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    More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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