A full-circle moment is unfolding on the basketball court this pre-season in Minnesota. During a fall league happening at St. Michael-Albertville High School on Sunday, three generations of women are growing the game.
One of the dozens of high school teams participating in this league is Maranatha Christian Academy. The Mustangs are hoping to capitalize on a successful 17-5 season last year. A new addition to their team is eighth grader Mikayla Johnson-Barnes, and basketball runs in her blood.
“I think the first time I ever touched a basketball was when I was 2 years old,” said Johnson-Barnes.
Her mom, Mia Johnson, is a two-time girls basketball state champion for Minneapolis North High School, and went on to play DI basketball for St. Louis University and Michigan State. Now, she’s her daughter’s fall league coach.
“I want to be just like her, just like her,” said Johnson-Barnes.
When Johnson-Barnes begins the high school season later this month, she’ll be coached by Maranatha’s head girls basketball coach, Faith Johnson Patterson — who coached Johnson when she was at Minneapolis North in the early 2000s.
“I owe a lot to her, and now I get to see it come full circle with my baby girl,” said Johnson.
“It’s just generations going down now. Coach Johnson [Patterson], my mom, me,” said Johnson-Branes.
This is a special moment that almost didn’t happen. Earlier this summer, Johnson Patterson’s mom passed away, and almost made her hang up her coach’s whistle for good.
“Mia inspires me, how hard she played for me, the sacrifices she made to play for me, how can I not return that?” said Johnson Patterson. “Watching [Johnson-Barnes] just feels like I’ve got Mia back.”
As Johnson-Barnes begins her journey to make a name for herself in this sport, she’s thankful to have the lineage of women showing her the way.
“I’m just so grateful because I know they’re by my side and they want the best for me in basketball and for me to strive in basketball,” said Johnson-Barnes.
The high school winter basketball season begins Nov. 10.
Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers was honored Friday as the AP’s WNBA Rookie of the Year.
The Dallas Wings’ No. 1 pick averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists in her first season. The former UConn star finished with the third most points ever by a rookie and second most assists.
Bueckers also had a 44-point game on Aug. 20, the highest scoring game of anyone in the WNBA this season.
“I am very grateful for everyone who voted and saw me fit for Rookie of the Year,” Bueckers said. “I have always felt like individual awards are a way to acknowledge the team around you and that is exactly what this award means to me. My teammates, coaches, support staff and everyone from top to bottom in the entire Dallas Wings organization played a huge part in this.”
Bueckers was also named to the AP All-WNBA Second Team and was a unanimous choice to the AP All-Rookie Team.
The announcement came hours after the Wings wrapped up their regular season with a 97-76 win over the Phoenix Mercury. The Wings finished with a record of 10-24, tied for last place in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky.
Las Vegas Aces star Aja Wilson won the AP Player of the Year award for the second straight time.
The AP honors are distinct from the WNBA awards, which will be announced in the coming weeks during the league’s playoffs.
The AP awards are voted on by 14-member national media panel. It’s the 10th year of the awards.
Steven Rosenbaum is a digital producer for CBS Texas. A versatile journalist, Steven writes, edits and produces content for the CBS Texas digital platforms.
In June of 1984, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson met in the NBA Finals for the first time; the following week, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley were drafted; and the league would never be the same…Forty years later, the WNBA arrives at a similar hingepoint. A rookie class, as good as advertised, has made a seamless transition from college to the pros, blending with established stars. Sports have a knack for bending stats to fit desired narratives, but the W’s growth figures astound. TV ratings have spiked 153% from last season—and that’s before the playoffs, which began last week… Gradually, then suddenly, this 27-year-old league has become a prominent player in the modern sportscape.
Never mind her slick drives in traffic, the deadeye passes…
…the three-pointers like this.
Caitlin Clark: Hello.
Jon Wertheim: Hey. How are you? Jon.
Caitlin Clark: Caitlin. Nice to meet you.
Jon Wertheim: Good to see you…
A few weeks ago in Indianapolis, we asked Caitlin Clark…
Caitlin Clark: Ask me the hard hitting questions…
…to pinpoint the signature moment of this signature season…and, well we didn’t see this coming… but neither did she.
Caitlin Clark: I remember we were in New York and Jonquel Jones set– a good screen on me, and my– I actually popped my eardrum, ruptured my eardrum just on a screen.
Jon Wertheim: Your eardrum?
Caitlin Clark: Yeah, it was actually, it was a really good screen by– by JJ. She’s a tremendous player, but I think that just kinda speaks to the physicality of the league. It’s just she kinda got me in the right spot.
Caitlin Clark
60 Minutes
Jon Wertheim: You smiled when you told that story. Good clean basketball play.
Caitlin Clark: It’s a good story. I think it’s something that I’ll always remember, like, coming into this league.
Jon Wertheim: Triple doubles, tho– those are all well and good, but it’s the eardrum rupture that–
Caitlin Clark: That’s probably more memorable, honestly.
Then again, maybe it’s fitting…as this is the season the WNBA lowered its shoulder, made its presence felt, and expanded its reach.
These fans came to central Indiana from…Newfoundland, Canada.
Jon Wertheim: And you’re here why?
Fan: Just to see the Fever game.
Fan: Caitlin Clark.
Clark—22, in number and in age—just led the Fever to the playoffs…She’s unquestionably the league’s main attraction …but not the only one. Another rookie, Angel Reese, made her mark too.
But the real breakthrough star of this WNBA season is…the W itself.
Building off a college season in which—unimaginable just a few years ago—the women’s championship game outdrew the men’s, W games can draw more eyeballs than NBA games do….League wide, attendance is up 48%.
In Minnesota, Napheesa Collier is this season’s Defensive Player of the Year…
She just dropped 80 points in the first two playoff games. Collier was drafted in 2019 and bridges two eras of the WNBA….we asked her about the difference this year.
Jon Wertheim: Home and away, you look into the crowds. What are you seeing?
Napheesa Collier: People, which is what we want. (laugh) It makes the game so, so fun. It’s like you’re sixth-man when you’re at home. And then when you’re away, you just can’t wait to silence the crowd. And that’s, like, the best feeling ever.
Jon Wertheim: You figured out a way to benefit from a full crowd even when it’s rooting against you.
Napheesa Collier and Jon Wertheim
60 Minutes
Napheesa Collier: Yeah. It’s almost more fun (laugh) when you’re, like, in a packed arena with the other team. And you hit, like, a big three or a big block or something. And you hear them all go, “Oh.” That’s– I love that feeling.
Jon Wertheim: That’s every bit as motivating.
Napheesa Collier: It really is.
Silencing crowds? Not an issue when the WNBA debuted in 1997, eight teams paired with eight existing NBA teams. From the jump, franchises came and went—the Houston Comets, won the first four titles…only to fold. But amid the instability, the WNBA was giving a generation of girls aspiration and inspiration…. When Clark was growing up in Iowa, already running circles around the boys, her dad took her to see a WNBA game in Minnesota. She returned home hellbent on adding distance to her jump shot.
