Latest news with #Unrivaled
CBS News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Lynx star Napheesa Collier named West's best player in season's 1st week
The Minnesota Lynx have yet to lose a game this season, thanks in large part to the play of superstar Napheesa Collier. For her efforts, Collier has earned the WNBA's Western Conference Player of the Week title. The award only covers the Lynx's first four games, during which she averaged 29.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Her five-game totals put Collier atop the WNBA in points per game (26.8) and player efficiency rating (33.4), second in offensive win shares (1.1), 10th in rebounds per game (7.8), fourth in steals per game (2.4) and fifth in blocks per game (1.4). The season is still nascent, but Collier is playing at an MVP level. Last season, Collier made the All-WNBA First Team and was named Defensive Player of the Year amid the Lynx's surprising but ultimately unavailing run to the WNBA Finals. She also won a gold medal with Team USA at the Summer Olympics. Since then, she's had a productive offseason. She was named the MVP of Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league she co-founded, and TIME magazine listed her among its 100 Most Influential People.
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Courtney Vandersloot talks 'challenging' end to Liberty tenure
CHICAGO — Courtney Vandersloot already expected Thursday's Sky home opener was going to be an emotional night regardless of the opponent. It marks her first game in the home locker room at Wintrust Arena in two years, and her newborn daughter will be watching her from the crowd. But it will also be the first time she'll see many of her former Liberty teammates — aside from those who participated in Unrivaled — and the coaching staff since they celebrated the title together in October. Vandersloot has fond memories of her two seasons in New York, where she earned her fifth All-Star selection in 2023 and helped the Liberty to back-to-back WNBA Finals berths.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Napheesa Collier Did Not Hold Back When Asked to Name Her All-Time UConn Huskies Starting 5
The Minnesota Lynx's Napheesa Collier has become one of the most popular and celebrated athletes in women's basketball as a United States Olympic gold medal winner and founder of the new Unrivaled league. Collier's 2025 WNBA season is off to a scintillating start as she has averaged 28.5 points per game for the undefeated 3-0 Lynx. Advertisement This week, Collier was asked about several topics concerning her 2025 season aspirations and goals, and was also asked to give her all-time starting five for her alma mater, the Connecticut Huskies, a question to which she did not hesitate to give an answer. Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx during warm-ups. © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images Collier was asked to give her all-time starting five by Mark Medina of Sportskeeda and had a surprising first response followed by a pivot. "My all-time actual team would be the 2016 championship," Collier said of the Huskies, whose entire starting five went to the WNBA. "It was a great lineup. "But if I had to pick five, I would pick Diana (Taurasi), Sue (Bird), Maya (Moore), you have to put me on there and Breanna Stewart, out Unrivaled co-founder," Collier said. Advertisement Stewart led her New York Liberty to the 2024 WNBA Championship during what was a banner year for the league with Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark making their WNBA debuts. Collier believes the Lynx have what it takes to win the league title this season. "I think our chemistry was our No. 1 thing last year," she said. "That was something that we hit on right away. The fact that we have almost our whole team back is amazing. "Then we added some really great pieces like Karlie (Samuelson). So I hope we can build and get it done this year. I think we have all the tools. "We just have to go out there and execute." Advertisement Related: Paige Bueckers Makes WNBA History Against Minnesota Lynx Napheesa Collier Did Not Hold Back When Asked to Name Her All-Time UConn Huskies Starting 5 first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Would Caitlin Clark play in Unrivaled? What she told us
Caitlin Clark is in her second season in the WNBA after a successful rookie campaign. (Zach Barron / NBAE via Getty Images) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark just began her second season in the WNBA, which is the major focal point in her life right now. Speaking with in partnership with State Farm for a new series of ads, the former University of Iowa basketball star shared her anticipation in finally kicking off the regular season, saying that 'more than anything, I'm just really excited to get out there.' Advertisement 'It's been weird. I've had a long offseason, so it's gone fast,' Clark says. 'I'm itching to play, so just really excited to get out there with my teammates and get the season underway.' During the WNBA offseason this past year, Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 professional basketball league, featured some of the W's strongest players. Clark notably did not join a team. When asked if she anticipates joining Unrivaled for its second season, Clark says she's 'not really focused on that right now.' 'I thought they had a tremendous first season,' she says of the league. 'It was fun to watch, and obviously, a lot of my teammates now were down there playing and had great experiences. Advertisement 'But, yeah, not really focused on that — focusing on hopefully helping this team win a championship,' she continues. So what did Clark do during her offseason, if she didn't play in Unrivaled? 