<ul class="summary-list"><li>During a <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> game on Sunday, <keyword id="690640" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Connecticut-Sun">Connecticut Sun</keyword> <keyword id="6371482" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coach">coach</keyword> <keyword id="11112142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="curt-miller">Curt Miller</keyword> commented on <keyword id="5818154" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Liz-Cambage">Liz Cambage</keyword>'s <keyword id="17819" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="weight">weight</keyword>.</li><li>The Las Vegas Aces star later called Miller out with a scathing Instagram story.</li><li>Miller apologized for his "inappropriate and offensive comment" in a statement released on Monday.</li></ul><p>Don't mess with Liz Cambage.</p><p>The three-time WNBA All-Star and dominant Las Vegas Aces center called out Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller for allegedly commenting on her size during a game between their teams on Sunday. In a scathing video posted to her Instagram story, Cambage said she's "very proud of being a big b----" at 6-foot-8, 235 pounds and that she "will never let a man disrespect me - ever."</p><div type="image" title="liz cambage" height="1514" width="2019" msid="82920118" hostid="261"></div><p>"Especially a little white one," Cambage said. "So to the coach of Connecticut - I'm sorry little sir man, I do not know your name. But the next time you try to call out a <keyword id="76096" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Referee">referee</keyword> trying to get a call being like 'Come on, she's 300 pounds,' I'm gonna need you to get it right."</p><p>"Next time you try to disrespect me, remember I'm 235 [pounds]," she added. "It might seem like 300 pounds to your little ass, but I'm 235, baby."</p><p>Connecticut stayed undefeated on the season with its 72-65 win at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Sunday evening. But Miller likely couldn't celebrate his team's standing atop the WNBA due to the backlash from his ill-advised comments about Cambage.</p><div type="image" title="curt miller" height="1666" width="2222" msid="82920121" hostid="261"></div><p>In a statement released through the Sun Monday morning, Miller admitted to making "an inappropriate and offensive comment in reference to Liz Cambage's height and weight" and apologized to the Las Vegas star and her entire franchise for his words.</p><p>"I regret what I said in the heat of the moment and want to sincerely apologize to Liz and the entire Aces organization," Miller said in the statement. "I understand the gravity of my words and have learned from this."</p><div type="image" title="liz cambage" height="1666" width="2222" msid="82920127" hostid="261"></div><p>It remains unclear whether Cambage has seen Miller's apology. Though she had not pubicly responded to the Connecticut statement at the time of this article's writing, Cambage left Miller with a warning in her Instagram story Sunday night: "Don't ever try to disrespect me or another woman in the league."</p><p>"You're so lucky it was during a game," she added. "You were so lucky that I was doing my job."</p><p>Check out Cambage's full Instagram story below:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-W Lead  (@WNBALead) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1396671594324533248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2021</a></blockquote>

WNBA star rips opposing coach for commenting on her weight during game and says he is lucky it didn't happen somewhere else

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The <keyword id="690640" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Connecticut-Sun">Connecticut Sun</keyword> took Baylor star <keyword id="11112143" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dijonai-carrington">DiJonai Carrington</keyword> with the 20th pick in the <keyword id="10982359" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="2021-wnba-draft">2021 WNBA Draft</keyword>.</li><li>When her new coach called, Carrington told him she had predicted the pick.</li><li>Connecticut head coach <keyword id="11112142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="curt-miller">Curt Miller</keyword> assured his new rookie: "I <em>told</em> you we were gonna get you!"</li></ul><p>DiJonai Carrington was projected in <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> mock drafts as a late first-round or early second-round pick.</p><p>But on Thursday night, the Baylor standout watched as her name stuck around on the draft board for longer than most anticipated. She slipped to the latter half of the second round before the Connecticut Sun scooped her up with the 20th overall pick. It was their first selection of the night.</p><div type="image" title="dijonai carrington.JPG" height="1367" width="1823" msid="82109651" hostid="261"></div><p>Carrington's prolonged wait was a surprise to WNBA experts. But the 5-foot-11 guard had a hunch that she'd wind up in the exact situation that transpired.</p><p>During a phone call with her new head coach, Curt Miller, Carrington immediately claimed that she knew she'd wind up with the Sun.</p><p>"No, literally, after the first round, I said 'I'm going to Connecticut,'" she said. "I was like 'I'm going there - I know it.'"</p><p>"I'm so excited," Carrington added.</p><div type="image" title="curt miller.JPG" height="1333" width="1778" msid="82109652" hostid="261"></div><p>There's an irony to San Diego, California, native's lifelong dream being realized by the Sun. Just weeks before Connecticut snagged her in the draft, Carrington saw her collegiate career come to a bitter end against the nearby Connecticut Huskies in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.</p><p>The Lady Bears' star graduate transfer put up a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds, looking for a call that never came - much to the dismay of Carrington, her coach, and most anyone who watched the replay.</p><p>Carrington's performance in the tournament helped place her in the national spotlight. She rose to the occasion against the mighty Huskies, leading Baylor with 22 points and securing seven rebounds to boot in the two-point defeat.</p><div type="image" title="baylor uconn foul" height="1752" width="2336" msid="82109653" hostid="261"></div><p>If that performance is predictive of her future in Connecticut, Miller has lots to look forward to once preseason begins for the Sun. And for his part, the sixth-year head coach never wavered on who he wanted out of this year's draft class.</p><p>"I told you!" he told Carrington on the phone. "I told you we were gonna get you."</p><p>Check out the clip of their conversation below:</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Connecticut Sun  (@ConnecticutSun) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1382863841747435520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2021</a></blockquote>

A March Madness star was sure she knew which WNBA team would draft her, and she made sure to tell her new coach when he proved her right

