David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 31

The Connecticut Sun are heading to the WNBA Semifinals after eliminating the Indiana Fever in a 2-0 sweep on Wednesday. A big reason for the Sun’s 87-81 win against the Fever was star forward Alyssa Thomas who stepped up offensively in the third quarter in particular. Following the game, Thomas spoke about her offensive mindset […]

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever were eliminated from the WNBA Playoffs on Wednesday at the hands of Alyssa Thomas and the Connecticut Sun, 87-81. This was the Fever’s first playoff appearance since the 2016 season. Behind the trio of Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell, the Fever used a strong second half of the […]

With the 2024-25 NBA regular season approaching, plenty of eyes will be on the Boston Celtics. Ahead of the Celtics opening night game against the New York Knicks on Oct. 22, we’ll be making our bold predictions for this year. Boston is coming off the 18th championship in franchise history and are looking to repeat. […]

Even though the Los Angeles Sparks are not in the WNBA playoffs, they still managed to grab headlines and attention with the announcement that they had parted ways with head coach Curt Miller. With the Sparks securing the top odds for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft this season, they will now […]

The Los Angeles Sparks shocked the WNBA world on Tuesday when they announced that they had parted ways with head coach Curt Miller. Apparently the news also caught players off guard as Sparks veteran leader Dearica Hamby expressed her disbelief in Curt Miller no longer being the team’s coach. Hamby took to social media also […]

With the WNBA playoffs underway, the Las Vegas Aces are attempting to become only the second team in history to win three consecutive championships. A big reason why they have shot to do so is because of star player A’ja Wilson. Before the Aces opening round playoff game against the Seattle Storm, A’ja Wilson won […]

Team USA brought home another gold medal at the Olympics this summer with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James at the helm. It was James’ third gold medal after being a part of Team USA in 2008 and 2012. Following the Olympics, LeBron James went a got a new tattoo that was inspired by Team […]

The Minnesota Lynx struck first during their opening round WNBA playoff series against the Phoenix Mercury with a 102-95 win. Following the game, Lynx star Napheesa Collier was asked about Mercury star Diana Taurasi’s possible retirement following this season. She gave a hilarious answer, but had to take to social media to clarify what she […]

The Minnesota Lynx opened the WNBA Playoffs on Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury, with star forward Napheesa Collier reaching a bit of team playoff history. With 38 points in the Lynx’s 102-95 Game 1 win against the Mercury, Napheesa Collier tied Maya Moore as the only players in team playoff history with multiple 30+ point […]

The 2024 WNBA Playoffs got underway this weekend and the Connecticut Sun’s midseason trade for Marina Mabrey was quite literally the difference in their opening round playoff game against the Indiana Fever. The Sun defeated the Fever, 93-69 in Game 1 of the WNBA Playoff Quarterfinals with Marina Mabrey adding a little history as per […]

When Dwight Howard was playing in the NBA, he was one of the league’s more polarizing figures. The former Orlando Magic star drew the ire of Shaquille O’Neal who constantly threw jabs at Howard seemingly any chance he got. So it stands to reason that fans would throw shade at him as well. Well one […]

The Los Angeles Sparks did not make the playoffs this season. It was their fourth consecutive year now missing out on the postseason. But the general feeling around the Sparks is something special is brewing. Veteran forward Dearica Hamby was one of the bright spots for the Sparks this season and following the end of […]

The Minnesota Lynx come into the 2024 WNBA Playoffs as the No. 2 overall seed in the standings and with a first round matchup against the No. 7 seed Phoenix Mercury. But before the playoffs actually begin, the Lynx made a roster move this week in signing rookie guard Olivia Epoupa for the rest of […]

Team USA brought home their fifth straight Olympics gold medal this summer with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James at the helm. It was James’ third gold medal and it’s not a stretch to suggest that Team USA might have been in trouble had he not been on the roster. But prior to the actual […]

Indiana Fever rookie star Caitlin Clark has taken the WNBA by storm this season, and recently saw a unique rookie trading card of her sell for a very hefty price. Clark’s 2024 Panini Instant WNBA Draft Blue Viper Rookie Auto sold for $84,000 at a Fanatics Collect auction as per The Collectibles Guru on social […]

One of the biggest talking points amongst Golden State Warriors fans the past couple of seasons has been head coach Steve Kerr’s handling of Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors drafted the talented young forward with their lottery pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, but he hasn’t always featured prominently in the team’s rotation. But with the […]

The New York Knicks pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason in acquiring wing Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The trade reunites Bridges with his former Villanova teammates in Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart. And speaking of former teammates, Bridges recently appeared on an episode of […]

The Los Angeles Sparks announced on Friday that veteran guard Layshia Clarendon will head off to retirement, closing the chapter on an 11-year WNBA career.  Clarendon had recently been away from the Sparks due to mental health reasons for the majority of the second half of the season. With the announcement, Layshia Clarendon issued a […]

To say the 2024 WNBA season was a tough one for the Los Angeles Sparks would be an understatement. The Sparks struggled to find wins while being hit with a wave of absences and injuries. It was a season unlike anything Sparks head coach Curt Miller has seen during his ten-year WNBA coaching career. But […]

