David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 28

One of the biggest topics of conversation around the 2024 WNBA season is how this year’s rookie class is adjusting to the league. Among this season’s WNBA rookies is Minnesota Lynx forward Alissa Pili. Alissa Pili was the No. 8 overall pick by the Lynx in the 2024 WNBA draft, but she’s only played sparingly […]

While Team USA easily dispatched Serbia during the group stage of the Olympics, that was far from the case on Thursday. Team USA needed a desperate rally to squeak past Serbia during the Olympics knockout round with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James helping lead the way with a triple-double. Following the game, James took […]

Team USA has advanced to the knockout round of the Olympics and a big reason why is the dominant play of Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson. During the 2024 Olympics run, Wilson has put up three games of at least 20 points and ten rebounds as per the social media page StatMamba. That’s more […]

With Team USA basketball looking to defend their 2020 Olympics gold medal, the Boston Celtics are well-represented with one glaring omission, Jaylen Brown. Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are all on Team USA’s roster as they go for the gold. Jaylen Brown’s omission from Team USA for the Olympics drew plenty of scrutiny […]

The San Antonio Spurs have one important goal for the immediate future and that’s to build a playoff contender around franchise star Victor Wembanyama. During this portion of the offseason, most teams have already made their major moves and are just filling out their roster for when training camp starts. The Spurs added to their […]

Although the Olympics are still on-going, WNBA players have already begun returning to their home markets in anticipation of the 2024 season resuming. The Los Angles Sparks will pick up the 2024 WNBA season on Aug. 15 at home against the New York Liberty. Currently, the Sparks hold a record of 6-18. That puts them […]

When the 2024 WNBA season resumes on Aug. 15, there are a few teams that are going to have major WNBA draft implications including the Los Angeles Sparks. In professional sports, the act of ‘tanking’ has become a means for teams to acquire top talent to help accelerate a rebuild. Looking out on the horizon, […]

With the Olympics in progress, the 2024 WNBA season and the Los Angeles Sparks are on brief hiatus. The Sparks currently sit at 6-18 and are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. But one of the bright spots for the Sparks this WNBA season is rookie wing Rickea Jackson. […]

To the surprise of nobody, the Los Angeles Lakers drafted Bronny James with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, pairing him with his dad, LeBron James. In the weeks that have followed, the Lakers and LeBron James have been accused of nepotism by bringing Bronny James to the team. During a […]

Team USA basketball came into the 2024 Olympics as the presumed favorite for the gold medal. So far, they are 2-0 during the group stage of play with the chance to win the group outright should they defeat Puerto Rico on Saturday. But how good is this iteration of Team USA? According to former NBA […]

With the Olympics underway in the group state, Team USA is currently 2-0 largely due to the play of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. Team USA has one more game in group play on Saturday against Puerto Rico with a chance to finish 3-0 before the medal round. FIBA has released their updated list […]

The San Antonio Spurs have long been an example of greatness in the NBA, especially when Tony Parker was at the helm. The Hall of Fame point guard helped the Spurs win four NBA championships and is one of the greatest players in franchise history. So with Victor Wembanyama being heralded as the Spurs new […]

When the 2025 WNBA Draft rolls around, UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick. But before she even sets foot in the WNBA, she will be playing in another professional basketball league. It was announced on Friday that Paige Bueckers will suit up in the new Unrivaled […]

The Atlanta Hawks made a big decision this offseason when they finally decided to split the backcourt duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. The move doesn’t necessarily signal a rebuild though as Young is still a franchise cornerstone. But the Hawks will have to integrate a new high-profile rookie in Zaccharie Risacher for the […]

Coming into the 2024 WNBA season, the Los Angeles Sparks had five new faces on the roster, six including Stephanie Talbot who was not with the team last year as she recovered from an ACL injury. One of those new faces for the Sparks is Aari McDonald who was entering her fourth season in the […]

Team USA men’s basketball is off to a 2-0 start during the group stage of the Olympics, but one of the key concerns following their 103-86 win against South Sudan was the injury to Anthony Davis. The Lakers star appeared to hurt his ankle when former Lakers teammate Wenyen Gabriel landed on him. But Anthony […]

The 2024 Olympics got underway this weekend and the Los Angeles Sparks have several players competing and not just for the United States. Sparks backup center Li Yueru is playing for China at the Olympics and she had a dominant performance in the opening game of the group stage against Spain. Following the game, Sparks […]

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant did not play in Team USA’s opening exhibition games due to an injury, but he returned to the lineup for their opening group stage game of the Olympics and put on a show. Durant was arguably the best player on the court during Team USA’s 110-84 win against Serbia and […]

Prior to this year, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry had participated in Team USA events but had never suited up for the Olympics. This year is his first time in Olympics competition. Team USA played their opening Olympics game on Sunday, a 110-84 win, and after the game Stephen Curry admitted that he had […]

