Author: lehang

The WNBA is gaining popularity among basketball fans, who are showing as much interest in it as they do in the NBA. However, there are still significant differences between the two leagues, the biggest being salary variations. Forbes reports that the average WNBA salary is about $150,000 per season, while the NBA average salary is roughly $10 million. Former NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who recently criticized Team USA, has shared his thoughts on this salary gap between the leagues.

Shaquille O’Neal (Image Credits: Getty Images)

During a recent game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever, the ‘Big Diesel’ was present court-side to watch the intense competition between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.

Meanwhile, a reporter had the chance to ask the owner of the Big Chicken brand a few questions. During the discussion, the reporter asked O’Neal about his thoughts on the growth of the WNBA and the changes needed for women’s basketball to engage more fans.

“Well, I love it, especially for women. Listen, they’ve always played great. They’ve always played hard. I’m glad they’re getting their exposure. They definitely deserve it. Now we just gotta get them similar contracts to what some of these NBA guys are making.” Shaquille O’Neal said.

O’Neal, who is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time, mentioned that WNBA players consistently put in a lot of effort and perform incredibly well. The Hall of Famer opined that contracts for women’s basketball players ought to be comparable to those of certain NBA players.

Just Hope They Get Similar Pay: Shaquille O’Neal

In the same interview, O’Neal was asked about watching Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese compete while seated in the audience. Shaq, one of the most entertaining personalities in the NBA, gave both Reese and Clark high marks. He mentioned that he liked Clark’s style of play as much as he liked Reese’s.

“Look, [Reese] plays hard, I like the way she plays. I love her, I love the way Caitlin Clark is playing. The game right now is just at an all-time high for the females, and I’m happy for them. And again, I just hope they get similar pay that the guys are making,” O’Neal added.

In a dominant performance, Clark, the standout player for the Indiana Fever, scored 31 points, made 12 assists, and grabbed 4 rebounds in 32 minutes of play. Meanwhile, Reese, the forward for the Chicago Sky, scored 10 points, had 2 assists, and secured 11 rebounds. The game ended with Clark and the Fever securing a 100-81 victory over Reese and the Sky.

The post Shaquille O’Neal Believes WNBA Players Should Get Similar Contracts To NBA Players To Put Both Leagues On The Same Page originally published on Total Pro Sports.

WNBA fans hit out on Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon over what they perceived to be her conscious effort to help rookie star Angel Reese pad her stats during garbage time of their 100-81 loss to the Indiana Fever on Friday at home.

Despite being down by 25 points at one point late in the contest and the game already settled, Weatherspoon still decided to keep their prized rookie in the game, which eventually saw Reese notch another double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to set a new rookie record.

Fans had misgivings on the move of the first-year Sky coach, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts:

One fan urged Weatherspoon to have some shame and question her coaching style, saying:

“Angel Reese in the game and they down 25 looking to stat pad and you wonder why players requesting a trade come on T Spoon have some shame.”

Another one along the same line commented:

“Angel Reese out here in garbage time trying to get her double double. Sides not yelling at Weatherspoon like a clown.’”

“‘Angel Reese still in the game just to get that double-double. Teresa Weatherspoon something else,” a fan asserted.

One user, for its part, detailed some flaws in the coaching of Weatherspoon, writing:

“Teresa Weatherspoon has zero control over her team. DeShields committing multiple flagrant fouls on Caitlin Clark and then allowing Angel Reese to chase a garbage time double double. The only stat that matters is wins and losses. Westherspoon and Reese need to understand that.’”

Some of the comments. meanwhile, highlighted how Weatherspoon’s move somehow unfortunately diminished what Reese has accomplished so far.

“Down 24 points and Witherspoon keeps her in to specifically get it against Fever players rarely in games. This is why this double-double thing is beyond ridiculous,” one fan pointed out.

One comment from a user said:

“Reese still in to get her double double after Fever cleared their bench… Congrats on that ‘record’ Angel.”

“Theresa weatherspoon leaving Reese in the game still after a terrible performance to let them fluke a** double double stats keep goin is crazy lol,” another of the comments read.

