Tag: Atlanta Dream

Which city should host future WNBA All-Star games?

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that Indianapolis could potentially host in future years.

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend is taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Mercury. This is the third time the Mercury have hosted the event. There are current W teams who have never hosted an All-Star weekend. Could they be a target in the years to come?

In the history of the WNBA All-Star Game, Indianapolis, which hosted the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend, is one of four cities with a W franchise that has never hosted the weekend, joining Atlanta, Dallas and Los Angeles.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert commented that perhaps Indianapolis could be in the cards to host in future years.

“No doubt about it,” Engelbert said when asked if the league would consider a WNBA All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. “Summer’s nice here; we won’t have that snow in July. Absolutely. I have been so impressed with the branding of the city, the support of the city … I know that in the state, in the city, basketball is so popular. I mean, it’s pretty incredible.”

See what cities could potentially host WNBA All-Star Weekend.

Q&A: Atlanta Dream guard Haley Jones tried to build a WNBA Mt. Rushmore and it was so hard

“I’m stressed out over here! I’m getting a new pimple!”

Haley Jones is just a California girl with Atlanta dreams. Yet, her vision for her career extends beyond the court and into girls’ lives everywhere.

During her college career at Stanford, Jones was an AP All-American and Pac-12 Co-Player of the Year and also won a national championship. In 2023, she was drafted by the Atlanta Dream, where she thrived and walked away with WNBA All-Rookie Team honors. Now, she’s hoping to build upon her success and share her passion for basketball with other young players.

In celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the WNBA and VOICEINSPORT (VIS) are partnering with the WNBA Changemaker Collective to engage and unlock services to over 50,000 girls via VIS’s platform. Jones and 11 other WNBA players have signed on to become VIS mentors, something she says she wished she had as a young athlete.

“It would have meant a lot because the W was very young when I was growing up, and social media wasn’t as big back then,” she told For The Win in a recent interview. “So, I didn’t have those role models, and I feel like nowadays, kids can connect to us through Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, whatever it may be. It would have meant the world to have that one-on-one connection or feel like you really know your favorite athletes and people who look like you.”

Ahead of the 2024 WNBA season, Jones spoke with For the Win about what she would have changed from her first season in the league, why having new teammate Jordin Canada guard her was annoying, and why it stresses her out to pick just four players to be on her WNBA Mount Rushmore of greats.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Former Michigan State women’s basketball star Aerial Powers signs with the Atlanta Dream

Former Michigan State star Aerial Powers signs with the Atlanta Dream

Former WNBA champion and Michigan State women’s basketball alum Aerial Powers has found her new home. On Thursday, it was announced that Powers has signed to the Atlanta Dream.

Powers has averaged 10.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game over her career.

“Aerial is one of the most explosive wings in the WNBA and is capable of scoring in a variety of ways,” said Dream general manager Dan Padover. “Aerial is a WNBA Champion, an ultimate competitor and we are thrilled to have a winner like her on our team.”

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Dream guard Rhyne Howard feels future WNBA players won’t want to play overseas

While players have differing perspectives on staying home or playing overseas, the big change to seasons past is the choice.

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard will be staying in the United States this offseason due to multiple job opportunities. Howard recently joined the University of Florida women’s basketball team as an assistant coach and director of player personnel while also being selected as one of the new cohort of players for WNBA marketing and promotional agreements.

Howard played last offseason in Italy for Famila Wuber Schio, but she did not feel like overseas play was what she wanted to do in the offseason. Many players don’t have a choice when it comes to taking a break during the offseason or playing overseas because of financial reasons. However, more opportunities are provided to these players to keep them stateside if they want to stay.

“Just being able to have that (freedom) to not go overseas and also find things where I can still make money, it’s helpful,” Howard told Andscape. “Especially for this generation. I feel like a lot of kids in my generation, and the generation coming up are not going to want to play overseas as well.”

Former Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones, and current free agent, has spent seven years in a row overseas. This year, she has also been selected for a WNBA marketing and promotional agreement.

“I’ve been playing for seven years (straight) now. This is my first offseason not playing,” Jones said.

Jones shared the benefits of staying home during the offseason, although she is a proponent of playing overseas.

“The top one is just being able to spend time with my family and friends,” Jones said. “Then being able to work on things specifically without having to think about (having a game). Just being able to have that time in between, rest my body and do all the recovery that I need to do when the WNBA season starts.”

While players have differing perspectives on staying home or playing overseas, the big change to seasons past is the choice. Many players can now choose to stay home or play abroad. In years past, players did not have the opportunity to stay in the United States. More opportunities will continue to arise stateside with the increased influx of sponsorship dollars into the league and increased viewership.

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Tiffany Hayes retires from WNBA, plans to continue playing overseas

Tiffany Hayes recently announced that she would be retiring from the WNBA after 11 seasons.

Connecticut Sun guard Tiffany Hayes won back-to-back national championships at the University of Connecticut and was selected 14th overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2012 WNBA draft. Hayes recently announced on the “Counted Me Out” podcast that she would be retiring from the WNBA after 11 seasons.

“I really feel like I’m older now,” Hayes said regarding her decision to retire from the WNBA. “I’ve got a lot of stuff that I really always wanted to get into, but I’m so busy because I’m playing year-round. People don’t understand that’s a year-round thing we be doing overseas and the league. Plus my body, playing 11 seasons straight with no breaks, every year, two seasons in a year every time — that’s a lot.”

