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There’s 1 major WNBA All-Star snub this season  Kayla McBride is a top 10 scorer in the WNBA, averaging 18.2 points and shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc. She’s the second-leading scorer on the best team in the league — the Minnesota Lynx — and she’s a strong defender, too.So, it comes as a surprise that she wasn’t selected as an All-Star reserve this season, especially when the league had the chance to appoint her as an injury reserve on Wednesday.McBride has been named an All-Star five times in her career, including the last two seasons with the Lynx. But this year, the Lynx are represented by Natasha Howard, Olivia Miles, and Courtney Williams in the All-Star game, and McBride is the odd one out. All three players have deserving cases — and Howard and Miles were selected as starters — but it seems wrong that the 34-year-old was snubbed.Part of why McBride was named an All-Star is because her scoring rampage is more recent — she was the Lynx’s leading scorer for eight straight games between July 3rd and July 20th, and was named Western Conference Player of the Week last week. So, her best stretch of basketball came after All-Star fan and media voting had closed, and even before coaches selected All-Star reserves.The full list of All-Star starters includes Caitlin Clark (IND), Paige Bueckers (DAL), A’ja Wilson (LVA), Breanna Stewart (NYL), Olivia Miles (MIN), Kelsey Mitchell (IND), Aliyah Boston (IND), Natasha Howard (MIN), Jessica Shepard (DAL), and Gabby Williams (GSV).The full list of All-Star reserves includes Rhyne Howard (ATL), Angel Reese (ATL), Allisha Gray (ATL), Marina Mabrey (TOR), Jonquel Jones (NYL), Dominique Malonga (SEA), Courtney Williams (MIN), Kelsey Plum (LAS), Kiki Iriafen (WAS), Jackie Young (LVA), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), and Sonia Citron (WAS).But the league had another chance to reward McBride with an All-Star selection, and they whiffed.Kayla McBride probably should have been picked over Kahleah Copper for the All-Star replacement Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum is sidelined with a leg injury, and the WNBA announced Wednesday night that Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper is the injury replacement.Copper has had a good season; she’s the 7th-leading scorer in the WNBA, averaging 20.5 points per game, and her efficiency has increased after a sluggish start to the year. But she’s still shooting 42.8% from the field and 27.5% from three, marks that are far lower than McBride’s (who is shooting 45.8% from the field and 39.8% from three).Most importantly, Copper headlines a Mercury squad that is 10-18 and out of the playoff race. (In comparison, the Lynx are 22-6 with a league-best +8.7 point differential). Therefore, it’s hard to make the case that Copper earned the selection over McBride, both when you look at the two players’ counting stats and their impact on winning.McBride isn’t the only player who has an All-Star case but wasn’t ultimately selected: Carla Leite, Natisha Hiedeman, Shakira Austin, and Alyssa Thomas have all had strong seasons too, among others.“Mac has really put us on her back,” Napheesa Collier said Wednesday. “This tear that she’s on has been so clutch … Also, she’s a huge reason I wanted to get back on the court, too. Like, ‘Mac looks like she’s having so much fun. I want to get out there.’”If there’s one more injury replacement selection, McBride should be the no-brainer pick. If not, she’ll enjoy a much-deserved break after an elite first half of the season.  #major #WNBA #AllStar #snub #season

There’s 1 major WNBA All-Star snub this season

Kayla McBride is a top 10 scorer in the WNBA, averaging 18.2 points and shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc. She’s the second-leading scorer on the best team in the league — the Minnesota Lynx — and she’s a strong defender, too.

So, it comes as a surprise that she wasn’t selected as an All-Star reserve this season, especially when the league had the chance to appoint her as an injury reserve on Wednesday.

McBride has been named an All-Star five times in her career, including the last two seasons with the Lynx. But this year, the Lynx are represented by Natasha Howard, Olivia Miles, and Courtney Williams in the All-Star game, and McBride is the odd one out. All three players have deserving cases — and Howard and Miles were selected as starters — but it seems wrong that the 34-year-old was snubbed.

Part of why McBride was named an All-Star is because her scoring rampage is more recent — she was the Lynx’s leading scorer for eight straight games between July 3rd and July 20th, and was named Western Conference Player of the Week last week. So, her best stretch of basketball came after All-Star fan and media voting had closed, and even before coaches selected All-Star reserves.

The full list of All-Star starters includes Caitlin Clark (IND), Paige Bueckers (DAL), A’ja Wilson (LVA), Breanna Stewart (NYL), Olivia Miles (MIN), Kelsey Mitchell (IND), Aliyah Boston (IND), Natasha Howard (MIN), Jessica Shepard (DAL), and Gabby Williams (GSV).