One comment, meanwhile, underscored how the move was of bad taste, saying:

“That double double record is such a lousy record… she just broke the record against the Fever bench. That is total bush league.”

While Reese got her double-double, she obviously struggled against the Fever, taking only nine attempts and making four of them while also being hounded by foul trouble in her 32 minutes on the floor.

Angel Reese sets a new double-double record for a rookie in game against Fever

While her latest double-double was not pretty, Angel Reese still made history by setting a new record for double-doubles for a rookie with her 10 points and 11 rebounds in their 100-81 loss to the Indiana Fever on Friday.

The double-double was her 23rd of the season, breaking the previous record of 22 set by WNBA legend Tina Charles while she was with the Houston Comets. Reese also broke the rookie rebounding record also previously held by Charles by taking her total for the season to 399 boards.

Angel Reese got her 23rd double-double with 1:32 left in their game against the Fever when the outcome was already settled. She has the opportunity to extend the record in their next game against the Minnesota Lynx on the road on Sunday.

Robert Parish was fortunate enough to add a fourth championship to his resume as a member of the Chicago Bulls in his last NBA season—at 43, he played in 43 regular season games and averaged 9.4 minutes per contest. Still, despite witnessing Michael Jordan’s greatness firsthand in their lone season together, The Chief couldn’t crown his former teammate as the greatest player ever.

robert-parish–michael-jordan© Provided by BasketballNetwork.net

“Michael didn’t beat great teams”

Whether it was Jordan’s hard-nosed and challenging leadership style or his ball-dominant playing style, Parish seemed to always have an issue with His Airness. However, that didn’t stop the Hall of Famer from giving MJ credit for leading the Bulls to two separate three-peats in the same decade.

Nevertheless, he did question how good the teams Jordan beat en route to basketball immortality were. Most notably, Robert mentioned Mike’s inability to overcome the Boston Celtics in the mid-80s and the Detroit Pistons in the late-80s.

“Michael didn’t beat great teams, in my opinion. Now think about this: When Larry, Kevin, and myself were in our heyday, he couldn’t beat us. He couldn’t get past the Pistons until Joe Dumars and Isiah got old. He couldn’t beat the Lakers in their prime. When he beat Phoenix, they only had one Hall of Famer.” Parish said on the ‘In The Post with Elvin Hayes’ podcast. “Now, don’t get me wrong now. Michael was great in his era. But the greatest of all time?”

Despite being swept by Boston in two consecutive playoff appearances, Jordan displayed unprecedented individual greatness in those series.

As a sophomore, MJ averaged 43.7 points per game in 1986, highlighted by an iconic 63-point Game 2 in a 135-131 double overtime loss—still the highest-scoring postseason performance in NBA history. The following year, Jordan once again led both teams in scoring with 35.7 points per game, with only two of his teammates—Charles Oakley and Gene Banks—averaging double digits in points.

In the 1988 second round, MJ was the best player in the series, but the Bulls lost to the Bad Boys in five games. In the 1989 ECF against the Pistons, Mike put up a series-high 29.7 points per contest, but that wasn’t enough for Chicago to beat Isiah Thomas and Co. The same was the case in the 1990 playoffs when the Bulls came one win away from reaching the NBA Finals but once again faltered against Detroit—Jordan averaged 32.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in that series and dropped 31 in Game 7.

So even though it took years for Jordan to finally lead his team to the first NBA championship, very few blame His Airness for it.

Parish picked Kareem as the GOAT

That wasn’t the only time Parish picked someone else as the GOAT over Jordan. During an appearance on Cedric Maxwell’s podcast, the Louisiana native said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar should be recognized as the greatest player ever simply because he had the most unstoppable shot ever.

“…Kareem’s skyhook was unstoppable. The jump hook and the skyhook are, in my opinion, the two most unstoppable weapons in basketball,” he said.

While his take is legit, and the legendary big man undoubtedly deserves more recognition in these debates, there’s a chance Robert’s back-and-forths with MJ impacted his opinion.

