Las Vegas Aces become first repeat WNBA champs in 21 years, beating New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4
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 Aโja Wilson and a defensive stop in the closing seconds to beat the New York Liberty 70-69 in Game 4 of the Finals.
Liberty get Howard, Samuelson to Storm, 1st pick to Dallas
The New York Liberty acquired Natasha Howard from the Seattle Storm as part of a tree-team trade Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)NEW YORK โ The New York Liberty acquired Natasha Howard from the Seattle Storm as part of a three-team trade Wednesday. 1 pick didn't stay in Seattle long as the Storm traded it to Dallas for Katie Lou Samuelson and the Wingsโ second-round pick in 2022. โWe have the privilege of welcoming multiple-time WNBA champions Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb to Brooklyn,โ general manager Jonathan Kolb said. โI am very excited to be a part of the New York Liberty organization,โ she said.
WNBA's Layshia Clarendon has surgery to remove breasts
(AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)NEW YORK โ Liberty guard Layshia Clarendon, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, announced on social media Friday that they had surgery to remove breast tissue. The league, the players' union and the New York Liberty released statements offering support to Clarendon. Clarendon wrote in The Players' Tribune five years ago they identify as โblack, gay, female, non-cisgender and Christian," and expanded on their identity in an Instagram post in December. โExisting outside of the binary for me is freedom,โ Clarendon wrote. I know that my gender will keep evolving because we change and grow and shape shift and expand.
WNBA: Recap of the three matchups on Wednesday
Half the league went head to head on Wednesday with three teams adding a win to their win column. Connecticut Sun 70, Dallas Wings 66DeWanna Bonner scored 18 points and Alyssa Thomas added 17 as the Connecticut Sun defeat the Dallas Wings. Arike Ogunbowale led Dallas with 19 points and Allisha Gray had 15 points and eight rebounds. Chicago Sky 89, Phoenix Mercury 71Allie Quigley scored 20 points and Kahleah Cooper poured in 15 points as the Chicago Sky get an impressive win over the Phoenix Mercury. Sophie Cunningham and Skylar Diggins-Smith led the way for Phoenix with 15 points apiece.
WNBA: Recap of the three games on Monday
The WNBA had three competitive games on Monday and has a even sharper line up of games on Tuesday. DeWanna Bonner scored 12 points for Connecticut (2-6), and grabbed nine rebounds to move into 20th on the WNBA career list. Brittney Griner had 22 points and 13 rebounds while Briana Turner added 13 points and 11 rebounds for Phoenix. Sami Whitcomb added 17 points for Seattle and Ezi Magbegor scored 13 points and Alysha Clark had 12 points. Allie Quigley led Chicago with 13 points andCheyenne Parker added 12 points.
WNBA: Recap of the three games from Tuesday
Six teams went head to head in WNBA action on Tuesday, but only three came out on top. Aja Wilson had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Kayla McBride scored 15 points for Las Vegas. Rookie Crystal Dangerfield added 12 points and Napheesa Collier had eight points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota. Myisha Hines-Allen led Washington with 12 points while Tianna Hawkins and Emma Meesseman each scored 10 points. Candace Parker added 16 points for Los Angeles while Brittney Sykes scored 15 points and Nneka Ogwumike poured in 11 points.
WNBA: Preview of the 3 Friday night games
Three games are set for Friday night action to begin a weekend filled with notable games. Yet the team recently fell to the Las Vegas Aces but is looking to get a win. 1 pick Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty have lost the last two games after getting blown out by Minnesota recently. Los Angeles Sparks vs. Las Vegas Aces, 9 p.m. With out star Nneka Ogwumike, the Sparks will try to keep the Las Vegas Aces from a third straight victory.
WNBA: Recap of Wednesdays three games
Minnesota Lynx 92, New York Liberty 66Bridget Carleton scored 25 points and second year player Lexie Brown had 15 points and swiped seven steals, as the Minnesota Lynx beat the New York Liberty. Amanda Zahui B. led a winless New York team with 13 points. Eastern conference player of the week Myisha Hines-Allen added 18 points and 10 boards and Leilani Mitchell scored 11 points. Riquna Williams added 13 points for the Sparks along with Sydney Weise who had eight points. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana with 24 points, veteran Candice Dupree scored 16 and Teaira McCowan had 13 points.
WNBA: Preview of three Wednesday night games
ETLooking to run their winning streak to three games, the Minnesota Lynx look to keep the winless New York Liberty at bay. Both have been a spark in the Minnesota offense and will be relied upon to help the Lynx pick up a win. Las Vegas Aces vs. Washington Mystics, 8 p.m. They both were key in a recent win over the Dallas Wings. On Sunday, Kelsey Mitchell had 23 points and Candice Dupree scored 21 in a recent win over Atlanta.
WNBA: Recap of the weekend action
The weekend was full of WNBA action, both on Saturday and Sunday with teams getting into the swing of things. Chicago Sky 88, Washington Mystics 86Gabby Williams and Cheyenne Parker each scored 16 points as the Chicago Sky barely beat the Washington Mystics. Jewell Loyd added 17 points, Jordin Canada poured in 16 points and rookie Ezi Magbegor had a career-high 12 points for Seattle. Diana Taurasi had 18 points, nine assists, three steals and two blocks and Brittney Griner added 16 points for Phoenix. Kia Nurse led the Liberty with 16 points while Layshia Clarendon added 12 points and Amanda Zahui B. scored 11.
