Australian Duop Reath has made the big time, reportedly signing his first NBA contract with the Portland Trail Blazers after an impressive World Cup performance.
The 27-year-old centre went undrafted in 2018 before embarking on a globetrotting career, playing in Serbia and China – where last season he averaged 18.2 points, along with 7.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals, and 2.0 blocks for the Qingdao Eagles.
He landed a spot on the Trail Blazers’ Summer League squad, where he averaged 13.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games.
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Then he impressed for the Boomers at the World Cup despite somewhat limited minutes, picking up 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 assists across five games.
His highlight was a 16-point effort in the opening win over Georgia, while he two or more blocks in three of the five games.
Reath also showed his efficiency with an 81% field-goal shooting percentage and went 75% on 3-point shooting.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the contract would be a one-year deal.
But given Portland’s lack of depth at centre behind Jusuf Nurkic, it represents an ideal landing spot for the Australian as he seeks to break into the world’s premier league.
Lithuania have handed the USA their first loss of the FIBA World Cup, defeating the star studded team 110-104 in a stunning upset that took the basketball world by surprise.
The USA breezed through with three group stage wins before they had a minor scare against Montenegro in the first match of the second preliminary round.
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But the Americans quickly found themselves in a dogfight against Lithuania, who shot to an early lead on the back of scintillating long range shooting in a clash between the two previously undefeated teams.
The European nation shot 9/9 three-pointers to open the game, while New Orleans Pelicans star Jonas Valanciunas asserted himself on the contest.
Lithuania dominated the rebounds and successfully targeted Austin Reaves, getting the LA Lakers guard and Jaren Jackson Jr in early foul trouble.
Lithuania led by 17 points at halftime, before the USA erased the deficit in the first five minutes of the third quarter.
Team USA were handed a rare loss. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)Source: Getty ImagesLithuania couldn’t miss from three point land. Photo: Twitter.Source: TwitterAnthony Edwards did his best but Lithuania were too good. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
But every time it seemed the Americans were about to take the lead, Lithuania responded with a second chance basket or a three-pointer.
The dagger game midway through the fourth quarter when Mindaugas Kuzminskas sunk an insane Hail Mary three-pointer as the shot clock ran out.
“Oh I don’t believe it,” the commentator exclaimed.
“You cannot be serious! Kuzminskas under incredible ball pressure, throws up a prayer over Anthony Edwards and scores.”
Anthony Edwards finished with 35 points but it wasn’t enough to drag his team over the line.
Since 2019, the USA have only lost to Australia, France, Nigeria and now Lithuania.
The USA had already done enough to qualify for the Paris Olympics, book their place in the quarterfinals and remain the favourite to win their first World Cup gold medal since 2014.
It means Lithuania, Latvia and Slovenia have all qualified for the quarterfinals.
Australia’s Boomers wrapped up their disappointing World Cup campaign with a consolation 100-84 win over Georgia on Sunday.
Losses to Germany and Slovenia ended any hopes the Boomers had of progressing to the quarterfinals and vying for a medal.
For a Boomers team that boasted a talented roster with nine NBA players, this felt too soon — like the ceiling for this group was so much higher than what they dished out in Okinawa.
But with a premature exit from the FIBA World Cup comes more time for reflection before what Australia coach Brian Goorjian described as “some big decisions ahead”.
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“We’ve made some moves coming into this — the Delly, the Baynes — and I really like Daniels. I think that’s another piece to add to that. You’ve got Jock Landale to add to this.
“There’s some big decisions ahead but again I like what is in front of me.”
With the Paris Olympics less than a year away, time is already running out for Goorjian — should he even remain the coach moving forward — to settle on what the new generation of Boomers could look like.
Josh Giddey would be making his long-awaited major tournament debut for the Boomers, forming a new-look backcourt alongside the far more experienced Patty Mills.
The loss of Jock Landale, meanwhile, pushed Nick Kay and Duop Reath into more prominent roles than they likely would have played had Goorjian’s first-choice big not gone down injured.
Australian players look dejected. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
An injury-interrupted preparation during the warm-up games also limited Josh Green’s ability to ramp up, later flashing his potential in Australia’s win over Japan.
But that is the frustrating part for Boomers fans. Between Green’s flashes, Giddey’s impressive tournament and even the emergence of Xavier Cooks there are plenty of reasons for optimism.
There is also, however, a lingering sense of disappointment in the fact this team was never really able to put it together and develop the necessary cohesion and chemistry.
As Michael Jordan himself once said, “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships”.