The older and older I get, the more and more I tend to think about my high school basketball team. Sometimes, if I think hard enough, I can still smell the gym and hear the creaks and moans of the tan floorboards under my Nike Shox. I can hear the “THUD” of the four green doors that led to the hallways of my school. I can still feel the butterflies in the pit of my stomach that I would have every time I got into the lay-up line when we had to face off against our town rival (Plainfield South).

They don’t tell you enough…© Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK 

It feels like I was rushing out of that unfortunately infamous back tunnel (long story for another day) with my green and white warmups with “33” on the chest both yesterday and a million years ago all the same.

I can’t tell you how much I miss it. How much I miss being a part of a team like that. How much I miss the bullshitting. How much I miss the passion. How much I miss being pushed in little ways to get the most out of my game. How much I missed pushing my teammates. How much I miss the sinking feeling in my stomach when I would wake on Saturday mornings after a hard loss the night before and knowing full well I was about to get my ass kicked.

They don’t tell you enough how little of THAT you get when you’re an adult. Sure you’re on “teams” at work but it’s not the same.

You don’t really have one consistent group of individuals all striving for something bigger. Striving to not only keep up with, but elevate the ceiling that was left behind by the juniors and seniors before you and those that came before them.

There was a standard. But standards are always able to be raised. And that was the goal.

It may have been a grind at times and I know I resented my coaches for how hard they were. But now? Oh what I wouldn’t give to have someone be in my ear trying to motivate me like that again.

Special times.

As I mentioned above, the collective “they” (aka the wiser and more, say, veteran presences in our lives) don’t tell you enough to soak all of that in while you’re actually in it. They don’t tell you enough about how fast it really does go. They don’t tell you enough how eventually your body will ultimately start to deceive you and despite all of that joy you get from diving after every loose ball now, pretty soon you’ll have a hard time getting up after changing your daughters diaper.

I suppose even if they did tell us, we still would’ve scoffed it off.

Oh the luxuries of being young(er).

Anyone that has participated on a team (sports, academic, work) that was able to successfully put together even a mildly successful run of wins knows how special and unique and complex and rare those times, those people, those situations truly are.

You never fully realize it or grasp it in the moment.

I suppose only time allows you the opportunity to have that 20/20 vision.

I say all of this because I kind of already feel that way about the last two years with Iowa women’s basketball. I feel like I was part of this in the smallest of ways. I feel like I’m going to look back on it with such respect and gratitude just like I do when I think about my own playing days and athletic accomplishments.

I’m sure I’m not alone in that feeling.

I also say all of this because I truly hope this incredible group of women have taken the time to understand and appreciate what they did together. I’m sure Lisa Bluder and her coaching staff have constantly expressed this message throughout this year and especially so during this run back to the National Championship, but I truly wish each and every one of those players were able to slow it all down and listen. I hope they were able to soak it all in. I hope they had the foresight and understanding to realize just how hard and how special this all really is.

So much has to go right. So many different people from different backgrounds, colors and creeds all have to come together as a unit and take one giant leap of faith after giant leap of faith after giant leap of faith in order for something like this to work…TWICE.

And when that’s not enough, perhaps even the cosmos need to align a little too:

“I think just reflecting back and soaking in everything that I was able to do because basically anybody other than me and Coach Bluder never thought this was possible.”

I used to not believe in fate as a kid…but boy do I believe in it now.

So much had to go right for all of this to happen at Iowa. If one thing would’ve gone differently, Caitlin Clark is probably at UConn.

Just one conversation could’ve changed all of our lives completely.

Isn’t that kind of crazy to think about? If Geno Auriemma makes a phone call or takes a plane ride to Des Moines, I would probably be sitting here bitching about the Iowa quarterback situation and yelling into the void like I normally do.

I should really send him flowers.

Had he taken a peak at 22, I probably wouldn’t have a million pictures of my kid dressed in a black “22” jersey. I wouldn’t have written what I believe are some of the best pieces I’ve ever put out to you all. I wouldn’t understand how BIG of a moment this really was for women’s athletics.

My eyes would still be shut.

But because everything aligned, I instead got to watch Caitlin Clark and Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin and Hannah Stuelke and Sydney Affolter and Molly Davis and Kylie Feuerbach and Addison O’Grady and Monika Czinano or McKenna Warnock shine together.

