David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 24

The 2024-25 season was mired by injuries for the New Orleans Pelicans. Several key players missed time due to injuries, and the team opted to move in a different direction following the in-season trade of Brandon Ingram, and offseason trade of CJ McCollum, two of the longest tenured players on the roster. One player who […]

The Miami Heat have been known throughout the NBA world as a team that has had success in finding undrafted players and late draft picks and molding them into solid NBA contributors. The Heat could have one potential gem on their hands in undrafted rookie big man Vladislav Goldin who had an impressive summer league. […]

The Seattle Storm looked to upgrade their roster at the WNBA Trade Deadline with the trade to bring in All-Star guard Brittney Sykes. The Storm sent out Alysha Clark and Zia Cooke in the trade, and the Mystics cut Cooke to make room on their roster. Following the Mystics cutting Zia Cooke, the Storm promptly […]

Ever since the Los Angeles Sparks came out hot to start the second half of the season at 6-1, they’ve hit a little bit of a rough patch going 2-3 over their last five games. The Sparks’ most recent loss, 95-86 to the Washington Mystics, comes as the team is trying to make a late […]

The Atlanta Hawks come into the 2025-26 season following a strong offseason during which they traded for big man Kristaps Porzingis and signed key free agents in Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard. The Hawks seem to be a team on the rise with a strong nucleus already in place around star guard Trae Young. The […]

When it comes to teams who are poised to take a major leap in the 2025-26 NBA season, the Orlando Magic are near the very top of the list. The Magic made a big trade for Desmond Bane and signed veteran point guard Tyus Jones. Along with internal development, they figure to be one of […]

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has been busy this offseason, continuing to stay in elite shape in anticipation of his 17th season in the NBA. So far, the Warriors have yet to make any offseason moves, but Curry is reportedly confident in the team heading into this upcoming season. In between workouts, Stephen Curry […]

Chicago Sky All-Star Angel Reese is currently sidelined due to a back injury, but she’s continued to be active in the community with a recent event helping local students with back-to-school supplies. As part of her organization, the Angel C. Reese Foundation, Reese was able to supply over 2,000 Chicago students with backpacks filled with […]

It’s the offseason for the NBA, but several players are currently competing overseas at EuroBasket. Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic seemingly avoided a major injury over the weekend while teams are still in the preliminary stage. Another NBA superstar that is participating at EuroBasket is Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic who wowed onlookers […]

Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird had her statue unveiled on Sunday prior to the Storm’s game against the Phoenix Mercury. Bird made history in becoming the only WNBA player to receive that honor to this point. Some of Sue Bird’s former teammates, and even opponents, gave their thoughts on this honor, including fellow WNBA legend […]

Seattle Storm legend Sue Bird made history on Sunday in becoming the first WNBA player to receive a statue commemorating her career in the league. Bird was originally selected by the Storm with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, and she spent all 21 of her seasons with the franchise. Prior […]

The Los Angeles Sparks continued their hot streak going back to before the All-Star break following their 97-96 win against the Dallas Wings on Friday. With the win, the Sparks improved to 16-17 and temporarily moved into eighth place in the WNBA standings pending the final score of the Seattle Storm’s game against the Atlanta […]

It’s usually a dream come true for high school basketball players to be able to play in their hometown in front of family and friends once they head off to play college basketball. Sometimes it never materializes. For Rob Diaz III, that dream is now a reality as he’s coming home to play for Long […]

Heading into the Los Angeles Sparks’ game against the Dallas Wings, one of the biggest questions was the status of Cameron Brink following an apparent ankle injury. Brink did not return to the team’s loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday after getting her ankle taped during halftime. Head coach Lynne Roberts said the […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks have been one of the hottest teams in the WNBA going back before the All-Star break with a record of 10-4 in their last 14 games. That run was cooled off a bit following their 105-97 loss on Tuesday against the New York Liberty. The Sparks now head […]

The Washington Mystics have been one of the surprise teams of the 2025 WNBA season behind the Rookie of the Year candidacy from Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. The Mystics are currently in the mix for a playoff spot with the bulk of their roster being young players. The Mystics continued to add youth at […]

While the sale of the Boston Celtics to businessman Bill Chisholm was already common knowledge, the sale was made official on Wednesday as the NBA’s Board of Governors unanimously approved the deal, as per ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel. As part of the $6.1 billion deal, former majority owner Wyc Grousbeck will continue to run […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks came into Tuesday’s home game against the New York Liberty with an opportunity to pass the Seattle Storm and move into eighth place in the standings. But they were unable to do so as they fell to the Liberty, 105-97. Not only that, but the Sparks a potential […]

LOS ANGELES – After a bad loss to the Golden State Valkyries, the Los Angeles Sparks were able to bounce back on the second night of a back-to-back with a thrilling 94-91 win against the visiting Seattle Storm. While the Valkyries game had major playoff implications, so did the Storm game with Seattle in danger […]

