Minnesota Lynx

During the middle of Tuesday's game between the WNBA's New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx at Barclays Center, activists took to the court and stands to rally support for abortion rights.

The activists received an ovation from the crowd before security pulled them off the court, one even being dragged by the hair at one point.

This comes in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion seemingly poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. The 1973 decision recognized a constitutional right to abortion at the federal level.

This is also one of a number of protests that have occurred at sporting events in recent months.

During a French Open semifinal match between Casper Ruud and Marin Cilic last week, a climate-change activist tied themselves to the net wearing a shirt that read "We have 1028 days left."

Before that, a person glued themselves to the court during a Minnesota Timberwolves game in protest of team owner Glen Taylor, whose egg farm killed chickens because of a bird flu outbreak, according to TNT's Allie LaForce.

Angel McCoughtry is reportedly on the move for the second time in three seasons.

Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the five-time WNBA All-Star has agreed to a deal with the Minnesota Lynx.

After spending the first 11 seasons of her career with the Atlanta Dream, McCoughtry signed as a free agent with the Las Vegas Aces in 2020. 

McCoughtry had a successful first season with the Aces, averaging 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 22 starts. Las Vegas tied the Seattle Storm for the best record in the WNBA during the regular season (18-4).

After beating the Connecticut Sun in the playoff semifinals, the Aces were swept in the WNBA Finals by the Storm.

McCoughtry's 2021 season was lost to a torn ACL and meniscus in her right knee suffered during Las Vegas' preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks. She made a brief appearance at the end of an Aug. 26 game in Atlanta to give Dream fans an opportunity to cheer for one of the greatest players in franchise history.

The torn ACL and meniscus marked the second significant knee injury for the 35-year-old McCoughtry in the past three years. She missed the 2019 season while rehabbing a knee injury suffered near the end of the 2018 campaign. 

The addition of McCoughtry will ease the sting if Sylvia Fowles, who ranked second on the team in scoring (16.0 points per game), leaves as a free agent. 

Fowles wrote in an Instagram post Jan. 19 she was returning for a 15th season with the caption "HOME," which could indicate she will remain with the Lynx. No deal has been worked out between the two sides.

The Lynx are set up well to compete for a championship in 2022. They had the second-best record in the Western Conference last season (22-10) before losing to the Chicago Sky in the second round of the playoffs.    

Minnesota Lynx veteran center Sylvia Fowles has earned the fourth WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award of her career.

Fowles garnered 31 of 49 first-place votes. Los Angeles Sparks guard Brittney Sykes finished second with six votes, while Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones and Phoenix Mercury forward Brianna Turner tied for third with four votes each.

Fowles now trails only Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, who finished her career with five Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Fowles, Sykes, Jones and Turner were also named to the WNBA All-Defensive First Team, with Connecticut's Briann January earning the last spot.

In her 14th season, Fowles ranked second in the league in steals and blocks per game with 1.8 in both categories. She also ranked second in rebounds at 10.1 per game and third in defensive rebounds (8.0). With Fowles leading the way, the Lynx ranked third in the WNBA defensively, holding opponents to 78.7 points.

"We give her great responsibility," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said of Fowles. "She's not just guarding her player. She's the one that's coming to help on drives."

Fowles is Minnesota's second-leading scorer at 16.0 points per game. Set to turn 36 next month, the 2017 league MVP has shown no signs of slowing down.

"That was embedded in me at an early age," Fowles said about her defensive prowess. "I can definitely say this team challenged me to do more—not in a bad way, but just to make sure I'm aware of a lot of things."

Fowles is also a two-time WNBA Finals MVP and seven-time All-Star. 

Fowles and the third-seeded Lynx will face the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky in the second round of the WNBA playoffs Sunday.

Minnesota Lynx star Aerial Powers will be out for eight to 10 weeks after undergoing surgery for a torn UCL in her right thumb.

Powers shared an update on Twitter after the procedure:

Her injury sums up a roller-coaster 2021 season for the 5-6 Lynx. Minnesota has the seventh-best record in the WNBA, only 0.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Dream, Dallas Wings and Phoenix Mercury and tied with the Washington Mystics for the final two playoff spots. That's not where many expected the team to be after it signed Powers, Natalie Achonwa and Kayla McBride.

Powers was previously slowed by a strained left hamstring that limited her to four appearances. She has been a solid rebounder (4.8 per game) and playmaker (3.5 assists) but has struggled with shooting. Her 32.5 percent field-goal rate and 14.3 percent clip from beyond the arc are well below her career averages (40.0 and 33.9).

The WNBA season will halt July 11 for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo before resuming Aug. 15. That should benefit the Lynx in that the 5'11" wing won't miss as many games as she would've during a normal season.

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore haven't discussed relocating the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx as they work toward their purchase of the franchises, according to The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.

