Latest news with #EasternConferencePlayeroftheMonth
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WNBA Announces Major News on Brittney Griner's Teammate
WNBA Announces Major News on Brittney Griner's Teammate originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Atlanta Dream have been rolling during the return of Brittney Griner. Griner was recently sidelined with a knee injury that kept her out of the lineup for a couple of games. Despite the early absence, she has made an immediate impact in Atlanta, posting 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists this season. Advertisement While Griner was the talk of the town in Atlanta during the offseason, coming into the roster as the biggest addition, one player has stolen the spotlight. Dream guard Allisha Gray has been phenomenal for Atlanta all season. On Wednesday, the WNBA credited Gray for her success, naming the Atlanta Dream star as the Eastern Conference Player of the Month. The news comes just one day after the Dream announced Gray as the Player of the Week. She was awarded the Player of the Month alongside MVP candidate Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx. She earned the honors in the Western Conference. As the WNBA explained, Allisha Gray led the Atlanta Dream to a 5-2 record. Advertisement Throughout the season, Gray has posted 21.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. She's playing in her third season with the Dream, gradually improving every year in Atlanta. Before joining the Atlanta Dream, Gray played for the Dallas Wings from 2017 to 2022. Atlanta Dream center Brittney Zanine-Imagn Images Allisha Gray will look to extend the Atlanta Dream's four-game win streak when they face off against the Connecticut Sun on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. They'll follow that with another big matchup on Tuesday when they face the Indiana Fever at 7:30 p.m. ET. Related: Angel Reese Makes Exciting Announcement on Wednesday Related: WNBA Team Releases Rookie on Wednesday After Scoring 0 Points This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
16-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Coby White discovers his leadership role with the Bulls: ‘I just keep being myself'
CHICAGO — As Coby White walked off the court after his pregame warmup before the Bulls played the Mavericks on March 29, he stopped to sign autographs for some young fans with their arms outstretched near the Bulls' tunnel. A girl stuck her sneaker — a red-and-white Jordan 1 — through the guardrail. Without hesitation, White scribbled on the toe of her shoe. Advertisement It was a little gesture, but it was symbolic in a way; though he's not 'a superstar' by typical NBA standards, White is a star in Chicago. He doesn't have any big endorsement deals, and while he's a solid player, there's no national buzz around him. White doesn't have the contract of a star player, and we still don't know what the future is for this Bulls team, but he embodies the hard-hat, blue-collar work ethic Chicagoans pride themselves on. Since the departures of Alex Caruso, DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, White, 25, has grown into a leadership role. In his sixth year with the Bulls, he is the longest-tenured player on the team. 'DeMar was the guy that gave the group great belief that we could win. And I think Coby's done the same thing,' Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. White saw the changes in the team as an opportunity to take his game to another level. 'A lot of opportunity opened up, just to be honest when (LaVine) left, just because of the type of player he was, so there was a lot of responsibility on all of us to take our game to another level,' White told Chicago's 670 The Score. 'I think you've seen it, not only with me but with everybody else on the team. I wouldn't say it's all been on me. I think a lot of us have all stepped up in a new role, and I think we just needed to take advantage of it, each and every one of us individually.' White's play has been a key contributor to the Bulls becoming a dangerous team to close out the regular season, making them a group opponents can't mark as an easy out on the schedule. In a win over Orlando on March 6, White had a career-high 44-point game with five rebounds and two steals. He also broke the Bulls' single-season 3-point record (216), a record he already held. He's the only player in Bulls history to have consecutive seasons with 200-plus 3s, and the sixth Bulls guard to record 1,500 career rebounds, joining Jerry Sloan, Michael Jordan, Kirk Hinrich and Reggie Theus. Advertisement White also became just the second Bulls player to receive back-to-back player of the week nods; the first was another guard from North Carolina, Michael Jordan. Named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March, White averaged 27.7 points and 3.7 assists in 15 games. Five other Bulls players have won the award since the 1979-80 season: Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and DeRozan. Despite the Bulls not being a title contender, White has shown signs of growth as a ball-handler and an around-the-rim scorer. With 20-plus points in 18 of the Bulls' last 22 games, White is a good example of patience persevering in an era in which teams sometimes give up early on young players. Coby White was ELITE in March: 27.7 points 4.7 rebounds 3.7 assists 50% FG 38% from three Coby is the first Bull to be @Kia Eastern Conference POTM since DeMar in 2022. — Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 1, 2025 The only Bulls player to eclipse 6,000 career points, 1,500 career boards and 1,500 career assists in the first 218 games with the team, White is averaging a career-high 20.7 points, 4.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds. 'I just keep being myself. … Keep on getting lost in the game. Stay in the moment. Figure out other ways to impact the game, get to the free throw line, whatever it may be,' White told The Athletic. White credits learning under DeRozan and LaVine for maintaining a calm demeanor and trusting himself in games even when his shots aren't falling. 'You're not going to hit shots every single night, but you still got to find ways to impact the game,' White said. 'The great players, they do little stuff like get to the line when their shots are not falling, or try to get easy ones, try to get to their spots, and stuff like that. Seeing DeRozan and LaVine) just flipping that mindset when it came to the fourth quarter, the one thing with them is they never stop shooting. They always continue to stay aggressive.' Advertisement On Wednesday, the Bulls return to the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament for the third straight season with hopes of making the playoffs. They will take on Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat in Chicago. In their two previous Play-In appearances, the Bulls fell to the Heat, losing 102-91 in 2023 and 112-91 in 2024. 'He's a dynamic guard who can obviously hurt you from 3 and getting downhill,' Herro said. 'So just trying to balance picking up and pressuring him, making things tough on him. Just really not trying to let him keep catching rhythm. He's a rhythm player, so once he sees one or two, he can get hot.' After the trades of Caruso, DeRozan, and LaVine, Chicago was expected by many to fold in favor of draft position. Instead, a re-energized Nikola Vučević, White and a young Bulls team is looking to take down the experienced Heat in the hunt for their first playoff appearance since 2022. On Wednesday night, White will have another opportunity to step up and show Chicago this is his team. Sign up to get The Bounce, the essential NBA newsletter from Zach Harper and The Athletic staff, delivered free to your inbox. (Photo of Coby White: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
