Category: WNBA

Disney+ to Stream Caitlin Clark's WNBA Debut As First Live Sporting Event
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Disney+ to Stream Caitlin Clark’s WNBA Debut As First Live Sporting Event

If you think Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark's rise over the last four years—from Des Moines-area high school basketball star to one of the most transcendent college athletes ever—has been the stuff of Disney movies, you are not alone.

Disney+ will debut in the live sports space next Tuesday by airing Clark's WNBA regular season debut, ESPN told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday.

The Fever are slated to open their season against the Connecticut Sun, one of four games scheduled for the league's first day. A second matchup between the Phoenix Mercury and Las Vegas Aces will also air on Disney+.

These two games will be the first traditional live sporting events to air on Disney+, barring a pair of themed animated telecasts of NFL and NHL games.

Clark was selected with the No. 1 pick by Indiana in the WNBA draft out of Iowa on April 15, part of a heralded rookie class that includes Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and Los Angeles Sparks forward Cameron Brink.

Caitlin Clark, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Media, WNBA
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All WNBA Teams Will Fly Charter for First Time This Season, per Commissioner
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

All WNBA Teams Will Fly Charter for First Time This Season, per Commissioner

One of the WNBA's thorniest logistical issues appears on the verge of being put to bed.

The league will provide charter air travel to all its teams for the first time, commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Tuesday—a week before the beginning of the regular season.

“We intend to fund a full-time charter for this season,” Engelbert told reporters.

Per the commissioner, the flights will cost $25 million over two seasons and will begin "as soon as we can get planes in places."

The poor state of WNBA travel has long been a hot topic in basketball circles, with the New York Liberty facing severe discipline for splurging on a team trip to Napa in 2021 on the grounds that it exceeded compensation allowable under the league's CBA.

This season is the most anticipated in WNBA history, as the league welcomes rookie Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese to an already intriguing crop of stars. The New York Liberty and Washington Mystics will tip off the regular season on Tuesday, May 14 in Washington D.C.

Cathy Engelbert, New York Liberty, Washington Mystics, WNBA
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Here Are All the Athletes Who Went to the Met Gala
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Here Are All the Athletes Who Went to the Met Gala

Fashion's biggest night had some of the sports world's biggest stars in attendance on Monday night at the Met Gala.

Sports standouts ranging from the NFL to tennis to Formula 1 walked the carpet in their custom outfits all interpreting the theme "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion" in different ways.

Tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams returned to the Met Gala. At last year's Met, Serena famously announced her second pregnancy with husband Alexis Ohanian during a carpet interview.

Take a look at all the athletes that went to the 2024 Met Gala.

Serena Williams

The 23-time Grand Slam champion wore a custom gold Balenciaga dress that many deemed a "going for gold" theme to commemorate her legendary tennis career.

Venus Williams

The five-time Wimbledon champion also wore a shining dress, but with hers more on the silver side. Her custom Marc Jacobs dress was reflective like a disco ball, but with a sheer first layer.

Lewis Hamilton

The Formula 1 driver, who's known for his fashion sense, wore a significant outfit on the carpet. His custom Burberry suit was made in honor of one of Britain's first Black gardners, John Ystumllyn. An excerpt from Alex Wharton's 'The Gardener' poem was embroidered into the inside of his suit jacket.

Angel Reese

The Chicago Sky rookie became the first WNBA rookie to walk the Met Gala carpet on Monday, and it was fitting that she flew from practice that morning to make it to the New York City event at night. It was also Reese's 22nd birthday as she walked in her 16Arlington by Marco Capaldo seafoam colored dress.

Ben Simmons

The Brooklyn Nets guard wowed fans with his Thom Browne suit. The black sparkly suit with a plaid design at the top wasn't complete without the briefcase with a giant clock on it. This piece fit more into the "Garden of Time" theme.

Nelly Korda

LPGA star Korda, who won five consecutive tournaments already this year, took a break ahead of this month's U.S. Women's Open to attend the Met Gala in an Oscar de la Renta gown. Her dress included red flowers with green leaves.

Stefon Diggs

The new Houston Texans running back attended his second consecutive Met Gala, this time wearing a custom dark blue H&M sparkly suit.

Odell Beckham Jr.

The new Miami Dolphins receiver wore an embroidered suit jacket with flowers and birds on it from Bode. His pants continued some of the design from the jacket as well.

Dwyane Wade

The retired NBA star walked the carpet with his wife, actress Gabrielle Union. Wade wore a lilac colored Versace suit completed with a plain white T-shirt and black shoes, while Union gave off mermaid vibes with her Michael Kors dress.

Angel Reese, Formula 1, Golf, Lewis Hamilton, NBA, Nelly Korda, NFL, Odell Beckham Jr., Stefon Diggs, Tennis, WNBA
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Fans Loved Angel Reese's Met Gala Look
7 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Fans Loved Angel Reese’s Met Gala Look

It's been quite a stretch for Angel Reese. She helped take LSU to the Elite Eight in her final collegiate season, and was picked seventh in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky. To top it all off, Reese attended Monday night's Met Gala in a stunning outfit, and everybody was in awe.

The fact that Reese managed to attend at all is pretty remarkable, given she practiced in Chicago earlier that day. The Sky's season debut is on May 15. Practicing and then flying out to New York City and undergo what must've been hours of prep for the red carpet walk isn't easy and certainly is not usually something rookies can do. But Reese is not just any rookie.

Even scattered amongst the biggest stars of all, Reese shined on Monday night in a 16 Arlington dress.

Everyone loved it.

As if there was any remaining doubt that Reese is going to push the limits of what's possible whenever she can, the rookie forward was back in Chicago on Tuesday morning to prepare for the Sky's next preseason matchup against the New York Liberty. She probably wishes the game was at Barclays Center, but this makes for a better story.

