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Tag: WNBA Finals

  • WNBA star Alyssa Thomas joins new Project B league, promising higher salaries and global competition

    WNBA MVP finalist Alyssa Thomas on Tuesday became the second player to join Project B, the new women’s basketball league that is expected to begin in Europe and Asia in November 2026.

    The Phoenix Mercury star announced her decision on social media a week after Nneka Ogwumike told The Associated Press that she also would play in the new league offering players high salaries and an equity stake.

    “Alyssa is the kind of player and person you build around,” Project B’s chief basketball officer, Alana Beard, told the AP. “Her leadership, competitiveness and professionalism elevate everyone around her. As one of the most respected players in the world, she represents the new era of player partnership and global competition that Project B stands for.”

    Thomas led the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA Finals this past season before the team lost to the Las Vegas Aces in four games. The 6-foot-2 forward spent her first 11 seasons with the Connecticut Sun, twice leading them to the WNBA Finals while earning five All-Star nods.

    The 33-year-old has spent previous offseasons playing overseas before joining Unrivaled for its inaugural season last year. Thomas will be back this January in the 3-on-3 league that also features many top WNBA players. Project B and Unrivaled will have overlapping dates going forward.

    “We’re confident with what we’ve built in collaboration with our athletes, partners and investors,” Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement. “We remain consistent in our approach to pay players competitively, provide a meaningful stake in the business and keep them home year-round.”

    Project B will have 66 players divided into six teams. Each player will receive a larger salary than those currently offered by the WNBA. They also are expected to be higher than those at Unrivaled.

    While the financial specifics haven’t been disclosed, the potential of more lucrative compensation comes at an important moment for women’s professional basketball. As interest in the sport has soared in recent years, the WNBA and players union are locked in tense negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement, with much of the dispute centered on salary and revenue sharing.

    Project B plans to play the inaugural season through April 2027. That would not interfere with the typical WNBA calendar.

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  • Aces win third WNBA title in 4 seasons, beating Mercury 97-86 for 4-game sweep

    PHOENIX — PHOENIX (AP) — A’ja Wilson put in work in the paint, getting bucket after bucket despite multiple defenders draped all over her.

    She got plenty of help from Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans. The trio started raining 3s early in the second quarter.

    The Las Vegas Aces — once again — were an offensive force in the WNBA Finals, and they were well on their way to their third championship in four seasons. They finished off a four-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury with a 97-86 victory on Friday night.

    “These guys are elite,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said.

    Wilson had 31 points and nine rebounds while Gray and Jackie Young each scored 18 points. Five players scored in double figures.

    The Aces made quick work of the league’s first best-of-seven finals. They scored 54 points in the first half and averaged more than 90 points per game in the series.

    Wilson came to the postgame news conference wearing giant ski goggles from a Champagne celebration in the locker room and carrying a pink tambourine, shaking it after answers she liked.

    “This is a symbol of the joyfulness we have right now,” Wilson said, grinning. “I’m just so grateful to be with this bunch — and that’s not the alcohol talking.”

    Wilson — honored as the Finals MVP — led the way for the Aces despite a poor shooting night. The four-time regular-season MVP finished 7 of 21 from the field but made 17 of 19 free throws. Gray made four 3-pointers, including two in the fourth quarter to help turn back a final rally by the Mercury.

    The Aces were presented the championship trophy by embattled WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who was greeted with boos from the sizable contingent of Las Vegas fans who made the trip to Phoenix.

    The Aces led 76-62 going into the fourth quarter, but the Mercury went on an 8-0 run that cut the deficit to 76-70 with 7:56 left. That was as close as they would get.

    Kahleah Copper led the Mercury with 30 points, shooting 12 of 22 from the field. Alyssa Thomas had 17 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

    Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts was ejected in the third quarter after receiving two quick technical fouls from official Gina Cross. Tibbetts was arguing a foul call against Mercury guard Monique Akoa Makani, and he reacted in disbelief as he was escorted off the court.

    DeWanna Bonner and Copper also got called for technical fouls in the fourth quarter.

    The Aces never trailed in the series clincher, building a 30-21 lead by the end of the first quarter on 55% shooting. Loyd, Gray and Evans made three straight 3s early in the second quarter to put Las Vegas ahead by 19.

    Las Vegas settled for a 54-38 halftime advantage. Wilson had 14 points before the break while Gray added 10.

    Tibbetts said the Aces were a tough team to guard all series.

    “Unbelievable team — they were just playing at an extremely high level,” Tibbetts said. “We put ourselves in position to have a chance in a couple games, but what a run they’ve been on. Hitting big shots after big shots.”

    The Mercury were without forward Satou Sabally, who suffered a concussion near the end of Game 3. They suffered another injury blow on Friday when Thomas had to leave just before halftime after taking a hard hit to her right shoulder on a screen from Loyd.

    Thomas returned for the second half but was hampered by the injury.

    The Mercury enjoyed a deep playoff run under Tibbetts but couldn’t find a way to slow down the Aces. Phoenix made it to the finals after beating the defending champion New York Liberty in the opening round and knocking off the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals.

    Phoenix lost in the WNBA Finals for the second time in five years, falling to the Chicago Sky in 2021. The Mercury have won three championships, with the last coming in 2014.

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  • Las Vegas Aces eye historic third WNBA title in four years

    LAS VEGAS — Not only does Phoenix await the Aces in the WNBA Finals, but so does history.

    Las Vegas has the opportunity to become champions for the third time in four years, a feat surpassed only by the Houston Comets, who won the league’s first four titles in 1997-2000

    The second-seeded Aces, who won championships in 2022 and 2023, open the best-of-seven Finals by hosting the No. 4 Mercury on Friday.

    But minutes after getting past No. 6 Indiana 107-98 in overtime on Tuesday night, coach Becky Hammon wasn’t ready to think about the potential history the Aces can make.

    “I haven’t thought about it,” Hammon said. “We’re just trying to make it through a quarter at a time. Look, we have a special group here. I’m not surprised that they’re here because I know who they are. I know how they’re built.”

    The Aces beat the Mercury in three of their four meetings this season, including both in August when Las Vegas was in the midst of compiling its 16-game winning streak to close the regular season. It’s tied with the second-longest streak in league history with the 2014 Mercury.

    The Aces are making their fourth Finals appearance in six years. They lost to Seattle in the COVID-19 bubble Finals of 2020, but then defeated Connecticut in 2022 and New York in 2023, securing both clinching victories on the road.

    In defeating the Liberty, the Aces became the first team since Los Angeles in 2001-02 to win back-to-back titles.

    Then this year, A’ja Wilson became the first four-time MVP. She was key to lifting the Aces out of a rut with that late charge in the regular season.

    “When you’ve been in the trenches and you really don’t know what is the problem or you don’t know what’s wrong, you’re trying to figure out answers,” Wilson said. “At the beginning of every season, we write out our goals and our goals are always to win a championship. That’s everybody. But to get there, the road, we weren’t expecting it to look like it is.

    “It definitely does feel a lot different than the ones before.”

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  • Mercury overcome 13-point deficit, beat Lynx 86-81 to reach WNBA Finals

    PHOENIX — Alyssa Thomas scored 23 points, DeWanna Bonner made two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point deficit in the final period to beat the short-handed Minnesota Lynx 86-81 in Game 4 on Sunday night and advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021.

    Phoenix will face the Indiana-Las Vegas winner in the championship series. Indiana forced a Game 5 earlier Sunday with a 90-83 home victory.

    The Mercury won the final three games of the best-of-five semifinal series. The top-seeded Lynx were playing without Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended for Game 4 because of her behavior and comments toward officials in Game 3. Minnesota also was without All-Star guard Napheesa Collier, who suffered an ankle injury near the end of the Game 3 loss.