The basketball portion of the Olympics got underway this weekend and as the host country, France and Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert were automatic qualifiers. The French national team began their quest for a medal on Saturday against Brazil. Rudy Gobert is one of the key players for France, but after a particularly nasty poster […]

At this point in the NBA offseason, most free agency signings are end of the bench roster fillers and/or two-way contract signings. There will be a few training camp invites as well. The Sacramento Kings are looking to fill out their roster to be ready for camp in few months and they recently signed former […]

There’s no question that the biggest storyline at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this year was Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James. Now that summer league is over, there was a report that came out citing an anonymous player on the Lakers roster that complained about Bronny receiving special treatment. This week, Golden State […]

The San Antonio Spurs will have revamped backcourt depth for the 2024-25 season with the signing of future Hall of Famer Chris Paul in NBA free agency and the selection of UConn star Stephon Castle in the 2024 NBA Draft. On Friday, the Spurs added more depth to their backcourt options with the re-signing of […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have a question mark at the center position heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. Jonas Valanciunas was a free agent and he was acquired by the Washington Wizards in a sign and trade with the Pelicans. Valanciunas’ departure in free agency leaves the Pelicans thin at center, but they claimed second-year […]

The Arkansas Razorbacks have undergone major changes this offseason beginning with the arrival of John Calipari as head coach. Calipari has dipped into the transfer portal for some of his Kentucky players as well as others, to help fill out the roster. But Arkansas landed a major recruit on Friday in Darius Acuff as per […]

With only 12 teams and a total of 144 available roster spots, the WNBA can be considered as arguably the toughest professional sports league to break into. Out of all the players currently in the WNBA, Washington Mystics’ forward Emily Engstler knows those challenges all too well. Emily Engstler was a lottery pick, No. 4 […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have had a relatively quiet NBA free agency period with their main offseason move coming via trade. The Pelicans added Dejounte Murray in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks in hopes of becoming a perennial contender in the Western Conference. But the Pelicans did have a couple of signings during the […]

Following their elimination by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Denver Nuggets faced a crucial offseason in terms of regaining championship contender status. One season after losing a major piece in Bruce Brown, they lost another key player to NBA free agency in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Overall, the Nuggets had a rather so-so […]

The Sacramento Kings took a step back during the 2023-24 season from the year prior. In 2022-23, they surprised many by finishing with a top three record in the Western Conference. They missed the playoffs this season after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans in the play-in. But the Kings had a sold NBA free […]

PHOENIX- As soon as Indiana Fever rookie star Caitlin Clark walked into the press conference room for her post WNBA All-Star Game media availability, she immediately proclaimed, “I’m on vacation!” She elicited plenty of laughs from the assembled media, and would not reveal what her Olympic break plans were going to be. Clark has come […]

PHOENIX – When the Olympics get underway towards the end of the week, Team USA will have three players from the Phoenix Mercury on their roster in Brittney Griner, Diana Taurasi and Kahleah Copper. This will be Taurasi’s sixth time competing for a gold medal and Griner’s third time, while this is Copper’s first selection. […]

PHOENIX – Prior the start of the 2024 WNBA season, Nike cause a bit of an uproar among fans when it was announced that incoming rookie sensation Caitlin Clark would have her own signature shoe. The uproar was due to Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who is signed to Nike, not having her own […]

PHOENIX – With WNBA All-Star Weekend underway, perhaps the two biggest names at the event are two newcomers in Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese. Both players drew the largest crowds during their media session and they’re both currently locked in a heated race of the 2024 WNBA Rookie of […]

PHOENIX – Dearica Hamby has been a WNBA All-Star before. Prior to being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks from the Las Vegas Aces ahead of the 2023 season, Hamby was already a two-time All-Star. But after being named to the All-Star team for the third time in her career this season, she felt like […]

PHOENIX – Friday night at WNBA All-Star Weekend belonged to the Atlanta Dream, or more specifically, Allisha Gray. Gray participated in both the Skills Challenge and the 3pt Contest and emerged victorious in both events. Gray’s performance during the Friday night events drew a hyped reaction from Dream part-owner and former WNBA player Renee Montgomery […]

PHOENIX – Following WNBA All-Star Weekend, members of Team USA will head to Paris, France for the 2024 Olympics and among them will be New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart. For Breanna Stewart, this will be her fourth time suiting up for Team USA in Olympics competition. She was a part of the gold medal […]

PHOENIX – The 2024 WNBA rookie class came in with a ton of hype and a ton of expectations. Players like the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese have both contributed to sold out arenas and increased visibility and attention to the league as a whole. Over WNBA All-Star Weekend, Las […]

PHOENIX – The Las Vegas Aces got off to a slow start to the 2024 WNBA season. They were 6-6 at one point and dealt with chatter as to whether or not their reign atop the WNBA was close to an end. But the Aces have since regrouped and as per Kelsey Plum, the reason […]

The 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year race will undoubtedly come down to the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. There are quite a few talented rookies this season, but those two players seem to be the leading contenders. With the WNBA currently on Olympic break, the race will certainly heat […]