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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Top Storm vs. Aces players to watch - 6/1/2025
Top Storm vs. Aces players to watch - 6/1/2025 The Seattle Storm (3-3) heads into a home matchup with Jewell Loyd and the Las Vegas Aces (3-2) at Climate Pledge Arena on Sunday, beginning at 6 p.m. ET. The Storm have a +1 scoring differential, putting up 80.2 points per game (eighth in the league) and allowing 80.0 (fifth in the WNBA). The Aces have a +9 scoring differential, topping opponents by 1.8 points per game. They're putting up 83.6 points per game, sixth in the league, and are giving up 81.8 per outing to rank ninth in the WNBA. Watch this game on Fubo! (regional restrictions may apply) How to watch Storm vs. Aces Date: Sunday, June 1, 2025 Sunday, June 1, 2025 Time: 6 p.m. ET 6 p.m. ET How to watch on TV: Vegas 34, KOMO 4, and CW Seattle Vegas 34, KOMO 4, and CW Seattle Live stream: Fubo (regional restrictions may apply) Fubo Location: Seattle, Washington Seattle, Washington Venue: Climate Pledge Arena Storm's last game Seattle fell short of victory by a final score of 94-87 versus Atlanta in their last outing. The squad was led by Skylar Diggins' 20 points and Nneka Ogwumike's 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. Skylar Diggins: 20 PTS | 4 REB |3 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 3PM Nneka Ogwumike: 16 PTS | 6 REB |4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 3PM Erica Wheeler: 14 PTS | 5 REB |5 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 0 3PM Aces' last game Led by A'ja Wilson with 35 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and three blocks last time out, Las Vegas won 96-81 versus Los Angeles. A'ja Wilson: 35 PTS | 13 REB |6 AST | 3 STL | 3 BLK | 1 3PM Jackie Young: 26 PTS | 1 REB |3 AST | 2 STL | 0 BLK | 3 3PM Chelsea Gray: 15 PTS | 4 REB |4 AST | 4 STL | 2 BLK | 4 3PM Storm players to watch Ogwumike is tops on the Storm at 9.2 rebounds per contest, while also putting up 2.3 assists and 18.2 points. She is seventh in the WNBA in rebounding. Diggins posts 19.0 points and 6.8 assists per contest -- both team highs. She is also posting 2.5 rebounds, shooting 47.4% from the floor and 43.8% from beyond the arc with 1.2 made 3-pointers per game. Gabby Williams puts up 13.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest. At the other end, she posts 2.0 steals (eighth in league) and 1.0 block (10th in league). Ezi Magbegor posts 6.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, shooting 38.0% from the field. Erica Wheeler averages 10.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, shooting 48.9% from the floor. Aces players to watch Wilson paces the Aces in scoring (23.6 points per game), rebounding (11.2) and assists (4.4), making 48.8% from the field. She also produces 2.2 steals (sixth in WNBA) and 2.4 blocked shots (first in league). Jackie Young gets the Aces 19.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. She also puts up 1.2 steals and 0.2 blocked shots. The Aces get 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game from Chelsea Gray. Loyd is posting 10.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest, making 28.6% of her shots from the floor and 40.6% from 3-point range, with 2.6 triples per game (seventh in WNBA). The Aces receive 1.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game from Kiah Stokes. Watch this game on Fubo! (regional restrictions may apply)
New York Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
WNBA power rankings: Seattle Storm's new direction is validated with strong start
After a hectic offseason full of veteran stars moving to new teams, this week delivered the first revenge game for one of those franchise stalwarts: Jewell Loyd played in Seattle as an opponent for the first time. Return games often can be an interesting lens into the different directions a team and a player have taken, and Las Vegas' matchup against the Storm provided that contrast. Advertisement Loyd entered the contest coming off Friday's game-winning 3-pointer against the Washington Mystics and a hot-shooting night against the Connecticut Sun earlier in the week. Despite an acrimonious departure from Seattle that included an investigation into the coaching staff and a trade request, the Storm gave the two-time champion a tribute video (a gesture that curiously was never extended to Breanna Stewart). Storm fans showered Loyd with affection. She hit her first four shots, an echo of her best times in Seattle, but then proceeded to miss her final 11 in the 20-point defeat, validating the Storm's new direction in 2025. Seattle built a big three during the 2024 offseason but failed to supplement that All-Star trio with any meaningful depth. Once stars stopped performing like stars — the case when Loyd dealt with an injury at the end of the 2024 season — there was no backup plan. Rather than backfill Loyd with one All-Star, the Storm added veterans Alysha Clark and Erica Wheeler as well as a full season of Gabby Williams for a deeper rotation, one that clarifies the roles of stars and everyone else. After what looks like an anomalous defeat to Phoenix to start the season, Seattle has the league's second-best net rating behind New York. E-Dub was ELECTRIC last night ⚡️ — Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) May 26, 2025 The