And yes, they shined together.

Everyone knows that Caitlin Clark is special. I don’t really need to go through all of the accolades anymore. It’s not debatable despite everyone trying to do exactly that. You can take your arguments and have them look into the eclipse. Nobody has meant more or will mean more to women’s college basketball than she will. She is the single greatest women’s college basketball player of all time…even if she’s missing a ring.

I’m already making plans to go to New York with another Girl Dad and his daughters to see her play the Liberty (and I don’t know if I’d travel to New York for $5,000 cash and a free meal).

But that’s the pull of CC.

Hell, SNL did an entire opening sketch about her and the gravity she has in the national zeitgeist (and yes I realize I may be one of the last people on this earth that think that’s both one of the coolest pieces of this entire stretch and a true barometer on how CRAZY this whole thing has become).

But what’s even cooler to me right now is how much those little moments with everyone else mattered, too. Caitlin was the spotlight and deservedly so, but that doesn’t mean for one second that what those other women did all year long beside her will ever be forgotten.

No sir.

No ma’am.

Those women made her better. Those women raised their level of play to match hers night in and night out.

I’m sorry for beating the same drum again…but man is that special.

CC said as much above and has for her entire career at Iowa – there is no CC without Lisa Bluder or her teammates.

And there is surely no back-to-back national championship appearances without those teammates that made plays when she couldn’t. That did the dirty work to get the ball back in her hands. That defended like their life was on the line. That did all the little things that go so unnoticed to the average viewer.

I suppose I didn’t realize it then, but I realize it now… We truly got to see their own individual GOAT performances night in and night out, too. Each and every one of them achieved a level I bet they never even thought possible.

I guess that’s why they say a rising tide lifts all boats.

And it’s those moments, those times, those memories that they (and us) will all come back to. Sure, they (and we) will talk and think about the insanity that was Caitlin Clark and all of those buckets that send chills down your spine.

BUT the goosebumps will also come when thinking about Gabbie Marshall’s blocked shot against West Virginia or Hannah Stuelke’s graceful performance against UConn or all of those Dirk like one-legged fade aways Kate Martin hit in CRUCIAL moments or every single time Sydney Affolter just made a fucking play after stepping into the starting lineup after Molly Davis unfortunately went down with an injury.

I could keep going. I’m sure you all will in the comments below.

And I suppose that’s the point here. Drink it all in. Savor what we just witnessed.

Everyone.

This season I’ve talked a lot about being lucky and how truly blessed we are as Hawkeye fans. How fortunate it has been getting to see this all take place on our campus and in our city. But now that the journey is over and a new chapter of Iowa basketball is about to begin, I think we’re just as fortunate to be able to have shared these memories with the women that made them.

They pushed and pulled and earned everything they accomplished this season and we all got to indulge in their rewards.

They don’t tell you enough how beautiful it all really is…

The don’t tell you enough how important it is to all of our lives…

They don’t tell you enough how much it all meant…

They don’t tell you enough…until it’s all over

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are hitting their stride at the right time — and taking some shots at a rival team.

usatsi_24115974© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Clark helped lead the Fever to a 100-81 win over fellow rookie Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky on August 30. The win brought the Fever to .500 at 16-16, their fifth win in six games since returning from the month-long break for the Paris Olympics.

Clark scored 31 points and added 12 assists in the blowout win, adding another WNBA record to her resume. As ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported, she set a single-season record with the elite stat line.

“Caitlin Clark has notched her third game with 25 points and 10 assists,” Philippou wrote in a post on X. “That’s the most in a season in WNBA history. Only Sabrina Ionescu has more than 3 in a career (5)”

Clark’s performance was so good that she earned a big cheer from the Chicago crowd when she exited the game with a little less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Fever poured a bit of salt in Chicago’s wounds, sharing the moment on social media after the win.

“sounds more like a home game to us,” the team wrote alongside the video of Clark’s ovation.

