Sports

On Klay Thompson's new role, boost from a living (Larry) legend and uncertain Warriors future

Published

3 months ago

February 28, 2024

On Klay Thompson's new role, boost from a living (Larry) legend and uncertain Warriors future

SAN FRANCISCO — The motivational message, courtesy of the great Larry Bird, came at the perfect time.

Klay Thompson was just a few days removed from the unwelcome start of his sixth-man life in Utah, where the 34-year-old Warriors legend had been asked to come off the bench after the previous 12 years as a starter. Even with Thompson’s spectacular debut in this new reserve role, a 35-point showing on Feb. 15 that helped lift Golden State over the Jazz heading into the All-Star break, this was the kind of career-changing decision that would take much more time to truly accept. The emotions were still raw.

This was already a sensitive situation too, what with Thompson and the Warriors having been unable to come to terms on an extension in recent months and his free agency looming this summer. And now, with all those existential questions about value and mutual respect front and center already, here he was being asked to sacrifice for the greater good of the group.

An unexpected morale boost from the Basketball Gods, in other words, was badly needed.

As Thompson would learn by way of Warriors PR man Raymond Ridder, and would eventually see for himself on that cellphone video that will be cherished and saved in his digital archives for all of time, Bird had spent part of his All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis speaking with great admiration about him.

The remarks took place at the annual Tech Summit, where Bird shared the stage with famed broadcaster Bob Costas for a wide-ranging basketball conversation that shifted in Thompson’s direction when the Celtics great was asked about which players he enjoyed watching. Then Bird, who shared the NBA Finals stage with Klay’s father, Mychal, when the Lakers won it all in 1987, waxed poetic about the five-time All-Star who was missing on the festivities for a fifth consecutive season.

“Klay Thompson has always been one of my favorite players,” Bird said. “What an incredible shooter.”

Bird went on to share his memories of Thompson’s incredible Dec. 5, 2016, performance against his Indiana Pacers in which he scored 60 points in three quarters — while dribbling the ball just 11 times.

“How do you that, Bob?” Bird, who headed the Pacers front office at the time, said to Costas as his voice rose in disbelief. “How do you do that? … That’s pretty incredible to me.”

For Thompson, who grew up in Los Angeles hearing all those stories about the rivalry between Bird’s Celtics and the Showtime Lakers, the sight of Larry Legend speaking with amazement about his career for a grand total of 37 seconds was nothing short of profound. After all, as those close to him know, his desire to feel appreciated has been a central theme in this trying season of change and self reflection.

“It’s very nice to be reminded, especially from someone like Larry, who I not only looked up to but who I heard about my whole life — especially from my dad,” Thompson told The Athletic. “I watched the Showtime Lakers versus those Celtics teams, and it was just a really cool thing to hear. To hear him going out of his way to say that meant so much to me. Ray sent me the clip, and I’m gonna keep that clip forever.”

As Thompson shared publicly back on Feb. 5 after a game at Brooklyn, when he was so honest and vulnerable about how hard this late-career transition to a lesser role has been, these past few months have been an emotional roller coaster the likes of which he has never felt. It wasn’t the first time he’d chosen to be so open about his truth, either, as he talked at length in early January about the importance of him finding a way to maintain positive energy even when he’s struggling.

Thompson is hardly alone when it comes to this sort of crossroads, with future Hall of Famers such as Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and his Warriors teammate Chris Paul among those who made the shift to a reserve role earlier than expected in recent years. Andre Iguodala, of course, went down in Warriors lore because of his willingness to make the move gracefully in 2014 en route to them winning three titles in the next four seasons. Carmelo Anthony’s ill-fated final few years were considerably less successful. For better or worse, it’s a hoops tale as old as time.

But given the mood of the moment for Thompson, who lost those two seasons with ACL and Achilles injuries and worked his way back with dreams of returning to his All-Star level, the Bird video was an assist of sorts during an otherwise-challenging time. Especially when the criticism, both in social and mainstream media, has become such a staple of his late-career experience.

This latest chapter has gone mostly well, though, with Thompson adding a dynamic dimension to the Warriors’ second unit that is expected to welcome Paul back after his 21-game absence (fractured hand) Tuesday at Washington. That development alone — the notion of two future Hall of Famers coming off the bench to share the backcourt — has Thompson excited about the possibilities here.