Aces, meanwhile, are experiencing the problems of the 2024 Storm. Las Vegas doubled down on its star power in the offseason, believing that healthier seasons for the four best players would offset any losses in the back end of the roster, but the Aces have been less than competitive against the W's best teams to start the season. With only A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young playing at All-Star levels, and a collective defensive malaise, Las Vegas is struggling for answers early. Advertisement As the Aces attempt to course correct, another revenge game looms, with two-time champion Kelsey Plum returning to Las Vegas on Friday as a member of the Los Angeles Sparks. The Aces would hope to welcome Plum as warmly as Seattle did Loyd. Here is this week's power ranking: For all the questions about how Karl Smesko's system would function with two post-up bigs, it almost went under the radar that Allisha Gray is an absolute perfect fit under her new head coach. Whatever inefficiencies existed in Gray's game under the previous administration in Atlanta have been fully excised. Her shot chart is an analytical dream: She is taking 56 percent of her attempts beyond the 3-point arc and 40 percent within 10 feet of the basket. That means she's averaging career-highs in 3-point attempts and free-throw attempts while also stuffing the stat sheet with career-bests in assists, rebounds, blocks and turnovers. Allisha Gray through first 5 games: 19.4 PPG 5.4 RPG 4.8 APG 3.0 3PG Averaging career-highs in all four — Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) May 25, 2025 Gray is doing everything for the Dream. She sets great screens from the guard position, springing shooters. She usually has a sight line above her defender, allowing her to find open teammates in the paint, and she has been elite in transition. She also has to guard the best opposing wing, be it Kelsey Mitchell or Paige Bueckers, or even tracking Jacy Sheldon or Ty Harris through screens. Gray was particularly good against the Dallas Wings, her former team, last week, tying a career-high with 27 points while putting Bueckers through hell. The Dallas rookie couldn't find any room to get to her pull-up, and the offense stalled with her on the court. Meanwhile, Gray had excellent command as a secondary playmaker for Atlanta, posting six assists to zero turnovers. Advertisement While the Dream wait for Rhyne Howard to take the leap to becoming a superstar, Gray might already be there. She's second in the league in win shares behind Napheesa Collier and looks increasingly comfortable in Atlanta's new system. One of the Chicago Sky's stated goals entering the season was to expand Angel Reese's offensive repertoire. The second-year forward had mostly played in the post as a rookie, and the Sky hoped to move her around the court, even having her bring the ball up and initiate from the perimeter. But the early returns have not been promising. Reese finished 0 of 8 from the field with five turnovers against the Liberty on Thursday, and the Sky had 23 giveaways that resulted in 27 points for New York. Desperate for a win against the Sparks, who had lost their last three, Chicago went away from its new identity. The Sky kept Reese and Kamilla Cardoso close to the basket and attempted to bludgeon the opposition in the paint, similar to what the two bigs did as rookies. It resulted in 50 paint points, equaling the total from the first two games against the Fever and the Liberty. But that strategy also made painfully obvious Chicago's spacing challenges. Opponents do not fear Kia Nurse nor Courtney Vandersloot as shooters in the starting lineup, letting them fire from long range and sucking in their defense to contain Reese and Cardoso. Rebecca Allen, the best movement shooter on the roster, is inexplicably coming off the bench; the Sky have also paired Michaela Onyenwere with Elizabeth Williams rather than letting either of the sophomore bigs play at center with a shooting power forward next to them. There might be enough shooting on the roster for Chicago to go back to a two-post look, but it isn't on the court at the same time. If the Sky aren't going to manually space the floor by repositioning Reese, they need more shooters around her and Cardoso, and that isn't yet happening. Although Minnesota is 4-0 to start the season, the Lynx have been tested, in no game more so than against winless Connecticut. The Sun played Minnesota better than just about any team did in 2024, but that shouldn't have translated into 2025 with a different coach and only two returning players. Yet, the Sun were up 15 points Friday with 5:20 to play at the Target Center, poised to capture their first win of the season. Instead, the Lynx reeled off an 18-0 run to steal the victory. The finish was a reminder of Natisha Hiedeman's importance to Minnesota. On a night when Courtney Williams didn't have it (0 of 11 with three turnovers), the Lynx had a backup point guard who could push the pace in transition, resulting in a foul, a score and an assist to a trailing Collier. Advertisement Hiedeman also hit the game-sealing 3, a 28-foot bomb with 1:05 remaining that gave Minnesota its first lead of the game. Teams around the league hemorrhage points when their lead guard sits (think of Caitlin Clark in Indiana or Plum in Los Angeles), but the Lynx have a secondary option who can play next to Williams and replace her if need be. Minnesota locked in on defense in that final stretch as well, showing high on screens and pushing Connecticut farther and farther from the basket. Jessica Shepard has been an excellent addition for the Lynx in this regard, as she has the lateral mobility on the perimeter to play that aggressive style, leaving minimal drop-off from Alanna Smith. Minnesota forced four turnovers during those four minutes, two of which were shot-clock violations. Even if this isn't the way the Lynx want to win every game, they're trying to relish these experiences as they grind through the season in pursuit of another trip to the finals. 