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Toronto Star
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Star
The Thundertaker? Pascal Siakam explains his viral moment from the NBA Finals
Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam celebrates a basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Michael Conroy AP These NBA Finals have renewed excitement in many ways. And if there is a changing of the guard underway, that's not a bad thing. These NBA Finals have renewed excitement in many ways. And if there is a changing of the guard underway, that's not a bad thing.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fever say Caitlin Clark will be ready to play in showdown with Liberty on Saturday
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives on New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after a basket against the New York Liberty in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Caitlin Clark, center, waves from her seat during the first half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, right, and guard Sophie Cunningham celebrates on the bench in the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Washington Mystics in Indianapolis, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indian Fever basketball players Caitlin Clark, right, and Aliyah Boston watch during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indian Fever basketball players Caitlin Clark, right, and Aliyah Boston watch during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) drives on New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after a basket against the New York Liberty in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Caitlin Clark, center, waves from her seat during the first half of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, right, and guard Sophie Cunningham celebrates on the bench in the first half of a WNBA basketball game against the Washington Mystics in Indianapolis, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indian Fever basketball players Caitlin Clark, right, and Aliyah Boston watch during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark ended practice Friday by making a halfcourt shot and winning a little bit of lunch money in the process. And with that, the Indiana Fever star is ready to play again. Clark — barring any unforeseen setbacks — is expected to be in the lineup when the Fever play host to the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty on Saturday afternoon. She missed the last five Indiana games with a quadriceps injury. Advertisement 'As long as we don't have any regressions, she's going to be ready to roll,' Fever coach Stephanie White said. Clark returned to practice this week, and her comeback game just happens to be a nationally televised one against the Liberty — the defending champs and, at 9-0, the last unbeaten team left in the league this season. New York is winning its games by an average of 19 points. 'I'm really excited," Clark said. 'I think it's definitely been a process. I think the hardest part is when you like begin to feel really good and then it's just a process of working yourself back into actually getting up and down and getting out there with my teammates.' The halfcourt shot at the end of practice was the kicker of a friendly competition, and Clark (who says she rarely wins the halfcourt contests) did wave a few dollars that she won around afterward — in case anyone needed a reminder of her shooting range. Advertisement The Fever (4-5) went 2-3 in Clark's absence. She was averaging 19 points, 9.3 assists, six rebounds and 1.3 steals per game when she got hurt. There's still a long way to go this season, but no player in WNBA history has ever finished a season averaging that many points, assists, rebounds and steals per game. Clark freely acknowledges that she's not a patient person, but she understood the process and why it was important to not skip any steps in her recovery. Among the treatments: 'anything under the sun,' she said, including everything from massage to weights to hyperbaric therapy. 'It was certainly a learning opportunity, and I think it's going to benefit me a lot throughout my career, just falling back and understanding certain moments like this,' Clark said. 'But I'm super, super excited. I'm antsy to get out there and probably shake off a little bit of rust and then play.' Clark's return is the latest bit of big basketball news in Indianapolis, along with the Indiana Pacers going into Friday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals leading the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-1. Clark and many other Fever players were at Game 3 on Wednesday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the same court where they'll be taking on the Liberty on Saturday. Advertisement Even though Clark and the Fever have an early game Saturday, some — Clark included — plan on at least seeing some of Game 4 on Friday night. 'It's incredible. It's incredible,' White said when asked about the energy around basketball in Indianapolis right now. 'As someone who grew up in the state of Indiana and as the saying goes, 'This is Indiana.' And so, the energy's incredible. It's such a fun time to be in the city." The Fever are also expected to have guard Sophie Cunningham (ankle) back for the game against the Liberty on Saturday. Cunningham has averaged 6.5 points in four games so far this season. 'It's really reintegrating two of our top six players, right? Reintegrating them back into the system," White said. 'Some of the things that we run will look different than without Caitlin on the floor, certainly. Sophie's versatility and being able to play in multiple positions ... it is like starting Day 1 again.' ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Surge in viewers leads ION TV to extend current 3-year broadcasting deal with WNBA
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts after a basket against the New York Liberty in the second half of a WNBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) NEW YORK (AP) — Caitlin Clark's arrival and a major surge in viewers over the past year led to ION Television reaching a multiyear agreement on Friday to extend its broadcasting partnership with the WNBA. ION, which is owned by the Cincinnati, Ohio-based, E.W. Scripps Company, did not reveal the length or value of the contract, which extends the network's original deal reached in 2023 to broadcast regular-season games and host a weekly studio show. Advertisement The existing three-year deal is worth $13 million per season. In a release, ION said the average viewership for its WNBA Friday Night Spotlight show increased by 133% from 2023 to '24, and attracted more than 23 million unique viewers, including game coverage. The jump coincides with Clark's celebrated rookie season in Indiana last year. The network reaches more than 128 million homes though its various platforms. Last year, the WNBA struck an 11-year media rights deal with Disney, Amazon Prime and NBC that begins in 2026 and is worth about $200 million a year. ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Penske driver Scott McLaughlin's tough month ends with hope for a fresh start at Gateway
