Category: WNBA

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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