Caitlin Clark: Like begging my dad to, like, tear up some grass and pour more concrete so I could have an entire three-point line in my driveway.
Jon Wertheim: Did that really happen? You– you extended your range–
Caitlin Clark: Oh yeah.
Jon Wertheim: –by dumpin’ more concrete?
Caitlin Clark: Yeah. ’cause it was, like, kind of slanted. Our driveway was, like, slanted, so I only had a three-point line on one side of the driveway. So… told my dad he had to tear up all this grass, and he did.
Likewise, her Fever teammate, six-foot-five center Aliyah Boston—last season’s Rookie of the Year—had grand ambitions.
Aliyah Boston: So when I first picked up a basketball, at first, I was like, “I want to go to college,” and that was really my goal. Until probably about sophomore year. I was like, “Yeah. Everything I do is for the number one pick.”
Jon Wertheim: I love that. So– so making the WNBA, that’s– became, like, a secondary goal (laugh) at some point. You– you wanted to be the number one pick.
Aliyah Boston: I wanted to be the number one pick.
Aliyah Boston
60 Minutes
She was. Then, this spring, came Clark, Reese, Cameron Brink and the 2024 vintage…
Jon Wertheim: Did you have the level of confidence that this draft class seems to?
Napheesa Collier: I don’t think anybody has (laugh) the level of confidence this draft class does. I think that’s what’s so amazing about them actually is they don’t act like rookies. It feels like nothing gets them down. And I think that’s amazing.
Jon Wertheim: Not a lot of impostor syndrome going on–
Napheesa Collier: Not a lot. No.
New confidence. Old school hoops… This is the league of choice for the basketball purist.…all passing and precision.
Napheesa Collier: Obviously– the men are really fun. They’re very athletic. They can dunk and all those things. But if you’re a true fan of basketball, I think that ours is really interesting. Because we play it the right way. We play it really smart. Our– season is shorter also. So, you know, we go a lot harder I think in our games.
Twelve teams of 12 players. 144 of the world’s best…A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces—the league’s reigning champs—is a three-time MVP, including this season. Her game, equal parts grace and power.
And there’s the O-G, Diana Taurasi, still doing this in her early 40s.
Caitlin Clark: A lotta these players are who I grew up watching on TV and wanting to be like, and now I get to play against them.
Jon Wertheim: Now they’re guarding you on the perimeter.
Caitlin Clark: Yeah, it’s pretty cool.
Clark herself already has a trademark shot: a jumper from just inside midcourt….the logo 3.
Caitlin Clark: Are you guys gonna make me shoot–in these nice clothes?
Jon Wertheim: We got confidence in you.
Caitlin Clark: That’s crazy. I’m not even warmed up either–
Caitlin Clark: I only shoot from back there in games if I’ve, like, made a couple. Then you get a free pass to, like, launch– launch a long three.
Caitlin Clark and Jon Wertheim
60 Minutes
Jon Wertheim: So that’s a free pass with the coach? Or that’s a free pass with yourself, with your own basketball values–
Caitlin Clark: Both, both, both
Jon Wertheim: What would you say your range is?
Caitlin Clark: I don’t know. Sometimes I–I feel like I’m closer than I– than I am. Like, I don’t feel that far back, especially in a game. I don’t know. I kinda just lose sight of where I actually am, which is probably a good thing.
Jon Wertheim: But you know you’re, like, one dribble (BALL) past mid-court sometimes.
Caitlin Clark: Yeah, couple dribbles past mid-court.
Part of her process: gauging the distance… this isn’t like shooting a free throw. Logos vary court-to-court.
Caitlin Clark: Like I would always wanna see how big the logo is. ‘Cause, like, some people have, like, bigger logos at center court, some have smaller ones. So it’s, like, if it’s pretty big, I can usually get there. I can probably get it here from here.
Jon Wertheim: All right.
Caitlin Clark: But I’m not– (ball) do you want me to try–
Jon Wertheim: Heck, yeah. (ball)
Caitlin Clark: OK, but you have to try second.
Jon Wertheim: All right.
Caitlin Clark: Let’s see.
Jon Wertheim: All right.
Caitlin Clark: This is my off day. You guys are putting me through a workout, it’s crazy. It’s crazy. I didn’t know I was signing up for this. There we go–
Jon Wertheim: Bang…
Caitlin Clark: Whoo.
The bottom-of-the-net success has changed the W’s balance sheets. Corporate sponsors have arrived.
So have the celebrities. The league recently signed a media rights deal that will pay $200 million a season, more than a three-fold increase….Cathy Engelbert is WNBA commissioner.
Jon Wertheim: The Caitlin Clark phenomenon. How do you describe it?
Cathy Engelbert: She’s clearly an unbelievable player, came in with an unbelievable following, has brought a lot of new fans to the league. If you look at our historic season around– our attendance, our viewership, Caitlin, Angel too, Angel Reese, Rickea Jackson, Cameron Brink. This class of rookies, we will be talking about them a generation from now.
Jon Wertheim: I notice when you’re asked about Caitlin a lot, you– you bring up other rookies as well.
Cathy Engelbert: No league’s ever about one player. That player could get hurt or whatever. So I think it’s just to give recognition that in sports, people watch for compelling content and rivalries. And you can’t do that alone as one person.
Though the commissioner touts league rivalries, competition has also brought out a certain ugliness…. this season saw an onslaught of vitriol – often racist – targeting players…this in a league that is 75% black.
Here’s veteran star Breanna Stewart, earlier this month, welcoming new fans, but demanding they act respectfully.
A happier earmark of growth: The WNBA announced plans to expand from 12 teams to 16. And for the first time this season, players travel on charter flights.
Aliyah Boston: I mean, that’s amazing. I– I miss my points a little bit. It’s OK.
Jon Wertheim: Oh, your miles? Your air miles.
Aliyah Boston: I miss my little points.
Jon Wertheim: No Delta miles–
Aliyah Boston: My little miles.
Jon Wertheim: –this year.
Aliyah Boston: No Delta miles but it’s ok. I think this is great, too, especially for recovery. You’re able to get back on that plane, get right back home after a game. The women that came before us, it’s like, this is because of you guys. Like, you guYs worked all this and now here we are. We’re able to step into that. And it’s– it’s a blessing for us.
Napheesa Collier recalls the old days on the road, staying two-to-a-room.
Napheesa Collier
60 Minutes
Napheesa Collier: We used to have to stay in, like, the team accredited hotels and now we can stay wherever. So a lot more five star hotels which is nice.
Jon Wertheim: Five star hotels flying private.
Napheesa Collier: I know. We’re living the life.
Jon Wertheim: Life’s good. You’re living the life.
