Dennis Rodman to Go to Russia to Help Brittney Griner: 'I Know Putin Too Well'
Aug 21, 2022
CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 20: Dennis Rodman reacts after being introduced as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 20, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Former NBA player Dennis Rodman is apparently going to attempt to help bring Brittney Griner home to the United States.
Griner, who is a seven-time All-Star for the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, has been held in Russia since February and was recently sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of drug possession.
"I got permission to go to Russia to help that girl," Rodman said, per Jonathan Allen of NBC News. "I'm trying to go this week."
The Hall of Fame basketball player said he believes his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin will assist in the efforts to help Griner.
"I know Putin too well," he added.
Rodman is no stranger to informal international relations. Allen explained Rodman has a relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and was even "on the sidelines of former President Donald Trump's meeting with Kim in Singapore" in 2018.
As for Griner—whom the United States State Department has classified "wrongfully detained"—ESPN noted her lawyers filed an appeal of her sentencing Monday.
Her lawyers had written statements revealing she was prescribed cannabis to treat pain, and Griner said the canisters containing the cannabis oil were in her luggage by mistake.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously said the United States made a "substantial proposal" to Russia in an effort to return Griner and Paul Whelan, who is another American being held in Russia, back to their home country.
Rodman last appeared in the NBA during the 1999-2000 campaign and played 14 seasons for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks.
Sabrina Ionescu Leads Liberty to Game 1 Comeback Win vs. Candace Parker, Sky
Aug 18, 2022
CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 17: New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in action during the first half of a WNBA first round game between the New York Liberty and the Chicago Sky on August 17, 2022, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The defending champions are officially on the ropes.
The New York Liberty stunned the Chicago Sky with a 98-91 victory on the road in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series at Wintrust Arena on Wednesday. Since the first round is a best-of-three affair, Chicago will need to win two straight—including a decisive Game 3 on the road—to preserve its title defense.
It seemed as if the Sky would cruise to a victory with a 91-85 lead with less than four minutes remaining, but New York closed the game on a 13-0 run.
Sabrina Ionescu led the way with a three-pointer and pull-up during that sequence and finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals behind 8-of-12 shooting from the field.
Her performance drew plenty of reaction:
All year, Sandy Brondello has compared Sabrina Ionescu to Diana Taurasi. On the road, in the playoffs, you can see why. #WNBAPlayoffs@TheNextHoops
Ionescu used her speed to push the pace and was a willing passer whenever Chicago trapped and doubled her. Yet it was far from a solo effort, as Natasha Howard poured in 22 points while playing strong, physical defense throughout the contest.
Stefanie Dolson was also a matchup problem with her ability to stretch the floor from the frontcourt and added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Betnijah Laney did a little bit of everything on her way to 17 points, six rebounds and five assists.
It was a rather shocking finish considering almost all of Chicago's star-studded roster seemed to be playing well for most of the game. Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Kahleah Copper and Azurá Stevens all impressed at times, and the veteran group looked well on the way to another clutch playoff performance.
And then the Sky collapsed down the stretch.
The Liberty will look to close the series out in Chicago in Game 2 on Saturday.
Eight teams begin competition in the 2022 WNBA postseason on Wednesday night, and with legendary players retiring, teams still in championship-or-bust windows...
A'ja Wilson Talks WNBA MVP Race, Historic Ruffles Partnership, More in B/R Interview
Aug 17, 2022
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - AUGUST 07: A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces looks on during the third quarter against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena on August 07, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
A'ja Wilson has a number of goals she wants to achieve during her career, and she may soon be able to mark being mentioned among the WNBA's all-time greats off the list at just 26 years old.
The 2022 WNBA MVP race has essentially boiled down to the Las Vegas Aces star and Breanna Stewart of the Seattle Storm. The victor will join Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Lisa Leslie, Lauren Jackson, Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne as the only players in league history to win the award multiple times.
