logo
Is Aces' Wilson an MVP contender for this season?

Is Aces' Wilson an MVP contender for this season?

NBC Sports14-07-2025
Natalie Esquire and Callie Fin reflect on the Las Vegas Aces' matchup against the Golden State Valkyries, including the big question: Is A'ja Wilson a shoe-in for MVP this season?
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

WATCH: Travis Kelce makes leaping catch at Chiefs Training Camp
WATCH: Travis Kelce makes leaping catch at Chiefs Training Camp

USA Today

time27 minutes ago

  • USA Today

WATCH: Travis Kelce makes leaping catch at Chiefs Training Camp

The Kansas City Chiefs were hard at work in St. Joseph, Missouri, this week as they honed their craft at training camp. While the team produced several highlight reel plays over its first days of drills, a leaping catch by veteran tight end Travis Kelce stood out as one of the top moments of the week. Kelce, always a favorite target of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, hauled in the perfectly-placed pass from the two-time MVP during Kansas City's practice session on Thursday, July 24. Take a look at Kelce's impressive catch in this clip, which was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs' official account: Few quarterback-receiver duos have developed a chemistry as intense as that of Kelce and Mahomes, and training camp connections like this are demonstrative of the pair's uncanny connection on the gridiron. Stay tuned to see more highlights from Kansas City's next practice session, which will take place on Sunday, July 27.

Marcus Smart joins a long list of Boston players who ended up spending time with an enemy
Marcus Smart joins a long list of Boston players who ended up spending time with an enemy

Boston Globe

time2 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

Marcus Smart joins a long list of Boston players who ended up spending time with an enemy

It began, of course, with the Yankees . Since changing their nickname from the Highlanders in 1913, the team had finished seventh, sixth, fifth, fourth, sixth, fourth, and third, and had yet to win an American League pennant. What compounded the issue was Red Sox owner Harry Frazee also subsequently shipping the likes of Herb Pennock, Jumping Joe Dugan, Waite Hoyt, Everett Scott, and Sam Jones to New York, where the ex-Sox helped establish the preeminent franchise in baseball for the rest of the 20th century. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up You also may have heard something about Advertisement One deal that seemed fairly innocuous at the time was the 1972 swap of Red Sox lefthanded reliever Sparky Lyle for Yankees utility infielder Danny Cater and a player to be named later, who turned out to be shortstop Mario Guerrero. Lyle would twice lead the league in saves as a Yankee, and even won a surprising Cy Young Award in 1977, when he went 13-5 with a 2.17 ERA. Cater was what we used to call a spray hitter, whose claim to fame was finishing second to Carl Yastrzemski in the 1968 batting race with an average of .290. He did hit .313 in 1973 with little power, while playing in just 63 games. The great Peter Gammons identified one of his hits as 'Cater's 1,011th career chalk-line double.' Advertisement Now we're getting serious. Roger Clemens and The horseback celebration of Wade Boggs further stung on the occasion of the Yankees returning to the World Series winners' circle in 1996. RON FREHM In the middle of all this there also was a Yankee faux pas. The Yankees had a young outfielder named Jackie Jensen, who got into 108 games in a three-year span before they shipped him to the Washington Senators. The Red Sox acquired him for Mickey McDermott and Tom Umphlett, and from 1954-59 he averaged 111 RBIs per season while leading the league three times. He also was the 1958 MVP. Even the vaunted Yankees could have used someone like that. Sadly, his career was aborted because of a fear of flying. As far as the Celtics and Lakers are concerned, the former came away with the biggest prize. No one had any idea when the Celtics signed a free-agent substitute forward named Advertisement John Havlicek, Don Nelson, and Dave Cowens, shown in March 1975, all are honored in the rafters at TD Garden. Dan Goshtigian, Globe Staff The best player going from Boston to LA was undoubtedly Rick Fox, who ranks as a Rick Pitino major boo-boo. Fox was part of some Pitino roster clearing, but Pitino should have loved Fox, who could make threes, who never quit on a play in his life, and who was just a class act. He would play an important role on three Lakers championship teams. You also can make a case for Brian Shaw, who gave the Celtics some good service (11.1-point average in 178 games) before playing 284 games for the Lakers. An even more intriguing name was By far the biggest name with a connection to both franchises is that of California native Advertisement Oh, and guess who was an assistant coach on that 1971-72 title team? Here's a bonus item. The list of annoying defectors also should include Curtis Martin, shown in 1996, was a critical part of the Patriots' 1990s renaissance before the departed Bill Parcells swiped him for the Jets. DAVIS, Jim GLOBE STAFF This brings us to Smart. I am not neutral on this matter. I am a paid-up member of the Marcus Smart Fan Club. I recognize his foibles, but I was always willing to take the whole package. How could I not love a player who is the all-time leader in a certain category, that being Most Alley-Oop Passes Intended for a 7-Foot Greek Intercepted by a 6-5 Guard (1). I mean, come on, what's not to like? Seriously, I always loved his energy and his passion. I beamed when he was able to transform himself into a legitimate point guard. Yes, I wish he did not so often confuse himself with Stephen Curry. I realize not everyone was as forgiving as I with his erratic 3-point judgment. I also understood Smart's last two years, with Memphis and Washington, were pretty much wasted because of injury. He joins a Lakers team that should be able to utilize him strategically. I also find it intriguing that, according to Smart himself, Luka Doncic lobbied for him. Advertisement This is going to be tough for me. I can't root for the Lakers, but I also wish Marcus Smart the best. Sometimes, life can get complicated. Bob Ryan can be reached at

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