ESPN Defends Busty Candace Parker Piece

It's no NBA—but it shouldn't be, argues blogger. Plus, some players are hot.

(NEWSER) - The WNBA finals are going on, which has—in the past—led Sam Greenspan to joke, “Man I hope one of the players lands a one-handed breakaway dunk to seal the best-of-one series!” The league is “universally ripped on,” he writes for 11points.com, but the time has come to give it a break, and here’s why:

• The playoffs don’t go on forever: “As much as I love them, even I find the NBA playoffs to be farcically slow.”

Hall of Famer to play for short-handed Detroit for 7 days

(NEWSER) - Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman is headed back to the WNBA at age 50, reports ESPN, which is losing her from its airwaves to the Detroit Shock, a team she played for and coached. Lieberman signed a 7-day contract to help a team hurt by injury and looming disciplinary action; she’ll be the league’s oldest player ever—breaking a record she set in 1997, at 39. More»

'Crazy people to do some crazy things,' billionaire says of his lavish hoop jones

(NEWSER) - Basketball-crazy Russian billionaire Shabtai von Kalmanovic is pouring money into women's hoops—flying WNBA players to Russia in the off-season and paying them 10 times what they make in the US. Players like Diana Taurasi are put up in luxury digs and chauffeured around. "They should be treated like people of art, like stars," Kalmanovic tells the Los Angeles Times. More»

Former deputy mayor, Microsoft execs pay $10 million for franchise

(NEWSER) - Though the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics could be on the way to Oklahoma City, the WNBA's Storm appears set to remain in the Emerald City thanks to a deal by four local women to buy the women's basketball franchise. The foursome, which includes a pair of Microsoft executives, will pay Sonics owner Clay Bennett $10 million, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. More»

Mercury smother the Detroit Shock, 108-92

(NEWSER) - Champagne was flowing after the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Detroit Shock, 108-92, in the final game of a 5-game championship series last night, reports the Arizona Republic. Cappie Pondexter, the series MVP, had 20 points in the second half, and teammate Penny Taylor led the scoring with 30 points in an offensive showdown. More»