logo
Atlanta Dream off to hot start under new coach Karl Smesko and play of Allisha Gray

Atlanta Dream off to hot start under new coach Karl Smesko and play of Allisha Gray

NEW YORK (AP) — The Atlanta Dream made a lot of moves in the offseason, hiring Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast and bringing in Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones to complement Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.
So far the moves have paid off as the Dream have the third best record in the league behind Minnesota and New York. Atlanta (8-3) is off to one of the franchise's best marks through 11 games since coming into the league as an expansion team in 2008. The 2016 team also won eight of its first 11 games but then went on to drop its next six games.
Gray has flourished in Smesko's system, shooting a career-high 51% from the field including 42% from behind the 3-point line. She earned the league's Eastern Conference Player of the Month for May.
'I think it's the offense and just finding my shots,' Gray said. 'I feel like Karl puts in an offense and the way he pays attention to the details and really helps me. Tells me if I'm open shoot the ball. Instills that confidence in me, that's been a big part of my success.'
Griner came to the team as a free agent after spending the first 11 seasons with Phoenix after the Mercury drafted her No. 1 in 2013. With so much talent around her she doesn't feel like she has to shoulder the load every night for the Dream to win. In a 33-point victory over Washington on Sunday, she took just four shots. The game before, a rout of Chicago, the 6-foot-8 star took only three shot attempts.
'Before you know if I only took three shots in the game it's a loss. Here you look up and we're beating a team by 25,' she said at practice Monday. 'It just takes so much pressure off of me.'
Power poll rankings
New York and Minnesota both suffered their first losses of the season last week and the Lynx passed the Liberty for the top spot in the poll. Atlanta moved up to third with Phoenix and Seattle the next two. Indiana was sixth with Golden State behind them. Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington were next. Chicago, Connecticut and Dallas rounded out the poll.
Paint the line orange
The WNBA launched a new initiative last week aiming to bring the women's professional game closer to communities by painting the official WNBA 3-point line on park basketball courts across the country. It was debuted in New York on Thursday at a park in Brooklyn.
'I'm excited about what this initiative means in terms of access and representation,' said WNBA Head of League Operations Bethany Donaphin, who grew up in New York. 'I think it's just further evidence of the way that we want to be able to connect with young girls who are inspired by the WNBA.'
Player of the week
Gray earned Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. The Dream wing averaged 23.3 points, six rebounds and 4.3 assists to help the team go 3-0 on the week. Other players receiving consideration were Napheesa Collier of Minnesota, Sabrina Ionescu of New York, Caitlin Clark of Indiana and Satou Sabally of Phoenix.
Game of the week
Indiana at Las Vegas, Sunday. With Clark back in the lineup, the Fever continue a western trip in Las Vegas. It's unclear if A'ja Wilson will be back for the game as the Aces' star is in concussion protocol.
___
AP WNBA:
https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

3-Time All-Star Makes WNBA History on Sunday
3-Time All-Star Makes WNBA History on Sunday

Yahoo

time30 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

3-Time All-Star Makes WNBA History on Sunday

3-Time All-Star Makes WNBA History on Sunday originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The WNBA announced the rest of the All-Stars for the 2025 season on Sunday. The Atlanta Dream had two stars make it to the team: Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard. Gray will participate in her third straight All-Star game. Howard, on the other hand, returns to the event after missing it in 2024. Advertisement Gray is having her best season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists through 18 games. She's become one of the best backcourt scorers in the league, shooting at a high clip this season by making 45.6% from the field and 41.5% from deep. Howard made history when she was announced as an All-Star this season, becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to be named a three-time All-Star in her fourth season She's averaging 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 17 games. Rhyne Howard has made the All-Star team in three of her first four seasons in the Zanine-Imagn Images The Dream recognized Howard's achievement and posted it on X. "She is the 4th player in Dream history to be named a 3x WNBA All-Star in just her fourth season," the team posted. Advertisement On Sunday, Dream head coach Karl Smesko made the announcement to the team during practice that Howard earned an All-Star nod. "You have a teammate that just got announced to the All-Star Game... Rhyne," Smesko said. "Congratulations, you earned it. I know you guys that are there are gonna show out for Atlanta and represent all of us here, right?" Howard has been consistent over the past few seasons and has gradually evolved into one of the best all-around stars in the WNBA. Related: Liberty Star's 4-Word Message to WNBA Star Following a Loss This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.

Nets trade acquiring Terance Mann, Drake Powell from Hawks is official
Nets trade acquiring Terance Mann, Drake Powell from Hawks is official

Yahoo

time31 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Nets trade acquiring Terance Mann, Drake Powell from Hawks is official

The Brooklyn Nets have made some interesting moves over the course of the 2025 NBA offseason as they seek to improve the roster ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. Brooklyn is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw them finish with a 26-56 record in the regular season, but they have now officially added two players who should help the team win more games. The Nets announced on Monday that the trade in which they acquired forward Terance Mann and the draft rights to North Carolina forward Drake Powell is now official. Prior to the 2025 NBA Draft that happened last week, Brooklyn engaged in a multi-team trade with the Atlanta Hawks in which they received Mann and the 22nd overall pick, which later became Powell. Advertisement Before the trade happened, the Nets already had four picks in the first round: eighth, 19th, 26th, and 27th, but they decided that they wanted to add more picks instead of trading some away. In addition to Powell, Brooklyn selected BYU guard Egor Demin (eighth), French guard Nolan Traore (19th), Israeli guard Ben Saraf (26th), and Michigan forward Danny Wolf (27th). Mann, 28, is a player that the Nets added to the roster most likely because the Hawks were willing to attach a first-round pick to him to get him off the team, something Brooklyn has been trying to take advantage of this summer. Similar to what the Nets did when they traded forward Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for forward Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick, Brooklyn was willing and able to take on extra salaries from other teams. Mann, native of Brooklyn, New York, is also a veteran that can help the team on the floor due to his experience and his ability to be a 3-and-D wing for the team right away. Mann averaged 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season while shooting 49.6% from the field and 36.8% from three-point land as he split time between the Los Angeles Clippers and Hawks. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets trade acquiring Terance Mann, Drake Powell from Hawks is official

WNBA Liberty's Valuation Fuels Barclays Center Expansion
WNBA Liberty's Valuation Fuels Barclays Center Expansion

Bloomberg

time33 minutes ago

  • Bloomberg

WNBA Liberty's Valuation Fuels Barclays Center Expansion

After spending about $3.3 billion to gain control of a Brooklyn-based sports empire, owners Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai have won their first title. Now they want to keep expanding. BSE Global, the parent company of the Nets, Liberty and Barclays Center that the Tsais acquired in 2019, has a strategy to make Brooklyn a bigger destination, which will help build a larger fanbase. The expansion initiative is eclectic, including a wine club, online magazine and potential investments in nearby performance venues, and eventually restaurants and hotels. The Tsais will also shift their focus to another team that needs attention- The Brooklyn Nets. Sam Zussman aims to build on that. He joined BSE as CEO two years ago after more than 15 years at IMG, a conglomerate that includes a media company and events manager. Zussman joins and Bloomberg News Global Business of Sports Reporter Randall Williams to discuss what's next for Brooklyn sports. (Source: Bloomberg)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store