logo
Caitlin Clark will compete in WNBA 3-point contest with Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu and others

Caitlin Clark will compete in WNBA 3-point contest with Allisha Gray, Sabrina Ionescu and others

New York Times4 days ago
Caitlin Clark will make her 3-point contest debut in Indianapolis in front of her home fans on All-Star Friday night. Clark declined to participate in an NBA All-Star event earlier this year, electing to save her first All-Star skills appearance for the WNBA's signature weekend; despite recent injuries that have cost her 10 games, Clark will be one of five entrants in the 3-point shootout.
Advertisement
Clark will face off against reigning champion Allisha Gray, all-time record-holder Sabrina Ionescu (37 points in the final round in 2023) and fellow All-Stars Kelsey Plum and Sonia Citron. Ionescu did not defend her title in 2024, electing to rest ahead of the Paris Olympics. Both she and Gray are 1-for-1 in the shootout, while Plum finished last in her first appearance in 2022. Plum, Ionescu and Gray are third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in 3-pointers made per game in 2025.
Friday night will also include the WNBA skills challenge, featuring All-Stars Gray, Skylar Diggins and Courtney Williams, plus Natasha Cloud and Erica Wheeler. Gray is also defending her crown in this event after pulling off the historic double in Phoenix in 2024. This is Gray's third year participating in the skills challenge, which debuted in 2019.
Cloud, Diggins and Williams are all new to the event. Wheeler is as well, though she was scheduled to participate in 2024 before a canceled flight forced her then-teammate Kelsey Mitchell to perform in her place. Wheeler spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Fever and could be a fan favorite in this event, though Diggins is from Indiana.
This is the second year that Aflac will be providing additional prize money to the winners of each event. The CBA stipulates that each winner gets $2,575, but Aflac will be adding $55,000 for the skills challenge and $60,000 for the 3-point shootout, equivalent to the purse in the NBA All-Star events. In 2024, the decision was made the week of the event, leaving many players unaware in time. Several players said that a bigger prize pool would incentivize participation, which seems to be validated in the number of All-Stars in this year's lineup.
All-Star Friday night tips off at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'As lucky as we could be.' Dodgers' Max Muncy already recovering better than expected
'As lucky as we could be.' Dodgers' Max Muncy already recovering better than expected

Yahoo

time15 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

'As lucky as we could be.' Dodgers' Max Muncy already recovering better than expected

Max Muncy knew he had gotten lucky, after his ugly-looking knee injury earlier this month proved to be nothing more than a bone bruise. But, when doctors explained how close he came to suffering something so much worse, from when Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base on July 2, even Muncy was amazed by the infinitesimal margins. 'If the timing was just a millisecond different either way,' he was told, 'you're probably looking at surgery, and done for a long time.' Instead, barely two weeks removed from having the outside of his knee bent inward on that play, Muncy was out doing early work at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon; running in the outfield, playing catch with coaches and performing agility drills in front of trainers without any obvious signs of pain or discomfort. Read more: Dodgers are shut out by Brewers, but Tyler Glasnow shows signs of growth 'We're pleasantly, not surprised, but happy with the spot that I'm in right now,' Muncy said afterward, having also taken swings for the first time since his injury earlier on Friday afternoon. 'It feels great. I'm moving well. Progressing quickly. We're trying to be smart about it, and understand where we're at, and what it's gonna take to get back on the field. But we're in a really good spot … We're kind of right where we think we should be at.' If not, it seems, already a few steps ahead. While Muncy was initially expected to miss roughly six weeks with his left knee bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts struck a more optimistic tone as the Dodgers opened the second half of their season. 'He's in great shape right now,' Roberts said Friday. 'I don't really know a timeline. But I do know … it's going to be a lot sooner than anticipated, which is good for all of us.' Since Muncy — who was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in May and June — got hurt, the Dodgers have not looked like the same offense. In their last 11 games entering Saturday, the club was 3-8, averaging less than three runs per game, and struggling to fill the gaping hole their slugging third baseman has left in the middle of the lineup. Since the start of July, only the penny-pinching Pittsburgh Pirates have been worse than the Dodgers in batting average (.205) and OPS (.594). 'We've still got a lot of good players,' Roberts said. 'But yeah, there's a certain line of demarcation when Max is not in the lineup, what happens to our offense.' The Dodgers' problems, of course, go beyond Muncy's absence. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have all been slumping of late (or, in Betts' case, for much of the season). Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have been nowhere near their typical standard since returning from injuries in May. And the depth options the Dodgers have called upon have provided few sparks of life. Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers' long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake. 'We got to figure out how to get something going," said outfielder Michael Conforto, chief among the Dodgers' underachievers this season. "Every time we go out there, we expect to score, and that's what we've been doing all year. It's just one of those stretches [where it's] a little bit tougher to get runs in. But, you know, obviously, we have faith in our guys, and some big names in here that made their careers on scoring runs and driving guys in. I think we'll be OK." Muncy, of course, is one of those proven names. And in another fortunate stroke with his recovery, he remains confident his injury won't significantly impact his swing once he does come back. 'If [the injury] was on the inside of the knee, it'd probably be a different story,' Muncy said. 'But just being on the outside, I think it's a good spot, knowing that I don't feel it at all when I'm pushing off on the backside.' Read more: Shaikin: Why the small-market Milwaukee Brewers might be America's team Muncy tested that theory for the first time Friday, taking some light swings in the cage that he said 'felt fine.' 'It's a lot of work, more work than actually playing in the game, which always sucks,' Muncy said of his rehab process. 'But it's that way for a reason … You don't want to have any other injuries that are a side effect from it.' So far, even that latter concern has been quelled, with Muncy noting that 'there's no lingering side effects with it.' 'All in all,' he reiterated, 'we're about as lucky as we could be.' Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Colorado Buffaloes football's Shedeur Sanders given $182.5 million expectation on Browns
Colorado Buffaloes football's Shedeur Sanders given $182.5 million expectation on Browns

