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The Best WNBA Players Still Searching For a Ring

via @WNBA on Twitter

Looking at what it takes to make it to the Hall of Fame, it is easy to see that championships matter — a lot. But a number of all-time greats have never held the WNBA Championship Trophy.

For all time, there is no question that Becky Hammon belongs near the top of the list of the “best to never win it.” Despite being a six-time All-Star, twice named to the All-WNBA first team and twice to the second team, Hammon never won it all in 16 seasons in the league.

In the first half of her playing career with the New York Liberty, Hammon reached the WNBA Finals three times. The first two, in 1999 and 2000, the Liberty ran into the end of the Houston Comets four-year dynasty. In 2002, the Liberty were swept in the Finals by Western Conference Champion LA Sparks. After losing in the Conference finals in 2004 and 2005 and missing the playoffs in 2006, Hammon was traded to the San Antonio Silver Stars.

There, Hammon reached the Finals for the last time in 2008, where her team was swept by the Detroit Shock.

Hammon now sits at fifth in career assists and twelfth in career points after finishing her playing career with 450 regular season games and 60 more postseason games. Still, none ended in a championship.

Among active players, the “best never” title was applied for a long time to Candace Parker. Before winning it all in 2016, Parker was six-time All-WNBA, two-time All-Defensive Second Team, and the MVP in both her rookie season and 2013.

Then, Elena Delle Donne held the designation until the 2019 season ended with a Washington Mystics championship.

Now, we need a new “best to never win it.” Here are the three frontrunners for the mad-dash 2020 season:


 

Angel McCoughtry

 

The former first overall pick won the 2009 Rookie of the Year with the Atlanta Dream, where she played her entire career before joining the Las Vegas Aces this offseason. That first season, Atlanta was swept in the Conference semifinals by Detroit. The next two seasons, the Dream were swept in the WNBA Finals, first by Seattle and then by Minnesota. Two years later, in 2013, Minnesota swept the Dream again.

The next year, Atlanta fell to Chicago in the Conference semifinals, and in 2016 lost to the same Sky team in the second round. McCoughtry then rested for the 2017 season and missed much of the 2018 campaign with an injury as the Dream lost to Washington in the Conference finals. McCoughtry was once again sidelined by injury in 2019.

A primary option on both ends of the court, McCoughtry has the highest active usage percentage and steal percentage of any player. She is a six-time All-Defensive and six-time All-WNBA player. Still, the championship trophy to top it off has proved elusive.


 

Skylar Diggins-Smith

 

Despite being one of the league’s marquee names, Diggins-Smith has played in just two career postseason games. The South Bend, Indiana native who stayed home for college to play at Notre Dame was taken third overall in the 2013 by the Tulsa Shock. Diggins-Smith played her entire career with the franchise, moving to Dallas in the 2016 season, but made her intention to play for a new team clear this past offseason.

It was back in her second season in the league that Diggins-Smith first began to shine. After averaging a little over eight points per game in her rookie season, Diggins-Smith won the 2014 WNBA Most Improved Player Award and was named to her first All-Star team. Since then, she has been an All-Star on three more occasions.

In 2015, the Shock made the playoffs for the first time in her career as the third seed in the Western Conference, but Diggins-Smith could only watch the postseason from the sideline due to a torn ACL. The team was swept in its first round by the Phoenix Mercury.

The result was the same for the next two postseason berths. Despite Diggins-Smith averagine 19 points, three rebounds and five assists in those games, the Wings were knocked out in the first round in 2017 and 2018. After missing last season on pregnancy leave, Diggins-Smith’s most recent game action before the bubble came during the national team’s tour through the college ranks.

Her first season with Phoenix Mercury may be her best opportunity so far to win a ring. She is flanked by Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, two of her U.S. national team teammates. The chemistry is apparent, and she is already averaging 14.0 points and 4.2 assists per game while shooting over 55% from the field.

Griner, who was taken two spots ahead of Diggins-Smith in the 2013 draft, got her first taste of a championship in 2014. Delle Donne, the second selection, just got her ring last year. Will 2020 be time for the third overall pick to finally win it all?


 

Courtney Vandersloot

 

As a starter in her first year in the league — in 2011 — Vandersloot quickly excelled and was named to her first All-Star team. Chicago, which selected her third overall in the draft out of Gonzaga, had not made the playoffs in its franchise history and was still stuck in the mud.

It was not until 2013, when Delle Donne joined and had a Rookie of the Year season and Sylvia Fowles put together a Defensive Player of the Year campaign that Chicago finally made the playoffs. Indiana swept Chicago in the Conference semifinals, but with Vandersloot still leading the offense Chicago charged back in 2014 and reached its first Finals appearance. There, the Sky were swept by the Phoenix Mercury, the closest Vandersloot or Chicago has come to a WNBA championship.

The final two seasons with Pokey Chatman at the helm were both cut short in the playoffs, and the two-season tenure of Amber Stocks ended without a playoff berth. In that time, however, Vandersloot has become one of the game’s great facilitators.

Vandersloot is the all-time leader in assists per game at 6.21. She has led the league in assists three times in her career, including the past two seasons in which she set, and then reset, the single-season assist record. Already in 2020 she is pacing the WNBA with 43. Her success has continued in the postseason, where she holds the WNBA record for assists per game as well, at 7.0. In nine-plus seasons, she is already fifth on the career list, just ahead of Hammon.

Still, Vandersloot is known for more than just her assists, and her leadership on the court helped Chicago end its two-year playoff drought last season. The Sky returned to the playoffs with a 20-14 record and the fifth seed in James Wade’s first season. Following a decisive first round win over Phoenix, plenty of people in Chicago think the Sky had an opportunity to make a much deeper run, but the plans were dashed by an (infamous) half-court shot by Dearica Hamby.

Historically, Vandersloot’s July and August season numbers have dwarfed her early season outputs—she has averaged nearly three more assists per game in those months than in May and June. Lucky for Chicago, in an unusual season that tipped off in late July, Vandersloot looks to already be in peak form.

Honorable mentions not playing this season: Liz Cambage, Jonquel Jones, and Tina Charles.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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