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RandySF's JournalCaitlin Clark's Iowa Jersey Retirement Leads to All-Time High Prices Per Ticket Site
On April 10, 2024, three days after the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team lost the 2024 NCAA National Championship game against Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Hawkeyes announced that they would be retiring superstar Caitlin Clark's No. 22 jersey.
This announcement didn't surprise anybody, given that Clark is arguably the greatest college basketball player of all time, regardless of gender. But what initially raised questions after the jersey retirement news was when exactly the ceremony would occur, as that hadn't yet been announced.
After months of fan speculation, Iowa announced on Wednesday that Clark's jersey will officially be retired on February 2, when the Hawkeyes face JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans at home.
The Hawkeyes have remained a big draw this season, even without Clark. But that February 2 game just became the hottest ticket within the women's basketball world, which is proven by how the ticket prices have skyrocketed over the past day.....
"The cheapest ticket to the game is $711. This is currently the most expensive women’s basketball ticket on record."
https://www.si.com/onsi/womens-fastbreak/news/caitlin-clark-s-iowa-jersey-retirement-leads-to-all-time-high-prices-per-ticket-site-01jffsjsckqe
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Releases Official List of 2025 Candidates
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the list of eligible candidates for the Class of 2025, featuring several high-profile first-time nominees.
Candidates for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 include Carmelo Anthony, Sue Bird, Maya Moore, Dwight Howard, Doc Rivers, Billy Donovan, Sylvia Fowles, Chamique Holdsclaw, Mark Few, Lisa Bluder, Marc Gasol, and Micky Arison.
The first look at the list of eligible nominees was provided by “NBA Today” on ESPN, hosted by Malika Andrews, with Brian Windhorst, Chiney Ogwumike, and Tim MacMahon. A complete list of eligible candidates can be found below.
Finalists chosen from the applicable Category Screening Committees for the Class of 2025 will be announced on Friday, February 14, in San Francisco as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
The entire Class of 2025 will be unveiled during a nationally televised broadcast at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio on Saturday, April 5.
https://www.hoophall.com/news/naismith-basketball-hall-of-fame-announces-eligible-candidates-for-the-class-of-2025
Franklin Sports Announces a Multi-Year Licensing Agreement with the WNBA
STOUGHTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Franklin Sports, a leading brand in the sporting goods industry, announced today a multi-year licensing agreement with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). Franklin’s youth and fan products—slated to debut in the summer of 2025—will create greater engagement with basketball and the WNBA’s brand among a generation of young fans, a goal that Franklin and the WNBA are distinctly aligned on.
“We are excited to announce this multi-year agreement with the WNBA. We look forward to working with the league to introduce basketball to younger generations while showcasing our commitment to innovation, quality, and fun. We fully share the WNBA’s vision of engaging younger athletes and fans, and helping build interest and participation through active play,” said Adam Franklin, President of Franklin Sports.
Designed specifically with the league and its teams in mind, key products will include: Over the Door Hoop Sets; Toy Basketball Hoop Sets and Games; Foam, Plush and Toy Balls; Pickleball Paddles; Standings Trackers, and much more.
The WNBA is the most recent professional women’s sports league to join Franklin Sports’ growing roster of women’s sports properties, which includes the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), USA Softball and numerous key softball, pickleball and volleyball individual partners.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241219490477/en/Franklin-Sports-Announces-a-Multi-Year-Licensing-Agreement-with-the-WNBA
Chicago Sky's Elizabeth Williams signs with AU Pro Basketball for 2025 Season
Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball has signed center-forward Elizabeth Williams for the 2025 season in Nashville, Tennessee.
Williams is a 10-year WNBA veteran who currently plays for the Chicago Sky. She was drafted fourth overall by the Connecticut Sun in the 2015 WNBA Draft. Her rookie season was her only season with the Sun; she was traded to the Atlanta Dream the following season and spent six years with the franchise.
After a stint with the Mystics, Williams has spent her last two WNBA seasons with the Sky. Williams made nine starts in the 2024 season with the Sky before suffering a season-ending torn meniscus in June.
The 6-foot-3 center-forward has continuously evolved throughout her pro career and has been recognized for her play. She won the WNBA Most Improved Player Award after increasing her per-game averages to 11.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 2016. She was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Team in 2020 and 2023.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/chicago-sky-s-elizabeth-williams-signs-with-au-pro-basketball-for-2025-season/ar-AA1waycZ
WNBA Star Angel McCoughtry Assures She'll Make a Comeback in the League: 'Age is Just a Number'
Angel McCoughtry, a five-time WNBA All-Star and one of the league's most prolific scorers, is preparing for a comeback. At 38, the basketball icon is defying expectations and pushing past the limits often placed on athletes her age.
Even though her last stint with the Minnesota Lynx was short-lived, McCoughtry is ready to prove that she still has a lot left to give on the court.
McCoughtry takes inspiration from NBA superstar LeBron James, who is approaching his 40th birthday and still performing at an elite level. "LeBron is almost 40, and he's still one of the best players in the world," McCoughtry told TMZ Sports.
She also believes that advancement in sports science and recovery technology can elongate the life of an athlete's career.
"I just know I still have some left in me to help a team and I'm ready to get out there and have some fun. I'm in some of the best shape of my life. People keep mentioning age but what is age? It's just a number."
"When you invest in your body, like LeBron, and with today's technology, you can play until you're 50 if you want to," she added.
https://www.sportsworldnews.com/articles/78334/20241221/wnba-star-angel-mccoughtry-assures-shell-make-comeback-league-age-just-number.htm
"I Want The Storylines": Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers Rivalry Pushed By Sue Bird's Fiancee To Boost Women's Basketball
Apparently there are people who are skeptical about the friendship between Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. WNBA legend Megan Rapinoe was seemingly not convinced when the UConn star said she and the former Iowa star were friends off-court.
