Category: wnba

Everything You Need to Know About WNBA Training Camp: How it Works, Rosters and more

April 25, 2024

There is already so much hype and anticipation going into the 2024 WNBA season. But before then, all eyes will be on training camp and final rosters.

If you’re a new fan just tuning in, or an OG needing a refresher, here’s everything you need to know about training camp: from who makes the roster for training camp, roster cuts and more.

Fyi, the start of the regular season is May 14.

When training camp starts:

Training camp is set to begin on April 28. Players will have to lock in and get ready for preseason, which starts on May 3.

How it works:

This year’s WNBA draftees, as well as current players and those who receive an invite to camp will arrive begin training. Everyone is competing for a spot.

Who is on the training camp roster?

Teams have already begun announcing their training camp rosters. We’ll update them below:

FEVER
ACES
LYNX
MYSTICS
SPARKS
SUN
DREAM
LIBERTY
MERCURY
SKY
STORM
WINGS

What happens next?

Not everyone will make the official team roster, as Laeticia Amihere of the Atlanta Dream shares in her TikTok. There are 144 roster spots across the League, with a maximum of 12 spots available on each of the 12 teams.

The date for final roster cuts is May 13.

@laeticiaamihere

Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft

♬ original sound – Laeticia Amihere

What if my fav gets cut?

Just because a player is cut from the roster doesn’t mean their hoop dreams are over—or that you should stop supporting your fav. Some opt to go overseas and, even after the regular season starts, there’s 10-day contracts as well.

The post Everything You Need to Know About WNBA Training Camp: How it Works, Rosters and more appeared first on SLAM.

Grills and Formal Wear: The 2024 WNBA Draft Was Full of Fire Fits

April 16, 2024

Gleaming grills, bedazzled basketball accessories and format fits. The 2024 WNBA Draft was a night to remember, and the orange carpet is the new runway.

Headlined by No. 1 pick and SLAM 249 cover star Caitlin Clark, as well as No. 2 pick Cameron Brink and more, this year’s draft welcomed the arrival of the League’s new, and stylish, rookies.

Let’s take a look back at yesterday’s draft night fits:

Breaking records and making history isn’t anything new for Caitlin Clark. She reportedly is the first athlete, ever, to be dressed by Prada on draft day.

Cameron Brink was runway ready.

Bayou Barbie shining bright, both on and off the court.

Nika Mühl pulled up to the draft rocking grills. Seattle fans, get ready for the tunnel fits.

Rickea Jackson had an ICONIC outfit change during the draft. Rockstar status.

Alissa Pili, who is Samoan-American, paid homage to her tribal heritage. Powerful.

Aaliyah Edwards with the fit AND the bedazzled basketball accessory. Baller.

The beauty is in the details of Dyaisha Fair’s draft suit.

Photos via Getty Images.

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WNBA-Draft: Clark landet wie erwartet in Indiana

April 16, 2024

Supertalent Caitlin Clark ist beim Draft der US-Profiliga WNBA wie erwartet an erster Stelle gezogen worden – und wie erwartet bei den Indiana Fever gelandet.

Abschied von den Fans in Iowa: Caitlin Clark.

Abschied von den Fans in Iowa: Caitlin Clark.

IMAGO/USA TODAY Network

Die 22-jährige Clark hat ihre College-Laufbahn bei den Iowa Hawkeyes abgeschlossen und geht künftig auf professioneller Ebene in der Mitte Mai beginnenden WNBA auf Korbjagd. Die Indiana Fever griffen beim Draft erwartungsgemäß zu. Clark soll das Team erstmals seit 2016 wieder in die Playoffs führen und den mageren Zuschauerzuspruch von im Schnitt nur 4066 Fans nach oben treiben.

Schon vor dem Draft hatte die Franchise mit dem Verkauf einer begrenzten Anzahl von Eintrittskarten für einzelne Begegnungen begonnen, die Plätze für die Spiele gegen Connecticut und Los Angeles waren bereits wenige Stunden nach Verkaufsstart vergriffen.

“… seit ich in der zweiten Klasse war”

“Ich habe von diesem Moment geträumt, seit ich in der zweiten Klasse war, und es hat mich viel harte Arbeit gekostet, viele Höhen und Tiefen”, sagte Clark im ESPN-Interview: “Ich habe immer an mich geglaubt. Ich habe meiner Mutter vorher gesagt, dass ich es mir verdient habe, und deshalb bin ich so stolz darauf.”

Clark hatte sich in der NCAA mit konstant starken Leistungen ins Rampenlicht gespielt, den geschlechterunabhängigen Punkterekord aufgestellt (3951) und die Zuschauerzahlen in den Arenen und vor den TV-Geräten in die Höhe getrieben. In ihrer letzten Saison führte sie Iowa abermals bis ins Finale, um dort letztlich knapp an South Carolina zu scheitern. Clarks letztes College-Spiel hatten im Schnitt 18,7 Millionen Zuschauer im TV verfolgt.

