Remember when Jade Jones went on WAG Talk to answer questions about her NBA boyfriend Tyrese Haliburton? That title might be a little outdated now… 💍

PS: speaking of WAG Talk, check out this Yahoo article about the show and host Maddy Sells AKA @isomaddy!

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Terrence Shannon Jr., Jabari Walker, Chris Mullin, and Bill Cartwright! 🎉

Around the Association

A’ja Wilson spoils Cameron Brink’s return, Aces top Sparks 89-74

Things we love to see: Cameron Brink playing basketball again. 🤩 

Sparks fans, in the midst of a five-game winning streak, were already riding high this week heading into last night’s matchup against the Aces. When yesterday’s news dropped that forward Cameron Brink was going to make her much anticipated season debut after tearing her ACL 13 months ago, they got to continue that excitement.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft contributed five points in 13 minutes of action last night—it might take some time for the second-year forward to get back up to speed, but we’re glad to see her back on the floor.

Although the headlines centered around Brink’s return, A’ja Wilson and the Aces made sure that wasn’t going to be the only storyline of the night. The three-time MVP was cooking on all cylinders in this one, going for 34 points on a ridiculous 16/23 shooting to go along with ten rebounds and six combined stocks.

“Locked in” would be a massive understatement.

Paige Bueckers continues standout rookie season, leads Wings to 92-82 win over top-seeded Liberty

Rookie wall? Paige Bueckers has certainly never heard of it. 😎

The 23-year-old out of UConn has continued to shine bright in her inaugural WNBA season, most recently playing a key role in the Wings’ ten-point victory over the East’s best squad, the New York Liberty.

The top pick in this past year’s draft poured in 20 points on 7/12 shooting from the field, along with four dimes and three steals, including a barrage of insane dribble moves to get her buckets.

Oh, and not to mention she’s currently doing THIS as a rookie: 🌟

Although Paige was cooking for Dallas, the squad also saw a massive outing from Arike Ogunbowale. The seven-year veteran put on an offensive masterclass in this one, putting up 20 points and dishing out 14 dimes to just one turnover.

Wins have been few and far between for the Wings this season, but we’ll see if these offensive outputs from Bueckers and Ogunbowale continue to push Dallas towards a promising end to the regular season. 💪

WayBack Wednesday

When thinking of centers from the 1990s, you’re likely to think of the Hall of Famers first—Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, or Patrick Ewing, just to name a few.

But in today’s edition of WayBack Wednesday, we’re going to highlight an underrated five-man from this era who battled some of those names in the playoffs year after year: Indiana’s Rik Smits! 😎

Drafted No. 2 overall by the Pacers in 1988, Rik Smits quickly became Reggie Miller’s running man in Indy, starting 71 games and earning All-Rookie First Team honors in 1988-89. Smits steadily improved his play over the next few seasons, and the Netherlands native was eventually christened “The Dunking Dutchman”. 🇳🇱🔥

Indiana’s workhorse really made a name for himself in the 1995 playoffs. Smits was an instrumental piece for that Pacers squad that reached the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging 20.1 points and seven rebounds throughout their deep postseason run. His numbers told most of the story that year, but perhaps his staple career moment came during those playoffs as well.

Watch him sink a tough buzzer-beating leaning jumper to win Game 4 of the 1995 ECF against Shaq and Penny Hardaway’s Orlando Magic: ⬇️😱

On top of his playoff heroics, #45 made his first All-Star appearance in 1998 and was a key member of Indiana’s squad that advanced to the 2000 NBA Finals!

With all of the incredible big men who played in Smits’ era, it’s easy for him to get lost in history of great NBA centers. But one thing’s for certain: Rik Smits faced those HOF big men every single year and was never scared of facing a challenge head-on. 💪

Three in the Key

Signing Off

That’s all for today, Enjoyers! Thanks for spending some time out of your day with us. As we get closer to the weekend, it’s easy to spend a lot of time looking towards the future instead of appreciating what’s right in front of us. We’re excited for the weekend coming up too, but try to take a few minutes this week to appreciate the present moment.

Every day is a blessing! We’ll see you on Friday.

Bobby Kasmire