Latest news with #WesternConferencePlayeroftheMonth
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brittney Griner Reacts to Major Atlanta Dream News on Wednesday
Brittney Griner Reacts to Major Atlanta Dream News on Wednesday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Brittney Griner is currently playing in her first season with the Atlanta Dream. Griner signed with the Dream during the offseason, after making a name for herself as one of the most dominant players in the WNBA with the Phoenix Mercury. Advertisement While she dealt with a minor knee injury, Griner has made her mark with the Dream early in her tenure. Griner also has been a witness to one of the top players in the WNBA, Atlanta teammate Allisha Gray. On Wednesday, the WNBA announced Gray as the Eastern Conference Player of the Month. Upon the release of the announcement, Griner reposted the news on social media, showing support for her teammate. The Western Conference Player of the Month was Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier. Brittney Griner, Instagram Brittney Griner, Instagram Throughout the season with the Atlanta Dream, Allisha Gray has posted 21.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Advertisement Gray has helped lead the Dream to a 5-2 record, ranked as the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference standings and No. 3 overall behind the undefeated Lynx and New York Liberty. Atlanta Dream center Brittney Lee-Imagn Images Brittney Griner, a 10-time WNBA All-Star who won the 2014 league championship with the Mercury, has averaged 12.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game in five contests this season. Griner and the Dream will be back in action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET. They're riding a four-game win streak, having defeated the Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Connecticut Sun and Dallas Wings. Atlanta's last loss came on May 22 against the Indiana Fever. Advertisement Related: Indiana Fever Star Gets Technical Foul Against Mystics Related: WNBA Turns Heads With Kelsey Mitchell Announcement This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Napheesa Collier Continues to Star for Minnesota Lynx
Napheesa Collier Continues to Star for Minnesota Lynx originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As the Minnesota Lynx have been perfect so far this season, a big reason for their success is forward Napheesa Collier. She's been stuffing the stat sheet with impressive numbers as the Lynx are 8-0 in the 2025 WNBA season. Advertisement Collier averaged 26.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists throughout the team's 7-0 marcg through May. It's the best start for Minnesota since 2017. For her efforts, Collier was named the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month, the Lynx announced on Wednesday on their website. Here's what Collier did against the Seattle Storm back on May 27. She scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out five assists and had five steals. Minnesota dropped Seattle 82-77. Collier also became the 11th player in WNBA history and first Lynx player to put together statistics that had 15+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ steals in a game. Napheesa Collier joins elite Lynx company Here's another stat to check out. Collier led the Lynx in scoring in their first four games this season. That means she joins Maya Moore as the only players in franchise history to start the season with four consecutive 20+ point games. Advertisement It's no wonder Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve probably loves seeing Collier, a sixth-year veteran from Connecticut, perform at such a high level. Minnesota usually goes the way Collier goes, meaning her on-court efforts act as a way to pick up her teammates. As long as Collier is able to put up impressive numbers, don't be surprised if the Lynx are in place to challenge the New York Liberty for the coveted WNBA championship. Up next for the Lynx will be a Sunday contest against the Dallas Wings. Then, Minnesota goes to Seattle for another matchup with the Storm on June 11. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Boston Globe
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Luka Doncic has been the shot of caffeine the Lakers needed to become contenders
Related : The aftermath of the trade has been franchise altering for both teams, but in completely opposite ways. Scores of Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Meanwhile, center Daniel Gafford strained his knee and the final blow was a Advertisement In Los Angeles, Doncic shook off the disappointment, shock, and humiliation of the trade and has dedicated himself into getting to premium shape, meshing with James and embracing the love from a LA fan base that adores its stars. The Lakers were considered no better than a second-round team in the Western Conference before Doncic's arrival and now they have catapulted to the No. 2 seed, going 11-2 since the trade despite Doncic's offensive struggles. In nine games since joining the Lakers, Luka Doncic has averaged 22.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press Yet, his mere presence and ability to handle the ball, take the point guard duties away from James has been a wonder for the offense. The Mavericks not only sent Doncic packing but added some unsavory parting gifts, such as the rumors that his off-court lifestyle and lack of conditioning became a concern. And that Harrison and the ownership group had no plans of offering Doncic the five-year, $345 extension he would have been eligible for this offseason. Advertisement Doncic had no plans of leaving Dallas. He recently built a home there and was a staple in the community but the abrupt uprooting has resuscitated his desire and passion for the game, perhaps to prove the Mavericks wrong as well as refresh his reputation. James is playing at an All-NBA level at age 40 and while he isn't the freakish athlete of a decade ago, he still has the size, athleticism, and intelligence to dominate a game. He was named Western Conference Player of the Month in February and while he was bothered by losing Davis, he was reinvigorated with the potential of pairing with Doncic. LEBRON JAMES STARTS THE 50,000 POINTS CLUB 🚨👑 Counting regular season & playoffs... Another spectacular feat for — NBA (@NBA) The duo quickly squelched the premonition they couldn't play together because of their ball dominance. They have taken turns running the offense and James has relied more on his size for post presence because Doncic feeds him in preferred spots. In 11 February games, James averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists, shooting 44.3 percent from the 3-point line. He has been rejuvenated and the Lakers come to Boston on Saturday with a legitimate shot of reaching the Western Conference Finals. While moving Davis, who helped the