Watch: Jewell Loyd makes halfcourt shot, advises in Notre Dame return

A program legend was there for a great night.

[autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] will go down as one of the best women’s basketball players ever. In her WNBA tenure with the Seattle Storm, she’s earned two championships, five All-Star selections and her first scoring title just this past season. But her journey to superstardom at the professional level began at Notre Dame, and she returned there for the Irish’s game against No. 5 Virginia Tech.

Before anyone got there, she stepped onto the court at Purcell Pavilion and made a shot from halfcourt like it was nothing:

After the Irish earned a victory over the Hokies that many were not expecting, Loyd met with the Irish and offered advice to the players who undoubtedly remained a high from their upset win:

One of the best players in program history, Loyd always will have a place at Notre Dame. That she came back for the high point of the season to this point makes it better. Hopefully, the Irish won’t have to wait long for her next visit:

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Skylar Diggins-Smith revealed the reason she moved on from the Mercury to sign with the Storm

This was a no-brainer.

It’s no secret that the relationship between Skylar Diggins-Smith and the Phoenix Mercury was icy before she signed with the Seattle Storm. Now, the veteran is revealing why she made the move. Two words: Jewell Loyd.

WNBA free agency has been fairly calm in recent days, but when signings began on February 1, there was a fury of moves. Those moves included a splash Skylar Diggins-Smith signing by the Seattle Storm that shook up league circles. Diggins had been in a very tense relationship with the Mercury for well over a year after being out on maternity leave, where she was allegedly cut off from using training facilities and forced to pay to use local gyms.

On Thursday, Diggins credited Mercury legend Bridget Pettis for helping her get back to playing form and reignite her belief that she could play again. She also revealed why she wanted to play for the Seattle Storm.

Diggins-Smith explained to the media that she left so that she could be reunited with her college teammate, Jewell Loyd. She also said it was her top priority to play with 12-year veteran Nneka Ogwumike, who left the Los Angeles Sparks to also play in Seattle. Throughout Monday’s presser, Skylar and Nneka spoke about the culture, winning ways, and facilities of Seattle being huge draws as well.

You can see the full introductory press conference with Skylar, Nneka, head coach Noelle Quinn and general manager Talisa Rhea below.

WNBA introduces new format for 2024 Commissioner’s Cup

The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, an in-season competition launched in 2021, will have a new format for the 2024 season.

The WNBA Commissioner’s Cup, an in-season competition launched in 2021, will have a new format for the 2024 season. Instead of 10 games counting toward selection into the tournament, teams will each play just five games during the two-week period from June 1-13, one against each of its in-conference rivals.

“After crowning three Commissioner’s Cup champions since 2021, we believe it is time to introduce a new, streamlined format for the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “The newly designed, concentrated structure for this in-season tournament adds an increased sense of urgency and excitement as we place a particular spotlight on Eastern and Western Conference Commissioner’s Cup play in a two-week window near the tip off of our regular season. The focus is on making the Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase even more engaging for all our stakeholders, including fans, teams, players and the community organizations that collaborate with our teams during the designated games.”

The inaugural Commissioner’s Cup was won by the Seattle Storm in 2021 (Breanna Stewart, MVP). The Las Vegas Aces won in 2022 (Chelsea Gray, MVP). This past season, the New York Liberty (Jonquel Jones, MVP) took home the Commissioner’s Cup.

The team from each conference with the top record in Commissioner’s Cup games will compete for a $500,000 prize pool in the Commissioner’s Cup championship. The championship game will be played on June 25 at the arena of the team with the best record in Cup play.

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Fever snag top pick in 2024 WNBA draft for second straight year

By missing the 2023 WNBA playoffs, Indiana, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle qualified for the 2024 draft lottery.

On Sunday, the Indiana Fever won the 2024 WNBA draft lottery and will have the first overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft held on Monday, April 15, 2024.

This is the second consecutive year the Fever will pick first in the draft.

The Fever selected South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston in the 2023 WNBA draft, who then went on to be voted the WNBA Rookie of the Year. The other three teams who participated in the lottery were the Los Angeles Sparks, who will have the second selection; the Phoenix Mercury, who will select third; and the Seattle Storm, who will select fourth.

By missing the 2023 WNBA playoffs, Indiana, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle qualified for the 2024 draft lottery.

The selection order for the remainder of the first, second and third rounds is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective 2023 regular season records, taking into account trades and negotiations that might have affected draft order.

The remaining first-round draft order (based on 2023 record):           

5. Dallas from Chicago (18-22)

6. Washington (19-21)

7. Minnesota (19-21)

8. Atlanta (19-21)

9. Dallas (22-18)

10. Connecticut (27-13)

11. New York (32-8)

12. Los Angeles from Las Vegas (34-6)

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Fever, Sparks, Mercury and Storm will vie for No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick

The Fever will have the most chances to land the top pick and are guaranteed at least the third pick.

