Sports
The WNBA is taking another significant step forward
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — I’m not a fan of the players or the teams. However, I’m a fan of historical moments. An incredible historic moment took place Sunday night on the Barclays Center in Brooklyn when the New York Liberty, one among the unique WNBA teams, won their first WNBA championship.
Led by Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in extra time. If any fan base deserved to win a championship, Liberty fans did it. Liberty has reached the WNBA Finals five times and has never won. Their fans have watched, waited and followed this band for 27 years, first at Madison Squares Garden.
When Knicks owner James Dolan put the team up on the market and sent Liberty to Westchester, Liberty fans followed him. The Liberty played in Newark, and in 2004 they even took the stage at Radio City Music Hall. Ultimately, the Liberty was purchased by the owners of the Brooklyn Nets, Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai. When it became clear on Sunday that the long-awaited championship moment had finally arrived, the Barclays Center erupted in muted joy from fans who had been waiting for a championship moment for nearly three many years.
For those that could have had their first taste of WNBA basketball – college refugees who were dropped at the league by Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese – the Liberty-Lynx Finals could have been a revelation. For longtime WNBA fans, these Finals simply underlined what they already knew: The women on this league are incredibly talented, passionate and committed to a cause — improving women’s basketball and ladies typically.
With the exception of the second match, which Liberty won after losing, every final match ended with a possession victory. In the primary game, Minnesota overcame an 18-point deficit and defeated Liberty 95-93 in extra time. In Game 3, Liberty needed a 3-pointer by Sabrina Ionescu to secure an 80-77 victory. The Lynx won Game 4 82-80 after two last-second fouls by Bridget Carleton. This marked the start of the historic drama that unfolded on Sunday.
Sunday’s victory capped a historic season not just for Liberty, but in addition for a league that has been screaming for attention in a competitive sports market that an excessive amount of ignores or marginalizes women. Just like there are men who won’t ever vote for a presidential candidate, no matter her qualifications, there are also men who is not going to listen to the WNBA. Fortunately, the league continues to thrive without them.
Despite the NFL, college football and hockey seasons being in full swing, despite the Major League Baseball playoffs being underway, the voice of the WNBA has finally been heard.
- ESPN estimated viewership increased 170% to 1.2 million per game.
- WNBA teams sold 400,000 tickets in a single month.
- 21 matches attracted over 1 million viewers each. In eighteen of those games, the Indiana Fever and Clark were their No. 1 draft pick.
There’s little question that Clark and fellow Chicago Sky rookie Reese played significant roles within the league’s historic leap forward this season, but they were under no circumstances saviors. The WNBA might have fresh leadership soon, but with so many great players, it doesn’t need saviors.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Englebert made a mistake last month when, at the peak of the debates surrounding Clark and her initiation into the league, she was asked during a television interview about racism and misogyny directed on the WNBA’s predominantly black players. Engelbert said: “There is no more apathy. Everyone cares. If you remember, it’s kind of of a moment of that bird magic, in the event you remember 1979, when these two rookies got here back from an enormous college rivalry, one white, one black. And so now we have this moment with these two.
“But one thing I know about sports: you need competition. That’s what makes people watch. They want to watch important matches between rivals. They don’t want everyone to be nice to each other.”
Engelbert later posted a press release on social media explaining her position. “To be clear, there is absolutely no place for hate or racism in the WNBA or anywhere else.” But Englebert made point: Polarization attracts attention. She was unsuitable to say that, unlike the NBA within the Nineteen Seventies, the WNBA didn’t need a savior. The league needs consistency, perseverance and continuous development. It needs competitive finals just like the one we just saw.
Most of the coverage of the WNBA was concerning the cheerleaders and support. I’m guilty of this too. The WNBA is a league, but it surely is also a movement, a crusade. This made the league clean up; this is what separates the WNBA from other major leagues. The WNBA champions empowerment and social justice while rebuking misogyny. During a conversation last summer on the Paris Olympics, Nadia Rawlinson, co-owner of Chicago Sky, said, “Eighty percent of the people on the court are African American. A large number of these people identify as LGBTQIA. The league is about equality, access, opportunity, fighting for justice, getting a seat at the table.”
In 2021, players campaigned against Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler, who has been a vocal supporter of Donald Trump in his bid to retain his Senate seat. She lost. WNBA players have long advocated for LGBTQ rights. They dedicated the 2020 season within the Say Her Name campaign for Breonna Taylor. WNBA players have grow to be a respected political force. A yr later, Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was detained in Russia. Her arrest highlighted how WNBA players are forced to compete overseas to complement their income.
I’m undecided how long the WNBA’s activist imperative will last. It may grow to be a victim of its own popularity and expansion. The league will add one team next season and two more in 2026.
