Tag: A’Ja Wilson

Celtics Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams spotted taking in separate WNBA games over the weekend

There’s an entire league of high-level basketball to watch if the finals sting too much, and these two Celtics took advantage.

Fans of the Boston Celtics are not the only ones among us looking for a basketball fix right now with only two teams left in the NBA having left a league-sized hole in our viewing habits. But there is an entire league of basketball taking place alongside the Denver Nuggets – Miami Heat finals series that is perhaps too raw to watch for Boston fans in the first place.

And that would be the WNBA season currently unfolding alongside the last gasps of the NBA’s 2023 postseason, with loads of exciting action to watch in person or online, with at least two members of the Celtics roster electing for the former.

The duo in question was star forward Jayson Tatum and reserve swingman Grant Williams, the latter an outspoken fan of the women’s game.

A’ja Wilson gave Tom Brady superfan Kelsey Plum some necessary advice after the QB purchased stake in Aces

Kelsey Plum should probably listen to her teammate on this one.

Tom Brady might be retired, but he isn’t straying too far from the sports world he knows and loves.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion announced Thursday that he purchased a stake in the WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.

Now, while a retired athlete purchasing a stake in another pro team isn’t something we’ve never seen before, Brady’s move is particularly funny because of the specific team he’s joining. If you remember, Aces star Kelsey Plum is huge Brady fan — so big, she barked at him during a game he was sitting courtside last season.

A full-circle moment, Plum was ecstatic to hear the latest news Thursday, but teammate A’ja Wilson had some timely and hilarious advice for her.

A word to the wise, indeed.

It’s probably not a good idea to bark at your employer. Though with Brady’s background as a fiery competitor known for barking at his own teammates, he might actually respect it.

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Tom Brady is beginning retired life by purchasing an ownership stake in WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces

Tom Brady is joining another championship team.

After winning seven championships in the NFL, five-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady is joining another champion.

The 45-year-old former quarterback has reportedly purchased an ownership stake in the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces are the reigning champions in the WNBA and the majority owner of the franchise is Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis.

Brady’s purchase is still subject to the approval of the WNBA’s league office and his minority stake is for an undisclosed amount. But his new affiliation with the team should have a positive impact on the organization.

He posted a video confirming the report:

Brady spoke about why he decided to get involved:

“It was a matter of time before I was back in the building with some of the greatest athletes in the world and I grew up with three older sisters. They were all incredible athletes in their own right. They were role models for me. It’s where my love of women’s sports began.”

Brady attended a game in Las Vegas last summer and watched Aces star Kelsey Plum score 18 points. He then sent her an autographed jersey and her reaction was priceless.

The Aces, coached by WNBA Coach of the Year Becky Hammon, have an incredible roster for next season.

WNBA All-Star MVP Plum is joined by two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker, two-time WNBA MVP A’Ja Wilson, WNBA Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, and WNBA Most Improved Player Jackie Young.

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2023 WNBA draft is April 10 and to be televised exclusively on ESPN

This year’s draft class is exceptionally talented with South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston leading the way.

The 2023 WNBA draft will be held on Monday, April 10. It will be exclusively televised on ESPN from 7-9 p.m. EST and available on the ESPN app.

According to the WNBA’s website, fans have multiple ways to get involved with the draft and follow along:

Launching in March, Draft Central on wnba.com will enable fans to access multiple offerings in the days leading up to the draft. Elements will include an interactive draft board; prospect profiles with insights powered by SAP; in-depth features on the top draft prospects; coverage of all draft events; and more.

Fans will also be able to access an array of content across WNBA channels that will include the unique stories and personalities of the prospects via Instagram and TikTok; a Twitter Spaces mock draft debate; cross platform live coverage including the Orange Carpet and more.

The draft consists of three rounds and 36 picks. The WNBA only has 144 roster spots, so the higher a player is picked the larger likelihood they will make a roster. Only a small percentage of players drafted make a WNBA roster.

The league is looking to expand in the next few years, but has no concrete plans for expanded rosters. Leagues such as Athletes Unlimited provide 44 more roster spots for elite basketball players to play domestically, but many opine it is still not enough to harness the sheer talent of women’s basketball players in the United States.

However, the top picks of the draft are almost guaranteed a spot. The last 10 No. 1 overall draft picks were:

2013: Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury

2014: Chiney Ogwumike, Connecticut Sun

2015: Jewell Loyd, Seattle Storm

2016: Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm

2017: Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces (formerly San Antonio Stars)

2018: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces

2019: Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces

2020: Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty

2021: Charli Collier, Dallas Wings

2022: Rhyne Howard, Atlanta Dream

The WNBA held its 22nd annual draft lottery on Nov. 11 to determine the order. The Indiana Fever received the first pick. The Minnesota Lynx have the second pick. The Atlanta Dream are third and the Washington Mystics (via Los Angeles Sparks) have the fourth pick.

The full lineup of picks for the first round is below:

Pick Team
1 Indiana Fever
2 Minnesota Lynx
3 Atlanta Dream
4 Washington Mystics (via Los Angeles)
5 Chicago Sky (via Phoenix)
6 New York Liberty
7 Indiana Fever (via Dallas)
8 Atlanta Dream (via Washington)
9 Seattle Storm
10 Connecticut Sun
11 Dallas Wings (via Chicago)
12 Minnesota Lynx (via Las Vegas)

This year’s draft class is exceptionally talented with South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston leading the way. She is projected to go No. 1 in the draft and when you look at her 2022 accomplishments, not to mention her whole career, it is hard to disagree.

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A’ja Wilson just had one of the most decorated years in basketball we’ve ever seen and here are all her awards

A’ja Wilson just keeps on winning

Michael Jordan in 1992. Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994. Breanna Stewart in 2018. LeBron James in 2012.