'To get to the championship is not one game, it's the journey, and that's the part that's enjoyable,' Williams said before the game. 'I love this. … This is what gets you ready for that moment, this is what builds the chemistry, this is what makes holding up that championship mean more. If we could just skip to the finish line, it wouldn't be worth nothing.' It was common practice to suggest that a young French player could challenge Bueckers for rookie of the year, but the expectation was that it would be Dominique Malonga. Instead, her compatriots on the Golden State Valkyries have gotten a head start in that race. We'll surely come back to Janelle Salaün at a later date, but for now, 21-year-old point guard Carla Leite has been a revelation, especially considering she was left unprotected by Dallas in the expansion draft. She's incredibly hard to keep out of the paint and too versatile to defend once she gets there. Leite is comfortable with the little runner or putting her head down to get all the way to the rim, especially in transition. She always has her head up for kickouts to the 3-point line or dump-offs to a rolling big. As a WNBA rookie, she's also held up on tough defensive assignments, even giving Plum real difficulty in Golden State's win in Los Angeles. If you're a fan of Georgia Amoore and awaiting her return, Leite bears a shocking resemblance: her boundless enthusiasm (she celebrates everything), her penchant for getting up 3s and the way her ponytail bounces as she runs. Leite has palpable joy on the court, and she has earned it with her play during her WNBA debut. Seattle (3-1) at Minnesota (4-0), 8 p.m. (ET) Tuesday Two of the league's hottest teams — plus an Unrivaled Lunar Owls reunion for Skylar Diggins, Collier and Courtney Williams. This was a matchup that gave Seattle particular difficulty in 2024, while beating the Storm twice to start that season clarified the Lynx's championship aspirations. Minnesota is still a clear contender, and Seattle hopes to be one. This is a good opportunity for the Storm to get on that level. (Photo of Skylar Diggins: Ryan Sirius Sun / Getty Images)
Associated Press
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Ogwumike scores 23, Wheeler adds season-high 21 and Storm beat Aces 102-82
SEATTLE (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike scored 23 points, Erica Wheeler added season highs of 21 points and seven assists, and Seattle beat the Las Vegas Aces 102-82 on Sunday for the Storm's third straight win. Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor scored 12 points apiece for Seattle (3-1). Skylar Diggins added 10 points and eight assists. The Storm made 11 of their first 14 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and scored 34 first-quarter points — the second-highest scoring quarter in the WNBA this season — with 12 assists on 13 baskets. Ogwumike scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and added four rebounds and four assists as Seattle took a 14-point lead. The Storm shot 60% (42 of 70) from the field, made 8 of 16 from 3-point range and finished with 32 assists — third most in franchise history. A'ja Wilson led the Aces (2-2) with 15 points. Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young scored 14 apiece and rookie Elizabeth Kitley — who entered game with two points this season — added 11 points. Ogwumike made a layup with about three minutes left in the first half to move past Candace Parker (6,574) into ninth on the WNBA's career scoring list. Ogwumike has 6,584 points and needs 220 to pass Storm legend Sue Bird (6,803) for eighth. Ogwumike made 10 of 15 from the field and finished with eight rebounds and six assists. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA draft has 3,000 rebounds and needs 14 to pass Taj McWilliams-Franklin for 10th. Up next The Aces play at the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. The Storm play at Minnesota on Tuesday. ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ogwumike scores 23, Wheeler adds season-high 21 and Storm beat Aces 102-82