"Just being on a list with them is an honor in itself," Wilson told Bleacher Report. "It would mean the world, obviously, to win it, but at the same time I want a championship as well. There's a lot of things that I still want to check off that list. But to win another MVP would be a blessing for sure, and it's definitely an honor just to be among the names of the greats of our game."
Wilson already has the 2020 MVP and four All-Star selections on her resume as she continues to exceed the already sky-high expectations that were in place when the Aces took her with the No. 1 pick of the 2018 WNBA draft.
The 2022 campaign was another excellent one for her, as she averaged 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from deep while expanding her offensive attack beyond the three-point line for the first time in her career.
While Stewart also impressed with averages of 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, Wilson's Aces finished with the No. 1 seed in the league at 26-10.
Seattle is the No. 4 seed at 22-14.
"It was very important to us because of the season that we had, where midway through adversity hit us a little bit," Wilson said of finishing atop the standings. "Everyone was saying 'they peaked early' and all this. It's pretty cool to end as the No. 1 seed even though it really doesn't mean much because it can be anyone's game on any day. But it's truly special just to know that this is a pretty historic season for us, and we had a lot of fun doing it."
Las Vegas started 9-1 and then put the finishing touches on the regular season with a four-game winning streak that included Sunday's victory over the Storm that clinched the top seed.
Kelsey Plum went into takeover mode with seven points in the final minute, and Wilson stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. It was a fitting performance seeing how they became the first teammates in WNBA history to each score more than 700 points in the same season.
Let me be very clear: A'ja Wilson didn't need to post 25 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block on the most important defensive possession of the game today to win the WNBA MVP. She did all that anyway while helping her team clinch the No. 1 seed. No debate.
With the dominant duo leading the way and a supporting cast featuring Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, who scored 33 points in the win over Seattle, the Aces are in championship-or-bust mode even though All-Star Dearica Hamby is out with a knee injury.
Wilson said "people have been putting that on me since my rookie year" when discussing those championship expectations, but the Aces have come close with an appearance in the 2020 WNBA Finals and semifinal showings in 2019 and 2021.
Perhaps the sideline presence of Becky Hammon will change their playoff fortunes this time around considering she led them to the best record in the league in just her first season as head coach.
"It's been so much fun playing under Becky," Wilson said. "You can tell that if her knee was a little better she would want to be out there with us, too. She just loves the game so much, and her basketball IQ is out of this world."
While Las Vegas hired Hammon ahead of the 2022 campaign, she was already a franchise legend with her jersey retired after the six-time All-Star played eight of her 16 seasons in the WNBA for the San Antonio Silver Stars, who later became the Aces.
Hammon came to Las Vegas with plenty of coaching experience after eight seasons as an assistant for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. It was a groundbreaking tenure that saw her become the first woman to be a full-time assistant in the NBA, first woman to be a head coach in the summer league, first woman to be part of an All-Star Game coaching staff and first woman to become acting head coach in a game after Gregg Popovich was ejected.
Yet it may have been Hammon's ability to relate to her players that stood out the most to Wilson during their first season together.
"I think the biggest surprise to me is honestly how cool she is," the MVP candidate said. "I saw her with the Spurs and she's like really cool, but now playing under her, she's so funny. She just wants to have fun and is always joking around. That's what we love the most about her. She can relate to us because she sat in that locker room before, and she knows how it feels in a timeout during a clutch game."
Hammon is known for breaking barriers, which is something Wilson is doing off the court as the first female athlete to sign a deal with Ruffles.
The new official chip of the WNBA added her to its roster of athletes that includes LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Davis.
"It means a lot to be the first female athlete to sign because I know I'm the first but I'm not going to be the last," she said. "Just to be a stepping stone there is incredible. And to know now that they're the official chip of the W, it's like worlds colliding. I treat it like it's a snackaholic's dream, but honestly it is. I grew up on the chip, everyone knew the Ruffles and everyone had to have it."
Wilson's partnership includes her own signature flavor of Ruffles Ridge Twists Smoky BBQ, which was inspired by where she is from.