    The Mercury trailed 68-55 heading into the fourth quarter but pulled to 70-69 on Sami Whitcomb’s 3-pointer with 4:46 left. Bonner’s 3-pointer pushed them ahead 72-70 and she hit another 3 with 2:03 left for a 77-73 lead.

    Minnesota’s Kayla McBride hit a 3-pointer — her sixth of the second half — to cut it to 77-76 with 1:04 left. The 38-year-old Bonner then made a pair of free throws to push the Mercury ahead 79-76.

    Bonner scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. Satou Sabally scored 21 points.

    Phoenix will play in the Finals for the first time in four years and try to win its first championship since 2014.

    McBride led Minnesota with 31 points on 6-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. Courtney Williams added 20 points.

    Phoenix’s Kahleah Copper hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter to give the Mercury their first lead of the game at 41-38. But the Lynx responded with a 23-9 run, highlighted by a three 3-pointers from McBride.

    The Lynx jumped out to an early 12-1 lead but the Mercury slowly chipped way at the deficit. Thomas hit Bonner for a layup just before the halftime buzzer to tie the game at 38.

    Sabally led the Mercury with 18 points before the break.

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  • New York Liberty win first WNBA championship, beating Minnesota 67-62

    New York Liberty win first WNBA championship, beating Minnesota 67-62

    NEW YORK — The New York Liberty finally have a WNBA championship after beating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime of a decisive Game 5 on Sunday night.

    Jonquel Jones scored 17 points to lead New York, which was one of the original franchises in the league. The Liberty made the WNBA Finals five times before, losing each one, including last season. This time they wouldn’t be denied, although it took an extra five minutes.

    The win gave the city of New York its first basketball title since 1973 when the Knicks won the NBA championship.

    With stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu struggling on offense, other players stepped up. Leonie Fiebich started off OT with a 3-pointer, and then Nyara Sabally had a steal for a layup to make it 65-60 and bring the sellout crowd to a frenzied state.

    Minnesota didn’t score in OT until Kayla McBride hit two free throws with 1:51 left. The Lynx missed all six of their field goal attempts in overtime. After Ionescu missed a shot with 21 seconds left, her 18th miss on 19 shot attempts, the Lynx had one last chance, but Bridget Carleton missed a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left.

    Stewart, who missed a free throw with 0.8 seconds left in the end of regulation in Game 1, hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left in overtime to seal the victory.

    As the final seconds ticked off the clock the players hugged and streamers fell from the rafters.

    New York trailed by two in regulation when Stewart was fouled with 5.2 seconds left. After a lengthy video review, Stewart calmly hit two free throws to tie the game at 60.

    Kayla McBride, who finished with 21 points, had an open look for a 3, but it fell off the rim and the game went to OT.

    Many of the former Liberty greats were in the audience, including Teresa Weatherspoon, who hit a half-court heave in the 1999 WNBA Finals to force a decisive Game 3 that year. That was the last time that New York had a chance to play in a championship deciding game until this year.

    Jones, who was the only player on the Liberty to compete in a Game 5 before when she was with Connecticut in 2019, earned MVP honors.

    “I could never dream of this. You know how many times I’ve been denied. It was delayed. I am so happy to do it here,” she said.

    Napheesa Collier scored 22 points to lead Minnesota before fouling out with 13 seconds left in OT.

    The Lynx were trying for a record fifth WNBA title, breaking a tie with the Seattle Storm and Houston Comets. Minnesota won four titles from 2011-17 behind the core group of Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Sylvia Fowles and Maya Moore. That was the team’s last appearance in the WNBA Finals until this year.

    This is the first time since 2019 that the WNBA Finals have gone the distance. Since the league switched to a best-of-five format in 2005, seven other series have gone to a Game 5 and the home team has won five of those contests, including in 2019.

    This series has been a fitting conclusion to a record-breaking season for the league. All five games came down to the last few possessions and have included two overtime games and a last-second shot, which have led to record ratings.

    The first three games each had over a million viewers on average, with the audience growing for each contest. They also have had huge crowds in attendance.

    Liberty fan Spike Lee was courtside over an hour before tipoff chatting with the media while wearing his Ionescu jersey. Once Ionescu finished warming up pregame, the pair had a brief exchange and hugged. Lee was part of a sellout crowd of 18,090 that helped this series set both the overall attendance record for a WNBA Finals as well as the average attendance mark.

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  • Aussie’s game-winning defence keeps WNBA Finals alive, forcing first decider in five years

    Aussie’s game-winning defence keeps WNBA Finals alive, forcing first decider in five years

    Australian Alanna Smith has come up with some clutch defence to keep her Minnesota Lynx alive and force a deciding game five in the WNBA Finals against New York Liberty.

    With scores tied at 80 in the final 30 seconds, Smith was given the job of defending two-time MVP Breanna Stewart as she sought the potential series-winning shot for New York.

    Picking her up near half-court, Smith stayed in front of the 2018 and 2023 Most Valuable Player and not only forced her into an awkward running jump shot, she pressured Stewart into missing the rim completely, forcing a shot-clock violation.

    Bridget Carleton made two free throws with two seconds left at the other end and the Lynx beat the Liberty 82-80 to set up a deciding game five in New York on Monday morning (AEDT).

    It is the first time the WNBA Finals have gone the distance since 2019, when Washington topped Connecticut.

    “Last 40 minutes of the season could be anywhere, we’re going to be out there going to war and I’m pumped,” said Kayla McBride, who led the Lynx with 19 points.

    Smith scored 12 points on 5/9 shooting, including hitting both shots from three-point range, while pulling down seven rebounds, blocking one shot and getting two steals.

    It was a remarkable effort considering the Opals forward carried a back injury into the game.

    Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is no stranger to winner-take-all games. She coached Minnesota in three straight from 2015-17, winning two.

    “I don’t think about the other ones,” Reeve said.

    “I feel very blessed in my career to have a chance to been a part of so many. I haven’t won them all. … What I’m thrilled about is that this group gets to experience the game five.”

    Unlike the first three games of the series, when one of the teams built a double-digit lead, this one was tight throughout with 14 lead changes and 13 ties, and neither team leading by more than six.

    With the game tied at 80 with 18 seconds left after Smith’s defensive play, Lynx guard Courtney Williams dribbled to run the clock down and missed a jumper with a few seconds left, but Carleton got the rebound in the lane and was fouled by Sabrina Ionescu as she tried to fling the ball back toward the basket.

    The 27-year-old Canadian calmly made both free throws, and Ionescu was unable to duplicate her heroics in game three, when she made a 28-footer with a second left to give the Liberty a 2-1 series lead.

    Minnesota stands one victory away from a record fifth WNBA title, which would break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm.

    The Liberty are looking for their first title and have lost in the finals five times. The team was one of the original eight franchises when the league began in 1997 and is the only one left of that group not to have won it all.

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  • WNBA semifinals feature marquee players, a finals rematch and teams looking for first titles

    WNBA semifinals feature marquee players, a finals rematch and teams looking for first titles

    NEW YORK — Star power, a quest for a three-peat and two franchises looking for their first championships highlight the WNBA semifinals that begin Sunday.

    The Las Vegas Aces will face the New York Liberty in a WNBA Finals rematch from last season while the Connecticut Sun play the Minnesota Lynx in the other series.

    The Aces, led by unanimous MVP A’ja Wilson, are looking to become the first team since the Houston Comets to win three titles in a row while the Liberty are trying for a measure of revenge against Las Vegas after losing last year.