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Connecticut Sun eliminated the reigning champion Chicago Sky from this year's WNBA playoffs.</li><li>Sun head coach Curt Miller boasted that his team "knocked Candace Parker out of the playoffs."</li></ul><p>The Connecticut Sun are WNBA Finals bound.</p><p>After trailing by as many as 11 points in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's semifinal matchup against the Chicago Sky, Jonquel Jones and company ended Game 5 on an 18-0 run to upset the reigning champions and advance to their first championship series since 2019.</p><div type="image" title="Connecticut Sun players celebrate punching their ticket to the 2022 WNBA Finals." height="1667" width="2500" msid="94106228" hostid="261" sizebytes="261602"></div><p>Sun head coach Curt Miller had plenty to say about it, name-dropping one of the opposing players in an attempt to elevate his own stars.</p><p>"I do want to get on the record for this," Miller said during the post-game press conference. "We've knocked Candace Parker out of the playoffs three out of the last four years.</p><p>"She is an incredible, all-time great in this league," he added, referring to the Sky's superstar center. "But I hope someone writes the combination of [Jones, Alyssa Thomas], and [Brionna] Jones have knocked her out three out of the last four years."</p><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/1z6x5q" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" style="width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;left:0px;top:0px;overflow:hidden;"></iframe><p>A two-time league MVP, Parker spent the first 13 years of her illustrious WNBA career playing for the Los Angeles Sparks. And while she found great success with the franchise — including winning a championship in 2016 — her departure from Hollywood ended unceremoniously thanks to back-to-back playoff losses against Connecticut.</p><p>Parker moved to Chicago in 2021, and in her first season back in her home city, she led the Sky to its first-ever WNBA title. And while losing her chance at a repeat is undoubtedly disappointing, the six-time All-Star wasn't willing to let Miller mention her name without issuing a rebuttal.</p><div type="image" title="Candace Parker." height="1665" width="2220" msid="94106229" hostid="261" sizebytes="173438"></div><p>"Here's the thing: We have a standard that we uphold," Parker said when asked about the opposing coach's comments. "We won a championship last year."</p><p>"We don't hang conference banners," she added, referring to the Sun's lack of WNBA titles.</p><p>Still, Parker offered praise for the three Connecticut post players Miller mentioned, noting that "they did a great job" defensively throughout the back-and-forth series.</p><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/rglyho" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" style="width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;left:0px;top:0px;overflow:hidden;"></iframe><p>The Sun will go on to face the top-seeded and heavily favored Las Vegas Aces in the 2022 WNBA Finals, which are guaranteed to result in a franchise's first-ever championship. Game 1 tips off at 3 p.m. ET at Las Vegas' Michelob ULTRA Arena.</p>

Candace Parker slammed an opposing coach for bragging about knocking her out of the WNBA playoffs

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rapper <keyword id="11985128" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="drake" source="Orion">Drake</keyword> wants to bring a <keyword id="11896033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba" source="Orion">WNBA</keyword> franchise to his home city of <keyword id="12199945" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="toronto" source="Orion">Toronto</keyword>.</li><li>The noted <keyword id="11896035" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="basketball" source="Orion">basketball</keyword> fan posted "@WNBA I need a Toronto team" on his Instagram story Wednesday.</li></ul><p>Drake wants to bring a WNBA franchise to The Six.</p><p>The four-time Grammy-winning rapper is a Toronto, <keyword id="6356687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada" source="Orion">Canada</keyword>, native and a noted basketball fan. He's long been a staple at Toronto Raptors games, where he famously interacts with players who approach his courtside seats.</p><p>Now, it appears Champagne Papi is eager to add a WNBA team to his home city's roster of pro <keyword id="11893855" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="sports" source="Orion">sports</keyword> teams.</p><p>Drake posted an Instagram story Wednesday morning in which he wrote "@WNBA I need a Toronto team," tagging the league in the post.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Khristina Williams  (@Khristina2334) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1455869673711546370?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Drizzy undoubtedly has the funds necessary to make it happen. According to financial analysis conducted by <a href="https://herhoopstats.com/">Her Hoop Stats</a>, one of the most well-regarded statistics sources for <keyword id="11964518" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womens-basketball" source="Orion">women's basketball</keyword> insights, <a href="https://herhoopstats.substack.com/p/wnba-team-values-sale-worth-2021">WNBA teams could be worth</a> anywhere from $17 million to $35 million.</p><p>That's just a fraction of what Drake has to his name. In 2019, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2019/06/13/hip-hops-next-billionaires-richest-rappers-2019/?sh=2013e9272edd">Forbes reported</a> that he was the fifth-richest rapper on the planet with an estimated $150 million net worth. <a href="https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-rappers/drake-net-worth/">More recent valuations</a> place his total purse closer to $200 million.</p><div type="image" title="Drake." height="1666" width="2223" msid="87514372" hostid="261"></div><p>But logistical challenges could get in Drake's way. For years, WNBA teams have run into <a href="https://www.insider.com/billionaire-joe-tsai-wnba-charter-planes-avoid-team-travel-disasters-2021-10">travel disasters</a> while flying commercial from city to city for games. Most recently, Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller - the league's 2021 Coach of the Year - spoke out about his team's grueling travel schedule during the Sun's WNBA semifinal series against the Chicago Sky.</p><p>Miller's squad split up to take three flights departing from two airports ahead of Sunday's Game 3 matchup in the Windy City, <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/32316540/connecticut-sun-chicago-sky-irked-difficult-travel-plans-chicago-game-3">ESPN's Mechelle Voepel reported</a>. The team was looking to avoid having its players - eight of whom measure more than six feet tall - cram their long legs into middle seats just days before a pivotal contest.</p><p>"I want you guys to hear this," Miller said in his postgame <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> conference at Mohegan Sun Arena following Connecticut's Game 2 victory.</p><p>"That's what this league goes through. That's what these amazing women - the best in the world at what they do - go through."</p><div type="image" title="Former Washington Mystics player Tayler Hill and her son, Maurice, get some sleep on the shoulder of teammate Tierra Ruffin-Pratt while sitting in coach on a 2015 commercial flight." height="1660" width="2214" msid="87514374" hostid="261"></div><p>Bringing an international franchise into the mix would necessarily complicate matters. Piling customs wait times on top of the flight delays, cancellations, and baggage-claim issues teams already endure would be a logistical nightmare for all involved. And with quick turnarounds between games, it may be too big an obstacle for the league to overcome at present.</p><p>Billionaire New York Liberty owner Joe Tsai, who also owns the NBA's Brooklyn Nets, has been vocal that it's "time to find a constructive solution to this problem!"</p><p>He took to Twitter this fall to explain that while the league prevents individual team owners from commissioning charter jets for their teams "because different owners have different financial circumstances," he's made efforts alongside WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert <a href="https://www.insider.com/billionaire-joe-tsai-wnba-charter-planes-avoid-team-travel-disasters-2021-10">"to find a charter sponsor" for the entire league</a>.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Joe Tsai  (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1444131122057650179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 2, 2021</a></blockquote><p>But until Tsai breaks through and the league exacts transformational change on the travel front, Drake's goal of bringing a WNBA team to Toronto may be too far out of reach.</p>

