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Meet the Parkers: The Best of Both Worlds, NBA and WNBA

Posted: Jun 27th 2008 10:30 AM ET by Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Raptors, NBA Videos, Chicago, Los Angeles, Women's Sports, Toronto, The Word, FanHouse TV, WNBA

3 COMMENTS

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive NBA reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video we catch up with WNBA star Candace Parker who tells us about her dunking ability. You might be surprised to hear what she has to say about it. We also interview her brother, Anthony Parker, the star of the Toronto Raptors. Around 2:15 into the video find out from Candace which sibling is more popular.

AOL Video link. Youtube link.

Candace Parker Becomes the Second Woman to Dunk in a WNBA Game

Posted: Jun 23rd 2008 1:15 PM ET by Brett Pollakoff (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Women's Sports, WNBA

7 COMMENTS

We don't do much WNBA around these parts, but this is definitely worth checking out. The Sparks' Candace Parker became just the second woman to dunk in a WNBA game, breaking away for the one-handed jam during a home victory yesterday.

Besides the dunk being a semi-historic event, there are a couple of other great things about this video. The announcer for the highlight reel is John Ireland, a sideline reporter for the Lakers who is clearly still bummed about the beating his team took in the NBA Finals, and couldn't care less about Parker's feat. Then there's Sparks' coach Michael Cooper. Coop's been known to say some dumb things in the past, but calling the dunk "exuberating" is really pushing the boundaries of the English language (exhilarating, maybe, coach?). And comparing the dunk to something Michael Jordan might have done? Well, let's just say I'd be in favor of drug testing for head coaches.

[via SbB]

WNBA: Sparks Stars Shine on the Court

Posted: Jun 20th 2008 8:00 PM ET by Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Los Angeles, Women's Sports, The Word, FanHouse TV, WNBA

2 COMMENTS

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive NBA reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video we catch up with two of the hottest names in the WNBA, Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie, the stars of the Los Angeles Sparks. We also learn what the term "mouse-in-the-house" means on the basketball court. Around 1:50 into the video we find out from Candace who would win if she played Kobe Bryant one-on-one.

AOL Video link. Youtube link.

WNBA's New Dynamic Duo, Silk and Smooth

Posted: May 2nd 2008 6:05 PM ET by Elie Seckbach (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Los Angeles, Women's Sports, The Word, FanHouse TV, WNBA

3 COMMENTS

Elie Seckbach, the Embedded NBA Correspondent, brings his exclusive NBA reporting to FanHouse. Check back here regularly for more videos.

In this video, we talk to basketball star and the number one draft pick Candace Parker in her new Sparks uniform. Around 1:55 into the video we catch up with Lisa Leslie who tells us about her game face.

AOL Video link. Youtube link.

The Baron Davis Love Triangle

Posted: Sep 7th 2007 7:45 PM ET by Miss Gossip (RSS feed)
Filed Under: Warriors, NBA Gossip, Women's Sports

2 COMMENTS

We told you earlier that Baron Davis was shacking up with "Desperate Housewives" star Teri Hatcher, but who knew that meant he was cheating on a certain WNBA star? From a post entitled, "You cheatin' on me, B. Diddy?" in Diana Taurasi's fantastic new Yardbarker blog:

Boom Dizzle, you're breaking my heart! C'mon. I thought we had something serious. ... We were supposed to have a kid and make her (or him) the best point guard ever -- even better than Sue Bird and Magic Johnson put together.

Wait, Steve Nash is the son of Diana Taurasi and Baron Davis? Who knew. Anyway, I suppose the heartbreak is the real reason Taurasi was lashing out with fouls in the Phoenix Mercury's loss to the Detroit Shock in Game One of the WNBA Finals.
Sorry, No Photos

Lovely Ladies of the WNBA

Posted: Aug 17th 2007 6:00 AM ET by Miss Gossip (RSS feed)
Filed Under: NBA Media Watch, Women's Sports, The Word

46 COMMENTS

The other day my esteemed colleague Tom Ziller mentioned offhand that Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson of the Seattle Storm are "probably the best-looking players in the WNBA." With much love to Bird and LJ, I have to disagree with Tom here. The WNBA is full of many other beautiful women of all types, shapes, and colors. The photo gallery below showcases a few of my favorite pictures of these lovely ladies. Feel free to chime in with your favorites who I may have left out.

By the way, I do not in any way mean to contribute to the tension that exists in women's sports because of a tendency to recognize athletes for their looks more than their accomplishments -- I just felt like celebrating the beauty of a few of these accomplished women. It's ok to look sometimes (don't worry, no one will poke your eye out).

UPDATE: Keep leaving your suggestions for more lovely ladies and I will add them to the photo gallery!

Pictured above: Lisa Leslie, Asjha Jones, Svetlana Abrosimova.
Sorry, No Photos

Your Antidote to the NBA Playoffs

Posted: May 26th 2007 3:36 AM ET by Miss Gossip (RSS feed)
Filed Under: NBA Fans, Phoenix, Women's Sports

7 COMMENTS

According to a scientological study, the NBA season is over. So if you're a Suns fan who's boycotting the NBA ... or a Spurs fan who is too bored with your own team to show up ... or a Cavs or Pistons fan who is, um, poking your eyeballs out at halftime when the score is in the low thirties ... well, I have the antidote to your postseason depression: the Phoenix Mercury!

The WNBA team played with a Suns-like offense last night, scoring a franchise-almost-high 111 points in four 10-minute periods (that would be 133 points in an NBA-length game). The Houston Comets had no answer for Kelly "Track Meet" Miller, Cappie "Technical Foul" Pondexter, and Diana "37 Points" Taurasi (have you seen Taurasi since UConn? Fiyaaaa!). After the game everyone stayed around to sing Happy Birthday to starting forward Penny Taylor. *Awwww.*

If you're not impressed, then just answer me this: would the Spurs ever let fans do this?...

The next nationally televised Mercury game is June 5th on ESPN2.

Conspiracy Theory: the Real Reason We Have the WNBA

Posted: Apr 5th 2007 5:00 PM ET by Miss Gossip (RSS feed)
Filed Under: NBA Rumors, Women's Sports

11 COMMENTS

Yesterday was draft day for the WNBA, a league that has yet to be profitable and is still subsidized by the NBA. While the amount of money funneled from the NBA is apparently small (Commisioner David Stern once described it as a mere "rounding error of our marketing expenses overall") it is curious that he continues to support a league that after 10 years still negatively impacts his bottom line.

Or maybe it's not curious at all. Stern is obsessed with globalization, and the WNBA may be helping him on that front. While the NBA is able to further globalization efforts in part by capitalizing on foreign NBA players who are popular in their home countries, the WNBA does not have as many foreign superstars. But that's ok, because Stern has a reverse globalization plan in action.

WNBA salaries are low: this year's #1 pick (Lindsey Harding of Duke) will receive a base salary of only $43,200 and the maximum veteran player salary is only $97,000 (per the WNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement: PDF). While these are certainly respectable professional salaries, they pale in comparison to what many pro-athletes reel in. And they are low enough to hatch Stern's plan.