Tag: Kelsey Plum

WNBA playoffs predictions: Will the Liberty crush the Aces’ chances of winning back-to-back?

For basketball heads everywhere, the WNBA playoffs are an out-of-body experience.

The WNBA playoffs are here. This is when regular season records mean nothing, and wins mean everything. It’s buzzer beaters, emphatically blocked shots, “what did I just see?” moments and scoring so good you’ll need a pulse check.

For basketball heads everywhere, this is an out-of-body experience. The level of play is elevated, and so are the expectations.

Will the Lynx fly too close to the Sun? (See what I did there?) Will the Liberty crush the Aces’ chances of winning back-to-back titles?

Who wins? Who’s out?

These are your 2023 WNBA playoff predictions:

WNBA expansion could come in 2025, but some players believe charter flights are more important

While many believe expansion is a long time coming, some players believe there are more important items on the to-do list.

The WNBA’s viewership is steadily rising and its media rights deal is up for renegotiation after the 2025 season. In light of this, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert shared updated information with the media on league expansion.

“Obviously, we’re working very hard on expansion,” Engelbert told reporters on Sunday. “This is really something I think we need to do, not just because of opening up potentially 12-24 roster spots, but also with a league that’s the longest-tenured women’s professional league in the country by double any other. We need more than 12 teams.”

As per an article by Front Office Sports, the 10 cities under consideration include the Bay Area, Nashville, Toronto, Austin, Denver, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Portland.

“We need to be in some big cities in this country where all of our data and information shows that there are some great markets for WNBA basketball,” Engelbert said. “We’re excited, capitalizing off NCAA popularity, and, hopefully, to talk more about that as we get further into the season this year.”

While many believe expansion is a long time coming, some players believe there are more important items on the to-do list that should be addressed first. At All-Star Weekend, Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum addressed the media about charter flights and expansion.

“If you were to poll the players right now,” Plum said, “and ask if they’d rather have expansion or charter, I think it’s a pretty clear consensus across the board.”

Las Vegas teammate A’ja Wilson echoed Plum’s sentiments: “You need to take care of what you have now before you can expand and grow. I think that comes from the owners. I think we should put owners on the book and say, ‘Hey, put your money where your mouth is and protect your players.'”

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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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Josh McDaniels is proving he’s the loser we all thought he was

We knew McDaniels was an awful head coach. But this is a new low.

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Robert Zeglinski.

I must come clean about something because I’m a little embarrassed for not thinking it was possible.

Like most of you, I already understood who Josh McDaniels was as an NFL head coach.

He’s the latest Bill Belichick disciple in over his head, trying to instill “The Patriot Way” wherever he goes, forgetting that Belichick is the essential ingredient. He’s also the man who once ditched the Indianapolis Colts at the altar roughly 24 hours after agreeing to be their head coach and who tried to cheat with the Denver Broncos.

He’s pathetic, I know. However, it’s kind of funny I mention an altar!

For the life of me, I never thought McDaniels could stoop as low as spoiling one of his player’s wedding news (even accidentally). That’s what we learned Tuesday after the Las Vegas Raiders traded former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller to the New York Giants.

More than anything, we learned McDaniels is just as annoying off the field as he is on the field.

You see, just 10 days prior, Waller married Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum. By the account — it was a lovely wedding! Heck, most are, aren’t they? But apparently, McDaniels spilled the beans in public before the couple could happily reveal the nuptials themselves.

While Waller’s trade is unlikely unrelated to the tight end’s unhappiness with his former head coach, Plum wasn’t diplomatic. She gave McDaniels such a clean shot across the bow (he wasn’t invited to the wedding, oof) that I’m not sure he should show his face in the Las Vegas public for a while.

Let’s get it out in the open.

For as terrible of a coach as McDaniels is, this wedding snafu crossed such a personal line, it boggles the mind!

It’s one thing to overwork your players and not listen to them, as an NFLPA report bluntly suggested. It’s a massive leap to butt into their personal dealings and ruin the privacy of perhaps their life’s most significant, joyful moment. Maybe that’s why it’s pretty apparent McDaniels’ players don’t like him.

He doesn’t know how to be a good leader OR a good friend.

Though, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by how one of the NFL’s biggest losers operates.

Tuesday should’ve been a great day for McDaniels! He had the quarterback he wanted. He got the receiver he wanted. He even got excellent value back for an underperforming veteran in an underrated trade.

The Silver and Black were back, baby!

Instead, he was rightfully blasted for giving said veteran one of the worst “gifts” from a wedding registry I can remember. What’s so clear now is that anything awful is possible when it crosses the desk of a loser like McDaniels.

Quick Hits: Feeding Aaron Rodgers’ ego … Cowboys get a star CB … and more. 

Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Kelsey Plum gets back at Josh McDaniels after her husband Darren Waller was traded

She got back at the Raiders coach on Twitter.

It was perhaps a rough day for WNBA star Kelsey Plum NFL tight end Darren Waller.

Plum plays for the Las Vegas Aces and Waller has starred for the Las Vegas Raiders. And the two of them just got married. Maybe they were excited to be in the same city for a while!

But on Tuesday, Waller was dealt to the New York Giants. And it was followed by a report that Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels accidentally leaked the news of the couple’s nuptials and that Waller wasn’t happy about it.

How did Plum get back at McDaniels? Here you go:

BOOM. Roasted. Meanwhile, look at the happy couple on their big day:

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NFL fans weren’t surprised Josh McDaniels would spoil Darren Waller’s wedding to Kelsey Plum

McDaniels looks like a terrible coach on AND off the field.

Tuesday saw Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders trade away former Pro Bowler Darren Waller. But just about 10 days ago, it seems the head coach crossed a very personal line with the tight end.

According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Waller was upset that his wedding to Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum earlier this month was leaked in advance in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. McDaniels had apparently told reporters Waller and Plum were tying the knot during media scrums at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

McDaniels was, uh, not supposed to do that! Waller understandably didn’t appreciate the breach of privacy. A little over a week later, while it seems unrelated, Waller is no longer a Raider:

It’s worth noting that the Raiders had been discussing trading Waller for about a year, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He was almost a part of their blockbuster deal to acquire Davante Adams. That makes the timing of Waller’s trade now after McDaniels’ apparent wedding snafu a mere coincidence more than anything.

That said, none of this shines a positive light on McDaniels.

It piles on a harsh NFLPA report card where Raiders players privately disclosed that McDaniels doesn’t listen to his team and keeps them working longer than necessary. The data was gathered sometime during the early parts of the 2022 offseason, which means within an approximate year’s time, McDaniels may have:

  • Alienated his players
  • Led them to a disappointing 6-11 season
  • Seemingly spoiled the wedding news of one of his now-former players

One fact is becoming abundantly clear as McDaniels tries to rebound with Jimmy Garoppolo. He just might not be cut for this head coaching deal — on or off the field.

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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Kelsey Plum hilariously clowned Charles Barkley for asking her about winning championships

Kelsey Plum just gets it.

Winning a professional championship in sports is tough to do and is surely one of the biggest things an individual athlete can accomplish. Those who are fortunate enough to reach those heights are part of a unique group of people who can relive the experience and be seen as credible on the subject forever. 

Those who’ve never experienced it? Well, sometimes their commentary on the subject isn’t needed.

In a lighthearted and joking way, Kelsey Plum, 2022 WNBA champion of the Las Vegas Aces, made sure to let Charles Barkley know his boundaries when the topic of championships came up during their conversation with one another on The Steam Room Live with EJ and Chuck.

Here’s the content you didn’t know you needed:

“Plummer coming off the top rope!”

Harsh, but hilarious!

And while Barkley was surely caught off guard by Plum’s comments, it’s cool to see Chuck didn’t get offended by the little jab she took at him.

For what it’s worth, the Aces (-600) have the best odds to win the 2023 WNBA title at FanDuel with the Chicago Sky (+250) and Connecticut Sun (+420) right behind them.

But at the end of the day, this was just the latest W for Kelsey Plum in the year 2022.

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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.