David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 18

Following the free agent signings of Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia, the Los Angeles Lakers seemingly had another roster move to make. With the departure of Dorian Finney-Smith, the Lakers were in need of a consistent 3&D player. While LaRavia expressed interest in filling that role during his introductory press conference, it appears the Lakers […]

IINDIANAPOLIS – WNBA All-Star Friday Night ended up being a New York Liberty night as they swept the evening’s events with Sabrina Ionescu winning the 3-Point Contest and Natasha Cloud winning the Skills Challenge. It was the second time she’s won the contest and she tied for the second-highest score with 30, as per Alexa […]

INDIANAPOLIS – The WNBA sent out shockwaves earlier this month when it was revealed that Philadelphia would be the recipient of a new WNBA expansion team by 2030. The reveal came on the heels of previously announced teams, but plans to add teams in Philadelphia and Detroit had not yet been made public. Over WNBA […]

INDIANAPOLIS – With the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game being held in Indianapolis, it was a chance for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark to show out in front of the home crowd. And she was set to do so, having been one of the top-two vote getters for the All-Star Game and also being selected for […]

The Las Vegas Aces have been anything but consistent this season, but the one constant has been the incredible play of All-Star A’ja Wilson. The Aces got a big win against the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, 90-86, and A’ja Wilson continued to put herself in the WNBA record books with an eye-opening stat line. Against […]

While rumors of the Phoenix Suns looking to trade Bradley Beal go back to last season’s trade deadline, one of the major obstacles preventing that was Beal possessed a no-trade clause in his contract. In fact, he was one of only two active players alongside Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James that had a no-trade […]

Since 2021, Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally has made the WNBA All-Star Game in every other season. 2021 was her first All-Star appearance, 2023 was her next selection, and this year on the back of an incredible first season with the Mercury, Sabally was named as a starter to the midseason showcase. However, Satou Sabally […]

The Indiana Fever fan base held their collective breaths on Tuesday night when star guard Caitlin Clark appeared to reaggravate the groin injury she’s been dealing with in recent weeks. Clark was ruled out for the team’s game against the New York Liberty on Wednesday. With Clark’s status moving forward uncertain, one player the Fever […]

Last season, Yuki Kawamura may have only been on a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, but he immediately became a fan favorite. The Grizzlies opted to renounce Yuki Kawamura’s rights this offseason, and he’s latched on with the Chicago Bulls during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Following a recent Bulls’ game at NBA […]

It’s been an offseason of major change for the Phoenix Suns. The team broke up their ‘Big 3’ first by trading Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, and then agreeing to a buyout with Bradley Beal who will sign with the LA Clippers. But one reason Suns fans should be encouraged by the future is […]

LOS ANGELES – It’s been a tough and inconsistent first half of the WNBA season for the Los Angeles Sparks. But following the team’s 99-80 win against the Washington Mystics, the Sparks tied last season’s win total of eight games. With the Sparks on pace to surpass last season’s win total following the WNBA All-Star […]

Arguably the leading candidate of the MVP awardleading candidate of the MVP award as the 2025 WNBA season reaches the halfway point is Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier whose scoring feats have been well-documented this season. During the Lynx’s game against the Chicago Sky on Monday, Collier reached a major season milestone as the Lynx […]

When it comes to the top point guards in the NBA, one name that probably doesn’t get a lot of traction is Charlotte Hornets star LaMelo Ball. Numbers-wise, Ball has been on par with the best guards in the league, there’s only been a couple of problems. One, the Hornets have not had much regular […]

The Los Angeles Lakers played a total of three games at the California Classic earlier this month, and have played two games so far at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Through those five games, there have been plenty of reactions from fans on social media. Simply but, NBA Summer League isn’t always the best […]

During the first week of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, one of the top human highlight reels has been Chicago Bulls’ second-year wing Matas Buzelis and his dazzling dunks. Over the weekend, Matas Buzelis threw down a smooth slam after shooting out on the break during one of the Bulls’ early summer league games. […]

LOS ANGELES – Following a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Lynx earlier this week, the Los Angeles Sparks got back in the win column with a 92-88 win over the Connecticut Sun on Saturday. Coming into the game, the Sparks were a little short-handed after the team’s decision to cut veteran center Mercedes Russelldecision to […]

LOS ANGELES – The WNBA has a long-time tradition of hosting what they call ‘Camp Days,’ during which teams host early afternoon games filled with various kids’ summer camps. Every team in the league hosts a Camp Day each season, and for the Los Angeles Sparks, that day fell on July 10. The Sparks’ Camp […]

With the midway point of the 2025 WNBA regular season approaching, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Los Angeles Sparks is when Cameron Brink will return from injury and rejoin the team’s lineup. Brink suffered a season-ending ACL injury during her rookie year and has not yet been cleared to play. The No. 2 […]

The main problem with the Los Angeles Sparks during the 2025 season has been trying to find consistency. The Sparks have had numerous games where they put forth a strong effort for three quarters, but are unable to sustain that play for a full 48 minutes. The Sparks made a roster move recently to bring […]