The U.S. Open fan who was spotted in the viral video where another man appeared to give his wife a drink has spoken out about the background of the clip

The man in the viral US Open video has revealed what really happened (Image: @usopen)

The U.S. Open fan whose wife appeared to be handed a drink by another man in a viral video has revealed what really happened. Footage in the stands at Flushing Meadows saw a woman taking a cocktail from a man in the row behind – while the man sat next to her had two drinks in hand.

Footage of the incident was caught by cameras at the U.S. Open on Wednesday as a man wearing a light blue polo shirt holding a drink in either hand attempted to step past spectators and return to his seat. As he returned, he appeared to be snubbed by his partner who accepted a $23 ‘honey deuce’ cocktail from another man instead.

The clip finishes as the man looks bemused at his partner as he opts not to take a drink from him, but a man in a dark blue buttoned-up shirt instead. However, the man at the center of the video has denied he was left hanging, explaining his relationship with the woman he was sitting next to.

The unnamed 43-year-old sarcastically told the New York Post: “It was very nice of the US Open to zoom in on me and not pan out or let that video run for two seconds longer.”

He continued: “If you look in the bottom right hand corner of the video closely, you can briefly see a blonde with [a bob haircut], and that’s my wife. She’s leaning over and I’m actually looking at her.

“We were with another couple who’s friends of ours and we were in stacked seating. My wife was sitting in the seat below the blonde lady, who’s our friend, and her husband was sitting in the seat above her, so that’s why he gave her the drink.”

While the truth behind the video is a little different, the man did confirm that he was snubbed by his actual wife after the cameras had cut away. “There’s always a long line [at the bar], so I took one for the team and waited 25 minutes,” he continued.

“When I got back to our seats, I was expecting my wife to be like, ‘Thank you, honey,’ but she was already holding [a honey deuce], so she was like, ‘I don’t want it.’”

The real wife of the man in the video saw the funny side of it as she revealed she has received plenty of messages since the video surfaced and was reshared on social by the US Open’s official account, captioned: “This is cinema.”

She said the clip has provided them with “a lot of laughs,” adding: “We emailed the US Open because we’re kind of like, ‘Well, do we get some free tickets or something in exchange for this viral video?’”

 

Novak Djokovic has been knocked out of the U.S. Open by Alexei Popyrin in the second enormous upset in the space of 24 hours after Carlos Alcaraz’ exit

Novak Djokovic is out of the U.S. Open after a huge upset (Image: Getty)

Novak Djokovic is OUT of the U.S. Open after an enormous upset at the hands of Alexei Popyrin in the third round. Djokovic was beaten in four sets (6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4) by the Australian, ranked No.28 in the world.

It comes less than 24 hours after Carlos Alcaraz was also dumped out of the tournament. The Spaniard was beaten by unseeded Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets on Thursday night.

Both Djokovic and Alcaraz’s shock eliminations blow the final Grand Slam of the year wide open. No.1 seed Jannik Sinner remains in the draw, but the No.2 and No.3 seeds are now both out.

Popyrin edged the first two sets to seize control of the match. But he pulled up in discomfort at the end of the season set and needed some treatment.

When Djokovic stormed to the third set in convincing fashion, it seemed the comeback was likely on. Yet Popyrin rallied in incredible fashion, breaking Djokovic in an encapsulating fifth game of the fourth set, then again in the seventh after some incredible forehand winners.

Alexei Popyrin beat Djokovic with an incredible performance (Image: Getty)

It gave him the chance to serve for the match. But Djokovic broke back to keep his hopes alive after Popyrin had come back from 0-40 to force deuce.

While Djokovic had the crowd behind him early on, Popyrin had them on their feet multiple times in a match which lasted over three hours.

By the end, he had almost the full support of a gripped Arthur Ashe Stadium, left on the edge of their seats as the first match of the evening session – already delayed by over an hour due to Frances Tiafoe’s thrilling, five-set win over Ben Shelton – dragged on near midnight.

Remarkably, Popyrin expressed immense confidence over his ability to beat Djokovic just two months ago when he reflected on their first Grand Slam encounter.

