Rivals on the court, rookie sensations Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark shared the hardwood on Saturday in the 2024 WNBA All-Star Game, where Chicago Sky standout Reese made an exciting revelation.
Speaking with ESPN/ABC analysts Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo during the contest, Reese said the experience playing with Clark has been “great.” Additionally, she spoke about the duo possibly reuniting in four years to play for the USA Olympic team.
Clark has yet to share her thoughts on what lies ahead in four years. But the Indiana Fever star was highly complimentary of Reese ahead of Saturday’s contest against Team USA.
“She’s having an incredible year, so it’s going to be really fun,” Clark said before the game via the WNBA. “She’s probably going to lead the game in rebounds. I expect that out of her. That’s just what she does.”
Clark started the All-Star Game, while Reese came off the bench. Both had an impact during the first half, helping Team WNBA stay within striking distance down 54-52 at the half.
Reese notched four points (2-for-6), adding seven rebounds to lead the Team WNBA, while Clark had only two points at halftime (1-for-6) but recorded a team-high seven assists.
The Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray of the outshined both, though, scoring 12 points with two rebounds and two steals off the bench less than 24 hours after sweeping the WNBA All-Star skills and three-point competition.
On the other side of the exhibition contest, Breanna Stewart (14 points, five rebounds) and reigning All-Star Game MVP A’ja Wilson (13 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals) led the charge for Team USA. Diana Taurasi was also a factor, contributing eight points, four assists and two rebounds.
We’re still a long way from the 2028 Olympic Games. But Reese and Clark teaming up in four years is an exciting thought, at the very least.
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NFL
Surprising Steelers QB impressing HC Mike Tomlin at training camp
The Pittsburgh Steelers have filled a lot of on-air discussions throughout the 2024 offseason. A big reason for that is two of their new quarterbacks, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Those are two big-name signal-callers who have served as starters in the league, but they aren’t the only new faces at the position for Pittsburgh. In fact, the entire room is full of new faces all the way up to the quarterbacks coach Tom Arth. Behind Fields and Wilson sits Kyle Allen, whom Pittsburgh signed during free agency. John Rhys Plumlee is also there, but as an undrafted free agent, he is a long shot to make the final roster. Allen is penciled in as the third-string quarterback, but he got to take snaps with the second unit due to Wilson being absent for the first two days of practice with a calf injury. Steelers beat-writer Chris Adamski reported that head coach Mike Tomlin revealed Allen is turning heads. Allen has seen a larger workload thanks to Wilson’s injury, and it seems as though he is taking complete advantage of it. He is catching the eye of Tomlin, as is undrafted rookie free agent Beanie Bishop Jr. Bishop is competing for the starting job at slot corner while Cameron Sutton serves his suspension and seems to be inching closer to locking up the position. He has seemed to have gotten off to a great start throughout the first two days of camp. Fields has been taking on the role of the starting quarterback while Wilson has been dealing with his calf ailment. He has had some success and some highlight plays have been circulating on social media, but many reports have noted his struggles. He seemed to perform better on the first day of practice, and on the second day, Allen stole the show at the position. Allen impressed, but it’s important to note that while he is playing with the second-string offense, he is taking on the second-string defense. This is a major difference. Allen didn’t have to worry about TJ Watt getting into the backfield or Minkah Fitzpatrick dropping back in coverage. Regardless of the circumstances, Allen looked good while taking snaps in Latrobe. One bad day of practice from Fields and a good day from Allen certainly doesn’t reset the depth chart at quarterback. Allen is on his fifth team. He has 19 starts under his belt, but hasn’t necessarily played well when given the opportunity. He has solidified himself as a backup journeyman in the NFL, while Fields still has a legitimate chance to revive his career as a starting quarterback.
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MLB
Trade for star Marlins outfielder should give Yankees much-needed energy boost
With their slump going on for more than a month now, the New York Yankees were in need of something to give their roster a jolt of energy to wake it up. They may have received that jolt on Saturday afternoon when their front office finally made a trade. The Yankees are reportedly finalizing acquisition of Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins in exchange for three prospects, adding another bat to a lineup that has desperately needed some additional depth. Chisholm not only brings some speed, excitement and occasional power to the Yankees lineup, he also offers some flexibility in his ability to play both the infield and outfield. New York Post baseball insider Jon Heyman reported earlier this week that Chisholm — who has been playing center field for the Marlins — might prefer a switch back to the infield. The Yankees could potentially play him at second base, shift Gleyber Torres to third base and send the struggling DJ LeMahieu to the bench. Those moves, combined with the pending return of designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, might finally help the Yankees break themselves out of this slide. Or at least create the potential for it. After starting the season with one of the league’s best records (49-21 through 70 games) the Yankees have gone just 11-24 over their past 35 games. The pitching staff has regressed, while the offense has been completely dependent on Aaron Judge and Juan Soto to carry it. As great as they are, there is only so much that two players can do on their own. Chisholm might not be perfect, but he has been a consistently above average major league hitter (OPS+ of 100 or better in three consecutive seasons) and as a left-handed bat could see a power boost in Yankee Stadium. He is arbitration-eligible after this season and is not slated to hit free agency until 2027. The Yankees are playing a weekend series in Boston and trying to keep some distance between them and the Red Sox in the standings.
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NFL
The price for Cowboys QB Dak Prescott just got higher
With a pair of quarterbacks signing new deals, all eyes turn to Dak Prescott. The Cowboys QB will be a free agent in 2025, but how much is he really worth? On Friday, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212M contract to stay in Miami. At the time, his $53.1 average annual salary ranked third behind Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence ($55M). Hours later, Packers quarterback Jordan Love signed a four-deal of his own with a record $75M signing bonus and the same annual salary as Burrow and Lawrence. So what would a new contract for Prescott look like? The Cowboys QB is entering the final year of a $160M deal that pays him an average annual salary of $40M, tied for 14th-most among quarterbacks with the Rams’ Matthew Stafford and the Giants’ Daniel Jones. Prescott led the league with 36 touchdowns in 2023 and at least one NFL reporter thinks he’ll reset the market in 2025. During an appearance on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike program, ESPN insider Adam Schefter floated a number that had to make Cowboys owner Jerry Jones cringe. “Dak Prescott is gonna get a deal north of 60 million dollars a year,” Schefter said. “It might be more, way more. Dak Prescott is going to be the one to reset the QB market.” Meanwhile, Jones seems to be preparing for life without his starting quarterback and possibly wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons, two star players also looking for new deals. “In my life, I’ve had a lot of things I wanted that I couldn’t get because I couldn’t afford it,” Jones said, per NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack. “…and life does go on. And sometimes when you get a bump like that, you turn around and do better than you would have had you got what you wanted.” For his part, Prescott has always said he’d like to stay in Dallas but suggested he would play elsewhere when speaking to reporters at training camp. “You know, I’m going to say it: I want to be here, but you know when you look up all the great quarterbacks I’ve watched, they’ve played for other teams,” Prescott said. “So my point in saying that is that that’s not something to fear. That may be a reality for me one day.” With a full no-trade clause and the franchise tag unavailable to ownership, last year’s third-leading passer has plenty of leverage to get a new deal with Dallas. If not, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio and Chris Simms believe the Jets, Giants and Raiders could all be potential suitors. Even if Prescott leaves Dallas, He’ll still count for $40M against the team’s cap in 2025. All the more reason to get him signed in 2024.
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NFL
Brock Purdy explains meaning behind 49ers playing with ‘bloody mindset’
Brock Purdy is more than ready for the 2024 NFL season. On Saturday, the San Francisco 49ers star quarterback showed off a dark side to get his point across before later explaining what he meant. Earlier in the day, Purdy said the 49ers needed to play with a “bloody mindset in an interview with Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle. Soon thereafter, he broke down the meaning behind the macabre language. “Just having that chip on our shoulder,” Purdy told Omar Ruiz of NFL Network. “It’s football. Every Sunday you’re going to get everybody’s best shot and nothing’s ever given to us. It doesn’t matter what you did last year, the years before. Every Sunday, we have to go into it like we have to go and take it.” Purdy also plans to walk the walk. He added that if the 49ers are to meet their expectations, it starts with him being accountable. “It’s staying on the field, converting on third downs, being smart, checking the ball down, not turning the ball over,” Purdy said. In 2023, Purdy did just about everything right, leading the NFL in passer rating (113.0), yards per completion (13.9) and touchdown percentage (7.0). Likewise, he also took care of the ball, with only five quarterbacks who started 16 or more games finishing with fewer interceptions (11). Purdy’s higher aims say a lot about the former “Mr. Irrelevant,” especially with a hefty extension looming. Meanwhile, he said the focus was on winning despite seeing the lucrative deals inked by several quarterbacks recently, including a four-year $220M contract signed by Green Bay Packers Jordan Love, making him the highest-paid in NFL history. “I’m happy for those guys,” Purdy told Silver. “This season is so long and there’s so much stuff that you go through. So to get caught up in what the years can look like down the road or anything like that, to me, that’s pretty nonsense.”