<ul class="summary-list"><li>Candace Parker is headed home to Chicago after 13 years with the Los Angeles Sparks.</li><li><keyword id="217384" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Dwyane-Wade">Dwyane Wade</keyword> applauded the <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> superstar's free-agency move and lambasted the Sparks for letting her go.</li><li>"What when they don't appreciate your worth looks like," Wade said. He told the Sparks, "That's your legacy."</li></ul><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-players-deserve-recognition-on-off-court-warnock-loeffler-georgia-2021-1">WNBA</a> free agency doesn't begin until Monday, but explosive drama has already taken hold of the league.</p><p>Candace Parker, the WNBA's reigning defensive player of the year and a two-time league MVP, is leaving the Los Angeles Sparks after 13 seasons to join her hometown Chicago Sky.</p><p>And Dwyane Wade had something to say about it.</p><div type="image" title="candace parker" height="1406" width="1875" msid="80541761" hostid="261"></div><p>After news of Parker's free-agency move broke on Wednesday night, Wade, a future NBA Hall of Famer and Chicago native, congratulated his TNT broadcast teammate for heading back to the Windy City. He also lambasted the Sparks for letting their superstar walk away without a hard fight.</p><p>"What when they don't appreciate your worth looks like," Wade tweeted. "I'm happy for my friend and teammate that she's going back HOME!!!</p><p>"But @LASparks no that's your legacy," he added.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—DWade  (@DwyaneWade) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1354590661207445505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2021</a></blockquote><div type="image" title="candace parker.JPG" height="1540" width="2057" msid="80541766" hostid="261"></div><p>Though Parker's departure from Los Angeles is jarring to WNBA fans, those who have followed the Sparks in recent years may not be entirely surprised by her decision to leave. Parker had a rocky relationship with Derek Fisher - who became the franchise's head coach in 2018 and was promoted to general manager in December - since his first postseason at the helm.</p><p>Fisher benched Parker for most of the team's 2019 WNBA semifinals elimination game against the Connecticut Sun. When she came out for the final time in the third quarter, Parker was caught on camera angrily saying, "Why would you do that now?"</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Ipso Facto Throat Punch™️  (@RLpontificates) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1175929778454425600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 23, 2019</a></blockquote><p>Los Angeles lost 78-56 and was eliminated from the playoffs. The following year, the No. 7 Sun upset the third-seeded Sparks - this time in a single-elimination second-round game - in what would prove to be Parker's last contest in purple and gold.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-players-dunk-video-highlights-2020-9">6-foot-4 forward led Los Angeles</a> to its first championship in more than a decade in 2016. She earned Finals MVP honors in the Sparks' five-game battle against Maya Moore's Minnesota Lynx for the title.</p><p>Parker accumulated five WNBA All-Star nods and six all-WNBA first-team selections during her time in Los Angeles. The Sparks made the playoffs in all but two seasons in her 13 years with the franchise.</p><p>Parker will join a deep Chicago squad with three 2019 All-Stars: <a href="https://www.insider.com/courtney-vandersloot-wnba-assist-record-wife-allie-quigley-hits-shot-2020-9">Courtney Vandersloot</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-allie-quigley-win-wnba-all-star-three-point-contest-2018-7">Allie Quigley</a>, and Diamond DeShields. With the <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-more-outrage-jacob-blake-dog-wnba-sky-james-wade-2020-8">2019 WNBA coach of the year, James Wade</a>, the Sky have become a favorite to win it all in 2021.</p><div type="image" title="courtney vandersloot" height="1406" width="1875" msid="80541771" hostid="261"></div><p>And that's Parker's main objective as she reaches the twilight of her career.</p><p>"I'm all about championships," <a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-interview-wubble-wnba-dpoy-nwsl-investment-giving-back-2020-12">Parker told Insider in December</a>. "Individual awards, those can be disputed. Finals MVPs and championships, those can't be disputed. I've won two in high school, two in college, and I've gotten one in the pros.</p><p>"So honestly I would be lying to you if I didn't tell you that I wake up every day and think about winning another championship."</p>

Dwyane Wade blasted the LA Sparks after WNBA superstar Candace Parker left Los Angeles for her hometown Chicago Sky

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11896033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba" source="Orion">WNBA</keyword> star <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-basketball-player-wnba-brittney-griner-russian-custody-drug-charges-2022-3">Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia</a>, reportedly for possession of vapes with cannabis oil.</li><li>Many players head overseas for higher pay and top-notch treatment during the WNBA off-season.</li></ul><p>WNBA superstar <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-basketball-player-wnba-brittney-griner-russian-custody-drug-charges-2022-3">Brittney Griner has been detained in Russia</a> after officials at a Moscow airport reportedly found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.</p><p>For many, the circumstances surrounding the 6-foot-9 American's arrest — and her decision to head over to <keyword id="11894337" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="russia" source="Orion">Russia</keyword> amidst escalating tensions between the Kremlin and the US government — have been something of a mystery. But in the world of professional women's basketball, Griner's trip abroad was not the least bit surprising.</p><p>The two-time Olympic gold medalist was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/low-wnba-salaries-brittney-griner-arrest-russia-detainment-2022-3">headed to Russia for her second job</a>.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90082229" hostid="261"></div><p>Griner has competed for European powerhouse club UMMC Ekaterinburg during each WNBA off-season since 2014, and she's far from the only star who leads this dual-season lifestyle. Roughly half of the WNBA's players — including WNBA superstars Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird, and Candace Parker — take their talents overseas to supplement the relatively modest incomes they earn in domestic leagues.</p><p>"The only reason you go there is for money," Taurasi, the WNBA's all-time leading scorer, said on an <a href="https://30for30podcasts.com/episodes/the-spy-who-signed-me/">ESPN 30 For 30 podcast</a> that aired in 2020. "That is the only reason you leave your country to go to a different country to play basketball."</p><p>Coincidentally, nations with fraught relationships to the US are often the ones that offer the most to America's brightest women's basketball talents. On teams in Russia and China, players command significantly higher salaries than they earn in the WNBA, where the average salary last season was $120,648, <a href="https://www.insider.com/highest-paid-wnba-players-2021-season-by-team-2021-5">the maximum base salary was $221,450</a>, and the top players were eligible to earn roughly $500,000 with bonuses and marketing opportunities factored in. </p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90082232" hostid="261"></div><p>Griner herself <a href="https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/wnba/mercury/2017/03/12/phoenix-mercury-brittney-griner-reach-multi-year-contract-agreement/99052300/">reportedly earns $1 million</a> per season — more than four times her 2022 Phoenix Mercury base salary — with UMMC Ekaterinburg, which is bankrolled by a Russian mining corporation and its billionaire owner, Iskander Makhmudov.</p><p>Slava Malamud, a former <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> journalist for a leading national outlet in Russia, told Insider that Makhmudov and fellow owners like him "can spend anything they want on the team," so they do.</p><p>Players receive top-notch treatment the likes of which they could only imagine stateside, <a href="http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/espnw-russia160505/brittney-griner-diana-taurasi-opted-play-russia-money-escape-spotlight">as detailed in a 2016 feature</a> written by then-ESPN reporter Kate Fagan. The team takes charter flights to away games and stays at luxury hotels during trips out of town. When they're home, players have bottled water delivered to their doorsteps. They're each even provided with their own personal driver to help them navigate the city.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner and UMMC Ekaterinburg." height="1327" width="1769" msid="90082230" hostid="261"></div><p>Compared to the commercial flights and mediocre accommodations they receive while playing in the WNBA, UMMC treats Griner and company like royalty. It's no wonder that several of the league's top players — including Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Emma Meesseman — join Griner in the freezing cold Ural town each winter.</p><p>But the return on UMMC's massive investment in its women's basketball team — aside from 15 Russian Premier League championships and six EuroLeague titles — isn't immediately apparent. In Russia, Malamud explains, "following women's basketball is not considered to be a cool thing you do," especially considering "sports-following [in the country] tends to be a bit of a men's pursuit and men... tend to be misogynistic to quite an appalling degree."</p><p>Though the team likely sells out most of its home games, as Ekaterinburg locals only have a mediocre hockey team and a soccer club that's consistently fighting off relegation to root for, ticket sales at UMMC Ekaterinburg's 5,000-person arena at the Palace of Sporting Games aren't nearly enough cover the exorbitant costs associated with chartered jets and private drivers.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90082232" hostid="261"></div><p>Why, then, would Makhmudov pay top dollar to lure the world's best women's basketball players halfway across the world to a city with "a reputation, overall appearance, and mystique" Malamud likens to Buffalo or 1970s Pittsburgh?</p><p>Women's basketball has historically been a source of athletic pride for Russia; the former Soviet Union won Olympic gold medals in 1976 (defeating the US) and 1980 (with Team USA boycotting). But University of California, San Diego Professor Robert Edelman — an expert in Russian history and the history of sports — told Insider it is more likely a form of "window dressing" consistent with the role of <keyword id="11896034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womens-sports" source="Orion">women's sports</keyword> before the fall of the Soviet Union.</p><p>"Historically that's been one of the deceptive aspects of Soviet sport, and now Russian sport," Edelman explained. "Women's athletes were a visible, important part [of sports]... to try to convince the outside world that they'd overcome patriarchy. But, in fact, they hadn't."</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner (right) takes a shot in front of a large crowd at UMMC Ekaterinburg's Palace of Sporting Games." height="2183" width="2500" msid="90082233" hostid="261"></div><p>"After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the rampant male chauvinism that was part of that culture came roaring back," he added.</p><p>Makhmudov — who is considered a Russian oligarch with close ties to President <keyword id="11899444" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vladimir-putin" source="Orion">Vladimir Putin</keyword> — "absolutely" could be employing that same strategy to win over business leaders across Europe and the West, Edelman confirmed. </p><p>Malamud, meanwhile, thinks Makhmudov's investment in women's basketball may have more of a local focus. Buying UMMC Ekateringburg and turning it into a women's basketball juggernaut may have been the Uzbek-born Russian businessman's attempt "to endear himself to the population" of Russia's fourth-largest city.</p><div type="image" title="UMMC owner Iskander Makhmudov." height="2968" width="2063" msid="90082234" hostid="261"></div><p>"The entire roster's salaries are probably pocket change to him," Malamud said of Makhmudov. "I mean, even if [the people] don't really care about women basketball, the fact that their team won six EuroLeague titles is something that they're proud of."</p><p>Plus, the team serves as a marketing tool for Makhmudov's UMMC — short for Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company. As the team travels across Europe and dominates its opponents with six WNBA All-Stars at its disposal, Russia's second-largest copper mining company gets some bonus name recognition. </p><p>"This is like the only reason this company is known outside of metallurgical and mining circles," Malamud notes. "The fact [is] that their name is out there in [connection] with that team."</p><p>As for whether someone with as much money, power, and political sway as Makhmudov has possesses the means to help free one of his superstars from Russian prison, it depends.</p><p>"If it's just federal criminal authorities who are holding her purely because she had that vape on her, I'm sure it can be all decided amicably if you pulled some strings," Malamud explained. "But if she is being held as a retaliation to the United States, and it's basically FSB [Russia's Federal Security Service]-slash-Putin's inner circle who is making the decision, then no."</p><div type="image" title="Russian President Vladimir Putin" height="1968" width="2768" msid="90082236" hostid="261"></div><p>Griner is being held under suspicion of the large-scale transportation of drugs, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/sports/basketball/russia-brittney-griner.html">according to The New York Times</a>. "People in Russia have been detained and given enormous sentences for just having a small amount of marijuana," Malamud added. "They're really, really brutal and medieval about any type of drugs in Russia."</p>