Liberty rookie Sabrina Ionescu has Grade 3 left ankle sprain
1 pick in the WNBA draft was diagnosed with a Grade 3 left ankle sprain after getting hurt in the second quarter against Atlanta and did not return to action in the New York Libertys 84-78 loss to the Dream on Friday night. A Grade 3 sprain is the most severe and usually requires months to heal fully as it's a full tear of the ankle ligament. Ionescu was bringing the ball up court and rolled her left ankle when she got tangled up with Atlanta's Betnijah Laney with about five minutes left in the opening half. Ionescu played in only 2 1/2 games this season and might be hard-pressed to return with the WNBA playing a truncated season with only 19 games left over the next 6 weeks. New York is short-handed at guard already with Kia Nurse sidelined with a sprained left ankle she suffered in the team's opener.
WNBA: 4 more games to set up action for Wednesday
The WNBA action continues this week with four games of action for Wednesday. Phoenix Mercury vs. Indiana Fever, 7 p.m. ESTBoth teams are looking to bounce back and secure a win after dropping their season openers. For the Indiana Fever, they will look to 2019 WNBA All-Star MVP Erica Wheeler and Kelsey Mitchell who averages 25 points per game. Atlanta Dream vs. Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m. ESTThe Dream are looking to keep their win streak against the Aces who dropped their season opener. The Dream will need their star power from Monique Billings who leads the team in scoring with 30 points per game.
WNBA begins season with weekend of triple headers
The leagues season will take place in Bradenton, Florida at IMG Academy in what some players call the Wubble. WNBA season gets underway on July 25 with 2018 WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm meeting 2020 No. The weekend also will highlight the leagues new social justice platform, The WNBA Justice Movement, with a special focus on the Black Lives Matter movement. Additionally, throughout the season, players will wear warm-up shirts that display Black Lives Matter on the front and Say Her Name on the back. Black Lives Matter will also be prominently displayed on courts during games.
WNBA announces 2020 season is dedicated to social justice
The mission of the Social Justice Council is to be a driving force of necessary and continuing conversations about race, voting rights, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and gun control amongst other important societal issues. Players will lead Justice CouncilThe work of the Social Justice Council will be led by players such as Layshia Clarendon, Sydney Colson, Breanna Stewart, Tierra Ruffin-Pratt, Aja Wilson and Satou Sabally, among others. The expanded list of Social Justice Council members, advisors, and programming will be announced at a later date. Players to wear social justice messagesThroughout the season, players will wear NIKE-branded warm-up shirts that display Black Lives Matter on the front. We are incredibly proud of WNBA players who continue to lead with their inspiring voices and effective actions in the leagues dedicated fight against systemic racism and violence, said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
WNBA: 7 players test positive for COVID-19
NEW YORK CITY With the WNBA planning to begin its season later this month, teams along with personnel had to get tested before entering training camp. With almost 140 players being tested in that timeframe, only seven tested positive for COVID-19. According to the WNBA, players who have tested positive will remain in self isolation until she has been cleared by a physician and has followed public health protocols. Players and staff will be arriving at the bubble location, which is IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The 12th team -- the Indiana Fever -- will not be arriving for another five days due to CDC health protocols.
Here are the latest WNBA team power rankings for the upcoming season
Player-wise, none of the squad has opted out and they will be returning WNBA veteran Sue Bird. With a 22-12 record in 2018, the Sparks added some new faces to the squad including WNBA star Kristi Toliver, Tea Cooper and Reshanda Gray. The team signed WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith creating the leagues Big 3 which is comprised of the all-star along with WNBA veteran Diana Taurasi and center Brittney Griner. The squad brings back Victoria Vivans, who had a good rookie season in 2018 but was out last season due to a knee injury. The team added newcomer Layshia Clarendon, whos entering her eighth WNBA season.
WNBA teams set to make tough decisions on roster cuts
NEW YORK New York Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb knew that he and first-year coach Walt Hopkins would have to make some tough decisions on the team's roster this year. He just didn't think they'd have to do it so quickly and without seeing players compete in training camp. It's left many teams with tough decisions on who they will cut and little time to figure it out. We have the most international players and with so much uncertainty and lack of answers at the moment, it puts us in a position to have to make decisions.Kolb said he's been in constant contact with the international players, who are in China, Sweden, Australia, France and Canada. There is a chance one or more of the Liberty's international players could decide she wants to stay abroad.
WNBA: Connecticut Sun, Dallas Wings, Los Angeles Sparks all get victories
Connecticut Sun 68, Phoenix Mercury 62With the win the Connecticut Sun have won six straight games and are at the top of the leaderboard in the WNBA. Dallas Wings 87, New York Liberty 64The Dallas Wings move out of last place in the WNBA standings with the win against the New York Liberty. The Wings were led by Arike Ogunbowale who scored 22 points and Megan Gustafson added 11 points. Los Angeles Sparks 76, Las Vegas Aces 68Nneka Ogwumike had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Los Angeles Sparks as they get a great win over the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces were led by Kayla MacBride who had 19 points while Dearica Hamby added 11 points.
WNBA: Wings vs. Liberty; Indiana vs. Phoenix; Sky vs. Storm
Dallas Wings vs New York Liberty Game Preview (7:30 p.m. EST tip-off)Coming off a victory over the league's best team, the Wings again are looking for their first road win of 2019 when they face the New York Liberty tonight. Indiana Fever vs. Phoenix Mercury Game Preview (10:00 p.m. EST tip-off)Indiana is coming off a loss to the Minnesota Lynx. With the fourth spot in the Eastern conference and a 5-7 record currently, the Fever are looking to bounce back. Kelsey Mitchell leads the team in scoring with 14 points per game, and not too far behind is Erica Wheeler with 12 points per game. Chicago Sky vs. Seattle Storm Game Preview (10:00 p.m. EST tip-off)Coming off a loss, the Chicago Sky are looking to win as they take on the Storm.