Rapinoe, a former soccer player who played as a winger for the OL Reign of the National Women’s Soccer League and the US women’s national team, isn’t the biggest expert on women’s basketball, but she has one of the best in the sport by her side—her fiancee, WNBA legend Sue Bird.
The former winger expressed her thoughts on Clark and Bueckers’ friendship in a March 2021 interview with Insider.
“I really do want to see the ‘Buckets’ vs Clark clash,” Rapinoe said. “I want to see that go down. I want them to guard each other. I want the whole thing to happen. I want the storylines.”
Rapinoe then talked about wanting to see a rivalry form between the two rising stars of women’s basketball.
https://www.hardwoodheroics.com/caitlin-clark-paige-bueckers-sue-bird/#google_vignette
Ex-hoops star Fran Harris talks about the effort to bring a WNBA team to Austin
The WNBA is aiming to continue to ride that wave with its most aggressive expansion plan in more than a decade. Set to join the 14-team league next year are the Golden State Valkyries. Toronto and Portland are scheduled to follow with teams the year after that.
One spot is remaining, and WNBA stakeholders have whittled the potential destination down to a dozen cities. A full-court press is on, whether it's Patrick Mahomes aiming to bring a team to Kansas City, Celtics star Jayson Tatum propping up his hometown of St. Louis, or the city of Philadelphia trying to get a piece of the action.
Fran Harris, a former University of Texas women's basketball star, TV personality and entrepreneur, has an opinion of where that next team should be: Austin. She's been working for more than a year to drum up support to bring a team to the Capital City.
It's a tall task, no doubt. Austin is believed to be farther down the list compared to other cities. But it has a good corporate base and population growth that might be attractive to the league.
Harris joined the Texas Business Minds Podcast to talk about what it takes to bring a professional team to a city — and specifically to the Lone Star State. The entire conversation can be listened to with the player at the top of this article or on platforms such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Below are some excerpts from the interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.
https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2024/12/texas-business-minds-fran-harris.html
Professional women's basketball is headed to Nashville, thanks to Athletes Unlimited
Athletes Unlimited (AU) is a month-long one-month women’s professional basketball league that launched in 2022, allowing WNBA players to stay in the US and develop as basketball players. (It’s completely different from Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 basketball league getting started next month in Miami).
Athletes Unlimited, which uses a complex point system to crown an individual champion at the end of each season (more on that later), reached out to Brown ahead of its inaugural season to gauge her interest in participating. However, her agent strongly advised her to go overseas.
The following year, Brown fired her agent and followed her gut, playing in Athletes Unlimited’s 2023 season in Dallas rather than going to Europe.
It’s a decision she views as life-changing.
“It really changed the trajectory of my career,” Brown said. “I really was feeling lost as a pro, not really knowing where my confidence went, where my role was going to be in this league.”
https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/12/20/24317385/womens-basketball-wnba-offseason-athletes-unlimited-lexie-brown-unrivaled-nashville
Indiana Fever guard latest WNBA player to commit to Unrivaled
Unrivaled has announced Player No. 35, and it’s Indiana Fever guard Katie Lue Samuelson.
Samuelson, a five-year WNBA veteran, has averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game since being drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Sky in 2019. She was a standout player at the University of Connecticut, where she averaged 16.7 points across four seasons and shot 41.5% from three.
The 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league, which has been rolling out names of participating WNBA players for months, is set to officially tip-off on January 17th in Miami, with games taking place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays for 9 weeks. Several of Samuelson’s Fever teammates, including Lexie Hull and Aliyah Boston, will participate in the league. In college, Samuelson was also teammates with Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, the league’s co-founders.
Samuelson had a difficult 2024 campaign after missing the 2023 season due to pregnancy. She averaged just 4.3 points in 18.2 minutes per night for Indiana after averaging 9.7 points in 29.5 minutes per night on the Sparks in 2022. Still, at her best, she’s an elite forward who can stretch the floor and do a little bit of everything.
https://www.sbnation.com/wnba/2024/12/20/24326001/unrivaled-katie-lue-samuelson-indiana-fever-womens-basketball-wnba
Fever GM Comes Clean on Ditching Temi Fagbenle as She Provides a Massive Update on Kelsey Mitchell Trade Rumor
Amber Cox has been vocal about her desire to re-sign the veteran guard. Free agency officially kicks off in January, with teams making qualifying offers and core designations between January 11-20. Negotiations will begin on January 21, and the Fever are entering the period with a significant $657,639 in cap space—enough to sign multiple max players.
It’s clear they hope one of those max contracts goes to Kelsey Mitchell. The former No. 2 overall pick has spent her entire career with the Fever, averaging a career-high 19.2 points per game last season while shooting an impressive 40.2% from beyond the arc.
As an unrestricted free agent, Mitchell is exploring her options but hasn’t ruled out staying in Indiana. “It’s definitely a lot of emotions and thoughts that flow through my mind,” she said during her exit interview in September. “Indy has always been a home for me, so it could be again. But with the shifting dynamics in my family and life, I need to be selfish in this process and do what’s best for me.”
While Mitchell is the top priority, Cox has hinted at other significant moves. The Fever, fresh off their first playoff appearance since 2016, are in a position to strengthen their roster further. With big-name forwards like Satou Sabally hitting free agency, the team seems poised to make waves this offseason. Indiana’s plans are ambitious, and fans have every reason to be excited about what’s to come.
https://www.essentiallysports.com/wnba-basketball-news-amber-cox-fever-gm-comes-clean-on-ditching-temi-fagbenle-as-she-provides-a-massive-update-on-kelsey-mitchell-trade-rumor/
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