Brittney Griner's Russian team &mdash; owned by a Putin-aligned oligarch &mdash; is a hot spot for WNBA superstars

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Former <keyword id="836511" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="USA-Gymnastics">USA Gymnastics</keyword> star <keyword id="1177297" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Aly-Raisman">Aly Raisman</keyword> opened up about the impact of <keyword id="3985226" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Larry-Nassar">Larry Nassar</keyword>'s abuse on her mental health in an <a href="https://www.today.com/video/aly-raisman-talks-about-tokyo-olympics-ptsd-and-her-new-mental-health-project-91237957729">interview with Today's Hoda Kotb</a>.</li><li>Raisman said the <keyword id="56517" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="sexual-abuse">sexual abuse</keyword> she endured at the hands of the USA <keyword id="8684" type="SPORT" weightage="60" keywordseo="gymnastics">Gymnastics</keyword> doctor left her "struggling to trust my gut and believing myself when I feel like something is wrong."</li><li>The 26- year-old said that she's working on "<strong>prioritizing my mental health and practicing self-compassion."</strong></li></ul><p>Aly Raisman opened up about the lingering impact of Larry Nassar's sexual abuse on Tuesday.</p><p>In an <a href="https://www.today.com/video/aly-raisman-talks-about-tokyo-olympics-ptsd-and-her-new-mental-health-project-91237957729">interview with Hoda Kotb on "Today,"</a> the three-time gold medalist said the sexual abuse she endured at the hands of the USA Gymnastics team doctor left her "struggling to trust my gut and believing myself when I feel like something is wrong."</p><p>"It's hard to put into words how much it's impacted me," Raisman added. "I feel like the abuse kind of took away that trust in myself, which I'm really struggling to get that back."</p><div type="image" title="aly raisman" height="2791" width="3722" msid="78025666" hostid="261"></div><p>Nassar was convicted on charges of child pornography and sexual assault of minors after more than 265 women — including Raisman and many of her Olympic team costars — accused him of sexual abuse while working for USA Gymnastics. In January 2018, Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for the abuse, on top of a previous sentence for child pornography.</p><p>Raisman said this week that she's "prioritizing my mental health and practicing self-compassion," by going to therapy.</p><p>"I've learned that the best thing to do is to ask for help and communicate with people," she told Kotb. "I don't want people to feel alone, and healing isn't one size fits all."</p><div type="image" title="aly raisman.JPG" height="1630" width="2174" msid="78025669" hostid="261"></div><p>Now 26 years old and past her days competing on the mat, Raisman has become a champion for other survivors of sexual abuse and an outspoken advocate for mental-health counseling. She's now a spokesperson for Sanvello: a mental wellness and therapy app that she uses and swears by.</p><p>"Sanvello is so incredible — and you can find it in the app store — because there are so many things you can do," Raisman said. "They have these check-ins you can do. You can do them daily, weekly, monthly — whatever you want — and [I'm] just making sure I'm staying on top of how I'm feeling so I can continue to take little steps forward."</p><p>You can watch the full interview with Raisman, courtesy of NBC's "Today" below:</p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.today.com/today/embedded-video/mmvo91237957729" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/simone-biles-racism-in-gymnastics-opponent-alludes-to-blackface-2020-3">Simone Biles described experiencing a nasty bout of racism from an opponent early on in her illustrious gymnastics career</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/diana-taurasi-could-be-wnba-mvp-16-years-in-2020-9">The WNBA's Diana Taurasi is making a strong case to be this season's MVP — 16 years after her debut</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/courtney-vandersloot-wnba-assist-record-wife-allie-quigley-hits-shot-2020-9">Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot set the WNBA single-game assist record with a pass to her wife</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-surfer-killed-by-shark-australia-lost-most-of-leg-2020-9">A surfer died in the first fatal shark attack on Australia's Gold Coast in more than 60 years after losing his leg 'from the groin to his knee'</a></li></ul>

Gymnastics superstar Aly Raisman says she still struggles to trust herself due to PTSD from Larry Nassar's sexual abuse