    Minnesota was the dominant team last decade winning four titles in a seven-year span from 2011-2017. They haven’t reached the WNBA Finals since. Connecticut has reached the championship round twice since the Lynx’s run, but lost both times.

    Connecticut and New York are both looking for the first championship in franchise history.

    Season Series: The Liberty swept the three games, although the Aces played without Wilson in the last meeting in New York earlier this month.

    Marquee Matchup: Wilson and Breanna Stewart. They are two of the best women’s basketball players in the world and have shined in the postseason throughout their careers. Wilson raised her game to another level this year averaging a WNBA-record 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds during the regular season to earn MVP honors for the third time. Stewart averaged 20.4 points and had more help on the offensive end with the increased play of Sabrina Ionescu.

    X-Factors: Liberty players have said all season that they are more connected this year after playing as a unit last season for the first time. New York added rookie Leonie Fiebich to the mix and she was stellar throughout the regular season. The 6-foot-4 wing gives New York more size and shooting. Las Vegas added Tiffany Hayes in the middle of the season, convincing her to come out of retirement. She earned The AP’s Sixth Woman of the Year honors.

    Homecourt Advantage: New York captured the No. 1 seed this year and will play the first two games at home in the best-of-5 series. Last season in the WNBA Finals, the Liberty had to go to Las Vegas and returned home facing elimination. New York has had a boisterous crowd all season at home and games have become the in-place to be for some celebrities.

    Season Series: The Sun won two of the three games although each matchup was competitive. Connecticut won in overtime in May and then by five in July. Minnesota walked away with a key two-point win during the last week of the regular season to secure the two-seed.

    Marquee Matchup: Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas. Collier raised her play in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 40 points in the two wins over Phoenix. She tied the WNBA record with a 42-point effort in the clincher on Wednesday night. She anchors the Lynx’s defense and was The AP Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas has always lifted her play in the playoffs and this year was no different. She had her fourth postseason triple-double in the opening win over Indiana and then had 19 points and 13 assists in the clincher.

    X-Factors: The victor of the series may come down to which former Notre Dame guard plays the best, Kayla McBride or Marina Mabrey. The Sun added Mabrey via trade right before the Olympic break. She provides the team with another consistent outside shooter. McBride has been a steady for the Lynx since coming to the team in 2021.

    Key Stat: The Lynx have been the best team in the league when it comes to sharing the basketball. They led the WNBA with 23 assists per game during the regular season. They averaged 29 a contest in their sweep of the Mercury.

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  • Las Vegas Aces become first repeat WNBA champs in 21 years, beating New York Liberty

    Las Vegas Aces become first repeat WNBA champs in 21 years, beating New York Liberty

    NEW YORK — A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces secured their place as one of the greatest teams in WNBA history.

    The Aces became the first team to repeat as champions in 21 years, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals on Wednesday night.

    “It’s not easy, as you know. This is what it’s all about,” Wilson said. “Not a lot of people get to do it. To be short-handed and win is amazing. It makes the win that much better. It’s hard to get back to the Finals to win again.”

    The Aces joined the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-02) and the Houston Comets (1997-2000) as the only teams in league history to win consecutive titles.

    Las Vegas did it without starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, who were both sidelined with foot injuries suffered in Game 3. Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, was constantly in the ear of her teammates during timeouts and shouting encouragement from the sideline. Las Vegas was also still missing veteran Candace Parker, who had foot surgery in late July.

    “We’ve been facing adversity all season, playing without different players. … We have some professional fighters,” said Alysha Clark, who was pressed into the starting lineup Wednesday. “To weather the storm of everything we went through, to show up every single day. To be in this moment right now and do it together, it speaks volumes about us, our chemistry.”

    Coach Becky Hammon said this was the closest team she has ever been around. The entire team attended the postgame news conference and cheered every answer, especially those by Wilson, the Finals MVP, who finished third in the regular-season MVP balloting.

    With the game tied at 64, Las Vegas scored six straight points, including the first four by Jackie Young, to go ahead 70-64 with 1:26 left.

    Courtney Vandersloot hit a 3-pointer on New York’s next possession, then stole the ball from Kelsey Plum, which led to Sabrina Ionescu’s foul-line jumper to get the Liberty within one with 41.7 seconds left.

    On the ensuing possession, Las Vegas worked the shot clock down before Hammon called timeout with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The Aces got the ball to Wilson on a lob, but Breanna Stewart blocked the shot, giving New York one last chance.

    After a timeout with 8.8 seconds left, the Liberty got the ball to Stewart, who was double-teamed. The ball swung over to Vandersloot in the corner, but her shot missed badly, setting off a wild celebration by the Aces at midcourt.

    “It’s a play we’ve ran before, get the ball to Stewie’s hand,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. We got it where we wanted to, but didn’t make it.”

    Vandersloot finished with 19 points and Betnijah Laney added 15 for New York.

    Hammon said before the game she would be “throwing the kitchen sink at (the Liberty), see what sticks, see what works.”

    The Aces rotated defenses, which stymied New York after the Liberty scored 23 points in the first quarter.

    “I think they were throwing whatever defense they had at us and make sure it’s ugly,” Stewart said. “Sometimes we lost our flow and ball movement.”

    Hammon started WNBA sixth woman of the year Clark and Cayla George in place of Gray and Stokes. Clark did a stellar job on her former Seattle Storm teammate Stewart, holding her to 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting. George had 11 points.

    “Just knowing what she likes to do. And just locking in and making sure that I don’t give that to her,” Clark said of guarding Stewart. “I’m so proud of this team.”

    This was the first close game of the season between these teams. The four regular-season matchups were all blowouts with the closest contest being a nine-point win by New York on Aug. 28. The first three games of the WNBA Finals were also routs, with New York winning Game 3 87-73 to stave off elimination.

    Game 4 was so tense that Ionescu was seen vomiting into a trash can during a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, shortly after she hit a 3-pointer to get the Liberty within 60-58. Ionescu stayed in the game after the timeout.

    New York’s record fell to 2-10 all-time in the WNBA Finals. Teams that fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-five series Finals have lost all nine of those series.

    STAR-STUDDED CROWD

    Once again, New York drew dozens of celebrities to the game, including basketball royalty Sue Bird and Dawn Staley — the South Carolina coach who loudly cheered on her former star player, Wilson. The two embraced in a long hug after the game. Also in attendance were Liberty Ring of Honor members Vickie Johnson and Sue Wicks, and actors Jennifer Connelly, Issa Rae and Jason Sudeikis.

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  • Las Vegas Aces Become First Repeat WNBA Champs In 21 Years, Beating Liberty 70-69 In Game 4

    Las Vegas Aces Become First Repeat WNBA Champs In 21 Years, Beating Liberty 70-69 In Game 4

    NEW YORK (AP) — The Las Vegas Aces became the first team in 21 years to win back-to-back WNBA championships, getting 24 points and 16 rebounds from A’ja Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals on Wednesday night.

    The Aces joined the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-02) and the Houston Comets (1997-2000) as the only teams in league history to win consecutive titles.

    Las Vegas did it without starters Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, who were both sidelined with foot injuries suffered in Game 3. Gray, the 2022 WNBA Finals MVP, was constantly in the ear of her teammates during timeouts and shouting encouragement from the sideline. Las Vegas was also still missing veteran Candace Parker, who had foot surgery in late July.

    “We’ve been facing adversity all season, playing without different players. … We have some professional fighters,” said Alysha Clark, who was pressed into the starting lineup Wednesday. “To weather the storm of everything we went through, to show up every single day. To be in this moment right now and do it together, it speaks volumes about us, our chemistry.”

    Wilson won Finals MVP honors this year after finishing in third in the regular-season MVP balloting.

    With the game tied at 64, Las Vegas scored six straight points, including the first four by Jackie Young, to go ahead 70-64 with 1:26 left.