Napheesa Collier: We’re like professional athletes or something.
The surge in success this season is about more than the basketball. The arrival walk to the locker room is now a fixture in pro sports— W players absolutely own this space…social media rocket fuel that engages fans. Players love it, Caitlin Clark included.
Consistent with the life cycle of other successful pro sports leagues, the players are done taking one for the team… They now want to get paid. Note the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations between the league and the players…A rookie salary for the 42-game season? $76,000. Base salary for the MVP? $200,000…Yet, the median NBA player salary this season: roughly $12 million.
Jon Wertheim: You talk about this growth and these ratings numbers. What’s a fair salary?
Aliyah Boston: I mean, someone like me, I love multiple commas just because, like, we deserve it. That’s– we come in here night in, night out. We work hard. You see the viewership numbers up. You see everything up. I mean, I’m– I’m all for it, ’cause I love a comma.
Jon Wertheim: Like a comma in that salary.
Aliyah Boston: Yeah.
As a union leader, Napheesa Collier will be at the bargaining table….The NBA shares revenues with its players roughly fifty-fifty and she wonders: is the W willing to do the same? As for commas?
Napheesa Collier: Of course, that would be obviously amazing. I don’t know how realistic. Like, that is obviously the goal. And I hope that we can get there.
Jon Wertheim: How much should we compare NBA and WNBA?
Napheesa Collier: We’re not asking for the same salaries as the NBA. What we’re looking for is rev shares. They’re making that because of rev shares. And so that’s what we’re wanting. That’s how we close that gap.
Jon Wertheim: How we’re sharing that pie.
Napheesa Collier: Yeah, how we’re sharing it.
Meantime, building on this watershed season, the women of the WNBA will keep shooting their shot.
Caitlin Clark: There we go.
Jon Wertheim: Bang. You knew that when it left your hands?
Caitlin Clark: I know when I’m gonna miss–I know when I’m gonna make it. The worst is when it feels good and you still miss–
Jon Wertheim: But you know as soon as– soon as it leaves your fingertips.
Caitlin Clark: If it feels good, yeah. So, like, if I miss it and it feels good. Like, that’s fine.
Jon Wertheim: You’re OK with that.
Caitlin Clark: You feel good about your shot, yeah.
With that as encouragement, from this season’s Rookie of the Year, we finally gave in.
Caitlin Clark: I think you have to go now. Come on. Let’s see if you can get it there–
Jon Wertheim: Two more, two more. You know, I have no legs.
Caitlin Clark: No, I feel confident. Let’s see.
Jon Wertheim: I’m wearing this jacket.
Caitlin Clark: Oh.
Jon Wertheim: Uh, terrible.
Caitlin Clark: That’s not bad. Get it there.
Jon Wertheim: Oh my god.
Caitlin Clark: You got to jump.
Jon Wertheim: Tight rims.
Jon Wertheim: I’m tellin’ you.
Caitlin Clark: No. (laugh) I think that might just be you, honestly.
Produced by Nathalie Sommer. Associate producer, Kaylee Tully. Broadcast associate, Elizabeth Germino. Edited by Craig Crawford.
Angel Reese’s rookie year has come to an end, as the Chicago Sky forward announced Saturday she had suffered a season-ending injury. Reese injured her wrist in the Sky’s 92-78 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday, in which she recorded another one of her signature double-doubles.
The Sky also confirmed the severity of the injury, saying in a statement that “Reese has been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season with a wrist injury.”
In a social media post, Reese wrote that “through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed. I’m filled with emotions right now that I have a season ending injury, but also filled with so much gratitude for what is next.”
Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky’s starting five wait for their names to be called before their home game against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images
Reese ends her first year as a pro averaging a prolific 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. The Bayou Barbie wrote her name in the WNBA record books earlier this month, breaking Sylvia Fowles’ single-season rebound total.
The record was a building block in Reese’s campaign for Rookie of the Year, a contentious race against rival phenom Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. The Fever smoked the Sky 100-81 in their final matchup of the season last Friday, with Clark notching a career-high 31 points.
“Caitlin is an amazing player and I’ve always thought she was an amazing player. We’ve been playing each other since high school. So I think it’s really just the fans,” Reese said on her new podcast, “Unapologetically Angel.” “At the end of the day, it’s a game that we do both love, but there is no hate.”
With two weeks left to go in the WNBA regular season and seven of eight playoff berths taken, the Sky are fighting for the final spot. Reese wrote on social media that her fans and teammates can still expect to see her “being the biggest cheerleader on the sideline!”
Breanna Stewart #10 of Team United States shoots a free throw during a Women’s Basketball Group Phase – Group C game between the United States and Belgium on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Pierre Mauroy on August 01, 2024 in Lille, France.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionesuc, A’ja Wilson and the U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team have won the first two games of the group stage competition. The American women face Germany today for their last game before the competition enters the knockout stage.
Keep reading to find out how and when to watch the U.S. vs. Germany Olympic women’s basketball game today.
How and when to watch the U.S. vs. Germany women’s Olympic basketball game
The U.S. vs. Germany Olympic women’s basketball game will be played on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024 at 11:15 a.m. ET (8:15 a.m. PT). The game will air on USA Network, and stream on Peacock and the platforms featured below.
How to watch the U.S. vs. Germany women’s Olympic basketball game without cable
While many cable packages include USA Network and the other channels broadcasting the 2024 Summer Olympics, it’s easy to watch the Olympic basketball if those channels aren’t included in your cable TV subscription, or if you don’t have cable at all. Your best options for watching are below. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)
In addition to major sporting events like the 2024 Paris Olympics, Peacock offers its subscribers live-streaming access to NFL games that air on NBC and sports airing on USA Network. The streaming service has plenty more live sports to offer, including Big Ten basketball, Premier League soccer and WWE wrestling (including formerly PPV-only events such as WrestleMania). There are 80,000 hours worth of recorded content to watch as well, including hit movies and TV series such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.”
A Peacock subscription costs $8 per month. An annual plan is available for $80 per year (best value). You can cancel anytime.
Top features of Peacock:
Peacock’s Olympic coverage will include “multi-view” options in which fans can curate their viewing journey, choosing the Olympic events they are most interested in watching.
Peacock will air exclusive coverage of PGA Tour events, Olympic trials and Paris Olympics 2024 events.
Peacock features plenty of current and classic NBC and Bravo TV shows, plus original programming such as the award-winning reality show “The Traitors.”
If you don’t have cable TV that includes USA Network, one of the most cost-effective ways to watch the Olympics, and all the major sporting events happening this summer and fall, is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer also offers access to Olympic qualifiers, the 2024 Paris Games, NFL football airing on NBC, Fox and ABC (where available) and NFL Network with its Orange + Blue plan.