Reuters
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Bulls G Coby White (rest) out vs. Cavaliers
April 8 - Chicago Bulls star guard Coby White will sit out Tuesday's road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers for rest purposes. The Bulls (36-42), who reside in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, are playing the first game of a back-to-back set. They face the 10th-place Miami Heat (36-43) on Wednesday in Chicago. White, 25, was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month in March and enjoyed a fast start to April as well. He sank six 3-pointers to highlight his 37-point performance in the Bulls' 131-117 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. White has averaged 32.0 points on 31-of-48 shooting from the floor and 11-of-21 attempts from 3-point range over the past three games. He is averaging a career-high 20.7 points, 4.5 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 71 games (70 starts) this season for the Bulls, who have won 12 of their last 16 games overall. Cleveland (62-16) will look to clinch the top overall spot in the East without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who has been ruled out with a left ankle sprain. Mitchell, 28, sustained the injury in the Cavaliers' 120-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. He is averaging a team-leading 24.0 points to go along with 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in 71 games (all starts).
USA Today
04-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Was Celtics' Jayson Tatum snubbed for Player of the Month?
Was Celtics' Jayson Tatum snubbed for Player of the Month? The Boston Celtics enjoyed a strong run during the month of March, winning 14 of their 15 outings. Jayson Tatum was the best player on Boston's roster, averaging 27.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists in 11 appearances. Nevertheless, Tatum fell short when it came to winning the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Month award, with Coby White of the Chicago Bulls as the recipient. Tatum missed four games during March. Those missed outings likely hurt his chances of winning the individual accolade. Still, his on-court production cannot be denied, and neither can his importance to the Celtics' chances of success. During a recent episode of the "How 'Bout Them Celtics?" podcast, hosts Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance discussed Tatum being snubbed for the Player of the Month award, leading them to debate his candidacy over White, who has been fantastic for the Bulls. You can watch the full podcast episode by clicking on the embedded video above. Watch to the "Celtics Chronicle" podcast on: YouTube: Substack:
Miami Herald
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Bulls keep bigger picture in mind in encounter vs. Blazers
Fresh off locking in a play-in berth, the Chicago Bulls aim to improve their postseason seeding -- starting with their home game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. After beating the Toronto Raptors 137-118 on Tuesday night, Chicago (34-42) cannot finish lower than 10th in the Eastern Conference. Mathematically, the Bulls can still finish as high as seventh in the conference. "That's the mentality, yes," Chicago coach Billy Donovan said, when asked if his team is focusing on climbing up the standings. "We've put the standings up there on the board. I get where we're at in the totality of the league. The reality is we're at the bottom of the league in the East (play-in seeds). But we're fighting for an opportunity to potentially have to win one or two games ... if that happens, you're in the playoffs." Coby White, who scored 28 points against Toronto, was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March. He is the first member of the Bulls to receive the monthly honor since DeMar DeRozan -- now with the Sacramento Kings -- in October 2022. White, who is averaging 20.4 points per game on the season, averaged 27.7 points last month across 15 games in which he led Chicago to a 9-6 record. "I'm blessed to be fortunate enough to be in this situation," he said. "It's good to clinch a (play-in) spot, but obviously we want to make a run for the playoffs." Talen Horton-Tucker added 27 points against the Raptors, while Nikola Vucevic (22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists) and Josh Giddey (17 points, seven boards, 12 assists) both flirted with triple-doubles. Portland (34-43) kept its flickering Western Conference play-in hopes alive by also beating Toronto, 112-103 on Thursday. The Trail Blazers, currently 12th in the West, moved to within 1 1/2 games of the Phoenix Suns and 2 1/2 behind Sacramento. The race between those three sides for 10th spot could go down to the wire, with Portland vying for its third successive win, and the Suns and Kings currently in losing streaks. With four of their top six scorers out injured -- Anfernee Simons (forearm), Jerami Grant (knee), Deandre Ayton (calf) and Scoot Henderson (concussion protocol) -- the Blazers need their healthy contingent to continue to go above and beyond. Shaedon Sharpe did that, as the Ontario native tied his career high with 36 points against the Raptors. Deni Avdija paired 26 points with 15 rebounds, and Dalano Banton had 23 points. Portland coach Chauncey Billups has been imploring Sharpe to step up his aggression with the team missing many players, and the third-year guard delivered. "I've really challenged Shaedon in that department because I want to push him and see how far he can go," Billups said. "I think when he's aggressive, he learns more about himself, he learns more about his game. "Shaedon is learning so much about himself while being aggressive the entire time. And we're all learning at the same time ... I was really impressed with his game. He was like poetry in motion out there." --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2023 - All Rights Reserved