"It's been super fun to finally see smoky barbecue and my face on a bag," she said. "And, of course, the South Carolina roots that I have. Barbecue is always good in the south, especially in South Carolina. So just knowing that and how it's a twist and not your average potato chip, it's something that's special because it's different."
Different is also one way to describe the new WNBA playoffs format, which has all eight teams playing in the first round after six seasons of the top two seeds receiving a bye out of single-elimination openers.
This year's first round will be a best-of-three series with the better seed hosting the first two games, meaning Wilson and the top-seeded Aces may have to play a decisive Game 3 against the eighth-seeded Phoenix Mercury on the road.
While Las Vegas will likely be without Hamby for at least the first round, the Mercury have dealt with adversity all season and are far from the roster that eliminated the Aces in the semifinals last season.
As ESPN detailed, Brittney Griner has been imprisoned in Russia since February, Tina Charles left the team in June, Diana Taurasi has been sidelined with a quad injury and Skylar Diggins-Smith left the team for personal reasons.
Given that reality, the Aces are expected to advance against the team they went 3-0 against during the regular season.
Yet Wilson said they have to focus within when the series starts Wednesday.
"The biggest thing is we can be us and be true to us," she said. "Now is the time that you really need to lock into who you are as a team and your true identity. That's the beauty of it. We can look back and say 'we wish we had this,' and they can say 'we wish we had that,' but at the end of the day we just have to come together and, when the ball goes up, play our game."
If the Aces do that, Wilson might be able to check WNBA champion off her list as well.
Storm's Breanna Stewart Named 2022 AP WNBA Player of the Year; 1st 2-Time Winner
Aug 16, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 7: Breanna Stewart #30 of the Seattle Storm looks on and smiles during the game against the Los Angeles Sparks on July 7, 2022 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Associated Press named Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart its WNBA Player of the Year for the 2022 season.
"It’s an honor to be recognized as the best in the league," Stewart said, per the AP's Doug Feinberg. "Since I started in the WNBA in 2016, just trying to get better. Elevate myself and the team, the league as a whole. A big honor, but we’re motivated by more and that’s trying to win a championship."
The 6'4" forward was the AP's Player of the Year in 2018 as well, and her win could foreshadow the outcome of a tight WNBA MVP race between her and the Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson.
Stewart led the league in scoring (21.8 ppg) and averaged 7.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. She also shot 47.2 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Although the Storm only finished fourth in the WNBA at 22-14, simply qualifying for the playoffs might've been a challenge were it not for Stewie's contributions. Her offensive output accounted for more than a fourth (26.4 percent) of Seattle's scoring.
Wilson, who was recognized as the AP Defensive Player of the Year, was the best player on the league's best team.
You have to go back to Nneka Ogwumike in 2016 to find the last WNBA MVP who didn't play on the team with the best record. The Los Angeles Sparks were merely the second-best team that year.
Wilson put together the best season of her career by expanding her offensive repertoire. Prior to 2022, the Aces center went 1-of-2 on three-pointers. This season she made 31 threes and hit 37.3 percent of her attempts.
Every year, basketball fans watch a post player hit a few long-range jumpers in an open gym and get irrationally excited about that player suddenly becoming a stretch big. With Wilson, it actually happened.
It was a bittersweet week in the WNBA, the end of the 2022 regular season, but also the end of Sylvia Fowles' WNBA career. While the Lynx had a shot at making...
Liz Cambage Stepping Away from WNBA 'For the Time Being' After Exit from Sparks
Aug 15, 2022
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 12: Liz Cambage #1 of the Los Angeles Sparks cheers from the bench during a game against the Washington Mystics at Crypto.com Arena on July 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
Liz Cambage announced in an Instagram post Monday that she will step away from the WNBA "for the time being" after leaving the Los Angeles Sparks.
Liz Cambage posts on Instagram that she’ll be stepping away from the WNBA “for the time being.”
This is her first time addressing her midseason departure from the Los Angeles Sparks.
