David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 34

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 […]

Memphis Grizzlies rookie center Zach Edey had missed the last five games at NBA Summer League since his debut due to an ankle injury. Zach Edey returned to the lineup on Thursday during the Grizzlies Summer League game against the New Orleans Pelicans, but he exited that game early due to another ankle injury as […]

The UCLA Bruins are headed into the 2024-25 NCAA season with a reloaded roster. The Bruins lost Adem Bona to the NBA Draft and also lost several key players in Berke Buyuktuncel, Jan Vide, Ilane Fibleuil and Will McClendon to the transfer portal. UCLA struck gold with their own transfer portal haul, but their success […]

The Golden State Warriors have entered a retooling era. It’s not a rebuild. They still have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green with Steve Kerr at the helm. But they lost Klay Thompson and they’re coming off a disappointing 2023-24 season. The Warriors have made a few offseason moves so far, but there’s one target former […]

The Indiana Pacers are coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent history. They made the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-2020 season and made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. NBA free agency is largely in the dust now at this point in the offseason, but the Pacers can […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks are currently in year two of the Curt Miller era and this season in particular has been about growth and development. With a young roster, the Sparks are experiencing the type of growing pains often associated with a rebuild. On Tuesday against the Seattle Storm, the Sparks were […]

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the most active and aggressive teams this offseason on the NBA free agency front. Hoping to build a championship contender around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers added and re-signed several quality free agents highlighted by the blockbuster acquisition of Paul George. But the 76ers had a solid […]

The Golden State Warriors championship core was disassembled this offseason when Klay Thompson chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency. The departure may not have been that surprising considering the fact that Thompson and the Warriors had failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension. But there was at least one […]

When it comes to basketball in Los Angeles, two of the biggest names in the city have been Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and former Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker. While Parker has not played for the Sparks since the 2020 season, her Hall of Fame career is largely validated by her LA […]

There is perhaps no NBA player under more scrutiny coming into the 2024-25 season than the Los Angeles Lakers’ Bronny James. Everything he does is going to be under a microscope. Bronny James was the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he’s being analyzed as if he was the No. 1 […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have had issues this season closing out games in the fourth quarter, but that was not the case against the Dallas Wings on Saturday. The Sparks held strong to snap a two-game losing streak by beating the Wings on the road, 87-81. One of the major reasons why the Sparks were […]

The Los Angeles Sparks came into the 2024 WNBA Draft armed with two lottery picks. The Sparks selected Cameron Brink with the No. 2 overall pick and with the No. 4 overall pick, they selected the player many believed to be the most WNBA-ready of this rookie class in Rickea Jackson. In their first season […]

While Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark may be one of the most polarizing players in the WNBA this season, there’s no question that she’s a generational talent. Clark became the first WNBA rookie in league history to record a triple double, and with the Fever’s game against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, she went about […]