Krawczynski reported they are "are committed to the Twin Cities market":

Lore and Rodriguez have not yet spoken publicly about their intentions with the Timberwolves, but Lore has been posting on social media about investing in a community that has struggled with racial tension since George Floyd was murdered by police last summer. He has already teamed up with Wolves guard Josh Okogie on community initiatives surrounding the shooting death of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center as well.

The threat of relocation always looms to some extent when ownership of a sports team changes hands, especially when the new owner or owners don't have any preexisting ties to the region.

For fans in Minneapolis, those concerns became more acute when a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski brought more information about the agreement between Glen Taylor and the pair of Rodriguez and Lore.

Timberwolves shareholder Meyer Orbach filed a complaint alleging the agreement doesn't have any formal provision to keep the Wolves in Minnesota. Relocation is one topic the owners would have to bring before the Advisory Board, but the board's approval isn't required for a move.

Taylor issued a statement addressing the story: "I am aware of the story published by ESPN and the litigation that has been filed. As a policy, we do not comment on pending legal matters. I stand by my prior statements and commitment to keeping the Timberwolves and Lynx in Minnesota."

Still, the report seemingly contradicts what Taylor told the Star Tribune's Chris Hine in April.

"They will keep the team here, yes," he said. "We will put it in the agreement. At this point we have a letter of intent, but when we make up the contract we'll put that in there. That's no problem. That won't be a problem."

Krawczynski wrote Orbach’s lawsuit is alleging Rodriguez and Lore signed a letter of intent that included language about the Timberwolves remaining in Minnesota. However, the document isn't legally binding, and the details aren't included in the final sale agreement.

Leaving Minneapolis may not be all that costly, either. 

While the Timberwolves' current lease ties them down to Target Center through the 2034-35 season, the owners would only be on the hook for $50 million to break the lease and leave. 

For those who recall the saga of the Seattle SuperSonics, their plight remains fresh in the memories of fans.

Upon purchasing the SuperSonics and Seattle Storm in July 2006, Clay Bennett said on behalf of himself and the ownership group that "it's not our intention to move or relocate the teams," while tying the sentiment to getting a new arena in Seattle.

By the start of the 2008-09 season, the Sonics were the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Rodriguez and Lore can say the right things early on, but it might do little to quell the disquiet from some fans.

There remains optimism that the Minnesota Timberwolves will be sold to a group of investors that includes former American League MVP Alex Rodriguez and businessman Marc Lore. 

Per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, all parties involved in the negotiations "remain confident that a deal is on track to be completed."

Krawczynski reported on April 10 that Rodriguez and Lore signed a letter of intent to purchase the T-Wolves from Glen Taylor. That gives them an exclusive 30-day negotiating window to finalize a deal. 

“We look forward to entering this phase of the process with Glen Taylor," Rodriguez and Lore said in a joint statement at the time, via ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "Our respect for him and the legacy he has built lays an amazing foundation for what is to come. We are excited by the prospect of getting to know the Timberwolves organization, the talented team and their incredible fans.”

If a deal gets done, Rodriguez and Lore would serve as limited partners with Taylor for the next two seasons before fully taking over in 2023-24. 

While a price has not been determined at this point, Mike Ozanian of Forbes reported in November that the T-Wolves and Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, who are also owned by Taylor, could be sold for $1.5 billion. 

The 30-day negotiating window will expire after May 10. 

Rodriguez currently works as a color commentator for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball. He played 22 MLB seasons with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees from 1994-2016. 

Lore most recently served as CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce. He co-founded eCommerce company Jet.com in 2014.

Taylor has been the T-Wolves majority owner since 1994. He has owned the Lynx since their inaugural season in 1999. 

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and forward Napheesa Collier urged the NCAA to take action in states that have passed or are considering anti-transgender sports laws.

ESPN's Katie Barnes reported the NCAA Board of Governors is meeting Friday to discuss the nationwide legislation aimed at preventing transgender women from competing in women's sports.

"What's really harming women's sports is an overall lack of investment, whether in resources for female athletes, opportunities to coach [or] lack of pay," Reeve said. "The notion that the motivation for transgender athletes is to gain scholarships or competitive advantage is a false narrative. Trans inclusion makes our sports, our teams and our communities stronger."

Collier added the NCAA shouldn't allow states to prevent transgender student-athletes from playing college sports.

"I consider transgender women my teammates, not a threat," Collier said. "The NCAA has to take action and withdraw all athletic competition from states considering harmful anti-transgender sports bills."

The West Virginia state senate and house of delegates passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit transgender women and girls from playing on college or secondary sports teams, per CNN's Devan Cole. Arkansas, Mississippi, South Dakota and Tennessee previously passed similar measures.

Anti-transgender sports laws are being considered in over 30 states, per Barnes.

CeCe Telfer, who became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA title in 2019, asked the NCAA to "do more" to support transgender athletes during a Human Rights Campaign press conference:

"As a former NCAA athlete, I definitely want to thank the NCAA and commend them for how they treated me as an athlete ... but we are definitely asking the NCAA and you guys to do more. ... As a trans athlete ... I'm not a threat to women's sports because I am a woman. ... The joy and beauty of finally embracing myself and being in a sport that I love and being on that line with the women I'm supposed to be with, it's enlightening. And being an athlete has prevented me from many things, from many distractions, from harming myself. ... Athletics is a way for people to get out and get away from negativity and just breathe. And I really think that the NCAA can do more, and that's all that we're asking."

Telfer took first place in the Division II women's 400-meter hurdles as the 2019 track and field championships.

The NCAA released a transgender handbook in 2011 that noted the governing body is "committed to diversity, inclusion and gender equity among its student-athletes, coaches and administrators."

It laid out guidelines that explained transgender student-athletes could compete in sports depending on whether they'd undergone hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Reeve is a former college coach, including six years as a head coach at Indiana State, and Collier was a standout player at UConn before being selected by Minnesota in the first round of the 2019 WNBA draft.

Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore and Jonathan Irons, the man she helped free from prison in July after he served 23 years for a wrongful conviction, announced Wednesday they got married earlier this summer.

The couple discussed the whirlwind couple of months with Robin Roberts on ABC's Good Morning America:

Moore, who first met Irons when she was 18, told Roberts (via Yahoo Sports' Liz Roscher) they grew close while working together to overturn his conviction.

"I got to know him, and over the last 13 years, we have just developed a friendship and entered into this huge battle to get him home," she said. "Over time, it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts. Now we're sitting here today, starting a whole new chapter together."

Irons, 40, explained he originally asked Moore to marry him a few years ago but didn't rush her into an answer or a commitment because he understood the uncertainty about his own future, per Roscher.

"I just want you [to] wait until I'm home," he recalled saying. "Because in my mind, I didn't know if I'd be home. And she's such an amazing, beautiful person, I could never trap her or not let her fulfill her dreams of being a wife and being a mother one day."

Irons asked again just hours after being released from prison, and the four-time WNBA champion said yes.

Moore has stepped away from her basketball career over the past two years to focus on her work seeking criminal justice reform, a selfless decision made after back-to-back All-Star selections.

Now 31, the former UConn standout wasn't ready to commit to a WNBA return in 2021.

"So I'm still trying to be so present in this second year away from the game," the Missouri native told Roberts. "I'm hoping sometime in the spring we'll be able to have a next step moving forward, but right now I am trying to really just breathe from this long, long battle, and enjoy and rest. Again, just being in the moment. There's a lot of unknowns for a lot of us right now, so I'm still in that camp."

The 6'1" forward is one of the most decorated players in basketball history with two NCAA titles, three Women's Chinese Basketball Association championships, a pair of Women's EuroLeague titles and two Olympic gold medals along with her four WNBA championship trophies.

All of that team success is added to numerous individual accolades, highlighted by being named the 2014 WNBA Most Valuable Player.

Jonathan Irons, who was convicted of burglary and assault in 1998 and sentenced to 50 years in prison, was officially released from the Jefferson City Correctional Center on Wednesday, according to Kurt Streeter of the New York Times. 

WNBA star Maya Moore put her basketball career on hold in part to help Irons overturn his conviction. The four-time champion and former Rookie of the Year and MVP stunned the basketball world when she sat out the 2019 season. Moore had met Irons while doing prison ministry in 2007 and formed a friendship with him. 

Her efforts to help Irons culminated in Missouri Judge Daniel Green throwing out Iron's conviction in March, citing issues with both the investigation that led to the charges and the case the prosecution made against Irons, calling it "very weak and circumstantial at best." Green specifically pointed out fingerprint evidence that was not turned over to Irons' defense team, which his lawyers said "would have supported their contention that someone else had committed the crime." 

"Until Maya Moore got involved, [Irons] just really didn't have the resources to either hire counsel or hire investigators," Irons' attorney Kent Gipson told Katie Barnes of ESPNW. "It's big to sacrifice a year of your career in your prime to do that."

After a series of failed appeals by Missouri's Attorney General Eric Schmitt, St. Charles County lead prosecutor Tim Lohmar was given the decision to retry the case. He declined, freeing Irons. 

Irons, then 16, was convicted of breaking into the house of Stanley Stotler, then 38, and shooting him. Stotler picked out two Black men in a lineup weeks after he had been shot, one of them Irons, and later identified him in court. But per Streeter, "There was no corroborating witness to the crime, nor were any fingerprints, DNA or blood evidence implicating Irons presented in court."

Prosecutors also claimed Irons had confessed to the crime to a police officer during questioning, though Irons denied that story. As Streeter reported, "The officer who interrogated him did so alone and did not make a video or audio recording of the conversation. Asked for his interview notes, the officer said he had thrown them away."

Irons, 40, served 22 years of the 50-year sentence. 

It's unclear if Moore, who also chose to skip the 2020 season, will ever return to the court. But it is clear that she's found purpose in criminal justice reform.

"God says: Mankind, God has given you one thing to do," she told Barnes. "Seek justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. That's what I've been trying to do."