WNBA Weekly Recap: Week Four
As the WNBA kicks off the fifth week of the season, let’s recap some of the biggest victories, iconic moments, crazy stats, and storylines.
Jackie Young
After a month of play, the Las Vegas Aces are in first place in the league as of May 22. The Aces have a record of 6-1 after beating the Phoenix Mercury 100-80. Jackie Young headlines the stats for the Aces, with a 19.3 PPG average, 45.5 three-point percentage, and has averaged 86.8 percent from the charity stripe.
The Connecticut Sun is heating up, having won three straight games after beating the Atlanta Dream, New York Liberty, and Indiana Fever, respectively.
Rookie Rhyne Howard from the Dream also leads the league — and all rookies — in points per game with 20.3, and three-pointers made with 21. The first overall pick in the draft was the Eastern Conference Player of the Week, after her dominating performances where she scored at least 30 points in her first four games, tying a record held by Candace Parker, Sabrina Ionescu, Kia Nurse, Cappie Pondexter, Yolanda Griffith, and Danielle Adams.
“The coaches have told me to go play,” Howard told Michelle Smith from the WNBA after the Dream’s victory against Indiana. “They drafted me for a reason and I have to come out, make an impact and help the team win.”
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The Liberty have also announced on May 21 that they have signed 2020 Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield from the Fever on a hardship contract and will be available to play for this upcoming week.
The Seattle Storm have officially partnered with Coinbase in the league’s first-ever cryptocurrency deal. The platform promises to donate to Force4Change — the Storm’s social justice nonprofit — and promised to sponsor in-game promos for fans, have their logo on the court, release Storm-themed NFTs, and have made Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd brand ambassadors, per the press release.
The Los Angeles Spark has announced Vanessa Shay as its President, where she is responsible for overseeing all of the team’s business operations. Prior to her job in this role, Shay was the Chief Revenue Officer for the San Diego Wave of the NWSL from its start in 2021. Shay is the seventh female to currently reside as president of a WNBA team.
Lastly, this coming week, the Chicago Sky will be presented with their championship rings as the 2021 WNBA Champions prior to tipoff of their game against the Indiana Fever on May 24.
Photo credits: courtesy of Chansey Augustine, Las Vegas Aces’ Instagram