The WNBA has made another U-turn, but there are still more twists and turns to barter and mountains to climb. According to for a report within the New York Postthe league could lose $40 million this season. The Post’s report also found that NBA players receive about 50% of the NBA’s basketball revenue in comparison with 10% for the WNBA. Sports economist David Berri told the New York Post: “NBA men have never been as underpaid as WNBA women are today.” This may change in the following 20 years.
But within the here and now, the WNBA took another significant step forward this season, culminating in a historic moment for the Liberty. As a lover of historical moments, I felt lucky to have the opportunity to experience this.
Sports
Kevin Durant reaches third milestone of NBA season in 6 games
Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns added one other milestone to his basketball legacy during Sunday’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In the second quarter, Durant became just the sixteenth player in league history to make 10,000 field goals.
According to , the 17-year NBA veteran and LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leader in points, are the one energetic players to hit this number.
Certified bucket lifter.
KD becomes only the sixteenth player on the team @NBA history to achieve 10,000 field goals – join LeBron James because the only energetic player to achieve this milestone 👏 pic.twitter.com/SLQIqeOlJ4
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) November 3, 2024
“I have achieved several milestones since I got here… I have to thank the people who have helped me since I was a kid, taught me the game, my teammates… I think about them often… grateful to have such great people in my life who have helped push me and lift my spirits when I needed it,” Durant told reporters after the Suns’ 103-97 victory.
The season is barely six games into the season, but Durant has already reached three different milestones. In addition to the latter, he became the eighth player in NBA history to attain 29,000 profession points. Additionally, Durant is currently the oldest player in NBA history to begin a season with 4 straight 25-point games.
The former Golden State Warriors player took part in Sunday’s game averaging 26.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 rebounds per game, in addition to at least one assist and 1.8 blocks. He shot 53.4% from the sphere and 46.2% from three-point shots.
The Suns are 5-1 and have a four-game winning streak. Their next game is November 4 at home against the struggling Philadelphia 76ers.
Sports
Robert Griffin III couldn’t be happier for Jayden Daniels in Washington: ‘He brought the city to life’
Star Black quarterbacks aren’t any longer the exception – they’re the rule. Throughout the football season, the series will explore the importance and impact of Black quarterbacks, from the grassroots level to the NFL.
The buzz in Washington grew stronger each week as a talented young quarterback revitalized a team that had been stagnant. He led the team’s unlikely rise to the top of the NFC East standings and, in the process, inspired something that many Washington supporters had lost: hope.
Of course, the starting quarterback of the Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels is a rising star. But long before Daniels took the nation’s capital by storm along with his signature moves and late game heroismRobert Griffin III was the talk of the town.
Like Daniels, Griffin was a Heisman Trophy winner who was chosen second overall in the NFL draft by the Washington franchise. In some ways, Griffin’s rookie season was much more magical than Daniels’ current thrill ride. With Griffin at the helm, Washington won the NFC East title in 2012-13 – the franchise’s first title in 13 seasons. He had a strong passing arm, a sprinter’s speed and a megawatt smile that endeared him to fans. In Washington, the next big thing was RG3.
However, after suffering a severe knee injury in his debut season, Griffin never repeated the success he achieved in his first yr in Washington. Today, Griffin, 34, enjoys watching Daniels from afar while reveling in Washington’s exciting recent path.
During a lengthy phone interview with Andscape on Wednesday, Griffin looked back and forward, expressing his happiness for the club and its fans.
“As far as Washington heading into the season, there is just not an analyst in the world that thinks (the Commanders) will be 6-2 without delay. Not one, right? Not based on the schedule, not based on the lineup or anything. I’ve heard some people say that one guy modified the whole lot. And whenever you say that… you have got no idea what you are talking about. In DC it is often about multiple guy. In 2012, there have been 3-6 of us at the end of the week. Then we began a seven-game streak (winning streak). We finished 10-6, won the league and made the playoffs. Everyone else knows the remainder of this story.
“But it isn’t nearly Jayden Daniels in Washington without delay. He is the one who revived the city and took it over. I’ll say this and I even have said this before: “When you win in DC, there isn’t any higher city to be in. And whenever you win in DC, the quarterback is more essential than the president of the United States.’ That’s what Jayden Daniels achieved. … But it isn’t nearly Jayden Daniels. This is Josh Harris, the recent owner. This is Adam Peters, the recent CEO. This is the recent head coach, Dan Quinn. This is the recent offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury. It’s about bringing in a vet like (tight end) Zach Ertz. It’s about bringing in a vet like (running back) Austin Ekeler.
