Latest news with #2025CommissionersCup
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Caitlin Clark Names Best NBA Player of All-Time Without Hesitation
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When the debate comes up about the best player in NBA history, there are two main players that fans seem to be split on. LeBron James and Michael Jordan are the obvious two choices, although there are some who would throw other names into the ring as well. The debate between James and Jordan has become a very heated talking point. James has tightened the gap more and more by continuing to play at an elite level into his 40's. Caitlin Clark is a name that has taken the basketball world by storm. She has completely changed the outlook for the WNBA and has brought a huge new group of fans to the table for the league. Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks on during the third quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center on July 1, 2025 in Minneapolis,... Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever looks on during the third quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup against the Minnesota Lynx at Target Center on July 1, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More Photo byMany believe that Clark has a chance to be the "GOAT" of women's basketball by the time she finishes up her career. However, she recently weighed in with her thoughts on the best NBA player of all-time debate. Read more: LeBron James Idea Ties Knicks to Offseason Splash Move During a recent meeting with the media, Clark spoke out and named James as her "GOAT" without hesitation. "LeBron is the GOAT to me, he's my favorite player of all time," Clark said. It's clear that James has a high level of respect for Clark as well. He has been very active on social media, acknowledging what Clark is doing in the WNBA. James is set to enter his 23rd season in the NBA. While some signs of aging have started to be noticed, he is still playing at a high level. He's more than capable of playing like a top-10 player in the league on most nights. During the 2024-25 NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers, James played in 70 games. He averaged 24.4 points per game to go along with 8.2 assists, 7.8 rebounds, and a steal, while shooting 51.3 percent from the floor and knocking down 37.6 percent of his three-point attempts. Read more: Caitlin Clark Slander Draws Intense Reaction for WNBA National Analyst Clark, on the other hand, has struggled through her second WNBA season thus far due to multiple injury issues. She has only played in nine games on the year. Despite only playing nine games to this point in the 2025 campaign, Clark was named a captain for the WNBA All-Star Game. Her impact on the game continues to be clear. All of that being said, when it comes to Clark, James deserves the "GOAT" title in the NBA. Make sure to follow Newsweek Sports for all Caitlin Clark, LeBron James, NBA, and WNBA news and updates.
Newsweek
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
WNBA Power Rankings: Lynx Lead the Pack, Fever Win Commissioner's Cup
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. We may be in the dog days of summer, but the WNBA campaign is still going strong. The Indiana Fever are the 2025 Commissioners' Cup Champions. They took down the fearsome Minnesota Lynx all without the deep shooting and playmaking threat of Caitlin Clark. Elsewhere around the league, the boiling Phoenix Mercury cool off, the reigning champs look to get back on track, while Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings get ready to soar. With all of that on the go, here's our power ranking to keep you up to speed. Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates her three-point basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the fourth quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup at Target Center on July 1, 2025... Sophie Cunningham #8 of the Indiana Fever celebrates her three-point basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the fourth quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup at Target Center on July 1, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. More13. Connecticut Sun (2-15) Last Week: 13 | Upcoming: LVA (7/6), SEA (7/9), SEA (7/11) Thick, dark clouds have obscured the Sun in Connecticut. Leading scorer Marina Mabrey is sidelined with a knee injury for potentially a month, making the team's rebuild even more rocky. At least their young rookies will continue to get plenty of on-court reps. The team is really suffering without Mabrey's perimeter shooting. Minnesota's Kayla McBride knocked down more triples against Connecticut than the Sun hit total in their 39-point loss. 12. Los Angeles Sparks (5-13) Last Week: 11 | Upcoming: IND (7/5), MIN (7/10) The Sparks are on the mend. The return of Kelsey Plum and Rae Burrell should help bolster a team that needs help on both sides of the ball. LA takes by far the fewest threes in the league, which took an even more drastic dip while Plum was out. 11. Las Vegas Aces (8-9) Last Week: 8 | Upcoming: CON (7/6), NYL (7/8), WAS (7/10) The Las Vegas Aces are still struggling on the offensive end. In their nearly 30-point loss to the Indiana Fever, only A'Ja Wilson and Jackie Young were able to hit more than one field goal attempt. While the team's play may be inconsistent, Wilson continues to be otherworldly in her Herculean efforts; she's averaging nearly 25 points over the last 5 games 10. Washington Mystics (8-10) Last Week: 9 | Upcoming: CHI (7/8), LVA (7/10) When the Washington Mystics are clicking, they can take down any team. The young team beat the Las Vegas Aces off the back of a Sonia Citron master class, but then they dropped back-to-back games. The rookie trio of Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Lucy Olsen looks to be one of the best young cores for the foreseeable future; there just might be some growing pains in the interim. 9. Dallas Wings (6-13) Last Week: 12 | Upcoming: PHX (7/7), CHI (7/9) The Dallas Wings are starting to flock together. Rookie superstar Paige Bueckers was named an All-Star starter and has been playing up to that achievement. Without starters Arike Ogunbowale and Maddy Siegrist in the lineup, Dallas took down the fiery Phoenix Mercury thanks to the hot shooting and deft playmaking skills of the Wings' rookie trio of Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly, who combined for 68 of the team's 98 total points. Li Yueru has also been a major acquisition for the Wings, with the team going 5-2 since she joined the roster. 