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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
"That would say she's statistically better"- Patrick Beverley argues that Paige Bueckers is better than Caitlin Clark
"That would say she's statistically better"- Patrick Beverley argues that Paige Bueckers is better than Caitlin Clark originally appeared on Basketball Network. Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark's popularity has transcended the WNBA realm. Clark is credited with elevating the women's game to new heights. Now she has become a popular discussion subject even in NBA-related podcasts. Last week, it was Jeff Teague who took a shot at CC by saying that the Fever are better off without her than with. Now it's former NBA player Patrick Beverley who is trying to argue that Paige Bueckers is better than Caitlin. "Ain't nobody doing this Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark debate. She's nice. Paige is nice. Who's better?" Beverley said. "Caitlin Clark was also Rookie of the Year, correct? So if Paige Bueckers was fastest to reach these milestones, that would say that she was statistically better than Caitlin Clark, correct?" Bueckers breaking rookie records Paige was the 2021 Naismith Player of the Year at UConn, while Caitlin won the same trophy in 2023 and 2024. Bueckers was the No.1 overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Wings, just like Clark was the Fever's top overall pick last season. CC went on to win Rookie of the Year honors while setting several records in the process. Paige is just 24 games into her rookie season, and not only is she favored to win the Rookie of the Year award, but she is also breaking rookie records left and right. Last month, Bueckers tied Clark's record of 300 points and 100 assists in her first 19 games. But she took it to the next level when she became the first player in WNBA history to stack up 350 points and 100 assists in her first 20 games played. Just recently, Paige also became the fastest player since 1997 to get 400 points and 100 Paige's pace, Caitlin will still end up with the better rookie season Currently, Paige is averaging 18.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.8 steals per game with shooting splits of .457/.333/.861 for the 8-22 Wings. For comparison's sake, Clark put up 19.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game with shooting splits of .417/.344/.906 during her freshman year. More importantly, Caitlin helped end Indiana's seven-season playoff drought by leading them to a 20-20 regular season record. After Paige put up 21 points and eight rebounds last Tuesday night in another losing effort against the New York Liberty, 76-85, Beverley tweeted after the Wings' latest loss, "Y'all not ready to have that Paige Bueckers argument yet, huh? Say less." The main reason people may not be ready to make the argument just yet is that, while Paige is on track to break records, it's still unclear whether she can surpass Caitlin's overall rookie numbers, which carry more weight than simply being the "first to" reach certain milestones. Perhaps Beverley was looking at this season's stats because if that's the case, Bueckers is undoubtedly playing better than Clark. But overall, including the ability to lead the team to the playoffs, it's evident that Caitlin is better, at least for story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
LiAngelo Ball Files For Divorce From His Wife Rashide Nicole Just One Week After Pregnancy Announcement
LiAngelo Ball Files For Divorce From His Wife Rashide Nicole Just One Week After Pregnancy Announcement originally appeared on Fadeaway World. In a stunning and unexpected development, former NBA player-turned-rapper LiAngelo Ball has filed for divorce from his wife, Rashida Nicole, just one week after she publicly announced she was pregnant with their first child together. The news broke on July 10, with court documents obtained by TMZ revealing that Ball filed for divorce on July 3, citing 'irreconcilable differences.' The couple, who had only recently tied the knot on March 24, reportedly separated on June 15. What makes the timing so jarring is that Nicole's pregnancy announcement, shared on Instagram on June 26, gave the impression that the couple was entering a joyful new chapter together. She also thanked her daughter from a previous relationship for offering comfort during the emotional early stages of the pregnancy. LiAngelo even appeared to support the announcement, liking the post and commenting with a heart emoji and a lock-and-key symbol, making the