The New York Liberty aren’t done celebrating their stellar WNBA championship win. Thursday, the team appeared during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Ellie the Elephant was there, too.
Caitlin Clark delivers a “Rookie Move” in her hilarious new State Farm commercial.
Former Iowa women’s basketball legend and current Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark premiered in State Farm’s newest TV spot on Wednesday, Nov. 20, in what is titled “Rookie Move.”
State Farm, known for its unique cameos of musicians, athletes, coaches and celebrities, places Clark as their most recent star following her WNBA Rookie of the Year award-winning season.
The commercial starts with a cameo of sports commentator Cassidy Hubbarth, displeased with her son’s decision to back a car out of a closed garage door.
Once Hubbarth refers to the mistake as a “rookie move,” Clark appears in her Indiana Fever uniform practicing her golf swing next to the damaged garage door.
The commercial continues with Clark propping open a lawn chair in a swift one-handed motion while talking about her share of rookie mistakes.
This minor motion from Clark is a unique reference to actor Jason Momoa’s 2012 scene from the TV show “The Game,” which has become popularized within social media culture over the years.
The advertisement ends when Clark summons Jake from State Farm, who reminds everyone that they’ll be covered by the company no matter how long they’ve been “in the game.”
The reference of “game” makes Clark disappear after being reminded that she is supposed to be playing for the Fever at that moment, which is itself a rookie move.
The inclusion of Clark is the latest collaboration between her and State Farm, who has been a proud supporter of Clark from her time with the Hawkeyes to her rookie season in the WNBA and beyond.
Clark, who averaged 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on 41.7% from the field and 34.4% from three-point territory in the regular season last year, will look to improve on those impressive numbers when the WNBA season starts up again in May 2025.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
Unrivaled revealed its rosters on Wednesday. Thirty-four players were announced for the league’s six teams with a pair of wild-card spots still available.
Started by WNBA stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, the league will tip off on Jan. 17 and run for eight weeks with a championship set for mid-March.
Unrivaled reached a multiyear deal with TNT Sports in mid-October to televise its games on TNT and truTV and to stream them on Max.
Clark just completed her first season in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever. She was named Rookie of the Year.
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark averaged 19.2 points, a WNBA-best 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 35.4 minutes per game.
Along with leading the league in assists, Clark was first in 3-pointers (122) and second in minutes per game and free-throw percentage (90.6). She was seventh overall in scoring.
Her 337 assists set a WNBA single-season record, and she had a single-game record of 19 assists against the Dallas Wings in July. She also set a rookie season mark with 769 points and became the first WNBA rookie to record a triple-double. Clark tallied a pair of triple-doubles in her rookie season.
With Clark, Indiana made a return to the WNBA playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season and finished 20-20.
“The fun part is I feel like I’m just scratching the surface. I know I want to help this franchise get even better, help my teammates get even better, be better for my teammates. I know there’s a lot of room for me to continue to improve, so that’s what excites me the most,” Clark said after being named Rookie of the Year.
The Fever fired former coach Christie Sides after the season. Indiana then hired former Fever and Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions.
The women’s 3-on-3 basketball league will reportedly have to go forward without Clark, as ESPN’s Michael Voepel shared on Wednesday that she won’t be joining Unrivaled this time around.
While the league still has two spots open, Clark will reportedly not fill one of those vacancies. It’s not for a lack of trying, as Unrivaled reportedly made Clark a substantial offer to join and added some of her teammates and friends as participants.
Unrivaled will now kick off on Jan. 17 in Miami without Clark in tow.
Our Meghan L. Hall wrote last month about why Clark was probably not joining the league for its first season if you’re curious for possible reasoning as to why this reportedly didn’t happen. Oh well.
Clark and Jake from State Farm appeared in this new advertisement, one with the former in her Fever jersey trying to help a couple with a garage crisis.
However, “rookie moves” don’t just qualify for the poor guy who rammed his car into the garage door. You’ll see what we mean once you watch the ad.
Clark’s State Farm commercial from her Iowa days was very funny, and this one is about as good. We bet we’ll get more of these in the years to come.
Women’s basketball has been having a moment over the last few years with both the WNBA and women’s college basketball taking the sports world by storm.
Come January, another new women’s league will be attempting to do the same thing.
Unrivaled is coming soon. Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart’s new 3-on-3 basketball league is filled with some of the most exciting names in the game. The star power that will be participating in the league’s inaugural season will certainly make for an intriguing watch. On Wednesday, many of those names were officially added to their teams.
So what happens next? When does the league start? How will everything go down? So many people have so many questions about what’s coming around the corner.
Don’t worry — we have answers. Here’s everything you need to know about Unrivaled.
What is Unrivaled?
(Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
Unrivaled is a new 3-on-3 basketball league co-founded by Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
The league received outside investment from former athletes and coaches like Carmelo Anthony, Megan Rapinoe, Michelle Wie West, Steve Nash and even UConn’s Geno Auriemma.
We should probably assume that those two spots will eventually be filled by players participating in the league this winter. But, as far as who those players are, we have no idea. More on that later!
You should also know that all players included in the league are making six figure salaries from participating. Here’s more from the Associated Press:
“Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier’s 3-on-3 league Unrivaled is set to debut in January with players earning the highest average salary in women’s professional sports league history.
Collier and Stewart said that all salaries will be six figures and that players will also have an equity stake in the league.
“It’s really important to us,” Collier told The Associated Press. “Compensation is a huge part of Unrivaled as a league and a business. All the players in this first year will have equity in the league. For players to have a piece of the pie essentially to grow their generational wealth is something we’re really excited about.”
When does the league start and how long is the season?
The season will start on January 17 and is located in Miami. The games will be played in a custom facility with a capacity of 850 and will be broadcast by TNT Sports. The season will last for eight weeks, including the playoffs.
The top four teams at the end of the season will make the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Napheesa Collier also added that there will also be a 1-on-1 championship tournament to determine the best player in the world and the winner will win a $250,000 cash prize.
Sorry. I have to ask — Is Caitlin Clark playing?!?
Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
Well, we don’t know yet! Remember those two wild card slots? It’s totally possible that one of them is being left open for Caitlin Clark.
The league has been openly courting Clark for weeks. Collier has clarified that she’d be more than welcome in Unrivaled. Plus, there have been a few hints that Clark might be joining.
As recently as this week, fans speculated that Caitlin might join the new basketball league after the organization’s social media account dropped a seemingly unsuspecting hint ahead of its roster reveal. The reveal was scheduled to run from 11:00 a.m. to 11:22 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, sending fans into a frenzy. Of course, the chatter immediately started about Caitlin hopping into the fold.
But it looks like fans will have to wait to see the star. Unrivaled revealed its six-team roster, and there is no number 22 — for now. The new league shared that only 34 players will participate when the action starts in January, and the final two roster spots are open for future players to join.
One thing Aliyah Boston will do is a call out a ref she doesn’t agree with.
Aliyah Boston is making the most of her WNBA offseason, including attending an NBA game and telling the coach when to challenge a call.
Alright, at this point, I’m giggling. First, Aliyah’s Fever teammate Caitlin Clark called out the refs when she recently attended an Iowa-Drake game. Now, Aliyah did the same when she went to a Cavs-Celtics matchup. She was courtside when the refs made a questionable call, prompting her to hysterically tell Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson to use his coach’s challenge.
Here’s what happened. Jayson Tatum was dribbling toward the hoop when he lost the ball out of bounds. The refs initially called it a jump ball. After conversing with his staff (and seemingly with input from Boston), Atkinson challenged the call. It was successful, and somebody owes Aliyah Boston a consultant’s fee because SHE WAS RIGHT.
Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thank you so much for reading today. We appreciate your time. Hope you’re having an awesome Wednesday.
Wednesday marks the roster reveal day for Unrivaled — the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league set to take the sports world by storm this winter.
Nearly all the roster slots have been filled at this point. There’s still just one left open with the league announcing its teams today. There’s no doubt who that spot is reserved for.