    Courtney Vandersloot hit a 3-pointer on New York’s next possession, then stole the ball from Kelsey Plum, which led to Sabrina Ionescu’s foul-line jumper to get the Liberty within one with 41.7 seconds left.

    On the ensuing possession, Las Vegas worked the shot clock down before coach Becky Hammon called timeout with 3 seconds left on the shot clock. The Aces got the ball to Wilson on a lob, but Breanna Stewart blocked the shot, giving New York one last chance.

    After a timeout with 8.8 seconds left, the Liberty got the ball to Stewart, who was double-teamed. The ball swung over to Vandersloot in the corner, but her shot missed badly, setting off a wild celebration by the Aces at midcourt.

    “It’s a play we’ve ran before, get the ball to Stewie’s hand,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. We got it where we wanted to, but didn’t make it.”

    Vandersloot finished with 19 points and Betnijah Laney added 15 for New York.

    Hammon said before the game she would be “throwing the kitchen sink at (the Liberty), see what sticks, see what works.”

    The Aces rotated defenses, which stymied New York after the Liberty scored 23 points in the first quarter.

    “I think they were throwing whatever defense they had at us and make sure it’s ugly,” Stewart said. “Sometimes we lost our flow and ball movement.”

    Hammon started WNBA sixth woman of the year Clark and Cayla George in place of Gray and Stokes. Clark did a stellar job on her former Seattle Storm teammate Stewart, holding her to 10 points on 3-of-17 shooting. George had 11 points.

    “Just knowing what she likes to do. And just locking in and making sure that I don’t give that to her,” Clark said of guarding Stewart. “I’m so proud of this team.”

    This was the first close game of the season between these teams. The four regular-season matchups were all blowouts with the closest contest being a nine-point win by New York on Aug. 28. The first three games of the WNBA Finals were also routs, with New York winning Game 3 87-73 to stave off elimination.

    Game 4 was so tense that Ionescu was seen vomiting into a trash can during a timeout midway through the fourth quarter, shortly after she hit a 3-pointer to get the Liberty within 60-58. Ionescu stayed in the game after the timeout.

    Once again, New York drew dozens of celebrities to the game, including basketball royalty Sue Bird and Dawn Staley — the South Carolina coach who loudly cheered on her former star player, Wilson — along with Liberty Ring of Honor members Vickie Johnson and Sue Wicks. Actors Jennifer Connelly, Issa Rae and Jason Sudeikis also attended.

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  • WNBA holding its own against NFL, MLB, with finals broadcast during busy sports calendar

    WNBA holding its own against NFL, MLB, with finals broadcast during busy sports calendar

    The WNBA is competing for TV viewers during one of the busiest times on the sports calendar and the league is holding its own with no plans to turn back the clock.

    Through two WNBA Finals games, the series between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty is the most watched in 20 years.

    The finals opened on an NFL Sunday and the Aces 99-82 victory over the Liberty was the most-viewed Game 1 since ESPN started broadcasting the series in 1998. Game 2 on Wednesday night — a 104-76 win by Las Vegas — was played with the MLB postseason in full swing.

    “I think whatever timeframe you’re operating in, there’s going to be competition. It’s about continuing to try to grow your product,” said ESPN NBA analyst Doris Burke, who called WNBA games during its early years. “I don’t think there’s any doubt you can see the evolution of the players and the coaching in the WNBA. And I expect that trajectory to continue.”

    The numbers are trending in the WNBA’s favor.

    Viewership for the two games is up 13% over last year’s finals between the Aces and Connecticut Sun. Game 1 on ABC averaged 729,000 viewers and the average was 626,000 for Game 2 on ESPN. The two-game average of 680,000 is a bump the league hopes continues.

    This will be the latest finish to a WNBA season in a non-Olympic year. Playing later into the fall is not a new trend for the league. It’s the 13th time in the WNBA’s 27-year history a finals series has either started or stretched into October. When the league was launched in 1997 the schedule ended in August — before the deluge of viewing options for sports fans.

    An expanded regular season and playoffs have pushed the end of the WNBA season into head-to-head competition with the NFL, baseball playoffs and the start of the NHL and NBA preseason.

    When the WNBA debuted in 1997 with eight teams, its season was completed before Labor Day. The league continues to operate in a condensed time frame. The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement states the earliest the season can start is April 1 and that it must end by Oct. 31. But not factoring in the pandemic seasons of 2020 and 2021, the league has gone from a 34-game regular season from 2003 to 2019, to 36 in 2022 to 40 this year.

    Beginning last year, the playoffs also expanded to best-of-three in the first round and best-of-five in the semifinals and finals. The altering of the playoff format was one of the primary objectives of the WNBA Players Association during its last round of CBA negotiations.

    The change created some tradeoffs for the league.

    More games and arena availability also means sometimes the playoffs doesn’t get top billing. ESPN2 ended up carrying a playoff doubleheader on a Friday night because ESPN had college . Still, according to the WNBA, regular-season games on ESPN and CBS averaged 505,000 viewers, an 8% increase over last year. The Sunday afternoon games on ABC averaged 627,000, its most since 2012.

    Going into the finals, though, playoff viewership was averaging 400,000, an 8% decline over last year. However, Game 2 of the semifinal series between the Connecticut Sun and New York Liberty on Sept. 26, a Tuesday night, averaged 563,000 on ESPN, the largest audience for a non-finals playoff game on cable since 2001.

    When asked during her annual news conference before the start of the finals why the long periods between playoff series, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert cited the number of regular-season games as one factor.

    “It’s just the nature of the broadcast windows and how that played out this year and how long the series went,” Engelbert said. “We also played 40 games this year, so I think some of the rest actually should come in handy.”

    John Kosner, who runs his own digital and sports consulting company, says that even though the playoffs and finals are taking place during a busy time on the sports calendar, there are more people watching television during the fall, which brings opportunities to get a sampling from a broader audience.

    “The reality of the WNBA season is that the league has to make trade-offs. The fact is no time of the year is clear, and running from spring until now makes the most sense for first-rate arenas,” he said.

    It helps to have the star-power of this year’s finals. League MVP Breanna Stewart and sharp-shooting Sabrina Ionescu headline a New York team in the finals for the first time since 2002; the Aces under coach Becky Hammon and led by last year’s league MVP A’ja Wilson are trying to become repeat champions for the first time since Los Angeles in 2001 and ’02.

    “When you have a marquee matchup, like the Las Vegas Aces and now New York, that’s what the old days used to be. That’s what we were getting back to,” Aces President Nikki Fargas said before Wednesday’s Game 2. “And I think the fan base is understanding that not only are we going to follow you and support you in person, if I can’t be there, then I’m gonna support you and watch you.”

    The league also has tried to make better use of the popularity of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament as a springboard to the start of its season. That includes the draft, which takes place in mid-April and generally less than two weeks after March Madness is over.

    The promotion is expected to intensify during next year’s tournament with Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese and Connecticut’s Paige Bueckers on the horizon as well as next year’s Olympics. And that women’s college basketball audience has traditionally followed those players into the WNBA.

    The ratings bump will surely be a topic of discussion during upcoming TV contract negotiations.

    The WNBA’s television contract expires in 2025. ESPN/ABC has the entire postseason and the All-Star Game while Scripps, Amazon and CBS have some regular-season and Commissioner’s Cup games.

    The league will receive $33 million from ESPN/ABC for the final season in 2025, but it could see significant growth beyond that. A new media rights deal with additional partners would increase revenue. Multiple carriers for the postseason could even make the playoff schedule more compact.

