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The Indiana Fever have the honor of hosting this year’s WNBA All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, and Caitlin Clark is all but guaranteed to be there. Given her popularity and performance on the court this season, it seems like only a matter of time before her selection is made official.
Through seven games, the reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 8.7 assists.
On Friday, the WNBA released the first update on fan voting, and Clark led the way with a league-high 515,993 votes. She wasn’t the only Fever player on the list of 40 either, as Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell, Lexie Hull, Natasha Howard, Sophie Cunningham, Damiris Dantas and DeWanna Bonner were also included.
After Saturday’s practice, Clark shared her reaction to being the current fan-vote leader.
"It is what it is," Clark said. "People get so hyped up over that, but that's not why you play the game. I think it's a fun way to get the fans involved and really passionate about All-Star, gets them excited, makes them feel involved. It's a fun aspect to have, but us as a player, that's not the reason you play, and it's really only 50% of the vote.
Clark also spoke about how many of her teammates are receiving support from fans as well.
"But it is cool, and it's also cool for me to see how much love my teammates also get," Clark said. "I think we had four in the top ten, so whether who ends up being an All-Star or not, it's still cool to see the type of love that you get from the fans."
As Clark pointed out, fan voting only makes up 50% of the total. Current players and a media panel each account for 25%.
The results will be announced closer to the game, which is scheduled for July 19 at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
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Lynx use epic comeback to clinch series, avoid WNBA chaos
When the Golden State Valkyries built an 18-point lead over the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday night, it felt like another WNBA playoff series was headed for a do-or-die game. There are already two of those scheduled for Thursday night, as Indiana will square off against Atlanta, followed by Las Vegas-Seattle in a pair of winner-take-all matchups. As a fan of the WNBA, it would be hard to ask for more. The Phoenix Mercury also forced a third game with a blowout win over New York, sending the defending WNBA champions to the brink of elimination. And when the Valkyrie, the expansion franchise, built an 18-point lead, it felt like another series, one featuring the Lynx, the team with the best record in the regular season, would be pushed to the brink. Minnesota had other ideas, though. How the Lynx clinched the series against the Valkyries Napheesa Collier helped complete the comeback. But more than any one player, the defense of Minnesota, which limited Golden State to just 11 points in the fourth quarter, proved to be the difference. Collier was a difference-maker, too. Just the second player in WNBA history to have a season shooting 40 percent from three-point range, 50 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free-throw line, she caught fire late, connecting on a 3-pointer to help trim the lead, before a baseline shot with 1:24 left put the Lynx in front for good. The 75-74 win was aided by an assist from Collier to Courtney Williams, who drilled a mid-range jumper with 29 seconds left. That pushed the lead to three. Golden State did get a winning shot up, but the Lynx, who have the No. 1 defensive rating in the WNBA, showed why in the fourth quarter, including a stop on the final possession that sends them to the next round. Collier offered a reminder of why she is an MVP candidate with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, seven rebounds and four assists. The Lynx, wth their comeback, becoming the only top-seeded team in the WNBA to avoid a third game, showed once again why they are the favorite to win the whole thing.
Steelers Have Troubling Trend Surrounding Nick Herbig
The Pittsburgh Steelers' primary goal for their Week 3 contest against the New England Patriots is simple: slow down the opposing team's rush offense. The failures in that regard have been the storyline ever since they gave up 105 rushing yards on 13 carries to Kenneth Walker III of the Seattle Seahawks in the prior game. Every single stat that comes out is more troubling than the last, and the noise just keeps getting louder and louder. The only way to shut everyone up is to fix it once and for all. It's easier said than done, especially with linebacker Alex Highsmith being out with a high-ankle sprain. That means third-year edge rusher Nick Herbig will get the start, like he did quite a few times during the 2024 season. He has made all kinds of noise as a pass rusher, but these recent games have raised concerns about his ability to stop the run. In a recent article on X, insider Mark Kaboly brought up the stats of the Steelers whenever Herbig has to play more than half the time. "[Nick] Herbig has proven to make big plays at big moments, but him being undersized hasn’t helped the Steelers stop opponents from running the ball when he’s started," Kaboly explained. "Herbig has played more than 50% of the snaps seven times in his 31 career games. In those games, the Steelers are 2-5 and are giving up 106 yards per game on a 4.2 yards per carry clip." If the Steelers do give up 106 yards on the ground in Week 3, that would be seen as somewhat of an improvement on their atrocious performance so far, but the point still stands. Herbig is an absolute beast when attacking the quarterback, but his signature move does not do well in terms of getting in the backfield to hit the running back. He has a lot to work in that regard. One thing the world has noticed is that teams have thrived against the Steelers when they run away from TJ Watt. With Highsmith out, that means that Herbig's side of the line will be attacked time and time again. Moving Watt around the defense and running some stunts seems like a logical idea, but Pittsburgh has absolutely refused to let that happen. There are other options to help as well. The most obvious one is to bench Herbig in obvious run-down situations. The players behind him on the depth chart, Jack Sawyer and DeMarvin Leal, have the ideal body type that the Steelers are looking for in those situations. Leal was seen as a defensive lineman / outside linebacker hybrid, so he especially fits this mold. He was even told that his job will be to stop the ground game. Meanwhile, Sawyer offers more ability in the pass rush than Leal, so he can check in for situations where passing the ball is possible, but not insanely likely. He did have his first career sack in Week 2 to go along with an overall solid game. He is earning the ability to see more snaps on defense, and Herbig's size disadvantage will allow him to be on the field even more. Steelers Have Another Stat Pointing In The Right Direction Kaboly also mentions that the Steelers have never given up three straight 100-yard rushing games in the regular season in Mike Tomlin's career. The saying usually goes "third time is the charm," and Pittsburgh has to do everything they can to make sure that is the case again. The Patriots have a great chorus of running backs, along with a quarterback that can take off if needed. Keeping that trend will be a big challenge.