Yahoo

time15 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Colorado Buffaloes football's Shedeur Sanders given $182.5 million expectation on Browns

Colorado Buffaloes football legend Shedeur Sanders is getting gaudy comparisons to the San Francisco 49ers' 2023 Pro Bowl quarterback, Brock Purdy, and he hasn't even played a snap on the Cleveland Browns yet. The Orange and Brown Talk Podcast, comprised of Mary Kay Cabot, Dan Labbe, Scott Patsko, and Ashley Bastock, dubbed Purdy's career Sanders' 'most optimistic yet realistic ceiling.' 'The name Brock Purdy keeps surfacing in discussions about Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders – and for good reason. The comparison offers a tantalizing vision of what could happen when a late-round pick with the right tools lands in the perfect situation,' the reporting troupe wrote. 'On a recent Orange and Brown Talk podcast, host Dan Labbe introduced what might be the most optimistic yet realistic ceiling for the Browns' fifth-round selection.' To reach the status Purdy reached after overcoming Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo in the Bay Area, Sanders will have to overcome the presumed QB1 favorite in training camp, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel, the latter of whom is considered readier to start. Easier said than done when operating in last place in the Browns' four-man QB competition. A lot easier said than done, considering the context of Kevin Stefanski giving Sanders an abridged version of the playbook in minicamp. The Purdy comparisons are downright harmful at this point. It's understandable why publications would run with them, but Sanders needs to have Ben DiNucci-level expectations until he proves himself more in Berea.

JC Tretter, Don Davis reportedly in 'two-man race' for NFLPA interim executive director job
JC Tretter, Don Davis reportedly in 'two-man race' for NFLPA interim executive director job

Yahoo

time15 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

JC Tretter, Don Davis reportedly in 'two-man race' for NFLPA interim executive director job

The race to be the next executive director of the NFL Players Association is down to two men, according to The Athetic's Dianna Russini. Either NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter or chief player officer Don Davis are expected to lead the union following a tumultuous week that saw Lloyd Howell abruptly resign. Representatives from all 32 NFL teams were on a call Friday night to discuss the union's leadership future. Tretter is reportedly seen as the leader ahead of Davis in terms of support from the players. It's unknown if there is a timetable for naming an interim executive director, but whoever gets the job is not expected to end up in the role full time. While Tretter seemingly has the support, Russini also reported on Saturday that a group of players are discussing potential legal action against the NFLPA and Tretter, "citing potential violations around inclusion, labor rights, and misuse of union dues." Howell, who led the NFLPA since 2023, resigned Thursday night after an outside investigator reportedly discovered Howell charged the union for multiple strip club visits, according to ESPN. Howell allegedly charged the union $738.82 on one receipt and another $2,426 during a separate strip club visit. ESPN's report marked the fourth time this offseason Howell's actions as NFLPA executive director came under scrutiny. Journalists Mike Florio and Pablo Torre previously unearthed two grievance rulings the NFL and NFLPA worked to keep secret. One of those rulings found evidence of collusion among teams, a potentially explosive revelation that Howell allegedly not only worked to keep out of the public, but also may have tried to keep from players.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store