'I was in the gym a lot — don't think people would be surprised about that,' Clark says. Laughing, she adds her life was 'kind of boring' and included chilling out with her family and watching 'a lot of basketball.' 'I love watching sports, so (I) watched a lot of basketball: college, men's, women's, professional men's basketball, you know, just about anything,' Clark says. 'So just living a normal life like everybody else.' Clark and the Fever opened their 2025 WNBA regular season with a win over the Chicago Sky on May 17. (Gregory Shamus / Getty Images) Clark predicts a 'great' season from the Fever this year based on 'the amount of talent' on the roster and how the franchise strategically compiled it. Advertisement "We have a lot of good floor spacers with a lot of really good shooters," she explains. "But also, I think the most important thing we added was just experience. You look at our roster and we have multiple two-time, three-time WNBA champions on our team. And I think that's kind of what we were lacking last season, especially when we hit the playoffs." Specifically referencing teammates Damiris Dantas, Natasha Howard and Sydney Colson, Clark says "their voices in the locker room" could help carry the Fever into a competitive playoff season. During the preseason, Clark sat out the May 3 game against the Washington Mystics with a quad injury. But Clark tells it was 'just a minor injury,' adding that she feels "really good." Clark says her sitting out of the game was 'precautionary more than anything.' Advertisement Clark had a homecoming at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena the next day, when the Fever played Brazil's national team. Despite the injury, Clark says she was "glad I could still get out there and run around for, like, 19 minutes at Iowa. I wouldn't have missed it." "I was going to do everything I can to have been on the court for all those fans, because they've given a lot to me," she adds. Not only did the Fever beat Brazil, Clark had a historic moment in front of a sold-out Iowa City crowd of 14,998. In her final 3-pointer of the game, Clark made a shot from behind the court's logo reading "22," honoring her NCAA women's scoring record. "It was really fun for myself getting to go back there," Clark says of the game. "I really haven't been back much since I left last May, after I was drafted." Advertisement 'A lot of those fans wouldn't be able to see a WNBA game, so it was really cool to bring that to them,' she continues, adding that Iowa fans have 'always loved' women's basketball, 'even before I showed up on campus.' Aside from helping to lead the Fever into the new WNBA season, Clark is teaming up with State Farm because of the company's 'investment in women's sports,' she tells She's being featured in new ads showcasing 'real-life assists' as part of State Farm's 'With the Assist' platform. In a new 30-second spot, Clark watches herself make a shot from the logo on the court and dreams up scenarios of accomplishing everyday tasks 'from the logo.' In each situation — from opening a pickle jar to finding a matching pair of socks — she finds success from the State Farm logo. That's when one person who had Clark 'starstruck' enters: Jake from State Farm. Advertisement 'Working with Jake has been incredible. I mean, he's the same guy you see on TV. Like, he's funny, he's charming, he's just a really good dude. I feel like we've been able to build some good chemistry over the courses of our few commercials together.' Clark continues, 'You're kind of starstruck when you meet Jake from State Farm. Like, that's a really big deal.' This article was originally published on
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former WNBA Champion Whom Angel Reese Tried to Recruit Receives Disappointing Update
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese had an incredible rookie season in the WNBA. She averaged 13.6 points and a league record 13.1 rebounds per contest en route to All-Star and All-Rookie honors. The Sky still missed the playoffs last season, however, and the team needed to add some firepower to the lineup. Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper was an obvious choice, as she scored 21.1 points per game last year and teamed up with Reese during Unrivaled. Advertisement Copper also played for Chicago before and was a key cog on the franchise's 2021 WNBA championship team. Reese reportedly tried to openly recruit Copper to rejoin the Sky this offseason. Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper (2).Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK The Sky already got off to a rough start in the 2025 WNBA season, dropping a brutal 93 to 58 game on the road to the Indiana Fever on opening day. Reese contributed a 12-point, 17-rebound double-double, but she needed help on the court. Unfortunately, Copper received a disappointing update on Saturday. After initially reporting that she had a knee injury of unknown severity, the Mercury confirmed that she had knee surgery and will miss over a month of the WNBA season. This is devastating news for Copper, as she is coming off of the best season of her career. However, it is also bad news for the Sky, as she was a potential trade candidate during the year if Chicago needed a jolt and Phoenix was looking to be a seller at the deadline. Advertisement Now, it will be on head coach Tyler Marsh to figure out a way to maximize the players he already has in the building. Perhaps starting Hailey Van Lith or factoring Kamilla Cardoso into the offense more would be a good move. Regardless, the Chicago Sky have plenty to work through before their next game. They'll take on the New York Liberty on Thursday, May 22. Related: Angel Reese's Sky Teammate Sends Strong Statement After Caitlin Clark Drama Related: Angel Reese Had Words for Caitlin Clark Foul After Sky's Loss to Fever