    “I’ll go back to the NBA at a point in history in which they were on tape delay,” Burke said. “It takes some time to grow the fandom and get these players to be front and center in the minds of the nation’s sports fans. But it feels to me like A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Chelsea Gray are becoming more known to the casual sports fan.”

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    AP Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg and AP contributor W.G. Ramirez in Las Vegas contributed to this story.

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  • Liberty center Stefanie Dolson ‘excited’ about former team signing Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon as HC

    Liberty center Stefanie Dolson ‘excited’ about former team signing Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon as HC

    Stefanie Dolson is wrapping up her second season with the Liberty while her and the team have sights set on capturing the 2023 WNBA title. But, the former Chicago Sky player shared thoughts on her old team making headlines this week.

    Months after coach James Wade surprisingly bolted out of Chicago and landed onto the NBA’s Toronto Raptors staff as an assistant, the Sky hired Hall of Famer and former Liberty guard Teresa Weatherspoon to be the team’s next coach, the Athletic reported Tuesday.

    What will she bring to a Chicago Sky team that finished the regular season 18-22 and suffered a quick first-round exit in the postseason?

    “Everything,” Dolson said before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. “I’m excited for her. I’m excited for the Chicago Sky.”

    Weatherspoon will lead the Sky after spending four seasons as an assistant coach with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans from 2020-23.

    She was the head coach at her alma mater Louisiana Tech from 2009-14 years before landing her gig in New Orleans. The five-time All-Star played eight seasons in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks and Liberty. All her All-Star appearances came as a member of the Liberty. She was also named to the league’s 15th Anniversary Team in 2011 and 20th Anniversary Team in 2016.

    Weatherspoon is now currently the sixth WNBA head coach that was a former player. That list includes both coaches that are leading their teams in the 2023 Finals — New York’s Sandy Brondello and Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon.

    In her short Liberty tenure, Dolson said she’s been around Weatherspoon “a little bit,” when the Hall of Famer comes around the team’s facility, but the center noted the coach’s “experience.”

    “She has great intensity, knowledge about the game, experience,” Dolson said Wednesday. “Former players, I think, make some of the greatest coaches because they just have that playing experience and know what the players need and want.”

    Fiifi Frimpong

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  • WNBA first: Hammon, Brondello make history as ex-players coaching teams in the Finals

    WNBA first: Hammon, Brondello make history as ex-players coaching teams in the Finals

    NEW YORK — Becky Hammon sent Sandy Brondello a text before the WNBA season started with a simple few words: “This is about to be fun.”

    It has been for Hammon’s defending champion Las Vegas Aces and Brondello and the New York Liberty. Now when the two preseason favorites to win it all meet in the WNBA Finals they will be the first former players to meet as head coaches for the championship.

    With New York building a formidable team in the offseason through free agency and trades with the additions of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, Hammon knew A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and the rest of the Aces were going to have a new threat to their title defense led by her former coach in San Antonio.

    She wasn’t wrong. The first-place Aces and the second-seeded Liberty Sunday will tip off the highly anticipated showdown in the best-of-five WNBA Finals.

    “We have a lot of mutual respect. I coached Becky and she was one of the smartest players around,” Brondello said. “Let’s have a fun time and see where it goes. We’ll compete but have great sportsmanship, hopefully it’s great basketball.”

    Both Hammon and Brondello have already won titles as coaches but there is much at stake in this one: Las Vegas is looking to become the first team to repeat as champions since Los Angeles did it in 2001-02; New York is trying to win its first championship ever.

    Hammon and Brondello competed against each other as players and tried to win a championship together in San Antonio.

    The former point guards squared off before Brondello retired and got her start as an assistant coach with the then-Silver Stars in 2005. Hammon joined San Antonio as a player in 2007 after a stellar career with the Liberty.

    Hammon has a lot of respect for Brondello and her husband Olaf — who is an assistant with the Liberty. He was also in San Antonio when Hammon was there and spent countless hours working with her to hone her skills as a player.

    “I think Sandy’s a very much big-picture kind of head coach and Olaf is this behind-the-scenes tactician, so they work really well,” Hammon said. “They’re still running some plays that we did at San Antonio. Hopefully, those ones don’t sneak up on us and we’ll be ready.”

    Former San Antonio coach Dan Hughes, who hired Brondello as an assistant and coached Hammon, is thrilled that his two proteges are in the Finals.

    “I’m very excited for them. I’m very happy for them,” he said in a phone interview with The Associated Press. “I know the reality is that someone is going to win and someone is going to lose. I’ve been swept in the finals and swept to win the finals, I know the elation and I know the depression. when it doesn’t happen for you.”

    WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert says the Hammon-Brondello is a reflection of the league’s growth.

    “As we witness Sandy Brondello and Becky Hammon guide their teams to the WNBA Finals, their journey from the court to the coaching sidelines is an inspiring testament to the enduring legacy of the WNBA,” Engelbert said. “Since 2019, we have tripled the number of former players who are head coaches and significantly increased those in the assistant coaching ranks and I am so pleased to see all their successes and contributions to growing the game.”

    Hughes is not surprised at the coaching success Hammon and Brondello have had, or that their teams were 1-2 in scoring this past season.

    “What I remember the most was Sandy had — especially as a young coach — a brilliant offensive mind,” Hughes recalled. “So did Becky. I leaned on Becky in a lot of ways too from an offensive standpoint on the court.”

    Hughes plans to be at Game 3 in New York but does not have a favorite, saying he “definitely will sit right in the middle and root for both of them.”

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    AP Sports Writer Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed to this story.

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  • Liberty-Aces WNBA Finals to showcase chess match between Sandy Brondello, Becky Hammon

    Liberty-Aces WNBA Finals to showcase chess match between Sandy Brondello, Becky Hammon

    The Liberty and Las Vegas Aces are really familiar with each other after having five total matchups in 2023 — including the Libs Commissioner’s Cup win in August. 

    The familiarity established during the regular season and Cup game, which ended with the Liberty winning three of five, sets up a WNBA Finals that’ll epitomize the chess match that goes on game-to-game between the Liberty’s Sandy Brondello and Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon in a championship series.

    And what does Brondello think will be the difference that could lead to the Libs’ first title in franchise history?

    “Staying true to our identity,” the Liberty head coach said at the Barclays Center practice court on Wednesday. “I think that’s important. We obviously have respect for our opponent and they’re the champions from last year but we need to go in and stamp how we want to play at both ends of the floor and have confidence.”

    The identity that got the Liberty to its first Finals berth since 2002 consists of uber-physical play in the paint — on offense and defense — to go along with elite, timely shot-making in the second half of games.

    It was on display in the first-round Game 2 win against the Mystics, when star center Jonquel Jones recovered an intended miss free throw to set up her own made attempts to send the game into overtime.

    The Libs showcased it again in the second round by getting three wins against a tough Connecticut Sun team that were fueled by third-quarter runs in each victory. The Game 4 series-clinching win featured a 7-0 run to kick-off the third quarter en route to a 87-84 victory at Mohegan Sun Arena.

    “We’re a tough team, we’re resilient and we’ve been battle-tested throughout the playoffs,” Jonquel Jones said.

    The Liberty showcased these winning qualities in the regular-season wins against the Aces as well.

    Jones’ physicality, with added pressure from teammates down low, kept superstar A’ja Wilson to a combined 18 points on 4-for-24 shooting from the field in the Libs’s first two blowouts wins against the Aces this year — the regular season game on Aug. 6 and Cup game on Aug. 15.

    In those games, Brondello took advantage of the Aces who were without future Hall of Famer Candace Parker due to a foot injury. One less playmaker and shot-maker in the starting lineup prompted Brondello to get her five defenders on the floor to hone in on just the other four stars — Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Wilson.

