While the Indiana Fever played far from a perfect game in their 91-90 loss to the Atlanta Dream on May 20, the referees didn't do them any favors, especially in the first half.
Fever head coach Stephanie White had to challenge two out-of-bounds calls in the first half, both of which were ultimately overturned to give the Fever possession. However, this led to White not having any more challenges in the second half, not to mention the first challenge took several minutes to get right, which interrupted the game's rhythm.
Both White and star guard Caitlin Clark addressed this frustrating aspect of Tuesday's game when speaking with the media after the contest.
"I mean, it's tough. It's every coach's frustration when you have to use challenges on out of bounds plays," White said, per Scott Agness' YouTube account. "But for teams to win three challenges in the first half, I don't know if I've ever seen that, either. It's tough."
When Clark was asked about this, she said, "I mean, to me, challenges cannot take that long. It ruins the flow of the game... We can't sit there for two and a half, three minutes on an obvious hit out of bounds off of them, and still not know the call. That's not the only reason the flow of the game was ruined, but we're just standing there, and we're waiting, and we're waiting, and we're waiting.
"It's tough when Coach White is put in a position to have to use both her challenges in the first half on calls that were pretty point blank, and then we're left with none there in the second half," Clark continued.
To be fair, both White and Clark made sure to note that these referee blunders weren't the main reason why the Fever came up short on Tuesday. But they certainly didn't help.
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The Indiana Fever are set to face the Chicago Sky in their next matchup, with all eyes in the WNBA community pointed toward the league rivalry. Indiana is coming off a victory against the Las Vegas Aces, looking to maintain a postseason position in head coach Stephanie White's first season back. The Fever sit at 13-12 on the season, ranked No. 6 in the WNBA. Before they look to defeat the Sky in hopes of earning a win streak, notable news on Indiana Fever star Lexie Hull surfaced online. Hull has officially signed an endorsement deal with Portland Gear, a lifestyle bag and apparel company. "I'm excited to share a major milestone for Portland Gear — we’ve officially signed our first WNBA athlete, @lexiehulll, to an endorsement deal! Lexie isn’t just a rising star with the Indiana Fever; she’s a Pacific Northwest native whose values align with everything our brand and city stand for," posted Lexie Hull and the Portland Gear. Hull is playing in her fourth season with the Indiana Fever. The star guard has posted 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. While Hull is viewed as a role player for the Fever, largely taking a back seat to players like Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell, she's widely regarded as one of the best three-point shooters in the WNBA. The Fever guard has posted a 42.5 field goal percentage and a 43.7 three-point percentage this season. Lexie Hull is having a career season with the Indiana Fever. If the season ended today, each of Hull's major statistical averages would count as her career high. She's also making noise outside of the white lines, proving to be a star for the Fever on and off the court. Indiana will face the Chicago Sky on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
The New York Yankees didn't come into the season with the strongest third base situation, and it only got worse over time. They converted traditional second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the hot corner after getting him at the Trade Deadline last season and installed a timeshare with him, DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Oswaldo Cabrera there in 2025. However, the latter player broke his ankle on May 12, and the Yankees released the now 37-year-old LeMahieu on July 10. Chisholm was primarily back at second at that point, so this left Peraza and Jorbit Vivas as their only true remaining third basemen. With Peraza hitting .147 and Vivas hitting .164, it was clear what the team's biggest need was. That's why it acquired veteran third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies on Friday. New York manager Aaron Boone gave his thoughts about the 30-year-old before Friday's bout with the Philadelphia Phillies, via SNY. "I know there's real offensive potential there. I know he's had real offensive success, as well as some struggles there over the last calendar year or two," he said. "It seems like over the last month he's really started swinging the bat like he's capable of. He can impact the ball, he can control the strike zone, he's had some swing-and-misses that have probably hurt him a little bit." "But then he can really defend over there," he continued. "The handful of times that we've played against them that I watch him, you're like, 'That's what it should look like over there.' He moves really well and has that prototypical good third base thing." McMahon is slashing .217/.314/.403 with 16 homers and 35 RBI over 100 games this season. He also has a .978 fielding percentage and six errors. Right-handed pitcher Will Warren (6-5, 4.91 ERA) will start for the Yankees against Phillies right-hander Taijuan Walker (3-5, 3.75 ERA) on Friday.
