Last-second game-winners aren’t supposed to look this easy!
The more time passes, the more it feels like the Chicago Sky is a walking inevitability. In the approximate past week alone, the defending champs won a game without Candace Parker. Then, after playing historically poor defense early on, they beat the Las Vegas Aces to complete the largest comeback in WNBA history.
With the upstart Minnesota Lynx (+6) visiting on Sunday night, the Sky was taken a little off balance. Minnesota made a fourth-quarter run that eventually had the game tied in the final moments. For a second, it seemed like Chicago would soon suffer a heartbreaker.
The thing is: Someone forgot that Courtney Vandersloot (18 points, six assists, five rebounds) has ice in her veins when the game’s on the line:
Incredible. Is it any more clinical than the shooter squaring their shoulders, setting their feet, and calmly releasing a laser of an 88-85 game-winner? The Sky seem so unbeatable precisely because they stay composed in such clutch moments.
WNBA fans on Twitter were similarly impressed by Vandersloot’s shot and Chicago’s overall composure.
Get basketball advice from MJ and you’ll find immediate success.
What’s the best way for a basketball player to get out of a shooting slump?
Watching film is a good idea. Getting in some extra reps is an obvious one. And the good ole “keep shooting, they’ll go in eventually” mindset is a personal favorite of mine.
But how about pulling out your phone and texting Michael Jordan for advice?
That’s exactly what Minnesota Lynx forward Aerial Powers did on Wednesday following Minnesota’s win against the Los Angeles Sparks, a game in which Powers shot just 1-for-9 from the floor for five total points, bringing her season’s total to 14-for-57 (24.6 percent).
His advice? Trust your work.
Aerial Powers texted Michael Jordan (!!!) on Wednesday about her shooting slump.
MJ told the Lynx guard to just relax — stop trying to put in even extra work and just trust the work she's put in.
Of course, Powers is a Jordan Brand athlete, so having the GOAT’s number on speed dial makes sense. Still, being able to have that open line of communication is a big flex.
Nevertheless, 25 points later, Powers’ early-season shooting woes could be behind her.
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:
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:
“The world needs more female voices, and we can’t ignore that or else we’re not growing,” Michael Jordan said this week as Jordan Brand announced a new ‘WNBA Family.’ The Jordan Brand will be adding 11 WNBA endorsements, and one of those is former Michigan State star and current Minnesota Lynx standout Aerial Powers.
Powers was averaging 10 points per game before going down with an injury this year with the Lynx.
Former Michigan State star Aerial Powers among the WNBA players joining the brand. https://t.co/PFW7xnkD6n
WNBA champion Aerial Powers is on a mission to empower women and people of color, not just through basketball but through esports as well.
WNBA champion Aerial Powers is on a mission to empower women and people of color, not just through basketball but through esports as well.
Powers, who won a title with the Washington Mystics in 2019, recently signed a new contract to join the Minnesota Lynx. The former Michigan State star caught up with For The Win to discuss the big move.
We also discussed her role in the gaming community, as Powers signed with professional esports organization Team Liquid last month.
Congratulations on signing with the Minnesota Lynx! What factors ultimately went into the decision?
Aerial Powers: I wasn’t sure if I was going to re-sign with the Washington Mystics or if I was going to sign with another team. This was my first year of unrestricted free agency. When I was talking with all of the teams, I had the best connection with Minnesota’s head coach Cheryl Reeve. Some of the players reached out to me and told me how much they wanted me on the team. I was thinking about my future and what I saw for the long haul and longevity of my game, I thought it was the best fit for me.
What are some of the biggest ways you will be able to help the organization for the Lynx?
AP: I’m very versatile. I’m not a girl that does just one thing. Not only do I bring a very high intensity when it comes to energy and just being there for my teammates, but defensively, I’m pretty good. I can shoot, I can pull up, I have midrange, I can drive to the rack and I can see the floor to find my teammates. When you have someone like that on your team, it really opens the floor for everyone.
As a former WNBA champion and gold medalist for Team USA, you also bring a championship pedigree. Minnesota is always a top team. Was that one of the aspects that drew you to the Lynx?
AP: I think that what Cheryl Reeve and her crew over there have built over there is a big legacy. They are known as good people. She is the winningest coach for a reason. She has four titles for a reason. Not only is she a good coach but she also makes sure that the culture remains what it needs to be so it can be the best organization.
