Tag: New York Liberty

The complete list of every WNBA player with a signature shoe deal

There are only 12 players that have had a signature shoe in WNBA history.

Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is dominating in the WNBA Finals, but even her unprecedented domination hasn’t garnered her a signature shoe deal. In fact, despite the record-breaking performances and overwhelming increase in viewership, there have only ever been 12 players with their own signature shoes bearing their names.

The WNBA is finishing up its 27th season, which means, on average, there have been .44 shoe deals per season. While the number has been rapidly picking up with three new deals in the past few seasons, shoe deals are not keeping pace with the growth of the WNBA.

The first shoe deal in WNBA history was the Nike Air Swoopes, named after legendary player Sheryl Swoopes. She was the first player to receive her own signature shoe, with the first model coming out in 1995.

The most recent player with a signature shoe? New York Liberty sharpshooter Sabrina Ionescu, which launched in February 2023. Currently, there are three players in the WNBA Finals with a signature shoe deal, including New York’s Breanna Stewart and Ionescu and Aces forward-center Candace Parker.

See the complete list of every WNBA player with a signature shoe deal:

Aces’ Becky Hammon blames herself for A’ja Wilson not receiving MVP

The WNBA Finals are heading toward a decisive Game 3, but head coach Becky Hammon is still heated over MVP voting from the regular season.

The WNBA Finals are heading toward a decisive Game 3, but Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is still heated over MVP voting from the regular season. Aces’ starter A’ja Wilson finished third in MVP voting despite dominating both sides of the court all season.

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart won the award in front of Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas in second and Wilson.

“This lady has been ridiculous, and she’s heard it all,” Hammon said of Wilson. “Third in MVP voting? OK. Rest on that. It’s a joke. She’s been off-the-charts efficient. She got – and I love Stewie – but her efficiency on both ends, it’s been ridiculous.

“If I would have played her as many minutes, she would’ve averaged 28 and 13. And that’s all anybody in here would’ve been talking about, but she got screwed because her coach didn’t play her in fourth quarters.”

However, Wilson and the Aces might take home the bigger prize of back-to-back WNBA titles. After decisively beating the Liberty in Games 1 and 2, the Aces look to seal the sweep with a Game 3 win. No team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in the WNBA Finals, but the Liberty could potentially make a push to be the first in history to do so.

Game 3 is on Sunday at Barclays Center in New York.

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The Liberty are getting destroyed in the WNBA Finals and the memes are equally ruthless

Somebody come look at this. A beatdown is happening in Las Vegas.

With Knuck If You Buck playing as the team took the court Wednesday, the Las Vegas Aces put the New York Liberty in the blender, sparking countless memes.

The rivalry between the Aces and the Liberty is great for basketball fans. It features some of the best talent in the league and is a must-see showdown. During the regular season, the Liberty owned the series 3-2 and hadn’t lost back-to-back games at any point until Wednesday night.

The Aces have been cooking with fire, reminding the Liberty they can hoop, too. The best ingredient they’ve brought to the table is having an absolute dog mentality.

In Game 1 and Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, four starters have been in double-figures, and the Aces are rolling through the Liberty using mainly just six players. Absolute madness.

They’ve been breaking out moves that have fans shook along the way. The team has made it rain with 3-pointers, sick no-look passes, and even shots that seemed too good to be true.

Las Vegas is beating New York at their own game, sparking ruthless memes about the beatdown.

Aces leave head coach Becky Hammon speechless after Game 2 win

The Aces are just one win away from becoming the first WNBA team to win back-to-back titles since the Sparks in the early 2000s.

The Las Vegas Aces are showing they are prepared to win back-to-back titles. After winning Games 1 and 2 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty, they are just one win away from becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-2002).

The series heads to New York after the Aces hosted the first two games of the series. The Liberty are fighting for a Game 3 win to avoid a sweep. No team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in the WNBA Finals, but the Liberty could potentially make a push to be the first in history to do so.