Even in the games where Thompson’s shots aren’t falling, like the home win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday in which he missed eight of nine from the field but had a plus-2 rating, the lifelong sharpshooter is being lauded for his ability to make an impact in other ways. His fast chemistry with young big man Trayce Jackson-Davis, in particular, has been a bright spot.

There have been vintage Klay moments already too, like his showing in Salt Lake City and the 23-point first half against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday (though he went scoreless in the second half). In these first four games in this new role, Thompson is fourth on the team in minutes (27.1 minutes per game), second in scoring (18.1 points) and fourth in plus-minus (plus-13). Overall this season, Thompson is averaging 17.1 points (his lowest total since his 2012-13 season) while on pace for career lows in overall (41.8) and 3-point (37.2) shooting percentage.

The key revelation for the Warriors (29-27), who have won 10 of their last 13 games while creeping back into Play-In Tournament territory, is that Thompson doesn’t see this new assignment as any sort of disqualifier when it comes to his Warriors future. And while Thompson plans on listening to pitches from other teams, it’s clear that staying put is still his preferred option — so long as he feels appreciated and respected in ways that go beyond the financial factor.

“Not really,” Thompson said when asked if the sixth-man assignment might change his desire to return. “I mean, you’ve still got to examine all of your options, but I would love to be a Warrior for life. Whatever happens though, I’ve got a few more years to play this game, so I’m gonna enjoy every second. I realize that I see light at the end of the tunnel, (and) I’m not sure if I want to play until I’m 40, man. That sounds really exhausting.”

That last part appears to qualify as a change of heart, as Thompson had previously expressed a desire to play until he was 40 in the summer of 2019 (during his ACL recovery and before his Achilles tendon tear). When asked to confirm that this reserve role wasn’t a deal-breaker when it comes to him possibly re-signing with the Warriors, he repeated the stance.

“Nah,” he said.

Yet in terms of the bigger-picture outlook, the fact remains that Thompson is the only member of the Warriors’ celebrated core whose contract situation has not been resolved. Steve Kerr’s recent extension (two years, $35 million) lined him up with Steph Curry (signed through the 2025-26 season), and Draymond Green received his four-year, $100 million deal last summer. Even before you dig into the personal dynamics, with Thompson well within his right to wonder if the Warriors truly see him as part of their future, that sort of contractual landscape is inevitably uncomfortable given all they’ve accomplished together.

It hasn’t helped matters that the departure of longtime front-office head Bob Myers last summer left a communication gap of sorts between Thompson and Warriors owner Joe Lacob behind the scenes. Publicly, Lacob has maintained a consistent desire for Thompson to remain. Even with the daunting luxury tax ramifications that loom so large.

Thompson always knew he would likely have to wait until his free agency arrived this summer, what with Lacob’s well-chronicled hopes of ducking under the second (and possibly first) luxury tax apron compelling them to let the roster landscape fully unfold before adding salary. But it’s clear their relationship has suffered some strain along the way, with league sources indicating that Thompson has received no assurances from on high that his hopes of retiring happily in a Warriors jersey someday will be a shared priority this summer. Both sides, it seems clear, have no clarity about what might happen when that time rolls around.

In the here and now, though, Thompson insists he’s in a good place.

“I’m doing great,” he said. “I think I’m doing much better in not putting my identity in my performance, especially after 11 years of NBA basketball. That alone is an incredible accomplishment. And to be out here and still be playing and having fun and being healthy, that trumps any big shooting night or 50-40-90 milestones.

“It took me a long time to realize that, but once I finally did, my game has been much better. I’ve been so much more at ease and realizing that, ‘Gosh, this is such a cool opportunity for me.’ Guys would kill to be in my shoes, even with all the injuries and all that. The heights we’ve reached are rare, so it’s been awesome.”

When it comes to how Thompson has been handling this transition, a quick trip around the Warriors locker room on Sunday night yielded positive feedback. Warriors big man Kevon Looney, who started for most of the past two years before being moved to a reserve role in late January, made the point that the timing of it all made it even tougher for Thompson.

“I think he’s handling it extremely well,” Looney told The Athletic. “I wasn’t sure how he was gonna handle it, especially during the midseason. It wasn’t like (he had) a talk (with the coaches) in training camp, where you’re able to prepare yourself for something like that. It’s a midseason (decision), so I didn’t know how he’d handled it.