That Orange + Blue plan normally costs $60 per month, but the streamer currently offers a half-off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $30. For the least expensive Olympic-watching option, the Blue plan includes the channels NBC, USA and E!, starting at $45 per month ($22.50 for your first month). A Sports Extra add-on is available ($15 per month) with 19 sports-centric channels, including Golf Channel, Big Ten Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network and Tennis Channel.
The streamer has a new prepaid offering for football season called Sling TV Season Pass. You can get four months of the Orange + Blue tier, plus the Sports Extra add-on, for $219. That’s a savings of $81 over the usual price.
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue plan:
Sling TV is our top choice for streaming major sporting events like NASCAR.
There are 46 channels to watch in total, including local NBC, Fox and ABC affiliates (where available).
You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games at the lowest price.
All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
You can add Golf Channel, NBA TV, NHL Network, NFL RedZone, MLB Network, Tennis Channel and more sports-oriented channels (19 in total) via Sling TV’s Sports Extras add-on.
You can also catch Team USA women’s basketball airing on network TV on Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to network-aired sports like the Tour de France, and almost every NFL game next season. Packages include the live feed of sports and programming airing on CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, NFL Network and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just the Summer Olympics- all without a cable subscription.
To watch the 2024 Summer Olympic Games without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to Olympic events, you’ll have access to NFL football, Fubo offers NCAA college sports, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. Fubo’s Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial.
Sports fans will want to consider adding on the $7.99 per month Fubo Extra package, which includes MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, SEC Network and more channels. Or upgrade to the Fubo Elite tier and get all the Fubo Extra channels, plus the ability to stream in 4K, for an extra $10 per month.
Top features of Fubo Pro Tier:
There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
You can watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live with Fubo’s lookback feature.
The Pro tier includes over 180 channels, including NFL Network and Golf Channel.
Fubo includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro sports, including CBS (not available through Sling TV).
All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
You can watch Team USA women’s basketball and more top-tier sports coverage, including NFL Network, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including Golf Channel. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and every NFL game on every network next season with Hulu + Live TV, plus exclusive live regular season NFL games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month after a three-day trial.
Olympics 2024: When does Team USA play?
Sabrina Ionescu #6 of Team United States dribbles while defended by Mai Yamamoto #23 of Team Japan during the Women’s Group Phase – Group C game between Japan and United States on day three of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Pierre Mauroy on July 29, 2024 in Lille, France.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Below is the schedule for Team USA women’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
All times Eastern
2024 Olympics Group Stage (Lille)
2024 Olympics Knockout Stage (Paris)
Quarterfinals, Aug. 7: Team USA vs. TBD, TBD — USA Network
Semifinals, Aug. 9: Team USA vs. TBD, TBD — USA Network
Gold medal game, Aug. 11: Team USA vs. TBD, TBD — USA Network
How to watch Team USA women’s basketball at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris
To watch every women’s basketball game at the 2024 Summer Olympics, the Group Stage of women’s basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games will conclude on Sunday, August 4. The knockout phase begins on August 7. The women’s gold medal basketball game is scheduled to be played on Sunday, August 11.
Women’s basketball at the Paris Summer Olympics will broadcast on USA Network. NBC and Telemundo will broadcast at least nine hours of coverage from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET each day. Other events will air on the USA Network, Golf Channel, CNBC and E!.
Peacockwill livestream every event of the Paris 2024 Olympics, including the opening and closing ceremonies and every Olympic basketball game.
Who is on the Team USA women’s basketball roster in 2024?
12 WNBA players make up the roster for Team USA’s women’s basketball team. Because the WNBA is currently in season, Team USA will have just two warm-up games before competition begins on July 29 against Japan. Below is the list of talented athletes who will play for Team USA.
When is the Team USA women’s basketball gold medal game?
The gold medal game for women’s basketball is scheduled to be played on Sunday, August 11, 2024.
Who won the gold medal in women’s basketball at the last Olympics?
Team USA took home the gold medal at the Tokyo Summer Games after defeating event hosts Japan in the final. It was Team USA’s seventh consecutive women’s basketball gold medal.
The WNBA is poised to blow the whistle on its 28th season Tuesday night. From the juggernaut Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty to new marquee talent like Caitlin Clark taking the floor, the league is growing faster than ever. Here’s what you need to know.
What to watch opening night:
There will be four games played Tuesday night:
The New York Liberty vs. the Washington Mystics
The Indiana Fever vs. the Connecticut Sun
The Phoenix Mercury vs. the Las Vegas Aces
The Minnesota Lynx vs. the Seattle Storm
2023 MVP Breanna Stewart joined the Liberty in free agency last February after playing her first seven years in Seattle. Joining a core cast of Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney and Courtney Vandersloot, Stewart led the Liberty to the finals, where they fell to the Las Vegas Aces.
The Fever are bringing rookie phenom Caitlin Clark to Connecticut, where tickets have already sold out at the Mohegan Sun Arena – the first home opener to sell out in over 20 years, the team said in a press release. Clark became college basketball’s all-time NCAA Division I scoring leader in March and, after being selected at the top of the 2024 draft, has big expectations heading into her first season.
While Clark is the new kid in town, the Las Vegas Aces are the big kids. The team won its second championship in a row last year, beating the Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the series despite missing multiple starting players. Even with hoop legend Candace Parker’s retirement, the Aces still have stars in spades, returning two-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray.
The Phoenix Mercury will be without star Brittney Griner, the team announced Monday, after the center fractured a toe on her left foot. Griner missed all of the 2022 season due to her months-long detainment in a Russian prison on drug charges.
The Storm have passed on from the Breanna Stewart era, clocking in third on CBS Sports’ power rankings (Behind the Aces and Liberty). The team acquired forward Nneka Ogwumike and guard Skylar Diggins-Smith in free agency to assist the league’s leading scorer, Jewell Lloyd.
The opening night slate will be available to watch on ESPN networks, with select games streaming on ESPN+, Disney+, and the WNBA League Pass. The rest of the season will be televised across CBS, ESPN, ABC, ION, Prime Video, and NBATV.
Regular season play continues until late September, with the All-Star game scheduled for July 20 in Phoenix. The WNBA will pause play after the All-Star game until August 15 this year so the athletes can compete with their respective national teams in the Summer Olympics.
Growing the game
With the groundwork laid by the WNBA’s previous stars and the addition of exciting new talent like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, more eyes are on the league than ever before. This year has seen a significant uptick in investment in the women’s league.
The WNBA consists of only 12 teams, with 12 roster spots per team – it isn’t uncommon for a drafted player to get cut from the final roster just weeks later. The Los Angeles Sparks, who drafted Brink and Jackson with top five picks, waived the 28th overall pick McKenzie Forbes on Sunday.
Luckily for players on the bubble, the WNBA is expanding for the first time since 2008. League Commissioner Cathy Englebert announced in October that The Golden State Warriors were awarded a WNBA team for 2025. On Friday, CBC Sports reported that Toronto would be next, receiving an expansion team for 2026.
