Kyrie Irving pledges $1.5-M to WNBA opt outs

MIAMI -- Kyrie Irving has pledged $1.5 million to provide financial support to WNBA players who choose to sit out the season, the Brooklyn Nets star said Monday.

Irving will distribute money from his newly created KAI Empowerment Initiative fund, a statement said.

Several players have already decided to opt out of the WNBA's shortened season, with some citing concerns over COVID-19 or issues surrounding social justice reform.

Irving said he had set up the program after talks with WNBA players Natasha Cloud and Jewell Loyd. Washington Mystics star Cloud was one of the first players to opt out of the season.

"I have connected with several WNBA players who have decided to play and those who have decided not to play," Irving said in a statement.

"In these conversations I have learned about the challenges and opportunities of their decisions and how it will impact their lives, family and overall wellbeing.

"This platform was created to provide support for all WNBA players in hopes to relieve some of the financial strain imposed during these challenging times.

"Whether a person decided to fight for social justice, play basketball, focus on physical or mental health, or simply connect with their families, this initiative can hopefully support their priorities and decisions."

The WNBA season got under way on Saturday, with all teams playing at a single location at Bradenton, Florida.

Agence France-Presse

Duke hires Kara Lawson as women's basketball head coach

Duke University has hired former WNBA guard Kara Lawson as the head coach of its women's basketball team, the school confirmed on Saturday.

The 39-year-old Lawson will replace Joanne P. McCallie, who compiled a record of 330-107 in 13 seasons at Duke. 

Lawson, who played collegiate basketball at Tennessee under the legendary Pat Summitt, was previously an assistant with the Boston Celtics before taking on her first head coaching job.

OFFICIAL.

Welcome to Duke, Kara Lawson! pic.twitter.com/0IIV5WprPD

— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) July 11, 2020

"It's a dream come true for me," Lawson said in a statement. "I have wanted to be a coach since I was a kid."

"To have an opportunity to lead a group of young women at a prestigious university like Duke – I have run out of words; it is unbelievable and very exciting," she added. 

"It wasn't a decision based on emotion, but there was a lot of emotion involved in it because of how excited I am and how ready I am to get started and to work with the players."

Duke's Director of Athletics, Kevin White, said Lawson is "the ideal fit for Duke University."

"Throughout the process, it became abundantly clear that her authenticity, passion, contemporary vision and unwavering commitment to the student-athlete experience align seamlessly with the values of the institution," he added. 

"With her high degree of emotional intelligence, Kara's astute ability to connect with future, current and former student-athletes, as well as the passionate and dedicated supporters of Duke women's basketball, will have an immediate and profound impact on the entire program."

Lawson won a WNBA title with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005, and was part of the United States team that won the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in her professional career.

Lawson became a well-respected broadcaster and analyst after her basketball career, before eventually being hired as the first female coach in the history of the Boston Celtics franchise. 

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USA basketball women expand pre-Olympic training plans

WASHINGTON -- Reigning world and Olympic champion United States unveiled an expanded training program Saturday ahead of next year's Tokyo Olympics featuring eight core players from the women's basketball team's long-running dynasty squad.

Four-time Olympic champion guards Diana Taurasi, 36, and Sue Bird, 37, are among eight players who will take part in five of seven sessions from November to April with other US national team players taking part as schedules allow during the off-season for the Women's NBA.

The US women, who won their third consecutive women's world crown last year, seek a seventh consecutive Olympic gold medal and ninth in their past 10 attempts.

That would match the American men's gold run from 1936-1968 as the longest by any team in all Olympic sports.

"It's not only about trying to win another gold medal. It's about trying to win our seventh in a row," Bird said. "That's the story. But above all it gives us a chance to get together as potential Olympians and play."

Starting with a home-court title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, the US women are 63-1 in Olympic play, losing only a 1992 semi-final to the Commonwealth of Independent States collection of former Soviet Union talent.

The Americans clinched their spot in Tokyo by taking their seventh world crown in nine attempts last year.

"I'm very excited about this program. It's the right amount of training so we can gear up and get ready for the Olympics," Bird said. "It gives us the right amount of exposure where we can really create some momentum heading into the Olympics."

"Every year it gets tougher," said Taurasi. "Every competition gets a little bit harder. So this is a great opportunity to train, play, be in competitive situations with a team that hopefully is going to Tokyo to win a gold medal.

"We know how important it is to have a good last hurrah. We brainstormed with a couple other players and put together a plan. It's just something that came together literally at dinner on a piece of paper with some crayons."

Three-time Olympic champion Sylvia Fowles, 2016 Olympic and 2018 world champion Elena Delle Donne, two-time world champion Nneka Ogwumike, 2018 world champion A'ja Wilson, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Chelsea Gray will also take part.

US coach Dawn Staley was glad to see extra resources for her team in the wake of a second consecutive title by the US Women's World Cup football side and the 2018 US Women's Olympic ice hockey team.