Drake wants to bring a WNBA franchise to Toronto, but one major concern could halt plans

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Alibaba Executive Vice Chairman <keyword id="12257734" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="joe-tsai" source="Orion">Joe Tsai</keyword> is the owner of the <keyword id="11896033" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="wnba" source="Orion">WNBA</keyword>'s <keyword id="11985177" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york-liberty" source="Orion">New York Liberty</keyword>.</li><li>The billionaire businessman wants to help the league improve team <keyword id="11896628" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="travel" source="Orion">travel</keyword> following a few disasters.</li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/joetsai1999/status/1444131122057650179">He tweeted October 1</a> that he's working with the WNBA to find <keyword id="11894930" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="airline" source="Orion">airline</keyword> sponsors for chartered flights.</li></ul><p>Joe Tsai is putting his money - and his connections - where his mouth is.</p><p>The billionaire businessman known best as the Executive Vice Chairman of Chinese tech giant Alibaba is also the owner of the WNBA's New York Liberty and the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. He's been a vocal proponent of <keyword id="11896034" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="womens-sports" source="Orion">women's sports</keyword> equity ever since he bought the Liberty in January 2019, and now, he's trying to funnel resources into his franchise and beyond to benefit the entire league.</p><p>Tsai's latest target? Commercial airplane travel.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1137590438724923394">June 9, 2019</a></blockquote><p>For years, WNBA teams have run into travel disaster after travel disaster while trying to fly from city to city for games. Most recently, Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller - the league's 2021 Coach of the Year - spoke out about his team's grueling travel schedule during the Sun's WNBA semifinal series against the Chicago Sky.</p><p>Miller's squad split up to take three flights departing from two airports ahead of Sunday's Game 3 matchup in the Windy City, <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/32316540/connecticut-sun-chicago-sky-irked-difficult-travel-plans-chicago-game-3">ESPN's Mechelle Voepel reported</a>. The team was looking to avoid having its players - eight of whom measure more than six feet tall - cram their long legs into middle seats just days before a pivotal contest.</p><div type="image" title="Former Washington Mystics player Tayler Hill and her son, Maurice, get some sleep on the shoulder of teammate Tierra Ruffin-Pratt while sitting in coach on a 2015 commercial flight." height="1663" width="2500" msid="86813509" hostid="261"></div><p>"I want you guys to hear this," Miller said in his postgame <keyword id="11893589" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news" source="Orion">news</keyword> conference at Mohegan Sun Arena following Connecticut's Game 2 victory. "That's what this league goes through. That's what these amazing women - the best in the world at what they do - go through."</p><p>To Tsai, that's unacceptable. He took to Twitter on October 1 in response to Voepel's report and wrote that it's "time to find a constructive solution to this problem!"</p><p>"League says you can't fly charter because different owners have different financial circumstances," Tsai wrote in a follow-up tweet. "I'm working with Commissioner [Cathy] Englebert to find a charter sponsor."</p><p>"Conversations with airline CEOs going well," he added. "They get the idea of equity for women athletes."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1444131122057650179">October 2, 2021</a></blockquote><p>The WNBA declined to comment, but Tsai's comments certainly imply that he and the league's top brass have something in the works. In the meantime, the semifinals will continue Wednesday night as all four remaining teams face off. The Sky and the Phoenix Mercury both have an opportunity to secure a spot in the finals, while the Sun and Las Vegas Aces are facing elimination.</p><p>The finals, which are scheduled to tip-off October 10, will necessarily feature teams from opposite corners of the country. It's possible - if not likely - that teams will continue to endure travel woes even as they compete for a title, though the league could possibly intervene.</p><p>In 2019, the WNBA offered to foot the bill for charter flights for two semifinal teams. Perhaps scheduling or public pressure will once again force the league's hand this season - particularly if franchises separated by thousands of miles are set to face off in the finals. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1173255587997597697">September 15, 2019</a></blockquote>

Billionaire Joe Tsai wants WNBA players to have better travel accommodations after recent disasters

