Sabreena Merchant

The Athletic has live coverage of the Game 2 featuring the It’s been five months since training camps opened and the 2023 WNBA season began. One of the key questions being asked then, is still being asked: Will the repeat as champions, or will the revamped capture their first title in franchise history? Advertisement Of course, a lot has happened since then. The emerged as legitimate challengers, with star forward putting together a historic season. The , hampered by injuries, slipped down t…

The captured their second consecutive title Wednesday, rallying to defeat the 70-69 on the road in Game 4. Here’s what you need to know: After trailing at 39-30 at halftime, Las Vegas roared back to outscore New York 23-12 in the third quarter. The Liberty responded in the fourth, but ’s potential game-winning jumper did not fall in the final seconds. Aces star forward led all scorers with 24 points and 16 rebounds en route to 2023 WNBA Finals MVP honors, while guard added 16 points. Las Ve…

After years of turnover in the position, the Los Angeles Sparks are hiring Raegan Pebley as their new general manager in hopes of stabilizing the franchise, according to the franchise. Pebley takes over for Karen Bryant, who became the GM and Chief Administrative Officer at this time last year. Bryant will remain with the organization in a larger strategic role and assist with business operations. Advertisement Bryant was originally brought on as an advisor for the in 2021 and helped hire curre…

USA Basketball will be seeking its eighth consecutive Olympic gold medal this summer with the first step coming at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, from Feb. 8-11. The 12-player roster for that tournament will be the first approximation of the team that will defend the Americans’ gold medal in Paris. Based on the 18 players who have been invited to the national team camp from Feb. 2-4 in Brooklyn, N.Y., the committee has a terrifically challenging task to select that final…

In a move that could be a precursor for a series of other transactions, the traded the No. 4 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft and guard Kia Nurse to the in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick, both teams announced Wednesday. As a result of the transaction, the Sparks, who went 17-23 last season, now hold the No. 2 and No. 4 selections in the upcoming April draft. Nurse, a five-year veteran, averaged 5.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game last year with the Storm. “Being able to add a player with Ki…

The ’s search for Sue Bird’s successor has finally come to an end. After one year in the lottery following Bird’s retirement, the Storm are making their jump back into contention with Thursday’s signing of . Diggins-Smith’s pedigree speaks for itself. A six-time All-Star, four-time first-team all- selection and 2021 Olympian, Diggins-Smith was at the top of her game before spending the 2023 season on parental leave. The 33-year-old was the best guard on the free-agent market and will immediately…

Former guard is transferring to Kentucky, she announced on social media Thursday, following former Hokies women’s basketball coach Kenny Brooks, who accepted the coaching job with the on March 26. Amoore and had a “do not contact,” meaning she did not want coaches to reach out to her. That implied that Amoore likely already knew where she wanted to go or had a few finalists. The news of Amoore heading to Kentucky comes a day after Virginia Tech announced it as its next women’s basketball co…

Tara VanDerveer, the winningest coach in history with 1,216 victories, announced her retirement on Tuesday, concluding a 38-year run as the head coach of . VanDerveer has been with the Cardinal since 1985, leading the program to three NCAA championships — in 1990, 1992 and 2021 — and 14 Final Four appearances over that span. A Naismith Hall of Fame inductee in 2011, VanDerveer became a standard-bearer for college coaches throughout her tenure. She did not cite a specific reason for her retireme…

As the heads into its most anticipated season in recent memory, half of the league’s teams are getting a new look. Six franchises — Chicago, Connecticut, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Seattle — are adding new “Rebel” jerseys for the 2024 season. When Nike took over jersey production for the WNBA in 2021, it instituted three rotation jerseys: the Heroine (home), Explorer (away), and Rebel (alternate). In 2023, the league unveiled new Rebel uniforms for five teams: , , , , and , which leav…

The era is off to a raucous start. In front of a sold-out crowd in Dallas for her first WNBA game, albeit preseason action, Clark was just as impactful as she was the past four years at Iowa (perhaps in part because of all of the familiar Big Ten foes on the court). Although the lost to the 79-76, with Wings guard nailing a go-ahead 3-pointer with three seconds to play, Clark finished with a team-high 21 points and made five 3-pointers. “I thought we played really hard. Just a great atmosphe…