"Playing for the Sparks was a dream come true and I'm honored to have shared the court with such amazing ladies for as long as we did. I'm sorry to have left abruptly and I wish it would have ended on a different note. I've decided to step away from the league for the time being and I'm hopeful that the WNBA will do their part in creating safer environments and a stronger support system for their players. While I'll miss rocking the purple and gold, I'll be taking this time to focus on my healing and personal growth before providing clarification on past rumors. Thank you to all my supporters, family and friends for all the love and light you continue to surround me with."
On July 26, Cambage terminated her deal with the Los Angeles Sparks.
"It is with support that we share Liz Cambage's decision to terminate her contract with the organization," Sparks managing partner Eric Holoman said in a statement. "We want what's best for Liz and have agreed to part ways amicably. The Sparks remain excited about our core group and are focused on our run towards a 2022 playoff berth."
After her departure, however, the team went 1-8 and was eliminated from postseason consideration. On the court, her loss was a big one—the four-time All-Star was averaging 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game across 25 contests.
But there were reports that within the locker room, Cambage's fit in Los Angeles was far rockier.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported before her Sparks departure that during film sessions, "sources say it was customary for Cambage to call out teammates, accusing them of looking her off and not targeting her. Teammates would counter that she's not sealing in the post and seldom gets back on defense when a turnover occurs. It was a conundrum that went unresolved."
After a blowout loss to the Las Vegas Aces on July 23, Haynes reported that Cambage stormed out of the locker room, telling teammates: "I can't do this anymore. Best of luck to you guys."
The 30-year-old has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the WNBA, skipping the 2012, 2014 to 2017, and 2020 seasons to play professionally overseas and for the Australian national team.
It's unclear if her cameo with the Sparks will be her final stint in the league.
TOPSHOT - US Women National Basketball Association's (WNBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, leaves the courtroom before the court's final decision in Khimki outside Moscow, on August 4, 2022. - Russian prosecutors requested that US basketball star Brittney Griner be sentenced to nine and a half years in prison on drug smuggling charges. Her hearing comes with tensions soaring between Moscow and Washington over Russia's military intervention in Ukraine that has sparked international condemnation and a litany of Western sanctions. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Brittney Griner has appealed her conviction on drug smuggling charges and the nine-year prison sentence she was given by a Russian court, according to Ivan Nechepurenko of the New York Times.
Griner was accused of attempting to smuggle vape cartridges containing hashish oil through a Russian airport in her luggage back in February.
Her appeal is expected to take around three months to be resolved.
The United States and Russia have reportedly discussed a prisoner swap, with Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan proposed in a potential trade by U.S. President Joe Biden for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Per Nechepurenko, Griner's legal team has offered to withdraw its appeal if it would help expedite the exchange.
NEW: Brittney Griner's legal team files appeal, as they said they would. What do you need to know: 1. The point isn't to win an appeal, it's to prevent her transfer to a penal colony, where life is a lot rougher. /1https://t.co/hqRJaFCUNy
5. All optimism is tempered by the reality that talks could blow up at any time, for any random reason. 6. Griner's lawyer quoted as saying if Russia wants them to drop the appeal to facilitate a deal, they will. /3
"The discussion of the quite sensitive topic of prisoner exchange of Russian and American citizens has been ongoing along the channels set out by the two presidents," Russian diplomat Aleksandr Darchiev noted.
In its appeal, Griner's legal team argued the Russian court ignored "serious procedural violations during detention, extraction of physical evidence, arrest and investigation," per one of her lawyers, Aleksandr Boikov.
He believed the case could have been tossed for procedural grounds and did not "correspond to the current legal practice of Russian courts," calling Griner's sentence "unprecedentedly harsh."
The United States has officially stated Griner has been "wrongfully detained" for political motivations under the backdrop of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
WNBA Playoff Bracket 2022: Full Schedule and Matchups for Entire Postseason
Aug 14, 2022
CHICAGO, IL - JULY 26: A'ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Azurá Stevens #30 of the Chicago Sky reach for the tip-off during the 2022 WNBA Commissioner's Cup game on July 26, 2022 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/NBAE via Getty Images)
The 2022 WNBA playoff field came into full focus Sunday.
