Clark could step into All-Star Game coaching role
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USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Breanna Stewart injury update: Liberty star ruled out with lower leg injury
Breanna Stewart's night ended soon after it began. The New York Liberty All-Star forward exited Saturday's matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks less than four minutes into the first quarter after suffering an apparent non-contact injury as she ran up the court in transition. Stewart immediately called for a substitute with 6:33 remaining and went back to the locker room at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as the Liberty trailed the Sparks 11-9. Stewart, 30, did not return and was ruled out for the remainder of the game with a lower leg injury. She finished the night with three points and one rebound in 3 minutes of play. Stewart is averaging 19.0 points (tied for fifth-highest in the league), 6.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 blocks, shooting 46.9% from the field in 23 games (all starts) this season. Stewart's injury comes on the heels of the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, where she recorded eight points, four rebounds and two assists in Team Napheesa Collier's win on July 19. The Liberty resumed play on Tuesday with a 98-84 win over the Indiana Fever, the start of a daunting stretch of four games in one week. The Liberty's matchup against the Sparks on Saturday marked the second game of a back-to-back. New York defeated the Phoenix Mercury 89-76 on Friday evening, extending the team's win streak to five games. The defending champion Liberty start a four-game road trip on Monday with a matchup against Dallas, followed by games against Minnesota on July 30 and Connecticut on Aug. 1 and Aug 3. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
New York Post
2 days ago
- New York Post
Victor Wembanyama takes bizarre social media shot at Karl Malone
Victor Wembanyama doesn't seem pleased with the NBA's Karl Malone praise. The Spurs' superstar indirectly threw shade at Malone on social media after a league account wished the Hall of Famer a happy 62nd birthday Thursday. 'Join us in wishing a Happy 62nd Birthday to 14x #NBAAllStar, 2x NBA MVP, and 75th Anniversary Team member… 'The Mailman,' Karl Malone! #NBABDAY,' @NBAHistory wrote on X. Karl Malone looks on during the NBA All-Star Game as part of the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend. NBAE via Getty Images Wembanyama seemingly weighed in by re-sharing a post from DJ J. Strand — X user @DJ_Ajaxx — who posted a video of a man saying, 'What? Oh, see that's what we not about to do. Police, lock his ass up because he need to be under the jail' in response to the league's birthday message. The post from Strand seems to refer to when Malone impregnated a 13-year-old girl when he was 20 years old and attending Louisiana Tech. For years, the former Jazz star denied his paternity status despite blood tests that confirmed 99.3 percent probability that he was the father, according to a 1998 Associated Press story. Malone eventually formed a relationship with his now-41-year-old son, Demetress Bell, who played four seasons in the NFL. Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs and Chuck's Global Stars looks on during 2025 NBA All-Star Practice & Media Availability at Oakland Arena on February 15, 2025 in Oakland, California. Getty Images It's not clear if Wembanyama's re-share meant he was wading into that conversation, however. The NBA faced backlash during the 2023 All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City — where Malone played 18 seasons, winning two MVP awards — for welcoming him as part of the festivities. At that time, Malone didn't want any part of discussing his personal history. 'I'm not discussing any of that backlash,' Malone said, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. 'I don't care. That's my life, that's my personal life, and I'll deal with that like I've had to deal with everything. 'So, whatever.'
USA Today
3 days ago
- USA Today
Valkyries' Kayla Thornton to miss rest of WNBA season after knee surgery
Golden State Valkyries forward Kayla Thornton's renaissance season has been cut short. The Valkyries announced that Thornton successfully underwent surgery on Friday, July 25 after suffering a right knee injury in practice, effectively ending Thornton's career-best campaign and dealing a devastating blow to the Valkyries' hopes of becoming the first expansion team to make the playoffs in its inaugural season in nearly three decades. The news comes nearly a week after Thornton participated in the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where she recorded 15 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and one steal off the bench for Team Caitlin Clark. It marked the 10-year veteran's first All-Star nod of her career, and she's the first player to be named an All-Star as a member of a first-year team since Candice Dupree for the Chicago Sky in 2006. VALKYRIES: Setting new standard for WNBA expansion teams with early success The UTEP alumna played for the Washington Mystics (2015) and Dallas Wings (2017-22) before winning a Commissioner's Cup and WNBA championship with the New York Liberty in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Thornton was a role player on the Liberty in 2024, averaging 5.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 20.2 minutes of play per game on the championship roster. But that all changed when Thornton was drafted in the expansion draft by Golden State in December. Thornton quickly became the No. 1 option on the Valkyries, playing a team-high 30.1 minutes per game. Although expectations are typically low for expansion teams early on — the Atlanta Dream went 4-30 in their inaugural season in 2008, while the Chicago Sky went 5-29 in 2006 — the Valkyries jumped to an unprecedented 10-9 start and are the third expansion team in WNBA history to pick up its 10th victory in 20 games or less. Thornton led the Valkyries in scoring through 22 games (all starts) and averaged a career-high 14 points per game, besting her previous high of 10.4 points per game in 2019 by nearly four points. She also set career-highs in rebounds (7) and steals (1.3), leading the team in both categories. "It goes beyond basketball. She's a tremendous person. She's someone that you wanna be around all the time," teammate Kate Martin said after Thornton dropped a career-high 29 points in a win over the Chicago Sky on June 27. "She's a great leader in the locker room and a great friend, so it's really fun whenever she's all of that, but also a phenomenal basketball player. "You can learn a lot from KT And how she plays and I'm just really glad she's getting all the success she's getting. She deserves it and I'm thankful that I'm her teammate." How Thornton's injury affects Valkyries playoff chances The Valkyries have fallen on hard times and dropped five of their last six games heading into the All-Star weekend. Thornton's season-ending injury marks a significant loss, and it's only going to get tougher. Golden State opens the second half of the season with a matchup against the Dallas Wings at home on Friday, July 25, before going on a five-game road trip to face Connecticut (July 27), Atlanta (July 29), Washington (July 31), Chicago (Aug. 1) and Las Vegas (Aug. 3). The Valkyries (10-12) are currently ninth in the standings and would miss the playoffs if the postseason started today. Golden State is looking to become the first expansion team to make the playoffs in its inaugural season since the Detroit Shock in 1998. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