SEATTLE (AP) — Nneka Ogwumike scored 23 points, Erica Wheeler added season highs of 21 points and seven assists, and Seattle beat the Las Vegas Aces 102-82 on Sunday for the Storm's third straight win. Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor scored 12 points apiece for Seattle (3-1). Skylar Diggins added 10 points and eight assists. Advertisement The Storm made 11 of their first 14 shots, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and scored 34 first-quarter points — the second-highest scoring quarter in the WNBA this season — with 12 assists on 13 baskets. Ogwumike scored 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and added four rebounds and four assists as Seattle took a 14-point lead. The Storm shot 60% (42 of 70) from the field, made 8 of 16 from 3-point range and finished with 32 assists — third most in franchise history. A'ja Wilson led the Aces (2-2) with 15 points. Jewell Loyd and Jackie Young scored 14 apiece and rookie Elizabeth Kitley — who entered game with two points this season — added 11 points. Ogwumike made a layup with about three minutes left in the first half to move past Candace Parker (6,574) into ninth on the WNBA's career scoring list. Ogwumike has 6,584 points and needs 220 to pass Storm legend Sue Bird (6,803) for eighth. Advertisement Ogwumike made 10 of 15 from the field and finished with eight rebounds and six assists. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA draft has 3,000 rebounds and needs 14 to pass Taj McWilliams-Franklin for 10th. Up next The Aces play at the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday. The Storm play at Minnesota on Tuesday. ___ AP WNBA:
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Can Caitlin Clark And Stakeholder Capitalism Fuel A Nike Turnaround?
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 1: Caitlin Clark #22 and Erica Wheeler #17 of the Indiana Fever pose for ... More photographers during media day activities at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 1, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. N (Photo by) Nike shares dropped about 15% during the first quarter of 2025, which left them down 64% from their all-time high of November 2021. The company's market value has now fallen to about $96 billion from a peak of $281 billion. It's a stunning, sustained decline for an iconic company with one of the world's most admired brands. Massimo Giunco, the company's former senior brand director, described the crisis last summer as 'An Epic Saga of Value Destruction' — and it's gotten worse since then. What caused Nike's declining sales, profits, and market value? The emerging consensus is that former CEO John Donahoe, who held the job from January 2020 to October 2024, blundered by expanding direct-to-consumer e-commerce at the expense of traditional retail. He also canceled Nike's distinctive organization around types of sports (running, football, basketball, etc.) to reorganize around 'a new, simpler consumer construct of Men's, Women's and Kids', like countless other apparel brands. And he seemed to prize efficiency and cost-cutting over innovation. The shift toward e-commerce paid off during the Covid pandemic, when millions of customers shifted to shopping exclusively online. But within a couple of years, many wanted to shop in-person again, only to find less — and less innovative — Nike merchandise in stores. Critics have also noted that an overdose of online marketing, designed to boost short-term sales, became annoying to previously loyal Nike customers. I don't disagree with this analysis, but I find it more useful to look at Nike through the lens of multi-stakeholder capitalism. In my previous columns, we've seen a wide range of companies, including Home Depot, Delta, PG&E and JPMorgan Chase, prove that sincere attention to the well-being of customers, employees, and communities produces excellent long-term financial results. In contrast, companies that retain the narrow mindset of shareholder primacy, which became popular in the 1980s and held on for decades, tend to underperform. We now have objective research to support this truth, thanks to organizations such as JUST Capital, where I serve on the board. I believe that since its earliest days under founder Phil Knight, Nike intuitively practiced multi-stakeholder capitalism, without using that term. We can reframe Nike's struggles — and its current attempted turnaround under a new CEO, Elliott Hill — in terms of the company's unique combination of stakeholders. This isn't really the story of a crash and recovery; it's the story of a company that drifted away from the priorities that first made it great and is now trying to return to those core priorities. Nike CEO, Elliot Hill, announces that the NFL and Nike will extend their partnership with a 10-year ... More deal, with a focus on growing football globally, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, in Irving, Texas. (Nitashia Johnson/AP Content Services for the NFL) Customers have always seen Nike as more than a maker of footwear and clothing — it also provides inspiration and celebration of the joy of sports and exercise. Co-founder Bill Bowerman famously said: 'If you have a body, you are an athlete.' That mission statement signaled a commitment to all customers, from elite professional athletes to regular folks trying to have fun in their off hours. In my case, I was convinced that running and exercise had a salutary and long-term impact on health and well-being. That said, I am nowhere near as fast as 'the athlete class,' nor can I compete with serious lifters pumping iron. But then, Nike came out with that magical claim supporting the 90% of us exercisers who buy Nike products. 