“But he’s been more than great. He hasn’t been complaining. I think that (aspect) has probably been even better. He showed his frustration early in the season … (but now) he’s been a great teammate, great leader. And when one of your Hall of Fame players shows that type of leadership, everybody has to kind of follow suit. Nobody can be mad about their role or the minutes they’re getting.”

With the need to maximize youngsters Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski more crucial than ever, and the recent results validating that approach, the Warriors’ roster is now full of veterans who are being asked to accept far different roles.

“You’ve got Klay, guys like CP and Wiggs (Andrew Wiggins), who are bona fide Hall of Famers and All-Stars, buying in like that, so everybody else has to buy in,” Looney said. “(But) we can’t win without him being good or without him being a key piece. Whether that’s starting or off the bench, we’re not contending without him being special.

“We all care about him. We all want him to succeed. We all want him to be great. So when he’s not doing well or his energy’s not great, it kind of weighs on everybody else. He knows that. Steve talked to him about that (in early January), and I think he’s been great for the last 20, 30 games. I think that kind of changed our season, changed the way that we’ve been playing.”

Kerr, who once persuaded Iguodala to embrace this sixth-man life and appears to have done it yet again with Thompson, raved about his recent handling of it all as well.

“He’s been great,” Kerr said. “His approach feels so much better than it was even a few weeks ago. This has been an emotional season for him. You guys know this. He’s been grappling with his mortality in some ways as an athlete. He knows how good he was six years ago, and he’s had a hard time reconciling everything after the injuries.

“The thing that we keep trying to convince him of is he’s still a hell of a player. But he’s at his best when he’s not pressing and he’s not stressed out (or) worried about trying to be the guy he was six years ago. I think coming off the bench has maybe helped in that regard. I just notice he’s more relaxed. His approach, his leadership in the locker room, it feels different, and I think he’s starting to get more comfortable with the role but also just kind of the bigger picture stuff that has been bothering him.”

And on those days when the doubts and frustration might return, he’ll have the Bird video just a few screen swipes away to lift his spirits.

“It’s on my phone,” Thompson said with a smile. “I’ll put that (compliment) in the same category as when Kobe (Bryant) called me and Steph great players with that killer instinct (in 2016). It means the world to me.”

(Photo of Klay Thompson: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

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WNBA is entering a new era: Skyrocketing viewership, sold-out arenas, young stars

Published

3 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

WNBA is entering a new era: Skyrocketing viewership, sold-out arenas, young stars

Sue Bird hopes that when she’s in her 50s and 60s, she can be like a former NBA player who currently throws out opinions on television. One model Bird sees for herself: Charles Barkley. She remembers multiple instances of hearing the Naismith Hall of Famer talk about his playing days on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.”

“He’s like, ‘Oh, I had to fly commercial. I didn’t have these charter flights.’ Or, ‘Oh, these guys are making $40 million. Like, my contract was only —I don’t know, $10 million.’ And he kind of sounds disgruntled,” Bird said on NPR’s Fresh Air last month.

She wants to one day be able to toss out back-in-my-day tales. “I’ve always joked, I hope I’m that disgruntled athlete because that means all the blood, sweat and tears was for something,” she said. “It means the game has grown.”

Bird retired after two decades in the WNBA following the 2022 season. She hasn’t been out of the league even two full years (Bird technically jumped back in this April when she joined the Storm’s ownership group), but the league she’ll watch this summer is already in a better place than it was when she retired.

Changes — both momentous and minute — are already aplenty as the 28th regular season begins Tuesday. For years, as Bird and recently retired Candace Parker graced the hardwood, the WNBA chipped away at areas of growth. But now the pace of the adjustments is explosive.

“To be very honest, the impact of the wave right now is more profound than I thought it was going to be,” Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel said. “It got to be a bigger wave a lot faster than what I think we projected it to be. And wow, I’ll say it feels amazing.”