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Monday night, <keyword id="9904520" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="michael-porter-jr-">Michael Porter Jr.</keyword> threw down the biggest <keyword id="1262976" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="dunk">dunk</keyword> of the <keyword id="6361805" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="NBA">NBA</keyword> playoffs thus far.</li><li>During his team's matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, the <keyword id="523433" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Denver-Nuggets">Denver Nuggets</keyword>' second-year forward drove into the lane and smashed home a monstrous jam over NBA sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell.</li><li>Porter's dad was on scene in the NBA bubble to witness the impressive finish and reacted coolly on camera by raising his eyebrows and nodding in approval.</li><li>After the game, Porter said that his "job coming in off the bench right now is to be aggressive" but acknowledged that the <keyword id="1386" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="poster">poster</keyword> "would have felt a lot better if we won."</li></ul><p>Michael Porter Jr. threw down the nastiest dunk of the 2020 NBA Playoffs so far, and his dad was on hand to witness the stunning play.</p><p>During the third quarter in Game 3 of the Denver Nuggets' second-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers Monday night, the Nuggets' second-year forward drove into the lane and rose up to posterize NBA sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell.</p><p>It appeared as though Harrell thought he should've been issued a charge, but the 6-foot-10 budding star got off the flush cleanly.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—NBA on TNT  (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1303166434093088770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Porter's father — who joined his son in the NBA's bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida — was caught on the broadcast reacting to the vicious slam. He coolly raised his eyebrows and nodded in approval as the camera panned in on his face. Then he turned to his left as if to say "I told you so."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—NBA on TNT  (@NBAonTNT) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1303165800602193922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 8, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Though Denver held a narrow lead heading into the fourth quarter of Monday night's contest, Porter and the Nuggets weren't able to fend off the comeback from Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and company.</p><p>Though Porter contributed a healthy 18 points and 10 rebounds on the night, Denver ultimately lost 113-107 to fall a game behind in the series, and Porter acknowledged that his highlight-reel dunk would've been much sweeter had his team secured the victory.</p><div type="image" title="michael porter jr.JPG" height="1983" width="1322" msid="78001110" hostid="261"></div><p>"Around the rim I'm just trying to be more aggressive, take the contact, and finish, so I just jumped and I was high enough to dunk it," Porter said. "It would have felt a lot better if we won."</p><p>Porter and the Nuggets will return to the floor for Game 4 Wednesday night at 9 p.m.</p><p>The Clippers currently lead the series 2-1.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/courtney-vandersloot-wnba-assist-record-wife-allie-quigley-hits-shot-2020-9">Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot set the WNBA single-game assist record with a pass to her wife</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/patrick-beverley-nba-players-union-head-i-pay-your-salary-2020-8">Patrick Beverley reportedly said 'No, I pay your salary' when the head of the NBA players' union tried to speak in a meeting, but his Clippers teammate denied it ever happened</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/lionel-messi-leaving-barcelona-decision-family-devastated-crying-2020-9">Lionel Messi's decision to leave Barcelona devastated his wife and kids, the soccer legend revealed: 'The whole family began crying'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/watn-2009-barcelona-starters-earned-6-trophies-in-year-2020-8">Where are they now? The starters from Lionel Messi's 2009 FC Barcelona squad that dominated Europe en route to 6 trophies</a></li></ul>

Michael Porter Jr. threw down the dunk of the playoffs over the NBA's 6th man of the year, and his dad was on scene to react to the epic poster

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11896033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba" source="Orion">WNBA</keyword> superstar <keyword id="12189378" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="brittney-griner" source="Orion">Brittney Griner</keyword> has been detained in Russia since February on drug smuggling charges.</li><li>Those close to the situation have adopted a "say less, push privately" strategy to aid in her return.</li></ul><p>WNBA superstar Brittney Griner has been in Russian custody for approximately one month after she was arrested in February for possession of marijuana at a Moscow airport.</p><p>A source close to the situation <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-ok-despite-extended-russian-detention-sources-2022-3">told Insider Thursday that "Brittney is OK"</a> and has regularly met with her legal representation throughout her detainment. Still, <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-update-russia-arrest-wnba-player-2022-3">few details</a> surrounding the two-time Olympic gold medalist's precarious situation have been confirmed.</p><p>The drug trafficking case being brought against her, the state of her defense, and even Griner's whereabouts remain unclear — but that lack of transparency is by design, WNBA Commissioner <keyword id="13412122" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cathy-engelbert" source="Orion">Cathy Engelbert</keyword> told Insider.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="2625" width="3938" msid="90309605" hostid="261"></div><p>The relative silence from league, team, and US government officials is part of a "say less and push more privately behind the scenes" strategy to get Griner home as quickly as possible, Engelbert confirmed to Insider.</p><p>"We're in daily contact with her agent, her family, her legal representation," the commissioner added. "So it's everybody coordinating on this and obviously we don't want to do or say anything that is going to jeopardize her safety."</p><p>Griner's teammates on the Phoenix Mercury and players across the WNBA "have been very cognizant of how important the strategy is," Engelbert said, and have largely adhered to the agreed-upon policy of silence. Still, the league's stars have wanted to send messages of support to the seven-time WNBA All-Star, and Engelbert confirmed that they've made contact with Griner since she's been in Russian custody.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="4174" width="5566" msid="90309607" hostid="261"></div><p>"We've been able to do [that], to make sure she knows that we're supportive and she's loved, et cetera," the commissioner said, adding that Griner's "representation has been able to see her. That's all I can say."</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-basketball-player-wnba-brittney-griner-russian-custody-drug-charges-2022-3">Griner has been detained in Russia</a> since her arrest in February, when agents at Sheremetyevo Airport <a href="https://www.insider.com/video-brittney-griner-russia-airport-security-wnba-star-detainment-2022-3">found vape cartridges</a> containing hashish oil in her luggage, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/05/sports/basketball/russia-brittney-griner.html">according to the New York Times</a>. Since then, Engelbert has been in contact with "the Biden administration, State Department, <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-russian-detainment-length-concerning-us-officials-2022-3">other elected officials</a>, organizations with expertise in these matters" and others to help quietly negotiate Griner's release and safe return.</p><p><a href="https://tass.ru/proisshestviya/14100805">Russian media outlet TASS</a> reported on Thursday that a Moscow court has extended Griner's arrest, and she will remain in custody for two more months. Her charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. </p><div type="image" title="Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner sits on bench during WNBA Finals" height="1667" width="2500" msid="90309610" hostid="261"></div><p>"The court granted the request of the investigation and extended the period of detention of the US citizen Griner until May 19," the court said, according to TASS.</p><p>Though Griner has reportedly <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-complained-small-jail-beds-russia-state-media-says-2022-3">voiced concerns about the beds in her jail cell</a> being too small for her 6-foot-9 frame, the outlet claims that she "has no complaints about the conditions of detention" and that she's "calmly accepted the situation in which she found herself."</p><p>Griner was headed to Russia in the first place to play for <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-wnba-stars-team-owned-russian-oligarch-superstar-treatment-2022-3">European powerhouse club UMMC Ekaterinburg</a>, as she's done every WNBA off-season since 2014.</p><div type="image" title="Griner (right) competes for Russian club UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason." height="1666" width="2500" msid="90309612" hostid="261"></div><p>About half of WNBA players travel overseas in the winter to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/low-wnba-salaries-brittney-griner-arrest-russia-detainment-2022-3">supplement their relatively low salaries</a> from the domestic league. Several other WNBA stars — including Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Emma Meesseman — also play for <keyword id="12403484" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ummc-ekaterinburg" source="Orion">UMMC Ekaterinburg</keyword>, and all of the players competing for Russian and Ukrainian teams, besides Griner, have since returned to the US.</p><p>These players command significantly higher salaries abroad than they can earn in the states, with Griner reportedly taking home $1 million each season with UMMC Ekaterinburg. Stateside, Griner is set to take home a <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/wnba/phoenix-mercury/brittney-griner-29940/">league-maximum $227,900 annual base salary</a> from the Mercury this year, though Engelbert and other representatives for the WNBA told Insider she's eligible to make much more — around $500,000 total between bonuses and marketing opportunities — should she stay in America for the winter.</p><p>As part of the <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-and-wnbpa-reach-tentative-agreement-on-groundbreaking-eight-year-collective-bargaining-agreement/">WNBA's landmark 2020 collective bargaining agreement</a> (<keyword id="12752656" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cba" source="Orion">CBA</keyword>) — which significantly increased player salaries — the league and its 12 franchises committed to spending a minimum of $1.6 million each offseason on league and team marketing agreements. The goal of these deals is to compensate players for promoting the WNBA and its teams in the states, thereby offering stars a profitable alternative to traveling overseas for a second paycheck.</p><div type="image" title="WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90309615" hostid="261"></div><p>"The players know we tripled the pay of the top players, and they know if they don't go [overseas] that we have league marketing money as part of what we did in the progressive collective bargaining agreement to pay them," Engelbert said. "Obviously with the two years of the pandemic, this was the first off-season we had [league marketing agreements]. Many of the players had already committed to overseas contracts."</p><p>Engelbert says that "every player has an opportunity to make league marketing dollars" during the offseason. But this year, just three players — Betnijah Laney, Napheesa Collier, and Dearica Hamby — signed league marketing agreements, with 29 additional players across the league taking on less lucrative team marketing contracts.</p><p>Though all three players currently signed to league marketing deals were 2021 All-Stars, none boasts the name recognition and star power of a player like Griner.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="1406" width="2500" msid="90309617" hostid="261"></div><p>Still, Engelbert says stars don't exclusively head abroad for a paycheck. While "there's no doubt some players go for the money," she argues that "it's a small, small percentage of them that actually make the big money there" and that "everybody's different as to their motivations" for spending the WNBA off-season abroad or at home.</p><p>"There's certainly reasons why they go: make money, play the game, don't get enough playing time, huge passion for the game," Engelbert told Insider. "I mean, I would've been one of those that no matter what you paid me, I'd go over there.... That's how much I love the game and knowing that I only have a certain amount of years [to play]."</p><p>"We're not all Tom Brady and Sue Bird, as I say [with] Sue Bird being our Tom Brady," the former college <keyword id="11896035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="basketball" source="Orion">basketball</keyword> player added.</p><div type="image" title="Sue Bird." height="1407" width="1876" msid="90309620" hostid="261"></div><p>But even Bird — the superstar Seattle Storm point guard who is embarking on her 19th WNBA season this summer — admits that "a large part of why I went [overseas] was the money."</p><p>"Some of the nice byproducts were that I was playing basketball year round, I was able to stay in shape that way, I got to experience other cultures, [and] meet other people," Bird told Insider. "I gave you a laundry list of things, but money was the initial reason, and it was the motivator, for sure."</p><p>"But is different for a lot of people," she conceded. "I would argue that a lot of people would say the money, but it does change person to person."</p><div type="image" title="sue bird.JPG" height="1803" width="2478" msid="90309622" hostid="261"></div><p>Bird also ackowledged that "there weren't as many opportunities here to stay home" back when she played overseas with UMMC Ekaterinburg and other Russian clubs from 2004 to 2014.</p><p>Engelbert, too, is focused on the fact that "we're seeing more and more players stay home" than in years past. Since the 2017-2018 offseason, the total number of WNBA players headed overseas has dropped by 21%.</p><p>"We're just going to keep chipping away and give them more opportunities to make money at home," the commissioner said. "And yeah, I mean longer term, we want them to prioritize the WNBA."</p>