“The character of this team and their absolute buy into the person to the left or right’s success is authentic,” Hammon said. “And it’s tough to deal with when you share the ball and people are skilled and competitive. They were good tonight. They don’t leave me speechless very often, but they executed defensively, offensively shared it – everything we’ve been asking them to do.”

Aces center A’ja Wilson led the team with 26 points and 15 rebounds, which included her 26th double-double of the season. Wilson is the third player in WNBA Finals history to have at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game. The Aces had three other players score in double digits, including Chelsea Gray, who recorded her first Finals double-double with 14 points and 11 assists.

Liberty forward Jonquel Jones had 22 points and 10 rebounds, but they couldn’t overcome the momentum of the Aces. However, the series shifting to the Liberty’s home court could make all the difference.

Game 3 is on Sunday at Barclays Center in New York.

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Game 1 of the WNBA Finals saw record viewership numbers on ESPN

A record audience saw the Aces defeat the Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

The 2023 WNBA Finals are underway: The New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces are going head-to-head. The Aces took Game 1 on Sunday, 99-82, and the contest boasted impressive viewership numbers. It was the most-viewed WNBA Finals Game 1 ever on an ESPN network.

The game peaked at 885,000 viewers with an average viewership of 729,000. The Aces have benefited from playing the majority of their games at home since Aug. 31 and will host Game 2 on Wednesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

“You’re also sleeping in your own bed, you’re eating your own food,” said Aces star Kelsey Plum of playing at home. “There’s just things that, it’s a familiarity, but it really does make a difference. We work really hard to be the No. 1 team, to be able to be home to benefit from that stuff later in the season. … It’s really cool that everyone cares enough to really lock in, and that’s why we’re in the position we’re in now.”

Both Plum and guard Jackie Young scored 26 points on Sunday, setting personal playoff highs. For the Liberty, Breanna Stewart had a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds, Jonquel Jones produced 16 points and 10 rebounds and Courtney Vandersloot had eight assists.

The game attendance boasted basketball greats LeBron James and Sheryl Swoopes among the 10,300 people in attendance.

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Kelsey Plum took a playful dig at Tom Brady during Game 1 of the WNBA Finals: ‘It’s about [expletive] time you showed up’

Your seven Super Bowl Rings mean nothing, Tom Brady!

In the words of Bone Crusher, Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum ain’t never scared. Even one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, Tom Brady, isn’t safe.

Plum has earned a reputation around the WNBA for unapologetically saying what she thinks. Earlier this year, she defended fellow teammate A’ja Wilson on Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast in response to the respect she thinks Wilson deserved. Plum named a laundry list of Wilson’s accomplishments and, without flinching, said, “She gets shorted all the time.” Cold-blooded.

But that’s how Plum and the Aces roll. They aren’t scared of anyone, and en route to a huge WNBA Finals Game 1 victory over the New York Liberty, Plum stopped to make sure she had words with one of the team’s owners.

According to Jack Maloney of CBS Sports, that owner was future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, who was sitting courtside.

Post-game, Plum says she walked up to Brady during the matchup and told him, “It’s about [expletive] time you showed up.” Brady reportedly responded with, “You already know.”

(Warning: NSFW language in the media below.)

In explaining the conversation, Plum clarified that she was joking and appreciated Brady’s support: “Just super excited for his investment in our franchise and understanding what that means for us, and not just us, but the league. And putting eyes on us.”

Reflective, Plum followed up with, “I joke around, but man, it’s been awesome to have him, and I know he cares.”

Of course, Plum’s words made their way back to social media, prompting the seven-time Super Bowl winner to respond.

This is awesome, but I can’t help but wonder: In a 3-point shootout, who wins between Plum and Brady? We already know Brady is good at basketball, and I’d be willing to bet he’d give Plum a run for her money.

Somebody make this happen! Do it, “Tommy B” (the “B” stands for buckets).

I’ll show myself out now.