For me, after winning a championship not too long ago, I also see what it takes to win a title. The culture is so important. Obviously, you have to have five good people on the floor. But you need everyone to step in and have a role. People don’t realize that if the second unit is performing well, too, that leads to more wins.
A lot of my new teammates have already won. Sylvia Fowles is an amazing center who has won two WNBA Finals MVPs. Reeve already has four but I want to win her more. I want to help her get to another level. I’m trying to bring another championship to the midwest because I am from Detroit.
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Something that is unique about you is that you recently joined an esports championship team as well. How did that get started and what is your role?
AP: I signed with Team Liquid in January. I’m a streamer, a brand ambassador and now I also lead their diversity and inclusion task force. It started last year during the Team Liquid ProAM Valorant Showmatch and it was one of the first PC games I had played. I was on Team Rakin with pro-gamer Rafael Knittel. It was a blast. The relationship built from there.
As a streamer, I provide content from my Twitch page, which is called POWERZsurge. I help elevate events for Team Liquid. They just re-signed their partnership with Alienware so I did an event with them and the rapper Logic.
How important was it for you to have the diversity and inclusion task force as part of the commitment when you signed with Team Liquid and how does that manifest itself?
AP: That was huge. I spoke with their co-CEOs Victor Goossens and Steve Arhancet. Their values align with mine and that really gravitated me to join their team. As you and I both know, gaming appears to be male-dominated. But it is not. More than 40 percent of gamers are women. When I spoke with their executives, we had the same vision. They realized that I was the right person to lead this task force because of my passion for this. Esports come down to the skills that you bring to the controller. But women in gaming still face some serious cyberbullying. I wanted to do whatever I could to help stop that.
So now with Team Liquid, I counsel and collaborate with them on ways to create meaningful change. That means really helping the development and initiatives to help foster the space for female gamers. For example, last year, I hosted an All-Female 2K Tournament. This gave the participants a safe community not only to be visible in front of a large audience to show that they are gamers as well and was a great opportunity to include women, especially women of color.
We had a lot of partners help with the funding for that event. One of those was Starbursts, which was so crazy because they’re a non-endemic brand for esports. They’re not tied to the market at all. But they flourished, which was amazing. We were on the front page of Twitch the next day and we got more than 26,000 people to watch even after it was already done. There are a lot of eyes on the esports community. So because of that, I’m doing a lot of work with GEF, which is the Global Esports Federation. One of my biggest goals is to get esports into the Olympics.
That is absolutely amazing! I’d love to hear about your origin story with video games.
AP: It is actually crazy. I started as a young girl, playing Nintendo 64. One of the first people I saw playing was a woman. It was my mother. She played GoldenEye 007. That was obviously normal for me. As I grew up, my mom stopped, but I just kept gaming. I was playing a game with my brother. My dad came in and was like: “What the heck! You guys never get along and now you are quiet and cool with each other.” He realized we were playing Call of Duty. So then my brother taught him how to play. The next day, he came in with two more consoles and two more headsets. We were all playing in this small house, driving my mom crazy. It took off from there.
I brought my console with me everywhere, whether it was in the states or overseas. Even when I was in China, no one played the games that I was playing. I’d asked my translator how I could get the games that they played on my iPad as a way to connect. Sometimes, like if we were in the airport, I would just sit by them and watch them play. They loved that I was there with them.
Then, when I learned about Twitch, I learned how massive it was. I didn’t think people would watch me play video games. But I started and fell in love with it and it was a way to connect with my fans. I can’t sleep so I might as well stream. [Laughs] I first launched my channel to connect with my fans beyond my on-court performances. But then it just grew from there as people started to realize: “Yo, AP loves to stream. She loves to play.”
I’d love to hear more about your audience. How has the reception been to this chapter of your life?
AP: I put it on my social media accounts so everyone knows when I’m gaming. People used to look at gamers as nerds but I think people are realizing that it is for everyone. It has become its own community where people are looking forward to my streaming.
Last season, before the bubble, I was heavy into Apex Legends. I met someone who watched me on Twitch who made a customized shirt that was half me and half Apex. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. He had a front-row seat so I walked up to him and asked what made him want to do that. He said he loved my stuff on Twitch and he said he could see my passion on the court and off of it as well.
What is the breakdown of your gaming consumption? What is getting the most rotation?
https://youtu.be/px8nff76BbA
AP: I had been playing a lot of Apex Legends but lately, I’m playing a lot more Call of Duty. It is because I kept getting into tournaments. I am extremely competitive and I didn’t like how I was doing in them so I’ve been grinding, trying to get better. I also play a lot of NBA 2K because I’m a basketball player. My fans love to see me play basketball on Twitch.
When you were younger, the WNBA was not included in video games. How surreal is it to not only see women in the game but to see yourself?
AP: It is crazy. I grew up wanting to be a WNBA player and I accomplished that dream. But I also played video games consistently. I played all of the time. All of a sudden, I’m in an actual game. I could tell my friends: “When you play in 2K, go ahead, pick me. Get buckets with me.” I’ve come home to my dad playing as me in 2K, scoring 60 points, not passing to anyone else. [Laughs]
I played as myself a good amount but my jump shot looks nothing like my actual shot. If my shooting form was a little better, I’d probably play a little more. Mostly, I play in the park. But I like ProAm the best because 5v5 is the most realistic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5uWQAVuJ68
What are some of the observations you’ve had about women in the NBA 2K community?
AP: I’ve talked to a lot of women who play 2K and they say that they mute their mic or that they will disguise their voice. They feel a lot of times, they’ll get flak during the game as a woman. Or if they are pretty good, it no longer becomes about their skill level. People just say: “Oh, you’re a girl that plays?” And it’s all about their gender. We don’t like that at all. If you’re good, sometimes you just want to be known as good, not as good for a girl. We have a voice. But we just have to speak and fight that fight.
What would you tell someone who is trying to get more involved in the gaming space?
AP: If you’re passionate about something or even if you like it but you are a little nervous about potential cyberbullying as a female on the sticks, who cares what other people think? If it makes you happy, do it. If you’re trying to be competitive and maybe you feel a little nervous about the pressure, it’s okay!
I always tell people, whether it’s basketball or esports, confidence comes from preparation. I really believe in that. If you prepare for that moment, you don’t have to be afraid. If you’re trying to get into it, try it. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you may be more upset if you don’t try.
Michigan State legend Aerial Powers will reportedly sign with the Minnesota Lynx.
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A Michigan State Women’s Basketball legend is on the move. Former Spartan and 2019 WNBA Champion Aerial Powers is reportedly signing with the Minnesota Lynx. This was first reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Powers was drafted No. 5 overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings before being traded to the Washington Mystics in 2018.
Before she went to the WNBA, Powers was a three-time First-team All-Big Ten player for the Spartans and was their All-Time leading scorer at the time she graduated. That record was broken the next year by Tori Jankoska.
This is one of the most noble things we’ve ever seen.
Maya Moore is easily one of the greatest athletes of our time. In eight years of WNBA basketball, Moore has won four championships, one MVP trophy, another Finals MVP trophy and been named an All-Star six times. She transformed the Minnesota Lynx into a yearly contender.
That’s GOAT level stuff. It all pales in comparison to what she’s doing off of the court.
Moore will skip her second WNBA season in a row this summer to focus on criminal justice reform, the New York Times reports. Specifically, on the case of Jonathan Irons — a man who she believes was wrongfully convicted at age 16. He’s 39 year old now.
Irons is in the middle of service a 50-year prison sentence after being convicted of burglary and assaulting a homeowner with a gun in St. Louis. The homeowner was shot during the assault and testified that Irons was the perpetrator, but there was no evidence linking Irons to the crime.
Moore has been talking about this case since she met Irons in 2017. She took a year off from the game last year to minister in Atlanta and is doing the same this year.
This is unprecedented. We’re not talking about this enough. This is Michael Jordan going into his first retirement, except for instead of sucking at baseball, Moore is being a boss in criminal justice.
She’s 30 years old. We have no idea how much basketball she actually has left in her where she’s playing at a high level. We also have no idea when she’s returning. But this is very clearly bigger than just basketball to her.
This is an opportunity for her to pull someone up and out of a trap that so many people fall into because of no fault of their own. They have no lifelines and no help. Moore is trying to be that for someone who truly needs it.
Over the last few years, athletes have found themselves pursuing the passions they have outside of their sport more and more. A lot have done some real good with that newfound power. Add Moore to that ever-growing list.
Moore isn’t retiring from the game just yet, but this is probably the closest thing to it. We might not ever see her play again. And if she comes back, there’s no guarantee she’ll be as good.
It’s a massive sacrifice that she is choosing to make, but it’s also one that could make a massive difference in somebody’s world — bigger than any difference she could ever make on a basketball court.
If she never players a single minute of WNBA basketball again, it’ll all be worth it.