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Several WNBA stars — like Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner, and Candace Parker — took pay cuts in free agency.</li><li>The franchise players sacrificed top salaries to play alongside other stars and contend for titles.</li></ul><p>The WNBA has enjoyed one of the most active off-seasons in its 27-year history.</p><p>An unprecedented number of league superstars — including three former WNBA MVPs — have found new homes for the upcoming season thanks to marquee free agency moves and blockbuster trades, while other perennial All-Stars re-signed with the teams that first drafted them out of college.</p><p>But whether they stayed put or opted for a fresh start, these big-name free agents chose at least one thing in common: to make less money than they did last year.</p><div type="image" title="Nneka Ogwumike." height="1405" width="1874" msid="98430895" hostid="261" sizebytes="95548"></div><p>A number of WNBA superstars have signed contracts well below market value this off-season, a trend that sources around the league tell Insider is a symptom of a salary cap system that forces top talent to choose between earning maximum salaries or competing for titles.</p><p>In fact, each of the first five players listed in <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/look-sabrina-ionescu-rookie-card-becomes-most-expensive-wnba-card-sold-at-auction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS Sports' 2023 free agent rankings</a> — Breanna Stewart, Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, Nneka Ogwumike, and Brittney Griner — has agreed to a lower salary than she made the year prior.</p><p>"Taking less is a sacrifice that you have to make to be on a championship team," said Vandersloot during her introductory press conference with the New York Liberty. "I mean, it just is what it is right now.</p><p>"Hopefully it's not always that way," she added.</p><h2>Many of the WNBA's top free agents took pay cuts ahead of the 2023 season</h2><p>Vandersloot, who joins the Liberty after spending her entire 12-year WNBA career with the Chicago Sky, is one of the best floor generals in the league. She's led the WNBA in assists for six seasons — including five consecutive from 2017 to 2021 — and was pivotal in the Sky's 2021 championship run.</p><p>She likely could have commanded a maximum salary from any team in need of a point guard — and potentially could've locked down a supermax deal had she re-signed with the Sky or negotiated a sign-and-trade. Instead, for the second year in a row, she took a pay cut in order to play alongside some of the league's best.</p><div type="image" title="Courtney Vandersloot." height="2026" width="2702" msid="98430897" hostid="261" sizebytes="139644"></div><p>Last season, she sacrificed a couple grand to chase a second title with two-time MVP Candace Parker and an array of All-Stars. This year, she'll take even less to join a <em>pair</em> of MVPs — Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart — as well as budding stars Betnijah Laney and Sabrina Ionescu in New York.</p><p>"We want to sacrifice and play on a really good team so that we can compete for a championship," Vandersloot said during their joint press conference with Stewart in February.</p><p>Stewart, like Vandersloot, joined the Liberty in free agency. A two-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/breanna-stewart-wnba-euroleague-champion-mvp-post-achilles-tear-2021-4">arguably the most dominant talent in women's basketball</a> at present, the 28-year-old could have set her own price with virtually any franchise in the league — including her former team, the Seattle Storm.</p><p>In fact, she signed a one-year supermax deal worth $228,094 with the Storm just last season. But this year, she'll make over $50,000 less with the Liberty.</p><p>"They're truly taking less to come here and win," General Manager Jonathan Kolb said, "and that is not an easy decision."</p><div type="image" title="Breanna Stewart (left) and Courtney Vandersloot pose with their new jerseys." height="2587" width="2500" msid="98430899" hostid="261" sizebytes="160284"></div><p>They aren't the only ones either: Parker is only making $100,000 this season, a near 50% pay cut, to join forces with A'ja Wilson and the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces. Her new teammate, Alysha Clark, similarly sacrificed a nearly six-digit figure to move to Sin City.</p><h2>Even stars who re-signed with their former franchises are taking pay cuts to help bolster their rosters</h2><p>After spending last year away from the hardwood while <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-freed-prisoner-exchange-russia-united-states-2022-8">detained in Russia</a>, <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-wnba-return-pay-cut-phoenix-mercury-2023-2">Griner signed a one-year, $165,100 deal</a> to <a href="https://www.insider.com/brittney-griner-wnba-return-phoenix-behind-the-scenes-details-2023-2">remain with the Phoenix Mercury</a>. Her 2023 earnings mark a 32% drop from last season's salary and far less than the $234,936 supermax, for which she was eligible and could have easily drawn from Phoenix.</p><p>But as a result of Griner commanding less than 15% of the team's total salary cap, the Mercury were able to re-sign Diana Taurasi — a 10-time All-Star and the WNBA's all-time scoring champion — while reaching deals with several other free agents to round out their roster. Because Phoenix already has star point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith signed to a supermax contract of her own, the Mercury only had enough space to offer either Taurasi or Griner the supermax.</p><div type="image" title="Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi during a Phoenix Mercury game." height="1799" width="2399" msid="98430900" hostid="261" sizebytes="169298"></div><p>Sources familiar with the contract negotiations told Insider that Griner's financial sacrifice was one of unselfishness rather than unworthiness. It was meant as an act of good will toward the franchise — which paid her salary in full through the season she missed while in Russia — and as a show of respect to Taurasi, who played the vast majority of her illustrious WNBA career without the opportunity to make more than five figures.