“Die letzten Wochen waren natürlich ziemlich verrückt in meinem Leben”, sagte Clark. “Ich habe einfach großes Glück, in diesem Moment zu sein, und all diese Gelegenheiten und Dinge gibt es nur einmal im Leben.”

College star Caitlin Clark taken as No. 1 pick, drafted by Indiana Fever in WBNA draft

April 16, 2024

TNT Sports presents the premium live sports rights previously carried by BT Sport including the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League, Gallagher Premiership Rugby, Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, MotoGP, Cricket, UFC, Boxing and WWE. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination. You can also watch TNT Sports through BT, EE, Sky, and Virgin Media

‘It just continues to get better’ – Clark advocates for women’s sports as WNBA Draft approaches

April 9, 2024

Caitlin Clark has hit all sorts of headlines of late, the American basketball star leading Iowa Hawkeyes’ charge this season, which ended in a 87-75 defeat to South Carolina in Sunday’s collegiate final. That match saw an incredible 18.7 million Americans tuning in – the most for a women’s basketball game ever.

Clark might have been on the losing side, but her meteoric rise this season has seen her become a household name as she scored over 3,900 points across the season – more than any male or female college athlete in history.

She scored 30 points in the final including 18 in the first quarter – the most in a period in a national championship game. The records just kept coming for Clark as she also beat Pete Maravich’s 54-year-old college basketball scoring record for most points in Division I history.

Her on-court performances might have dominated headlines, but how the point guard has conducted herself off-court has been equally worthy of praise, with Clark keen to emphasise what her heightened profile means to her.

“Everyone sees the viewership numbers,” she said. “When you’re given the opportunity, women’s sport thrives and that’s been the coolest part for me on this journey.

“We started the season playing in front of 55,000 people, now we’re ending it in front of 15 million people on TV. It just continues to get better and better and that’s never going to stop.

“When you continue to give them the platform, things like this are just going to continue to happen.”

picture

Caitlin Clark’s collegiate career ended in defeat to South Carolina

Image credit: Getty Images

Clark is expected to be the number one pick in the WNBA Draft by the Indiana Fever, and could well link up with the US team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The US have won gold in the women’s basketball every year since Atlanta in 1996, and will be the heavy favourites going into the event in Paris later this summer. If Clark does link up with the team, it will increase the profile of the sport in Paris no end – making it one of the hottest tickets in town.

“No matter what sport it is, believe in them the same, invest in them the same, and things are going to thrive,” said Clark, as she pressed home what her impact has had on women’s sports in general.

“You see it with other sports. Continue to invest time, money and resources for those people and give them the opportunities. I think that’s what’s going to drive women’s sports in future.

“People will remember the moments that they shared at one of our games or watching on TV, and how excited their daughter or son got about watching women’s basketball.

“That’s pretty cool, those are things that mean the most to me.”

TNT Sports and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced a multi-year collaboration to air WNBA games in the UK and Ireland, re-affirming TNT Sports’ commitment to women’s sport and strengthening its basketball offering.

Fans will be able to watch at least 16 regular-season WNBA games each season live and on-demand via TNT Sports and discovery+ as the 12 teams battle it out for the WNBA Championship.

TNT Sports’ WNBA coverage tips off on Wednesday, May 15 (BST) with last year’s runners-up the New York Liberty, led by 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart, 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones and 2023 All-WNBA Second Team selection Sabrina Ionescu, travelling to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Mystics, featuring two-time WNBA All-Star Ariel Atkins and 2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection Brittney Sykes.

TNT Sports will broadcast weekend WNBA games in primetime during the regular season. In addition to regular-season games, TNT Sports will broadcast select games from the WNBA Playoffs, WNBA Finals and the annual WNBA All-Star Game.

To complement live game coverage, throughout the season TNT Sports’ digital and social platforms will also provide fans with weekly WNBA highlights and clips to ensure they don’t miss any of the key moments.

The Olympic Games will return with Paris 2024, live on Eurosport and discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

TNT Sports and WNBA announce multi-year agreement to broadcast live games in the UK and Ireland

April 9, 2024

TNT Sports and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced a multi-year collaboration to air WNBA games in the UK and Ireland, re-affirming TNT Sports’ commitment to women’s sport and strengthening its basketball offering.

Fans will be able to watch at least 16 regular-season WNBA games each season live and on-demand via TNT Sports and discovery+ as the 12 teams battle it out for the WNBA Championship.

TNT Sports’ WNBA coverage tips off on Wednesday, May 15 (BST) with last year’s runners-up the New York Liberty, led by 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart, 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones and 2023 All-WNBA Second Team selection Sabrina Ionescu, travelling to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Mystics, featuring two-time WNBA All-Star Ariel Atkins and 2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection Brittney Sykes.

