logo
WNBA Franchise Cuts Ties With Former Champion Amid Roster Moves

WNBA Franchise Cuts Ties With Former Champion Amid Roster Moves

Yahoo15-05-2025

Second-year WNBA forward Caitlin Bickle has once again become a free agent.
The Connecticut Sun announced Thursday it waived Bickle along with rookie center Kamila Borkowska. Bickle, who joined the Sun on a training camp contract in 2025, was set to enter her second season with the club.
Advertisement
Bickle joined the Sun for the first time on a training camp contract in April 2023. The team waived her before the start of the 2023 regular season.
Then last year, Bickle re-joined the club on a seven-day contract in July. She signed another seven-day contract in August.
On the short-term deals, Bickle appeared in eight games for the Sun last season. She played 15 minutes and didn't score, missing all three of her 3-point attempts.
Former Baylor Bears forward Caitlin Bickle© Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Bickle played a lot more in college with the Baylor Bears. During her fifth-year at Baylor in 2022-23, she averaged a career-best 11.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Advertisement
She started all 30 of her games that season. Baylor advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament that spring.
During her freshman season, Baylor won the national championship in 2018-19.
Baylor posted a 37-1 record in Bickle's freshman season when the team won the national championship. Bickle posted two points and 1.1 rebounds while playing in 28 contests.
Like Bickle, Borkowska, a Poland native, also went undrafted in her class this spring. She signed a training camp contract with the Sun on February 24.
The Sun released both players a day prior to the team facing the New York Liberty in their second preseason game Friday.
Advertisement
Bickle and Borkowska combined to play eight minutes in the team's preseason opener Sunday. Neither player scored a point.
Related: WNBA Sends Strong Message on Brittney Griner

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Caitlin Clark will miss 5th game with quad strain, out Tuesday vs. Dream
Caitlin Clark will miss 5th game with quad strain, out Tuesday vs. Dream

New York Times

time30 minutes ago

  • New York Times

Caitlin Clark will miss 5th game with quad strain, out Tuesday vs. Dream

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will miss her fifth consecutive game Tuesday when Indiana plays the Atlanta Dream, coach Stephanie White said Monday. Clark, who suffered a left quadriceps strain in Indiana's 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24, will remain out for the Fever's third Commissioner's Cup game. Advertisement 'We're ready to start ramping back up,' White said. '(Clark's) been allowed to do some practicing, not everything. We're gonna be smart and we're gonna be cautious and we're gonna play the long game and work her back in very intentionally.' Clark had not ruled out the possibility of returning this Tuesday when she addressed reporters late last week for the first time since sustaining the injury. She said then that she was still taking her rehab 'day by day.' Speaking before Indiana's 27-point win over the Chicago Sky on Saturday, Indiana assistant coach Austin Kelly said Clark had been ramping up her workouts with the training staff, but that she would be reevaluated after the game. Clark, who is missing games for the first time in her WNBA and collegiate careers, said last week she had learned 'a lot' while sitting out. With this past weekend's win, the Fever have gone 2-2 without Clark. If healthy, her next opportunity to play would be on June 14 in a rematch against the undefeated Liberty. Like Clark, Fever wing Sophie Cunningham was also limited in Monday's practice, White said. Cunningham has not played since May 30 due to an ankle injury. 'I think for us, we have to work both her and Sophie back into, are they in basketball condition? What does it mean to go live? It's one thing to do some shooting drills, it's another thing to get out there on the floor, get back into movement patterns, rhythm timing,' said White, who returned to Monday's practice after missing Saturday's game for personal reasons. 'That's what part of picking and choosing things they can be in practice, so we can see their progression.' With both players out, Indiana signed guard Aari McDonald to a hardship contract. McDonald, the No. 3 pick of the Atlanta Dream in the 2021 WNBA Draft, has averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 assists in 26 minutes since joining the Fever.