Brittney Griner negotiation strategy is to 'say less and push more privately,' the WNBA commissioner says

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12189378" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="brittney-griner" source="Orion">Brittney Griner</keyword>'s <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-us-embassy-official-gets-access-russia-detained-2022-3">detention in Russia</a> following a drug arrest has <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-wnba-stars-feeling-absence-since-russia-arrest-2022-4">rattled the WNBA community</a>.</li><li>Stars told Insider they're skeptical that her situation will dissuade players from competing abroad.</li></ul><p>Brittney Griner's <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-us-embassy-official-gets-access-russia-detained-2022-3">continued detention in Russia</a> has <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-wnba-stars-feeling-absence-since-russia-arrest-2022-4">rocked the WNBA community</a> to its core.</p><p>The seven-time <keyword id="11896033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba" source="Orion">WNBA</keyword> All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for possession of vape cartridges filled with cannabis oil. She's been held in the country ever since and faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty.</p><p>But her scary situation may not be enough to dissuade players from traveling overseas during the WNBA off-season. Several stars have suggested that, despite concerns about player safety, the league's athletes may very well continue to play abroad.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90943549" hostid="261"></div><p>"It could have been any of us, but I don't know if it's necessarily gonna stop people from going overseas," Washington Mystics forward <keyword id="13531957" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elizabeth-williams" source="Orion">Elizabeth Williams</keyword> told Insider. "It just might change the landscape a little bit, to be honest.</p><p>"It sounds cynical, but it might just be that people won't play in Russia anymore and they find somewhere else to play," she added.</p><h2>WNBA players have long weighed financial incentives against their own comfort. Now, personal safety is part of the calculus.</h2><p>It's a serious dilemma affecting many of the best women's basketball players on the planet. For much of the WNBA's existence, a subset of its players have jetted around the globe to compete for clubs in foreign markets in order to supplement the relatively modest incomes they earn in the WNBA.</p><p>This phenomenon is by no means limited to role players and reserves; even superstars of Griner's caliber spend time overseas. Griner herself has spent every off-season since 2014 suiting up for Russian powerhouse UMMC Ekaterinburg, alongside a rotating group of fellow WNBA standouts, including <keyword id="13515472" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="breanna-stewart" source="Orion">Breanna Stewart</keyword>, Jonquel Jones, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Emma Meesseman.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner and UMMC Ekaterinburg." height="1667" width="2500" msid="90943552" hostid="261"></div><p>These players command significantly higher salaries abroad than they can earn in the States, with Griner reportedly taking home $1 million each season from UMMC Ekaterinburg. Stewart, who <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33740278/wnba-prioritization-overseas-play-how-impact-league-players-going-forward">reportedly makes approximately $1.5 million with the club</a>, is weighing her options, but one side of her scale includes a big pile of cash.</p><p>"It's just kind of an unknown, as far as a overseas," Stewart, who is <a href="https://www.insider.com/breanna-stewart-wnba-euroleague-champion-mvp-post-achilles-tear-2021-4">widely considered to be among the WNBA's top players</a>, told Insider. "Obviously Europe is gonna keep doing what it does. EuroLeague is gonna continue to keep happening. The state of Russia, I'm not sure."</p><p>"It's just one of those things that you kind of wait and see," she added.</p><p>Stateside, Stewart is set to take home a <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/wnba/seattle-storm/cap/">league-maximum $228,094 annual base salary</a> from the Seattle Storm this year — similar to what Griner is set to receive from Phoenix. But <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-russia-return-strategy-wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-2022-3">WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Insider</a> both players and other league superstars are eligible to make much more — around $500,000 total between bonuses and marketing opportunities — should they stay in America for the winter.</p><div type="image" title="Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner." height="2992" width="2500" msid="90943554" hostid="261"></div><p>As part of the <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-and-wnbpa-reach-tentative-agreement-on-groundbreaking-eight-year-collective-bargaining-agreement/">WNBA's landmark 2020 collective bargaining agreement</a> (CBA) — which significantly increased player salaries — the league and its 12 franchises committed to spending a minimum of $1.6 million each off-season on league and team marketing agreements. The goal of these deals is to compensate players for promoting the WNBA and its teams in the states, thereby offering stars a profitable alternative to traveling overseas for a second paycheck.</p><p>Engelbert says that "every player has an opportunity to make league marketing dollars" during the off-season. But this year, just three players — Betnijah Laney, Napheesa Collier, and Dearica Hamby — signed such agreements, with 29 additional players across the league taking on less lucrative team marketing contracts.</p><p>Though all three players currently signed to league marketing deals were 2021 All-Stars, none boasts the name recognition and star power of players like Griner or Stewart.</p><p>"The marketing around women's basketball and the investment in female athletes is getting much better; people are starting to put their money where their mouth is," Stewart said. "But it's gonna take more than that."</p><div type="image" title="Breanna Stewart prepares to take a shot." height="1406" width="2500" msid="90943555" hostid="261"></div><h2>For some players, heading overseas is about more than a paycheck</h2><p>For many players, heading abroad is predominantly about padding their wallets. <keyword id="12145743" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="diana-taurasi" source="Orion">Diana Taurasi</keyword> — the WNBA's all-time leading scorer who spent years playing in Russia — even said on an <a href="https://30for30podcasts.com/episodes/the-spy-who-signed-me/">ESPN 30 For 30 podcast</a> from 2020 that "the only reason you go there is for money."</p><p>But for Williams and some other players, there's more to the story. Sure, "the contracts are still super-enticing," as the Mystics star noted. But pride and loyalty are also part of the equation, and the 2017 WNBA All-Star and member of the league's 2020 All-Defensive First Team is a prime example.</p><p>A key contributor to Fenerbahce Safisport during the Turkish club's run to the EuroLeague championship game, Williams earned Defensive Player of the Year and All-EuroLeague Women Second Team honors after averaging 12.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals, and a league-leading 2.3 blocks this season. Her 20.7 player efficiency rating per game ranked among the top five in a league filled with European standouts and WNBA superstars alike.</p><div type="image" title="Elizabeth Williams (left) defends during a March 2022 EuroLeague game." height="1604" width="2500" msid="90943556" hostid="261"></div><p>"A lot of us have reputations in Europe," Williams explained. "A lot of fans [here] don't realize. They're like, man, that player gets overseas in EuroLeague and is killing it. And then in the W, you don't really hear from them, but a lot of it is your reputation and the circumstances that you're in overseas.</p><p>"And so sometimes it's hard to turn that down and say 'I'm only gonna play in the W,'" Williams added. "That's the reality that we're in when it comes to overseas."</p><p>Still, players sympathize with Griner's experience. Many of them, like Stewart, played alongside her for UMMC Ekaterinburg. Others, like Williams, have played against her in Russia or EuroLeague.</p><p>Regardless, those in and around the WNBA have reached an overwhelming consensus — that it really could have been anybody embroiled in the situation Griner now finds herself in.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner and Elizabeth Williams compete during a 2016 WNBA game." height="1803" width="2400" msid="90943558" hostid="261"></div><p>"That's just terrifying," Williams said. "I think about how many times I fly over here, how many times we've gone through that airport. I don't know, it could have been any of us."</p><p>Taurasi echoed similar sentiments, noting that "it's a dangerous world everywhere you go," during a recent media availability in Phoenix.</p><p>"It might change the perspective of different people going overseas," she said. "That's a personal choice people are going to have to make."</p><h2>Further complicating the situation: The WNBA is instituting a policy aimed at keeping players from competing abroad</h2><p>The WNBA's "prioritization" rules are one aspect of the league's 2020 CBA that has become increasingly relevant in recent months — especially in light of Griner's arrest in February. Starting next season, the league will use financial penalties and suspensions to dissuade players from missing time with their WNBA teams in favor of overseas commitments.</p><div type="image" title="Phoenix Mercury superstars Brittney Griner (left) and Diana Taurasi chat on the bench during Game 1 of the WNBA Finals." height="1598" width="2500" msid="90943559" hostid="261"></div><p>"With the different WNBA rules with going overseas, I think the whole dynamic of playing overseas basketball has changed completely," Taurasi said.</p><p>Beginning in 2023, WNBA players with at least two years of experience who don't arrive in time for their team's training camp will be fined 1% of their base salary for every day they miss. Should they return to the States after the start of official gameplay or after May 1 — whichever comes later — they'll be suspended for the entire season.</p><p>The following year, the penalty for being late to camp or arriving after May 1 — again, whichever is later — will be a full-season suspension.</p><p>For some players, including Stewart, this change is not a welcome one.</p><div type="image" title="breanna stewart" height="1667" width="2500" msid="90943561" hostid="261"></div><p>"It was something that the league wanted and in order to get some of the things that we wanted, you gotta compromise, I guess," Stewart said. "But I'm not really happy about the compromise.</p><p>"It's hard when you have a family — when you have people, you don't want to be moving all over the place," she added. "But our basketball window is only so short and we want to make sure we capitalize on it as much as possible."</p>

Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia leaves WNBA players facing a dilemma over playing abroad

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="25669" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Candace-Parker">Candace Parker</keyword> shared her thoughts about the <keyword id="9003108" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA-Draft">WNBA Draft</keyword> with Insider ahead of this year's show.</li><li>The newly-minted <keyword id="613507" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chicago-Sky">Chicago Sky</keyword> star trusts coach and GM <keyword id="662241" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="James-Wade">James Wade</keyword> "to make the final decision."</li><li>But like anyone else, Parker apparently has opinions about which players the Sky should consider.</li></ul><p>Candace Parker is keeping a close eye on this year's <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> Draft.</p><p>The two-time league MVP and reigning Defensive Player of the Year will suit up for a new team for the first time in her illustrious career this season. And even though her Chicago Sky squad is already stacked with All-Stars like Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Diamond DeShields, Parker is still hungry to bring more top-notch talent to the Windy City before her Sky debut.</p><p>"Obviously, we've been keeping our eyes on what players are coming out, what names are going into the portal, and who would possibly be there during the Chicago pick," Parker told Insider during a recent interview. "This year's draft is going to be different because you don't know who's coming out and who's staying - all of that."</p><p>"I think it's going to be a different situation."</p><div type="image" title="candace parker.JPG" height="1540" width="2057" msid="82091661" hostid="261"></div><p>Due to the NCAA's decision to grant players an extra year of eligibility in light of the impact COVID-19 had on their collegiate careers, players at colleges and universities were required to submit themselves for WNBA Draft consideration for the first time in the league's history.</p><p>So when Insider spoke with Parker, the list of <a href="https://ca.nba.com/news/wnba-announces-players-who-have-opted-in-for-consideration-for-2021-wnba-draft-presented-by-state-farm/1fw4y9kum1mxs1jvl78q7w92rt">52 players who had opted into the draft</a> was not publicly available.</p><p>However, despite the complicated and unprecedented nature of this year's draft, the superstar expressed the utmost confidence in her new coach and general manager, James Wade.</p><p>"He can take input and things like that, but we all trust him to make the final decision," Parker said. "There's a trust that goes on, but there's also that form of communication that you're gonna add."</p><div type="image" title="james wade sky" height="1505" width="2007" msid="82091662" hostid="261"></div><h2>Parker has her thoughts on who Chicago should take with the eighth pick</h2><p>Considering Parker <a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-interview-wubble-wnba-dpoy-nwsl-investment-giving-back-2020-12">doubles as a basketball analyst for TNT</a>, Wade may be wise to take the opinions of his six-time WNBA first-teamer into account.</p><p>Parker mentioned that she had <a href="https://www.insider.com/march-madness-most-anticipated-matchup-paige-bueckers-vs-caitlin-clark-2021-3">watched this year's NCAA women's tournament</a>. And though she said she has a strong enough relationship with Wade to freely communicate her ideas with him, she laughed at the notion of sending her head coach text messages with her recruiting analysis from college games.</p><div type="image" title="candace parker.JPG" height="1665" width="2220" msid="82091664" hostid="261"></div><p>Still, Parker hinted at who she had in mind as her newest Sky teammate, even if she didn't name any specific players.</p><p>"If she's there, but I don't think she's gonna be there [when Chicago makes its first pick]," she said. "I think a lot of people need shooting and all that stuff."</p><p>As a former Tennessee Volunteers player herself, Parker could very well be referring to Vols superstar Rennia Davis. <a href="https://www.insider.com/2021-wnba-draft-consensus-first-round-expert-picks-2021-4">Insider's round-up of top WNBA experts' mock drafts</a> has Davis going to the Indiana Fever with the fourth overall pick in Thursday's draft, well ahead of the Sky's No. 8 pick. </p><div type="image" title="rennia davis" height="1405" width="1874" msid="82091665" hostid="261"></div><p>That said, Parker noted her ideal candidate is a shooter. And though Davis "is a multidimensional scorer and good defender," according to <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/31253949/wnba-mock-draft-2021-version-50-three-point-guards-projected-top-eight-picks">ESPN's Mechelle Voepel</a>, "she shot just 26% from behind the arc, which is something she will need to improve." That doesn't exactly mesh with Parker's vision of a player who would help her new team's shooting efforts.</p><h2>But <keyword id="11105585" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="aari-mcdonald">Aari McDonald</keyword> certainly fits the bill</h2><p>The small but mighty superstar put on a clinic during March Madness to lead her No. 3 Arizona Wildcats on a surprise run to the national championship game. And with an average of 24.8 points per game on an impressive 47% shooting from the floor and 48% clip from behind the arc through her six 2021 NCAA tournament games, McDonald is indubitably one of the best shooters available.</p><div type="image" title="aari mcdonald" height="1342" width="1789" msid="82091667" hostid="261"></div><p>Her name recognition - it's pronounced Air-y, by the way - and draft stock both skyrocketed as a result of her <a href="https://www.insider.com/top-sports-photographer-best-shots-2021-ncaa-womens-tournament-2021-4">dazzling NCAA tournament performances</a>. Insider's mock draft has McDonald off the board with the Dallas Wings' fifth overall pick, which is considerably higher than experts expected her to go just weeks ago.</p><p>Perhaps Parker jumped on the Aari McDonald hype train along with everyone else. After all, Parker spoke with Insider on April 2 - just hours before McDonald torched <a href="https://www.insider.com/geno-auriemma-paige-bueckers-uconn-best-player-first-2-weeks-2021-4">Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies</a> with a game-high 26 points in the Final Four and four days after the 5-foot-6 guard dropped 33 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting against Indiana in the Elite Eight.</p><div type="image" title="kiana williams.JPG" height="1666" width="2223" msid="82091669" hostid="261"></div><p>There's no way to be sure who Parker had in mind, and surely there are plenty of other players - Stanford's Kiana Williams, Louisville's Dana Evans, Rutgers' Arella Guirantes, Alabama's Jasmine Walker, and UCLA's Michaela Onyenwere, to name a few - who match the WNBA star's description. </p><p>Regardless, Parker will almost certainly be watching as Wade makes his picks Thursday night. Viewers can tune in to join her as the first round kicks off on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET.</p>

