Latest news with #RookieoftheYear
USA Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Watch: Cooper Flagg attends Dallas Wings WNBA game, praises Caitlin Clark
Cooper Flagg is a fan of hoops. Just two days after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday, June 25, Flagg has already made himself part of the Dallas community. The former Duke Blue Devil star was in attendance for the WNBA matchup between the Dallas Wings and Indiana Fever at American Airlines Center on June 27. FEVER VS. WINGS: Indiana battles Paige Bueckers, Dallas without Caitlin Clark "Honestly, it means a lot to me, seeing how far they have come, and I am going to continue to watch," Flagg said in an interview during the game. "I am a big fan, so it's really cool to just be here and be in this environment and get to watch a great game." Cooper Flagg, the 2025 No. 1 overall @NBA Draft pick, is in the building supporting the home team in Dallas 👏IND-DAL | ION Cooper Flagg praised Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson The matchup had plenty of star power with Wings star Paige Bueckers set to go up against Fever star Caitlin Clark. However, Clark missed the matchup due to a left groin injury. But when asked about Clark during an interview, Flagg had high praise for the defending Rookie of the Year and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, placing her in the Mt. Rushmore for the WNBA. "She's changed the game so much, and it's heading in the right direction," Flagg said of Clark. "And I just love what she's been able to do. Caitlin Clark is not playing today, but earlier today Cooper Flagg said she is in his WNBA Mt. Rushmore.'She's changed the game so much, and it's heading in the right direction. And I just love what she's been able to do.' Despite praising Clark, Flagg said his favorite WNBA player is A'ja Wilson, the Las Vegas Aces star and three-time and reigning WNBA MVP
USA Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star out vs. Wings, misses second straight game
Editor's note: USA TODAY Sports will have live coverage of the game between the Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings. Click here to follow all the action. Caitlin Clark continues to battle the injury bug. Clark, the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year, was ruled out of the Indiana Fever's game against the Dallas Wings on Friday, June 27, due to a left groin injury. It marks Clark's second consecutive game missed with a groin injury and her seventh missed game of the season after a quad injury sidelined her for five games earlier this month. The Fever (7-8) currently sit in ninth place in the WNBA standings heading into Friday's road matchup against the Wings, which marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Fever. Indiana has gone 2-4 without Clark. Head coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark's groin injury late Wednesday night. She said Clark remains "day-to-day," adding Clark's availability depends on "her rehab, therapy and strength training." "She's tough and a quick healer, so we'll see," White added on Thursday. The Fever are looking to bounce back from a loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday, June 27. Indiana had a 10-point lead over Los Angeles with 9:26 remaining in the contest, but the Fever had a fourth-quarter meltdown and were outscored 35-17 in the final period. The Sparks went on to win 85-75 to move to 5-11 on the season. "With the injuries particularly, you can't maintain a consistent rotation," White said following the loss to the Sparks. "When you have a such a ball dominant player like Caitlin, who makes everyones job a lot easier, out of the game, then you've got to find ways to try to position them to get some easy ones. ... We don't run quite as much with Caitlin off the floor, but we still need to." Clark suffered a quad injury during the Fever's 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24. Clark returned to the Fever's lineup on June 14 in the Fever's 102-88 win over the Liberty after missing five games, which officially ended her longest stretch of missed due to injury in her collegiate or WNBA career. She dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe's emotional ‘no electricity' revelation during draft reaction
The post 76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe's emotional 'no electricity' revelation during draft reaction appeared first on ClutchPoints. The NBA Draft is always an emotional night, but few had more tear-jerking thoughts in 2025 than Philadelphia 76ers selection VJ Edgecombe. Advertisement After getting taken at No. 3 overall, Edgecombe could hardly contain his emotions while thanking his mother and reflecting on his journey. The former Baylor guard revealed how much his mother sacrificed to get him to his goal, saying his family had 'no electricity' for the majority of his childhood. 'She worked too hard, man, she worked too hard,' Edgecombe said. 'Especially for me, my brothers, my little sisters and my little brother. I just want to return the favor for her… Man, those long nights. I lived off a generator. I had no electricity; I lived off a generator for seven years. Seeing what she had to go through to feed us, man, it's crazy.' Edgecombe was born and raised in the Bahamas before moving to Florida in high school to advance his basketball career. He spent his prep years playing for two different schools — Victory International Institute and Long Island Lutheran High School — before committing to Baylor as a five-star prospect. Advertisement Edgecombe joins the 76ers after averaging 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game in his lone season at Baylor. The athletic guard figures to slot into Philadelphia's backcourt rotation with Kyle Lowry, Quentin Grimes and Kelly Oubre Jr. hitting free agency. VJ Edgecombe joins 76ers' intriguing backcourt rotation Bill Streicher-Imagn Images As the 76ers' newest member, Edgecombe provides a unique skill set for a struggling team in transition. The 19-year-old forms an intriguing tandem with 2024 first-round pick Jared McCain, who projects to return from a torn meniscus in 2025-2026. Edgecombe and McCain give the team a lot of optimism for the future. Before going down, McCain was the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award, posting stellar averages of 15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 38.3 percent from deep. Advertisement While the team boasts a promising core of young talent, Joel Embiid's status remains up in the air. The team provided an ominous update on the former MVP's injury status ahead of the draft, offering no answers. Embiid, who appeared in just 19 games in 2024-2025, continues to be one of the biggest wild cards of the league. Related: Live 2025 NBA Draft grades for every 1st-round pick, trade Related: 76ers rumors: Joel Embiid injury concerns spark Khaman Maluach draft speculation
