Notre Dame alumnus [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] is having by far the best season of her WNBA career. She’s the league’s leading scorer, averaging 25.4 points a game, which is well above the career-best 17.9 she averaged in 2021.
Loyd scored a career-high 39 points to help the Seattle Storm beat [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] (41 points) and the Dallas Wings, 109-103, on June 17. This performance undoubtedly factored into her being named Western Conference Player of the Week, a honor that Storm coach Noelle Quinn was happy to announce:
Loyd previously won conference player of the week honors in June 2021. While she surely is happy to add to her trophy case, her focus most likely is on the changing her team’s fortunes. The Storm are 3-7, placing them 10th in the 12-team league. She will need some help if the Storm are to keep their seven-year playoff streak alive.
Even if the Storm don’t make the postseason, this will be a season for Loyd to remember. It will be awesome to see her continue to ascend to new heights.
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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.
New YouTube episode of the Celtics Lab Podcast via@CLNSMedia âď¸
How the new CBA will impact Boston's offseason, Jaylen Brown's extension, and more w/ capologist@YossiGozlan
The 2023 WNBA season is upon us at an all-time high in popularity for women’s basketball. More opportunities are opening up for female hoopsters at all levels, and everyone is better for it. After the thrilling college season we just had, it’s time for the professionals to show what they can do. Particular attention should be given to these players since they paved the way for the sport to reach these unprecedented levels of attention.
Notre Dame has been one of the best women’s programs for some time now. Their two national championships since the turn of the century are evidence of that, but you can see it in the WNBA, too. Ten former Irish are suiting up in the league this season, which gives Notre Dame the second-most players of any program. If you need a refresher as to who to follow over the next few months, here they are:
Dallas will lean on veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale to help lead the team this season.
The Dallas Wings have a new head coach, Latricia Trammell, and just drafted NCAA scoring leader Maddy Siegrist in the 2023 WNBA draft. The Wings no longer have Skylar Diggins-Smith or Allisha Gray, so Dallas will lean on veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale this season.
Trammell believes Ogunbowale is ready for the challenge, while Ogunbowale mentions there are many players on the team who are also strong leaders. The humility Ogunbowale has shown truly points toward her being a strong leader this season.
The Wings are rebuilding their roster and oddsmakers have them at plus-3500 to win the 2023 WNBA championship. With Ogunbowale at the helm, however, they are poised to prove the oddsmakers wrong. She believes they have the pieces to do so.
“I think they have a lot of respect for me and I respect them,” Ogunbowale said. “Yes, I am a leader, but we got Natasha (Howard), too. She’s won three championships, and we got Diamond (DeShields), she won a championship. Satou (Sabally) has been here a while; Big T. We have a lot of players that can support me while I’m supporting (them) and vice versa. I think it is just really respect and what they give me I will give back.”
I asked AI information bot ChatGPT to list what it believes are Notre Dame’s top 10 men’s basketball players. It only makes sense for me to give the women equal treatment. Plus the women have both a better recent past and future than the men. You know people want to know who’s made the program so special.
Please note that ChatGPT’s knowledge cuts off at September 2021, so you won’t find [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] on this list. Heck, she probably wouldn’t have made it anyway since she just completed her sophomore season. She still has a legacy to complete.
Here is ChatGPT’s disclaimer regarding the list:
“As a language model, I do not have personal opinions or beliefs, and my responses are generated based on data and information available to me. However, I can provide you with a list of some of the most notable Notre Dame women’s basketball players, based on their achievements, accolades, and impact on the program.”
It also says this:
“Please note that this list is not exhaustive and is subject to personal opinions and interpretations. There have been many talented and accomplished players in Notre Dame women’s basketball history, and different people may have different criteria for their top 10 selections.”
With that out of the way, let’s see who the information bot has deemed worthy of making this list and what it had to say about each player:
Athletes Unlimited raised $30 million in new funding at the end of 2022 and Durant was part of the diverse investor groups.
Phoenix Suns players Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and T.J. Warren watched some women’s basketball games while they were in Dallas before their own game against the Dallas Mavericks.
The three stopped by Athletes Unlimited to watch women’s professional basketball players light up the court. The Suns beat the Mavericks and it could have been because the trio picked up some luck from Athletes Unlimited players.
âWe have been advisors for AU since the very beginning, and weâre excited to be a part of this capital raise,” Durant said in an Athletes Unlimited press release. “Athletes Unlimited is at the forefront of womenâs sports and an inspiration for how sports leagues can thrive with an athlete-first business model.”
Durant consistently brings women’s professional basketball to the forefront across his social media. When Athletes Unlimited announced a renewed partnership with Nike, Durant shared the news with his 20.8 million followers on Twitter.
Durant is vocal about his support for the women’s side of the game and reached out to the Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart to urge her to sign with the New York Liberty during free agency so they could be in the same city. Shortly after Stewart signed with the Liberty, Durant was traded to the Suns.
