Tag: dallas wings

Four former Notre Dame players named WNBA All-Stars

Which All-Star is your favorite?

[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] isn’t long removed from coach, so her legacy in form of WNBA players will continue for some time. Eventually, we hope to see the same effects from [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag]’s coaching. For now, Notre Dame fans should be pleased that four former Irish players have been named to the 2022 WNBA All-Star Game. No other university has more representation in this year’s event.

The number of Irish alumni in this year’s game became official with the announcement of the 12 reserves, On Saturday, they, along with the 10 selected starters, will be split up into teams captained by A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm. The teams then will face off in the game, which is being held in Chicago.

If you’re a Notre Dame women’s basketball enthusiast, you won’t be disappointed with this game. Here are the players for you to watch and reminisce about:

W Bets: Wager on the Sky, Storm and Mercury ahead of Friday’s WNBA action

Looking at the best bets for Friday’s three-game WNBA slate.

Welcome to Bet For the Win’s W Bets, where we break down, explain and bet on the WNBA. Today, we’re running down the first Friday slate of the 2022 season.

Season picks (record): 6-9

Friday is a great day for WNBA basketball. The NBA season is over and Game 2 of the Stanley Cup is scheduled for the weekend. With that, the W’s three-game slate will be center stage. Connecticut and Seattle will lead things off before Dallas and Phoenix will duel in the Big D. Chicago and Atlanta close out the night.

Here’s a look at the matchups, odds, and storylines.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook

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W Bets: Mystics, Sun, Sky among Thursday’s best wagers on an action-packed night

Looking at the best bets for Friday’s four WNBA games.

Welcome to Bet For the Win’s W Bets, where we break down, explain and bet on the WNBA. Today, we’re running down the first Friday slate of the 2022 season.

Season picks (record): 4-6

It’s Friday night and the W is sending us into the weekend with a quartet of games. From Connecticut playing on the second night of a back-to-back to Dallas and Seattle trying to live up to the hype of last season’s consecutive game-winners, each matchup should present a competitive and entertaining 40 minutes of basketball up and down the board.

Here’s a look at the matchups, odds, and storylines.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

Former Notre Dame players on 2022 WNBA rosters

Which player(s) will you cheer for this season?

The 2022 WNBA season has tipped off, and there is plenty of Notre Dame representation. Not that this should come as any surprise given that they all played under Muffet McGraw. Hopefully one day, Niele Ivey will have just as many of her own former players competing at the pinnacle of professional women’s basketball. For now, McGraw’s legacy is far more apparent.

With nine former Irish players in the WNBA and a few of them even teammates, there’s a very good chance you’ll find one of them on a given night if you decide to flip on a random game this season. Maybe you happen to be a fan of a particular team that has Irish blood on it. In that case, congratulations for hitting the jackpot!

Don’t be so quick to write these athletes off just because it’s women’s basketball. It’s just as thrilling to watch them as it is male athletes, and you’re only hurting yourself if you refuse to watch solely based on gender. Now, with that out of the way, here are the former Irish players to look for:

Dallas Wings star Isabelle Harrison rocked an iconic Michael Jordan outfit days after signing with his brand

Isabelle Harrison is loving being a Jordan Brand Athlete.

Dallas Wings forward Isabelle Harrison inked a deal this past week to become a Jordan Brand Athlete. And as a part of the official announcement of her signing, Harrison debuted a new colorway of the Air Jordan 1. The shoe is nicknamed the “Starfish.”

But the swag certainly didn’t end there.

Harrison made another one of her fashion statements ahead of the Wings’ season opener on Saturday night against the Atlanta Dream, pulling up to the arena in a custom Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls jersey fashioned into a dress.

Here’s the look:

And here’s the announcement with the debut of the sneaker:

I think we have an idea of her excitement level of being a Jordan Brand Athlete.

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WNBA Power Rankings Week 1: Sky, Sun and Storm looking strong ahead of season openers

Ranking the WNBA teams 1-12 ahead of Week 1 of the 2022 season.

Months have passed following the WNBA’s celebratory 25th season, one that saw the Chicago Sky win its first-ever championship 201 days ago. Headlines filled the eight-month intermission as notable players were traded, superstars switched teams, and coaches went to new organizations.