For the first time, though, it actually seems like they might get her. Clark might actually be Unrivaled, as they say.
The roster announcements start at 11:00 a.m. ET and end at 11:22. Hmmm. Quite a curious time to end, right? Not 11:30. Not 11:15. 11:22. Twenty-two. Hmmm. WAIT. BY GOLLY. THAT’S CAITLIN CLARK’S MUSIC.
That seems to be a pretty strong indicator that Clark is joining the league this winter. It’s hard to believe they’d choose such a specific time without it meaning anything. It’s a solid assumption that there’s a Clark announcement somewhere in there.
But wouldn’t it be hilarious if there isn’t?
Imagine this. Everyone is hyped at 11:21 and Unrivaled is about to unveil the final player. There’s a 22 jersey on the screen. A shadowy figure begins to come into the frame. It’s … all of a sudden … IT’S MYISHA HINES-ALLEN.
Definitely not the No. 22 you’re expecting, but maybe the No. 22 we needed. Shoutout to Myisha, by the way.
In all seriousness, it’s likely Clark. Even though she has plenty of reasons not to play this winter, this build-up and suspense wouldn’t make sense for anyone else. It’s hard to imagine this being anyone but her.
Regardless of whether it is or not, let’s hope for a fun Unrivaled inaugural season. This could be huge for women’s basketball.
Aaron Rodgers is the problem
Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Robert Saleh. Joe Douglas. Everyone who vouched for Aaron Rodgers during his time in New York seems to be falling by the wayside.
“At 3-8, Douglas going down with the ship now feels very different. This is the Jets cutting everyone who bought Rodgers’ brazen snake oil loose without a second thought. It’s ownership making a tacit acknowledgment that acquiring a (then) semi-washed diva like Rodgers for multiple high-end draft picks was a mistake which wasted everyone’s time with the organization.
How do I know this for certain?
Well, dearest readers, that’s because Rodgers — a year after tearing his Achilles, mind you — is having the worst statistical season of his career.
Rodgers hasn’t thrown for 300 yards in a game all season. (The last time he threw for 300 yards in a game was in December 2021.) He’s also averaging his lowest yards per attempt and has his lowest passer rating since his two initial non-starter seasons in Green Bay in … 2005 and 2006. This is beyond a quarterback struggling. This is a player who is a hollow husk of the all-world talent he once was, now at the helm of the NFL’s 17th-ranked offense on an expected points added (EPA) per play basis. Any time you might think the Jets have a modicum of hope, at this point, Rodgers throws it away himself.”
It’s a tough day to be an Aaron Rodgers fan. His days as a Jet seem numbered.
The triple-double king
Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Russell Westbrook snatched his 200th triple-double on Tuesday in a Nuggets’ win over the Grizzlies.
It wasn’t quite vintage Westbrook. It wasn’t as loud as it used to be. But, with 12 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, it was a triple-double nonetheless. And he’s now the only player in the NBA’s history to have 200 triple-doubles. The next closest player is Oscar Robertson, with 181. The next closest active player is his teammate, Nikola Jokic, with 136.
He did the Wilt Chamberlain thing after the fact. And, yeah, he totally deserved to do the Wilt thing here.
Well, it sure sounds like Caitlin Clark is joining Unrivaled to us.
The Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball league is set to announce its club selections on Wednesday, and it sure seems like another big piece of news will come out around then, too.
After months of speculation, an announcement about the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league’s team rosters being made official came with a pretty big wink that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark will be part of the competition.
The Unrivaled Basketball Club Selection will take place from 11 a.m. to 11:22 a.m. ET, which … c’mon. There is no world where the specific time 11:22 isn’t referring to Clark’s 22 number with Indiana.
Clark was reported last month to be considering a substantial offer from Unrivaled, and this sure makes it sound like she took them up on it.
We’ll know more soon enough. If this isn’t the league’s subtle way of announcing Clark’s involvement, we’re going to be really confused.
My boss told me to tell you to send this to your boss 😊 Tune in to the Club Selection presented by @StateFarm tomorrow at 11AM ET pic.twitter.com/sqSE5srLAD