“It’s complex because you need arena and practice facility and player housing and all the things, you need committed long-term ownership groups. The nice thing is we’re getting a lot of calls,” Englebert said during a pre-draft press conference last month, adding that she was confident the league could grow to 16 teams by 2028.
Along with expanded job opportunities, WNBA players will be receiving expanded benefits previously reserved for their male counterparts. The league announced a charter flight partnership with Delta Air Lines last week so players will no longer have to fly to games on commercial airlines.
“I express my appreciation and support for a bold move by the commissioner and team governors that in turn shows that they understand and value the health and safety of the players. It is time to be transformational. It’s time to bet on women,” WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in a press release.
While Clark and the Fever were seen enjoying themselves on a charter flight to Connecticut Monday, personnel from multiple teams told ESPN they had not heard from the league about when they would be permitted to charter.
The increasing investment in the WNBA isn’t just internal – the rising profile of the league has brought sponsorship opportunities to athletes as well. Clark reportedly signed a $28 million endorsement deal with Nike, which announced a forthcoming signature shoe with A’Ja Wilson – the first Black woman to headline a signature shoe with the company since Sheryl Swoopes in 2002.
Kim Kardashian’s shapewear brand SKIMS unveiled an underwear campaign Monday to celebrate its blockbuster partnership with the league featuring Candace Parker, Cameron Brink, Dijonai Carrington, Kelsey Plum and Skylar Diggins-Smith. The collaboration is SKIMS’ first to feature female players. The company, valued at $4 billion by Forbes, also has partnerships with the NBA and Team USA.
College basketball sensation Caitlin Clark will earn less than six figures in her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, reigniting debate over whether professional women athletes in the U.S. are fairly paid.
Clark, this year’s No. 1 draft pick in the WNBA, will have a starting salary of $76,535 and earn roughly $338,000 over the four-year contract she signed with the Fever. The second, third and fourth picks in this year’s draft will also earn $76,535 their first year, according to the league’s collective bargaining agreement. The base annual pay for all four athletes will see only a modest rise over the next few years — $78,066 in 2025, $85,873 in 2026 and $97,582 in 2027.
Lower-ranked WNBA draft picks earn less, according to a wage scale outlined in the players’ agreement with the league. Players are also eligible for bonuses at the end of the season, based on performance. For example, the “Rookie of the Year” award comes with a $5,150 bonus.
The WNBA did not immediately respond to CBS MoneyWatch‘s request for comment on how it sets athlete salaries.
Clark’s earnings are not limited to her WNBA salary. She’s expected to sign sponsorship deals that will likely lead to her earning far more than than the five figures she’ll get for playing basketball. Already, her name image and likeness is valued at $3 million, a figure that’s expected to grow, while she has already done TV commercials for advertisers including Gatorade, State Farm and Nike.
Still, Clark’s base pay pales in comparison to her counterparts in the NBA. Rookie Victor Wembanyama, the first pick in last year’s NBA draft, made more than $12 million for the 2023-24 season, his first year in the NBA, according to Spotrac, a site tracking sports statistics.Her salary is roughly equivalent to that of a first-year or junior New York-based attorney at a national law firm, according to a posting on job site Indeed.
With some online commentators expressing surprise at Clark’s pay, President Biden weighed in Tuesday on the issue of pay disparity in sports.
“Women in sports continue to push new boundaries and inspire us all. But right now we’re seeing that even if you’re the best, women are not paid their fair share,” he said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter). “It’s time that we give our daughters the same opportunities as our sons and ensure women are paid what they deserve.”
To be sure, what female athletes “deserve” is up for debate. The NBA was founded decades ago and generates billions of dollars annually. The WNBA, by contrast, was launched in 1996 and is far smaller, generating an estimated $200 million in revenue annually, according to a report from Just Women’s Sports.
On the issue of compensation for individual players, “There isn’t an endless reservoir of money they get to deal with,” Greg Bouris, a professor sports management at Adelphi University, told CBS MoneyWatch, adding that the WNBA needs to meaningfully grow its revenue in order for player salaries to increase. “It comes down to economics.”
And as big of a star as Clark has been for college basketball, she remains untested in the professional arena, he noted. That’s part of the reason why both the NBA and WNBA issue caps on rookie salaries.
“They are coming in to play against the best basketball players in the world and they have yet to prove themselves,” Bouris said. “Sucess at one level doesn’t guarantee success at the other.”
By the same token, Clark is expected to add considerable sizzle to the league, as she did in helping the women’s NCAA tournament draw a larger TV audience than the men.
“She’s going to raise all boats”
“She’s coming in with all of this momentum in earned media coverage for the WNBA, so the league has an opportunity to capitalize on that. She’s having a tremendous economic impact,” Bouris said. “She’s going to raise all boats.”
The Women’s Sports Foundation, an advocacy group for women in sports founded by tennis legend Billie Jean King, has pointed to the relatively low pay in the WNBA as a reason why top players often compete overseas during the U.S. league’s off season to supplement their salaries. That includes WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was jailed in Russia while playing there and who previously noted in an interview that “the whole reason a lot of us go over is the pay gap.”
The WNBA has made strides in promoting pay equity in recent years. While NBA players collectively receive roughly 50% of the league’s revenue, WNBA players previously took home less than 23%. But that figure jumped to 50% under the latest labor deal with the league.
Yet the pay gap in professional basketball and most other sports remains, with only female tennis players achieving a measure of equity. In the NBA, the minimum rookie salary for the 2022-23 season was $953,000, according to Spotrac.
Ketra Armstrong, a professor of sports management at Michigan University said that while she views Clark as underpaid relative to their skills, so are many WNBA athletes.
“It’s a structural issue, and you can’t look at salaries in isolation or compare them to how much the men make because there are stark differences there,” Armstrong told CBS MoneyWatch in noting the enormous revenues the NBA generates, compared with the WNBA.
The upshot: For WNBA players’ salaries to increase, the league will have to land bigger broadcast deals, secure more lucrative corporate sponsorships, and sell more tickets and merchandise. But Armstrong identified the current moment as a potential turning point for the league.
“The Caitlin Clark impact is real. There is an energy and vibrance touching the WNBA in ways it never has before,” she said. “If we can get a groundswell increase in ticket sales for all WNBA teams, more merchandise sales, more media exposure, and more people investing, we’ll start to see movement in revenue.”
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.
Caitlin Clark poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall pick by the Indiana Fever during the 2024 WNBA Draft at Brooklyn Academy of Music on April 15, 2024 in New York City.
Sarah Stier / Getty Images
It’s official: Caitlin Clark will be joining the WNBA this year as a member of the Indiana Fever. As expected, the team picked Clark in the first round of the 2024 WNBA draft, marking the start of her professional basketball career.
