David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 17

The WNBA has hit record popularity among fans, coinciding with the ushering in of young, rising stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, players whose popularity surged while they were still in college. This past WNBA All-Star Weekend drew record levels of viewership. For Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts, someone […]

The Los Angeles Sparks’ 2025 season came to an end on Thursday following their 98-68 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. The Sparks had already been eliminated from playoff contention after the Seattle Storm’s dramatic win against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday. But as the Sparks prepared for their offseason to begin, there were […]

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese sent ripples through the WNBA world recently with her comments regarding her current Sky teammates. As a result, the Sky benched Reese for only the first half of their Sept. 7 game against the Las Vegas Aces. While there has been much debate as to whether or not Angel Reese […]

Looking to get back to championship contender status, the Denver Nuggets have had a strong offseason. The Nuggets made several moves to add impact players to their roster including the trades for Jonas Valanciunas and Cam Johnson and the free agent signings of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. The Nuggets made a late offseason […]

The Los Angeles Sparks were officially eliminated from making the WNBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. While the Sparks took care of business on their end, defeating the Phoenix Mercury, 88-83, they needed a Seattle Storm loss to keep their hopes alive. Unfortunately for them, the Storm defeated the Golden State Valkyries to clinch the final […]

Following the Atlanta Dream’s 88-72 win against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday, the Dream moved into the No. 2 seed in the WNBA standings. That can change if the Las Vegas Aces close out the season with a win on Thursday, but whether it’s No. 2 or No. 3, it’s been a successful year for […]

The Connecticut Sun’s 2025 season came to end on Wednesday following their 88-72 loss to the Atlanta Dream. While the Sun had already been eliminated from playoff contention quite some time ago, Wednesday’s game was the final game on their schedule. It ended up being a historic night for Sun veteran forward Tina Charles who […]

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is one of a handful of NBA stars who took to the court in recent weeks with their national teams while competing at EuroBasket. Unfortunately for Luka Doncic, his EuroBasket run came to an end on Wednesday as Slovenia was eliminated by Germany, 99-91. Following Slovenia’s EuroBasket elimination by […]

The Indiana Fever suffered a major blow last week when star guard Caitlin Clark announced she would miss the rest of the season due to injury. Clark dealt with multiple injury issues during her second season in the WNBA, and Fever head coach Stephanie White remarked that the team ran out of time to get […]

The 2024-25 season was the first year for the UCLA Bruins in the Big Ten Conference after being one of the main stalwarts in the old Pac-12. The Bruins were actually fairly successful in their first season in a new conference, compiling a record of 13-7. Last season was also the sixth season since Mick […]

The race for the final playoff spot in the WNBA came down to the last few days of the regular season, with the Seattle Storm clinching the eighth and final seed following their 74-73 win against the Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday night. Helping lead the way for the Storm was veteran guard Erica Wheeler […]

The Indiana Fever have had unfortunate luck this season when it comes to injuries. They have five players out for the rest of the season, including star guard Caitlin Clark. To help mitigate the injuries, the Fever have signed multiple players to hardship contracts, including veteran guard Shey Peddy. Shey Peddy was a on a […]

RThe Indiana Fever have pulled off an incredible feat, clinching a playoff berth with five players out for the remainder of the season due to injury, including star guard Caitlin Clark. Even with a decimated roster, the Fever are a force to be reckoned with as the Minnesota Lynx were finding out on Tuesday. The […]

During the quarterfinals of EuroBasket this week, Greece punched their ticket to a semifinal matchup against Turkey after defeating Denver Nuggets big man Jonas Valanciunas and Lithuania. Jonas Valanciunas led the way for Lithuania in the loss with 24 points and 15 rebounds, and after the game he spoke about the EuroBasket matchup and how […]

A handful of top NBA stars such as Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are currently playing at EuroBasket with their respective national teams. Houston Rockets rising star Alperen Sengun is participating at EuroBasket with Turkey, and he recently put up a triple double against Poland to lead Turkey to the semifinals. Alperen Sengun’s […]

The Las Vegas Aces have been the hottest team in the WNBA right now as they are currently on a 14-game win streak. The Aces are looking to extend that streak to 14 games on Tuesday as they square off against the Chicago Sky, and that game will also mark the season debut of veteran […]

The WNBA can be a major eye-opener for rookies. Many of them go from being one of, if not the top option, on their college teams, to scrapping for minutes at the end of the bench. For Los Angeles Sparks rookie Sania Feagin, it’s been a season of learning. Sania Feagin went from being a […]

The Los Angeles Sparks’ chances at making the playoffs are hanging by a thread. The Sparks are one and a half games behind the Seattle Storm for the eighth and final playoff spot. While they will need help in the form of the Storm losing on Tuesday against the Golden State Valkyries, the Sparks can […]

LOS ANGELES – The last time the Dallas Wings visited Crypto.com Arena, Paige Bueckers eviscerated the Los Angeles Sparks’ defense tying a WNBA rookie record in points with 44. Prior to the Sparks’ game against the Wings on Sunday, head coach Lynne Roberts vowed that things would be different this time around. Paige Bueckers fell […]