WNBA icon Candace Parker hinted that she has specific players in mind who she wants her new team to take in the draft

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="747447" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Phoenix-Mercury">Phoenix Mercury</keyword> point guard <keyword id="9916476" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="skylar-diggins-smith">Skylar Diggins-Smith</keyword> hit an ice-cold <keyword id="9916477" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="buzzer-beater">buzzer beater</keyword> from half court to force overtime against the Connecticut Sun Wednesday night.</li><li>The 45-footer gave Diggins-Smith her second 30-point performance in a three-game span and enabled the Mercury to secure the 100-95 win in overtime.</li><li>Thanks to Diggins-Smith's shot, Phoenix is still in contention for a double-bye in the <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> playoffs, which would allow them to avoid single-elimation games.</li></ul><p>Skylar Diggins-Smith has ice in her veins.</p><p>The prolific point guard drained a mind-boggling buzzer-beater from the WNBA logo to send her Phoenix Mercury squad into overtime against the Connecticut Sun.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Phoenix Mercury (x)  (@PhoenixMercury) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1303862850583171072?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Here's another look at the shot — this time from the baseline:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Phoenix Mercury (x)  (@PhoenixMercury) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1303880647661047811?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2020</a></blockquote><p>The 45-foot shot came after Connecticut star DeWanna Bonner knocked down a clutch three of her own to give the Sun a late-game lead, but Diggins-Smith was quick enough to bring the ball up the floor and sink the long-range shot in just 3.4 seconds.</p><p>"It was terrible time-management by me, actually," Diggins-Smith told media after the game. "We had the ball. We had a steal with like 17 seconds in and I went way too early. I left [Bonner] time."</p><p>"Me and Kia [Vaughn] made eye contact and I was like 'I'm gonna banana cut,'" she added. "The lane was open. I knew I needed a three and I just put it up. There was no reason to celebrate because that just got us another five minutes."</p><div type="image" title="skylar diggins smith" height="1666" width="2222" msid="78041651" hostid="261"></div><p>The shot gave Diggins-Smith 31 points on the night, marking her second 30-point performance in her last three games.</p><p>She finished the night with a season-high 33 points and six assists, leading Phoenix to a hard-fought 100-95 win just a week removed from the WNBA playoffs.</p><p>Diggins-Smith and company currently sit at fifth place in the league, and while they've already punched their ticket to the playoffs for the eighth-consecutive season, the Mercury will continue fighting for higher seeding through the end of their regular-season schedule.</p><p>The league's top four teams receive a double-bye once the postseason arrives, which is valuable not just because it provides added rest time for players, but also because it allows teams to avoid the single-elimination games of the first and second rounds of the playoff.</p><div type="image" title="phoenix mercury" height="1209" width="1613" msid="78041655" hostid="261"></div><p>Thanks to Diggins-Smith's game-tying shot Wednesday night, Phoenix is much closer to securing that highly-coveted No. 4 seed. The Mercury are current half a game behind the Minnesota Lynx in the standings. With just one game remaining on its schedule, Phoenix could find its way into the fourth seed just before the playoffs begin.</p><p>Diggins-Smith, Diana Taurasi, and the rest of their Mercury squad will look to secure that elusive double-bye against the league-leading Seattle Storm in their final contest of the regular season Friday at 10 p.m.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/diana-taurasi-could-be-wnba-mvp-16-years-in-2020-9">The WNBA's Diana Taurasi is making a strong case to be this season's MVP — 16 years after her debut</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/courtney-vandersloot-wnba-assist-record-wife-allie-quigley-hits-shot-2020-9">Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot set the WNBA single-game assist record with a pass to her wife</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-shirts-bullet-holes-washington-mystics-strike-for-jacob-blake-2020-8">The WNBA's Washington Mystics wore shirts with bullet holes while leading the league to strike for Jacob Blake</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-diana-taurasi-ill-see-you-in-the-lobby-later-2020-8">WNBA legend Diana Taurasi told referees 'I'll see you in the lobby later' in response to a foul call she didn't like</a></li></ul>

Skylar Diggins-Smith drained a 45-foot buzzer-beater to force overtime and help push the Phoenix Mercury closer to a prime 2020 WNBA playoffs position

