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The NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship delivered a bigger audience than last year, but it wasn’t enough to best the women’s title game.

Elle Fanning and Gus Wenner are stepping out for date night.

hope Caitlin Clark calls her signature shoe.The , who was the first pick in the WNBA draft after smashing records during her four years at school in Iowa, is on the cusp of signing a massive endorsement deal with athletic-wear giant Nike. According to the , the almost-finalized contract would pay Clark $28 million over eight years and includes a promise for a signature shoe, which, depending on how the deal is structured, could be super lucrative.Nike reportedly outbid competitors Under Armour, Adidas and Puma to sign Clark. The article also notes that Clark is already a millionaire thanks to “name, image, likeness” (NIL) deals she made while at school, partnering with brands like Gatorade and State Farm.$28 million would be the richest sponsorship contract for a female basketball player ever, according to the AP.

Tony and Carmela Soprano back together, all in the name of Lebron James.Though Tony was last seen in The Sopranos final episode in 2007, it turns out he made one more appearance after that.Back in 2010, a video was made to encourage NBA player Lebron James to sign with the New York Knicks. James had just entered free agency for the first time ever, and the Knicks were eager to sign him.As the story goes, the Knicks execs put together a video to convince the legendary basketball player, a strategy which included featuring plenty of New York celebrities at the time including Chris Rock, Harvey Weinstein and former US President Donald Trump.

Blake Griffin‘s time in the NBA has come to an end.

The college basketball season may be over, but Caitlin Clark helped lead ESPN to one more audience record before going pro.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The Sopranos” fans got thrown a curveball in 2021 when Edie Falco revealed for the first time on an Atlantic podcast that she once reunited with James Gandolfini to reprise Tony and Carmela Soprano for a bizarre clip set two years after the events of the series finale, which infamously ended with a cut-to-black that left Tony’s fate in the balance. The purpose of the clip was to help the New York Knicks basketball organization lure LeBron James to the team. Gandolfini and Falco shot the “Sopranos” reunion in 2010 as James was becoming a free agent after his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers expired.

who was the number one overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, celebrated her milestone achievement alongside her boyfriend, fellow player McCaffery, who at 23, is no slouch on the court, either, having played in college and is now pursuing a coaching career.Here's a full timeline of Caitlin Clark and boyfriend Connor McCaffery's relationship, since we've already watched Love & Basketball like twice this week.April 15, 2024: After Clark was drafted by the Indiana Fever, McCaffery responded cheekily to a question about his reaction to .

as she does while playing. The arrived at the 2024 WNBA draft on April 15 dressed head-to-toe in Prada. Not for nothing, this is the first time Prada has dressed a basketball player (male or female) for draft night, according to , because apparently wherever she goes.This content can also be viewed on the site it from.Clark's white Prada suit consisted of a boxy satin blazer and matching miniskirt, which she wore with a sequined crop-top underneath.

debut to dunk on .The SNL comedian has had a lot to say about this season, even during last night's episode. “University of Iowa announced that basketball star Caitlin Clark will have her jersey retired and replaced with an apron,” he joked before welcoming the on Weekend Update.After watching a super-cut of Ché's jokes about the , the 22-year-old athlete had the 40-year-old comedian read some headlines of her own.

Caitlin Clark is on Saturday Night Live!

Anne McCarthy After making a joke about Iowa Hawkeyes player Caitlin Clark retiring her jersey for an apron, Michael Che was roasted on the “Weekend Update” segment of “SNL” this week by none other than Clark. Che opened the bit by saying, “University of Iowa announced that Caitlin Clark will have her jersey retired.” With a smirk and a laugh, he added, “And replace with an apron.” The crowd didn’t love the joke, and Che playfully said, “Whoa! Well, the WNBA draft is this Monday, and Iowa star Caitlin Clark is expected to be the number one pick.

Michael Che was humbled by basketball star Caitlin Clark when she crashed Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” segment after the comedian made a sexist joke at her expense.

Kim Kardashian is stepping out to support her son.

Chip Gaines is probably regretting this social media exchange!

By All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.You don’t have to be a sports fan to have noticed something epic is happening in women’s .Call it the , the phenomenon named for the Iowa Hawkeyes guard who completely reshaped the college basketball landscape this season.

It was supposed to be the battle of the big men as UConn’s 7-2, 280-pound center Donovan Clingan took on Purdue’s 7-foot-4, 300-pound Zach Edey, but the NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship didn’t turn out that way. It was Huskies’ guard Tristan Newton who led his team with 20 points and 7 assists, and in so doing earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the Final Four for a second year in a row.

South Carolina defeated Iowa in front of a record-breaking national audience on Sunday.

regardless if her comments may offend some people — was asked about her position on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.The question came from Dan Zaksheske, a reporter for OutKick, a website with a strong conservative viewpoint that markets itself as an “everyman” alternative to mainstream sports news outlets.“You just talked about what a massive weekend this is for women’s basketball, women’s sports in general,” Zaksheske said. “One of the major issues facing women’s sports now is the debate/discussion/topic about transgender athletes, biological men in women’s sports. I was wondering if you could tell me your position on that issue.”“Damn, you got deep on me, didn’t you?” Staley responded after taking a long sip of water.

Maybe a star player will be singled out with a “thank you for making us better,” or some other sportsmanlike platitude.However, when Dawn Staley, head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks, took the podium on Sunday, April 7, following her team’s big win, she went out of her way to dedicate an entire paragraph of her speech to , the college basketball star for the Iowa Hawkeyes.“I want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for lifting up our sport,” Staley . “She carried a heavy load for and it’s just not going to stop here on the collegiate tour, but when she is the number one pick in the draft, she’s going to lift up that league up as well.”She added, “Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you are one of the GOATs of our game and we appreciate you.”Head coach Dawn Staley of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after beating the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament National Championship.Staley’s decision to call Clark a GOAT seems pointed, especially after some fans believed the South Carolina coach in a previous interview.“If Caitlin wins the championship, she’s pretty damn good, yeah, she’s a GOAT,” Staley said the day before the final game, .

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The NCAA men’s basketball national championship game is finally here, capping off an action-packed March Madness season. No.

It was perfection topped with sweet revenge for the South Carolina Gamecocks, who capped a perfect season Sunday by beating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, 87-75.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The University of South Carolina overwhelmed the Iowa Hawkeyes Sunday in a rollicking NCAA Women’s College Basketball Championship game that capped an unprecedented run for women’s sports. The game that ended 87-75 saw University of Iowa megastar Caitlin Clark wrap her collegiate career and the birth of not one but two WNBA stars, as Clark and South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso head off to next week’s WNBA draft. The Iowa-South Carolina game was a seesaw from the start.

can't be considered one of the greatest woman's college basketball player of all time without having won a championship, despite her .A controversial foul call put a bit of a damper on the victory for many viewers.By “If Caitlin wins the championship, she's pretty damn good, yeah, she's a GOAT," Staley said, per . "I mean, she’s really damn good regardless.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. The matchups are finally in place. Purdue faces off against UConn to conclude March Madness, in what’s shaping up to be a basketball game for the books.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Caitlin Clark and Co. delivered big-time for ESPN on Friday with a record audience tuning in to the Final Four game that sent the University of Iowa to Sunday’s national championship. ESPN’s nighttime telecast of UConn-Iowa faceoff delivered an audience of 14.2 million viewers, a new high mark for a women’s college basketball game, per ESPN citing Nielsen data.

Thee women’s NCAA Semifinals on ESPN shattered viewership records, as all-time NCAA basketball scoring leader Caitlin Clark led her Iowa Hawkeyes to a thrilling win over the UConn Huskies, 71-69, in a game that wasn’t decided until the final seconds.

—and the pressure is mounting.The led the Iowa Hawkeyes to victory against UConn on April 5, sending the college team to the women’s NCAA championship game against the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks.Just last week, Iowa's win against Louisiana State University became the in women’s college history, with 12.3 million viewers tuning in to see the epic rematch between Clark and fellow generational talent . While Clark has yet to win a national title, the superstar recently became the the all-time , male or female.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Caitlin Clark takes to the college basketball court for the last time, as the Iowa Hawkeyes chases NCAA Women’s National Championship title against Kamilla Cardoso and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The game takes place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio with tip-off at 3 p.m.

A battle for the ages is shaping up on Sunday to decide the NCAA Women’s National Basketball championship.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The University of Iowa and superstar Caitlin Clark are set for consecutive trips to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game as the team prevailed in a nail-biter Final Four faceoff against University of Connecticut. The final matchup finishes out a dream March Madness tournament for NCAA Women’s Basketball, as star players such as Clark and LSU’s Angel Reese and others have grabbed the spotlight.

Everyone is going to be talking about THAT kiss from the latest episode of 9-1-1, which happened to be the show’s milestone 100th episode.

The first episode of the new CBS series Elsbeth aired back in late February and now the network is finally airing the second episode!

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor The outsized audience for this week’s highly-watched women’s NCAA basketball match between Iowa and LSU may also have noticed that many of the commercials seen during the game belonged to AT&T, State Farm, Home Depot and Gatorade. There was good reason. Optimum Sports, a media agency that specializes in sports properties and is part of ad giant Omnicom Group, had quietly snatched up 35% of advertising time during the game, a record setter in terms of viewership for women’s sports and the latest example of how interest in female players and the leagues in which they play is booming.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Does the sports world have room for April Action after weeks of March Madness? Fox aims to answer the question in 2025 when it launched a new post-season college-basketball tournament in tandem with large sports and music promote AEG Worldwide. The College Basketball Crown will rely on 16 teams drawn largely from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East conferences, with the possibility of other participants.

Once again, the Iowa Hawkeyes are leading ESPN to record audiences for women’s basketball.