The full list of All-Star reserves includes Rhyne Howard (ATL), Angel Reese (ATL), Allisha Gray (ATL), Marina Mabrey (TOR), Jonquel Jones (NYL), Dominique Malonga (SEA), Courtney Williams (MIN), Kelsey Plum (LAS), Kiki Iriafen (WAS), Jackie Young (LVA), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), and Sonia Citron (WAS).

But the league had another chance to reward McBride with an All-Star selection, and they whiffed.

Kayla McBride probably should have been picked over Kahleah Copper for the All-Star replacement

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum is sidelined with a leg injury, and the WNBA announced Wednesday night that Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper is the injury replacement.

Copper has had a good season; she’s the 7th-leading scorer in the WNBA, averaging 20.5 points per game, and her efficiency has increased after a sluggish start to the year. But she’s still shooting 42.8% from the field and 27.5% from three, marks that are far lower than McBride’s (who is shooting 45.8% from the field and 39.8% from three).

Most importantly, Copper headlines a Mercury squad that is 10-18 and out of the playoff race. (In comparison, the Lynx are 22-6 with a league-best +8.7 point differential). Therefore, it’s hard to make the case that Copper earned the selection over McBride, both when you look at the two players’ counting stats and their impact on winning.

McBride isn’t the only player who has an All-Star case but wasn’t ultimately selected: Carla Leite, Natisha Hiedeman, Shakira Austin, and Alyssa Thomas have all had strong seasons too, among others.

“Mac has really put us on her back,” Napheesa Collier said Wednesday. “This tear that she’s on has been so clutch … Also, she’s a huge reason I wanted to get back on the court, too. Like, ‘Mac looks like she’s having so much fun. I want to get out there.’”

If there’s one more injury replacement selection, McBride should be the no-brainer pick. If not, she’ll enjoy a much-deserved break after an elite first half of the season.

#major #WNBA #AllStar #snub #season

Kayla McBride is a top 10 scorer in the WNBA, averaging 18.2 points and shooting 39.8% from beyond the arc. She’s the second-leading scorer on the best team in the league — the Minnesota Lynx — and she’s a strong defender, too.

So, it comes as a surprise that she wasn’t selected as an All-Star reserve this season, especially when the league had the chance to appoint her as an injury reserve on Wednesday.

McBride has been named an All-Star five times in her career, including the last two seasons with the Lynx. But this year, the Lynx are represented by Natasha Howard, Olivia Miles, and Courtney Williams in the All-Star game, and McBride is the odd one out. All three players have deserving cases — and Howard and Miles were selected as starters — but it seems wrong that the 34-year-old was snubbed.

Part of why McBride was named an All-Star is because her scoring rampage is more recent — she was the Lynx’s leading scorer for eight straight games between July 3rd and July 20th, and was named Western Conference Player of the Week last week. So, her best stretch of basketball came after All-Star fan and media voting had closed, and even before coaches selected All-Star reserves.

The full list of All-Star starters includes Caitlin Clark (IND), Paige Bueckers (DAL), A’ja Wilson (LVA), Breanna Stewart (NYL), Olivia Miles (MIN), Kelsey Mitchell (IND), Aliyah Boston (IND), Natasha Howard (MIN), Jessica Shepard (DAL), and Gabby Williams (GSV).

The full list of All-Star reserves includes Rhyne Howard (ATL), Angel Reese (ATL), Allisha Gray (ATL), Marina Mabrey (TOR), Jonquel Jones (NYL), Dominique Malonga (SEA), Courtney Williams (MIN), Kelsey Plum (LAS), Kiki Iriafen (WAS), Jackie Young (LVA), Nneka Ogwumike (LAS), and Sonia Citron (WAS).

But the league had another chance to reward McBride with an All-Star selection, and they whiffed.

Kayla McBride probably should have been picked over Kahleah Copper for the All-Star replacement

Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum is sidelined with a leg injury, and the WNBA announced Wednesday night that Phoenix Mercury guard Kahleah Copper is the injury replacement.

Copper has had a good season; she’s the 7th-leading scorer in the WNBA, averaging 20.5 points per game, and her efficiency has increased after a sluggish start to the year. But she’s still shooting 42.8% from the field and 27.5% from three, marks that are far lower than McBride’s (who is shooting 45.8% from the field and 39.8% from three).

Most importantly, Copper headlines a Mercury squad that is 10-18 and out of the playoff race. (In comparison, the Lynx are 22-6 with a league-best +8.7 point differential). Therefore, it’s hard to make the case that Copper earned the selection over McBride, both when you look at the two players’ counting stats and their impact on winning.

McBride isn’t the only player who has an All-Star case but wasn’t ultimately selected: Carla Leite, Natisha Hiedeman, Shakira Austin, and Alyssa Thomas have all had strong seasons too, among others.