“It’s about (running back) Brian Robinson. It’s about (wide receiver) Terry McLaurin. They have done so many things to get the fresh smell of Febreze from the top of the organization down. Peters has done an incredible job of putting his team along with guys who understand how to win. … Daniels was the most explosive passer and most explosive runner in all of school football last yr. The statistics back it up and that is why he won the Heisman Trophy. He was absolutely amazing. But whenever you take a look at his stats (NFL), he ranks (tied) twenty second in the league in passing touchdowns with seven. He is in the top five in yards per attempt (fifth, 8.4 yards per attempt). In terms of meters, he ranks twelfth in the league.
“But the way you’re feeling when he’s on the field, you’d think he led the league in touchdown passes, he led the league in passing yards and all that. That’s because Washington wins and doesn’t ask the world about Jayden Daniels. So after they need the world from Him, like during the Hail Mary, He delivers. This is an attractive recipe for success. As he grows and develops, he doesn’t try to do an excessive amount of. He doesn’t try to put the team on his back. It’s just natural for him. And that is what makes it so exciting. I’m very joyful for him.
I have already got an old head, which is sort of crazy. I do not think it’s right for old heads to take a look at the younger generation and never want them to succeed. Today you hear analysts all the time taking the approach: “Well, I was this and that.” I used to be an expert bowler. I used to be an expert. I used to be a Hall of Famer. Let me inform you why these guys stink. I do not think that is the right approach. I believe the approach is that you just take a look at the younger generation and speak about what makes them great. You tell them a story about who they’re so people can really get to know them. And in the event that they screw up, you tell them why they made a mistake and the way they’ll improve. For me, that is how you progress things forward.
“With Jayden, I approached it this way. I am honored to have the opportunity to connect with him and his family and be a mentor when he needs it. Jayden Daniels is top notch in terms of how he thinks and how intellectual and smart he is. You can see it in his game. It doesn’t force many things. He has a natural ability to carry out important actions at the right moment. So yes, I’m really happy for him. And I’m even more happy for the city.”
Sports
The NBA is investigating Joel Embiid’s altercation with a journalist
The NBA is investigating whether Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid allegedly pushed Marcus Hayes, a columnist for ” “, into the locker room after a game on November 2. Embiid reportedly felt offended that his son and late brother were used against him within the column Hayes wrote.
According to , Keith Pompney with a report that Embiid attacked a reporter within the locker room. After initial confusion over whether Embiid punched the reporter, ESPN insider Shams Charania confirmed it was a shove, not a punch.
Kyle Neubeck, who later wrote his own column on Embiid’s humanity, evident in his response to the reporter Embiid shoved, said on the postgame show that the reporter was Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The moment Joel realized he (Hayes) was there, a verbal exchange occurred. Of course, we cannot repeat lots of the words that were said on this program. The basic rule was: “You can say I suck, you can say whatever you want about me as a player.” Never put my dead brother’s name in your mouth. Don’t speak about my family. Leave them out of this. “You want to talk to me like a man and talk to me about basketball, that’s one thing, but if you ever talk about my family again, we’re going to have serious problems,” Neubeck said.
Hayes’ article was partly a response to the 76ers being fined $100,000 for making misleading public statements about Embiid’s health after he claimed he was struggling with a left knee injury.
The starting of Hayes’ column sounds quite harsh, and plenty of people expressed solidarity with Embiid on social media.
“Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son Arthur as a major turning point in his basketball profession. He often says he desires to be great, leaving a legacy for a boy named after his younger brother, who tragically died in a automobile accident when Embiid was in the primary 12 months of his 76er profession,” Hayes began his column.
Hayes continued, “Well, to be good at your job, you first have to point out up for it. Embiid was great at the exact opposite. Now in its eleventh season, it commonly finds itself in poor condition. Apparently, this poor condition delayed his debut this season.
Hayes later had that first paragraph removed, admitting he understood why people objected to it in a post on his Twitter account.
Embiid clearly didn’t accept the apology from Hayes, who continued to publish columns critical of Embiid after he mentioned Embiid’s son, who was named after Embiid’s brother, Arthur, who died in a automobile accident in Cameroon in 2014.
In his comments to reporters on Nov. 1, Embiid mentioned that he had played through injury or injury several times, and was particularly vocal in attacking Hayes.
“If your body doesn’t respond well and if it tells you one thing – I did it. As far as I do know, I broke my face twice, I got here back earlier with the danger of losing my sight, my fingers were broken, but I got here back anyway. So I’m not going to take a seat here and think that folks are saying, “He doesn’t want to play.” I’ve done way an excessive amount of for this city at the danger of individuals saying so. I believe it’s bullshit,” Embiid said.
Embiid continued: “Like this guy, he is not here, Marcus, whatever his name is, I’ve done way an excessive amount of for this f***ing city to be treated like this. Far an excessive amount of has been done. I wish I might be as lucky as others, but that doesn’t suggest I’m not trying and doing every part in my power to be there soon.
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