Young has been a sublime scorer and shooter even going back to college. In his one season at the University of Oklahoma, he led the nation in scoring and assists—the first player ever to do so. But to carry that level of production into the NBA as one of the league’s smaller players—he’s listed at 6’0”—is remarkable in itself. Factor in that Young is a three-time All-Star and he truly is, in a foundational sense, really good at basketball.

If there is one area that Young and the Hawks would need to improve is more postseason success. Atlanta has reached the Eastern Conference Finals once in Young’s seven seasons, and have lost three times in the first round. Of course, failure or success is not solely dependent on one player. But Young is the face of the franchise, so he does carry some measure of responsibility to lift the team to be better.

That’s one of the factors of growth in a star player. It’s very easy to forget both how young these players are and simultaneously seeing how quickly these careers matriculate. Yes, we know how long the giants like LeBron, Steph and KD have been in the league. But those other players are creeping up there as well. Even with being in the NBA for seven seasons, he’s only 26. For perspective, Michael Jordan did not win a title until he was 28, and LeBron was 27. But even with that perspective, Young’s talent can be argued should elevate the Harms to more consistent second round appearance, at least.

Even with Young being a bit of an antihero—and a downright archnemesis to Knicks fans—his maturation is evident. There is far less on-court irritation, particularly with referees. And while he remains productive on offense, he has allowed other players to blossom, like Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels. He’s still “Ice Trae,” doing his signature shivering celebration after a big shot and mimicking shooting dice on the Knicks logo. But his growth is in his he plays the game. And the Atlanta Hawks have benefitted from it. Hopefully it will turn into more playoff success, but it will not be because Young hasn’t matured as a player and leader.

The post The Growth of Trae Young appeared first on Montgomery CoPod.

Alright, so this will likely be the last post from me in 2024. And I’m sure like most of you reading this, this year was more than a doozy in so many ways. I have had my share of setbacks and challenges that latch themselves onto the negative feelings like doubt and anxiety that cause me to not feel like I’m progressing every day. And that doesn’t include any physical problems that have arisen throughout the year. Since January 1^st—and of course, well before that date—life has certainly done life things in a way that doesn’t always feel good. 

Doesn’t it also seem like this is both the longest and shortest year ever? In the winter, nighttime feels like it comes before business hours are closed, as of the Sun decides to clock out early because even it needs a break sometimes. At the same time, something like Caitlin Clark’s first WNBA game feels like forever shi when that was in May. Six months ago, Kawhi Leonard was set to play on Team USA in the Olympics and we haven’t seen him play basketball at all since that very same month of May. With the constant cycle of problem, solution and outcome, we can lean into the fatigue and feel like there isn’t much to celebrate. 

But that does not mean there is nothing to celebrate. 

To tie it in with hoop, the Milwaukee Bucks just won the 2^nd Emirates NBA Cup, defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Vegas. Bucks assistant coach and former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham led Los Angeles to the Cup last year, and he suggested to the Bucks to avoid celebrating with champagne like the Lakers did in order to leave room that there is now work to be done during the season. The Cup is nice, and it certainly is something worth winning, but the goal of NBA teams is to hoist the Finals trophy much more than it is to lift the Cup one. 

So Milwaukee didn’t use the separate room to celebrate winning the Cup (and the $500k each) by spraying bottles of bubbly everywhere. But they did celebrate, and that’s my point. 

One thing this and recent years have taught me, aided by the institution of sports and championships, is that we celebrate the entirety of the journey. The final step to victory is worth it because of everything that led up to it. If you notice, when people give thanks and acknowledgments after winning something, the phrase, “along the way” is intimated throughout their words. That’s not coincidence. When you win, everything contributed to that win. Yes, the strategies that worked and the great days are essential. But so are the bruises, the doubts, the streak of days that lead to ideas like “slump” and “regression” to take root. The pursuit of excellence is not easy. And because it is not easy, it is lined with mistakes. But mistakes are the soil for greatness, because from a mistake, we decide that we can be better and start the voyage towards it. 

So I say to you, for 2024, lift your trophy high. You earned it. 

Till Takes! 

• The NBA is deciding to change the All-Star Game format to a quick pickup game tournament. I will maintain that the NBA has tricked fans into both believing these players don’t play hard and that they should always and only be concerned with winning championships. That begs of the question: why is it necessary for these nine-figure assets—because that’s what they are to these billion-dollar franchises—to take an exhibition game seriously? Why is it paramount to know they care to win this game as badly as a regular season or playoff game? The All-Star Game is a celebration of the best players of the first half of the season and acknowledging how good they’ve been so far. It is not a competitive battle for some arbitrary measure of effort. And those of you who believe it have allowed billionaires and party poopers mislead you into siding with management and not labor. 
• With USC and UConn set to okay in women’s college hoops, that game will feature Juju Watkins and Paige Bueckers. It is the rare occasion that both those young women have claim to the best guard in the country and that neither of them are that right now. I say that because Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo has begun her sophomore campaign with an amplified moxie and productivity, even as fellow All-American Olivia Miles is back with the Irish. Hidalgo is over 25 points a game and is her usual menacing self on defense. The Irish will be a tough out come March. 

That’s it for me in 2024. See y’all on the other side with another year and more hoop stories to recap. 

The post Hoop Recap: Lift The Trophy High appeared first on Montgomery CoPod.

Congratulations to the New York Liberty got winning their first championship in franchise history. One of the original teams that are still around finally has a title in its trophy case. Center Jonquel Jones was named Finals MVP and the Liberty defeated and incredibly tough and competitive Minnesota Lynx team in five closely-contested games. The atmosphere in the Barclays Center was beyond electric. It was fitting for the kind of year that W had. Not to mention the edition of Ellie the Elephant, the wonderful mascot of the New York Liberty, who was one of the brightest spots in the W.

From stellar rookies, record-setting attendance and individual statistical campaigns to competitive games and drama in the final days of the regular and postseasons, the 28th WNBA season was worth all the attention it garnered and then some. The product will be even better with the addition of more teams in the next couple years along with the continual edification of the league as a whole and its stars and their personal shine. There is room for so much more to grow if we continue to genuinely support women and women’s sports. It’s been time for us to catch up. Let’s see what happens in 2025.

Till Take!
The NBA season is set to begin and while I do not do predictions because they are sure to go wrong, I do believe the Association is poised to have a memorable season itself. To me, the NBA is better when its historically core franchises—the Knicks, the Celtics and the Lakers—are all relevant and at least good teams. This is the case this year, as well as last year’s contenders either improved or are still very good. There will be some teams that surprise and play better than expected, and that means there will be contenders who struggle more than we thought. From now until April, there is a lot to figure out and I can’t wait to watch it all unfold. Let’s enjoy the journey together.

That’s it for this recap. See you next time!

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This post will be mostly dedicated to two-time MVP and consensus best player in the W, A’ja Wilson. Now, those who faithfully watch the W will already know all the superlatives that come with the way A’ja plays. So this won’t be a running just of her baby, baby achievements and abilities. Instead this is a perspective based around three broader view of 2024—which starts with the end of the 2023 season. 

For most, A’ja at the very least was a runner-up for the 2023 regular season MVP. Instead, she finished third in voting—with one infamous fourth-place vote—keeping get from winning her third MVP award. Rather than allow that slight to send her game into a rut, A’ja led the Aces to their second-straight championship. Then, she adds on with this season by having a record-breaking scoring season while maintaining her elite defensive play. She has scored the most points in a single WNBA season with still a handful of games to go. I didn’t even mention her being the Most Outstanding Player is the Summer Olympics and a big reason why Team USA won their eighth straight gold medal.

One of the things I about people who push for greatness, especially professional athletes, is the ability to mentally lock in and unlock a higher level of ability, productivity and focus—and everyone can see it. There is no denying that A’ja Wilson has elevated her play even beyond being the MVP she’s already been. There’s something admirable about not letting negativity hinder anything about ones progress towards their own desires. Everyone wants to be better at whatever it is they pursue. But it is natural for negativity to make us stumble and falter along the way. For A’ja to all but guarantee her third MVP when it’s very easy to lament the fact it is not her fourth, is commendable and a lesson in maintaining focus and intention with a purpose. Her 2024 has been wonderful to witness. 

Till Takes as the season winds down! 