</p><p>Ogwumike had similar motivations for taking less money from the Los Angeles Sparks — the franchise that she's called home since they drafted her first overall more than a decade ago. Her salary is dropping upwards of $25,000 from last season because, as she said during a recent media availability, "I really want to play on a great team," and "I want to play with good players."</p><p>"To put it candidly, I told [Sparks GM Karen Bryant] and [head coach] Curt [Miller] — and they fought me on this a lot — I said, 'Wherever you need my number to be to get who we need to get, let's just do that,'" Ogwumike said.</p><p>"Right now, what we see is a lot of players making the investment in their teammates because of certain restrictions that we have," the 2016 champion and league MVP added. "And owners want everybody to win, so I'm hoping that's something that'll change soon."</p><h2>Several of this year's top free agents also gave up the security afforded by long-term contracts</h2><div type="image" title="Candace Parker during Game 5 of the Chicago Sky's 2022 WNBA semifinal matchup against the Connecticut Sun." height="1750" width="2333" msid="98430901" hostid="261" sizebytes="152386"></div><p>Money wasn't the only sacrifice made by WNBA stars who inked new deals this off-season.</p><p>Take Griner and Ogwumike. It's reasonable to assume both players may have wanted to commit to more than one season with the only franchises they've known. But in order to do so, they would've had to take on recurring financial sacrifices.</p><p>If a WNBA player opts to sign a multi-year contract with their franchise, the league's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) prohibits that player's salary from increasing by more than 3% of Year 1's payout in each subsequent season. And WNBA players cannot restructure an existing contract because, as <a href="https://herhoopstats.com/wnba_cba_salary_cap_explained">Her Hoops Stats explains</a>, "the length and base salaries for the original contract are locked in" upon signing.</p><p>For example, if Griner had signed a three-year deal this off-season with the first season's base salary at $165,100, she couldn't make more than $170,053 in Year 2 and $175,006 in Year 3. One season of reduced salary may be tolerable for Griner and her peers, but over time, that forgone income adds up.</p><div type="image" title="Liberty defenders Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb look to defend Phoenix Mercury superstar Brittney Griner during the 2021 playoffs." height="1667" width="2500" msid="98430902" hostid="261" sizebytes="225164"></div><h2>Sources around the WNBA — including players themselves — see a soft salary cap as a potential solution</h2><p>The WNBA and its players' union negotiated a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-wnba-cba-improves-salaries-maternity-leave-marketing-travel-2020-1">historic CBA</a> in 2020. The new labor deal ushered in "significant gains all across the board," per <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-and-wnbpa-reach-tentative-agreement-on-groundbreaking-eight-year-collective-bargaining-agreement/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson</a>, including dramatic salary increases, maternity benefits and other workplace protections, and improved accommodations.</p><p>But as the league has grown in viewership, revenue, and cultural cachet in the years since, some of the pain points left unaddressed in the 2020 agreement have festered. Though travel — and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wnba-charter-flights-breanna-stewart-free-agency-brittney-griner-return-2023-1">lack of authorization for franchises to charter flights</a> — is the most high-profile concern, the discrepancy between owners' willingness to pay their players more and the league's strict limits on how much they can spend has also emerged as a considerable issue.</p><p>And as Ogwumike noted during a recent media availability: "A lot of that can be solved with what we know as a soft cap."</p><p>The WNBA has a stringent salary cap. Each franchise is only allowed to spend a set amount — $1,420,500 in 2023 — on all of its salaries for the season. And unless a team finds itself without several players due to injury or other extenuating circumstances, which would qualify the franchise for a hardship or emergency hardship exception, that set amount — or cap — is nonnegotiable.</p><div type="image" title="WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert." height="1667" width="2500" msid="98430904" hostid="261" sizebytes="174672"></div><p>In some other professional sports leagues — most notably the NBA — team owners are allowed to surpass the set maximums. But doing so comes at a price, often in the form of a luxury tax.</p><p>That system puts the onus on owners to choose whether that competitive advantage is worth the higher price tag.</p><p>But with another five seasons to go before the WNBA's current CBA expires, discussions about soft caps and luxury taxes are, for now, merely theoretical. In the meantime, stars are assuming those financial burdens themselves — doing the cost-benefit analysis of playing for a contender on the cheap.</p><p>That's what we saw play out with the WNBA's top free agents this winter.</p><div type="image" title="Breanna Stewart." height="1667" width="2500" msid="98430907" hostid="261" sizebytes="48862"></div><p>"I'm not worried about setting a precedent," Stewart said during her introductory press conference with the Liberty. "I think what we're setting a precedent for is to be willing to play with other great players and to want to win, and to do whatever we can to make that happen.</p><p>"It's not my decision that the WNBA has such a hard salary cap," she added. "But that's a discussion for the next CBA."</p>