public believe the couple was in a stable place. But behind the scenes, things had already unraveled. According to the documents, the couple had been separated for nearly two weeks before Nicole's announcement went live. Ball, who now performs as rapper 'Gelo,' has requested joint legal and physical custody of their unborn child and asked that the court deny spousal support to both parties. Neither he nor Nicole has released an official statement addressing the divorce. This isn't the first time LiAngelo Ball has found himself at the center of personal turmoil. Earlier this year, his former partner, Nikki Mudarris, mother of his two other children, publicly accused him of walking out on their family. In a since-deleted Instagram post, Mudarris claimed Ball ended their 3.5-year relationship after revealing he was expecting a child with someone else, presumably Nicole. Adding to the confusion, just weeks before the divorce filing, Ball and Nicole attended the 2025 BET Awards together in Los Angeles, walking the red carpet arm-in-arm alongside his brother Lonzo Ball. Everything appeared normal, if not celebratory. Now, fans are left reeling from the abrupt and public unraveling of yet another Ball family relationship. Despite the chaos in his personal life, Ball has continued building momentum as a music artist. His single 'Tweaker' became a breakout hit, landing him a multi-million dollar record deal with Def Jam and Universal Music Group earlier this year. That deal reportedly includes ownership of his Born2Ball Music Group label and could rise to $13 million based on performance. This marks the second high-profile NBA-related divorce in just a matter of days. Dwight Howard's wife recently filed for divorce as well, ending their marriage just six months after tying the knot. Both stories have fueled a whirlwind of commentary surrounding NBA stars, their personal relationships, and the drama that seems to follow them long after they leave the story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
Straits Times
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
S. Korea's Yongsan clinch NBA Rising Stars Invitational boys' title; Kyoto Seika win girls' crown
SINGAPORE – Heading into the final of the NBA Rising Stars Invitational at the Kallang Tennis Hub on June 29, Yongsan High School had not expected to beat their taller Chinese opponents Tsinghua University High School. But the South Korean side devised a strategy to overcome the height disadvantage and won 97-48 in front of the 1,100-capacity crowd to take home the title. Through an interpreter, tournament Most Valuable Player, 1.94m power forward Kim Min-gi said of their win: 'I'm incredibly happy, this is going to be a memory that's just going to be unforgettable for the rest of my life. 'The night before, we had a look at the Chinese team, and saw that they were really tall. So we built a game plan based off that to make sure that we were going to tackle them well during the game. 'And also the most important thing was to have that fight, because we had nothing to lose.' Yongsan had beaten Thailand's Assumption College Thonburi 84-28 and the Philippines' National University Nazareth School 84-79 in the round-robin group stage, before overcoming Japan's Fukuoka University Ohori Senior High School 75-65 in the semi-finals. Despite their height disadvantage in the final – Tsinghua's players had looked about half a head taller than Yongsan's – the South Korean side flew out of the blocks and finished the first quarter 30-14. Making use of their agility and precise shooting, Yongsan scored 12 three-pointers out of 21 attempts by half-time. The Chinese had looked sluggish and were not able to capture rebounds, allowing easy turnovers for their opponents. A change of tactics in the third (16-9) and fourth (19-15) periods saw Yongsan collect fewer points but they managed to see the game out 97-48. Kim, 17, who scored a match-high 25 points, added: 'This means a lot to me personally, and I've never expected something like this, and this was for sure to be great groundwork to my career in the future. 'We don't have a lot of NBA-related tournaments in Asia, and to win the MVP on top of that, I've nothing but good things to say about this tournament.' Yongsan coach Lee Sae-bum said: 'I thought it was important that this was going to be a great platform for the kids to strive for a challenge, to really go for those victories and learn a lot.' Kyoto Seika Gakuen High School's Ngalula Liya Mukuna scored a match high 30 points to help her team win the inaugural title. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY In the girls' final, Japan's Kyoto Seika Gakuen Senior High School thrashed South Korea's Onyang Girls' High School 109-40. Their dominance was prevalent throughout as Congolese centre Ngalula Liya Mukuna scored a match-high 30 points and captured 27 rebounds. She said via an interpreter: 'Early on, we were nervous as a team, but also we have strong hearts. 'We grew in confidence as the game wore on and for us, it's always about rebounding and hustling the loose ball. 'I want to keep improving, especially on my drives and shooting free throws, so I will keep working hard.' Her coach Tsunayoshi Yamamoto added: 'It was very humbling and this is actually our first time as Kyoto Seika basketball team to play outside of Japan and be involved in this kind of tournament. 'Looking at the other teams, especially Korea, China, Australia. They're tall and physical, so we weren't confident at all early on, but one game at a time, one win at a time, we raised our confidence.' The NBA Rising Stars Invitational is the league's first regional high school tournament, with the inaugural edition featuring 12 Under-18 teams in each gender category from 11 countries across Asia-Pacific. Singapore was represented by Anglo-Chinese Junior College and United World College Dover in the boys' category, but both did not make it out of the group stage. Hwa Chong Institution's girls had beaten Malaysia's Hin Hua High School 69-63 in their opening game but also did not advance to the knockout rounds. Melvyn Teoh is a sports journalist at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hindustan Times
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
NYT Connections hints June 22: Puzzle features basketball themes ahead of NBA finals Game 7
The June 22 edition of Connections: Sports Edition surprised players with a set of abbreviated clues. As reported by CNET, puzzle number 272 avoided full words altogether. Instead, it featured a list of letters and numbers referring to something linked to the NBA. The format caught many off guard. It was published just ahead of the Game 7 of the NBA finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder. The June 22 Connections: Sports Edition featured a basketball-themed puzzle with abbreviated clues linked to the NBA. The puzzle is part of the sports-specific version of Connections. It became a regular feature on February 9, the day of Super Bowl Sunday, following its official launch. Since then, it has continued to appear on The Athletic app, which is owned by The New York Times. Even though it sits behind a paywall on the app, the puzzle remains freely available online for those who want to try it daily. Also read: Draymond Green makes shocking prediction ahead of OKC vs Pacers NBA Finals Game 7 Hints directed players through basketball terms and groupings The standard four color-coded groups were included: yellow, green, blue, and purple. This structure remains the same in each puzzle. However, this edition focused strictly on basketball. Each group followed a specific theme, and hints were provided to guide players through the process: Yellow group hint: Where you play on the court Green group hint: Look for the score Blue group hint: Statistics Purple group hint: Not full names Those who regularly follow basketball were likely to find these groupings easier. For others, especially casual fans, it required careful thought and prior knowledge of NBA-related terminology. Group answers revealed for June 22 puzzle All 16 clues followed the basketball theme. Each item fell under one of the four groups. The correct breakdown is: Yellow group (positions): C, PF, PG, SF Green group (team codes): IND, LAC, MEM, OKC Blue group (stats): 3P, FG, FT, STL Purple group (player nicknames): CP3, KD, LBJ, SGA Several solvers noted that the format was tougher than usual. Without a solid grasp of basketball, abbreviations such as 'SGA' or '3P' were not easy to place. Still, CNET reported that fans appreciated the clever use of short forms and said it was one of the more challenging puzzles in recent weeks. FAQs What is the theme of today's Connections: Sports Edition? The entire puzzle was basketball-themed, featuring abbreviations tied to NBA terms. Where can you play Connections: Sports Edition? The puzzle is available for free online and also in The Athletic app. What do the colors in the puzzle represent? Each color - yellow, green, blue, purple - indicates a separate group, ranked by difficulty. Are the clues always related to sports? Yes, in this version of the game, all clues follow sports-related themes.