Are NBA players underpaid? Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry argues yes. The greatest shooter in NBA history said Thursday on Complex’s “360 With Speedy” that because the league’s current CBA doesn’t allow for current players to invest in league and team equity, players are leaving money on the table. “I would say, yes, we are underpaid,” Curry admitted when asked, despite enormous salaries, if the players were getting short-changed, “because you wanna be able to participate in that rise [of equity].” “It’s a partnership with ownership, [and] it’s a partnership with the league,” the 37-year-old stressed, revealing that league salaries do not reflect players’ impact on team valuations. If anyone has the right to begrudge the current CBA on player participation in equity, it’s Curry. When drafted in 2009, the Warriors were worth $315 million. Current valuations in May of 2025 have the team at $9.4 billion, the most in the league. Curry’s been paid handsomely during his time in Golden State, and he doesn’t overlook it. “I know we’re blessed to be in a position where we’re playing basketball for a living, and these are the type of checks that people are earning,” he told Complex. However, when he signed his $62.6 million one-year extension in 2024 that would keep him in a Warriors’ jersey until 2027, many felt that no amount of money the franchise could offer him would represent his worth. Curry had an undeniable impact on the Warriors’ valuation increasing by nearly 3,000%. He’s benefited by being the most salaried player on the roster and plenty of endorsement deals. But is he getting his fair share? Something similar may happen with reigning NBA Finals MVP and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who just signed the richest contract in league history with an average annual value of $71.25 million. According to Forbes, the Thunder’s valuation increased 20% from 2023 to 2024 and will likely take another jump after this year’s championship. Curry concedes that player participation in equity isn’t a simple concept and not all markets are created equal: “You got competitive advantage considerations…and want every market to have a fair chance, like I get all that.” He believes, however, that finding a solution is a “mutually beneficial proposition” for players, teams and the league. Even the most expensive people in the world need to find other investors to make owning an NBA team possible. The best example of Curry’s point is the Boston Celtics sale in March. The most-championed franchise in league history was sold to Bill Chisholm for $6.1 billion, the largest ever sports franchise sale in North America at the time. Chisholm needed Rob Hale, Bruce Beal Jr., and private equity firm Sixth Street, to afford the purchase. Because team ownership is already a multi-investor operation, the league could potentially come to an agreement with the players by the next CBA negotiation at the end of the decade. If not, the league's best players will continue to simultaneously earn a ridiculous amount of money, and it will not be nearly enough.
Being the backup quarterback isn't necessarily the most exciting role for anyone, but for a team like the Miami Dolphins, where starter Tua Tagovailoa has suffered four concussions since entering the NFL in 2020, it could be vital. As of now, a clear battle for that spot has formed between rookie seventh-round pick Quinn Ewers and veteran former first-round selection Zach Wilson as they go head-to-head. Of course, training camp is where these kinds of questions can be solved, and so far, it appears that Ewers has done a good job in putting his best foot forward. On Friday, David Furones of the Sun Sentinel gave a very positive update on the young quarterback, stating, "Dolphins rookie QB Quinn Ewers had a strong third practice of training camp. Made several impressive, big-time throws." The update sparked conversations among many fans, both supporting Ewers and a serious showing that there's interest in seeing who comes out on top. "Show ‘em, Quinn," said one comment. "He just does a lot of things (anticipatory throws, timing throws, MOTF accuracy, etc.) that fit this system much better than what Wilson does. I think with refinement and development we could have a backup in Miami that can operate the offense efficiently…finally," said another. "Love to hear it!" a third added. A fourth stated, "I'd be surprised if he's not the backup.." "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Quinn Ewers has the physical tools to stick at the next level. It’s just a matter of shaping the rest," a fifth continued. "That’s QB2 potential QB1 in the future Glad we drafted Ewers," said another. Another big test for both Ewers and Wilson will be during the Dolphins' three preseason games, as the coaching staff will get a much better look at how these two perform during live matchups. Luckily for both, though, being the backup is all they're truly fighting for, as Kyle Crabbs of A to Z Sports predicts that each will make the final 53-man roster, with cuts needing to be made by Aug. 27.
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