WNBA superstars like Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, and Candace Parker are signing for less than market value. Here's why.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The No. 7 <keyword id="690640" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Connecticut-Sun">Connecticut Sun</keyword> thought they'd have to face the top-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the <keyword id="764023" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA-Playoffs">WNBA playoffs</keyword> without one of their stars in 6-foot-2 forward <keyword id="289674" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alyssa-Thomas">Alyssa Thomas</keyword>.</li><li>Thomas regularly plays through partially-torn labra in both of her shoulders, but after painfully dislocating her right shoulder minutes into Tuesday's game, she was forced to step off the court for the night.</li><li>Somewhat miraculously, the gritty 28-year-old started for Connecticut and went on to play a bruising 39 minutes to lead her team to victory.</li><li>Now, thanks to Thomas' 23-point, 12-rebound, four-assist, and three-steal performance Thursday night, the Sun are one win away from punching their ticket to their second-consecutive <keyword id="152792" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="WNBA">WNBA</keyword> finals appearance.</li></ul><p>The seventh-seeded Connecticut Sun were already facing an uphill battle in taking on league MVP A'ja Wilson and her top-ranked Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals of the 2020 WNBA playoffs.</p><p>But without Alyssa Thomas, it may have been too much for Curt Miller's squad to overcome.</p><p>After the 6-foot-2 forward suffered a gruesome right shoulder dislocation mere minutes into Tuesday's game, Connecticut was confronted with the very real possibility of facing the Aces juggernaut for Game 3 of their best-of-five series without one of its foremost stars on the floor.</p><div type="image" title="alyssa thomas.JPG" height="1666" width="2222" msid="78326984" hostid="261"></div><p>But Thomas — who has played a good portion of her career with a partially torn labrum in each shoulder — was having none of that.</p><p>"They pretty much left [the decision to play or sit] up to me depending on how I was feeling," Thomas said during her postgame media availability. "As soon as I heard that, I knew. I knew I'd be out there."</p><p>Despite literally having her shoulder forced back into its socket — an exercise so agonizing that players could hear her screaming from the locker room as Tuesday night's game continued without her — Thomas miraculously found her way back into playing shape. She had been listed as "out" in the Sun's injury report Wednesday before getting upgraded to "questionable" midday Thursday. By tipoff at 9:30 p.m., the two-time All-Star was back on the court as one of Connecticut's starting five. </p><p>And Thomas didn't just play; she engaged in a grueling physical battle in the paint against Wilson and WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby for a full 39 minutes. When all was said and done, Thomas had racked up a game-high 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals to lead the Sun to a 77-68 victory.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Connecticut Sun  (@ConnecticutSun) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1309478003076980736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2020</a></blockquote><p>It took its toll.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Matt Ellentuck  (@mellentuck) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1309345819963928582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 25, 2020</a></blockquote><p>"I thought that there would be maybe some plays that the physicality that you're used to [from her], the tenacity that you're used to, we might get a bit of a shell of that," Miller said. "Even if she wanted to be smart, she only knows one way to play."</p><p>Now, Thomas and her Connecticut squad are just one win away from punching their ticket to their second-consecutive WNBA finals appearance despite starting the playoffs as the penultimate team in the rankings. Should the Sun take down Las Vegas in Sunday's matchup, they'll play either the Seattle Storm or the Minnesota Lynx for this year's title.</p><img src="https://i.insider.com/5f6e70c874fe5b0018a8da1d?format=jpeg" alt="alyssa thomas.JPG" height="1333" width="1778" /><p>And though Thomas will almost certainly be even more banged up and bruised should Connecticut reach that point, there's little doubt she'll persevere through the pain to help the Sun bring home their first chip in franchise history.</p><p>"She's just a warrior. There's nothing else you can say," Miller said. "She just is as competitive a person as I've ever been around. You're going to have to amputate that arm and shoulder before it's going to keep her out."</p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-wnba-players-condemn-breonna-taylor-sentencing-pre-playoff-game-2020-9">WNBA players united to read a statement slamming the charges in the Breonna Taylor case</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/sue-bird-paige-bueckers-advice-uconn-wbb-coach-geno-auriemma-2020-9">WNBA superstar Sue Bird gives college basketball's newest sensation some advice on playing at UConn under Geno Auriemma</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/video-wnba-mvp-aja-wilson-tearful-thank-you-teammates-2020-9">A'ja Wilson won the WNBA MVP award and issued a tearful thank you to her Las Vegas Aces teammates</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/wnba-breanna-stewart-achilles-tear-hoped-broken-ankle-2020-9">WNBA superstar Breanna Stewart hoped she had broken her ankle after sustaining an injury considered a 'kiss of death' for professional athletes</a></li></ul>