.@KDTrey5 REALLY wants Breanna Stewart to join the New York Liberty. đ˝đ
"I hit [Breanna Stewart] the other day, and I never do this, and was like, 'Yo, it would be an incredible dynasty in New York City if you came here.'" pic.twitter.com/BTnCtkETJW
When he got to Phoenix, a touching video was shared on the Phoenix Mercury’s social media account of Durant and WNBA superstar and Olympic champion Brittney Griner embracing. Griner was detained in a Russian prison while playing basketball abroad. After months of negotiation, she was finally released.
The Suns weren’t the only ones attending the Athletes Unlimited game on March 4. Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale and WNBA free agent Te’a Cooper stopped by to check out the action.
The Dallas Wings were eliminated by the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA playoffs on Wednesday, ending Satou Sabally’s season prematurely.
A Satou Sabally vs. Ruthy Hebard matchup in the second round of the WNBA playoffs was not meant to be, as Sabally’s Dallas Wings were defeated by the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday by a score of 73-58, eliminating them from postseason competition.
The Wings shot an abysmal 20-55 from the field in the loss, with Marina Mabrey (20 points) and Veronic Burton (10) the only players in double-figures.
Sabally played 20 minutes and finished with six points, three assists, and one rebound, closing out an injury-riddled season where she only managed to appear in 11 regular season games, averaging 11.3 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Dallas and New York both getting eliminated on back-to-back days means the only Oregon alumni still fighting for a WNBA championship is Hebard, whose Chicago squad is going to face Connecticut while they look to become the first team to repeat as WNBA champions since the Los Angeles Sparks did it back in 2001 and 2002.
What better way to start the playoffs than by having one of the best highlights of the day?
Game 1’s first quarter between the Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun closed with one of the more fun and jaw-dropping moments we might see the rest of the postseason.
Wings forward, Satou Sabally, absolutely launched a hail mary shot from the other end of the court before the opening quarter’s time expired.
What she found was the bottom of the net.
“Half-court heave by Sabally… AND SHE GETS IT!”
Check out the ridiculous, line-drive shot that you’ll be seeing retweeted throughout your social media feeds for the rest of the night.
The WNBA’s playoff race is absolutely insane right now and you need to watch it
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What’s good, family. It’s Sykes here again with another edition of layup lines.
Before we get started, a quick word on our schedule. Starting next week we’ll be switching to a 3-day rotation on Monday, Wednesday and Friday instead of the regular 5 days. We’re trying something different while we’re in the swing of the NBA offseason. Let us know if you like the pacing!
Now, a quick word on the WNBA’s 6-team race for the last 3 seeds in the playoffs.
Take a look at the standings. The first five seeds are pretty much on lock. The Chicago Sky and the Las Vegas Aces have locked up the first 2 playoff seeds â it’s only a matter of what order they’ll come in.
Behind those two, you’ve got the Sun, Mystics and Storm comfortably ahead of the pack in the 3, 4 and 5 slots. Those teams are playoff locks. But underneath them? There’s absolute chaos ensuing.
There’s a 3.5 game gap between the Dallas Wings as the 6th seed and the Minnesota Lynx as the 11th seed. In between them, you’ve got the Mercury at 7 with a 13-18 record. The Liberty, Sparks and Dream are behind them all with a 12-18 record and the Lynx are sitting at 12-19.
Only 8 teams can make the postseason and there’s only between 4 to 6 games left in everybody’s season. Three of these teams will be heartbroken.
It might be the Phoenix, who was in the Finals last year and have the best point guard in the W in Skylar Diggins-Smith. It might be the Sparks with Nneka Ogwumike, who is an MVP candidate. It might be the Dream, who have one of the best rookies we’ve seen in years in Rhyne Howard. It could be the Liberty with Sabrina Ionescu and it could even be the Wings with the best young core in the W if they slip far enough.
This league, man. It’s as cutthroat as it gets. There’s so much talent to go around. Even teams with legends and All-Stars and future Hall of Famers on them aren’t safe.
Some NBA goodness from around the USA TODAY Sports network.
(Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images)
LeBron James is extension eligible starting on Thursday. The Lakers will almost certainly offer him one and he almost certainly isn’t signing it. It’s going to be a contract year for the King, which is always fun.
“He wants two things: To play with his son and to play for a championship. To make the latter happen, James is keeping his finger pressed on the scale to push the Lakers into making moves. He wants a Russell Westbrook trade. And if it means sacrificing the Lakersâ last two future draft picks to get it done? He wants to do it. He can force them into that corner by threatening to leave if they donât. An extension destroys that leverage, which is why he wonât sign it.
But the Lakers still seem steadfast in their unwillingness to completely mortgage their future to grant LeBronâs wishes. So now, this is a pretty expensive game of chicken.”
They’re almost definitely not trading LeBron. But if they were going to? Those are the places they probably should call. Check it out.
This game is interesting for all the reasons mentioned above here. The playoff implications in this one are huge. These two teams just played each other and the Liberty cleaned the Sparks out, 102-73. I don’t expect the result to be as drastic, but I do expect a win from the Liberty â especially with them being at home. I’ll take them -6.5.
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[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:
