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🌟 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …
CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have already taken the WNBA by storm this season, and they are now officially All-Star teammates after the rosters were announced last night.
Clark and Reese will both represent Team WNBA and will take on Team USA (aka the U.S. Olympic team) over WNBA All-Star weekend, and their popularity was on full display in the fan vote. Clark received 80,000 more votes than the next player on the list, while Reese also found herself in the top five.
1. Caitlin Clark, Fever — 700,735 votes
2. Aliyah Boston, Fever — 618,680 votes
3. A’ja Wilson, Aces — 607,300 votes
4. Breanna Stewart, Liberty — 424,135 votes
5. Angel Reese, Sky — 381,518 votes
It was a big night all around for Reese, whose Sky picked up an 85-77 win over the Dream in extending her record-setting double-double streak to 11 games with 12 points and 19 rebounds. After that spectacular performance, Reese got emotional when talking about her All-Star nod.
- Reese: “I’m just so happy. I know the work I put in. Coming into the league, so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player that I was in college. … I can’t thank my teammates and my coaches enough for believing in me and trusting me.”
Clark’s Fever didn’t fare quite as well. The lost to the Aces, 88-69, but Clark did record a double-double of her own with 13 points and 11 assists.
Be sure to check out the full 2024 WNBA All-Star rosters right here.
👍 Honorable mentions
🎾 And not such a good morning for …
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MARKETA VONDROUSOVA
Marketa Vondrousova came into Wimbledon hoping to defend her title after becoming the first unseeded woman to win the tournament last year.
Unfortunately, she made some more history for all the wrong reasons this year. Vondrousova lost to Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round. That made Vondrousova the first defending champ to lose in the first round since 1994.
That year, Steffi Graf fell to Lori McNeil after winning the prior year. At least Vondrousova has something in common with the International Tennis Hall of Famer.
Perhaps the most disappointing part of this loss for Vondrousova is the fact that expectations were relatively high for her at the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club this year. Not only was Vondrousova the reigning champion, but she was also the No. 6 seed.
To make her early exit even more frustrating, Vondrousa fell victim to self-inflicted wounds in the form of three double-faults and 28 unforced errors.
With Vondrousova out of the mix, the rest of the women’s field will be trying to claim her throne as the next Wimbledon champion. No. 2 seed Coco Gauff is off to a good start in that regard after dismantling Caroline Dolehide in the first round.
On the men’s side, reigning Wimbledon champ and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz defeated Mark Lajal in the first round, and Novak Djokovic made quick work of Vit Kopriva.
As the tournament continues this weekend, keep it locked on our updated schedule and results from Wimbledon.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
👀 Top 10 stories to watch for the rest of 2024
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As hard as it may be to believe, 2024 is halfway over. This year has already provided us with some great moments in sports, but the best might be yet to come. We identified the 10 biggest storylines to track in the second half of the year.
Nearly every sport has something to look forward to in the second half of this year, but the NFL has several big stories to follow. Not only will Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs begin their quest to become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls, but the Jets will try to shed their losing ways.
CBS Sports’ own Tyler Sullivan explains why the stakes are so high for Aaron Rodgers and the Jets this fall.
- Sullivan: “If they create a wall in front of Rodgers, the four-time MVP has weapons in place to pick apart defenses. And even if Rodgers is only 80% of his former self, that’s better than any quarterback the Jets have had in decades. If he can’t recreate the magic, it’s the latest chapter in what has been a sad state of affairs for the franchise at the position.”
Looking outside the NFL, there is plenty to get excited about, including the Rookie of the Year race in the WNBA. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who keep going back and forth atop the WNBA Rookie Rankings, will be going back and forth for the duration of the season.
Here are a few more of the notable stories to watch throughout the back nine of 2024:
- Can Team USA dominate at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
- Scottie Scheffler is trying to equal Tiger Woods‘ iconic 2000 PGA Tour season.
- How will JJ Redick work with LeBron James (and Bronny James) and the Lakers.
- Will the Yankees end their World Series drought?
- The Mike Tyson–Jake Paul bout, originally scheduled for July 20, is now Nov. 15.
🏀 Kemba Walker announces his retirement
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Kemba Walker is riding off into the sunset after a memorable basketball career. Between his three seasons at UConn and his 12 seasons in the NBA, Walker piled up some impressive accolades.
In the 2010-11 season, Walker led the Huskies to a national title while averaging 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. That year, Walker was the Final Four Most Outstanding Player and a consensus All-American.
That summer, Walker was selected by the then Charlotte Bobcats with the No. 9 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Walker spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career in Charlotte and earned three All-Star nods.
In 2019, Walker signed a big contract with the Celtics and immediately earned third-team All-NBA honors. Injuries derailed Walker’s career from there, and his last NBA season was with the Mavericks in 2022-23.
Walker’s dominance at UConn will never be forgotten, but he may still fall short of a shot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Our own Cameron Salerno explains that the voters weigh NBA accomplishments more heavily than collegiate ones.
- Salerno: “But Hall of Fame voters rarely give college merits the same recognition as NBA accomplishments. For example, Duke’s Christian Laettner — one of the most decorated college basketball players in the modern era — still lacks an individual spot in the Hall of Fame (though he is enshrined as a member of the 1992 Olympic Dream Team).”
📺 What we’re watching Wednesday
🎾 Wimbledon 2024, 6 a.m. on ESPN
⚾ MLB All-Star Starters Reveal Show, 8 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Mercury at Wings, 8 p.m. on WNBA League Pass