'Just Do it,' claimed Nike. It was a brilliant, supportive claim that hit home; indeed, for me and the vast majority of the less-than-legendary athletes, we were honored and respected. That very claim pumped me up, and I often think about it while hitting the pavement on a winter morning for my now 'religious' run. Nike really understood us. They gave us customers both motivation and dignity. That kind of emotional bond is harder to measure than online clicks, but it's a priceless asset that any company should nurture and protect. Star endorsers have helped drive that customer connection for decades, which is why Nike worked so hard to sign up Michael Jordan and built an entire product line around him — as you can see dramatized in the entertaining movie Air. No matter what sport you loved, Nike used to have the world's best athletes in that sport promoting its gear. But in recent years, replenishing its stable of icons became less of a priority. Older stars like Tiger Woods aged past their prime but weren't supplemented by enough younger stars. Generations Z and Alpha aren't inspired by the same icons who motivated their elders twenty or thirty years ago. Nike is now restocking its roster of endorsers — for example with a recent eight-year, $28 million deal with WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark. It needs to give Clark and others like her non-financial incentives — a trustworthy promise that they will be treated as partners and given innovative products to promote. Otherwise those stars might as well sell their endorsements to the highest bidder, rather than align with a brand they sincerely love. Celebrity stakeholders can never be short-changed for the sake of efficiency or cost cutting. Sports leagues, like star endorsers, are unique stakeholders for this kind of business. Since 2012 Nike has been the NFL's exclusive provider of uniforms and other apparel for all 32 teams — an extremely beneficial relationship for both. But that relationship was fraying under Donahoe; Hill told an interviewer that his first call after becoming CEO was to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. In December 2024, Nike and the NFL announced 'a landmark 10-year partnership extension, cementing their commitment to shaping the future of football and driving growth, innovation and progress across the sport.' Similarly, Hill is trying to repair Nike's relationship with Major League Baseball, for which it has a long-term contract to provide all uniforms through 2029. When Nike unveiled a new uniform design during spring training of 2024, it promoted the lighter, thinner uniforms as 'an advancement in fit and moisture wicking.' But they drew immediate criticism from both players and fans. As Sportico reported: 'Athletes complained about fit, the customization options, and their see-through nature; fans complained about the size of the logos and the lettering, and the fact that the patches were now screen-printed. The controversy, a rare design miss for Nike, took on new life as the sportswear giant refused to address the issue.' Supply chain partners such as manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers have always been key stakeholders, and Nike spent decades nurturing those relationships. Before e-commerce, it wouldn't matter how good their gear was if it wasn't prominently displayed by shoe, clothing, and sporting goods stores. Even now, most people still want to see and touch athletic equipment and try on shoes before buying. So alienating retailers was truly foolish, and trying to keep more revenue by cutting out middlemen was unsustainable. It's so easy to damage essential relationships, even those that are decades old. The new CEO has been working to repair that damage. Last but far from least, employees also felt alienated under Donahoe. A declining focus on innovation seemed to betray a core Nike principle of creative product development. The company had previously invested in talented employees with the skills to design cutting-edge and exciting athletic gear. But suddenly, many saw the new focus on cost saving as a breach of faith and trust. In this kind of business, you need fully engaged employees to come up with great new products. Who wants to work for a place that seems to care more about penny-pinching than pursuing greatness? Nurturing all of these critical relationships isn't rocket science; it mostly requires daily attention to details and a mindset of respect and consideration. Some leaders, like Phil Knight, had a natural talent for taking care of all stakeholders. Other leaders need more explicit education in the principles and practices of multi-stakeholder capitalism. Put another way, some leaders can instinctively find their way through a forest of conflicting pressures, while others need a map and compass. But there's no shame in using a map and compass! It appears that Elliott Hill is now doing all the right things: supporting innovation, signing up new stars, insisting on better product quality, and restoring Nike's traditional organization of product lines around individual sports. Equally important, the company is rebuilding all those damaged relationships with channel partners, employees, and others. Hill seems to grasp that recommitting to critical stakeholders can't just be lip service — it also requires meaningful, consistent actions, every single day. If Nike maintains this path, I believe the results will surely be renewed customer loyalty and enthusiasm, followed by renewed profits and rebounding shareholder value. I expect Nike to serve as more proof that whether a company thrives or blows itself up depends to a great extent on keeping all of those key stakeholders happy.