• Another single season record fell recently as Dearica Hamby of the Los Angeles Sparks is the new leader in rebounds for the franchise. Hamby surpassed Hall of Famer and living legend Lisa Leslie in a game against the Seattle Storm.
• I do not know who will win the WNBA championship this year. There are more contenders than the have been in recent years. But what I do know is that the Minnesota Lynx will be a tough out during the playoffs. They have the W’s best defense and okay with crisp ball movement and spacing. Led by Olympian Napheesa Collier and veteran Courtney Williams, they are a formidable team and will make any series long and arduous.
• I’d be remiss if I don’t acknowledge the passing of music legend Frankie Beverly. The title of this post is a song by him and the band Maze, and I felt it appropriate to use given the main subject matter of it. I’ve if the best and most profound lines in song is at the begging of the record, “Happy Feelin’s”: “I’ve got myself to remind me of love.” May you all remember that, and from deep in my soul, I wish you happy feelings. 

That’s it for this WNBA Recap. As always, support Montgomery & Co. h checking out this site as well as the podcast. We’ll catch up next time.

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Overall, the Olympic Games were the spectacle we have known them to be. From an outstandingly visual opening ceremony, to all the old and new events, the two weeks in August were fantastical in every way. When it comes to hoops, both US National Basketball Teams did what was expected—win gold—even if the results were somewhat unexpected. 

Both teams defeated the host nation, France’s, teams in their respective gold medal games. And in both contests, Team USA found itself in an intense battle. In the women’s game, France held a ten point second half lead, before players like A’ja Wilson (MVP of the event) and Kahleah Copper took over in the fourth. That game came down to France’s Gabby Williams, a former WNBA player, hitting a shot with her foot on the three-point line, causing France to come up on point shy of tying the game in the final seconds.

 On the men’s side, the final two games of the knockout phase required the heroics of all-time great and first-time Olympian Steph Curry to both wow spectators and secure victories on the path to gold. In those two games, Steph hit a combined 17 threes, including one over two French defenders (with both Kevin Durant and LeBron James wide open) to seal the win. He celebrated with his signature “night night” gesture and have basketball fans something spectacular to behold and remember for a long time. This was the men’s fifth-straight gold and the women’s record eighth-straight.

International basketball is tricky for American basketball fans. On one hand, we would like for the game of basketball to extend worldwide and see just how good players from other countries are and have become. On the other, there seems to be a desire to be forever dominant in hoops that extends beyond patriotism. Meaning, if Team USA struggles to win or even lose, there is a panic that causes the country to want to assemble like the Avengers not just to win but to eradicate any notion that any other country could ever defeat America in basketball. From my personal perspective, I don’t need USA basketball to be imperialistic in its approach to international basketball. To me, it is more than okay for Team USA to not field all of its legends and try to ensure that every game is won by at least 20. We acknowledge that factually, the rest of the world has all but caught up from a talent standpoint. The past five NBA MVPs were not born in the United States. That only scratches the surface for how much depth of talent is abroad. The USA only had one First-Team All-NBA player representing. And whether or not you agree with if he should have played more in the Olympics, the fact remains that it is clear the top talent on the Association is worldwide.

 And that is a good thing, even if it means there will be fewer gold medals going forward. One thing is for sure, 2028 will be yet another incredible time for global hoops.

Post-Olympic Till Takes!

• The W returns August 15^th. So here is a reminder that the New York Liberty have the best record at 21-4, with the Connecticut Sun behind them at 18-6. Every team has 15-16 games left in the season, so the action will be intense and there will be a race to the playoffs. 
• This is the Season of A’ja. Her leading Team USA to gold is just another accomplishment in a year that surely see her accumulate more awards. 
• Speaking of Team USA, it was great to see both Brittney Griner return to the podium as well as Diana Taurasi receive her sixth gold medal, especially after Taurasi did not play in the gold medal game. The 42-year-old legend understood that she is there to help usher in the current and next wave of stars and she did not get in the way of that. As for Griner, her tumultuous time in Russia surely has such an effect on her that it was good for her to have some basketball joy.

That’s it for this recap! Let’s jump back into the W and we’ll catch up later!

The post WNBA Recap: Golden appeared first on Montgomery CoPod.