The talent of Giddey almost got the Boomers over the line against Slovenia but Australia’s opponents were far better drilled and disciplined as a unit and it showed late in the game.
That is not to say Australia was playing a selfish style of basketball; far from it. In fact, the Boomers spread the ball around in selfless fashion against Japan with 19 assists at halftime.
It is just that unless they were pushing the pace in transition off defensive stops, Australia lacked structure and an identity in offence.
An inability to consistently spread the floor with outside shooting also played its role as did some of the rotations across the tournament.
Head coach Brian Goorjian. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Although in the case of Friday’s game, the decision not to give Chris Goulding any real minutes may come under particular scrutiny given Australia was in desperate need of spark.
While it was understandable not to give the Melbourne United sharpshooter many minutes in other games given defensive concerns, he was worth a try against a Slovenia team that only looked in real trouble late as Giddey caught fire.
“Some of the guys from Australia played an amazing game tonight, especially Josh Giddey… he was almost unstoppable,” Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said.
Giddey is, as expected, the shining light to come out of this tournament for Australia after averaging 20.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists across four games.
Giddey’s evolution as a scorer in particular was pleasing to see, with the 20-year-old using his size and playing with physicality to develop his finishing around the rim.
Speaking on the ‘Ball and the Real World’ podcast ahead of the World Cup, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said finishing without a medal wouldn’t necessarily make the tournament a failure for Australia.
“I know the standard for the Aussies is to medal and I’m not saying that shouldn’t be it,” he said.
“But if they walk out with these young guys playing well and holding a bid [for the Olympics], I think they will have had a successful event.”
Josh Giddey had a great tournament. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Well, they have that Olympic bid after finishing as the top-ranked side from Oceania, while Giddey was not the only young player to show growth on the international stage.
Cooks may be 28 years old but he still has plenty of development left in him as he looks to build on a successful FIBA World Cup campaign next season with the Washington Wizards.
Dante Exum even made a noticeable impact on both ends of the floor as he prepares to return to the NBA after being rewarded for his impressive form with Partizan Belgrade.
Dyson Daniels is another key piece for the Boomers, although the 20-year-old barely saw any minutes during the World Cup and so he didn’t have a chance to further his development.
Of course, the biggest question mark hanging over the Boomers ahead of next year is whether Ben Simmons will be a part of the national set-up. He suggested this week that he wants to put on the green and gold again.
Goorjian though was clear when speaking to ESPN before the World Cup that Simmons wouldn’t simply walk back into the team.
“This is very important,” the Boomers’ head coach told ESPN.
“In my dealings with Ben, it’s always been: I’m not recruiting you. It’s important for the country [to know], we’re not going, ‘please, Ben, please, we don’t have anything if you don’t play’. We’re not like that at all.”
For Simmons, the priority will be getting to the right physical and mental space with the Brooklyn Nets before even considering his place with the Boomers.
Adding Simmons into the mix would obviously offer Australia even more athleticism and length on both ends of the floor, something Goorjian clearly wants to lean into moving forward.
“The blueprint for our success, what we’ve talked about leading in this, is the small ball, switching, the defence,” Goorjian said after the win against Japan.
“The blueprint was the first half. I’ve talked a lot about the change, from the experience we had at the last Olympics, we’re going through evolution. Some guys get spit out, some guys get moved in.
“Three big pieces tonight: Josh Giddey, Josh Green, and Xavier Cooks are three guys… that’s what we’ve been talking about for the future of the team.”
Speaking of the future, the hope will also be that Tyrese Proctor — who is set to be the latest Australian drafted into the NBA in 2024 — can improve his shot while playing at Duke.
Proctor likely won’t be ready by Paris but the Boomers need all the outside shooting they can get at the moment, particularly if Mills and Joe Ingles aren’t having their best nights.
Tyrese Proctor probably won’t be ready by the Olympics but he’s one to watch. (Photo by Robertus Pudyanto/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Those two will likely be there again in Paris, although regardless a decision needs to be made on how heavily Australia leans into the future and it sounds like that discussion is already underway.
“The medal ranking teams in this, and I think Slovenia is that and I think Germany is that, they could get a gold medal, silver, bronze. We are a step off that right now,” Goorjian said on Friday night.
“We were right there with Germany and going into the fourth tonight, as bad as we played and as shaky as we were offensively, it was 66-62. It starts now, preparation for the Olympics. “But we learned a lot and I think we’re in the process of change in style of play, both offensively and defensively. We’re all disappointed but I’m excited about where this thing could go and definitely a clear picture after playing this tournament.”
It is the earliest the team had ever lost at the tournament, reaching at least the semi-finals in every edition of the World Cup, winning it four times.