"I'm happy about it because it gives us more opportunity to prep," Staley said. "This program gives us an opportunity to keep a core group of players together and to build chemistry and cohesion while some of our other players are overseas playing."

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Lyme disease never far from thoughts of WNBA star Delle Donne

Chicago Sky head coach Pokey Chatman needs only a brief glance at Elena Delle Donne, one of the brightest stars in the WNBA, to know when the high-scoring forward will need a break.

"Pokey can look at me in the morning and tell how I'm doing," said Delle Donne, the league's top scorer. "And she'll know to give me more rest that day. We're on an eye-contact level at this point."

Delle Donne's fatigue and stiffness on certain days, unrelated with the rigors of a Women's National Basketball Association season, are linked to the lasting effects of Lyme disease.

A favorite to win the WNBA's MVP award this year, Delle Donne believes she contracted the disease, a bacterial infection often transmitted through the bite of an infected deer tick, in 2008.

She wasn't sure how she got the disease which wasn't detected in the early stages as its flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and muscle stiffness, were misdiagnosed.

Delle Donne eventually got the illness, which has no known cure in its later stages, diagnosed and under control but in 2010, she "had a really bad relapse" and has been troubled by it ever since. That's caused the Delaware native to miss a chunk of last season, including the All-Star game.

She has not missed any time this season as she averages a league-best 23 points, while adding nearly 9 rebounds and 2 blocks, all career highs.

"This season I've been playing well and staying pretty healthy so people just think the disease is gone," she told Reuters. "But it's something I battle every single day."

The 26-year-old, 6-foot-5 (1.96 meter) Delle Donne said she can spend four hours a day "just doing things trying to stay healthy." After hard games or a long flight, she said she often will use a computerized massage machine that aids recovery in the legs, hips and arms.

She has to eat well, staying away from foods that could cause inflammation, and take dietary supplements.

Chatman, the Sky coach, said when she sees the "glassy look" in Delle Donne's eyes, she knows it is time to sit her down.

"Sometimes people forget that just because Lyme hasn't reared its ugly head this year, she's fine. But it's still a day-to-day process with her," Chatman said. "Fortunately, Elena treats it with the respect it deserves and tries to get out in front of any potential problems."

Delle Donne sees Pennsylvania-based nurse practitioner Rita Rhoads every week during the off-season to make sure her blood tests are satisfactory. Once the season starts, the two keep in touch via e-mails, texts and phone calls.

"Elena is a very driven person," said Rhoads, who has treated Delle Donne for the past five years. "She does everything she needs to do to stay on top of it. "She's got that Type A personality. It's not just playing basketball. She follows directions."

BEST SEASON

A former rookie of the year, Delle Donne is having her best season since entering the WNBA in 2013 out of the University of Delaware.

The Sky finished the regular season in second place in the Eastern Conference, and face the Indiana Fever in the opening round of the playoffs.

Off the court, Della Donne is a spokeswoman for Lyme disease prevention and is a global ambassador for the Special Olympics. She recently won the WNBA's Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award for the second consecutive year.

Della Donne said she wants to educate the public about Lyme disease so no one has to go through the trauma she endured.

Two years after contracting the disease, she began to feel extreme fatigue, sleeping about 18 hours a day. She had not had Lyme symptoms in a long time and doctors were baffled as to the cause of her new problems.

"I never knew Lyme could go dormant and come back with a vengeance," she said. "I had no idea what was going on. I had doctors telling me I had mental illness. That's just so wrong."

Delle Donne said she never lets herself believe she has conquered the disease.

"I feel like I have really gotten a pretty good grip on it," she said. "But I've felt like that many times over the last five years and then had a horrible relapse. Unfortunately, you never know if it's coming back or not. You have to stay on top of it. Sometimes it feels like a second job. But I have to do it."

(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Alan Crosby and Bernadette Baum)

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Spurs hire league's first full-time female assistant coach

SAN ANTONIO - The reigning National Basketball Association champion San Antonio Spurs named long-time WNBA star Becky Hammon as the first full-time female assistant coach in league history on Tuesday.

Hammon, 37, is a six-time WNBA All-Star who has spent the last eight seasons with the San Antonio Stars, from which she will soon retire.

"In some ways it is trailblazing, but there have been so many other women that are doing really, really great things and I am just kind of following in their path," Hammon said.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said in a statement: "I'm confident that her basketball IQ, work ethic, and interpersonal skills will be a great benefit for the Spurs."

There have been women head coaches in the NBA Development and summer leagues, and Lisa Boyer was a part-time member of the Cleveland Cavaliers' coaching staff during the 2001-02 NBA season, according to the Spurs.

Named one of the WNBA's Top 15 Players of All-Time in July of 2011, Hammon ranks seventh in WNBA history in points (with 5,809), fourth in assists (1,687) and sixth in games (445), the Spurs said.

(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Frank Pingue)

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