Fans have gone crazy for Clark even before her epic 2024 NCAA March Madness championship run, snapping up her official record breaking Nike T-shirt just as fast as they can be made. Now that Fanatics has released the official Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever jersey, most sizes of the first-run batch have already sold out.
But have no fear: More Caitlin Clark jerseys are coming. If you want to secure yours ASAP, tap the button below to head over to Fanatics now and place your pre-order. That way, you’ll be sure to get a jersey just as soon as they’re available again (likely July 2024).
Don’t want to wait? No problem — there’s plenty more gear celebrating No. 22 at Fanatics, including T-shirts and hoodies.
Caitlin Clark Indiana Fever Nike unisex 2024 WNBA Draft Explorer Edition Victory player jersey
Fanatics
Show your Clark pride all season long (and beyond) with this officially licensed Indiana Fever WNBA jersey. Made from 100% polyester, the authentic unisex jersey features heat-sealed brand and sponsor graphics and a droptail hem with side splits. The double-knit fabric is made from Nike’s Dri-Fit technology that wicks away moisture, keeping you cool and comfortable as the action heats up on the court.
The navy No. 22 Caitlin Clark jersey is available in both adult and youth sizes from XS to 2XL. The adult jersey is $100, while the youth jersey is priced at $90. The jersey is also available in red (the Draft Rebel Edition, $100).
When was the 2024 WNBA Draft?
The 2024 WNBA Draft was held on Monday, April 15, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. ET (4:30 p.m. PT). The draft is broadcast on ESPN and streams live on ESPN+.
Who has been selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft?
There are 12 WNBA teams, each of whom is participating in the three-round draft. That means a total of 36 athletes, Caitlin Clark included, will begin their professional basketball careers after getting drafted into the league today.
As of this article’s publication, the 2024 WNBA Draft is ongoing. To see the full list of the 2024 WNBA Draft picks (so far), check out the live blog on our sister site CBS Sports.
Managing editor Fox Van Allen is an expert in tech, laptops and computers, toys and video games for CBS Essentials. When he’s not writing about (or playing) the Nintendo Switch and PS5, Fox’s hobbies include reality TV podcasting, designing board games and hanging out in his favorite warehouse stores.
Paige Bueckers #5 of the UConn Huskies handles the ball against the Georgetown Hoyas at Entertainment & Sports Arena on January 07, 2024 in Washington, DC.
G Fiume/Getty Images
The Duke Blue Devils face the UConn Huskies in the Sweet 16 round of the women’s NCAA tournament. UConn’s senior star Paige Bueckers missed the entire 2023-24 college basketball season due to an ACL injury, but the Minnesota native is back to her signature difference-making on the court.
Playing some of the best basketball of her college career, Paige Bueckers hopes to propel the Huskies to the Final Four. They’ll have to get past the Duke Blue Devils first. Keep reading for how and when to watch the Duke vs. UConn Sweet 16 game today.
CBS Essentials, CBS and Paramount+ are all subsidiaries of Paramount. CBS is one of the broadcast homes of the 2024 men’s March Madness tournament.
When is March Madness 2024?
Selection Sunday was on March 17, 2024.
The women’s tournament will be played March 20, 2024- April 7, 2024.
The men’s tournament will be played March 19, 2024 – April 8, 2024.
How and when to watch the Duke vs. UConn game
The NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 women’s college basketball game between Duke and the University of Connecticut will be played on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 8:00 p.m. ET (5:00 p.m. PT). The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
All women’s March Madness 2024 games, including the Final Four, will air on ABC or ESPN and stream on ESPN+.
How to watch the Duke vs. UConn game without cable
If you’ve given up your cable subscription, or your cable provider doesn’t include the channels carrying March Madness this year, you can subscribe to one of the streaming or live TV platforms featured below.
You can watch March Madness 2024, including both the men’s and women’s tournaments and all of Paige Bueckers’ games, with the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle. The bundle features 95 channels, including ESPN, ABC and CBS, and includes ESPN+, so you’ll be able to watch every game of both tournaments. The women’s Final Four will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every March Madness game on every network this season with Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+. It’s priced at $77.
If you’re new to streaming sports, you should know about Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to every March Madness game airing on network and cable TV, plus your local TV affiliates, hundreds of cable TV channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. Another great reason to love Fubo is its lookback feature, which lets you watch sporting events up to 72 hours after they air live.
Start watching NCAA basketball on Fubo and get access to network-aired NFL, NBA and MLB games by starting a three-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. After your free trial, Fubo starts at $80/month for the Pro tier, which includes 199 channels, but the streamer is currently offering the first month for $60.
Note: Because Fubo doesn’t carry TruTV, TBS or TNT, you won’t be able to watch every game of the men’s tournament with a FuboTV subscription. And because the women’s Final Four broadcasts on ESPN+, you’ll still need an ESPN+ subscription in conjunction with your Fubo subscription. If you want one streaming platform to watch the entire tournament, you’ll need a subscription to Hulu + Live TV.
What you’ll get with Fubo Pro Tier:
There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
The Pro tier includes 199 channels, so there’s something for everyone to watch.
Fubo includes most of the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro sports this year, including CBS and ESPN.
In addition to March Madness, Fubo offers NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games.
All Fubo tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
If you don’t have cable TV that includes ESPN, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream the March Madness tournament this year is through a subscription to Sling TV‘s Orange or Orange + Blue tier. The Orange tier offers access to ESPN (plus TNT and TBS), so you can watch today’s game. The Orange + Blue tier includes access to your local ABC affiliate, allowing you to watch more college basketball games. All tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based recording.
To watch today’s game, Sling TV is currently offering a prepaid deal where you can get four months of the Orange tier for $120, a discount of $40. The Orange tier is also available for $40 per month — you can cancel anytime. To watch both men’s and women’s games, except those airing on CBS, subscribe to the Orange + Blue tier for $60 per month.
Note: Because some men’s March Madness 2024 will be broadcast on CBS, you won’t be able to watch all the men’s March Madness 2024 games with a Sling TV subscription. If you want to stream the entire NCAA tournament, we suggest a Hulu + Live TV subscription.
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue tier:
There are 46 channels to watch in total, including ESPN, TNT, TBS and ABC. (where available).
You get access to most local NFL games and nationally broadcast games next season at the lowest price.
All subscription tiers include 50 hours of cloud-based DVR storage.
ESPN+ is ESPN’s subscription streaming platform. It offers exclusive live events, original studio shows and top-tier series that aren’t accessible on the ESPN networks. To watch the women’s Final Four, simply sign into the ESPN app. You’ll watch college basketball at no extra charge. You can stream ESPN+ through the ESPN app on your favorite mobile device and ESPN.com. It’s also available as an app through major smart TV streaming platforms and gaming consoles such as the PS5.
Keep in mind there are some blackouts prohibiting you from watching certain in-market games with ESPN+, even if they’re nationally televised. If you’re looking to avoid those blackouts, we suggest subscribing to the Hulu + Live TV/ESPN+ bundle featured above.