“Expansions were always in the design. The moment has arrived where the investment matches, finally, us being able to put these ideas to fruition.”
—@chiney on the growth of the WNBA 📈 pic.twitter.com/Y6egBKMcgY
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 10, 2024

Television viewership numbers have skyrocketed across women’s basketball. April’s WNBA Draft averaged a record 2.47 million viewers, a 307 percent increase over last year, and it was the most-viewed WNBA telecast since 2000. The first preseason exhibition for Chicago Sky rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso didn’t air on traditional television, but more than 500,000 viewers tuned in to a phone stream from a resourceful fan. It seems like a harbinger of what will come in the regular season, which tips off Tuesday.

“The growth is happening so fast,” said Cheryl Reeve, the Minnesota Lynx’s coach and president of basketball operations. “It’s so accelerated. And I’ve been saying this in our own organization, that business as usual isn’t going to work anymore.”

The early viewership returns reflect the strengthened link between the college and professional games. Cardoso and the South Carolina Gamecocks’ win over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 national championship game averaged 18.9 million viewers, making it the most viewed women’s college basketball game ever and the most viewed basketball game (college or professional in men’s or women’s basketball) since 2019. The tournament was up 121 percent from 2023.

With a high-profile rookie class entering the league, WNBA attendance is swelling, too. No team had ever sold out its season ticket package in the offseason, but three teams (Las Vegas, Atlanta and Dallas) did this year. Three games have also been moved to bigger venues to accommodate more fans who want to see Clark play.

How players arrive at those contests will be changing as well. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced last week that the league plans to add charter flights on a full-time basis sometime this season. The news came as the league’s existing charter policy appeared increasingly untenable in the long term.

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WNBA will add charter flights on full-time basis this season

Clark and her Indiana Fever teammates traveled to Dallas for their first preseason game on a commercial airline and were greeted by a few fans and media members. They experienced no travel or security issues on their first road trip of the year, according to a team spokesperson. But one video clip showing Clark and center Aliyah Boston passing by a luggage carousel, with a member of the organization’s security team present, gained more than 2 million views. It served as a reminder of their current conditions.

Engelbert was uncommitted about when exactly a full-charter program would be implemented. She said the new travel program, which will cost about $25 million per year for the next two seasons, will launch “as soon as we can logistically get planes in places.” Still, the news of private travel was cause for celebration.

Lynx guard Kayla McBride called the change “a breath of fresh air.” Minnesota forward Napheesa Collier noted that with viewership increasing across women’s basketball, it was imperative to make the adjustment to protect player privacy.

“All these players in these spaces are becoming so popular that it really is about (safety) as much as it’s about recovery,” she said.

Even before Engelbert’s announcement, franchises around the league recognized the importance of increasing security. According to a person with knowledge of the Chicago Sky’s plans, after not traveling with security last season, the franchise will travel with security this season. Every WNBA team will travel with security personnel on its commercial flights, for as long as they remain the standard.

There has also been additional security around the Sky at practices, which take place at a public facility in suburban Chicago. Sachs Recreation Center wrote in an email, obtained by The Athletic, to its community members that beginning April 29, two police officers would be onsite during all Sky practices for the remainder of the season. Their presence is new this year and the change appears likely to have been driven by the Sky’s desire to bolster its player safety.

Fever general manager Lin Dunn said Indiana was taking similar precautions to ensure every member of her franchise would be safe when flying commercial. In addition to having a full security team at home games, the Fever will be traveling with multiple full-time security members, employed by Pacers Sports and Entertainment, on all road trips, the team spokesperson added. Multiple members of their security team will also be present at ancillary team events, like they were at Indiana’s promotional photo shoot in downtown Indianapolis last week.

Those changes are reflective of a new era in the WNBA. Breanna Stewart, the No. 1 pick in 2016, recalled taking photos and signing autographs at airports without a security detail present during her rookie season.

The travel adjustments demonstrate a commitment to improving player experiences. New facilities provide another significant boost. By season’s end, the Storm and Mercury will have opened new spaces. The Storm debuted their 50,000-square foot performance center in April, equipped with state-of-the-art strength and conditioning equipment, a health and wellness suite, and an aquatics room — all of it designed and engineered by a group that was 85 percent women and people of color. The Mercury’s will be part of one of the largest developments for a professional sports organization in the country, according to the franchise. It is expected to open by the time they host the mid-July All-Star Game.