Djokovic beat Popyrin 6-3 4-6 7-6 (4) 6-3 at the Australian Open earlier this year. Before facing him again at Wimbledon, a match Djokovic won after losing the fourth set, Popyrin claimed he had hope and it proved third time lucky.

“I genuinely believe I could have won that match, if I had won that third set,” he said at Wimbledon. “I feel like I was in the driver’s seat and I felt super comfortable out there.

“[Djokovic] is a super-solid player, but I do feel he gives you chances every now and then in the points.” Those comments proved prophetic, with the biggest win of his career now setting up an encounter with Tiafoe.

 

Novak Djokovic is out of the U.S. Open and explained exactly what he felt went wrong after a shock exit in just the third round.

Novak Djokovic attempted to explain what went wrong at the U.S. Open (Image: US Open)

Novak Djokovic outlined what he felt went wrong at the U.S. Open after being knocked out in the third round by Alexei Popyrin. Djokovic lost in a huge upset, less than 24 hours after Carlos Alcaraz was also beaten.

Djokovic won an Olympic gold medal playing scintillating tennis in Paris just a few weeks ago and did not play between that final on August 4 and his first U.S. Open match.

Many will be quick to point to the Olympic hangover and impact on his preparations as a cause for his unusually early exit. And Djokovic explained he was never feeling right “physically and mentally” when he arrived in New York.

However, he did clarify that he had no injury problems during the tournament as he delved into potential explanations for his below-par performances.

 

Djokovic was second best against Alexei Popyrin (Image: Getty)

Asked if it was just too much heading from the Olympics to the U.S. Open, he said: “I don’t know. Maybe, maybe. But it’s a different surface.

“I mean, obviously it had an effect. I spent a lot of energy winning the gold, and I did arrive to New York just not feeling fresh mentally and physically.

“But because it’s US Open, you know, I gave it a shot and I tried my best. I mean, I didn’t have any physical issues. I just felt out of gas, you know, and you could see that with the way I played.

“Just from the very beginning, from the first match, I just didn’t find myself at all on this court. It’s all I can say, you know. You know, life moves on. I mean, yeah, just try and recalibrate and look for what’s next.”

Asked if he tried to change anything, Djokovic explained: “I mean, I tried so many things, and sometimes that’s an issue, you know, is that you move away from the basics that work.

“Then you just lose the basics. You lose the foundation. You lose the movement, the timing, the rhythm, the tempo, everything, whether it’s a serve or any other shot.

“It was just really a big struggle mentally for me to play these three matches here, because I wasn’t playing even close to my best. So, you know, it’s not good to be in that kind of state where you feel okay physically, and of course you’re motivated because it’s a Grand Slam, but you just are not able to find your game.

“That’s it. The game is falling apart, and I guess you have to accept that tournaments like this happen.

“Yeah, you could argue that it’s because of the Olympics, but I don’t know. I don’t want to analyze that right now. You know, I was just looking to really improve my game here on a daily basis, but it just didn’t happen.”

Grand Slams are the ultimate test, where even the best players can feel the heat. As the US Open unfolds, defending champion Coco Gauff is finding it tough to keep her momentum against Elina Svitolina. The pressure is real, and it’s showing. In a candid moment during a conversation with her coach, Gauff admitted that she’s struggling to dominate the match. The challenge is on, and all eyes are on Gauff to see how she’ll fight through this rough patch.

Gauff was seen struggling during her third-round match against Svitolina. The American star failed to dominate her Ukrainian counterpart and lost the first set by 6-3. The frustration was evident on her face and it was eventually unleashed at her coach Brad Gilbert, during the changeovers.

The star player was heard admitting to “missing so many in the net,” as she approached Gilbert. This signified the challenges that the defending US Open champion is facing. Gauff shot two double faults and several unforced errors in the first set and also failed to convert three break points when the set was tied at 3-3, thereby paving the way for her opponent. The frustration of Gauff, meanwhile, can be justified especially because of the kind of season she has had.

The 20-year-old failed to perform extensively at any Grand Slam this year, except for her doubles run at the French Open. Besides, she has struggled immensely in the American hardcourt swing as well. She was whisked out in the second round of the Canadian Open and in her opening match at the Cincinnati Masters. This, however, is not the first time when Gauff has engaged in such a fiery exchange with Gilbert.

