WNBA

Not everybody in the WNBA is traveling in style just yet -- Angel Reese and her Chicago Sky teammates are still flying commercial to start the 2024 season ... as the league continues to smooth out its new charter flight program.

Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever and the Minnesota Lynx were the first two teams to reap the benefits of the WNBA's private plane partnership with Delta ... traveling to Connecticut and Seattle respectively in the comfort of their own aircrafts.

But the remaining three teams with away games to kickstart the season weren't so lucky ... as the Sky and Atlanta Dream hopped aboard commercial jets for their games.

Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever are on their way to Connecticut for the WNBA season opener, and the women are traveling in style -- ditching the commercial flights for a charter -- and they couldn't be more HYPED!

Of course, the WNBA announced last week that they were scrapping regular commercial flights, instead revealing the hoopers would now travel on a plane exclusively for the squad this upcoming season.

The Fever are set to open the season on Tuesday against the Sun ... and Erica Wheeler -- who signed with the Fever in 2023 -- couldn't help but show off the new mode of transportation on social media.

Watch out, Nike ... Kim Kardashian's SKIMS brand is continuing to make a splash in the sports world ... this time by partnering up with the WNBA, and tapping some of the league's best and most popular players, including Kelsey Plum and Candace Parker, to model the undies!

"I’m proud to launch this new WNBA campaign starring such an incredible cast of athletes," Kardashian said on Monday. "Championing women and women in sports is incredibly important to SKIMS."

Kardashian hired some of the best female hoopers for the campaign ... Plum, a 2x WNBA champ, retired WNBA legend Parker, and 6x WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith.

Will Caitlin Clark's star power carry over to the WNBA? One home (exhibition) game in and we have our answer. A big hell yes!

22-year-old Clark officially suited up in front of the hometown fans for the first time as an Indiana Fever player Thursday night at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis ... as the squad took on the Atlanta Dream, beating them 83-80.

The game didn't count ... so it's all the more astounding that 13,028 fans showed up to watch Clark and her teammates, nearly triple the Fever's regular-season attendance numbers from the 2023 season, where they averaged 4,067 a game.

No more flying with the normies for the WNBA -- the league just announced it will provide full-time charter flights for all 12 teams starting this season.

The news comes weeks after WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert revealed the league was on the verge of launching a program so players could travel more privately and comfortably.

Now, it's officially official.

President Joe Biden has suffered yet another gaffe at a podium ... this time, he incorrectly ID'ed WNBA superstar Candace Parker as a "coach."

The flub happened as Biden was hosting Parker's Las Vegas Aces at the White House to celebrate their 2023 championship.

Speaking to a crowd that had assembled inside of a room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Biden tried to praise Parker, who couldn't make the ceremony, but he misspoke.

Antonio Brown is attempting to bury the hatchet with Caitlin Clark ... sending a heartfelt message to the WNBA star with the clear intent of moving on from their beef.

If you missed it, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout kicked off a feud with the hooper with some inappropriate posts on X last month -- forcing the Indiana Fever point guard to block him on the popular social media app.

But, AB tried to extend an olive branch her way during an appearance on "Fearless with Jason Whitlock" on Tuesday ... saying he was simply playing around.

It's hump day in the week -- and we're gonna help you get passed it with our TV topics!

Let's kick things off with "TMZ Live," where Charles and Charlie dove into how Gisele is reportedly feeling after Tom Brady's roast ... where their former relationship as husband and wife was front and center and getting mercilessly mocked.

Safe to say, she ain't too happy about it ... and she ain't pleased with TB12 either, it seems.

The Indianapolis Star columnist who had a cringe-worthy exchange with Caitlin Clark at her Fever introductory news conference last month has reportedly been suspended over the bizarre encounter.

Longtime journalist Bob Kravitz -- who used to work for the Star -- said the outlet hit Gregg Doyel with a two-week ban in the days following his strange April 17 interaction with the WNBA player.

Kravitz did not specify when exactly the punishment began for the reporter ... although he noted Doyel's last Star piece -- a Colts-related article -- was published on April 29. Kravitz added that Doyel is expected to return from the ban on May 13.

Caitlin Clark ya está en acción para la WNBA y en su primer partido de pretemporada ofreció una actuación sensacional, anotando canasta tras canasta ante un pabellón repleto.

El fenómeno del baloncesto fue el centro de atención la noche del viernes, cuando ella y sus compañeras de Indiana Fever lucharon contra las Dallas Wings ante un público que agotó las entradas en el College Park Center de Arlington, Texas.