With one more day left of the WNBA regular season, the Atlanta Dream are still fighting for a playoff spot. They are attempting to do so short-handed as well. They are currently without Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Aerial Powers, both of whom are out due to injury. To help shore up their roster, the Dream signed […]

LOS ANGELES – Throughout this season, Los Angeles Sparks coach Curt Miller has continuously referred to this season as a build. Building culture and cultivating key habits towards ultimately becoming a winning team. To that end, the Sparks have seen key growth from several young players. But one player in particular who has not seen […]

LOS ANGELES – The Phoenix Mercury social media team created quite a frenzy this past week when they suggested that their final regular season games might be Diana Taurasi’s last. While Taurasi herself has remained non-committal in terms of her future, many of her peers have used this opportunity to reflect on her career. Following […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have been trying to finish out the 2024 season strong despite already being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. They battled the Seattle Storm all the way down to the wire on Sunday before ultimately bowing out, 90-87. Despite the Sparks’ loss to the Storm, veteran point guard Odyssey Sims spoke postgame […]

At this point in the offseason, most NBA teams are gearing up for training camp and filling out their camp rosters with hopeful invitees. There are a few quality NBA veterans available though and the Minnesota Timberwolves added two of them to their training camp roster this week as per Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.com. The […]

The Ole Miss Rebels have been one of the better programs in the Southeastern Conference over the past couple of years. Under head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin, the Rebels have posted a winning season in four consecutive years, improving each year she’s been there. On the recruiting trail, Ole Miss secured a major commitment this weekend, […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have not had much to smile about this season as they are at the bottom of the WNBA standings record-wise. But one bright spot for the Sparks has been Rickea Jackson as she navigates her rookie season in the WNBA. Against the Seattle Storm on Sunday, Jackson reached the 500 career […]

After quite a few seasons of mediocrity and disappointment, former NBA player Mark Madsen has been tasked with building the Cal Golden Bears basketball team back up again. Madsen has done well on the recruiting trail for the class of 2025, having secured the commitment of 4-star wing Jovani Ruff. Madsen was at it again […]

The New York Knicks appear to be headed towards a training camp battle for their final roster spot. Last week, the Knicks agreed to a non-guaranteed camp deal with veteran wing Landry Shamet. And on Sunday, the Knicks continued to add to their camp roster with the singing of veteran forward Marcus Morris Sr. as […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are sure to be under the microscope this upcoming season as they usher in the JJ Redick era. There’s always eyes on a LeBron James team, but that’s not the only reason why fans will be tuning in. The Lakers are preparing for the debut of Bronny James’ rookie season, and […]

Since Victor Wembanyama arrived in the NBA, there’s been an increase in awareness towards long, lanky 7-foot players with versatile skill-sets. Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol possesses a similar frame to Wembanyama, and former NBA star Ralph Sampson recently dropped high praise for him as per Dana Scott of the Arizona Republic. “Bol Bol is […]

The Los Angeles Sparks are mired in a rebuild and one of the most important things a young team can have is veteran leadership. For that, the Sparks have turned to a pair of players in Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens this WNBA season to help lead the team. For Stevens in particular, it’s been […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are fully immersed in a rebuild with intriguing young players in Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, Anfernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe, among others. Part of a rebuild is hitting on the margins and finding quality two-way contract talent to develop. The Blazers added to their roster on Friday with the signing of […]

During his NBA career as a player, Earl Watson was the epitome of a role player. He was never a star but he was a dependable backup point guard who never strayed from his role. Following his retirement, he went into coaching. He’s coached in the NBA and the G League, but he’s got a […]

There’s no denying the impact that Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has had this season. From sold-out arenas to the increase in popularity and viewership to the WNBA, Clark has taken the league by storm. While her debut has come with a strong dose of controversy, overall Clark has been good for the WNBA. But […]

Carmelo Anthony is not eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame until 2026, but he is without a doubt a first-ballot selection. One of the greatest players to ever play the game, the only thing that eluded Anthony during his career is an NBA championship. During a recent episode of Dwyane Wade’s podcast, ‘The Why […]

The NBA world suffered a tragic loss on Friday with the death of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins. He was 64 years old. Mitchell Wiggins was the father of current Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins. The NBA Alumni social media account published a post with Mitchell’s photo and the words: “The basketball community has […]

This late in the NBA offseason, most teams already have their rosters finalized and camp invites done. It’s rare for a major NBA free agency signing at this point, but it can happen with surprising roster cuts in camp or veterans holding out for an offer. One such veteran yet to be signed in NBA […]

The 1992 Olympics Dream Team is widely considered the most dominant men’s basketball team ever put together. With multiple Hall of Famers including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, it’s hard to argue against that. But the 2024 iteration of Team USA has also drawn takes of being a dominant Olympics men’s basketball team. […]

It’s become a tradition in today’s age for NBA stars to be commemorated with a statue outside their home arena following their retirement. The most recent player to have that honor bestowed upon him is Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade. Following the news, Dwyane Wade’s former Heat teammate and current friend LeBron James took to […]