Gauff had a verbal tussle with Gilbert during her fourth-round clash against Emma Navarro at Wimbledon. Trailing behind in the match, the American player looked towards her box in the second set, wanting some help. “Tell me something. You guys aren’t saying anything,” the reigning US Open winner shouted in frustration. A puzzled Brad Gilbert tried to give her a plan B through gestures, but it didn’t work out eventually, as Gauff lost the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. But irrespective of the challenges she is facing, the American star is determined to clinch the title again.

“I’m Gonna Do It Again” – Coco Gauff’s determined words at the US Open

Coco Gauff might not have witnessed a sensational season so far but her determination has remained intact at the final Grand Slam of the year. The star player is keen to win big yet again and defend her title at Flushing Meadows.

Speaking after her first-round match against Varvara Gracheva, Gauff engaged in an on-court interview as she revealed her source of motivation ahead of her campaign. “Somebody commented on my tik tok and they were just like ‘You won in life literally and figuratively, and there is no point feeling pressure on yourself’,” Gauff said. The advice was taken seriously by the World No. 3.

“So I am just treating this tournament like that. If you defend something that means you won something and if you did it that means you can do it again. So… I am gonna do it again,” Gauff added.

As the third round match and eventually the tournament unfolds, it will be interesting to see if Gauff keeps her determination intact and wins big in New York once again. What do you think?

NBA legend Michael Jordan captivated the sports world by coming out of retirement in March 1995.

Jordan rejoined the Chicago Bulls following his baseball stint with the Birmingham Barons, and Scottie Pippen still being on the Bulls was a big factor.

The Bulls almost traded Pippen to the Seattle SuperSonics for Shawn Kemp following the 1993-94 season. However, the deal got squashed at the last minute, allowing Jordan to return to Chicago near the end of the 1994-95 NBA season.

Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan.© Anne Ryan-USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC

During All-Star Weekend in 2008, Jordan told J.A. Adande of ESPN that he likely would have remained retired in 1995 had the Bulls traded Pippen to the SuperSonics for Kemp.

“I could have played with Shawn,” Jordan said. ”But I wouldn’t have been as comfortable as I was with Scottie.”

After hearing about the Seattle rumor, Pippen was set on leaving the Bulls in February 1995 and nearly got his wish. The Los Angeles Clippers offered Chicago two first-round picks and the right to swap picks the following two seasons.

However, Pippen changed his mind because his friend, Ron Harper, said playing for the Clippers was like being in jail.

Eight days after the Clippers failed to acquire Pippen, Jordan quit baseball because of a labor dispute, and the rest is history.

Behind Jordan and Pippen, the Bulls won three straight NBA titles in 1996, 1997 and 1998. Ironically, they beat the SuperSonics in the 1996 NBA Finals in six games.

During his second run with the Bulls, Jordan averaged 29.4 points. He won two MVPs, three scoring titles and three Finals MVPs.

Meanwhile, Pippen put up 19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game from 1995-96 and 1997-98.

It’s easy to forget Jordan never won a playoff series without Pippen. That’s probably why Jordan appreciated Pippen so much since he knew how valuable Pippen was.

Jordan and Pippen won six championships together in the ’90s and went undefeated in the NBA Finals. In Episode 2 of ESPN’s “The Last Dance” docuseries, Jordan talked about his favorite partner in crime.

“I would never be able to find a tandem, another support system, another partner in the game of basketball like Scottie Pippen,” Jordan said. “He was a pleasure to play with. He helped me so much in the way that I approached the game, the way I played the game.

“Whenever they speak Michael Jordan, they should speak Scottie Pippen. When everybody says, well, I won all these championships, but I didn’t win without Scottie Pippen and, you know, that’s why I consider him my best teammate of all time.”

Pippen may have refused to go into a playoff game in 1994 and thrown a chair on the court in 1995, but his basketball talents were impeccable.

After all, there’s a reason Jordan never wanted to play for the Bulls without Pippen by his side.