It is important to note that ESPN+ does not include access to the ESPN network. It is a separate sports-centric service, with separate sports programming.
An ESPN+ subscription costs $10.99 per month, or save 15% when you pay annually ($110). ESPN+ is also currently offering a cost-saving bundle. Get ESPN+ (with ads), Disney+ (with ads) and Hulu (with ads) for $14.99 per month.
When was Selection Sunday?
A fan holds up a sign for Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes before the start of the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena on February 28, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Hawkeyes defeated the Golden Gophers 108-60.
David Berding / Getty Images
The day when the tournament’s brackets and seeds are released is known as Selection Sunday. For the 2023-24 NCAA college basketball season, Selection Sunday was held on Sunday, March 17, 2024.
Paige Bueckers’ road to the Final Four
The NCAA tournament is single elimination, which means Paige Bueckers isn’t guaranteed a spot in the Final Four, or the national championship. If the Huskies win today, below is a roadmap of what Bueckers’ March Madness schedule will look like. Bookmark this post so you can check back for updates on the UConn Huskies next game.
First Four: Wednesday, March 20 and Thursday, March 21, 2024
MINNEAPOLIS — Iowa women’s basketball team is taking home their third back-to-back Big 10 National Championship.
On Sunday, the nail-biting battle between the Hawkeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers ended in overtime with Iowa taking the win 94-89.
This year’s tournament made history as the first-ever sold-out NCAA women’s tournament. A lot of that is in credit to Iowa’s superstar, Caitlin Clark. However, there was a lot of local support in the crowd for the three Minnesota players on the Nebraska roster: Kendall Coley, of Minneapolis; Annika Stewart, of Plymouth; and Callin Hake, of Victoria.
“I couldn’t be more proud. That’s my best friend,” said Chase Coley, Kendall’s older sister.
The two siblings bonded through basketball. Chase mastered the game at Washburn High School, and Kendall at St. Louis Park.
Chase then went on to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 2014-2018, and on Sunday, she got to watch her little sister take on her former team on one of the biggest stages in college women’s basketball.
Kendall Coley #32, Maddie Krull #42, Annika Stewart #21 and Darian White #0 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers celebrate a three-pointer against the Maryland Terrapins in the Semifinal Round of the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center on March 09, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Adam Bettcher / Getty Images
“I’m so lucky I get to watch my two favorite teams in the Big 10 play against each other,” said Chase Coley.
During the championship game, they got to watch Kendall sink a three-pointer in the first half to give the Cornhuskers a strong lead.
“To see her step on the court and have some really impactful plays during this tournament to get them to the championship game is unreal,” said Chase Coley.
Caitlin Clark may be the biggest reason why this arena is sold out, but she shares the bigger spotlight with all the other players, giving them their moment too.
“How lucky are you to be a young lady playing on this platform in front of all these people?” said Tyler Coley, Kendall’s dad, “And that’s what [Kendall] strived to do — to perform, and it’s entertainment.”
The Big 10 action returns later this week to the Target Center. The Men’s Basketball Tournament is set to kick off this Wednesday.
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A line along the building, bagpipes and a first pitch all welcomed opening day at A Bar of Their Own Friday morning.
The new bar is set to showcase all women’s sports, all the time.
For many, it’s been a long time coming.
“I played hockey for about 12 years and we had to beg to get ice time,” said Colleen Woodley from St. Paul.
People of all ages packed the bar before lunchtime.
The Seward neighborhood watering hole is taking the space of the former Tracy’s Saloon and Eatery.
“Absolute madness, but in the best way possible,” said owner Jillian Hiscock.
Hiscock said the goal was to create a space dedicated to women’s sports and fans, after visiting a sports bar last year that was lacking.
“I think people have been ready for this and waiting for this for a really long time, and so to have it here and to have folks inside means so much,” said Hiscock.
It all comes just in time for the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament in Minneapolis.
“This is incredible. I love the atmosphere, I love that we finally have a place like this in Minnesota,” said Jami Cooper from Minnetonka.
A place so popular Friday, Hiscock and her staff really had to work to keep up, with people waiting outside for their turn to come in.
“Our team has been really busy getting ready for it. We’re doing our best to get everything out as quickly as we can, but it’s just really fun to have folks here,” said Hiscock.
A Bar of Their Own is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in for more features.
Kim Mulkey returned home to Louisiana wanting to bring LSU its first basketball championship. The Hall of Fame coach did just that in only her second year at the school.
Her Tigers used a record offensive performance to beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa 102-85 on Sunday and win the first basketball title, men’s or women’s, in school history.
“I turn around and look at the Final Four banners (in the home arena), nowhere did it say national champion,” Mulkey said. “That’s what I came home to do.”
The victory made Mulkey the first women’s coach to win national titles at two different schools. She won three at Baylor before leaving for LSU two years ago.
“Coaches coach a lifetime and this is the fourth time I’ve been blessed,” Mulkey said. “Never in the history of LSU basketball, men or women, has (anybody) ever played for a championship.”
The feisty and flamboyantly dressed Mulkey, who wore a sparkly, golden, tiger-striped outfit, now has the third-most national titles behind Geno Auriemma’s 11 and Pat Summitt’s eight. Mulkey has never lost in a championship game.
“My tears are tears of joy,” she said. “I’m so happy for everybody back home in Louisiana.”
Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Lady Tigers holds the championship trophy after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes 102-85 during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament championship game at American Airlines Center on April 02, 2023 in Dallas, Texas.
Getty Images
Clark, The Associated Press national player of the year, couldn’t lead the Hawkeyes to their first national title despite one of the greatest individual performances in NCAA Tournament history. The junior finished with 30 points. She scored 40 in the semifinals to knock out unbeaten South Carolina one game after she had the first 40-point triple-double in NCAA history in the Elite Eight.
The dazzling guard set the NCAA record for points in a tournament, passing the 177 that Sheryl Swoopes scored in 1993 en route to leading Texas Tech to the title. Clark ended her tournament with 191.
The 102 points broke the previous high for a championship game, surpassing the 97 that Texas scored against Southern California in 1986.
“So much for preaching defense and rebounding,” Mulkey said, laughing.
Taking in the game was first lady Jill Biden, who sat in a suite above the court with tennis great Billie Jean King.
Mulkey said she hadn’t met the first lady yet but told the AP that if the team was invited to the White House, she’d go.
Jasmine Carson scored 22 points, Alexis Morris added 21 and Angel Reese had 15 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (34-2).
Jasmine Carson #2 and Angel Reese #10 of the Louisiana State Tigers celebrate a three-point goal against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament National Championship at American Airlines Center on April 2, 2023 in Dallas, Texas.
Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
“It’s no one-man show around here. When I go down, the next man is up,” said Reese, who was honored as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. “Every single time, every time I go out or Alexis goes out, everybody always comes to step up.”