LOS ANGELES – In a must-win game to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Los Angeles Sparks emerged victorious, 91-77, against the Dallas Wings on Sunday. Helping lead the way for the Sparks was Julie Allemand who reached a new career-high in scoring in the process. Allemand has been an important player for the Sparks […]

LOS ANGELES – With the 2025 WNBA regular season entering its final week, the Los Angeles Sparks’ chances at making the playoffs are hanging on by a thread. The Sparks need to win all three of their final games while getting help from the Seattle Storm. Following the Indiana Fever’s win on Sunday, the Storm […]

With plenty of big names being enshrined into the 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame this Saturday, Carmelo Anthony’s speech is already shaping up to be one of the best of the weekend. Carmelo Anthony delivered a powerful ode to basketball during his speech, and he also paid tribute to his late father who passed away […]

Among the big names selected to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend was former NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony. Even without any NBA championship rings, Anthony’s resume is as good as anyone else’s. One of the most gifted scorers the game has ever seen, Anthony delivered a powerful message during his Hall […]

One of the most publicized beefs in the NBA the past several years was between Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neal and Dwight Howard. That beef has since been squashed ahead of Dwight Howard’s Hall of Fame induction, with Shaq finally giving the former Orlando Magic big man his flowers. While Shaq claimed that there never was a […]

The 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony is a big one for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Wade was inducted into the Hall back in 2023, and James will join him shortly after he retires. But both players were in attendance this weekend as the 2008 Team USA gold medal squad, dubbed the ‘Redeem Team,’ […]

The beef between Shaquille ‘Shaq’ O’Neal and Dwight Howard is officially over. The beef has been over for quite some time now, but it was made official prior to Dwight Howard being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s a well deserved honor for one of the best big men to play in the […]

The Indiana Fever have been hit hard this season with injury issues, including the recent devastating news that star guard Caitlin Clark would be out for the remainder of the season. It was a double whammy for the Fever this week as backup guard Chloe Bibby was lost for the year as well. To help […]

In a today’s day and age where flash and flair and high octane scoring has become commonplace, Los Angeles Sparks forward Dearica Hamby stands opposite. Hamby is a walking double-double, on most nights sleepwalking to double figures in points and rebounds, and doing so a quiet, fundamental way. She’s taken the lead in that aspect […]

The Indiana Fever suffered a major blow this week when it was announced that star guard Caitlin Clark would miss the remainder of the season due to injury. The Fever are in the midst of a heated playoff race alongside the Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks, and it’s sure to be an uphill climb […]

LOS ANGELES – While the Los Angeles Sparks have not yet been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they face an uphill climb down the stretch of the regular season. The Sparks kept their postseason hopes alive on Sunday following their 81-78 win against the Washington Mystics, and with the second game of a back-to-back looming […]

The Indiana Fever have been hit hard by injury issues this season, including a major blow with star guard Caitlin Clark. While three players in Sophie Cunningham, Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson are out of the year, Clark’s status is a little more uncertain. She’s currently dealing with a groin injury as well as a […]

The 2004-05 Illinois Fighting Illini team is arguably the greatest team in program history. With Bruce Weber as head coach and stars such as Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head, that Illinois team made it to the national championship game before falling to North Carolina, 75-70. Although that Fighting Illini team did not win […]

It’s been a trying year for the Connecticut Sun as they entered the first season of a rebuild. But as the regular season winds down, the Sun’s young core has shown some promise. But the Sun were dealt a tough blow this week when it was revealed that veteran guard Bria Hartley had suffered a […]

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic is currently playing for his home country of Slovenia at EuroBasket, and his team find themselves in a precarious situation. Slovenia is currently 0-2 with three games remaining before the next phase of the tournament. Following the most recent loss for Slovenia at EuroBasket, Luka Doncic laid out what […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks’ quest to make the WNBA Playoffs suffered a crushing blow on Friday following their 76-75 loss to the Indiana Fever. The loss dropped the Sparks to 17-20 and put them two games back of the eighth seed with only seven games remaining. Following the loss, Sparks forward Dearica […]

During the Indiana Pacers’ run to the NBA Finals during the 2024-25 season, one of the team’s unsung hero’s was backup point guard TJ McConnell. McConnell was one of the Pacers’ most consistent players throughout the postseason, and he tried his best to lead a comeback during Game 7 of the Finals against the Oklahoma […]

LOS ANGELES – Just before Los Angeles Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts’ pregame press conference on Friday, she had been meeting with her staff talking about potential reasons for the uptick in injuries this WNBA season. The Sparks have been relatively healthy since Cameron Brink returned to the lineup on July 29. Since then, Friday’s […]

Expansion is set to hit the WNBA over the next few years, but making a roster is currently tough. With only 12 roster spots available among 13 current teams, it’s not uncommon to see draft picks, first-rounders even, struggling to make a team’s final roster. Plenty of talented college basketball players often find themselves on […]

LOS ANGELES – After nearly a week off since their last game, the Los Angeles Sparks were back on the court on Tuesday night against the visiting Phoenix Mercury. The Sparks couldn’t put together a win streak as they fell to the Mercury, 92-84, in a game that was physical from the opening tip. Following […]