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NBA Darren BoeyBy

The Daily Swish: Chicago Sky Win First Title, Ben Simmons Practicing Again

Updated:2 Mins Read
The Daily Swish: Chicago Sky Win First Title, Ben Simmons Practicing Again
Candace Parker celebrating her team's victory. Photo credit: @ChicagoSky Twitter account

The AllStar is proud to present The Daily Swish, a digest of what’s shaking and baking in your favorite basketball league. This is the place to help you start your day (or end it) with notable newsy nuggets from around the association.

Today we celebrate the Chicago Sky taking home its first WNBA championship with a series victory over the Phoenix Mercury. Over in Philadelphia, Sixers fans are (maybe) celebrating Ben Simmons’ return to practice.

Making Headlines

The Chicago Sky’s 3-1 series win over Phoenix put an emphatic exclamation mark on a remarkable season for a team that just a month ago was in doubt to make the playoffs. The triumph capped a sweet homecoming for Chicago native Candace Parker, who joined the team this season after 13 years with Los Angeles. Parker was instrumental in the Sky’s title game victory with 16 points and 13 rebounds.

In Philadelphia, disgruntled point guard Ben Simmons practiced for the first time with his team since demanding a trade. Unsurprisingly, he’s not exactly in game shape (yet). The Sixers open their season against New Orleans on Oct. 19.

#What’sTrending

One wag speculated on what went down at Sixers practice on Sunday. Ouch….

Another top-trending tweet focused on what milestones The King may break in the 2021-2022 season.

Best of r/NBA

As of this writing, recognition of the Sky’s WNBA title received the most upvotes from Redditors. The Daily Swish is proud to join in the celebration.

The Chicago Sky (3-1) have beaten the Phoenix Mercury to secure their first WNBA Championship.
by u/sillysam17 in nba

Predictably, Ben Simmons’ return also featured heavily in the discussion. One thread highlighted a somewhat exasperated Tobias Harris responding to yet another question about the whole situation.

[Moore] Tobias Harris on other players’ reaction to Ben Simmons being back: “We’re grown men here. This is not seventh or eighth grade… I didn’t ask (Ben Simmons why he came back).”
by u/GuyCarbonneauGOAT in nba

Also garnering attention in the NBA community was Woj’s report on Phoenix locking key guard-forward Mikal Bridges to a four-year contract.

[Wojnarowski] Phoenix Suns G/F Mikal Bridges has agreed to a four-year, $90 million rookie contract extension, his agents Sam Goldfeder and Jordan Gertler of @Excelbasketball tell ESPN. Deal is fully guaranteed.
by u/G1Spectrum in nba

Performance of the Night

No NBA pre-season games, but it’s fitting that we grant The Daily Swish’s performance of the night to the Chicago Sky collectively for their series victory.

Team celebration. Photo credit: @ChicagoSky Twitter account

If you’re looking for NBA highlights, you could tune into league commissioner Adam Silver’s press conference today. He answers questions prior to the start of the NBA’s 75th season at 3:45 pm EST. Go on, you know you want to.

Play of the Day

The Sky’s Candace Parker with this classy tribute to Kobe Bryant.

Darren is the editorial director of The AllStar and a retired championship-winning point guard who dropped dimes and broke ankles in recreational leagues across the Asia Pacific. Personal sporting highlight: Being courtside under the backboard (and a little to the left) when Vince Carter did THAT DUNK on Frederic Weis at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.