When the Los Angeles Lakers took the court for their second game in Las Vegas during NBA Summer League, there was one face noticeably absent in second-year wing Dalton Knecht. Knecht suffered a calf cramp during the team’s first summer league game in Vegas, but that wasn’t the main reason why he did not play […]

One of the biggest potential storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers next season is the future of LeBron James. The 40-year-old is about to enter a record 23rd season in the NBA, and James recently opted in to his contract for next season, bypassing potential free agency and contract extension with the Lakers. That decision […]

With the NBA free agency period and the offseason long underway, the Golden State Warriors are the one team in the league that has yet to make any roster additions via free agency or trade. The lone move involving the Warriors so far has been Kevon Looney’s departure to the New Orleans Pelicans in free […]

The No. 1 headliner at NBA Summer League this year has been the top overall pick in Dallas Mavericks rookie forward Cooper Flagg. After shaking off a so-so summer league debut by his standards, Cooper Flagg bounced back in his second summer league game for the Mavericks, including a nifty and-one that looked like shades of […]

The Las Vegas Aces came into their Saturday matchup against the Golden State Valkyries needing a win to keep pace in the WNBA standings. They got the win, 104-102, and Aces star A’ja Wilson reached a WNBA milestone in scoring in the process. The WNBA milestone that A’ja Wilson reached was moving into the top […]

Dallas Mavericks No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg has been generating headlines for his early play at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but while he was there, he found out a little bit of important information regarding a popular video game. During a meeting with Ronnie 2K of NBA 2K fame, Cooper Flagg found […]

Friday was only the second day of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, but there were already a few highlight worthy plays including a smooth windmill dunk from Matas Buzelis of the Chicago Bulls. The highlight reel plays continued at summer league with Washington Wizards rookie point guard Tre Johnson trying to get his own […]

Over the past couple of seasons, the Chicago Bulls have been a team that can’t quite seem to pick a direction in terms of whether they want to tank or make the playoffs. They’ve been a team stuck in the play-in. But the Bulls have some intriguing young players on the team such as Matas […]

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the 2025 NBA Draft was the rise of former Duke commit Cedric Coward into a lottery pick. Coward was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and then traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. Before the draft though, Coward had committed to […]

The Atlanta Dream had a big game against the Indiana Fever on Friday, and they got a bit of a scare before halftime. Early in the second quarter of the Dream’s game against the Fever, All-Star guard Rhyne Howard was carried off the court and to the locker room following an apparent injury. However, Howard […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have had success in recent seasons signing undrafted players to two-way contracts and  developing them into solid NBA rotation players. Two of the team’s most notable undrafted two-way players are Austin Reaves and Alex Caruso. Caruso has become a championship role player while Reaves is on the verge of borderline All-Star […]

LOS ANGELES – One team’s loss is another team’s gain, and that certainly was the case for the Los Angeles Sparks this past week. Following the Golden State Valkyries’ controversial release of Julie Vanloo, the Sparks immediately jumped in, signing the Belgian guard to a contract for the rest of the season. The Sparks initially […]

The Atlanta Hawks have had a busy offseason so far, with one of their biggest moves being the trade with the Boston Celtics to bring in Kristaps Porzingis. The Hawks also had a couple of impact free agency moves with the signings of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. The Hawks latest roster move came on […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will take the court for their opening game in Las Vegas for NBA Summer League on Thursday in a hyped-up matchup against No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks. The team finished 2-1 at the California Classic this past week, and as the Lakers summer league entry prepares for […]

The Milwaukee Bucks’ decision to waive Damian Lillard sent shockwaves through the NBA world. The Bucks then followed that up with an equally shocking free agency move to agree to terms with longtime Indiana Pacer big man Myles Turner. The Bucks were able to use their newly acquired cap space from waiving Lillard to agree […]

The opening of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas was set to start with a bang with a highly anticipated matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. The game was being billed as a matchup between Bronny James and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg. And as soon as the game began, Bronny James […]

The New Orleans Pelicans ensured that one of their top players remains in a Pelicans jersey for the next several years after coming to an agreement on a contract extension with Herb Jones during the onset of NBA Summer League. Herb Jones’ contract extension with the Pelicans is for three years and worth around $68 […]

It’s been a busy offseason for the San Antonio Spurs so far, beginning with the NBA Draft. The Spurs added a potential franchise cornerstone in Dylan Harper with the No. 2 overall pick. They fortified their frontcourt with the free agent signing of Luke Kornet and the trade for Kelly Olynyk. And now the Spurs […]

The Las Vegas Aces are coming into their matchup against the Washington Mystics on Thursday unsure if they will have star player A’ja Wilson available. Wilson left the Aces’ loss to the Liberty on Tuesday due to injury and is considered questionable for the Mystics game. But even if Wilson does not play, the Aces […]

Amid a disappointing regular season so far, the Las Vegas Aces suffered a major blow when franchise star A’ja Wilson left the team’s 87-78 loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday early due to a wrist injury. Wilson did not leave the game immediately after suffering the injury in an effort to help her […]