Clark acumuló 16 puntos solo en la primera parte, superando a todas las demás jugadoras. Luego se enfrió en la 2ª mitad del partido, terminando con 21 puntos en total, pero recuerden este era solo un partido de pretemporada, por lo que los jugadores y entrenadores no estaban dándolo todo exactamente.

Caitlin Clark is already delivering for the WNBA -- she put on a killer performance in her first preseason game, scoring basket after basket ... in front of a packed arena.

The basketball phenom was the center of attention Friday night as she and her Indiana Fever teammates battled the Dallas Wings to a sold-out crowd at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

Clark racked up 16 points in just the first half, topping all the other players. She cooled off in the 2nd half, finishing with 21 points ... but, remember, it was just a preseason game, so players and coaches aren't exactly going all out.

Brittney Griner says while she was locked away in a prison cell in Russia, she contemplated dying by suicide several times.

The WNBA superstar told ABC News' Robin Roberts in a lengthy interview that aired Wednesday night the thoughts crept into her mind just after Russian authorities threw her behind bars for packing vape cartridges in her luggage at a Moscow airport in February 2022.

"I wanted to take my life more than once in the first weeks," Griner said. "I felt like leaving here so badly."

Diana Taurasi is standing by her comments on Caitlin Clark and the learning curve she'll inevitably face as a pro, despite a wave of backlash, with the former MVP describing fans of the rookie hooper as "really sensitive!"

In case you missed the OG comments ... the WNBA legend was recently on TV following 22-year-old Clark's selection as the number one overall pick, where Taurasi cautioned Caitlin would face her fair share of struggles.

"Reality is coming," Taurasi said earlier this month. "There's levels to this thing. That's just life. We all went through it."

"You look superhuman playing against some 18-year-olds, but you're gonna come play with some grown women that have been playing professional basketball for a long time -- not saying that's not gonna translate."

Taurasi added, "There's gonna be a transition period where you're gonna have to give yourself some grace as a rookie."

Clark fans didn't appreciate the take -- unloading on the Phoenix Mercury star -- though Taurasi isn't taking a single syllable back, despite the hate.

"The new fans are really sensitive these days," Taurasi told reporters, adding, "You can’t say anything."

"It’s kind of like when you go to kindergarten to first grade, there’s a learning adjustment. When you go from high school to college, there’s a learning adjustment."

"I don’t think I said anything that’s factually incorrect. Like anything, greatness is going to translate. And she’s proven that at every level. I don’t see why that’s going to be any different in the WNBA."

Of course, it'd probably behoove Clark to listen to 41-year-old Taurasi -- who was given the "White Mamba" nickname by Kobe Bryant -- is one of the greatest female hoopers ever ... with 3 WNBA Championships, 2 Finals MVPs, 10 All-Star nods, 10 All WNBA First team bids, and a league MVP, amongst many other accolades.

The UConn legend also knows a thing or two about coming in and being an immediate difference-maker. The number one overall pick went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2004.

Sonny Vaccaro says he believes Caitlin Clark could have gotten a much better deal from Nike -- telling TMZ Sports he's sure the former Iowa superstar could've inked a pact similar to the one Michael Jordan got back in the day.

The shoe industry legend, of course, knows all about the deal MJ received -- he was the one who helped negotiate it. And, when he heard Clark only received $28 million over eight years to be with Phil Knight's co., he was surprised it wasn't more.

Vaccaro tells us she could've landed a contract that not only gave her more annual money -- but also allowed her to take a cut of every Clark-branded item sold ... just like Jordan got with his initial Swoosh agreement in 1984.

Caitlin Clark is known to break records, but Caleb Williams is showing her what it's like to be on the other side of history ... with the Chicago Bears quarterback becoming the top-selling draft pick across sports -- just one week after the Indiana Fever superstar earned the title herself.

The former USC Trojans signal-caller was the first prospect to have his name called at Thursday night's draft in Detroit ... and shortly after the selection was made official, Bears fans rushed to cop merch in support of their new face of the franchise.

Fanatics -- the official online retailer for the NFL -- confirmed to TMZ Sports there were an insane amount of orders for Williams apparel ... more than any rookie on draft night across any professional sport.

Sue Bird is back in the WNBA ... not as a player, but instead as owner of her former team, the Seattle Storm!

The organization broke the news, releasing a statement announcing Bird, 43, would be joining the Storm's ownership group.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sue into the ownership group after a storied career on the court," Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel said.