Since college, Hayes has essentially not had a break from basketball.

Hayes didn’t lose a game in college until her junior year, won two national championships, played 10 seasons for the Dream before heading to the Sun, and played overseas. She explained what she wants to do in her retirement from the league.

“I just figured I’d focus on one thing, and then in summertime, I can turn up my businesses, turn up time with my family and just live like that,” Hayes said. “I want to see how that goes.”

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Watch: Arike Ogunbowale signs autograph after being ejected from game

There’s one way to make a statement.

Tuesday’s game between the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream was historic for the wrong reasons. A WNBA record 10 technical fouls were called between both teams. Two of those were attributed to former Notre Dame star [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] as she sat on the bench, meaning she was ejected with 1:42 left in the Wings’ 85-73 victory. With the Wings’ win assured thanks in part to her 21 points, Ogunbowale decided she would make a spectacle as she headed back to the locker room:

When asked to comment on the technicals, Ogunbowale said this:

She also took to Twitter for some more unfiltered thoughts, sort of:

But she also probably was still on a high from this ankle-breaking move she executed during the game:

Ogunbowale, who scored a career-high 41 points as the Wings lost their previous game to [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] and the Seattle Storm, is well on her way to another All-Star selection. If the season ended today, she would have career highs of 23.3 points and 4.2 assists a game. There’s no reason to think she’ll drop off. As we just saw, she’ll bring attitude and a little creativity with her, too.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Rhyne Howard hopes to have impact on WNBA like Candace Parker

Howard made Atlanta Dream history on Sunday as the fastest player to reach 1,000 career points.

Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard recently became the fastest player in WNBA history to make 150 career 3-pointers. And in the Dream’s win over the Washington Mystics on Sunday, Howard made franchise history as the fastest player to reach 1,000 points.

Howard was the first pick in the 2022 WNBA draft when the Dream selected her out of Kentucky. She was the first player ever drafted No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft in school history and left the program as the all-time top 3-point shooter and a two-time SEC Player of the Year. Howard was named the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2022.

This season, Howard is averaging 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Although she only had 11 points in Atlanta’s win against Washington, it was all she needed to reach the franchise record. She also recorded five rebounds, five steals and two blocks in the win.

When asked what impact she hopes to leave on the WNBA, Howard said: “Obviously, you see people breaking records every day, and you always see, ‘Since Candace Parker.’ I want to have an impact like that.”

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Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard became the fastest player to reach 150 3-pointers

The Dream defeated the Mercury on Tuesday at home in front of their eighth sellout crowd this season.

The Atlanta Dream defeated the Phoenix Mercury, 78-65, on Tuesday at home in front of their eighth sellout crowd this season. Rhyne Howard put on a show and became the fastest player in WNBA history to make 150 career 3-pointers.

“She’s that good,” Dream head coach Tanisha Wright said. “She’s a generational talent. Not too many people like her come through our league, so when we see those, we gotta appreciate them in the moment.”

The previous record was held by Katie Smith, who reached 150 career triples in 65 games, but Howard reached the milestone in 57 games.

The Dream had bench players score 42 points in their win against Phoenix. Howard had 10 points, three rebounds and two steals. This season, Howard is averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Atlanta returns to action on Thursday against the New York Liberty.

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Former Ohio State guard Taylor Mikesell released from WNBA for a second time

Hang in there Taylor! #GoBucks

Because of fewer teams and roster tightening among the WNBA teams, it’s harder to stay in the league than what we typically see in the NBA. You don’t have to tell that to former Ohio State guard, Taylor Mikesell.

Mikesell was originally drafted by the Indiana Fever with the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s WNBA draft. That didn’t last long though. Mikesell was released not long after and it was thought to be an uphill battle to get another shot.

However, the Massillon, Ohio native did indeed get a second life when she was picked up by the Atlanta Dream. And while it is still tough to stick on the team after being shuttled around in the WNBA, there was hope there.

Unfortunately, on Monday, Mikesell was released by the Dream after appearing in six games and averaging 2.8 points, 0.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in just under five minutes of playing time per game.

Now, Mikesell will be looking for yet another chance. There should be a spot for a player with her shooting ability, but whether or not the right fit comes along remains to be seen.

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Haley Jones was mortified to learn she missed a call from her new WNBA coach after being drafted

This is the absolute worst call to miss!

You never want to miss an important call, but this might have just been the absolute worst one to miss.

The 2023 WNBA Draft came and went on Monday with lots of fanfare from basketball fans. As expected, Aliyah Boston was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever to kick off the night for WNBA fans. As the clock rolled down on the Atlanta Dream to draft at the No. 6 spot, the team picked Haley Jones out of Stanford to add to their young, emerging lineup.

When it came time for Dream head coach Tanisha Wright to call Jones to congratulate her on the selection, the newest draftee didn’t answer her phone! Wright then took to Twitter to send her congratulations and offer a good-natured ribbing about the missed call.

A reporter then broke the news to Jones, who was absolutely mortified to learn she blew off her boss in the first few minutes of her new gig.

Thankfully, Wright gave Jones a pass for the day — and the pair finally connected after the press conference — so all’s well that ends well!

No doubt Jones will be keeping a close eye on her phone from here on out.

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