    The adjustment stagnated the Aces’ offense and often left less threatening scorers — forward Alysha Clark and center Kiah Stokes — with opportunities that weren’t converted. The duo combined to shoot 3-for-14 and score just seven total points in 79 minutes of action during the two losses.

    The adjustment worked and Brondello won that chess match. But, Hammon quickly rebounded with a 88-75 victory two days after the Cup loss in a game. The offense looked fluid again. Gray recorded a triple double — 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds — and Wilson bounced back with a 21-point, eight-rebound performance.

    The Liberty got the last laugh by winning the final matchup, 94-85, at Barclays Center on Aug. 28.

    Those kind of swings from game-to-game are to be expected in the Finals before a winning team hoists hardware.

    The Aces may come equipped to deal with Jones’ aggressiveness down low. Las Vegas swept a Dallas team that had an abundance of bigs without an issue. The Wings don’t have a center up to Jones’ caliber — a former MVP that is averaging 17 points and 13 boards while shooting 53% in the postseason — but successfully neutralizing one of the Wings’ strengths in a playoff series is a feather in Hammon’s cap.

    The chess match that lasted five games in the regular season will extend into the Finals. The Liberty acknowledged that the long series, as Breanna Stewart described it Wednesday, will bring different challenges from a team that has improved since its last meeting.

    “They’re playing really well. They’re confident, they’re comfortable with one another,” Stewart said. “Everything that you saw in the regular season has only gotten better. And that’s what you expect as a team that’s in the Finals.”

    The 2023 MVP also made one thing very clear: “From where we were, to where we started, to now, we got better too.”

    Fiifi Frimpong

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  • Harris praises 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces for ‘grit and determination’ on and off court

    Harris praises 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces for ‘grit and determination’ on and off court

    WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris led a White House celebration Friday for the 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces, praising the team for its “grit and determination” on the court and “ferocious” advocacy in support of colleague Brittney Griner during her detention in Russia last year.

    The Aces defeated the Connecticut Sun 78-71 in Game Four of the finals to win the championship trophy, 3-1, along with what’s become a traditional invitation to the White House.

    “It was only five years ago that this franchise moved to Las Vegas and now they are the first major professional sports team in Nevada history, in Nevada history, to win a championship, and that’s because this team defines grit and determination,” Harris said.

    The Aces were lifted to its first championship title by Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, who scored a game-high 20 points; regular season MVP A’ja Wilson, who added 11 points, and shooting by Riquna Williams, who came off the bench to score 17 points.

    The title made Becky Hammon the first rookie head coach in WNBA history to win a championship. She joined the Aces from the San Antonio Spurs, where she became the first full-time female assistant coach in NBA history.

    Harris also praised the Aces for being role models and leaders outside of the arena by serving the Las Vegas community through a team foundation, supporting student health and mental wellness, and pushing for equal pay for female athletes and all women.

    The vice president commended the Aces for speaking out in support of Griner, the star center of the league’s Phoenix Mercury, who was detained in Russia in February 2022 after authorities at an airport near Moscow said they found vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis in her luggage. Griner faced a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.

    “Our nation’s stronger because of your leadership,” the vice president said. “For example, when an American citizen was wrongfully detained abroad, you organized and advocated in a ferocious extraordinary way. You organized folks, you lifted up the issue, you helped educate folks about what was at stake, all in support of Brittney Griner.”

    The two-timed Olympic gold medalist was freed from a Russian prison 10 months later, in December 2022, in exchange for the United States releasing Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

    Aces players also lead in the fight for broader rights and freedoms, including the right to vote and for LGBTQ individuals and their families, Harris said.

    Harris said the larger story is that the WNBA is more than a basketball league, but rather is a way to “inspire our young people and people across our nation to dream with ambition.”

    The WNBA title is the first for the Aces, which is one of the league’s original eight franchises. The team began as the Utah Starzz from 1997-2002, then relocated to San Antonio as the Silver Stars (and later just the Stars) from 2003-2017. The team moved to Las Vegas before the 2018 season.

    The Aces are also the first major professional sports team to win a championship for Las Vegas, which also has the NFL’s Raiders and the NHL’s Golden Knights.

    The team, she said, reminds everyone that “Las Vegas is so much more than just 4 miles on a strip.”

    Wilson and Gray also presented Harris with a jersey with the No. 49.

    The White House had announced several weeks ago that President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, would host the Aces. But the assignment went to Harris after Biden extended a family vacation in the Lake Tahoe area through Saturday.

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  • LA Sparks fighting to grab last playoff spot in rebuilding year riddled with injuries

    LA Sparks fighting to grab last playoff spot in rebuilding year riddled with injuries

    LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Sparks knew this season was a rebuilding year for a franchise looking to regain its championship pedigree. They just didn’t count on a spate of injuries and illness that have sometimes limited them to eight available on a 12-player roster.

    “It’s a vicious cycle when you have adversity,” said coach Curt Miller, in his first season with the Sparks after leading the Connecticut Sun to last year’s WNBA Finals. “The teaching has been less than I would hope. You don’t have the amount of time on the practice floor and the reps.”

    The Sparks are 13-18 and last week handed the WNBA-leading Las Vegas Aces just their fourth loss of the season. Riding a four-game winning streak, the Sparks lead the Chicago Sky by 1 1/2 games for the eighth and final spot in the playoffs, which begin Sept. 13.

    Among their nine remaining games, the Sparks face the second-place New York Liberty, play the third-place Sun twice and host Chicago.

    The Sparks used 12 different starting lineups in their first 20 games.

    Starting guard Lexie Brown has been out with an unspecified non-COVID illness. Chiney Ogwumike, who hasn’t played since June 28, is expected to be sidelined another four to six weeks while recovering from an Achilles injury. Nia Clouden is out indefinitely with a shin injury.

    “The injuries have very much put our backs against the wall and beat us down and drug us through the mud and forced us time and time again to really be gut-checked this season and see how much willingness we have to get back up and keep fighting,” guard Layshia Clarendon said.

    Clarendon scored 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting and made all nine free throws in handing the Aces their first regular-season home loss.

    Clarendon recently returned after being sidelined for a month with a foot injury. The team is 10-7 with her in the lineup.

    “Those 14 games that she missed is a big deal for us,” Miller said. “(Clarendon) just adds so much to what we’re about and what we’re trying to create here culture-wise.”

    Brown got off to a strong start, averaging a career-high 13.3 points in the season’s first nine games. Her shooting percentages overall and from 3-point range were career-bests.

    The Sparks recently stabilized enough to use the same lineup in four straight games.

    “We’re finding our flow now,” guard Jordin Canada said. “Unfortunately, it’s coming toward the end of the season but we’ve had so much adversity. We’re learning each other, we’re playing off each other, we’re talking and communicating more.”

    The Sparks are getting career-best seasons from eight-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike, Canada and Karlie Samuelson.

    Now in her 12th year, Ogwumike is putting up numbers comparable to her league MVP season in 2016. She’s averaging 19.7 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 51% from the floor. She earlier passed Candace Parker to become the Sparks’ second-leading career scorer behind Lisa Leslie.

    Canada was re-signed this season to a training camp contract with her hometown team and fought her way to a starting spot. She’s averaging 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists.

    “She hasn’t even scratched the surface,” Miller said. “I truly believe there’s a whole other level to Jordin.”

    Rookie Zia Cooke has been one of the team’s most durable players, appearing in 30 games while averaging 14 minutes.

    “She’s an exciting young player that has an explosiveness offensively,” Miller said. “We think her ceiling is high. She’s really, really coachable and an unbelievable person, and that’s what we wanted to build this with, great people and Zia exemplifies that.”