Kyle Shanahan has surprising Brock Purdy update — 49ers are confident in QB situation regardless
NFL Legend Terry Bradshaw Shares Big Personal News
There is no doubt about Terry Bradshaw being one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. The fact that he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to no less than four Super Bowl wins in the span of six years during the 1970s is an undeniable testament to this fact. Since his retirement in 1983, Bradshaw has been able to establish himself as a top NFL broadcaster. He’s been a staple for “Fox NFL Sunday,” providing his unique brand of commentary since 1994. Bradshaw has not limited himself to sportscasting in his post-NFL career. He’s starred in his own reality show, “The Bradshaw Bunch,” has gotten into horse racing and even has his own small-batch whisky brand, Bradshaw Bourbon. On Wednesday, the 77-year-old shared some big personal news. This comes in the form of his new cookbook, “The Bradshaw Family Cookbook,” which was released on Tuesday. Bradshaw announced it in collaboration with the official Instagram page of his reality show. “From our kitchen to yours The Bradshaw Family Cookbook is here, y’all! “Our new cookbook is packed with recipes full of heart, flavor, and a little Bradshaw fun. What are you most excited to try?” the post read. According to the publisher’s website, the cookbook aims to “celebrate the great American tradition of food, family, and football.” It is authored by Bradshaw himself, along with his wife, Tammy Bradshaw, their daughters, Lacey and Rachel Bradshaw, as well as his son-in-law, chef Noah Hester. The book contains nearly 100 recipes, which range from game-day classics to Southern-style dishes. This includes Terry “Bradshaw Beans,” spicy pork canoes with cilantro sour cream and buttermilk pecan pie, to name a few. As it turns out, Bradshaw is not only a legend on the field and a revered sportscaster. He’s also a whiz in the kitchen, and he’s now sharing his personal recipes with the rest of the world.
Maple Leafs have strong reason to believe they can sign Connor McDavid
Connor McDavid has still not extended his contract with the Edmonton Oilers as he enters his eighth and final year of his current agreement. McDavid, 28, will be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in 2026 if he does not reach an agreement with the Oilers, and according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the Toronto Maple Leafs are wondering "what’s happening" with the Canadian center. “Just like 15 other teams around the NHL, until Connor makes his decision, there are teams that are gonna want to know, ‘Do we have to keep our powder dry for the summer of 2026?’ The Leafs are among them,” said LeBrun. In fact, there is a strong reason to believe that Toronto could sign McDavid, and it is that the Oilers player has recently made statements that could be an important clue about what the future holds for him. The center's words, curiously, are very similar to what Mitch Marner used to say at the time, before moving to the Leafs from the Vegas Golden Knights. Is McDavid's speech a farewell from Edmonton? In September 2024, Marner seemed committed to Toronto, without giving many details about his true intention. “It’s another year of wanting to be the best you can be and help this team win hockey games,” he said then, via the NHL official website. "That’s where my mind is, it’s not thinking of a contract year, and you have to be doing this and that. It’s just another hockey year where you want to be the best you can be to help this team win hockey games and get to the ultimate goal," added Marner. For his part, McDavid's speech goes practically along the same lines. "I’ll take my time and go through everything. I have every intention of winning in Edmonton. It’s my only focus," he said at the end of August of this year, via Sportsnet. "I want the group to be as focused and dialed in and ready to roll from Day 1 as much as possible, and we don’t need any distractions," added McDavid. Unfortunately for the 28-year-old Canadian, his contractual situation has already become a big distraction. History tells us that it is more than likely that in 2026, the center will be defending another jersey.
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