The 23rd annual WNBA draft lottery will be broadcast on Dec. 10 at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm will vie for the No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick.

The Fever secured the top spot in the 2023 draft and selected Aliyah Boston No. 1 overall. Boston was unanimously named the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year and received all 60 votes from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.

The 2024 draft is currently scheduled to take place on April 15, 2024. Lottery odds are based on the cumulative records of the two most recent regular seasons (2022 and 2023). The Fever will have the most chances to land the top pick and are guaranteed at least the third pick. Phoenix has the next highest likelihood of winning the No. 1 spot, followed by the Sparks and Storm.

The order of selection for the remainder of the first round, second round and third round is determined by inverse order of the teams’ respective 2023 regular season records, taking into account trades and negotiations that might have affected draft order.

The remaining first-round draft order (based on 2023 record):           

5. Dallas from Chicago (18-22)

6. Washington (19-21)

7. Minnesota (19-21)

8. Atlanta (19-21)

9. Dallas (22-18)

10. Connecticut (27-13)

11. New York (32-8)

12. Los Angeles from Las Vegas (34-6)

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Two former Notre Dame players named to All-WNBA Second Team

Congrats, Jackie and Jewell!

We’re getting close to Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team’s defense of its ACC regular-season title. First, we need to acknowledge two former Irish who had fantastic seasons in the WNBA. In fact, they were recognized for those seasons by being named Second Team All-WNBA.

Statistically, [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] of the Seattle Storm had the better season. She won the league’s scoring title with 24.7 points a game, the second-highest scoring average in league history. She also was named MVP of the WNBA All-Star Game by setting event records in points (31) and 3-pointers (10). However, her standout season was not nearly enough to keep the Storm from having the league’s second-worst record at 11-29.

[autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag]’s Las Vegas Aces are one win away from the WNBA championship. She is largely responsible for the season the Aces have had, averaging a career-high 17.6 points a game and shooting 44.9% from 3-point range, the second-best such shooting percentage in the league. She also was voted to start in the All-Star Game.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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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Watch: Arike Ogunbowale signs autograph after being ejected from game

There’s one way to make a statement.

Tuesday’s game between the Dallas Wings and Atlanta Dream was historic for the wrong reasons. A WNBA record 10 technical fouls were called between both teams. Two of those were attributed to former Notre Dame star [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] as she sat on the bench, meaning she was ejected with 1:42 left in the Wings’ 85-73 victory. With the Wings’ win assured thanks in part to her 21 points, Ogunbowale decided she would make a spectacle as she headed back to the locker room:

When asked to comment on the technicals, Ogunbowale said this:

She also took to Twitter for some more unfiltered thoughts, sort of:

But she also probably was still on a high from this ankle-breaking move she executed during the game:

Ogunbowale, who scored a career-high 41 points as the Wings lost their previous game to [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] and the Seattle Storm, is well on her way to another All-Star selection. If the season ended today, she would have career highs of 23.3 points and 4.2 assists a game. There’s no reason to think she’ll drop off. As we just saw, she’ll bring attitude and a little creativity with her, too.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba attend Seattle Storm game

Plenty of star power at the Storm game

With Seattle being the most geographically isolated sports market in the country, there is a tighter knit community among the city’s professional athletes. For example, at the Seahawks’ season opener against the Denver Broncos, several Mariners players were seen in attendance.

The latest example features two of the Seahawks’ most exciting players. Wide receivers DK Metcalf and first round rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba were seen at the Storm’s game.

The Storm were at home hosting the Chicago Sky. Unfortunately, the Storm were embarrassed at home, losing 90-75 in front of the Seattle faithful. It has been a rather difficult season for the Storm, who are typically a perennial contender. They have fallen to 4-18 on the season.

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Jewell Loyd sets WNBA All-Star scoring record, wins MVP

Notre Dame was well-represented in the WNBA’s annual showcase.

[autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] has turned in one phenomenal scoring performance after another for the Seattle Storm this season. That carried over into this year’s WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas. Her 31 points and 10 3-pointers both were records for the event, and they were key in Team Stewart’s 143-127 win over Team Wilson. Plus, she was named All-Star MVP, making her the second former Notre Dame player in three years to earn the honor after [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] did so in 2021.

Ogunbowale also played in this game, scoring 18 points for Team Wilson but shooting only 2 of 11 from 3-point range. [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag], the third Irish legend in the game, was teammates with Ogunbowale for this affair. She didn’t fare much better, knocking down only a pair of 3-pointers on 2-of-12 shooting from the field.

Maybe Notre Dame’s representation wasn’t terrific across the board, but the fact that three of its players were there shows how great the program is. Check out how they looked under the bright All-Star lights: