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On Friday night, the WNBA held its 2020 Draft on ESPN, while maintain social distancing protocols, with commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the picks from her home and throwing to live feeds from several of the draftees’ homes as they celebrated with their friends and families.
The start of the WNBA season is still on hold amid the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t stop teams from selecting their incoming class for whenever sports are eventually able to safely and responsibly resume. They started the night with a heartbreaking memorial that honored Gianna Bryant, Peyton Chester And Alyssa Altobelli, the three young basketball players who died tragically in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and took the lives of nine people in all.
Once the draft was officially underway, the New York Liberty started the night by selecting Sabrina Ionescu with the No. 1 overall pick, followed by her Ducks teammate Satou Sabally going to the Dallas Wings with the second overall pick. Below are the results from all three rounds on Friday night, representing the WNBA’s 2020 Draft class.
First Round
1. New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu — G, Oregon
2. Dallas Wings: Satou Sabally — F, Oregon
3. Indiana Fever: Lauren Cox — F, Baylor
4. Atlanta Dream: Chennedy Carter — G, Texas A&M
5. Dallas Wings: Bella Alarie — F, Princeton
6. Minnesota Lynx: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan — F, South Carolina
7. Dallas Wings: Tyasha Harris — G, South Carolina
8. Chicago Sky: Ruthy Hebard — F, Oregon
9. New York Liberty: Megan Walker — F, UConn
10. Phoenix Mercury: Jocelyn Willoughby — F, Virginia
11. Seattle Storm: Kitija Laksa — G, Latvia
12. New York Liberty: Jazmine Jones — G, Louisville
Second Round
13. New York Liberty: Kylee Shook — F, Louisville
14. Indiana Fever: Kathleen Doyle — G, Iowa
15. New York Liberty: Leaonna Odom — F, Duke
16. Minnesota Lynx: Crystal Dangerfield — G, UConn
17. Atlanta Dream: Brittany Brewer — F, Texas A&M
18. Phoenix Mercury: Te’a Cooper — G, Baylor
19. Seattle Storm: Joyner Holmes — F, Texas
20. Los Angeles Sparx: Beatrice Mompremier — C, Miami (FL)
21. Dallas Wings: Luisa Geiselsöder — C, Germany
22. Los Angeles Sparx: Leonie Fiebich — G, Germany
23. Connecticut Sun: Kaila Charles — G/F, Maryland
24. Washington Mystics: Jaylyn Agnew — F, Creighton
Third Round
25. Atlanta Dream: Mikayla Pivec — G, Oregon State
26. New York Liberty: Erica Ogwumike — G, Rice
27. Atlanta Dream: Kobi Thornton — F, Clemson
28. Indiana Fever: Kamiah Smalls — G, James Madison
29. Phoenix Mercury: Stella Johnson — G, Rider
30. Chicago Sky: Japreece Dean — G, UCLA
31. Seattle Storm: Haley Gorecki — G, Duke
32. Chicago Sky: Kiah Gillespie — F, Florida State
33. Las Vegas Aces: Lauren Manis — F, Holy Cross
34. Los Angeles Sparks: Tynice Martin — G, West Virginia
35. Connecticut Sun: Juicy Landrum — G, Baylor
36. Washington Mystics: Sug Sutton — G, Texas
If a point-and-click adventure game based on Seinfeld sounds like a whole lot of nothing, well, that’s the whole point. At least when it comes to two creators who want to make the sitcom-based video game a reality.
Created by Ivan Dixon, who’s done some work for Rick and Morty, and game designer Jacob Janerka (Paradigm), the pitch for Seinfeld is simple: a point-and-click game about nothing is exactly what the people want.
“Have you ever wanted to be a terrible person with no consequences? Live in a nice apartment in New York and complain about the tiny inconveniences ruining your life?” the trailer video’s voiceover asked. “Now you can with Seinfeld: The Game About Nothing.”
The two created a website for the unofficial pitch, hoping to show fan support for such a game that hopefully can make it a reality.
“We will write a brand new story revolving around the Seinfeld characters designed to work in this medium, remaining faithful to the tone and themes of the show,” they wrote, though it’s notable that Kramer is not a playable character because “no one can control Kramer.”
The trailer has some pretty solid jokes and fake endorsements from some big media outlets. And at least one developer seems interested in the project, barring legal trouble. And there’s a wonderful artistry in modern point-and-click games that can actually make this work. Kentucky Route Zero, arguably one of the best games of the decade, is a point and click masterpiece largely about mundane things in a supernatural world. Whether the licensing and voice work could actually get done to make a Seinfeld game exist is something else entirely, but it’s an interesting concept to say the least.
[via The Hollywood Reporter]
With the world still on virtual lockdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, professional sports have been in a holding pattern, with all current seasons suspended until further notice as social distancing protocols remain in place in an effort to flatten the curve and stem the spread of COVID-19.
Transactions around most leagues have been put on hiatus as well, but on Friday night, the WNBA went ahead with their Draft, conducted virtually with most draftees celebrating their big via live feeds in their homes with their families. But before things got kicked off, the league made a remarkable gesture to honor the victims of a devastating tragedy earlier this year.
With the first three honorary picks, the WNBA drafted Gianna Bryant, Peyton Chester, And Alyssa Altobelli, who along with Kobe Bryant were among the nine people who died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles earlier this year.
Gigi’s mom, Vanessa Bryant, posted an emotional video thanking the WNBA for giving her daughter such a beautiful memorial and talking about Gigi’s dream of one day making it to the league. Kobe and Vanessa’s daughter was quite the basketball player, and she had aspirations of one day suiting up for UConn.
“Work hard. Never settle. Use that Mamba Mentality.”
Vanessa Bryant thanks the WNBA for honoring Gigi, and shares some wisdom for the 2020 draft class. pic.twitter.com/CwvyxqG0fi
— ESPN (@espn) April 17, 2020
All three girls were 13 years old at the time and would’ve been part of the 2024 class.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put all the major sports leagues on indefinite hiatus in an effort to slow the spread of the deadly virus, and with it, has also put a freeze on most league business and transactions. However, the WNBA went ahead with their 2020 Draft on Friday night, with commissioner Cathy Engelbert announcing the picks virtually, along with live feeds from the draftees’ homes.
To start the night, Engelbert selected Gianna Bryant, Peyton Chester, and Alyssa Altobelli as honorary draft picks as way to memorialize to the three young basketball players who, along with Kobe Bryant, were among the nine people who died in a helicopter crash in February near L.A.
Once the official draft got underway, the New York Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu with the No. 1 overall pick. The Oregon standout had been the presumptive pick after finishing up her senior season with the Ducks. Soon after, it was officially announced that Ionescu had signed a sneaker deal with Oregon-based shoe giant Nike.
OFFICIAL: @WNBA #1 Draft pick Sabrina Ionescu has signed a multi-year shoe deal with Nike. pic.twitter.com/Fq13bwIIqi
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) April 17, 2020
Ionescu had 26 triple-doubles during her time with the Ducks, and was the only player in NCAA history (men and women) to finish with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists.
Welcome to Brooklyn @sabrina_i20!! https://t.co/MbMRJp6fPV
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) April 17, 2020
Afterward, Ionescu got a hearty welcome message from Kevin Durant via Twitter, as each of them will ostensibly play their respective home games at Barclays Center in Brooklyn next season.