Ex-WNBA star downplays uproar over physicality of game amid spate of hard fouls on Caitlin Clark
Ex-WNBA star downplays uproar over physicality of game amid spate of hard fouls on Caitlin Clark

Fox News

timean hour ago

  • Fox News

Ex-WNBA star downplays uproar over physicality of game amid spate of hard fouls on Caitlin Clark

Former WNBA star Candace Parker talked about the physicality Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has dealt with in comparison to when she first entered the league with the Los Angeles Sparks. Clark was involved in several scraps during her first year in the WNBA. The number of incidents begged the question of whether she was being targeted due to jealousy over the attention she received. But Parker explained on Jemele Hill's podcast "Spolitics" that the tough play in the WNBA was "part of the game." "When you are a generational talent, I say that in Dianna [Taurasi], Maya [Moore], myself, Breanna Stewart, Cailtin Clark, Aja Wilson – you're going to experience the physicality. The scouting report is to stop you, a lot of it is to be physical," Parker said. "Do you take a couple extra licks from people? Yeah. Was I the rookie coming in and got different shots taken at me or hard fouls? For sure. It is a part of the game." Parker suggested there was a bigger issue with how the physicality of the WNBA was received among a new television audience. "I think the problem is now it is a balancing act of society and the expectation of women versus what is necessary in sports," she said. "And for so long they were conflicting and that women in society were supposed to be strong, but not too strong. I remember not wanting to go up in weight in college, power cleaning, because I'm like, 'Oh my shoulders in the dress are looking kind of muscular.' And now I'm like you know, 'What I'm a b----, like who cares? You're going to see my muscles.' "I think it's a different generations of players that are willing to take on society's problems with women head on. As a result, I think now we're seeing social media explode and more followers wanting to follow women because we are so dynamic on what we can do on and off the floor." Clark and Angel Reese have developed a storied history with each other dating back to the 2023 national championship between Iowa and LSU. Their storyline has strongly been compared to the rivalry Magic Johnson and Larry Bird cultivated in the NBA, which helped increase viewership for the league. But Parker stopped short of making the comparison. "I think it's comparing apples and oranges," she said. "Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, it's like what are we doing? They like doing the Magic and Bird comparison, well they played similar positions. They at least kind of matched up. "I'm not falling into that. I'm not falling into the comparison and I think that there are a number of things that Angel can improve on, will improve on in the situation she's in. And I think Caitlin Clark has done that even in her first year..... She makes her team better." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Nets projected to take F Drake Powell 27th overall in 2025 NBA Draft
Nets projected to take F Drake Powell 27th overall in 2025 NBA Draft

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

Nets projected to take F Drake Powell 27th overall in 2025 NBA Draft

Nets projected to take F Drake Powell 27th overall in 2025 NBA Draft The Brooklyn Nets have five picks to use in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, including four in the first round of what could be a class full of talent. Brooklyn may be trying to pull off a deal or two to lessen the load on player development, but until then, there are players that they can take at each spot, including a player from North Carolina with some upside. "Teams figure to put extra stock into Drake Powell's NBA combine performance and workouts after he spent the year spotting up on 49.2 percent of North Carolina's possessions and taking just 5.7 shots per game," Jonathan Wasserman wrote in his most recent mock draft for Bleacher Report. Wasserman has the Nets taking Powell with the 27th overall pick in the Draft, the pick they received from the Houston Rockets. "Despite the lack of production, there could still be first-round interest based on his outstanding physical profile, defensive projection and 37.9 percent three-point shooting," Wasserman continued. Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Powell was projected to be a second-round pick after what he showed at North Carolina which wasn't much when just looking at his stats. Powell, 19, averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 48.3% from the field and 37.9% from three-point land in 37 appearances. Powell was an integral part of a Tarheels team that finished with a 23-14 record, allowing them to make the NCAA Tournament where they made it past the First Four before losing in the first round to Ole Miss. While Powell did not put forth much in terms of statistics to show that he would be a prospect with high upside, his performance at the NBA Draft Combine showed scouts differently, as Wasserman alluded to. Powell, who Wasserman compares to New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones, displayed his athletic ability that gave many the impression that he could be an elite defender and shooter on the wing in the right situation.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store