A whirlwind of a 24 hours for Reese after a whirlwind of a month.

Angel Reese, Chicago Sky, WNBA
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Fever Posted Such an Epic Photo of Caitlin Clark, and WNBA Fans Loved It
4 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Fever Posted Such an Epic Photo of Caitlin Clark, and WNBA Fans Loved It

Caitlin Clark didn't disappoint in her WNBA debut on Friday night, a 79–76 preseason loss for the Indiana Fever at the hands of the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Arlington, TX.

Clark, playing professional basketball for the first time, looked right at home, scoring a team-high 21 points while draining five three-pointers in 28 minutes of action.

The Iowa product also provided a highlight reel moment in the first quarter, as she lost Wings defender Jacy Sheldon on the dribble—perhaps due to some contact by Clark—resulting in Sheldon falling to the floor as a photographer with impeccable timing snapped the picture. The Fever posted the epic photo onto X, formerly Twitter, and WNBA fans absolutely loved it.

Kudos to Gregory Shamus of Getty Images for getting the perfect photo. Clark went on to drain the three-pointer, to the delight of the sold-out crowd at the College Park Center.

Clark will next take the court for her home debut against the Atlanta Dream at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday night after the contest was rescheduled to avoid conflict with the Indiana Pacers' playoff game.

Caitlin Clark, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, WNBA
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Celtics' Payton Pritchard Reveals Why He Wears Sabrina Ionescu's Signature Shoes
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Celtics’ Payton Pritchard Reveals Why He Wears Sabrina Ionescu’s Signature Shoes

Payton Pritchard and the Boston Celtics are currently awaiting the end of the Orlando Magic - Cleveland Cavaliers series to learn their opponent for the upcoming Eastern Conference semifinal series.

While everyone waits for the unofficial NBA TV series to wrap up on national television sometime this weekend, the local press gets to ask whatever questions they don't have time for when there are actual games to talk about, which is probably why someone finally asked Pritchard about his sneakers.

Prtichard wears Sabrina Ionescu's signature Nike shoes. Pritchard and Ionescu both went to Oregon as freshmen in 2016 and played all four years in Eugene before turning pro.

Ionescu was selected with the first pick of the 2020 WNBA draft, while Pritchard was taken 26th by the Celtics. While Pritchard doesn't have his own signature shoe, at least he found a comfortable one with his friend's name on it.

Pritchard is not the only NBA player rocking the Sabrina's. During All-Star Weekend, Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II revealed that he had an exciting exchange with Ionescu about her shoes. She thanked him for wearing them while he thanked her for making them so comfortable.

That's some solid word-of-mouth. Not only does Ionescu have the skill and profile to be featured during NBA All-Star Saturday, but she also has got the footwear to back it up.

And if she has it her way, more WNBA players will get signature shoes. If they're half as comfortable as hers apparently are, that's a good thing for all basketball players.

Boston Celtics, NBA, Payton Pritchard, Sabrina Ionescu, WNBA
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Diana Taurasi's Friends Call Her 'Sick in the Head' as She Returns for 20th Season
3 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Diana Taurasi’s Friends Call Her ‘Sick in the Head’ as She Returns for 20th Season

Diana Taurasi may never retire. Many expect her to retire after she plays in her sixth Olympics and 20th WNBA season this summer, but who really knows. Last year, as she turned 41, she averaged 16 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 rebounds, which are all numbers very close to her career averages. If she's slowing down, you haven't been able to see it in the box score.

It takes incredible gifts and hard work to maintain such a high level of play for such a prolonged period of time, but it also takes a certain mentality. The kind of mentality that earns you a legitimate comparison to Kobe Byrant. And most of all, in a way that makes loved ones tell you to retire while calling you a "psycho" and "sick in the head." According to CT Insider, those are the kinds of text messages Taurasi's been getting as she prepares for season 20.

Her response? "I am."

It's also the kind of thing you say about someone who is playing in her sixth Olympics. If Taurasi makes the team this summer, she'll break the record for most Olympic appearances by a basketball player. Between 1896 and 2022, only 211 people have made six or more Olympic appearances.

For a true psycho, that's just another milestone. Last August, Taurasi became the first player in WNBA history to eclipse the 10,000 career points mark. That puts her about 2,500 points ahead of second place, held by Hall of Famer Tina Thompson. It could be some time until any other woman matches that mark, let alone catches Taurasi after she adds another season's worth of points to her total.

So go ahead and keep telling her to retire. See how much farther that gets her.

Diana Taurasi, Olympic, Olympics, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA
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Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta Interested in Bringing WNBA Team Back to Houston
1 May 24 Jimm Sallivan

Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta Interested in Bringing WNBA Team Back to Houston

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta believes that he is a natural fit for ownership of a new WNBA franchise in Houston if the league were to expand from 12 to 16 teams by the 2028 season.

Fertitta would be interested in being an integral part in the team's return, he told the Houston Chronicle.

"I feel like WNBA expansion is going to always work better and has a better chance of success in a city like Houston, where the Rockets are one of the strong teams from a financial standpoint," Fertitta said. "I think that I would probably be the natural owner."

Fertitta told the Houston Chronicle that he planned to register interest with the WNBA in the coming weeks.

League expansion is beginning this season with a new franchise in Oakland, Ca. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters at the draft last month that expansion can be complex.

A WNBA team in Houston would not be new. The Houston Comets were one of the original eight WNBA franchises, and won the first four WNBA titles in 1997, '98. '99 and '00. Comets owner Hilton Koch put the team up for sale in 2008, and the WNBA took over operations after no investors met Koch's $10 million purchase price. The franchise was disbanded and has not been part of the league since.

Houston Comets, Houston Rockets, Tilman Fertitta, WNBA
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