Latest news with #RookieOfTheYear
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Footage of 'snitch' WNBA star trying to get Caitlin Clark in trouble goes viral
Caitlin Clark was the center of attention once again during Indiana Fever's game against Seattle Sparks - despite only being a spectator on the night. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year was ruled out of the fixture after suffering a groin injury and was forced to watch on as the Sparks ran out 85-75 winners. It was the sixth game that Clark has been forced to miss during the season as questions over her availability for the Fever continue to crop up. While she wasn't able to make an impact on the court, she did step foot on it - much to the frustrations of Sparks star Kelsey Plum. Fan footage from the game has since gone viral as eagle-eyed supporters noticed the moment Plum alerted officials to the fact Clark had stepped onto the court. Plum could be seen pointing towards Clark and calling for the referee to dish out a technical foul to the injured Fever star. kelsey plum telling caitlin that she has to sit her ass down 😭😭 — winn (@caitsversionn) June 26, 2025 Clark - who stood with her arms spread wide in a gesture that signified her confusion at Plum's pleas - was not punished by the officials for the incident. It appeared that it was, in fact, a light-hearted interaction between the two WNBA star given that, afterwards, both stars were seen smiling. Responding to the viral video, one fan wrote: 'Kelsey and CC are always giving each other a hard time'. 'She was being a snitch', another wrote as they took aim at Plum for her actions. However, another user then said: 'What's sad is many won't understand that this was a joke'. Indiana Fever star Clark has dominated the WNBA since being drafted into the league last year, however has endured some hardship in recent weeks. The 23-year-old had her worst game of the season on Tuesday against the Seattle Storm, scoring just six points on 3 of 13 shooting with eight turnovers.
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Worrying stat that shows why Caitlin Clark's WNBA career may be at risk
A worrying stat regarding Caitlin Clark and her availability on the court has come to light - just one week after she was slammed to the floor in a scuffle. Indiana Fever star Clark has dominated the WNBA since being drafted last year however has endured some hardship in recent weeks. The 23-year-old had her worst game of the season on Tuesday against the Seattle Storm, scoring just six points on 3 of 13 shooting with eight turnovers. And while she's scoring just a point less (18.2 per contest) than her rookie year, Clark's efficiency has plunged in her first nine games this season. Now, a worrying statistic has emerged and it could spell disaster for Indiana Fever as the season continues. The stat references the fact that Clark has already missed six games this season. In comparison, she did not miss a single game across four years at Iowa. Out of the Fever's 15 games thus far - where they have won seven and lost eight - Clark has only been able to feature nine times. The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year missed five games earlier this season due to a quad issue, and has struggled badly from the field at times since returning earlier this month. Clark was then ruled out of the Fever's Thursday night matchup against the Sparks with a left groin injury. Meanwhile, her three-point percentage has fallen to 29.5 percent from 34.4 percent, while her two-point field goal percentage has also fallen from 53.3 percent to 50.8 percent. Clark's continued injury struggles could perhaps be related to the numerous on-court scuffles she has found herself in throughout the season. Last week, Clark was caught in shocking on-court altercations against the Connecticut Sun as she was targeted by rivals Jacy Sheldon and Marina Mabrey. Sheldon and Clark primarily guarded each other during the WNBA Commissioner's Cup clash between the Indiana Fever and the Sun, with the former Iowa star first taking issue with Sheldon's aggressiveness in the second quarter. Sheldon's teammate, Mabrey, quickly stepped in and gave a little shove to Clark as she walked away from the confrontation. No technical fouls were called on that exchange. However, the explosive game escalated to a shocking level in the second half when Sheldon appeared to jab Clark in the eye. In defense, the Fever star retaliated by giving shield a nudge away from her only for Mabrey stepped in again, this time, slamming Clark to the ground. During last month's opening-weekend showpiece game for the league, Clark was involved in another on-court confrontation with arch rival and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese. Reese had to be restrained after Clark knocked her down and caused her to spill the ball moments after she grabbed an offensive rebound near the end of the third quarter. As tempers hit boiling point, Clark turned her back and walked away as players from both teams got between the two to stop things spilling over. Reese then walked to the side of the court where a Sky official stepped in front of her to try and get her to cool her temper.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Paige Bueckers' Big Statement Surfaces Before Indiana Fever Game
Paige Bueckers' Big Statement Surfaces Before Indiana Fever Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings still remain at the bottom of the WNBA's Western Conference standings despite winning three of their last four games. Advertisement On Friday, Bueckers and the Wings will look to make it two straight when they host the Indiana Fever. Caitlin Clark has notably been listed as out for Indiana's game on Thursday night, leaving her status for Friday up in the air. Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft out of UConn, has become the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Through 12 games, she is averaging a team-high 17.7 points on 45.7% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists. But Bueckers' skills development coach Reid Ouse knows Bueckers is hungry for more. Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5)Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images In a recent interview with Myah Taylor of The Dallas Morning News, Ouse recalled a workout with Bueckers where she became frustrated while learning a new concept. He then shared a statement Bueckers made during that session, revealing one of her major basketball goals. Advertisement 'And you're in the gym pissed off,' Ouse said. 'What drives you? She looked down at the floor. She looked back up at the ceiling. Then she looked straight forward and looked me dead in the eyes and said, 'I want to be the greatest women's basketball player of all time.'' Ouse also credited Bueckers for not playing like Clark at UConn. 'If she needed to play more of a Caitlin Clark style … she could have done that at UConn," he added. "But she didn't need to. That just shows the type of player and person that she is.' Bueckers and the Wings will take on the Fever on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, eyeing their fifth win of the season. Advertisement Related: Brittney Griner's Wife Sends Two-Word Message to DeWanna Bonner After Leaving Fever This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 26, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year odds: Can anyone challenge Cooper Flagg?
