wnba | The Hard Screen

VIDEO: Lash-y, flashy guard Te’a Cooper re-signs with Los Angeles Sparks

Jan 12, 2021

Te'a Cooper, a speedy guard with plenty of lash and flash, will be returning to the Los Angeles Sparks. She averaged seven points and two assists per game last season. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, she spoke with media via Zoom about re-signing with the Sparks and the upcoming 2021 WNBA season....

The Unforgiveable Sins of Kelly Loeffler

Jan 6, 2021

Now that Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler has been voted out of the Senate seat she was never voted into in the first place, does this mean she returns to WNBA ownership as if nothing ever happened? ...

Without WNBA players, there’d be no Warnock vs. Loeffler runoff in Georgia

Jan 4, 2021

In advance of the Tuesday, Jan. 5, special election that will decide which senators represent the state of Georgia and which political party controls the U.S. Senate for the next four years, your friendly reminder that there would be no runoff election without the players of the WNBA, who kicked Atlanta Dream co-owner and Sen. Kelly Loeffler in her political ambitions by campaigning for her rival, Rev. Raphael Warnock. ...

Kristen Wiig looks just peachy in ‘Vote Georgia’ hoodie on SNL

Dec 21, 2020

Kristen Wiig appeared on SNL in a 'Vote Georgia' hoodie, presumably to urge voters in Georgia to cast their ballots in the Senate run-off election on Jan. 5. By doing so, she underscored the far reaches of the WNBA players' influence. ...

WNBA players react to the Biden-Harris victory

Nov 7, 2020

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been elected President and Vice President of the United States, respectively, and various figures in the WNBA (and beyond) couldn't be happier. ...

Natasha Cloud: ‘Vote like your life depends on it’

Oct 20, 2020

"Vote like your life depends on it," says Natasha Cloud, starting guard for the 2019 WNBA champion Washington Mystics. With the 2020 presidential election just two weeks away, The Hard Screen brings you an election special that includes interviews with Cloud and Renee Montgomery, a two-time WNBA title-winner, who both opted out of the 2020 season to focus on social initiatives that emphasized voting. We also break down why it is so difficult for some voters to cast their ballots this year and review what individual WNBA teams have done to encourage voting in their respective cities. ...

Episode 5: Why Black Girls Are Cheering for WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson

Oct 2, 2020

When the Las Vegas Aces tip off in Game 1 of the 2020 WNBA Finals, A’ja Wilson–this year’s WNBA Most Valuable Player, a two-time All-Star and the 2018 Rookie of the Year–will be playing for Black girls everywhere, especially those with apostrophes in their names. Rich or poor, tall or short, athlete or non-athlete, Black women and girls have needed something to cheer about this year and Wilson’s success provides. But fans should not underestimate the pressures and demands she faces as an elite basketball player trying to win a championship during pandemic and protest. In late September, the league announced its decision to award the 2020 WNBA Community Assist Award to all players for their work on social justice. Wilson and Sydney Colson of the Chicago Sky, both members of the league’s newly-created Social Justice Council, spoke to select media via Zoom conference about the council’s work and the impact of racial injustice on their lives. Bethany Donaphin, head of W...

Dangerfield’s Rookie of the Month award makes one thing ‘Crystal’ clear

Sep 1, 2020

Crystal Dangerfield of the Minnesota Lynx has been named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for August 2020, making clear that she is the front-runner for the 2020 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Chennedy Carter of the Atlanta Dream, however, will do her best to force season award voters into tough decisions. ...

Hard Screen Newsletter Issue No. 4

Aug 14, 2020

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Courtney Vandersloot in the East, A’ja Wilson in the West

Aug 10, 2020

A'ja Wilson (Western Conference) and Courtney Vandersloot (Eastern Conference) are the WNBA Players of the Week for games played through Sunday, August 9. Wilson's name already is swirling atop MVP conversations. Can Vandersloot now rise from understated workhorse to bona fide star?...

#SayHerName (Part 2): ‘Amplify the names’

Aug 7, 2020

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS EPISODE CONTAINS VIVID DESCRIPTIONS OF POLICE VIOLENCE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL LISTENERS. In this two-part #SayHerName special edition of The Hard Screen, mothers of daughters murdered by police speak on their shattered lives, their partnership with WNBA and demands for change. Joining the conversation are: Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw, […]...

THS Extra: Sabrina Ionescu’s Quite Literal Hoop Dreams

Aug 2, 2020

One day after No. 1 overall 2020 WNBA Draft pick Sabrina Ionescu dropped 33 points in 34 minutes in her second professional game, Tamryn Spruill spoke with the New York Liberty guard about hoops, opportunities to grow the game and more. In this "extra" from The Hard Screen, a portion of that interview.

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