After five seasons with the WNBA President Laurel Richie will be stepping down effective November 9th to “pursue other interests.” Mark Tatum, the Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, will serve as interim president until a replacement is found for Richie. In what may come as a surprise to many actually isn’t that surprising at all. After all, on the eve of the start of the 2015 WNBA playoffs your boss, Adam Silver proclaims to the media that the WNBA is not where “we hoped it would be” and that “we thought it would have broken through by now.” Doesn’t sound like very encouraging words if you asked me. And it definitely doesn’t sound like someone in support of the person that is running your league. More recently Richie was no where to be found during the unveiling of The Dallas Wings new name and team logo which was a telltale sign that something unusual was going on and today we learned why. [Read more…]
Erlana Larkins Undergoes Surgery
Erlana Larkins of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever underwent a knee arthroscopy today. Larkins who was an integral part of the Fever’s success this season missed several games due to injury. Recovery from a scope is much fast than recovery from traditional open knee surgery. The recovery time is from 6 to 8 weeks. Expect to see her dominating the boards somewhere in Europe soon.
Tulsa Shock Renamed The Dallas Wings
After moving from Detroit to Tulsa in 2010 the Shock are moving again but this time they are leaving the name behind. After six seasons in Tulsa the Shock announced this summer that they would be relocating to the Dallas Fort Worth area. Today Full Court Partners, LLC, the ownership group of the relocating team introduced the new name and team logo. A news conference was held at College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington, which will serve as the team’s home court this season. In front of team owners, players, WNBA officials and new fans the team unveiled it’s blue and yellow colors and Pegasus inspired design and the former Tulsa Shock became the Dallas Wings.
After having their best performance yet in Tulsa this past season where they led the western conference before their superstar Skylar Diggins suffered a torn ACL the Shock look to pick up where they left off in Arlington. Majority owner Bill Cameron says the Wings are “a young and dynamic team with tremendous upside.” In attendance, Wing player Skylar Diggins spoke on what to expect from the team this summer. “We are the market disrupters,” Diggins said. “We are the team that you don’t want to play. We’re not nice. We’re going to be in your face the whole game.” They certainly will be a team to watch this summer. NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum calls the Dallas-Fort Worth area “home to some of the most passionate basketball fans in the world.” Lets see if they show up to support their new franchise. However, the jury is still out on whether or not we like the new team name… What do you think?
Who Said Girls Can’t Dunk?! Video!
Thanks Stefanie Dolson from the Washington Mystics for sharing this cool video with us! Check out Brittney Griner, Candice Parker and soon to be a member of the Seattle Storm Brianna Stewart showing off their dunking skills while training with USA basketball! Please enjoy the sound effects and singing by the one and only purple haired all-star Stefanie! Who do you think had the best dunk?
Augustus Makes Euro League Debut
Coming off of another WNBA championship Seimone Augustus made her 2015-2016 Euro League debut last night with Dynamo Kursk. After battling injuries during the summer she had a strong comeback at the end of the season to help lead her team to their third WNBA championship. Having played for Dynamo Kursk for several years now i’m sure she wants to hoist another trophy next year as Euro League champions. Look for her to strengthen an already loaded roster.
Nike Basketball Unveils New Women’s Basketball Line!
WNBA’s Connecticut Sun Chiney Ogwumike
After years and years of having to choose from the men’s section when picking out basketball gear NIKE has finally given us women an apparel line made just for us. The Elite Basketball Collection which was designed for women by women is a combination of four pieces: a contoured tank, lightweight shorts, mesh-paneled hoodie, and a pair of tapered pants. Nike Basketball Global Apparel Director Chris Burke explained that they “did a lot of focus groups with both high school and professional basketball players from across the country to make sure we were creating the right styles and incorporating the wants and needs for the female athlete.” With the popularity of basketball growing around the world and more girls becoming interested in the sport it makes perfect sense to cater to the next generation of basketball players.
Just like non athletes want to look nice and wear fitting, stylish and comfortable clothing to work so do basketball players. Over sized men’s shorts and ill-fitting shirts will be a thing of the past. Female basketball players will now be able to wear performance apparel that caters to their unique shapes and sizes. “This is giving us what we want and need. I have been waiting for this forever.” WNBA all-star from the Tulsa Shock and Nike athlete Skylar Diggnis says about the line. Lets just hope that Nike will continue to add more stylish and comfortable pieces to the collection in the near future. Nike.com and select retailers began selling the collection in September. Check out The Elite Basketball Collection here.
Where In The World? WNBA Players Overseas.
WNBA Players Overseas
Phoenix Mercury
Monique Currie Korea Shinhan Bank S-Birds
Brittney Griner Russia UMMC
Dewanna Bonner Russia Nadezhda Orenburg
Noelle Quinn Italy Napoli
Leilani Mitchell Australia Adelaide Lightning
Mistie Bass France Lattes Montpellier
Cayla Francis Australia SEQ Basketball
Marta Xargay Czech Republic USK Praha
Los Angeles Sparks
Farhiya Abdi Turkey BGD
Crystal Bradford Brazil Sampaio Basquete
Ana Dabovic Turkey Yakin Dogu University [Read more…]
Is Seattle’s Storm Over?
Connecticut forward Breanna Stewart during the NCAA Women’s Final Four tournament. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
The Seattle Storm won the coveted #1 pick in next years 2016 WNBA draft. Just a year after they selected Jewell Loyd with the #1 pick and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis at #3 will they finally leave behind their recent trend of mediocrity? Will the emerald city once again be one of the best cities to play in? Will their loyal fans flock back and fill Key Arena? [Read more…]
Natalie Achonwa Finally Joins Napoli
Canadian national team player and center for WNBA’s Indiana fever will be joining Italian Serie A1’s 5th place team Napoli. Coming of a tough loss of the WNBA championship to the Minnesota Lynx she has had a little time to get some rest. Achonwa arrives at a crucial time with Napoli’s next opponent being first place team Familia Schio. Napoli will also compete in this season’s euro cup competition where they are placed in group G. She will be a great addition to the team after having a very successful first campaign as a professional in the W.
Briann January Undergoes Surgery
Talk about a WNBA finals to remember. January who finished the game with 13 points tore her meniscus during the first half of the game! With an injured knee she still managed to finish the game! She went into surgery this week to repair the torn ligament in her right knee. The Indiana Fever’s team doctor Stephen Kollias performed the surgery. Meniscus tears are extremely common in athletics and the recovery time is approximately 3 to 4 weeks. Briann will be back to taking over courts in no time!