Our new home 💚⛈️ pic.twitter.com/DHjRvHFEFR
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) April 18, 2024
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It should come as no surprise, then, that both added stars: Seattle signed 2016 league MVP Nneka Ogwumike and four-time first-team All-WNBA guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, while Phoenix bolstered its roster with 2021 Finals MVP Kahleah Copper and All-WNBA defensive team guard Natasha Cloud.

Having already become the first franchise to win consecutive titles in 21 years, the Las Vegas Aces will look to win a third straight this summer. Expect a standout season from their star, A’ja Wilson, who Nike announced on Saturday would be getting her own signature sneaker and clothing collection in 2025. Wilson is one of just over a dozen WNBA players ever to have a signature shoe and the first Black WNBA player to get a signature shoe since 2010.

All told, as Engelbert prepares to give the Aces their rings Tuesday night, she is glowing when thinking about the state of the WNBA. With league revenue having reportedly doubled since 2019, she said they have “huge investment” coming in through corporate and media partnerships. (The league’s existing media rights deal with ESPN ends after the 2025 season, and a new CBA could come into effect in 2026.) At April’s Draft, which was held in front of fans for the first time in eight years, feeling the positive momentum Engelbert said the WNBA was “ready for what’s next.”

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Expansion into new markets is part of what’s to come. A 13th franchise will begin play in the Bay Area in 2025, while a 14th team is reportedly set to launch in Toronto in 2026.

“We are witnessing a transformational moment in sports,” Engelbert said, “that we may not experience for generations.”

Bird, too, feels the added buzz. She said the sport has crossed a cultural cachet line. For that reason, it might not take Bird, 43, another seven years to become a semi-crotchety pundit. She might be able to tell stories about the old days before she even knows it.

(Photo of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston and Temi Fagbenle: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

Sports

WNBA’s new Golden State team reveals nickname ahead of 2025 inaugural season

Published

3 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

WNBA’s new Golden State team reveals nickname ahead of 2025 inaugural season

The WNBA’s new Golden State franchise has found its identity.

The team will be known as the Golden State Valkyries, as the league’s first expansion team since 2008 revealed their name, brand and look on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. The Atlanta Dream was the last franchise to be added to the WNBA.

Valkyries is a name that comes from Norse mythology, and it fits perfectly with their affiliate team: the Golden State Warriors.

A detail of the WNBA logo is seen on the basketball during opening tipoff between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

The team’s press release said that in Norse mythology, Valkyries are “warrior women who are fearless and unwavering,” and that’s what they want to be on the court.

“This moment is so much bigger than Golden State. It’s so much bigger than the Valkyries,” Valkyries president Jess Smith told “GMA.” “What we are seeing happening in women’s sports right now is just the beginning of the sustainability and incredible growth around the game and to have expansion in the W.”

The Valkyries, though, won’t be kicking off their inaugural campaign on Tuesday like the rest of the league. They will begin in 2025 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

As for the team’s color scheme, “Valkyrie Violet” was chosen along with black. Valkryie Violet was chosen to symbolize “power, ambition, nobility and women’s empowerment.”

A detail of the WNBA logo is seen on a basketball during warmups between the Seattle Storm and the Connecticut Sun at Climate Pledge Arena on June 20, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

Their logo has features that incorporate the iconic “Bay Bridge,” which connects Oakland and San Francisco. The team’s practice facility will be in Oakland, while they play their games in San Francisco, so having that connectivity was paramount for the franchise.

“The outer shape of the logo is a V, reinforcing the V in Valkyries while symbolizing the unity of a group of Valkyries in flight,” the press release read.

“When you think of the Bay Area, you think of the region that leads the world in innovative and progressive at the same time,” Smith continued. “And we think about what’s happening in women’s sports and being able to marry those together, it’s going to be really powerful. This ownership group likes to win in everything they do but with intention, and that’s how we’re going to build the Valkyries and build this brand.”

A detail view of the WNBA logo on a game ball used during a WNBA preseason game between the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun on May 10, 2023, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

To welcome the team to the Bay Area, a “Valkryie Block Party” will be thrown on May 18 at Thrive City, which is part of the Chase Center.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

'Take my story back': How Layshia Clarendon earned redemption with the Sparks

Published

3 hours ago

May 14, 2024

Press Room

'Take my story back': How Layshia Clarendon earned redemption with the Sparks

Layshia Clarendon wasn’t used to having free time in the summer. Usually around this time, they would be in the middle of the grind of a WNBA season, a grueling schedule that consisted of games, practices and treatment, which didn’t leave much room for anything else. But then in 2022, Clarendon was cut by the Minnesota Lynx.