    The Sparks won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2001 and ’02 — the only active team to do so — and again in 2016. They’ve missed the playoffs the last two years and are eager to change that as they rebuild.

    “If we can make a run and get into the playoffs, we’ll be a tough out,” Miller said. “If we fall short and we’re into the (draft) lottery, then we hope the balls bounce our way.”

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  • WNBA adding charters for all playoffs and back-to-back games

    WNBA adding charters for all playoffs and back-to-back games

    NEW YORK — The WNBA is adding charter flights for the entire playoffs this season as well as for teams that have back-to-back games in the regular season, the league announced Monday.

    The league will pay for all of the flights.

    “It’s significant dollars,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told The Associated Press. “Now that we have best of three and five in the semifinals and finals. … You add it up it’s a lot of flights.”

    The cost is expected to be around $4.5 million, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because details haven’t been publicly released.

    Last year, the league chartered for the WNBA Finals as well as for the road team in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.

    “It’s something I’ve been working on since I came into the league,” she said. “It was never coming up with money for one year, but creating a sustainable model for the charter program to continue in perpetuity. Once you do it, you have to do it every year.”

    Engelbert said that there will be five charters needed during the regular season. Most of them are short trips between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. The longest one takes the Seattle Storm from Washington to Atlanta.

    “As we continue to work on our growth as I’ve said we would chip away on this,” she said.

    Engelbert also said that the league has had discussions with the Mercury and Brittney Griner about her travel arrangements.

    Griner is back in the WNBA after her nine-month legal fight in Russia, during which she was detained when customs officials said they found vape canisters with cannabis oil in her luggage, then later arrested before being released in a high-level prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia.

    “We’ve been working with Brittney and Phoenix since she signed and our security experts,” the commissioner said. “Working on a plan, but we want it to be confidential. She wants to travel with the team sometimes. Work as much as we can making sure we are following advice of our team. We have a very good plan, but I’m not going to share more specifics.”

    Chartering flights for games on consecutive nights this season is easier then next year. With no Olympic break or condensed schedule for the World Cup this season there are less teams playing on consecutive nights. Next season that will change and Engelbert said that it will be more challenging.

    “Next year we can’t do all of them,” she said.

    The commissioner hopes that charters in the future can be funded in part by the next TV deal.

    “Longer term, if we can get a really good media deal we can do something more fully for these players,” she said.

    Engelbert has said in the past that it would cost the league about $25 million each season for each of its 12 teams to charter flights to every game. That number has increased about $5 million from previous estimates by the commissioner due to the new 40-game WNBA schedule this season, fuel costs and other factors.

    To charter for the whole season the estimated cost per franchise would be approximately $2 million. Air travel expenses currently for each team is about $150,000, according to two people familiar with the costs. The people spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly address the issue.

    The playoffs are where there could be a major increase in spending with teams potentially flying across country pending the postseason seeding.

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  • Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury

    Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury

    Brittney Griner will be back in the WNBA this season, once again playing with the Phoenix Mercury.

    Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the team Tuesday.

    The 32-year-old Griner had said she would return to Phoenix in a social media post in December, after she returned home from her 10-month detainment in Russia. Griner had been arrested at an airport just outside of Moscow on drug possession charges a year ago and was brought home in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange in December.

    “We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” Mercury GM Jim Pitman said. “We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly. This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”

    The 6-foot-9 center last played for the Mercury in 2021 and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals. She averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds that season.

    Griner, who was drafted No. 1 in 2013 by the Mercury, was listed Saturday on Phoenix’s roster on the WNBA website.

    Since returning home from Russia, Griner has been out of the public spotlight, with the exception of appearances at the Super Bowl, the Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix, where she lives.

    “I do not think any of us will forget where we were on Dec. 8 when we heard BG was coming home or on Dec. 15 when she announced she intended not only to play basketball in 2023 but that it would be for the Mercury,” Mercury President of Business Operations Vince Kozar said. “And I know none of us will ever forget what it will feel like to welcome her back onto her home floor on May 21. To know BG is to love and appreciate BG, and we can’t wait to show her that in person with thousands and thousands of her biggest supporters exactly three months from today at our Welcome Home Opener.”

    She skipped a USA Basketball training camp earlier this month, but the organization made it clear she could take all the time she needed to decide if she wanted to play for the U.S. again.

    The WNBA has said it will address getting Griner special travel accommodations, such as charter flights, after she signed.

    “We are very cognizant of BG’s unique situation,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the AP earlier this month. “We’ve been planning and we’ve been thinking it through with security experts, BG’s side, our side. We’ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.”

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  • Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury

    Brittney Griner re-signs with Phoenix Mercury

    Brittney Griner will be back in the WNBA this season, once again playing with the Phoenix Mercury.

    Griner, who was a free agent, re-signed with the team Tuesday.

    The 32-year-old Griner had said she would return to Phoenix in a social media post in December, after she returned home from her 10-month detainment in Russia. Griner had been arrested at an airport just outside of Moscow on drug possession charges a year ago and was brought home in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange in December.

    “We missed BG every day that she was gone and, while basketball was not our primary concern, her presence on the floor, in our locker room, around our organization, and within our community was greatly missed,” Mercury GM Jim Pitman said. “We will continue to use the resources of our organization to support her, on and off the floor, and we are thrilled for her that she gets to return to basketball, which she loves so dearly. This is a special signing and today is a special day for all of us.”

    The 6-foot-9 center last played for the Mercury in 2021 and helped the team reach the WNBA Finals. She averaged 20.5 points and 9.5 rebounds that season.

    Griner, who was drafted No. 1 in 2013 by the Mercury, was listed Saturday on Phoenix’s roster on the WNBA website.

    Since returning home from Russia, Griner has been out of the public spotlight, with the exception of appearances at the Super Bowl, the Phoenix Open and an MLK Day event in Phoenix, where she lives.

    “I do not think any of us will forget where we were on Dec. 8 when we heard BG was coming home or on Dec. 15 when she announced she intended not only to play basketball in 2023 but that it would be for the Mercury,” Mercury President of Business Operations Vince Kozar said. “And I know none of us will ever forget what it will feel like to welcome her back onto her home floor on May 21. To know BG is to love and appreciate BG, and we can’t wait to show her that in person with thousands and thousands of her biggest supporters exactly three months from today at our Welcome Home Opener.”

    She skipped a USA Basketball training camp earlier this month, but the organization made it clear she could take all the time she needed to decide if she wanted to play for the U.S. again.

    The WNBA has said it will address getting Griner special travel accommodations, such as charter flights, after she signed.

    “We are very cognizant of BG’s unique situation,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told the AP earlier this month. “We’ve been planning and we’ve been thinking it through with security experts, BG’s side, our side. We’ll find the right time to comment on it when she signs with a team.”

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  • Gasol, Nowitzki, Parker, Popovich among Hoop Hall finalists

    Gasol, Nowitzki, Parker, Popovich among Hoop Hall finalists

    SALT LAKE CITY — Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Gregg Popovich are all one step closer to basketball immortality.

    The three international greats — Gasol, Nowitzki and Parker — were among the list of Class of 2023 finalists unveiled Friday by the Basketball Hall of Fame, putting them on the doorstep of enshrinement this summer. Also on that list: Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history with the San Antonio Spurs, and Dwyane Wade, part of three championship teams with the Miami Heat.

    “It’s really about the journey,” Gasol said. “These type of recognitions, which are an amazing honor, they come along when you do things very, very well for a long time and when you love what you do. I’m just privileged to have played the game for so long, at a high level, with amazing people who taught me so much.”