Those are some players who had some of the most decorated years in basketball that we’ve ever seen. They absolutely racked up awards. MVP’s, championship trophies, gold medals, defensive player of the year awards. You name it and they’ve got them.

A’ja Wilson just joined that class herself with the season she had in 2022. She won her first WNBA Finals a couple of weeks ago. Then, immediately after, she went over to Australia and won another gold medal. 

Wilson has had quite the year. Here’s a quick list of everything she won in this 2022 campaign.

It’s more than most players can ever hope for in their careers.

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The Aces brought Las Vegas its first ever championship parade and these 15 photos captured how spectacular it was

The Las Vegas Aces had their city turned all the way up.

For a city having its first ever championship parade, Las Vegas sure did show up and show out for the Aces after they returned home from the WNBA Finals against the Connecticut Sun.

The newly minted WNBA champions held their championship parade on the Vegas strip on Tuesday and it looked more like a party than anything else.

Champagne was popped. Shots were taken. A’ja Wilson was on 10. Finals MVP Chelsea Gray was also on 10. Kelsey Plum may have been on 20. The vibes were immaculate all around.

Not sure if these photos actually do the moment justice, but here are 15 incredible pictures from the Aces’ celebration.

Enjoy.

See the amazing moment A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces found out she won WNBA MVP

“Shots on A’ja!”

A’ja Wilson just finished playing 161 of a possible 165 minutes in the semifinals series between the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm. Her stellar Games 2 through 4 helped earn the team a spot in the 2022 WNBA Finals and earned herself a few days extra days of rest.

While she rests, she’ll get to stare at some additional hardware.

On Wednesday afternoon, the WNBA officially announced A’ja Wilson as the winner of the league’s 2022 MVP Award. She averaged 19.5 points and 9.4 rebounds across 36 regular-season games while also leading the W in blocks per game and leading the Aces to the No. 1 seed in the standings.

Wilson and her teammates, however, found out about the award a bit earlier. And their locker room celebration looked absolutely epic.

Wilson received 31 first-place votes to edge out Breanna Stewart (23) for the award.

Wilson’s trophy room is getting crowded.

With Wednesday’s announcement, she is now a two-time WNBA MVP (2020, 2022), a Rookie of the Year (2018) and a Defensive Player of the Year (2022). Of course, Wilson is also a gold medalist as an Olympian, a John R. Wooden Award winner and a national champion, amongst many other things.

The only way the resume gets better is with a WNBA championship, which Wilson and the Aces are three wins away from.

Could more hardware be coming soon? We’ll know by the end of the month.

The Las Vegas Aces have -220 odds at Tipico Sportsbook to win the title.

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A’ja Wilson wins 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, with more hardware up for grabs

Can this be the first of a busy award season for A’ja Wilson?

A four-time WNBA All-Star, 2018 WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2020 WNBA Most Valuable Player, A’ja Wilson already has quite the resume as a fifth-year player.

She now gets to add to the list of accolades.

On Tuesday afternoon, the league officially named Wilson the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year award winner.

Wilson led the W in blocked shots and anchored a middle-of-the-pack Las Vegas Aces defense throughout the season en route to a finish atop the regular-season standings.

The South Carolina native earned 20 of the 56 total votes to narrowly beat out Alyssa Thomas (14) and Breanna Stewart (13) for the 2022 DPOY honor.

While Wilson will happily take ownership of the award, the prize money and the slick-looking piece of hardware, there’s more out there for her to get.

Las Vegas is three wins away from a WNBA Finals berth, and six wins away from hoisting the championship trophy for the 2022 season, which would be her and the Aces’ first. But after a rough game opening game of the semifinals for Wilson and the Aces, they find themselves down 0-1 in their series with the Breanna Stewart and the Seattle Storm.

The battle between the Aces and Storm is highlighted by the Wilson-Stewart matchup, who are both widely assumed to be the two leading candidates for the soon-to-be-announced 2022 MVP award.

So, Tuesday’s award could be one of a few for Wilson this summer. We’ll have to wait and see how many she ends up with.

(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)

The Las Vegas Aces have +210 title odds at Tipico Sportsbook.

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WNBA superstars A’ja Wilson and Kahleah Copper sign massive sponsorships as the league continues to grow

WNBA players getting the bag.

Some of the WNBA’s biggest superstars are gearing up to take the center stage this week as the 2022 playoffs begin in just over 24 hours. But before they prepare to handle business on the court, business away from the hardwood is already thriving.

On Monday, it was announced that the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, the 2020 WNBA MVP, had signed a sponsorship deal with Ruffles to become the brand’s first-ever female athlete.

And on Tuesday, reports surfaced that the Chicago Sky’s reigning WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper had inked a deal with Gatorade, where she will join teammate Candace Parker as a sponsor.

If you don’t already know the names and faces of Kahleah Copper and A’ja Wilson, you’re a casual (just kidding). Regardless, you’re going to become more familiar with the two even if you don’t necessarily follow the WNBA.

Although, there’s a good chance that you are, seeing how the WNBA’s viewership numbers continue to grow.

Each sponsorship announcement coming just ahead of the WNBA playoffs is certainly planned and it wouldn’t be surprising if some of the brands’ advertisements ran during commercial breaks of games.

Wilson and Copper will only add to the continued growth of the league.

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WNBA All-Star Game, live stream, TV channel, time, how to watch WNBA All-Star Game

The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game will be held on Sunday afternoon from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game will be held on Sunday afternoon from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. A’ja Wilson and Brianna Stewart received the most amount of fan votes and will be captains of their teams while they pick their respective teams.

This will be a great WNBA All-Star Game, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action.

2022 WNBA All-Star Game

  • When: Sunday, July 10
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: ABC
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

WNBA Odds and Betting Lines

WNBA odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

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