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The unique way Dylan Harper can meet high expectations with Spurs
The post The unique way Dylan Harper can meet high expectations with Spurs appeared first on ClutchPoints. As the second overall selection of the NBA Draft, Dylan Harper joins a San Antonio Spurs team that boasts the last two Rookie of the Year winners. Advertisement The pressure is on, yes, it is, but not in the way you might think. For several reasons, the odds are against Harper netting the Spurs another ROY winner. What would determine whether Harper meets high expectations is what the Silver and Black do in his first year. It'll be tough for Dylan Harper to win Rookie of the Year No NBA team has ever featured three consecutive ROY winners. Last season, the Spurs became the third team in league history to draft and keep back-to-back Rookies of the Year when Stephon Castle captured the trophy off the heels of Victor Wembanyama's historic campaign. They matched Minnesota Timberwolves rookies Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns in 2014-2015 and Buffalo Braves teammates Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio in 1972-73. A Harper Rookie of the Year win would prove unprecedented. Advertisement Regarding the ROY race, though, more important is the presence of Cooper Flagg. If Harper was the second-best prospect in this draft – and he was – then Flagg was the top prospect in the field. He's the odds-on favorite to win the award. Specifically, Flagg will be aided by the reality that he'll have a chance to put up big numbers. Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving will miss much, if not most, of next season, and Anthony Davis is injury-prone, so the former Duke Blue Devil is going to have the ball in his hands plenty. Conversely, Harper joins a team that features veteran ball-handler De'Aaron Fox, a generational superstar in Wembanyama, and the reigning Rookie of the Year in Castle. © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Dylan Harper's true measure of meeting Spurs expectations Because Harper joins two players who've made All-Star games – Wemanayama this past season, Fox in 2023 – and the most recent ROY, the Spurs fully expect to contend for a postseason spot. They were in contention last year until Wemby went out with an injury. After winning 22 games the season before, San Antonio improved by 12 wins, despite missing not only Wemabanyana since February, but Fox as well for the final month. Advertisement The Spurs spent the weeks prior to the draft somewhat engaged in talks to acquire future Hall-of-Famer Kevin Durant. Reports indicate the Phoenix Suns wanted either the second overall pick or Castle in a trade for KD. From the start of any negotiations, the Spurs made both off-limits. Stands to reason for Castle because of what he just did in his first taste of the NBA. That Harper was untouchable tells you what GM Brian Wright and company think of the former Rutgers Scarlett Knight. If Harper plays a big role in helping the Spurs improve by another 12 wins or so and into the playoffs, he'd put the franchise ahead of schedule. If Durant was supposed to mean 'win now,' the 19-year-old from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, was supposed to represent the future. If Harper checks both boxes, he would've accomplished far more than any personal hardware. Related: Why Spurs strike NBA Draft gold again with Carter Bryant Related: Victor Wembanyama calls Dylan Harper after Spurs' No. 2 pick
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nick Wright blasts Mavericks' Nico Harrison for ‘bold' Cooper Flagg comment
The post Nick Wright blasts Mavericks' Nico Harrison for 'bold' Cooper Flagg comment appeared first on ClutchPoints. Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison has been through a lot in the last year. He set the NBA world on fire when the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers back in February. With fans chanting that they wanted him fired, Harrison weathered the storm and was gifted the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft at the lottery. Advertisement Dallas selected Cooper Flagg to kick off the NBA Draft on Wednesday night. Despite the night being about the Mavericks' newest rookie star, Harrison made some comments that angered fans. 'Fortune favors the bold,' Harrison said about the Mavericks. 'So exciting things fell our way.' Fox Sports' Nick Wright sounded off on Harrison's comments on Thursday's episode of the What's Wright? podcast. 'Nico said 'fortune favors the bold' and on behalf of all Mavs fans everywhere, I wanted to break a TV,' Wright said. 'You do not get to trade Luka, hold a press conference saying 'We did this for this year because we think we are better right now to win a championship this year or next year' and then end up bad enough that you're in the lottery and fall a** backwards into the No. 1 pick and then be like 'All part of the plan!'' Advertisement Wright was not the only person upset that the Mavericks had the first pick in the draft. As NBA commissioner Adam Silver walked onto the stage to announce the first pick, one Dallas fan stood up and accused him of rigging the lottery. Whether the NBA bent the rules for the Mavericks or not, Doncic is now a Laker and Dallas has Flagg. However, Wright and other Mavericks fans are not ready to let Harrison off the hook. Fans made a big deal about the draft lottery when Dallas jumped up to No. 1. Flagg could be the saving grace for Harrison if he helps the Mavericks win immediately. If it turns out that he needs more time, the pressure on Dallas' general manager will only increase. For now, though, Harrison is happy with how the draft went. It won't be until at least February until the Mavericks can know how good their roster truly is. Advertisement In the interim, fans will get to see Flagg navigate through his rookie season alongside Anthony Davis and Co. However, Dallas will always miss Doncic and think about what could have been. Related: Cooper Flagg's Mavericks fit draws 'lucky' Draymond Green admission Related: Mavericks' Cooper Flagg unsurprising Rookie of the Year favorite after 2025 NBA Draft