USA Today
15-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NBA Finals TV ratings don't reflect complete picture of fan reach
INDIANAPOLIS — The NBA Finals TV ratings discussion is a classic struggle between the optimist and the pessimist. One headline: "NBA Finals have been most-watched programs since first week of May.' Another headline: 'NBA Finals ratings down 24%.' Two things can be true in this season's Finals between 'small-market' Indiana and Oklahoma City. Yes, ratings are down from last season's Finals between Boston and Dallas, and yes, the Thunder-Pacers Finals have brought in millions of viewers, including a peak of 11.54 million at 11 p.m. ET of Game 3 on Wednesday, June 11. Of the top 10 TV shows June 2-8, four were NBA-related for ABC: Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, postgame coverage of Game 2, and the Game 1 pregame show. Those four totaled 25.6 million viewers, including 8.9 million for Game 1 and 8.7 million for Game 2, according to Nielsen. The topic of NBA TV ratings is shaped by the teams playing; the lack of household names driving the competition even though OKC's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is this season's MVP and Tyrese Haliburton is a two-time All-Star, 2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist and cold-blooded, game-winning shooter; a new era in which different teams are playing the Finals each season; and stars not named LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant getting to the Finals. The league and its TV partners need to navigate those issues, and they are focused on attracting more viewers, especially casual sports fans. But, if you were to ask the league and Disney/ABC/ESPN if they are unhappy with the numbers, their answer is no. Would they like more viewers? Of course. However, winning the night and winning with key demographics is exactly what they and corporate/partners advertisers want. In today's world of viewing consumption – streaming, multiple devices, YouTube highlights – nuance is required. Nielsen numbers are important but no longer the only factor. 'Ratings have changed from what they used to be,' NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said before Game 1 of the Finals. 'Netflix is the most valuable pure play media company out there. Nobody in this room knows what their ratings are. We don't even think in terms of ratings. We think maybe in terms of popularity, buzz around a program. We're going through a transition, and we're going to work through that.' Silver and his business operations staff have given considerable thought to the topic. Don't fret too much for the league. The NBA's nine-year, $24 billion TV deal expires after the Finals, and the new 11-year, $76 billion pact with ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon starts next season. That's almost triple the previous deal. Before that deal was secured, there was skepticism that the NBA could net a deal that averaged $7 billion annually. But Silver got it done. That amount does not include the league's media deals with international broadcast partners. For the TV partners, the amount they agreed to pay the NBA was not arbitrarily snagged from the ether. High-paid executives analyzed the data and the financials and settled on a figure that allows their network to make money. There is extreme value in the NBA, and that's also reflected in the value of franchises. The Boston Celtics are expected to sell for at least a valuation of $6.1 billion, and if the NBA decides to expand, those expansion teams will go for at least $6 billion. Live sports on TV remain desirable to traditional and modern means of consumption. The NBA's YouTube channel has more than 20 million followers, its X account has 48 million followers, its Instagram account has 90.8 million followers and its Facebook account has 50 million followers. In February, Disney CEO and chairman Bob Iger said, 'We obviously believe in the NBA long term. We think it's a growth sport. We don't really look at ratings year-to-year that carefully. … We're not distracted in any sense by what's happening ratings-wise this season. We're happy to have this now for 11 more years, including the Finals in 10 of those years. It is and will continue to be a marquee part of ESPN's offering.' Also in February, this time at All-Star Weekend in San Francisco, Silver addressed the topic with a five-minute answer when asked by USA TODAY Sports how the NBA views TV ratings and what is considered success. It's clearly a topic that is front of mind for Silver. 'I like the challenge, frankly, because I think for the league, and together with our partners, we have to up our game at the same time,' Silver said. 'There's a lot more competition for attention than there used to be. Just think of all of your habits in the room for people who grew up watching more traditional television. … 'I don't think that kind of engagement through social media is necessarily a substitute for watching live games because that comes up all the time. Some suggesting, 'Well, isn't that bad you're training the next generation of fans who might never watch live games but only watching highlights?' I actually think it's additive. We have a much better chance of moving young fans, in particular, to live games if they become engaged with various forms of our content, whether it's things that our players are doing off the floor, music they love, fashion or highlights.' TV ratings for the NBA's 2024-25 season were down 2% which mirrors the NFL's 2.2% decline for its 2024 season. Through the NBA's conference finals, playoff ratings were up 3%, and viewership for Games 1 and 2 was 50% higher than the next three highest-rated shows ('The Tony Awards,' '60 Minutes,' 'America's Got Talent') for the week of June 2-8. Thunder-Pacers has turned into a compelling series of talented, well-coached teams whose offensive and defensive efforts make every possession matter. This Finals is going at least six games, and any Finals series that goes more than five games is a financial success for the league's TV partners. Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media@JeffZillgitt