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="10905221" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="gabby-williams">Gabby Williams</keyword> is excited about the <keyword id="613507" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Chicago-Sky">Chicago Sky</keyword>'s free agency moves.</li><li>The fourth-year forward says she grew up as a "huge fan" of new teammate <keyword id="25669" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Candace-Parker">Candace Parker</keyword>.</li><li>The Sky star spoke to Insider about Parker, playing overseas, social justice efforts, and Ford.</li></ul><p>With an impressive overseas campaign under her belt and a new endorsement deal in her back pocket, Chicago Sky forward Gabby Williams could very well be headed for a breakout <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> season in 2021.</p><p>And having yet another superstar teammate by her side probably won't hurt, either.</p><div type="image" title="gabby williams" height="1405" width="1874" msid="81434949" hostid="261"></div><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-kevin-durant-dwyane-wade-wnba-free-agency-move-2021-2">Candace Parker joined the Sky</a> at the start of free agency, <a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-chicago-sky-dwyane-wade-blasts-la-sparks-2021-1">leaving the Los Angeles Sparks</a> after 13 years in purple and gold. Williams - who is entering her fourth season in the WNBA - is undoubtedly excited to compete alongside the five-time WNBA All-Star and two-time league MVP, especially because she grew up watching Parker's career unfold.</p><p>"I've been a huge fan of Candace since I was little," Williams told Insider while discussing the #ShowSomeMuscle campaign that sprouted from her partnership with Ford. "And then getting to know her and realizing she's also an incredible person, and now she's going to be my teammate. It's really cool."</p><p>Williams landed in Chicago in 2018 after a standout career for the Connecticut Huskies. With the likes of Breanna Stewart, Allie Quigley, Courtney Vandersloot, and Diamond DeShields among those she's played next to at the college and WNBA levels, Williams is no stranger to sharing the court with superstars. But the 5-foot-11 forward recognizes that <a href="https://www.insider.com/candace-parker-interview-wubble-wnba-dpoy-nwsl-investment-giving-back-2020-12">Parker - a Chicago native - brings something special to the table</a>.</p><p>"Her championship experience and mentality is exactly what we need in Chicago," Williams said.</p><div type="image" title="candace parker gabby williams" height="1666" width="2223" msid="81434951" hostid="261"></div><p>The 24-year-old is becoming a star in her own right these days. She's averaging 16.5 points per game during her 2020-2021 season starting for Hungarian club Sopron and feels that she's reaching a new level of play on the hardwood.</p><p>"I've made some growth last season and especially overseas," Williams said. "I'm really starting to find the kind of player I want to be. They're playing me only on the two and three here, so I've really gotten a chance to focus on being at the wing and getting better because that's ultimately what I want to do."</p><p>"So hopefully, I can just bring what I've been doing overseas into Chicago," she added.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CL7hmKDBOTm" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Chicago Sky (@chicagosky)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>And she's beginning to embrace her impact off the court as well. She recently partnered with Ford to kick off the brand's #ShowSomeMuscle campaign, which provided a platform for women to showcase their strength and resilience while redefining the "preconceived notions of what a muscle car can be."</p><p>"It's really cool that Ford - such a well-known company - is giving this opportunity for women to just talk about how dope we are because we do amazing things every day despite the circumstances that we're in," Williams said. "I'm really just proud of Ford for putting this together because they don't have to do things like this."</p><p>"What they're doing is going to make a huge difference," she added. "And hopefully other companies see it as well, and we keep seeing female role models put into the spotlight."</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CKl6qqilqdO" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by spooky g  (@gabbywilliams)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>She was also at the forefront of the WNBA's social and racial justice efforts last summer. Throughout the season, players wore Breonna Taylor's name on the back of their jerseys while championing various social justice initiatives. They spoke with former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer. They demanded justice for the late Louisville EMT, honored Sandra Bland, and raised awareness for other Black women like them through a partnership with the "Say Her Name" campaign.</p><p>And after protests erupted around the country in light of the police shooting of Jacob Blake, the players <a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-games-postponed-solidarity-with-nba-against-police-brutality-2020-8">forced the league to postpone a slate of games</a> to "stand in solidarity with our brothers in the NBA" against police brutality. WNBA stars across the league also joined forces <a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-stars-endorse-dream-owner-kelly-loefflers-senate-race-opponent-2020-8">to endorse</a> Reverend Raphael Warnock. He opposed Kelly Loeffler in her Georgia Senate race, despite Loeffler's ownership stake in one of the league's teams. The players helped<a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-players-deserve-recognition-on-off-court-warnock-loeffler-georgia-2021-1"> Warnock oust Loeffler from her Senate seat</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/kelly-loeffler-sells-atlanta-dream-wnba-star-renee-montgomery-ownership-2021-2">her ownership position with the Atlanta Dream</a>.</p><div type="image" title="gabby williams" height="1665" width="2220" msid="81434953" hostid="261"></div><p>And Williams says there's much more to come.</p><p>"The summer was the beginning of us showing just who we genuinely are as athletes and as people," she said. "And we showed the world that you can't separate those two anymore. You have to support us as human beings too if you're going to ask us to basically perform."</p><p>"That's something that hopefully is instilled in the WBA forever now," Williams added. "This was a year where we set that precedent, and I don't see it changing anytime soon."</p>

Chicago Sky forward Gabby Williams is now teammates with her childhood idol, Candace Parker: 'I've been a huge fan'

<p><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d7f92712e22af02f81e00da-1200/dearicahamby.png" border="0" alt="dearica_hamby" data-mce-source="via ESPN/WNBA"><p class="source"><span>via ESPN/WNBA</span></p><p class="caption">Dearica Hamby's 38-foot game-winner was spectacular and ill-advised.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>The Las Vegas Aces eliminated the Chicago Sky in the WNBA playoffs in a wild, last-second finish.</strong></li><li><strong>With less than 10 seconds remaining, trailing by one, Aces forward Dearica Hamby intercepted a pass near mid-court, then launched a running, 38-foot shot that she banked in with five seconds left.</strong></li><li><strong>Hamby said after the game that she didn't realize how much time was on the clock and that she was in "disbelief."</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby hit one of the best and most ill-advised shots of her career on Sunday to help her team advance in the WNBA playoffs.</p><p>With less than 10 seconds to go, the Aces trailed the Chicago Sky by two in an elimination game. Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot was attempting to run out the clock and avoid a foul from the Aces when she made a poor pass toward half-court that was picked off by Hamby.</p><p>Hamby, perhaps misreading the clock, which still had over seven seconds left, launched a running, 38-foot shot that banked in to give the Aces the lead.</p><p>The entire arena, including the players all looked baffled by the play and the shot.</p><p>Watch below:</p><p>"I was obviously in shock," Hamby <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/aces/dearica-hambys-near-halfcourt-shot-lifts-aces-into-wnba-semifinals-1849129/">told The Las Vegas Journal Review's Sam Gordon</a>. "I almost fainted. I'm still in disbelief." She said she didn't know how much time was left when she took the shot.</p><p>Aces coach Bill Laimbeer joked, "(She) executed the play I drew up."</p><p>The Aces now advance to the semifinals where they'll play the Washington Mystics.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kobe-bryant-instagram-criticized-missed-game-dance-recital-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Kobe Bryant criticized after calling out one of his girls youth basketball players for missing a game for a dance recital</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-najee-harris-hurdle-megan-rapinoe-touchdown-celebration2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Alabama running back Najee Harris hit the truck stick, hurdled a defender, and shouted out Megan Rapinoe to score the most spectacular TD of the college football season so far</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/video-titans-colts-field-on-fire-pyrotechnics-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Fire erupts on Tennessee Titans field before NFL game when a pyrotechnics device malfunctioned</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dennis-rodman-gay-athletes-nba-2019-9" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Dennis Rodman says he thinks 10-20% of pro athletes are gay and that the NBA is ready for an out athlete</a></li></ul><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ez3jDERjyW8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/serena-williams-serve-dominates-tennis-wins-served-games-2019-8">In the last 10 years, Serena Williams has won 82% of the games she's served. Here's how her serve dominates tennis.</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/kqcwcA6I-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Las Vegas Aces player hits incredible, 38-foot, game-winning shot on a stolen pass in a chaotic finish

