David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 39

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Brooklyn Nets and the Philadelphia 76ers were two teams that were supposed to be heading in opposite directions. The Nets were heading into a rebuild while the 76ers were supposed to be a contender in the Eastern Conference. But the 76ers have slogged through a disappointing season, and Nic Claxton […]

It’s been an offseason of change for the Chicago Sky. The overhaul began when the Sky fired head coach Teresa Weatherspoon at the end of the 2024 WNBA season. The Sky also brought back veteran point guard Courtney Vandersloot who was a key member of their 2021 championship team. The Sky’s latest roster signing was […]

It’s not exactly surprising for NBA players to have incredible confidence in themselves when they take the court every game. After all, they are among the absolute best in the world when it comes to basketball. Utah Jazz rookie guard Elijah Harkless might be fresh out of the G League, but include him on the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are 1-2 so far in the games that Luka Doncic has played in, with a big Western Conference game agains the Denver Nuggets coming up. Luka Doncic hasn’t quite played that well since he’s joined the Lakers, and head coach JJ Redick revealed that he issued Doncic a challenge ahead of […]

Although Mac McClung has only appeared in a total of five NBA games since 2022, but he’s already become a household name with his three consecutive NBA Dunk Contest wins during All-Star Weekend. Because of that, fans are certainly tuning in to his exploits even in the G League. On Friday, Mac McClung pulled off […]

It isn’t hyperbole or an over-exaggeration to say that the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks was the most shocking and biggest trade in league history. You might have to go back to when the Lakers traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to find a trade of that magnitude. Mavericks legend […]

The New York Liberty are coming off their first championship in franchise history, and in order to defend their title they’re going to need to keep their roster depth intact. The Liberty made a pretty notable signing in free agency this week with the addition of veteran forward Isabelle Harrison, the team announced. Isabelle Harrison’s […]

When it comes to the WNBA, the list of current players with signature shoes is relatively small. That list included Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese and Breanna Stewart. Only Stewart and Ionescu’s shoes are currently available on the market. A’ja Wilson recently showcased her upcoming shoe release. But now there’s a new […]

This WNBA offseason, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier joined together to launch their Unrivaled league. The league was established as an alternative to WNBA players going overseas. While many notable WNBA players are currently playing in Unrivaled, one player who did not make the trek to Miami was Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson. In […]

Coming into the 2024 WNBA season, the Las Vegas Aces were shooting for a rare three-peat. To this point, the only team that has ever won three straight WNBA championships is the now defunct Houston Comets. The Comets won four title in a row during the league’s initial seasons. The Aces were unsuccessful in their […]

Following the NBA trade deadline, teams are either looking for buyout players to fortify a playoff run, or searching for untapped young talent to evaluate when it comes to roster moves. It’s also a time that NBA teams evaluate their two-way contract players. The Chicago Bulls had an open two-way contract roster spot after waiving […]

With the NBA trade deadline in the rearview, this time of the season is usually when playoff teams scour the buyout market for potential help, and rebuilding teams search for intriguing young players to evaluate during the final months of the regular season. The Utah Jazz are currently in a rebuild, and they made a […]

LOS ANGELES – Down the stretch of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, they were without Austin Reaves who was given an ejection in the third quarter. Following a perceived no-call on a drive to the basket, Austin Reaves was hit with an ejection after apparently having choice words for referee […]

LOS ANGELES – The blockbuster trade for All-Star guard Kelsey Plum may have been the offseason move that garnered the most attention for the Los Angeles Sparks, but the team still had a few other strong moves in free agency. One of the Sparks’ top free agent signings for the 2025 WNBA season was Mercedes […]

LOS ANGELES – While there are many reasons why the Los Angeles Lakers’ season last year can be considered disappointing, one of the biggest was their injury issues. Both Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt, both expected to be key players off the bench, missed the majority of the Lakers’ 2024-25 season due to injury. This […]

The Connecticut Sun roster will look very different when the 2025 WNBA season tips-off. They lost their entire starting lineup from last season as well as their head coach Stephanie White who joined the Indiana Fever. Despite that, the Sun aren’t necessarily looking to hold a fire sale as the team recently denied Marina Mabrey’s […]

When the Golden State Warriors take the court against the Charlotte Hornets on Feb. 25, fans will be in for a halftime treat. The Warriors are set to honor their 2015 NBA championship team with a special halftime ceremony that evening, the team announced on Tuesday. Members of the Warriors’ 2015 championship team are expected to […]

The Las Vegas Aces will have a few new faces on their roster when the 2025 WNBA season begins. Veterans Kelsey Plum, Alysha Clark and Tiffany Hayes opted to go elsewhere during the WNBA free agency period. The Aces did bring in a few solid free agent additions in Tiffany Mitchell and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus in […]

The Hornets have been in the news recently for the failed Mark Williams-Dalton Knecht trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers. But the team has also had a few reclamation projects this season that might have gone unnoticed. Chief among them is the apparent resurgence of Elfrid Payton who just inked another 10-day contract with the […]

