Phoenix Mercury
Natalie Esquire and Callie Fin unpack their 2025 WNBA Draft predictions, including how things change after the recent NCAA Tournament finish and how certain player decisions have shaken up the draft.
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Auburn baskeball: Tigers to host A-Sun squad to close 2025 portion of schedule
Auburn baskeball: Tigers to host A-Sun squad to close 2025 portion of schedule The Dec. 29 contest will signal the second season in a row Auburn has hosted a team from the Atlantic Sun The Auburn Tigers played one of, it not the hardest non-conference schedule in program history a season ago. It paid off, with Bruce Pearl's squad racking up nation-best 19 Quadrant 1 victories on its way to the second Final Four appearance in Auburn history. While Pearl and his staff are unlikely to scheme up a schedule as difficult as last year's version, the Tigers will certainly hope to once again build up themselves before the grinding nature of the SEC season. That process, which has already included an appearance in a loaded 'Players Era' tournament field and home-and-home series contests against Houston, Purdue, and Arizona, continued this week, as CBS Sports Insider Jon Rothstein reported the Tigers are set to A-Sun program Queens to close out the 2025 portion of the schedule. The game, which is reportedly set for Dec. 29 at Neville Arena, will signal the second season in a row Auburn has hosted a team from the Atlantic Sun. Last season the Tigers beat the brakes off of in-state opponent, North Alabama, last November. The 102-69 victory was impressive at the time, but turned into an even more significant win after the Lions finished just a game shy of the NCAA Tournament last season. Queens on the other hand was not nearly as successful, although the 20-15 Royals did drive eventual A-Sun Champion Lipscomb to the brink with an 81-75 loss in the A-Sun Tournament semi-finals. Bruce Pearl's Auburn Tigers will likely be heavily favored in their final game before they ring in the new year, but the Royals, like North Alabama last year, play in a conference loaded with talent across the board. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Brian on Twitter@TheRealBHauch
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Nearly Got Indiana Fever in Trouble for Unbelievable Reason
Caitlin Clark Nearly Got Indiana Fever in Trouble for Unbelievable Reason originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Few would argue that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the most popular and marketable star in the WNBA right now. Advertisement Clark's fame has grown so much since the Fever drafted her No. 1 overall in 2024 that she's seemingly setting ratings records every time she steps on the court. The Fever's 93-58 season-opening win over the Chicago Sky on May 17 drew an average of 2.7 million viewers and peaked with 3.1 million viewers on ABC, making it the most-watched WNBA regular-season game on the network and overall in the last 25 years. Last season, Clark played in the most-watched regular-season game of the season (vs. the Sky on June 3, 3.3 million viewers), he most-viewed WNBA game on any ESPN platform (vs. the Connecticut Sun on May 20, 2.97 million viewers), and the most-watched WNBA All-Star Game ever (3.44 million viewers). But viewership wasn't the only area Clark dominated. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark reacts to a call in the second half against the Washington Mystics at Entertainment & Sports Faith Morgan-Imagn Images The WNBA Rookie of the Year had the best-selling jersey in the WNBA and the second-highest selling jersey across professional basketball behind only Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, according to Fanatics. Advertisement In fact the Fever sold so much Clark gear that the team store was actually looked into for its crazy Clark-related sales boom, according to Indiana-based journalist Travonne Edwards 'The quota has been reached in the team store to the point where they got audited,' Edwards said during an appearance on "The Right Time with Bomani Jones.' 'They sold so much [Caitlin Clark] gear that people thought it wasn't legit?' Jones asked. '…There's a shoe that's supposed to come out — a Kobe 5 with her colorway — it's on the internet for $5,000 right now. You know how you've been to the big school, like JJ Redick played for Duke, and he gets to Orlando and that motion don't follow — this followed.' Fortunately for the Fever, their bookkeeping was in order and the sales spike made sense once the final merchandise numbers were out. Advertisement Clark's home Fever jersey sold out less than an hour after being drafted last year, making her the highest-selling WNBA draft pick ever. Fanatics also reported that WNBA merchandise sales were up over 1,000% year-over-year thanks to Clark, Sky star Angel Reese, New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, and Clark's Iowa teammate Kate Martin, who played her rookie season for the Las Vegas Aces and is currently with the expansion Golden State Valkyries. They ranked No. 1, 2, 3, and 4 in merchandise sales, respectively. Related: It Took Caitlin Clark's Replacement Just 1 Game to Move Into Top 10 In This One Stat This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Candace Parker Breaks Silence on Rumored Caitlin Clark Tension
Candace Parker Breaks Silence on Rumored Caitlin Clark Tension originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's no question that Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the face of the WNBA. The league went out of its way to feature Clark and the Fever is as many primetime games that it could this season, and Clark's impact is undeniable when looking at ticket sales, merchandise sales, and television ratings. Advertisement And while Clark's presence in the league has been a topic of dissension for some current and past players, most notably six-time All-Star Sheryl Swoopes, recently retired three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker went out of her way to let everyone know she's not one of them. During a recent appearance on 'The Take,' Parker admitted to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith that despite what's been portrayed in the media (several reports have claimed retired players are resentful of the younger players for potentially earning more money than they did), she actually has zero problem with the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin ClarkGrace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images In fact, Parker went on record stating she's a fan of what Clark is doing a season and some change into her WNBA career. Advertisement 'You know, it's so crazy to me because I'm asked so many times if I'm resentful in any type of way for where the WNBA is right now,' Parker stated. 'My job was to leave the game better than I came into it. 'You think Cheryl Miller is resentful for me that I had a league to play in? No, she's being the mentor that she is, and she's supporting and loving and sitting courtside cheering on JuJu Watkins. And I'm doing the same for Caitlin Clark and all the women in the WNBA.' Legendary Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Lee-Imagn Images The WNBA's 'changing of the guard' has been a front-and-center issue for months — really since Chicago Sky star Angel Reese boldly stated if the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations don't go the way the players want in terms of salary increases, there will be the threat of a lockout. Advertisement And while Clark has done nothing but bring more eyes to televisions and more people to seats in WNBA arenas, any drastic changes happening in the league are being attributed to her. Related: Caitlin Clark Nearly Got Indiana Fever in Trouble for Unbelievable Reason Related: Brittney Griner Bracing for Punishment After Altercation With WNBA Official This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