    Also making the finalist cut were four selections from the Women’s Committee — 1990 national player of the year, Olympic champion and world champion Jennifer Azzi; six-time WNBA All-Star and WNBA championship-winning coach Becky Hammon; and longtime coaches Gary Blair and Marian Washington.

    The other finalists from the North American Committee include Gene Bess, believed to be the all-time collegiate coaching wins leader with 1,300 to his credit; two-time Division III national champion David Hixon; and seven-time Big Ten coach of the year Gene Keady.

    “I love the class. I think this is a loaded class,” Hall of Fame Chairman Jerry Colangelo said.

    Colangelo said it’s unusual for finalists to get this far in their first year on the ballot. Wade, Popovich, Gasol, Parker, Nowitzki and more got this far in their first opportunity.

    “The Class of 2023 will be remembered as one of the most distinguished classes the Hall of Fame will ever see, and we are extremely excited for this unparalleled collection of talent and achievement to be one step closer to Springfield,” Colangelo said.

    Popovich has coached San Antonio to five NBA titles, four of them with Parker as the team’s point guard, and led the U.S. to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics. The other two legs of the Spurs’ Big 3 from that championship era — Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili — are already Hall of Famers.

    Nowitzki is sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list and led Dallas to the 2011 NBA title as the top moment in his 21-year career, all of it spent with the Mavericks. Gasol won NBA titles and led Spain to a FIBA world championship, and Wade was a 13-time All-Star, Olympic champion and earned membership on the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

    Hall of Famers get an orange jacket to commemorate their enshrinement. Wade said he’s dreamed of wearing one, noting that he’s now “one step closer.”

    “A young Dwyane Wade never would have thought this moment would be here,” Wade said. “Sometimes when you’re young and you have a dream, a lot of people don’t believe in your dream. It seems so far-fetched. But I’ve always been a dreamer.”

    The Hall also announced Friday that longtime high school scout Tom Konchalski will receive the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor the Hall bestows short of enshrinement. CBS Sports will receive one of the Curt Gowdy media awards handed out this year, with ESPN’s Holly Rowe and Marc Spears also now Gowdy recipients.

    The Hall class will be announced April 1 at the NCAA men’s Final Four in Houston. Enshrinement weekend is August 11 and 12 at Uncasville, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts.

    ___

    AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Las Vegas Aces win first WNBA title, Chelsea Gray named MVP

    Las Vegas Aces win first WNBA title, Chelsea Gray named MVP

    UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) — Las Vegas never had a professional sports champion — until Sunday.

    Chelsea Gray scored 20 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title, and the city’s first pro title, in a 78-71 road win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 4.

    Gray went 9 of 13 from the floor, and was named Finals MVP after averaging 18.3 points in the series.

    Vegas finished on an 8-0 run. As the buzzer sounded, league MVP A’ja Wilson, who played every minute of the game, grabbed the ball and stomped the floor before being mobbed by her teammates.

    “We champs! We champs! We champs!” Wilson screamed at teammates as they pulled on their championship hats and T-shirts before the trophy ceremony.

    Riquna Williams had 17 points for Vegas, Kelsey Plum added 16 points, Jackie Young had 13 and Wilson added 11 points to go with her 14 rebounds.

    Wilson hopes this is just the beginning for the franchise.

    “You see it. You see it,” Wilson said in the on-court celebration. “This is what we’re building. This is what we’re doing. This is it. I’m so happy right now.”

    Courtney Williams had 17 points to lead Connecticut and Alyssa Thomas had her second straight triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Jonquel Jones added 13 points and DeWanna Bonner had 12.

    “When you come up short it certainly, really hurts,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “But that means that there was something that mattered, and something special among that group of players.”

    For Aces coach Becky Hammon, who didn’t get a title in her standout WNBA career, the ring completed a decades-long quest. She left an assistant coach position with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs to take over in Las Vegas. The move paid off.

    “They’re unbelievable on the court, but they’re unbelievable humans, first and foremost,” Hammon said. “They care about each other. They invest in each other. It’s been an absolute honor to be their coach. I saw excellence and I wanted to be a part of it.”

    Hammon also paid tribute to former Aces coach Bill Laimbeer, who was on the floor for the ceremony: “He put this team together and saw the pieces.”

    Aces owner Mark Davis, who also owns the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders, wasn’t with his football team Sunday. He was in Connecticut to get a trophy. He hoisted it, then turned it over to gleeful players who did the same.

    “Las Vegas, we are world champions,” Davis said.

    The Aces led by two points at the half and four points after three quarters. They held a six-point lead in the fourth when Plum was called for a flagrant foul after running into Bonner while the Sun guard was attempting a 3-pointer and sending her to the floor holding her right ankle.

    Bonner hit all three free throws before Jones’ short jumper cut the lead to a point. The Sun then tied the game at 67 on free throw by Courtney Williams and took a 71-70 lead on two fouls shots from Brionna Jones.

    But Las Vegas had the answers.

    Riquna Williams 3-pointer put the Aces back on top and Gray’s step-back jumper extended the lead back to 75-71 with under a minute left. A’ja Wilson then stole a pass and Plum hit a short jump shot to secure the win.

    SCRAPPY GAME

    As expected, it was a physical game — appropriately played on an NFL Sunday. The Sun got a scare when Bonner took an inadvertent elbow to the gut from Gray late in the first quarter and was on the floor for a few minutes before being helped to the bench. She came back into the game later in the half, apparently suffering no ill effects. Natisha Hiedeman and Plum got into a short pushing match in the second quarter, eliciting technical fouls for both players. That was all before Plum’s flagrant in the fourth.

    NO GRAY AREA

    Gray wasn’t a WNBA All-Star this season, nor was she a first-team all-league pick, and had voiced her displeasure about that. After scoring 21 points in each of the first two games of the Finals, she scored just 11 points in Game 3, but bounced back. Way back.

    “They can keep that All-Star and first team,” Gray said. “I got the ring.”

    INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATIONS

    Before the game, both coaches reflected on the makeup of organizations in the Final. The Aces are led by Hammon and two Black women executives in general manager Natalie Williams and Nikki Fargas, president of business operations. The Sun are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, have a woman president in Jen Rizzotti and are coached by Curt Miller, a gay man.

    “Women’s basketball is such a story in terms of diversity and inclusion. I mean, our league defines it and I’m so proud to be a part of it,” Miller said, adding that he hopes to be an inspiration to any gay child “wondering if they can chase a career in sports.”

    Hammon said she believes the diversity in her team’s front office has made it stronger.

    “You can make a lot better picture with a box full of crayons than just a pencil,” she said.

    VEGAS PRIDE AND PARADE

    The start of the celebration was shown on the video screens at the Raiders’ stadium during the NFL game against Arizona on Sunday, with fans breaking into loud cheers.

    They can cheer more in a few days: a parade on the Las Vegas Strip is planned for Tuesday night.

    “What a team, what talent, what a victory! You have made Las Vegas so proud!” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said in a statement. “Thank you for your effort, discipline & focus. We can’t wait for the celebrations & a great parade!”

    Wilson said after the game that paradegoers should be ready for a party: “When you come to the parade, you better be four shots in. If you ain’t four shots in, don’t come.”

    TIP-INS

    The Aces improved to 4-0 in this year’s playoffs with two days rest. … Vegas is the fourth WNBA team to win a title with both a league MVP and coach of the year … The Sun came up short after having been among the last four WNBA teams standing for each of the last four seasons, making it back to the Finals for the first time since 2019.

    “Nobody expected us to be here,” Bonner said. “They expected us to lose to Chicago. They expected us to lose to Dallas. Despite all of that, we made it to the Finals.” ___

    This story has been corrected to show the Aces’ general manager’s first name is Natalie.

    ___

    More WNBA playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-playoffs and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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