With 2 cartilage tears and a dislocated shoulder, Alyssa Thomas has the Sun on the brink of the WNBA's biggest playoff upset in years

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5900e7b57522ca1b008b6a73-2000/rtr3qgeg.jpg" alt="ESPN" /><p class="source"><span>Michelle McLoughlin/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Many of the layoffs are tied to an effort to re-invent ESPN's flagship program, "SportsCenter."</p><p>ESPN made headlines recently for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-layoffs-saving-sportscenter-2017-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">their latest round of layoffs</a>, jettisoning approximately 100 employees, including <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-layoffs-names-2017-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dozens of well-known on-air personalities</a>.</p><p>In the immediate aftermath, accusations began to fly about why the almighty ESPN had to lay off employees.  Many blame ESPN's struggles on a perceived liberal bias pushing conservative-minded viewers away and for too often dipping their toes into "politics" (i.e. topics that some people are uncomfortable discussing but that may or may not actually have any direct ties to real politics).</p><p>Isaac Chitin of Slate did a Q&amp;A with James Andrew Miller, author of "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/031604301X/?tag=slatmaga-20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside the World of ESPN</a>," and asked him about the layoffs and the liberal-bias theory. Miller was blunt in dismissing it.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Some people have suggested that this is a response to viewer complaints about liberal personalities at ESPN-</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">Those people are smoking crack.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><strong>Do you want to say more?</strong></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">It's just ridiculous. There is no connective tissue between the two. I spend every day watching, thinking, studying, analyzing ESPN. I don't see it at all.</p><p>Of course, there are degrees here. There are almost certainly some viewers who ditched ESPN after they fired Curt Schilling or because they don't want to hear commentators discussing Caitlin Jenner or whether or not Boston's reputation as a racist city is still deserved.</p><p>ESPN's Linda Cohn, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/30/politics-definitely-a-percentage-of-espns-problems-linda-cohn-says/?utm_term=.f85da0740f52" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in an interview with the Washington Post</a>, stated flatly that the self-proclaimed "Worldwide Leader in Sports" has alienated some of their "old school viewers."</p><p>"I felt that the old school viewers were put in a corner and not appreciated with all these other changes," Cohn told the Post. "And they forgot their core. You can never forget your core and be grateful for your core group."</p><p>Cohn was asked if she feels there is a "distaste among viewers for the programming decisions." </p><p>"I don't know how big a percentage," she said. "But if anyone wants to ignore that fact, then they're blind."</p><p>But there is still no evidence that ESPN's ratings have fallen in any dramatic way and even less evidence that a liberal bias has caused the ratings to drop enough to warrant layoffs. </p><p>Many point to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-subscribers-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ESPN's loss of approximately 12 million subscribers</a>, a drop of 12% in just six years. But while that has certainly caused a drop in revenue, there is no evidence that those people are ditching cable entirely just because they have decided to stop watching ESPN. In fact, most of those people are almost certainly cord-cutters who were just tired of paying for networks they weren't watching, networks like ESPN,<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/cable-satellite-tv-sub-fees-espn-networks-2017-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> who charges cable subscribers over $9 per month whether they watch or not</a>.</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/590b7008fcd8eb1e038b51de-1294/capture20161017211132.jpg" alt="ESPN First Take" /><p class="source"><span>ESPN</span></p><p class="caption">Ratings for shows like "First Take" are strong, but they have not translated to advertising revenue as much as ESPN had hoped.</p>Still, ESPN is not without problems.<p>As Cohn also noted, ESPN did overpay for a number of their television contracts. Those came in recent years and were likely an overreaction to newcomers like Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN as live sports is behind most of ESPN's success.</p><p>Their flagship program, "SportsCenter," has been struggling for years because fewer and fewer people need sports highlights shows. Many of the layoffs were tied to "SportsCenter" as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-layoffs-saving-sportscenter-2017-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the network continues to try to both save the show and re-invent it at the same time for a modern audience</a>.</p><p>Meanwhile, debate shows like "First Take," have been a ratings hit for ESPN, but that fervor has not translated well to revenue because <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-first-take-moving-2016-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">advertisers have grown wary of associating with the latest controversial takes</a>. There is also a growing feeling that ESPN has reached a saturation point on debate-based programming.</p><p>In the meantime, ESPN's ratings are still strong, they are still making a lot of money, they are still <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/espn-the-worldwide-leader-in-sports-2017-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the king of sports television without rival</a>, and the person who literally wrote the book on the network says politics has nothing to do with the layoffs.</p><p>"Bad things are happening to good people," <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/interrogation/2017/04/what_is_going_on_at_espn_a_conversation_with_james_andrew_miller.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Miller told Slate</a>. "These people had the misfortune of working for the company at a time when it is trying to make a rather significant paradigm shift in terms of its strategy for content."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>ESPN primetime viewership +9% in April vs. April 2016. Total-day (24-hour basis) viewership -2%. FS1 primetime in April -24%. Total-day -15%</p>- Austin Karp  (@AustinKarp) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/859474822572769280">May 2, 2017</a></blockquote>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/athlete-backwards-handstands-high-diving-boards-carlos-gimeno-2017-4">This athlete does backwards handstands off high diving boards with incredible precision</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video                    