The Las Vegas Aces guaranteed themselves the top seed following a hard-fought 109-100 win over the Seattle Storm. The defending champion Chicago Sky have to settle for the No. 2 seed, with a rematch of the Commissioner's Cup final potentially on tap.
The WNBA adopted a new format for the playoffs starting this year. Gone are the single-elimination games in the first two rounds in lieu of a more traditional postseason structure. The first round will be a best-of-three affair before best-of-five series in the semifinals and WNBA Finals.
Here are the four first-round matchups with the playoff bracket now set.
Play is scheduled to begin Wednesday with two games. The Sky will host New York Liberty at 8 p.m. ET, and the Phoenix Mercury will hit the road to play the Aces at 10 p.m. ET.
With six teams locked in, the battle for the final two postseason seeds went down to the final day. The Mercury, Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Atlanta Dream were all separated by one game.
There is ONE game remaining in the 2022 WNBA regular season.
There are TWO spots still up for grabs in the postseason.
The Lynx were the first team eliminated from the group thanks to their 90-83 loss to the Connecticut Sun. The defeat meant the legendary career of Sylvia Fowles has come to an end.
The 36-year-old leaves as one of the greatest players in league history.
Arguably the WNBA's best center of all-time. Sylvia Fowles' career was special 🙏 @HighlightHER
The battle for the top seed went down to the wire as well, with the Aces and Sky deadlocked at 25-10 with one game to play.
Chicago already laid out its championship credentials last year.
Rather than just a case of a team getting hot at the right time, the Sky finally played up to their full potential in the 2021 playoffs following a regular season in which their 16-16 record perfectly encapsulated their inconsistency on the court.
In 2022, James Wade's squad has shown that success was no fluke. WNBA Finals MVP Kahleah Copper best exemplifies that as the 27-year-old wing was averaging career highs in points (15.9), rebounds (5.7) and assists (2.3) heading into Sunday.
Emma Meesseman has provided a dimension the Sky didn't have in 2021, too. The Belgian forward averaged 12.5 points on 56.8 percent shooting along with 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.4 steals.
The Los Angeles Sparks were the last WNBA champion to successfully defend their title when they swept the New York Liberty in 2002. History isn't on Chicago's side, yet nobody will be too surprised if the Sky are once again the last team left standing.
For the Aces and Sun, this postseason presents another opportunity to finally get over the hump.
Las Vegas advanced to the WNBA semifinals in each of the last three years and made the 2020 WNBA Finals. Still, a title has proved elusive for A'ja Wilson, who could be on her way to a second league MVP honor.
Hiring Becky Hammon as head coach could be the missing ingredient since her arrival has coincided with an increased reliance on the three ball. The Aces were tied with the Liberty for made three-pointers per game (9.5) prior to Sunday, which is a significant contrast to finishing 11th (5.1) in 2021.
Hammon has also helped to unleash Kelsey Plum, who finally had her long-awaited breakthrough by putting up 20.1 points per game.
Still, an already top-heavy roster will have to open the playoffs without Dearica Hamby, presenting Hammon with a major tactical challenge ahead of her first postseason in charge.
For the Sun, this is yet another year in which fans are left to wonder whether Connecticut's regular-season performance can translate to the next stage.
The Sun are first in net rating (9.5), per WNBA.com, and boast a wealth of depth and experience. Five different players averaged double figures in scoring, all of whom have been with the team for multiple years.
However, fans have seen this story play out before. Last year, Connecticut's collective strength wasn't enough to overcome the Sky, who simply had more talent and star power.
Should the Sun once again fall short of a title, you have to wonder whether something drastic is needed, be it a coaching change or a major shake-up to the roster—something similar to the Toronto Raptors trading DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard in 2018.
This end of the year awards ballot is a first in WNBA history. On August 5 the league announced a change that was welcomed all across the #WNBATwitter, the W...
