David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 52

The Los Angeles Sparks resumed the second half of the 2024 WNBA season on Thursday against the New York Liberty, but they did so with a short-handed roster. With no new update yet on the Sparks injury report for Saturday’s game against the Chicago Sky, the team needed to sign Crystal Dangerfield to a third […]

Usually, when a player wins the Rookie of the Year Award, their career is a little more certain and secure. But that hasn’t always been the case for Los Angeles Sparks guard Crystal Dangerfield and her WNBA career. After being named the 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year with the Minnesota Lynx, Dangerfield has ended […]

The Los Angeles Sparks resume the 2024 WNBA season on Thursday at home against the New York Liberty, but they will be missing several key players due to injury. In addition to Cameron Brink (ACL) and Lexie Brown (Crohn’s) who were already sidelined prior to the Olympic break, the Sparks will also be without both […]

Team USA women’s basketball won their eighth straight gold medal with a thrilling 67-66 win against France, but one of the major headlines following the game was French star Gabby Williams. Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese attempted to recruit Williams to the Sky, but she wasn’t the only one interested in Williams’ services. Los Angeles […]

Coming into the gold medal game on Sunday, Team USA women’s basketball had a 60 game Olympics winning streak on the line. And that was tested as Team USA barely pulled off a 67-66 win over France to claim their eighth consecutive gold medal. Following the thrilling game, former WNBA player and Olympics gold medalist […]

During Steve Kerr’s career as head coach of the Golden State Warriors and LeBron James’ career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the two were bitter rivals as the Warriors and Cavaliers met in the NBA Finals four straight seasons. But Steve Kerr is now LeBron James fan for life following Team USA’s gold medal win at […]

France may have failed in their quest to win a gold medal in men’s basketball at the 2024 Olympics, but despite the loss one of the major talking points was San Antonio Spurs recent No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. Victor Wembanyama had a strong showing in the loss to Team USA prompting a eye-opening prediction […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was named the MVP of the 2024 men’s basketball Olympics amid his stellar play for Team USA. James was the oldest player for the United States and was playing in his fourth Olympics. That begs the question as to whether or not he will suit up in 2028. Following […]

Team USA grabbed their fifth straight Olympics gold medal in basketball following their 98-87 win against France on Saturday and a big reason why was the continued brilliance of Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant will have to make a decision on whether or not to play for Team USA in four years for […]

Team USA basketball brought home their fifth straight Olympics gold medal with a 98-87 win over host country France. The trio of LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were stellar as they’ve been all of the Olympics so far. But Team USA head coach Steve Kerr made sure to single out Devin Booker who […]

The Kansas Jayhawks had a disappointing 2023-24 season. They started out strong in non-conference play, but struggled once Big 12 play began and it culminated in an embarrassing second round exit in the NCAA Tournament against Gonzaga. But the Jayhawks have strengthened their roster this offseason through the transfer portal. Kansas’ latest transfer portal roster […]

The San Antonio Spurs are tasked with building a contending team around franchise star Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama is going for the gold this weekend in the Olympics but when he returns stateside, the quest to elevate the team into contention resumes. The Spurs added potential wing depth on Friday with the signing of Brandon Boston […]

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 […]