Trailing by 21 points early in the third quarter, Iowa started hitting from the outside to go on a 15-2 run, hitting four 3-pointers and converting a 3-point play to get within 65-57.
The Hawkeyes (31-7) trailed 73-64 with 1:03 left in the third quarter when Clark was called for a technical foul. She swatted the ball away on the floor after a foul call against a teammate. That counted as a personal foul for her, her fourth of the game.
“I thought they called it very, very tight,” Clark said. “Hit with a technical foul for throwing the ball under the basket — sometimes that’s how things go.”
Clark played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls but couldn’t get the Hawkeyes much closer.
“They really played well, they were ready to go. They did a great job. I’m just so proud of my team,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “This is brutal, it’s really tough to walk out of that locker room today and not be able to coach Monika (Czinano) and McKenna (Warnock) again. I’m very thankful for the season we had and don’t want to take anything away from that.”
After Katari Poole hit a 3-pointer in front of the LSU bench, Mulkey started weeping.
“With about 1:30 to go, I couldn’t hold it. I got very emotional,” Mulkey said. “That’s not like me, but I knew we would hold on and win this game. I don’t what it was, but I lost it. Very emotional and tears of joy. Don’t know if it’s the mere fact that we’re doing it in my second year back home or that I am back home.”
A few seconds later after another LSU basket, Reese taunted Clark by putting her hand in front of her face with a “you can’t see me” gesture and then pointed to her ring finger.
As the final seconds ticked off, Mulkey and Reese hugged, setting off a wild celebration by the Tigers.
The game was tight for the first 15 minutes before Carson got hot from the outside. She made all six of her shots in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers. After one of them, she threw her hands in the air, which Mulkey mimicked on the sidelines.
For good measure, the graduate student banked in a shot just before the halftime buzzer to give the Tigers a 59-42 lead at the break. It was the most points ever in the first half of a championship game, breaking the record held by Tennessee since 1998.
LSU shot 58% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including going nine for 12 from behind the arc. The Tigers finished the game shooting 54% from the field, including making 11 of 17 3-pointers.
Clark had 16 points and five assists before picking up her third foul with 3:56 to go in the half, which didn’t go over well with the sellout crowd of more than 19,000 fans.
Before Sunday, Carson had gone scoreless in five of her seven postseason games in her career. She had 11 points in this NCAA Tournament before the finale.
“I would definitely say this is the game of my life because I won a national championship on the biggest stage possible in college,” Carson said. “When I woke up I just wanted to win — do anything my team needed in this game, whether it was defense, rebounding, supporting them. I scored tonight and that’s what pushed us and got us momentum.”
A Russian court on Tuesday upheld American basketball star Brittney Griner‘s nine-year prison sentence for drug possession, rejecting her appeal in a session where she appeared via video call from a penal colony outside Moscow. Griner can still appeal to a higher court, but her lawyers have yet to confirm whether they will take the case further.
In the ruling, the court stated that the time Griner will have to serve in prison will be recalculated with her time in pre-trial detention taken into account. One day in pre-trial detention will be counted as 1.5 days in prison, so the basketball star will have to serve around eight years in prison.
The decision clears the way for the WNBA star to serve that sentence in a penal colony, unless the U.S. government negotiates a deal.
The eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist was convicted on August 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
“This has been very traumatic experience, waiting for this day, waiting for the first court, and getting nine years for a crime that I was barely over the significant amount,” Griner told the Moscow hearing on Tuesday. “I don’t understand the first court’s decision to give one year less than the max when I’ve been here almost 8 months, and people with more severe crimes have gotten less than what I was given… I really hope that the court will adjust this sentence, because it’s been very, very stressful and very traumatic to my mental and psyche, being away from my family and not being able to communicate.”
“While their legal system is very different from ours, there is no doubt that the original sentence she received was extreme, even for the Russian legal system,” the WNBA said in a statement after Tuesday’s decision. “This appeal is further verification that BG is not just wrongfully detained – she is very clearly a hostage. Let us not be divided in this moment. Rallying around BG and all wrongfully detained Americans is the common thread of humanity that unites us without regard to ideology or political party. We must unite and support the stated public commitment of the Biden Administration and Congressional leaders to do everything possible to get her home.”
Earlier this month, Brittney’s wife, Cherelle Griner, told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King that she was terrified of the WNBA star’s fate.
“It’s like a movie for me. I’m like, ‘In no world did I ever thought, you know, our president and a foreign nation president would be sitting down having to discuss the freedom of my wife.’ And so to me, as much as everybody’s telling me a different definition of what B.G. is, it feels to me as if she’s a hostage,” Cherelle said.
“That must scare you,” King replied.
“It terrifies me because, I mean, when you watch movies, like, sometimes those situations don’t end well. Sometimes they never get the person back,” said Cherelle.Griner’s February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner was returning to Russia, where she played during the U.S. league’s offseason.
U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner appears on a screen via video link from a detention center before a court hearing to consider her appeal of her prison sentence on Oct. 25, 2022.
EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA / REUTERS
During her trial, Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.
Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
Reflecting the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.
Blinken didn’t elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”
The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.
Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the U.S. proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks, avoiding public statements.
In September, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Brittney’s wife, Cherelle, as well as the player’s agent, Lindsay Colas. Biden also sat down separately with Elizabeth Whelan, Paul Whelan’s sister.
The White House said after the meetings that the president stressed to the families his “continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely.”
The Biden administration carried out a prisoner swap in April, with Moscow releasing Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for the U.S. releasing a Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Moscow also has protested the arrest of another Russian currently in U.S. custody, Alexander Vinnik, who was accused of laundering billions of dollars via an illicit cryptocurrency exchange. Vinnik had been in custody in Greece after being arrested there in 2017 at U.S. request before being extradited to the U.S. in August. It wasn’t clear if Russia might demand Vinnik’s release as part of a potential swap.
A Russian court on Monday set Oct. 25 as the date for American basketball star Brittney Griner’s appeal against her nine-year prison sentence for drug possession.
Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
The Moscow region court said it will hear her appeal.
Griner admitted that she had the canisters in her luggage, but testified that she had inadvertently packed them in haste and that she had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
Her February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner, recognized as one of the greatest players in WNBA history, was returning to Russia, where she played during the U.S. league’s offseason.
The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.
Before her conviction, the U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” – a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
Reflecting the growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.
Blinken didn’t elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”
The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.
Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the U.S. proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks, avoiding public statements.
U.S. President Joe Biden met last month with Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, as well as the player’s agent, Lindsay Colas. Biden also sat down separately with Elizabeth Whelan, Paul Whelan’s sister.
The White House said after the meetings that the president stressed to the families his “continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely.”
The Biden administration carried out a prisoner swap in April, with Moscow releasing Marine veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for the U.S. releasing a Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