2022 WNBA Season Preview: Championship picks, storylines and must-watch matchups

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Three-time Olympic <keyword id="6370819" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="volleyball">volleyball</keyword> gold medalist <keyword id="1178932" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kerri-Walsh-Jennings">Kerri Walsh Jennings</keyword> wrote on Instagram that she went shopping without a <keyword id="6438835" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mask">mask</keyword> in "an exercise in bravery."</li><li>After followers lambasted the move, Jennings posted a second Instagram in which she apologized for causing offense yet defended her choice as an act of "freedom."</li><li>Research has shown over and over that face masks can prevent <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> transmission.</li></ul><p>The vast majority of public-health experts agree that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/face-masks-effective-in-protecting-against-coronavirus-2020-6">wearing a mask helps reduce the spread of the coronavirus</a>, but for some people, face coverings have morphed into a political issue.</p><p>You can count three-time Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings among the naysayers.</p><div type="image" title="kerri walsh jennings.JPG" height="1874" width="2499" msid="78023314" hostid="261"></div><p>In an Instagram post on Sunday, Jennings wrote that she recently chose not to wear a mask when shopping, a move she said came from a desire to "stand up for my rights &amp; for the freedoms our constitution has granted us all WITHOUT being reckless or putting anyone else in danger." Jennings described the decision as "an exercise in bravery."</p><p>Masks are required statewide in California, where Jennings lives (she also wrote on Instagram over the weekend that her family would be moving out of the state); however, she did not say in the post where she was shopping. California has recorded the highest <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> case total in the US: more than 745,000 cases.</p><p>"We are all endlessly complaining about the restrictive &amp; arbitrarily selective rules that we are being strongly 'suggested' to follow &amp; yet we are all consenting; not much of a fight, just a lot of complaining &amp; strongly disagreeing with this manipulation, but we keep consenting," she wrote. "It's maddening. It has crushed our society, people's livelihoods, our children's spirits, &amp; the fabric of our world. We have become a country &amp; a world estranged from each other &amp; it is more deeply unhealthy than any virus could ever be."</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CEzirakF9iA" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">This is going to be a long post &amp; it’s going to upset some people. My intention is NEVER to hurt or disrespect. Please know that. I am working my way through these curious times that have me questioning everything. I am wanting to lead &amp; stand for my beliefs WITHOUT upsetting people but, per usual when one takes a stand, this is unlikely. If this hurts or upsets you, I am sorry. I am working through my thoughts &amp; my way throughout the madness of 2020. I am wanting to be a light, an encourager of the strength + resilience within each of us and I aspire to be someone whom empowers others to take ownership of all sides of their lives. There is freedom &amp; deep satisfaction in living this way. I want this for everyone. Here we go .... I had a little exercise in being brave yesterday &amp; I’m still a bit edgy about it. I went shopping without a mask on  &amp; this is why ... I read a quote the other day that shook me - - THIS HAS NOT BEEN ENFORCED, IT’S BEEN CONSENTED TO. This statement woke me up &amp; the truth of it has had me obsessing on the matter of how I can mindfully &amp; compassionately stand up for my rights &amp; for the freedoms our constitution has granted us all WITHOUT being reckless or putting anyone else in danger. We are all endlessly complaining about the restrictive &amp; arbitrarily selective rules that we are being strongly “suggested” to follow &amp; yet we are all consenting; Not much of a fight, just a lot of complaining &amp; strongly disagreeing with this manipulation, but we keep consenting. It’s maddening. It has crushed our society, people’s livelihoods, our children’s spirits, &amp; the fabric of our world. We have become a country &amp; a world estranged from each other &amp; it is more deeply unhealthy than any virus could ever be. I know people are getting sick &amp; many have gone to Heaven. I have lived through a lot of loss in my family, in my life. I cherish life. I would never downplay the impact of a single loss of life. That is it’s own conversation &amp; my heart goes out to all those suffering poor health, the loss of a loved one and the fear that the reaction to &amp; media coverage of COVID-19 has created in your days. Cont. in comments ....</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by  Kerri Walsh Jennings  (@kerrileewalsh) on Sep 6, 2020 at 11:35am PDT<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-09-06T18:35:20+00:00">Sep 6, 2020 at 11:35am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><p>Responses to the post lambasted Jennings as "selfish," "entitled," and "poorly informed," leading her to craft a follow-up Instagram post, this time with a white flag and the word "TRUCE."</p><p>Jennings apologized "to those I've upset so deeply" but didn't seem to budge on her stance about masks. Instead, she said she's "alarmed for my country."</p><p>"I was not looking to do anything but express my belief that FREEDOM IS RIGHT WORTH FIGHTING FOR, and amidst the chaos, divisiveness, fear, and undeniable emotion of these times, I believe we have to stay mindful of the FACT that our freedoms have slowly been taken from us with our consent," Jennings wrote in the second post. </p><div type="image" title="kerri walsh jennings misty may treanor.JPG" height="1868" width="2492" msid="78023316" hostid="261"></div><p>Jennings went on to characterize the mask issue as "an emotional, layered, nuanced, and polarizing topic" — even though public-health and infectious-disease experts nearly universally agree that the benefit of mask wearing during the pandemic is not up for debate. A <a href="https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.2020.0376">study out of the UK</a> found that requiring all people to wear face masks in public could be enough to contain an outbreak without a lockdown. Similarly, <a href="https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.202004-1188LE">an analysis of of COVID-19 outbreaks across various countries</a> suggested that nations where the people are accustomed to wearing masks experienced less severe outbreaks than those where mask wearing was new.</p><p>Jennings wrote in her post that she does not "believe in [masks'] efficacy unless it's of a certain caliber." Research has shown, however, that almost any form of face covering is better than none.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CE2JSRhllw9" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">My goodness gracious. To those I’ve upset so deeply, I am sorry. To those who are open to hearing where I am coming from, I appreciate your openness and civility. To those in agreement, I appreciate you expressing your views. To those calling me dumb, selfish, privileged, bigoted, and racist and telling me that “you are better than this”, I fully acknowledge that addressing such an emotional, layered, nuanced and polarizing topic on social media was not the smartest thing .... pages and pages could be written about every side of everyone’s opinion, yet I went for it because I am alarmed for my country - I am heartbroken for my children - I am devastated for every small business owner who has gone under or who is barely hanging on - I have seen so much conflicting and erroneous data from the experts - and on and on and on - I have researched and I have spoken with experts .... This is why I spoke my point of view. At some point we should all stop and take inventory of everything that has been thrown our way over the past months and the reaction/ to these things. If it sits well or well enough with you, great. If not, great. We should all carry on RESPECTFULLY living our virtues, standing up for our beliefs and doing our best to do no harm in doing so. I was not looking to do anything but express my belief that FREEDOM IS RIGHT WORTH FIGHTING FOR, and amidst the chaos, divisiveness, fear and undeniable emotion of these times, I believe we have to stay mindful of the FACT that our freedoms have slowly been taken from us with our consent. I feel each of the words I mentioned above (fear/chaos/divisiveness) are being intentionally stoked and we are becoming a country that I do not recognize. The comment section of my last post is a reflection of where we are at and it is .... tragic. I’m not quite sure when we became a world where a differing opinion equates to evil and hatred, but here we are. I am not advocating for people to stop wearing masks. I wear a mask most often. I don’t believe in their efficacy unless it’s of a certain caliber, yet I wear them. I am advocating critical thinking and civility. I am advocating personal responsibility. Cont. below</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by  Kerri Walsh Jennings  (@kerrileewalsh) on Sep 7, 2020 at 11:51am PDT<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2020-09-07T18:51:10+00:00">Sep 7, 2020 at 11:51am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><p>Jennings did, however, clarify that she's "not advocating for people to stop wearing masks" and said she personally wears a mask "most often.</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/face-masks-effective-in-protecting-against-coronavirus-2020-6">Just put on a damn mask already, America. The science is clear.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/diana-taurasi-could-be-wnba-mvp-16-years-in-2020-9">The WNBA's Diana Taurasi is making a strong case to be this season's MVP — 16 years after her debut</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/courtney-vandersloot-wnba-assist-record-wife-allie-quigley-hits-shot-2020-9">Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot set the WNBA single-game assist record with a pass to her wife</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/serena-williams-tennis-photos-show-her-dominating-the-competition-2020-4">52 awesome photos of Serena Williams playing tennis throughout her career</a></li></ul>

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You Searched For "courtney vandersloot" and got 12 results

Dwyane Wade blasted the LA Sparks after WNBA superstar Candace Parker left Los Angeles for her hometown Chicago Sky

Meredith Cash

Brittney Griner's Russian team owned by a Putin-aligned oligarch &mdash; is a hot spot for WNBA superstars

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Gymnastics superstar Aly Raisman says she still struggles to trust herself due to PTSD from Larry Nassar's sexual abuse

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Michael Porter Jr. threw down the dunk of the playoffs over the NBA's 6th man of the year, and his dad was on scene to react to the epic poster

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Brittney Griner negotiation strategy is to 'say less and push more privately,' the WNBA commissioner says

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Brittney Griner's detainment in Russia leaves WNBA players facing a dilemma over playing abroad

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WNBA icon Candace Parker hinted that she has specific players in mind who she wants her new team to take in the draft

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Las Vegas Aces player hits incredible, 38-foot, game-winning shot on a stolen pass in a chaotic finish

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Olympic volleyball star Kerri Walsh Jennings said foregoing a mask is 'an exercise in bravery,' then doubled down in a non-apology

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