What a weekend for the W! All-Star festivities were in Phoenix this past weekend, with the Skills Competition and the Three-Point Contest on the same night. That night belonged to Atlanta’s Allisha Gray, as she won both events. The Dream’s All-Star guard defeated host favorite Sophie Cunningham of the Mercury by 2.4 seconds in the final round. Then, Gray squared off against the Liberty’s Jonquel Jones in the final round of the three-point contest. It came down to Jones’ final shot, which missed, giving Gray the win. Gray became the first player to win both competitions in the same night. This was a truly remarkable night for 2017 first-round pick and Tokyo Olympics gold medalist. 

Speaking of Olympians, night two of the W’s All-Star weekend saw the 2024 US Women’s Basketball Team take on the WNBA’s All-Star selections. This is the second time the game has gone to this format, and the results were similar to the 2021 edition. Three years ago, Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale earned MVP honors as Team WNBA defeated Team USA 93-85. In this past game, Arike upped the score, netting an All-Star Game record 34 points. Team WNBA again beat Team USA 117-109. Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 30 points and 10 rebounds and remarked on a similar feeling from 2021. “It was like a little bit of a déjà vu feeling, honestly,” Stewart said.

Rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese also showed out in their first All-Star games. Clark nearly tied Sue Bird’s record of 11 assists, dishing out 10. Reese had her usual double-double. All in all, it was a great night and even greater weekend in Phoenix for the W. This is evidenced by the viewership, which continues to grow exponentially in every way. This past All-Star Game had 3.44 million viewers, surpassing the previous record by 2 million. The year of 2024 continues to be one of foundational and momentous growth for the W, and we can only be optimistic for its future. 

As for the women of Team USA, they will look to capture their eighth consecutive gold medal, and are still heavy favorites to do so. We wish all of the ladies much health and success as they head to Paris to face the best the world has to offer. As for the W as a whole, the Olympic break will be a time to rest and reset. Once the season resumes, the playoff push will be activated, and the games will get more intense. It should be a fun and competitive finish to the regular season. 

Olympic break Till Takes!

• It was great to see Cheryl Miller coach Team WNBA at the All-Star Game. She is basketball royalty and a living legend, and should always be treated as such. 
• As far as living legends go, Diana Taurasi is certainly one. She is going to her sixth Olympics and just recently, the Phoenix Mercury unveiled a new practice facility that is named after her. For twenty years, Taurasi has helped build that facility and fan base, and it honorable by the Mercury to name the practice court after her. 
• Aside from the W, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier have started a 3-on-3 women’s league called Unrivaled. They already have 10 players locked in to participate, including Reese, Ogunbowale and Kahleah Copper. This, alongside Athletes Unlimited, will provide even more domestic options for the women of the W in the off-season. 

That’s it for this recap. Catch you next time with the next update!

The post W/NBA Recap: Two Nights to Remember appeared first on Montgomery CoPod.

The NBA Draft was recently. The two-day event saw 58 of the next crop of NBA hopefuls be selected by teams to begin their journey in the Association. The country of France, after having the number one pick come from their land, doubled down on it this year with Zaccharie Risacher (pronounced “ree-sah-share”) and Alex Sarr being taken by Atlanta and Washington #1 and #2 respectively. Various players, like UConn’s Stephen Castle and Purdue’s Zach Edey were selected. 

But that’s not what we want to discuss, is it? 

With the 55^th pick, the Los Angeles Lakers selected LeBron James Jr., pairing the USC guard with his father—the first time such a thing has happened in NBA history. In baseball, Ken Griffey Sr. joined the Seattle Mariners to play with his young son, but never had this occurred in basketball. In a time where we are seeing more and more children of the pro athletes we grew up on embark on their college careers, this puts a different level of caveat to it. I am not here to discuss the notion of a wasted pick, because of false idea that the 55^th pick is less valuable due to who was selected. Nor am I going to focus on this arbitrary idea of right or wrong here, because there is something that I feel is more important than any rightness or wrongness: perspective. Allow me to share a perspective that combines a mixture of anecdote and allegory…

I play video games—a lot of video games of many genres and types. In today’s gaming world, almost every game comes with its list of achievements that a player can strive for if they would like to play the game as thoroughly as they’d like. Some are simple and achieved by many players, even if they don’t “beat” the game. Others are rare that require both skill and commitment to acquire. But one common tether of all these games with achievements is that if a player gets all of them, they receive a “Platinum Trophy.” This trophy symbolizes that the player has done all there is to do in the game and anything else is beyond extra, past secret levels, Easter eggs, anything. Everything there is to have, do and overcome has been checked off.

LeBron James is attempting to get the platinum trophy of the game of Basketball. 

Objectively, it is really cool to see an athlete be in their sport as a player for so long that they literally created and developed their teammate. It’s truly unprecedented, and should be commended as such. As NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski pointed out, nepotism is a staple in life, let alone sports. 

That aside, look at LeBron’s career like video game achievements. The list is too long to post here, but in summary: all the points and other statistics, both as the youngest and oldest player to do achieve those things are just achievements in the game of basketball. From the more common ones like, say, scoring 20 points in a game to the rarified ones like multiple championships and MVPs, LeBron has done so much in the game that anything else he may look to do feels like a side quest in a video game after the final boss has been beaten. And as someone who has carried and been tasked with so much responsibility as the face of the NBA, and to still be as excellent as he is as his 40^th birthday approaches, maybe he’s afforded some side quest achievements like playing with his son. To me, it feels strange to some because it is so unprecedented (along with other hater-based factors), similar to shooting 30-foot threes. A few years ago, that was a terrible shot. But now, it’s a part of regular offense with more players being capable. Now, I do not believe that there will be more father-son duos in sports because time, age and attrition just will not allow that to become commonplace. Yet, I do think once-in-a-lifetime moments like this deserve some form of respect and adoration because of that rarity. Now, we will see what kind of NBA player LeBron James Jr. does ultimately become. That, like everything worth playing, takes time. 

Summertime Till Takes! 

• Congratulations to four-time All-Star Kemba Walker on retiring from basketball. The city of Charlotte owes a lot to him for carrying that basketball team as a franchise player. And yes, as a former University of Pittsburgh student, I am still salty about his game-winner when he was in college. 
• The returns on the WNBA team that will go against the Women’s Team USA squad are in, and congratulations to everyone who made it. The roster is headlines by veterans like Arike Ogunbowale and rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark (leading vote-getter). But the biggest winner is the W itself, which saw exponential growth in the number of fans who voted. Check the WNBA All-Star Game out on July 20^th. Oh, and the uniforms are incredible. I need a pair of the shorts.
• Don’t look now, but at the time of this writing, the Las Vegas Aces are undefeated since Chelsea Gray returned to the lineup. As a team, they feel much more complete and that means trouble for the rest of the W.

That’s it for this recap. Catch y’all the next time!

The post W/NBA Recap: The Platinum Trophy appeared first on Montgomery CoPod.

Congratulations to the Boston Celtics for winning their 18th championship as a franchise, defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games. Jaylen Brown was named Finals MVP, and Boston completed their dominant regular season and postseason with a title. From the first game of the regular season until the last game of the Finals, the Celtics went 80-20, literally winning 80 percent of their games. As much as luck and injuries matter in a championship team’s journey, the critics still have to beat the opponents in front of them. Otherwise, those of us around basketball would chastise them for being so good but not completing the championship mission—like how the sentiment was in 2022 after Boston lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.

With this victory, the Celtics as a while as well as individual players get to quiet a lot of criticism and skepticism around them. The team itself has won a title for the first time since 2008, and has surpassed the Lakers in most championships since the NBA began. In the 77-year history of the Association, Boston has won 18 of the titles, which is nearly a quarter of them. One of the marquee franchises in American sports once again sits atop the NBA.

For the players, we can start with 38-year-old Al Horford, who is now the first Dominican-born player to win an NBA title. Before the Celtics won, Horford had played in the second-most playoff games without having a championship, which is a testament to him always contributing to winning teams. There is Jrue Holiday, who felt slighted after getting traded from Milwaukee in the Bucks’ pursuit of Damian Lillard. Holiday was a key component in Milwaukee’s 2021 championship, and he along with Kristaps Porzingis were acquired by former head coach turned GM Brad Stevens in a effort to finish the playoff run with a title. The team succeeded and both Holiday and Porzingis were key complementary parts.

But of course, the main storyline her centers Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They’ve been teammates for seven years. They have done a lot of winning too but be so young. At 26 and 27 respectively, Tatum and Brown are both All-Star and All-NBA selections, and have now captured that elusive title that a lot of people thought would permanently affect their legacies had they not won this series. In their words, “What they gonna say now?” As a champion, while the journey for another one includes the weight of the first one, it’s balanced with the confidence and understanding of what it takes to complete it. It also comes with the ability to have the last laugh. I’m sure for everyone on this iteration of the Celtics, there is relief alongside the joy. Yes, the crown is heavy. But the confetti is, too.

And just like that, the 2023-24 NBA season is over. It has been quite the journey.

There won’t be any Till Takes this recap. I’d simply like to say regarding the W, this question:

Can we please focus more on the hoop?

This isn’t at all to say to ignore those topics in and around the WNBA that are important to the conversation. But there are so many voices whose comments are aimed at, “the other side of the aisle.” What I mean by that is instead of simply being in support of whomever, every comment is a dig at the opposing side or fan base. Think of it like this: I enjoy apple juice. Imagine if every time I had a delicious cup of it, I made sure I took a jab at those who drink orange juice instead of simply enjoying what I drink. To me, it feels like the sport itself is becoming secondary to whatever causal movement people want to champion. Yes, there will always be naysayers and those who will look to undermine the good things being built. That isn’t something limited to the W . And I’m also not suggesting to never refute those folk with fact-based rebuttals. But again, the balance must include the thing we are all already watching—the basketball. The issue is that people would rather not learn the basketball but still believe they can form expert opinions on everything on and off the court. As we celebrate the obvious and lovely growth of those who watch the W, we must understand that the confetti is heavy and so is the crown of carrying the W with proper balance and strength so it doesn’t topple over and become the things we don’t like about the other sports.

That’s it for this recap. We’ll talk soon.

The post (W)NBA Recap: Confetti appeared first on Montgomery CoPod.

[I literally took a deep breath before this paragraph] 

For all the discourse and debate around the treatment of Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, I’ll simply say that we as fans have the ability to control how the W is talked about. We do not have to resign our fates to some impending doom of women’s basketball being harder to watch because of some hot takes and short-sighted opinions. If someone having a bad opinion about a music artist you like won’t stop you from listening to their music, then “casual” fans and their pairing of limited knowledge with loud opinions shouldn’t stop you from watching and enjoying the W. Also, competition is tough. And the competitors are the ones who govern what goes on between the lines of competition. A lot of it is physical and just as much of it is a test of mental fortitude when everything is actively going against a player. This is the game, in every aspect. 

Now, you notice the title of this post has the word legacy in it. That was inspired by the upcoming NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics. Both teams best players, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum, are 25-26 years old and have been All-NBA caliber for multiple years now. Neither have won a title yet, with Tatum getting to the Finals two years ago and Luka making his debut starting on June 6^th. Because of their superstar production and elite ability, winning a title grows more and more important to their career resumes—a title grows more and important for their legacies.

I understand that with greatness comes the ever-present idea about how one will be remembered. As we navigate life and stack up failures  and successes, we also think about our place in the annals of time after we’re done. However, that usually happens with any kind of real gravity as we get later in life or profession. When retirement is closer than debut, that’s when we start to think about the after. So with that said, I ask the following: 

Why are we discussing the legacies of 25 year olds? Why do we even care about that, right now, as they’re still playing?

 Look, I recognize that sports operates on a faster life cycle then most other professions, due to the fact that the body is the most important resource. I am in my 30s and I can have a much longer career writing than I could if I were good enough to be a pro athlete. Even the basketball players who have the “long” career of over a decade, it’s still only ten years of their lives. Why are we so adamant to define a 20-somethings career virtually and hopefully at least halfway through it? In addition to that, legacy is something that can be studied after whatever it is has been completed. We don’t eulogize anyone in their primes, so why are we so determined to study, review and examine Doncic and Tatum as if they both will stop playing after the Finals is over? This is another example of what I mean by making sure nothing is taking away from our enjoyment of the sport. The games, the players, the sport will always be about the pleasure of watching them. We must be more diligent in protecting that pleasure, and that includes letting young stars be without all the criticism on a future that has yet to be written.

