WNBA

SOURCE SPORTS: Atlanta Dream Selects Rhyne Howard First Overall In The 2022 WNBA Draft

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The 2022 WNBA draft returned to live presentation format after going virtual for two years. The Atlanta Dream selected Kentucky standout Rhyne Howard, number one in the draft.

Howard fills an immediate need for the Dream, which went 8-24 last season. Howard is an elite scorer who can shoot from outside and get buckets in the paint.

The Indiana Fever selected NaLyssa Smith with the second pick in the draft. The Baylor standout averaged 22 points and 15 rebounds last season. The Teas native won the Wade Trophy as the nation’s best player last season.

The Washington Mystics selected Shakira Austin from Ole Miss with the third pick. Austin averaged 15 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks per game last season.

She averaged 15.2 points per game and nine rebounds and is a two-time All-SEC forward. Austin also helped Ole Miss get their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2007.

The Fever used the fourth pick to select forward Emily Engstler of Louisville. A transfer from Syracuse, the Queens, N.Y. native was a finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award as the nation’s best small forward and a semifinalist for the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year award. The senior led the ACC in steals (2.7 spg), was third in rebounding (6.7 RPG), and was an All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team selection.

The New York Liberty selected Nyara Sabally of Oregon with the fifth pick. The two-time All-Pac-12 selection was a finalist for the 2021-22 Katrina McClain Award, leading Oregon in scoring (15.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg).

That rounds out the top five picks of a very deep draft. The WNBA season tips off on May 6, with training camps opening later this week.

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US Demands Russia Allow Access To Detained Brittney Griner

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Brittney Griner

Olympian & WNBA athlete Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil. The U.S. State Department has demanded Russia to allow U.S. officials to see the athlete. Demands to See Brittney Griner The US State Department has demanded Russia allow US officials to see Brittney. The athlete currently sits […]

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Brittney Griner’s Request For House Arrest Has Been Denied, Olympian Will Be Held In Russia For 30 Days More

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Brittney Griner

Olympian & WNBA athlete Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil. Her legal team had asked Russian courts for release on house arrest but was denied. House Arrest Request Denied The hearing in Moscow that happened Thursday had been requested by Griner’s legal team, TMZ Sports reported. Her […]

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Brittney Griner’s Detainment Has Now Been Extended By Russian Court Officials

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Brittney Griner

Olympian & WNBA athlete Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil. Russian state news agency TASS has stated that the Russian court heading the investigation into the drug charge against her has extended the American basketball star’s detention until May 19th. Brittney Griner’s Detainment Extended A Russian court […]

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Brittney Griner Has Been Cutoff From Family Amidst US-Russia Diplomatic Freeze. And Her Ties To A Russian Oligarch Further Imperil Her Fate.

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Brittney Griner

Cherrelle Griner, wife of Brittney Griner, states that she is devastated as she has not had verbal contact with the WNBA star who has been detained in Russia on drug charges. While support builds for her release, Brittney’s fate is further imperiled by her ties to Iskander Makhmudov, the Russian oligarch who is facing US […]

American Athlete Brittney Griner Has Been Detained In Russia. The Narcotics Arrest Could Make Her A Putin Pawn To Draw The US Further Into War.

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Brittney Griner

Olympian & WNBA Athlete Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia for possessing vape cartridges containing hashish oil. Her detention could be used by Russia to gain leverage in the political and economic standoff with Washington over the Ukraine invasion. Who is Brittney Griner? Brittney Griner, is a 31-year-old African-American professional basketball player for the […]

SOURCE SPORTS: WNBA Fines New York Liberty Half a Million For Chartering Flights

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The WNBA levied a $500,000 fine against the New York Liberty for their repeated use of charter flights over the back end of the season, an issue that has been at its boiling point for the past few years.

Last season, the New York Liberty, led by new owners Joe and Clara Tsai, decided to push those boundaries by paying for chartered flights anyway, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Howard Megdal. After they were caught, a furious league office proposed massive penalties, including a $1 million fine, substantial loss of draft picks and possibly even “termination of the franchise.” 

So the WNBA doesn’t want their owners to charter flights for their respective teams seems very backwards in thinking. The WNBPA seems to think it’s backwards also.

In February, the WNBA announced a $75 million capital raise from investors to help address some of these problems. “It’s really important that the players know this is investment in them, even though it’s in the league and not a specific team or just specific players,” Engelbert said. “It’s to help grow our revenue streams and produce sustainable long-term growth.”

The Liberty are one of the WNBA’s eight founding franchises. They are one of three (Sparks, Mercury) still remaining as the league enters its 26th season in 2022. A fourth, the Utah Starzz, is currently the Las Vegas Aces.

By coming after the Liberty’s ownership, the WNBA seems to be moving backwards on the very promise they made to their players.

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WNBA Raises $75 Million In Investment – The Value Of Two NBA Player Salaries Combined

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WNBA

The WNBA has officially announced it has raised almost $75 million in investments – the largest amount raised for a women’s sports league ever.  For context, the figure represents the value of Steph Curry and Chris Paul’s contracts combined. WNBA Announces $75m Windfall The WNBA has announced that they will be receiving $75 million in […]

Drake Wants A WNBA Team In Toronto

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Drake WNBA
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If there are two things we know that Drake loves, it’s basketball and women. So it makes sense that he’d like to combine the two in his hometown with a franchise of the WNBA. Drake, who already has a role as ambassador for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, made his case on Instagram in the wee hours of the night, posting a single-frame Instagram Story reading, simply, “@WNBA, I need a Toronto team.”

This poses all kinds of fascinating possibilities. Would Drake be the owner? Would he want an ambassador role like the one he has with the Raptors? What would the team’s name be? You have to hope it wouldn’t be dinosaur-themed, as the Raptors’ entire concept came from the popularity of the original Jurassic Park the year of the team’s inception.

Furthermore, how would this affect the league as a whole? You’d think adding just one team would unbalance the season schedule quite a lot, so how many teams would be created in an expansion? Would there be an expansion draft? How would the talent in the W, which just went through a dramatic upheaval after solidifying a new CBA, be redistributed to provide parity?

For now, this is all just speculation and spitballing, but it would sure be fun to find out that the (much-needed) expansion is actually in the works. It’d probably be even more fun to see the self-declared Certified Lover Boy sitting courtside, cheering on favorites like Candace Parker, Chiney Ogwumike, and Aja Wilson, bringing some well-deserved publicity to the WNBA.