Lakers to the title in the NBA bubble five years ago, was an emotional decision, it wasn't a difficult one. Davis is 32 and injury prone and while he is a potential Hall of Famer and one of the better big men of this generation, Doncic is 6 years younger and brings a dazzle and glitz to a franchise. He's the star power Los Angeles desperately needed to succeed James, and he gets an opportunity to play with a near-prime James for the short term. Related : Advertisement Expectations have risen dramatically in Los Angeles. Because of the coaching of JJ Redick and a reinvigorated roster, the Lakers have managed without a reliable big man besides the uneven Jaxson Hayes. Redick inherited the job with no NBA coaching experience and took his share of criticism when the Lakers began the season 13-12 and languished in the play-in tournament group in mid-December. They're 26-9 since and the Lakers are first in the NBA in defensive rating in the past 15 games. The Lakers have been a below average defensive team even in Davis's prime years, but Redick has devised schemes using its wings such as Dorian Finney-Smith and Jarred Vanderbilt to contain offenses without a true rim protector. There is excitement in Lakers basketball again. After years of being maligned because of his inability to add a third superstar to Davis and James, Pelinka has changed the course of the franchise after one coffee meeting. The Lakers are far from a finished product. They were denied a chance at a cornerstone big man when they rescinded the trade for Charlotte's Mark Williams because of a failed physical. Pelinka will have the summer to add that long-awaited third superstar and become a true championship contender. Related : But it appears the insistence of Harrison to trade Doncic immediately and then focus on the Lakers as a trade partner instead of including the other 28 teams is the primary reason Showtime is back. The trade was unquestionably going to have a positive impact on Doncic because his image had been damaged and work ethic questioned. And those who believe he's the reason the Celtics overwhelmed the Mavericks in the Finals are being unfair to Doncic. Advertisement The Harrison has been publicly lambasted by Mavericks fans, a plethora of media members, and analysts for the trade and blamed for the injury aftermath. Meanwhile, Doncic has become somewhat of a sympathetic figure because of the criticism, especially since he carried Dallas to the Finals less than a year ago and is considered one of the league's more popular superstars. Doncic didn't expect to be in this position just a few months ago, but he is now a central figure in the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, which just became even more intriguing with both teams being championship contenders. Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at
MTV Lebanon
05-03-2025
- Sport
- MTV Lebanon
LeBron James first player to surpass 50,000 points
LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to score 50,000 combined points as he helped the Los Angeles Lakers to victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The 40-year-old American surpassed the mark early in the first quarter of his side's 136-115 win, gathering a pass from Luka Doncic and sinking a sublime 25-foot three-pointer. James - the leading scorer in the competition's history - finished the match on 34 points to take his career total to 50,033 which is 6,000 clear of second-placed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. James' total is made up of a record 41,871 regular season points, adding to his 8,162 postseason haul, where he is also the NBA's leading scorer. "I'm not going to sugar-coat it - it's a hell of a lot of points," said James. "I'm super blessed to be able to put up that many points in my career in the best league in the world and against the best players in the world - it's pretty special." James reached the milestone deep into his 22nd season, which ties him with Vince Carter for the most played in NBA history. He was helped by Doncic's 30 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds, as the Lakers won their seventh game in a row to climb to second in the Western Conference standings. Lakers legend Earvin Magic Johnson led the tributes to James on social media following the achievement. "Congratulations to the King LeBron James for becoming the only player in NBA history to score 50,000 regular season and playoff points!" Johnson wrote on X. Earlier on Tuesday, James was also named the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Month after he averaged 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists last month, becoming the oldest player to earn the award.
Los Angeles Times
05-03-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Another milestone: LeBron James becomes first NBA player to score 50,000 career points
Another night, another milestone for LeBron James, although this one did indeed resonate more than most. Becoming the first NBA player to reach 50,000 career points created a particularly alluring way to express and appreciate James' sustained excellence over 22 seasons. Just another number, sure, but a very large one, previously unattained. It even caused James, 40, to pause and reflect. 'It's a hell of a lot of points, and I'm super blessed to be able to put that many points up in the best league in the world with the best players in the world over my career,' he told Spectrum SportsNet in an on-court interview after the Lakers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 136-115 at Arena on Tuesday. 'It's pretty special.' James had a couple days to prep his remarks. He entered the game one point shy of 50K in regular season and playoff games combined, having long ago surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's previous record of 44,149. Midway through the first quarter, James made a three-point shot from the wing off an assist from his exceptional new running mate Luka Doncic. James finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists, improving the Lakers' sparkling record to 39-21. The addition of Doncic has clearly invigorated James, who was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6.9 assists in February. As with most of his accomplishments these days, James is the oldest player to earn the award, which has been his 41 times. Teaming with James has invigorated Doncic as well. The five-time All-NBA guard has scored an impressive 13,841 points in six-plus seasons. He could barely fathom 50,000. 'It's amazing,' Doncic told reporters. 'Watching him do this stuff at this age, it's just unbelievable like 50K points.... It's, I can't even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K, you never know.' Karl Malone is the only player besides James and Abdul-Jabbar to reach even 40,000 points, and the closest active player is Kevin Durant with 35,225 points through Tuesday. James is at 50,033 — and counting.