The Utah Jazz are entering another year of their rebuild after selecting Rutgers star Ace Bailey with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. But even with a youth movement, teams still need veteran players to help keep the locker room in sync. The Jazz acquired another veteran player in Georges Niang […]

The Minnesota Lynx have won three straight games since star forward Napheesa Collier went down with an injury. Their record is a testament to the team the Lynx had around Collier, and to the coaching prowess of Cheryl Reeve who has guided the franchise to four WNBA championships. Following the Lynx’s 83-71 win against the […]

The Tennessee Volunteers had a strong 2024-25 season, their first under head coach Kim Caldwell. They finished 22-9 overall in the regular season, and reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. But the Volunteers received bad news this weekend regarding a key player from last year’s team. Tennessee guard Ruby Whitehorn was charged with […]

As the NBA’s offseason continue to roll on, a few key names have yet to have their free agency situations resolved, namely Josh Giddey and Jonathan Kuminga. A big reason for that is the nature of restricted free agency. But could the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls swap the aforementioned players in free agency? […]

After the Los Angeles Sparks set a WNBA record for becoming the first team to score 100+ points in five out of six games, the law of averages was bound to occur. It may have come at a very inopportune time against a crucial opponent, but Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts is not going to […]

The 2025 WNBA All-Star Weekend was a special one for former Connecticut Sun guard Kelly Faris. For one, Faris was born in Plainfield, Indiana and starred at Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis so All-Star Weekend was a homecoming of sorts for her. Secondly, Faris was tapped to serve as a coach during the Basketball […]

The San Antonio Spurs have been a team that’s developed a reputation in the NBA for having a good scouting staff and being able to find quality talent with late draft picks and going the undrafted route. Earlier in the offseason, the Spurs added a summer league star in David Jones-Garcia, who has the potential […]

LOS ANGELES – After the Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Connecticut Sun, 102-91 on Thursday, their current hot streak reached nine wins in the last 11 games. That streak began right before the All-Star break, and it has the Sparks firmly in the mix for a playoff spot. Following the win, a game in which […]

The famous old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ That saying can be applied to the Los Angeles Sparks who chose to stand pat at the 2025 WNBA Trade Deadline. Not that there was a move out there for the Sparks to make; the WNBA Trade Deadline is usually quiet with most […]

LOS ANGELES – It’s been four games since Cameron Brink made her return from injury, and the Los Angeles Sparks have gone 3-1 in that stretch. It’s a continuing trend from the team whose current hot streak began just before the All-Star break before Brink returned to the lineup. But it can’t be overstated how […]

LOS ANGELES – Following the Los Angeles Sparks’ 100-91 win against the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, the team pushed their current win streak to two games. The Sparks have rebounded strong after a disappointing loss to the Las Vegas Aces last week. Against the Fever, it was Kelsey Plum and Rickea Jackson who put their […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks continued their hot streak, having won eight of their last ten games now following their 100-91 win against the Indiana Fever at home on Tuesday. Helping lead the way for the Sparks was All-Star guard Kelsey Plum who dished out a game-high 11 assists. Following the Sparks’ win […]

Coming into the 2025 WNBA season, Los Angeles Sparks rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker wasn’t expected to play a major role in the rotation. The No. 9 overall pick, Barker was joining a Sparks team that had a few veteran players ahead of her on the depth chart. But during the early weeks of the season, […]

The Detroit Pistons took a big leap forward this past season when they made the playoffs and ended up playing the New York Knicks tough in their opening-round playoff series. The goal for this upcoming year is to continue to build on that success with the young core they have. The Pistons continued to add […]

Over the weekend, news broke that Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca had reached a deal regarding the sale of the Connecticut Sun. It seems to be a given that Celtics ownership will bring the Sun under their banner. But what is yet to be settled is where the team will play in future seasons. […]

The Los Angeles Sparks had one open roster spot following the waiving of veteran center Mercedes Russell, and to this point they had kept that spot open. With WNBA teams allowed to sign players to 7-day contracts during the second half of the season, the Sparks made such a roster move with the signing of […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have been one of the hottest teams in the WNBA since the All-Star break posting a 4-1 record. That stretch goes back to before the break as well with the Sparks winning seven of their last nine games. But in a somewhat strange and interesting dynamic, the majority of the Sparks’ […]

The Portland Trail Blazers made a major splash in free agency with the signing of Damian Lillard. Following a buyout from the Milwaukee Bucks, Lillard made the decision to return to the only franchise he had ever known prior to the 2023 trade. Lillard is expected to sit out this upcoming season as he rehabs […]

The Connecticut Sun are mired in a rebuilding year and they currently hold the worst record in the WNBA at 5-21. But Friday was one of the Sun’s high points the season as they not only beat the defending champion New York Liberty, but they blew them out, 78-62. The Sun have an upcoming rematch […]

Following the Minnesota Lynx’s game against the Las Vegas Aces on Saturday, the one thing on everyone’s minds was the injury sustained by Napheesa Collier late in the third quarter. And rightfully so, Collier is the Lynx’s best player and MVP candidate. But the Lynx managed to set a WNBA record with their road win […]