ESPN critic on people who feel recent layoffs are tied to liberal bias: 'Those people are smoking crack'

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

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5894a6b06e09a81b008b4f20-1500" alt="Gregg Popovich" data-mce-source="Jason Miller/Getty" /><p class="source"><span>Jason Miller/Getty</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Although he is famously curt during sideline interviews and postgame press conferences, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has become one of the most vocal figures in all of sports when it comes to politics and social issues. </p><p>In 2017 alone, he has weighed in with impassioned remarks on the election of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gregg-popovich-on-donald-trump-2017-1">Donald Trump as president</a>, the Women's March that followed Trump's inauguration, "<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/gregg-popovich-ribs-kellyanne-conway-alternative-facts-2017-1">alternative facts</a>," and Trump's recent immigration order. </p><p>Before his team's game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, Popovich was asked what Black History Month means to him.</p><p>His response was a three-minute monologue that touched on the Trump, the American Dream, systemic racism, and more.</p><p>He began by first responding to the question about Black History Month:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>"Well, it's a remembrance, and a bit of a celebration in some ways. It sounds odd because we're not there yet, but it's always important to remember what has passed and what is being experienced now by the black population. It's a celebration of some of the good things that have happened, and a reminder that there's a lot more work to do."</span></p><p><span>He then expressed his disdain for those who don't want to talk about race, or feel it is necessary:</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>"But more than anything, I think if people take the time to think about it, I think it is our national sin. It always intrigues me when people come out with, 'I'm tired of talking about that or do we have to talk about race again?' And the answer is you're damned right we do. Because it's always there, and it's systemic in the sense that when you talk about opportunity it's not about 'Well, if you lace up your shoes and you work hard, then you can have the American dream.' That's a bunch of hogwash."</span></p><p><span>He launched into a further discussion about systemic racism and white privilege:</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span>"If you were born white, you automatically have a monstrous advantage educationally, economically, culturally in this society and all the systemic roadblocks that exist, whether it's in a judicial sense, a neighborhood sense with laws, zoning, education, we have huge problems in that regard that are very complicated, but take leadership, time, and real concern to try to solve. It's a tough one because people don't really want to face it. And it's in our national discourse."</span></p><p><span>This led him, ultimately, to Trump:</span></p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"We have a president of the United States who spent four or five years disparaging and trying to illegitimatize our president. And we know that was a big fake. But still, [he] felt for some reason it had to be done. I can still remember a paraphrase close to a quote 'investigators were sent to Hawaii and you cannot believe what they found.' Well, that was a lie. So if it's being discussed and perpetrated at that level, you've got a national problem. I think that's enough."</p><p>The Spurs went on to blow out the 76ers and improve to 38-11 on the season. You can listen to Popovich's remarks <a href="https://twitter.com/JabariJYoung/status/827310471627886597?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/extra-shoelace-hole-sneakers-running-lace-heel-lock-2017-1">We finally learned the purpose of that extra shoelace hole on your sneakers</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="8wZG90NjE64jsqifkoGHALquDqs-rkJh" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', '8wZG90NjE64jsqifkoGHALquDqs-rkJh',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Gregg Popovich delivers impassioned rant on Trump, Black History Month: 'We've got a national problem'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/56ddf6f49105842b008b4ad6-1201-901/lebron%20james.jpg" alt="lebron james" data-mce-source="Jason Miller/Getty"><p class="source"><span>Jason Miller/Getty</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>LeBron James is having an odd season.<p>Statistically, he's still putting up monster numbers (though his efficiency has dipped), but there have been other unusual aspects.</p><p>The Cavaliers have largely underwhelmed, despite returning their near-championship squad; they fired David Blatt and haven't seen much improvement under Tyronn Lue, and James just took a random two-day trip to Miami to hang out with Dwyane Wade (<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-denies-miami-heat-rumors-2016-3">just don't ask him about it</a>).</p><p>However, even more odd lately has been LeBron's social media behavior. In recent days, he's had several cryptic tweets about forgiving mistakes, surrounding himself with people he&#xa0;loves, and the importance of structure, consistency, communication, and like-mindedness. Here's a recent example:</p><p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Structure and Consistency creates Perfection. U shortcut, u come up short! Straight Up. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DVC?src=hash">#DVC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SFG?src=hash">#SFG</a></p>- LeBron James  (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/706694356267376640">March 7, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p><p class="embed-spacer"><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>It's this simple. U can't accomplished the dream if everyone isn't dreaming the same thing everyday. Nightmares follow. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheDC?src=hash">#TheDC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SFG?src=hash">#SFG</a></p>- LeBron James  (@KingJames) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/706508036421062656">March 6, 2016</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div></p><p class="embed-spacer">LeBron has insisted this isn't directed at anyone, like his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-calls-out-kevin-love-2015-2">"fit out" tweet</a> was to Kevin Love last season.</p><p class="embed-spacer">On Sunday, he also posted this Instagram in which he screams at the camera and brags about working out with the caption "<span>Something is really wrong with me! And I love that it is. </span>#StriveForGreatness&#xa0;<span></span>#ImCrazyForIt":</p><p class="embed-spacer"><div><iframe src="//instagram.com/p/BCn4xYXiTIK/embed/" width="658" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div></p><p class="embed-spacer">As mentioned, when asked about some of his seemingly foreboding tweets and his trip to Miami, James was curt and ornery. However, on Monday, James spoke to media and discussed at length... several things.&#xa0;</p><p class="embed-spacer">If that's a vague description, it's because LeBron's quotes are hard to summarize. He seemingly ranted about nothing other than competitive fire, structure, and, a recurring topic this season, his "beautiful mind."</p><p class="embed-spacer"><a href="http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/14921113/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers-likes-express-beautiful-mind-social-media">Via ESPN's Dave McMenamin</a>, here's LeBron on his tweets:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I don't know if anything started it. Just my mind working. I got a beautiful mind and I want to use it sometimes in a social manner."</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">...</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"They're for the educated mind. So if you have an educated mind, they hit home for you. [Sunday] night I tweeted that consistency and structure breeds perfection, and if you take a shortcut or if you don't handle business, then you come up short. I think everybody should understand that. It's nothing between the lines, it's just life. You can't shortcut being perfect or trying to be as perfect as you can, or trying to get to a point where you just feel like you can succeed. So, for educated minds, it should be fine."</p><p class="embed-spacer">LeBron also seemed to welcome any conflict his tweets may be creating in the Cavs' locker room - though it's unclear if they are at all:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"If you don't have conflict throughout the course of a season (your team is lacking), even internal or external- sometimes, it becomes external, which you don't want to happen, but sometimes it happens and that's OK. I think conflict, it builds character. It builds even more trust. You're able to get on someone, someone's able to get on you and then the whistle blows and, let's get out and let's execute what needs to be done. I've always been like that since I was a kid.</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"I got four best friends that used to get on my ass about being soft at times and not playing the right way and not being aggressive. Any time I wasn't aggressive when I was younger, they called me soft and I had to respond. I just come from a different style of basketball. I played outdoor basketball when I was a kid. If you didn't win, you might not play again for the rest of the day. Like, you might not play for the whole day if you didn't win. Conflict was just a part of basketball for me and for my friends growing up."</p><p>He&#xa0;continued on backlash over his social media use (McMenamin clarified the Theodore Roosevelt reference):</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Some of it I listen to, I use it as motivation. It never gets to a point in my mind where it's like, I should take it serious, because it doesn't matter ... If you've ever read Theodore Roosevelt, 'the man in the arena' [from his 1910 speech, "Citizenship in a Republic"], it basically just symbolizes if you've never been in the arena before, if you never had blood, sweat and tears before, felt the roar of the arena or been in the competition, then you can't really understand.</p><p>LeBron did seem to get on track at one point, explaining how he's tuned out some criticism and how he wants to be happy with his position in life:</p><p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Twitter hasn't been around that long, I'm kind of old. I don't know. I think the other question is when I stopped caring about what other people think. I can remember that, it was my second year in Miami. I just stopped, it became too much where I was worried about what other people think instead of just making the main thing the main thing, and that's just playing the game of basketball that I love and being happy about being in this situation. I'm a blessed kid from - you guys know the story - 40 miles south of here. I've got a beautiful family, beautiful teammates, and this game of basketball has brought me so much, so the outside noises just really don't affect me."</p><p class="embed-spacer">It's not that LeBron's words are nonsensical - it's more of a question of why he's talking this way. James has long been a media-friendly player willing to open about certain aspects of his life, but these rants are taking a strange turn. And it's still hard to believe they're not directed at&#xa0;<em>anyone</em>.</p><p class="embed-spacer">It's also hard to buy LeBron is totally happy. For instance, the Warriors and Spurs, two seemingly drama-free, championship contender squads, don't go off on tangents like this.</p><p class="embed-spacer">The Cavs are 7-3 in their last ten games, with a three-game lead for first place in the East. Perhaps a bit more winning and cushion could lighten LeBron's mood, but for now, no matter what he says, it's hard to believe everything is right with him and&#xa0;his team.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/valparaiso-bike-race-2016-2">Watch daredevil bikers race down the streets of one of the world's steepest cities</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="dkc245MTE6c0BLzB_wgDqVQ7wwSuiCEq" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'dkc245MTE6c0BLzB_wgDqVQ7wwSuiCEq',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "curt miller" and got 11 results

WNBA star rips opposing coach for commenting on her weight during game and says he is lucky it didn't happen somewhere else

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WNBA superstars like Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, and Candace Parker are signing for less than market value. Here's why.

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ESPN critic on people who feel recent layoffs are tied to liberal bias: 'Those people are smoking crack'

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LeBron James is sending out odd messages and nobody is sure what he is talking about

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