TNT Sports will broadcast weekend WNBA games in primetime during the regular season. In addition to regular-season games, TNT Sports will broadcast select games from the WNBA Playoffs, WNBA Finals and the annual WNBA All-Star Game.

To complement live game coverage, throughout the season TNT Sports’ digital and social platforms will also provide fans with weekly WNBA highlights and clips to ensure they don’t miss any of the key moments.

Trojan Paillot, SVP Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, Warner Bros. Discovery Europe, said: “We are delighted to show the elite athletes that star in the WNBA beginning with the 2024 season, strengthening our women’s sport offering in the UK and Ireland which already includes Premiership Women’s Rugby, UEFA Women’s Champions League football, and Women’s UFC.

“The opportunity to broadcast the WNBA is another step to reflecting the diversity of our audience, while at the same time complementing our current basketball rights such as the NBA.”

Colie Edison, Chief Growth Officer, WNBA, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with TNT Sports to bring the excitement of the WNBA to fans in the UK and Ireland. There is incredible momentum around women’s basketball in the region, and now fans will be able to more easily follow their favourite WNBA teams and players throughout the season.”

In October, TNT Sports and the NBA announced a multi-year broadcast collaboration to deliver more than 250 live games and a range of NBA programming to fans in the UK and Ireland, including the Emirates NBA Cup (formerly the In-Season Tournament), the NBA Playoffs, the Finals and NBA All-Star.

TNT Sports and WNBA announce multi-year agreement to broadcast live games in the UK and Ireland

April 9, 2024

TNT Sports and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) today announced a multi-year collaboration to air WNBA games in the UK and Ireland, re-affirming TNT Sports’ commitment to women’s sport and strengthening its basketball offering.

Fans will be able to watch at least 16 regular-season WNBA games each season live and on-demand via TNT Sports and discovery+ as the 12 teams battle it out for the WNBA Championship.

TNT Sports’ WNBA coverage tips off on Wednesday, May 15 (BST) with last year’s runners-up the New York Liberty, led by 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart, 2021 league MVP Jonquel Jones and 2023 All-WNBA Second Team selection Sabrina Ionescu, travelling to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Mystics, featuring two-time WNBA All-Star Ariel Atkins and 2023 WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection Brittney Sykes.

TNT Sports will broadcast weekend WNBA games in primetime during the regular season. In addition to regular-season games, TNT Sports will broadcast select games from the WNBA Playoffs, WNBA Finals and the annual WNBA All-Star Game.

To complement live game coverage, throughout the season TNT Sports’ digital and social platforms will also provide fans with weekly WNBA highlights and clips to ensure they don’t miss any of the key moments.

Trojan Paillot, SVP Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication, Warner Bros. Discovery Europe, said: “We are delighted to show the elite athletes that star in the WNBA beginning with the 2024 season, strengthening our women’s sport offering in the UK and Ireland which already includes Premiership Women’s Rugby, UEFA Women’s Champions League football, and Women’s UFC.

“The opportunity to broadcast the WNBA is another step to reflecting the diversity of our audience, while at the same time complementing our current basketball rights such as the NBA.”

Colie Edison, Chief Growth Officer, WNBA, said: “We are thrilled to collaborate with TNT Sports to bring the excitement of the WNBA to fans in the UK and Ireland. There is incredible momentum around women’s basketball in the region, and now fans will be able to more easily follow their favourite WNBA teams and players throughout the season.”

In October, TNT Sports and the NBA announced a multi-year broadcast collaboration to deliver more than 250 live games and a range of NBA programming to fans in the UK and Ireland, including the Emirates NBA Cup (formerly the In-Season Tournament), the NBA Playoffs, the Finals and NBA All-Star.

The Bayou Barbie is Headed to the W: Angel Reese Declares for the 2024 WNBA Draft

April 3, 2024

LSU star Angel Reese has officially declared for the WNBA, and she did so on her terms by announcing the decision via Instagram on Wednesday.

Angel Reese, the Bayou Barbie, began her career at the University of Maryland before transferring to LSU for her junior year. That season, she averaged a double-double of 23 points and 15 rebounds while becoming a standout on and off the court—from her social media presence to gracing the cover of SLAM 243 alongside teammate and star Flau’jae Johnson.

“I just wanted to figure out who Angel Reese really is,” Reese told us back in 2023, prior to winning the NCAA championship. “Coming to LSU, I feel like I figured out who I am. I’m able to be myself here. It’s just something I really love.”

The 2023-24 SEC Player of the Year explained her decision to Vogue’s Leah Faye Cooper, which she shared just a week before the start of the NCAA Tournament. “I want to start at the bottom again,” she said on her playing in the WNBA. “I want to be a rookie again and build myself back up; I want to be knocked down and learn and grow at the next level.”

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