Brooklyn Nets show out to support New York Liberty in WNBA Finals

Prior to the Brooklyn Nets beginning their preseason on Monday, they supported the New York Liberty in its pursuit of a WNBA title.

The Brooklyn Nets are just beginning their journey to make the 2023-24 season a year that everybody in and around the Nets organization can be proud of. Before they begin their preseason on Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn showed up in force to show support for a team who’s on the brink of winning its league championship.

As show in the “X” post below, the Nets went to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. Unfortunately for fans of the Liberty and the Nets who went to the game, New York lost 99-82 despite holding its own through the first half.

Part of the reason that some of Brooklyn’s players were at the game was because of the latter part of their training camp and their first preseason game taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Brooklyn plays Los Angeles on Monday at 9 PM at T-Mobile Arena.

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WNBA Finals 2023 TV schedule: Here’s the full schedule for Aces – Liberty

Grab your popcorn. The WNBA Finals are coming.

It’s the final countdown. The WNBA Finals begin Sunday, and this year’s matchup has all the makings of a heavyweight championship fight.

The Las Vegas Aces are pursuing back-to-back titles, while the New York Liberty are seeking the franchise’s first championship. The WNBA’s final two teams feature incredible talents like league MVP Breanna Stewart, Defensive Player of the Year A’Ja Wilson, 3-point specialist Sabrina Ionescu, the “Point Gawd” Chelsea Gray and many more.

It’s a rivalry that WNBA fans watched all season and now get to see on the league’s biggest stage. We’ve got you covered!

Here is the schedule for the potential five-game series:

Everything you should know about the WNBA’s expansion team

It’s provocative. It gets the people going!

Hoopers, assemble! The WNBA announced plans for an expansion team Thursday, and the news makes me want to relive my glory days as an only-in-my-driveway 3-point specialist.

It seems the WNBA has been listening to everyone begging for expansion because it’s partnering with the Golden State Warriors to add an expansion team to the league. The Warriors are the sixth NBA franchise to have a WNBA team, joining others who have made the jump, such as the Brooklyn Nets (New York Liberty,) Washington Wizards (Washington Mystics) and Minnesota Timberwolves (Minnesota Lynx).

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert expressed her excitement: “We are thrilled about expanding to the Bay Area and bringing the WNBA to a region with passionate basketball fans and a strong history of supporting women’s basketball,” via the league’s official site.

Here’s everything we know about the expansion team so far.

This story will be updated.

Breanna Stewart wins WNBA MVP by a historically tight margin over A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas

Breanna Stewart is a certified baller!

“Stew York City,” stand up. After the closest race in WNBA history, New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart is the 2023 Most Valuable Player.

The voting race for MVP was a gauntlet down the stretch, involving the upper echelon of league talent. Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson and Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas made outstanding cases for why they should win. Only 13 points separated Stewart and Wilson, and only seven votes separated Stewart and Thomas — the tightest three-way voting margin in league history, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. Ultimately, voters chose “Stewie” for her ability to light up New York and the league.

Her quest for MVP started with the offensive prowess that landed her second-to-only Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd for the WNBA single-season scoring record.

This season, Stewart averaged 23 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. With the help of her leadership, the Liberty steamrolled their way to a franchise-best record of 32-8 and a Commissioner’s Cup win.

Stewart was also a defensive force to be reckoned with, as she averaged 1.57 blocks and 1.45 steals per game. Her disruption on the court earned her a WNBA All-Defensive team selection.

With efforts like that, the league couldn’t help but notice her magic.

Truthfully, Stewart is creating a resume that feels almost unreal.

In addition to the most 40-point games in a season and the most points scored in 30 minutes or less in league history, she is a two-time WNBA champion, a two-time WNBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and now has two MVP trophies.

As the kids say, it’s lit. We have a lit-thuation happening! (That was probably too much, but I love a good pun.) Stewie is a hooper, and this award reflects that — hats off to you, Breanna, and the Liberty.

The celebration is flowing somewhere, and  Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” is blasting.

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