The first round of the NBA Draft went mostly according to script early on, with Cooper Flagg getting drafted first by Dallas and Dylan Harper going second to San Antonio. The odds for NBA Rookie of the Year were already out before the draft, and the lack of major surprises in the first few picks meant the odds didn't shift much once the players got assigned to their teams. Flagg is, of course, the clear favorite to win the award. Advertisement Flagg is -225 to win Rookie of the Year on BetMGM, showing just how obvious of a pick he appears to be at this time. The ranking of the remaining players is more interesting. The top contenders to jump Flagg are not listed in draft position order. Sixth pick Tre Johnson is second in the odds at +700. Johnson steps into a Washington Wizards team where playing time and shots should, in theory, be available. He shot 39.7 percent from 3-point range in his one college season at Texas, so it's reasonable to think Johnson's game could translate into immediate production. Ace Bailey, who went fifth to the Utah Jazz, steps into a similar situation. Bailey was a polarizing prospect, with projections ranging from third to outside the top 10, but the fact that he goes to Utah and has a game built around volume-shooting gives him a reasonable chance to put up the counting numbers needed to contend for Rookie of the Year. Bailey is third in the odds at +800. Bailey's Rutgers teammate Harper went second but is fourth in the odds list. Harper joins a Spurs team that has more established players and realistic playoff ambitions for the coming season. A roster with Victor Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox, Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle won't be as easy to break into for significant minutes or shots, even for a player of Harper's talent. The Spurs are home to the last two Rookie of the Year winners in Wembanyama and Castle. Harper could make it three in a row for San Antonio, which would be an NBA first. While no team has ever had three straight Rookie of the Year winners, San Antonio's consecutive winners made it six times the same team has had a player win the award two years in a row. After those top four, there's a big dropoff. VJ Edgecombe (third pick to Philadelphia) and Kon Knueppel (fourth pick to Charlotte) are both +2500. It's clear that Flagg is expected to win this award. It was obvious he was going to be the first pick for many months. Top picks don't always win Rookie of the Year, but Flagg is not your ordinary No. 1 pick. Wembanyama, another locked-in No. 1 well before the draft, won it, and fellow first pick Paolo Banchero did the year before. However, those were the only two out of the last seven Rookie of the Year winners. Since 2001, nine No. 1 overall picks have won Rookie of the Year. Betting/odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication. (Photo of Cooper Flagg: Bryan Bedder / Getty Images for Dave & Busters)
Fox News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
MLB rookie credits popular video game for early success
Athletics' rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson has taken the big leagues by storm. Wilson, 23, has a .347 batting average and nine home runs in 76 games this season. The shortstop's batting average is second in MLB behind New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge (.361) and has the second lowest strikeout-rate in baseball at 6.8%. The rising star said he believes that one of the key factors to his success is the video game, Fortnite. "Kids are going to love this one. Parents are going to hate me. I am a big believer in video games," Wilson told ESPN. "It's fast decision-making strategy. I think that gets me ready for the game, because when you're in the box, you have to process a lot." Wilson credits the video game for helping him train his decision-making. "There's some days where I'll wake up, and I'll play video games, and then I'll go to the field, and I'll have a good day. Some days I won't play and don't see the ball well. I think it really helps me train kind of the decision-making that I have to make six, seven hours later at the baseball field," Wilson said. The Athletics shortstop is currently the favorite to win American League Rookie of the Year with his strong play. With the help of Fortnite, Wilson's play might land him in the All-Star game next month in Atlanta. While Wilson might attribute some of his success to Fortnite, a lot of his success in the big leagues comes from an abundance of talent. Jacob is the son of Jack Wilson, who spent 12 seasons in Major League Baseball and made the NL All-Star team in 2004 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jack said he thinks video games can help with hand-eye coordination. "I do believe in the hand-eye coordination that video games give -- as long as you do your homework," Jack told ESPN. "Kids, if you're reading, do your homework." Jacob will look to continue his strong season when the Athletics (33-49) play the Detroit Tigers (50-31) on Thursday at 1:10 p.m. ET. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