“Mac has really put us on her back,” Napheesa Collier said Wednesday. “This tear that she’s on has been so clutch … Also, she’s a huge reason I wanted to get back on the court, too. Like, ‘Mac looks like she’s having so much fun. I want to get out there.’”

If there’s one more injury replacement selection, McBride should be the no-brainer pick. If not, she’ll enjoy a much-deserved break after an elite first half of the season.

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#major #WNBA #AllStar #snub #season

When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.

The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.

The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.

That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.

On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.

Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.

But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.

I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.

One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.

Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.

In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.

There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.

I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.

Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.

#Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making">Larry Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame induction is 25 years in the making  When I arrived to cover the Minnesota Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 2000, it was clear I was dealing with a star-studded roster.The team boasted future Pro Football Hall of Famers; wide receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss and defensive tackle John Randle. Plus, there were a ton of other stars including quarterback Daunte Culpepper, center Matt Birk and running back Robert Smith. The Vikings were loaded with star power.The talent around the team wasn’t relegated simply to the roster, however.That summer I first laid my eyes on a 16-year-old high school junior named Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The son of a local media member and close friend of Vikings’ head coach Dennis Green, Little Fitzy was a ball boy during training camp and on game days. It turns out, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is very likely the most famous former NFL ball boy in history.On reporting date, fellow reporter Kevin Seifert pointed out Fitzgerald to me and said “that’s a bad man.” Seifert didn’t say that about any of the actual Vikings that day.Fitzgerald was already known as the best Minnesota high school prospect in years and he was considered one of the best high school players in the country. Seifert told me the buzz was that the kid was, no doubt, headed to the NFL in a half decade or so. Seifert was on the money. I’m not sure the Hall of Fame was mentioned or not.But this weekend of course, that’s exactly where Little Fitzy is headed. He will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.Fitzgerald will be remembered as one of the best and most productive wide receivers in league history after an incredible 17-season career with the Arizona Cardinals.I have a ton of memories of being around Fitzgerald, but there’s one that stands out among them all.One day after training camp, a nameless Vikings’ wide receiver camp body was getting extra work on a JUGS machine, catching balls. He was being tutored by Fitzgerald, who was showing this player how to properly approach the incoming ball. This was a child instructing a grown man an NFL team deemed good enough to attend training camp.Larry Fitzgerald Jr. was special even back then.In addition to his incredible natural football ability, Larry Fitzgerald Jr. stood out for his politeness and good nature. You could tell he was a good kid from the first time you met him.There was no I’m-going-to-be-a-star attitude. He was genuine and he worked his tail off with the rest of the ball boys. There was no entitlement. It was as if he was using his time around an NFL camp as an internship for his future. He passed with flying colors.I’ve always cherished following his career from his days at Pittsburgh in college to his days of dominating the NFL and I’ve enjoyed running into him over the years now and again.Enjoy Canton, Little Fitzy, you’ve earned it.  #Larry #Fitzgeralds #Hall #Fame #induction #years #making

Follow Sportstar for extensive coverage of the tenth edition of the TNPL, from live scores and match reports to exclusive analysis and features.

TOSS

Tiruppur Tamizhans won the toss and chose to bowl first.

PLAYING XIs

Nellai Royal Kings: Athish SR(w), D Santhosh Kumar, Ajitesh Guruswamy, U Mukilesh, Rithik Easwaran, Sonu Yadav(c), Muhammed Adnan Khan, Ramalingam Rohit, Emmanuel Cherian, NS Harish, Rocky Bhasker

Tiruppur Tamizhans: Tushar Raheja(w), Amit Sathvik, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Mohamed Ali, Uthirasamy Sasidev, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(c), M Mathivannan, S Mohan Prasath, R Silambarasan, Esakkimuthu A, T Natarajan

Published on Aug 09, 2026

#TNPL #Live #Allround #batting #display #propels #Nellai #Royal #Kings">TNPL 2026 Live: All-round batting display propels Nellai Royal Kings to 206/8  Follow Sportstar for extensive coverage of the tenth edition of the TNPL, from live scores and match reports to exclusive analysis and features.TOSSTiruppur Tamizhans won the toss and chose to bowl first.PLAYING XIsNellai Royal Kings: Athish SR(w), D Santhosh Kumar, Ajitesh Guruswamy, U Mukilesh, Rithik Easwaran, Sonu Yadav(c), Muhammed Adnan Khan, Ramalingam Rohit, Emmanuel Cherian, NS Harish, Rocky BhaskerTiruppur Tamizhans: Tushar Raheja(w), Amit Sathvik, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Mohamed Ali, Uthirasamy Sasidev, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(c), M Mathivannan, S Mohan Prasath, R Silambarasan, Esakkimuthu A, T NatarajanPublished on Aug 09, 2026  #TNPL #Live #Allround #batting #display #propels #Nellai #Royal #Kings

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