In the W, I’d like to highlight the Connecticut Sun. As of this writing, the team is undefeated and playing the best defense in the league so far. Led by versatile MVP-level forward Alyssa Thomas, the Sun have won their first seven games. With teams like the Aces and Liberty suffering early losses, Connecticut has a little headstart towards the top seed in the playoffs. We’ll see if they can hold off the other contenders for it. 

In Dream Land, Atlanta is off to a strong start, winning four of their first  six games. All-Star guard Rhyne Howard is a year older and better, long-time W vet Tina Charles has stabilized the interior, averaging close to a double-double in her age-35 season. Alisha Gray is the team’s second-leading scorer and Aerial Powers adds veteran presence in the backcourt. One of the key factors as a team for the Dream’s early success is the difference in three point percentage between them and their opponents. Atlanta is shooting 37.2% from deep and holding opponents to just 30.6%. Defense is hard to play on the W. But if a team can play it will, they will be in most games with a good chance to win most of them. Atlanta is building a very good squad down there. 

Happy June! Here are some Till Takes!

• All I’ll say on this subject is: if you watch sports and understand why NFL defenders tend to hit offensive players harder over the middle of the field (that could net a penalty), or why baseball pitchers thrown really inside and close to the batter sometimes (that could warrant a warning or hit batsman), then you understand why there is seemingly an increase in physical okay towards the younger players in the W. Moving on…
• A’ja Wilson is having a start to get year that leads to one of those individual seasons that we will talk about well after she’s done playing. One could say she’s building her legacy, but only time will tell what she’s building.

 That’s it for this recap. I hope to catch up with y’all soon!

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Let’s establish this: most of what I will say will not have a definitive solution. There will be little authoritative voice here. The reason why I must say that is because there are a few factors surrounding this that are the basis for a lot of the tension in the responses to this situation. This is especially true if Black people, who are very informed about how police tend to deal with troublemakers who are Black. Add to that the fact that this happened in Louisville, where Breonna Taylor  unfortunately lost her life due to the actions of corrupt police officers just a few years ago. Taylor’s killing at the hands of police was one of the many cases that received global attention, and is another in the long line of senseless deaths that have happened due to interactions with the police. There are people, a lot of them who are White, who found it unfair that Scheffler was detained, even calling for the mayor to intervene to help deescalate the situation. It’s difficult not to at least raise the question if some of those same people called for justice or reform after Taylor was killed. The reason for that angst is that even if Scheffler was mistakenly detained and charged, there are so many people who look like me who do not get to walk away from mistakes by the police, especially to go shoot a round of golf. Scheffler’s mugshot is all over the Internet. Breonna Taylor’s funeral portrait and murals in her name are all over that same Internet, and that is an inescapable truth. 

So what do we do? What is the proper way to respond? Again, I do not have a definitive answer but I do know it starts with acknowledging and being aware of the disgust some of us have. Yes, we are going to make our witty remarks about it. We are going to throw jabs at people who are apparently ignorant to the mistreatment of Black people by police. But one of the more unfortunate things about pointing out the juxtaposition of Scheffler and Breonna Taylor is that some of the others can slip our minds. As I pointed out former tennis star James Blake and former NBA player Thabo Sefalosha being pro athletes that had awful encounters with police, I forgot about what happened to Sterling Brown, formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks. It can be difficult to keep a conscious account of every bad police interaction because there have been so many, thus driving the annoyance and frustration with a sudden rise in people who do not look like me wanting a similar justice that I and people who look like me have been screaming to have for decades.

As of me writing this, we do not know how wrong or right Scottie Scheffler was in his encounter with the police. We know he was charged, booked and released. But as sportswriter Spencer Hall put it, trusting the word of Louisville police without much of a second thought is at the very least naïve, given previous circumstances. Even with ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington attempting to maybe help diffuse the situation, the question can be asked how that interaction would have gone if it were Michael Collins or Michael Eaves, who are both Black, with their phone out, reporting. I’m not saying any situation involving them was a guarantee to be different. But I do not ignore the patterns of history, and neither should any of us. 

The most important part in this is that a person lost their lives long before Scheffler and the police officer ever encountered each other. As he and the PGA Championship continue on through the weekend, that needs to be the thing most preserved in the matter. Other than that, this is like any shot in golf: we have to play it as it lies.

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