Tag: Rebecca Lobo

Caitlin Clark, WNBA MVP candidate? How ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo thinks she could legitimately join the race

ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo explained how Caitlin Clark could find herself in the mix for MVP.

A’ja Wilson is the frontrunner for MVP this season, but other players like Caitlin Clark could find themselves in the conversation. ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo recently explained how that’s possible.

MVP has been a topic in hoops circles for months. Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum told the media in July that A’ja should be a unanimous pick. However, the chatter for other players to get recognition has only grown louder after several hoopers have put together statement seasons.

That’s where Rookie of the Year favorite Caitlin Clark comes into the mix. She’s broken seemingly every rookie record imaginable (even several WNBA records, too). She has helped the Indiana Fever surpass its 2023 win total and legitimately make a case for a playoff seat. Lobo says a season like that could earn her MVP votes. Here’s what she shared about Caitlin’s chances:

“Keep in mind that you vote for five players when you’re voting for MVP, and so, both A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier — Breanna Stewart — those will all be players who are in that top five.”

“Could Caitlin find her way there? I think she can because of the impact she’s had on winning, the impact she has had on that franchise and the numbers that she’s putting up, in particular on the offensive end when you combine her scoring and assisting.”

“[I would] not be surprised if she enters the conversation. She won’t win MVP this year — would not be surprised if she ends up in that top five in terms of voting.”

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Rebecca Lobo declares that Caitlin Clark is ‘the best passer’ in the WNBA right now

Some high praise for the Indiana Fever rookie.

Is it that bold of a claim to say that Caitlin Clark is the best passer in the WNBA right now?

It’s not! She leads the league in assists as the league pauses for the All-Star break and the 2024 Paris Olympics, and we’ve seen video after video of her incredible passes, including a bunch that would boost her numbers if her teammates grabbed them (don’t worry, they’re just getting used to them!).

Rebecca Lobo — who has spoken a lot about Clark — said that she’s “the best passer in the league right now” on SiriusXM, noting that Clark’s turnovers will be high as she takes chances with some of her dimes, but Lobo’s argument is compelling:

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Rebecca Lobo effectively summed up why Caitlin Clark didn’t make Team USA for this year’s Olympics

Rebecca Lobo gave a very edifying answer for why Caitlin Clark didn’t make Team USA.

Indiana Fever rookie guard Caitlin Clark not making the 2024 United States women’s national basketball team might be a shock to fans without context.

While Clark understood why she didn’t make the roster, former WNBA player and ESPN broadcaster Rebecca Lobo gave a very edifying answer when asked about why the Fever superstar isn’t slated to play in Paris this summer for Team USA.

To Lobo, it all has to do with the quality of experienced players Team USA has to choose from this summer with the WNBA’s best veteran players and the timelines of past Olympics training camps that clashed with her Iowa college schedule.

“Caitlin Clark, through no fault of her own, was not able to participate in any of those training camps,” Lobo said. “She did not have that chance.”

In the midst of hot takes on the subject, it’s refreshing to hear a thoughtful analysis like the one from Lobo here.

There’s a path for Clark to still make the roster if Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray isn’t able to play, but it’s not the most likely scenario.

As Lobo astutely notes, Clark’s time to play in the Olympics will come. The dynamics of this specific squad just make it hard for her to make the roster.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo debunked the narrative that WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark

Here’s why ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo says the narrative WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark is false.

The discourse surrounding Caitlin Clark and the physicality she is receiving in the WNBA is reaching peak levels. But ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo says the narrative that veteran players hate Caitlin is actually false.

There’s been a lot of chatter since Saturday when Chennedy Carter hip-checked Caitlin Clark. The internet has seemingly come unraveled with thoughts surrounding the incident. Even, one of Caitlin’s biggest supporters, Pat McAfee, has chimed in.