8. Chicago Sky (5-11) Last Week: 10 | Upcoming: MIN (7/6), WAS (7/8), DAL (7/9) Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Angel Reese, is blossoming this season, becoming the offensive hub for the Chicago Sky to leverage her playmaking skills. The Chi-Town Barbie averaged 19.7 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading the team to a 2-1 record to secure her first-ever Player of the Week Award. 7. Indiana Fever (9-8) Last Week: 7 | Upcoming: LAS (7/5), GSV (7/9), ATL (7/11) The newly crowned Commissioner's Cup Champions showed no signs of a championship hangover. After a massive win against the Minnesota Lynx that netted the team an extra $500,000, the team quickly sobered up from the celebration to take down the Las Vegas Aces. Even with Caitlin Clark once again sidelined, the Fever have been able to count on the virtuoso scoring talent of Kelsey Mitchell and the veteran expertise of Natasha Howard to help stabilize them. 6. NY Liberty (12-5) Last Week: 3 | Upcoming: SEA (7/6), LVA (7/8) The New York Liberty had been in a tough spot without Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fiebich. The reigning champs are 2-4 since the absence of Jones, halting a two-game skid after Fiebich returned from Eurobasket against the Los Angeles Sparks. Though they may still struggle without their leading rebounder, adding another key contributor back into the rotation could help buoy the team. 5. Golden State Valkyries (9-7) Last Week: 5 | Upcoming: MIN (7/5), ATL (7/7), IND (7/9) After a bit of a rocky start, the Valkyries have rounded into form as one of the league's top teams. Golden State has relentless rebounders and hard-nosed defenders at every position. With a smothering defense that turns teams over at a league-leading rate and one of the best fast-break teams, the Valkyries are one of the surprise teams of the season. 4. Atlanta Dream (11-7) Last Week: 4 | Upcoming: GSV (7/7), IND (7/11) Atlanta has firmly placed itself in conversations with the WNBA's elite teams after hiring a new coach and installing a new offensive scheme. With that being said, though, the Dream may have a tough road ahead with Rhyne Howard sidelined by an upper-body injury after the team's victory against the New York Liberty. Howard is a menace on both sides of the ball and one of the primary drivers of the team's success. The Dream is a deep team with plenty of options available to step up, but this will be a good test of their mettle. 3. Seattle Storm (11-7) Last Week: 6 | Upcoming: NYL (7/6), CON (7/9), CON (7/11) Seattle showed their veteran resiliency against the Atlanta Dream, holding off a late-game surge and sealing the win with a Skylar Diggins-Smith bucket. The Storm are one of the best passing teams in the league, always looking to make the right read. Couple those traits with high efficiency and high-impact players like Nneka Ogwumike, and you have one of the most consistent teams in the league. 2. Phoenix Mercury (12-6) Last Week: 1 | Upcoming: DAL (7/7), MIN (7/9) This Mercury squad has been torching teams from the outside, thanks to Alyssa Thomas' MVP-caliber playmaking. At the same time, though, Phoenix has lost two in a row since the loss of sharpshooting rookie Lexi Held to a partially collapsed lung. The squad also suffered an upset loss to a heavily injured Wings team that dominated the boards. 1. Minnesota Lynx (15-2) Last Week: 2 | Upcoming: GSV (7/5), CHI (7/6), PHX (7/9), LAS (7/10) Though the Lynx may have fallen short of securing back-to-back Commissioner's Cup championships, the pack responded with a ferocious victory over the Washington Mystics. The WNBA's scoring leader, Napheesa Collier, was held to just half her scoring average in the championship and returned to form against the Mystics, pouring in 28.
New York Post
02-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
ESPN ripped for awful YouTube blunder before Fever 's Commissioner's Cup win
Oops. A bold pregame graphic from ESPN's YouTube channel turned heads Tuesday night after allegedly teasing a headline that read, 'Lynx dominate Fever,' ahead of the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup Final, as captured on social media. But the script flipped as the Fever convincingly beat the Minnesota Lynx, 74–59, to take home the title. And they did so despite the absence of Caitlin Clark, whose injury-plagued season sidelined her once more. The internet didn't forget, either, as seen in a post from former Big3 sideline reporter Rachel DeMita. 3 The ESPN caption on YouTube. @RADeMita/X 'What tf are you doing ESPN????' she posted to X. The Fever surged in the second half, outscoring the Lynx, 42–25, over the final two quarters. Indiana trailed, 20-12, after the first quarter before outpacing Minnesota, 62-39, for the rest of the contest. Natasha Howard led the way for Indiana with a dominant two-way performance, finishing with 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals to earn Commissioner's Cup MVP honors. 3 Natasha Howard won Commissioner Cup MVP. NBAE via Getty Images Aaliyah Boston, Aari McDonald and Kelsey Mitchell all contributed 12 points each in the win. Boston also added 11 rebounds and six assists. 3 Natasha Howard works around Jessica Shepard of the Minnesota Lynx during the second quarter of the championship game of the 2025 Commissioners Cup at Target Center on July 1, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Getty Images Minnesota, meanwhile, struggled offensively. Napheesa Collier was held to 12 points on 6-for-18 shooting, and the Lynx shot just 34.9 percent as a team. Turnovers (16) and poor transition defense proved costly, as did their 3-point shooting, landing at just 25 percent (4 of 16). Alanna Smith paced the effort with 15 points, and Courtney Williams added 11 but also had six turnovers. The game marked Indiana's first Commissioner's Cup victory in what has otherwise been an uneasy season. The Fever are just 8-8 while dealing with Clark missing seven regular-season games plus Tuesday night's tilt.