Alas, the dust has finally settled and the off-season is in the rearview. Now, each team has finalized its roster and is ready to roll into the 2022 season on an even playing field.

Where do things stand as the new season gets underway? We take a look at all 12 teams and rank them ahead of opening night with our first power rankings of 2022:

Dare Ogunbowale admits he’s no match against WNBA star, sister Arike Ogunbowale in basketball

Jags RB Dare Ogunbowale is a great athlete, but he understands that a battle on the court against his sister Arike won’t end well for him.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Dare Ogunbowale is clearly a formidable athlete — but matching up with his sister and WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale on the court is a real challenge.

After meeting with the media Thursday, Ogunbowale admitted that his sister takes him to school on the court, though there used to be a time where he was the better basketball player in their youth.

“That’s not off the wall, I’m asked that all the time,” he said to the members of the Jags media room. “I mean I still… I’m just joking, she beats me, bro. She beats me pretty good. I mean I used to beat her when I was still playing, but no, she’s too good.”

The term “good” may be an understatement when it comes to Arike’s skills on the court. In 2019, she started her career by making the WNBA’s All-Rookie team after being drafted fifth overall by the Dallas Wings. She later followed that up with an All-WNBA First Team selection and a Scoring Leader title (22.77 PPG) the following year. Then last month, she was able to earn an All-Star MVP title and it’s a certainty that more accolades will follow.

After achieving such feats early in her career, it’s a given that Arike has figured out various ways to leave defenders in the dust over the years, which makes sense as to why she led the WNBA in points per game last season. In other words, Arike is far from a one-move player, something her brother also admitted to when asked just how good she is.

“She has like 20 of them [moves], have you ever watched her?,” he said. “She doesn’t have just one. She’s a special player for sure.”

Clearly, good genes run in the family when looking at the success both have had as individual athletes. And though Arike has yet to make it to the postseason with the Wings, it’s only a matter of time before she’s leading her team to the playoffs as she’s just scratching the surface at 24 years old.

As for Dare, it appears he has a chance to be a leader for the Jags, too, especially with his background as a former special teams captain. That’s something that will especially appeal to new Jags coach Urban Meyer, who is big on the third phase of the game and getting contributions from it.

Arike Ogunbowale named WNBA All-Star MVP

The Irish legend just took home some serious hardware.

In only her third WNBA season, Notre Dame legend Arike Ogunbowale is well on her way to becoming one of the best ever in women’s basketball. Ogunbowale, known to Irish fans for her heroics in the 2018 Final Four, added another accolade to her already impressive career. She led all scorers in the WNBA All-Star Game with 26 points to lead Team WNBA to a 93-85 win over the U.S. National Team, which is preparing for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. For her efforts, Ogunbowale was named the game’s MVP:

Ogunbowale, who is averaging 18.9 points a game for the Dallas Wings this season, had a pair of critical moments in the fourth quarter. With Team WNBA holding a two-point lead, she converted a four-point play. That six-point lead went down to five, but Ogunbowale made another 3-pointer and flaunted the moment for the Las Vegas crowd. The national team never got the deficit closer than six the rest of the way.

LeBron James, UNINTERRUPTED drop gear for Oregon’s Sabally before WNBA Draft

The Los Angeles Lakers star gave some new gear to one of the likely top picks in Friday’s WNBA Draft.

We finally have something that resembles a real sporting event coming up tomorrow night as the WNBA Draft will take place Friday night on ESPN. And one of the expected top picks in the coming draft, Oregon forward Satou Sabally, got a pretty dope care package from LeBron James, Maverick Carter and the folks at UNINTERRUPTED.

Sabally’s Oregon teammate Sabrina Ionescu is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in tomorrow’s draft to the New York Liberty, but the latest mock draft from ESPN, and mock drafts for the past few months, have been mostly considering Sabally in the No. 2 spot to the Dallas Wings. LeBron made sure she has some UNINTERRUPTED merch wherever she goes tomorrow.

Sabally, a member of the German National Team who spent her early childhood in Gambia before settling in Berlin, averaged nearly 17 points and seven rebounds per game last season. She was also a 37.8% 3-point shooter over her three-year college career. While Sabally and her Oregon teammates did not get the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament, tomorrow could be a big night for them in the WNBA draft.

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