However, ESPN broadcaster and former WNBA great Rebecca Lobo is attempting to level set with the public on the current perceptions about players. Here’s what Lobo recently shared about the notion that veteran WNBA players hate Caitlin Clark after her incident with Chennedy Carter:

“It’s a false narrative…I don’t think there’s any jealousy or pettiness that is fueling dirty play. Now, is the attention she’s getting on the defensive end unprecedented for a rookie? It absolutely is…”

“Are veterans being physical with her? They are. But I have not seen anything excessive or anything dirty until that Chennedy Carter hit, and that was one of the things that was really unfortunate about it to me…Chennedy gave a previously toothless argument some fangs.”

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‘This is a grown man’s game’: Rebecca Lobo shares disturbing interaction with AAU ref

Rebecca Lobo related a rough interaction with a ref at her son’s AAU game

Rebecca Lobo knows and understands basketball. The former UConn and WNBA star has been coaching her son since he was in fifth grade.

On Friday, Lobo took to Twitter to explain a disappointing interaction with a referee at an AAU tournament that her now 15-year-old son was playing in.

Lobo said he spoke loudly when stating a player on her team was fouled. She admitted to earning the technical foul she received.

Lobo said that another ref came over as the player shot the technical foul.

That ref told Lobo her player had slipped. Lobo says she calmly told the ref he didn’t slip, he was fouled.

What followed, according to Lobo, was the ref telling her: “This is a grown man’s game. This is not a women’s game.”

The referee’s alleged comment is technically foul.

The Spurs paid tribute to NCAA women’s basketball legends with pre-game jerseys

The Spurs showed love to more players than just Becky Hammon.

Before their game against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday evening, the San Antonio Spurs paid tribute to some of the best players who have ever stepped on the floor during the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Especially after the pathetic weight room originally provided to the NCAA women’s teams and all of the other ways the NCAA has failed its women’s tournament, it was refreshing to see such support from such a respected NBA team.

Spurs point guard Dejounte Murray got things started with a hat tip to his assistant coach, Becky Hammon, who is a legend both on and off the floor.

Hammon, who has been an assistant for San Antonio since 2014, was once one of the best college basketball players in the nation. She ran point for the Colorado State Rams from 1995 until 1999, leading her mid-major squad to the Sweet Sixteen.

Spurs veteran DeMar DeRozan entered the arena wearing a Cheryl Miller jersey.

Miller, like DeRozan, played college basketball for the USC Trojans from 1982 until 1986. She won Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year during three consecutive seasons, securing national championships in 1986 and 1987 as well.

Her jersey number, No. 31, is retired by the University of Southern California.

Rudy Gay was rocking a jersey from Rebecca Lobo, who is celebrated as one of the most decorated athletes in the history of UCONN’s prestigious women’s basketball program.

Lobo helped lead the team to an undefeated record and a national title in 1995. It was only the second time that a women’s team ran the table for an entire season.

Of course, NBA veteran guard Patty Mills had to show some love to his wife, former Saint Mary’s wing Alyssa Levesque.

Mills, who is one of many Australian basketball players who have attended Saint Mary’s in California, met Alyssa when they were both in college in the late 2000s.

They were married in July 2019 and reportedly have a pretty cute pre-game coffee routine scheduled for whenever the Spurs play in San Antonio.

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History on This Day: WNBA played its first regular-season games

On this day in 1997, the WNBA played its first regular-season games with three matchups taking place.

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On this day in 1997, the WNBA, the new women’s professional basketball league, played its first regular-season games with three matchups taking place.

In the first game, the New York Liberty defeated the Los Angeles Sparks at the Forum, 67-57. Future Hall of Famers Rebecca Lobo and Teresa Weatherspoon led the Liberty in the victory while Lisa Leslie paced the Sparks with 16 points.

Following the inaugural game between the Liberty and Sparks, the Houston Comets defeated the Cleveland Rockers while the Sacramento Monarchs beat the Utah Starzz. Of the six teams that played, only the Liberty and Sparks currently remain in the WNBA.

Over 20 years since the inception of the WNBA, the league has continued to grow in popularity, culminating in a historic new Collective Bargaining Agreement set to begin this season. The league has seen record attendance and viewership numbers and is becoming more popular than ever.

The WNBA announced this week its plans to begin the 2020 season with a 22-game schedule set to tipoff in July without the presence of fans at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The 2020 season will be the shortest in WNBA history, though players will receive their full pay.

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