Scott McLaughlin, of New Zealand, waits for the start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Scott McLaughlin, left, of New Zealand, holds his head in his hands after a crash on the parade lap on the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Scott McLaughlin, left, of New Zealand, holds his head in his hands after a crash on the parade lap on the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Scott McLaughlin, of New Zealand, waits for the start of practice for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Scott McLaughlin, left, of New Zealand, holds his head in his hands after a crash on the parade lap on the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Scott McLaughlin's miserable month of May — he crashed twice at the Indianapolis 500, caused a crash at Detroit and engaged in a post-race social media feud with Tony Kanaan — has finally ended. Now it's on to Gateway outside of St. Louis and a fresh start for the Team Penske driver as IndyCar prepares for only its second race on an oval this season and first event televised in prime-time by Fox. Advertisement 'That whole month was pretty tough. It started really well. It ended in a couple bad ways,' McLaughlin acknowledged. 'It was one of, if not the lowest, points of my career. But it's something that I'll learn from. Champions are made learning from their mistakes.' McLaughlin crashed in practice at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and it prevented him from taking a car that many believed was a threat to win the pole out to qualify. Hours later, teammates Josef Newgarden and Will Power were found to have illegal modifications on their cars and were disqualified from qualifying. The ensuing days were chaotic as team owner Roger Penske, who also owns IndyCar, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy 500, handled the situation internally by firing his top three IndyCar executives. The housecleaning included Tim Cindric, who had spent 25 years with Penske and was the architect of much of the organizations' success. Newgarden and Power were penalized and dropped to the back of the field for the start of the 500, while McLaughlin got to keep his 10th-place starting position. But come race day, armed with new crew members, McLaughlin was determined to earn his first Indy 500 victory. Advertisement Instead, he crashed on the warm-up lap and immediately burst into tears. The New Zealander hoped to rebound one week later on the streets of Detroit, but contact with Arrow McLaren driver Nolan Siegel caused Siegel to crash. McLaughlin finished 12th, lowest of the Penske trio at Detroit. He later engaged in a tense social media back-and-forth with McLaren team principal Kanaan, and it ramped up when Kanaan took aim at both McLaughlin's crash at Indy on the warm-up lap and the Penske firings in comments that seemed over-the-line. 'Misjudged last week, misjudged this week, at least you get a weekend off to square that away,' Kanaan wrote. 'I came looking for your team principal to have a chat but I couldn't find him. Oh wait……' Advertisement IndyCar was off last week and McLaughlin said he and Kanaan have spoken, but he declined to discuss the details. He later insisted all is well between the two rivals even though it wasn't the first time the two have argued on social media. It's been a recurring theme dating to last season when McLaughlin criticized McLaren's revolving door of drivers. 'Me and T.K. are completely fine. We cleared the air. There was nothing to really clear,' McLaughlin said. "It's like he clapped back, and I clapped back. It's just how it is. I thought it was funny that he posted during the race. I, like, responded. I didn't think he was going to respond the next time, but he did. 'Me and T.K. have always sort of talked on the social media. It's not like a year-long feud. It's just one of those deals where someone's going to call me out, I'll clap back as well. It's just who I am. I'm not going to change.' Did he take Kanaan's words personally, considering Team Penske had a major overhaul of team personnel at Indianapolis? Advertisement 'It is what it is. That was his decision,' McLaughlin said. The upheaval at Penske is ongoing as IndyCar readies for Sunday night's race at Gateway. Penske has had to shift personnel across three teams to cover the vacancies and the three-car lineup will have new engineers and strategists again this weekend. It makes it difficult to win — all three Penske drivers have yet to make it to victory lane this season — against Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. Palou has won five of seven races this season, including the Indianapolis 500. Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Global has won the other two. McLaughlin hasn't given up and believes Palou's run will eventually come to an end. He has two wins on ovals — Iowa and Milwaukee — and a pair of podium finishes at Gateway. McLaughlin finished second there last year. Advertisement 'I definitely don't think anyone's unstoppable. I think when they're going through a purple patch, they're executing like they are, it's tough,' he said of Palou. "You have to figure out where you can be better and stronger and adapt to that. I enjoy that challenge. He's on a great run. There's no stopping us from learning where we can improve and where we can be better. 'We have some great tracks coming up for us. Just got to keep our heads down, keep focused and learn as much as we can.' ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark, Reggie Miller, Oscar Robertson among those in crowd for Game 3 of NBA Finals
NBA Hall of Famers Reggie Miller, left, and Oscar Robertson sit courtside prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indian Fever basketball players Caitlin Clark, right, and Aliyah Boston watch during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indian Fever basketball players Caitlin Clark, right, and Aliyah Boston watch during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) NBA Hall of Famers Reggie Miller, left, and Oscar Robertson sit courtside prior to Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) Indian Fever basketball players Caitlin Clark, right, and Aliyah Boston watch during the first half of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wednesday, June 11, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark wasn't going to miss the NBA Finals, taking a baseline seat to cheer on the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The WNBA star — wearing a yellow T-shirt emblazoned with the famed 'In 49 other states it's just basketball. But this is Indiana' saying along with a finals logo — was seated with Indiana Fever teammates Aliyah Boston and Natasha Howard for the game, in the same end of the floor as the Pacers' bench. Advertisement The Pacers were taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It was the first Indiana home game in the NBA's title series since 2000. Among the other Indiana basketball royalty at the game: Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson and Reggie Miller, both seated near the court as well, along with Mark Jackson, Dale Davis and many other former Pacers. Former Indianapolis Colts star Edgerrin James also was among those in the crowd. And plenty of auto racing stars were at the game as well — including Alex Palou, the winner of this year's Indianapolis 500. He arrived for the game in a pace car from Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which was lit up in gold for the evening as a Pacers tribute. Clark and the Fever have been regular attendees at Pacers games during this playoff run when their schedule allows. The Fever don't play again until Saturday, at home against the defending WNBA champion New York Liberty. Clark has been sidelined with a thigh injury, but it's possible she returns to the lineup on Saturday. ___ AP NBA:
