Basketball

Cunningham says off-court protests are not affecting her focus with Fever

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham said she is not concerned that rallies linked to her views on transgender athletes are becoming a distraction for her team. Speaking before Friday night's WNBA game against the Portland Fire, Cunningham said she remains focused on basketball despite protests held outside recent Fever games. "I come in and do my job," Cunningham said. "People who know me understand that I care about others, love basketball and want to inspire young people. I'm here to play basketball and be myself." A small group of supporters gathered outside the arena before Friday's game, marking the second straight Fever game where rallies were held in support of Cunningham. A similar event took place before Indiana's game against the Seattle Storm earlier this week. Each rally drew around two dozen participants. Cunningham said she had no involvement in organising the demonstrations. "People are simply exercising their right to free speech. I respect those who choose to speak their views," she said. Another rally is planned for Sunday's game between the Fever and the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. The protests followed Cunningham's recent public support for banning transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports. During Tuesday's game in Seattle, two Cunningham supporters sat courtside holding signs. Following an incident involving the fans, the WNBA fined Seattle Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton an undisclosed amount and suspended her for five games. The Storm later apologised for the incident, saying the team remains committed to providing a welcoming and respectful environment for everyone attending its games. In Portland, Cunningham was booed by sections of the crowd when she entered the game, while many fans waved pink, blue and white transgender flags. Despite the off-court attention, Indiana secured a 112-98 victory over Portland for its fifth straight win. Cunningham scored 13 points, while Caitlin Clark recorded the fourth triple-double of her WNBA career with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Fever coach Stephanie White acknowledged the controversy has created challenges but said the team remains focused. "We want the attention to be on basketball and our progress as a team," White said. "At the same time, this is part of the league's growth, and we have to manage these situations while continuing to have conversations."

3 days ago

Final phase of National Basketball begins Sunday

The final phase of the 29th National Basketball Championship.2022, organized by Bangladesh Basketball Federation, begins here on Sunday (Dec 4) at the Shaheed Suhrawardy National Indoor Stadium in Mirpur. Eight teams, split into two groups, will take part in the final round of the meet. Six matches will be held on the opening day (Sunday) from 8 am to 4 pm. Read: Fed Cup Basketball: Bangladesh Navy emerge unbeaten champions Participating teams are Group A - Bangladesh Navy, Border Guard Bangladesh, Bangladesh Police and Chattogram DSA, Group B: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Air Force, BKSP and Rajshahi DSA. Later, top two teams from each of the groups, will play in the semifinal on December 6 while the final match will be held on December 7. Chattogram and Rajshahi DSAs qualified for the final round of the national meet as the Group A and B champions on Saturday.

3 years ago

Fed Cup Basketball: Bangladesh Navy, Dhumketu Club reach final

Bangladesh Navy and Dhumketu Club reached the final of the Federation Cup Basketball Tournament 2022 eliminating their rivals in the semifinals at the Shaheed Suhrawardy National Indoor Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.The final match between two teams will be held on Monday (Aug 22) at 10am at the same venue. In the day's first semifinal, Bangladesh Navy eliminated Bangladesh Air Force by 86-52 points after leading the first half by 44-20 points. Also read: Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Women's Basketball on MondayMithun Biswas caged 15 points, Shoeb and Sajib scored 12 points each for the sailors team while Tanveer made 8 and Mamun 6 for the Air Force team..In the day's other semis, Dhumketu Club beat Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) by 81-72 points after dominating the first half by 36-34 points. Also read: Bangabandhu Basketball: Bokshi Bazar beat Josephites 51-48Tamim caged 20 and Tareq 18 points for the winners while Murshed scored the match highest 26 points for the losers.

3 years ago

Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Women's Basketball on Monday

Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Women's 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament, organized by Bangladesh Basketball Federation, will be held on Monday (August 8) at the Shaheed Suhrawardy National Indoor Stadium in Mirpur.President of Bangladesh Basketball Federation ( BBF) Dr. Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, who is also the president of Bangladesh Medical Association, will inaugurate the day-long meet Monday afternoon. Read: Raza guides Zimbabwe to historic series win Bangladesh Basketball Federation arranged the tournament on the occasion of the 92nd birth anniversary of Bangamata Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib, wife of the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

3 years ago

Sheikh Kamal Basketball: BKSP Red emerge unbeaten champions

BKSP Red team emerged unbeaten champions in the Sheikh Kamal U-23 Boys 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament beating Rangers Club by 31-10 points in the final st the Shaheed Suhrawardy National Indoor Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. Vice President of Bangladesh Basketball Federation ( BBF) Moinul Ahsan Monju and BBF general secretary AK Sarkar were present in the day's final and later they distributed the prizes. Also read: Bangabandhu Basketball: Bokshi Bazar beat Josephites 51-48 A total of nine teams took part in the tournament, arranged on the occasion of the 73rd birth anniversary of Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Also read: Victory Day Basketball: Navy, Army reach final

3 years ago