While the Connecticut Sun lost several players from last season’s WNBA Semifinals teams, they aren’t quite yet in rebuilding mode. Marina Mabrey had put in a trade request following the roster shakeup, but Sun president Jennifer Rizzotti recently stated that the team had denied Mabrey’s request. The denial of Marina Mabrey’s trade request prompted a […]

With the NBA switching the format for the 2025 All-Star Game, Shaquille O’Neal’s OGs emerged victorious over Charles Barkley’s Global Stars after dispatching Candice Parker’s Rising Stars. Among Shaq’s OGs at the NBA All-Star Game was Los Angeles Clippers star James Harden, who took to social media following the team’s win. James Harden posted a […]

LOS ANGELES – Since the beginning of the season, one of the biggest talking points surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers is their need for frontcourt depth, specifically a starting caliber center. Anthony Davis clamored for one before he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. But the Lakers might have the future answer down in the […]

Since the Los Angeles Sparks opened up the WNBA free agency period with a blockbuster trade for Kelsey Plum, they’ve spent the rest of the offseason so far filling out the rest of their roster. In one of the their latest free agency moves, the Sparks brought back a familiar face in former first round […]

The Indiana Fever have been one of the most active WNBA teams during the free agency period. Tasked with putting a contending roster around their star duo of Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, the Fever have had a very strong offseason that included re-signing another key All-Star in Kelsey Mitchell. The Fever’s latest free agent […]

Under the NBA’s new format for the All-Star Game, when Kenny Smith’s Young Stars were eliminated by Charles Barkley’s Global Stars, Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was noticeably absent. Anthony Edwards did not check into the game at all, and it was later revealed by Edwards himself that he was dealing with a groin injury, […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was selected to his 21st consecutive NBA All-Star Game appearance, but when the actual game tips off, James will not be in the lineup due to an ankle injury. As word of LeBron James’ All-Star Game decision began to spread, fans took to social media to convey their thoughts […]

When the 2025 NBA All-Star game tips off today, there will be a familiar face missing in action. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will not participate in the NBA All-Star Game this Sunday due to an apparent ankle injury as per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post. LeBron James’ withdrawal from the All-Star Game […]

When Damian Lillard was eliminated in the second round of the 3-point contest at NBA All-Star Weekend, it paved the way for Miami Heat star Tyler Herro to become the latest Heat player to win the event. Tyler Herro become only the fifth Heat player to win the 3-point contest at NBA All-Star Weekend, and […]

While the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks certainly garnered the most post-trade deadline attention, the Golden State Warriors made a blockbuster trade in acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat. The Warriors have gone 3-1 since the Jimmy Butler trade, and Draymond Green spoke about the team’s confidence […]

One of the biggest headlines that came out of the NBA trade deadline was the trade that actually did not happen. The Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers had a trade in place that would have sent Mark Williams to the Lakers and Dalton Knecht to the Hornets, among other pieces. The trade was ultimately […]

In the wake of the Dallas Mavericks trading franchise star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, Mavericks fans have let their feelings be known. Ahead of Anthony Davis’ debut, Mavericks fans staged a protest outside the arena, and a pair of fans were ejected after getting into a shouting match with Mark Cuban. During […]

The Seattle Storm have been busy this week, shaping their roster in anticipation of the 2025 WNBA season. Over the weekend, the Storm re-signed Gabby Williams, and this week they’ve made a few key roster moves such as adding veteran guard Erica Wheeler. The Storm’s latest roster move was signing former Los Angeles Sparks guard […]

The Seattle Storm will have the chance to add an impact rookie in the 2025 WNBA Draft by acquiring the No. 2 overall pick in a blockbuster trade that sent Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks. In the meantime though, the Storm have been shaping the […]

After the Los Angeles Lakers’ first game with Luka Doncic in the lineup, it looked like they might have found a temporary answer to the starting center question. On multiple possessions, Doncic found Jaxson Hayes lurking near the rim for lob passes. But injury misfortune struck the Lakers once again during their game against the […]

LOS ANGELES – When the Los Angeles Sparks lost out on the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, and a chance to select their point guard of the future in UConn star Paige Bueckers, they turned their attention to WNBA free agency. It was through a blockbuster sign-and-trade deal that landed the Sparks an […]

Since opening up the WNBA free agency period with a blockbuster trade for All-Star Kelsey Plum, the Los Angeles Sparks have continued to fill out their roster with veteran free agents. The Sparks made another reported signing in WNBA free agency this week with the addition of Mercedes Russell, as per Richard Cohen of Her […]

The New Orleans Pelicans would probably like to hit the reset button on the 2024-25 season if they could. It’s been a whirlwind of injuries and has so far culminated with the trade of Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors. More bad news appears on the way for the Pelicans in the form of the […]

After reaching the WNBA Finals last season, the Minnesota Lynx have had a relatively quiet WNBA free agency period, and offseason overall. That’s not too surprising considering the fact that this team, as currently constructed, as among the top contenders in the league. The Lynx did make one WNBA free agency move this week though, […]

The Seattle Storm have undergone a few changes this offseason. They were part of a blockbuster trade that sent franchise star Jewel Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces. In return the Storm received the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft from the Los Angeles Sparks. But any excitement for the Storm’s 2025 WNBA […]