Clarendon spent the summer at home in the Bay Area, savoring every moment of a season they hadn’t experienced in more than 10 years. Hanging out with family, being on a boat, going to music festivals and the market. For Clarendon, it was a beautiful, if rare, time.

“I was like, ‘Wow, this is what everyone does in the summer?’ This is so much fun,” said Clarendon , who identifies as non-binary. “… People are really outside.”

Yet there were also dark days.

Clarendon normally loves to follow the WNBAout of a pure love of the game and the league. But in that 2022 summer, Clarendon couldn’t watch a game.

“It was just too hard,” said Clarendon, who is 33.

It was the first time since entering the league in 2013 that Clarendon wasn’t on a team. Despite a successful 2021 season in Minnesota, Clarendon began to question if their career was over. If they could still play the game at a high enough level. For the first time, Clarendon was truly wondering if they had enough left in the tank, had enough drive and energy.

“People don’t talk about that a lot … just the volatility of this league … how much perseverance you have to have to play in this league,” said Clarendon, who begins her second season with the Sparks and 11th in the WNBA on Wednesday night in the season opener against Atlanta. “It’s really difficult emotionally and physically.”

It was ultimately Clarendon’s child, known publicly as Baby C, who helped them through depression by playing together on a Little Tikes hoop. Baby C would pass the ball, and Clarendon would shoot.

In these small moments, seeing Baby C’s joy from playing basketball, reminded Clarendon of their own passion for the game. Love for the competition. Love for everything about the game. This was their game.

“No matter what anyone does, or what any GM has to say, I play this game,” said Clarendon, who starred at Cajon High in San Bernardino before playing at California. “I get to take control of my narrative. I get to come back and make this L.A. team and take my story back.”

Sparks head coach Curt Miller was honest with Clarendon when they were invited to training camp.

“It’s going to be a competitive camp,” Clarendon recalls him saying. “But show us what you got.”

Sparks guard Layshia Clarendon is fired up during a game against the Mercury last season.

(Jeff Lewis / Associated Press)

Clarendon was fully betting on themselves. They knew they had to prove they were good enough to make the team, but they had come to realize that every year was a tryout in the WNBA. Clarendon wasn’t taking that for granted anymore.

They not only made the final roster for the Sparks, but they reminded everyone of their skills. Clarendon had arguably the best season of their career in 2023 with career highs in three-point percentage, free-throw percentage and steals. They also averaged 11.1 points, their highest since their lone All-Star season in 2017.

Clarendon also emerged as a leader for the Sparks, a theme that has reoccurred not just through their WNBA career, but really throughout life.

“I think it really just comes from who I am, and my deep love for people,” Clarendon said. “I love people, I love this game, and I want to make people better. I think that’s the best thing a point guard can be because … ultimately, it’s your job to make everyone around you better.”

A lot of people might think of a leader as the center of attention, but that’s not Clarendon. For them, being a leader is about attention to detail. It’s about making a cut on the court because they know it’ll get someone else open. It’s about sending a text to teammates who were waived. It’s about being a mentor to Aari McDonald and showing her the ropes as a young point guard. It’s about building relationships and showing up for people off the court.

She’ll help lead a team with two prized rookies in center Cameron Brink and forward Rickea Jackson, who were selected second and fourth, respectively, in the draft this summer.

“I’ve played every role in this league,” Clarendon said. “I know what it’s like when you’re a bench player, I know what it’s like when you’re a starter. I know what it’s like when you don’t play a lot of minutes and have to do cardio afterwards. I know what it’s like to be the person everyone’s looking at.”

Clarendon knows this won’t last forever, but they make the most of it by being deeply present in every moment.

“Age is coming for everybody, even Sue Bird,” Clarendon joked.

They look for the beauty in the moments between the grueling training camp practices. Things like connecting with a trainer during treatment, sharing jokes with teammates, getting hyped when they make a big shot, or talking trash in the middle of an intense scrimmage.

“Things like that make the joy and the fun between the game, really fun,” Clarendon said. “I just try and enjoy the moment.”