Alex Morgan reacts to the defeat and Donald Trump. Photos: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Coming into this year’s event as the two-time defending champions, they were overwhelming favourites to win it all again, despite selecting an ageing and largely untested line-up.
Trump, who is the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, couldn’t resist the opportunity to slam a team he has had a number of run-ins with in the past.
Taking to Truth Social – an alternative and extreme social media platform set up by Trump after he was banned by multiple others – the 77-year-old unleashed.
Donald Trump on Truth SocialSource: Twitter
“The “shocking and totally unexpected” loss by the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team to Sweden is fully emblematic of what is happening to the our (sic) once great Nation under Crooked Joe Biden,” he wrote.
“Many of our players were openly hostile to America – No other country behaved in such a manner, or even close.
“WOKE EQUALS FAILURE. Nice shot Megan, the USA is going to Hell!!! MAGA.”
The last line is a reference to the penalty miss by outspoken US star Megan Rapinoe as the Swede’s progressed 5-4.
Megan Rapinoe and Kristie Mewis react to the defeat to Sweden. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
It’s not the first time Trump has taken an aggressive stance against the American team.
After the US ended with a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games, Trump blamed the “leftist maniacs” on the team.
“If our soccer team, headed by a radical group of leftist maniacs, wasn’t woke, they would have won the gold medal instead of the bronze,” he said in a statement he released back in August 2021.
“Woke means you lose, everything that is woke goes bad, and our soccer team certainly has.”
Megan Rapinoe missed a crucial penalty for the US side. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Trump went on to target Rapinoe after the Olympics result, a player named the world’s best in 2019 who has a history of political activism.
“The woman with the purple hair played terribly and spends too much time thinking about radical left politics and not doing her job!,” he said.
In the bronze medal match, which was against Australia’s Matildas, Rapinoe scored two of the four goals and was key to the team’s bronze medal victory.
The former Republican President and the American woman’s football team have not been on good terms since the group declined an invitation to the White House after winning the 2019 World Cup.
For every piece of progress, our top female athletes are still dealing with widespread inequality. Rachael Haynes opens up on the exhausting and frustrating process of constantly pushing for change.
I’ll never forget the moment I walked out onto the MCG for the T20 World Cup final back in 2020. We’d spent so long preparing and working with the pressure to ‘Fill the G’. At one point all the lights went out and the crowd of 86,000 lit up the stadium with their phones. The sea of lights and the atmosphere that night was incredible.
Growing up I’d only really been able to watch men’s sport on TV. It’s such a huge part of the Aussie life but as a child I was always confused about why I couldn’t find a women’s side to watch. It was so hard to find. It wasn’t on TV, it wasn’t in newspapers and we didn’t have social media. Women’s sport was almost invisible.
Fast forward 20 years and look how far we have come. We’re seeing billboards around the country hyping up the Matildas, women’s sport is on prime time TV, matches are selling out around the country and, for so many women, they’re now able to call themselves professional athletes.
In sport and society in general, many women are experiencing change for the better. The traditional roles placed on females are evolving and the narrative of women’s sport is improving. That said, there’s still plenty more to do and unfortunately this change is not consistent across all countries and communities.
We talk about glass ceilings women have to punch through in all industries, the change is happening, but when you’re in the thick of it, it feels like it’s taking an eternity.
Long before 2020, we believed in our product, in our team and what we could achieve. We didn’t doubt what we could do. Then we had that night at the MCG and the public caught a glimpse of who we were and what we were capable of. The next step is ensuring people understand these women are not just incredible once every four years, it’s day to day, week to week and month to month.
We shouldn’t have to win a World Cup or a gold medal to be noticed. It feels like for female athletes you have to be the best and reach the pinnacle to be seen. That needs to change.
SEXISM AND PAVING THE WAY
It’s an exhausting and frustrating process pushing for change and feeling like you move two steps forward then one step back. For every piece of progress there are still things taking place that are unequal, or grounded in traditions which exclude segments of the community.
When I’ve faced sexism, I reflect on the courage and commitment of the generations before me – I can only imagine what they faced. I hope what my former teammates and I are doing today can make the future even better for the next generation.
While it’s sometimes frustrating to wait, in cricket we are starting to make real progress and our push for gender equity is something to be proud of. We’re not there yet, but we are certainly moving in an exciting direction. Rising tides lift all boats and I hope that what we are doing can help other sports and in turn what Australia is doing can help other nations.
There also has to be a shift also in how women’s sport is covered. Athletes don’t want to be talked about because of the way they look, they want to be critiqued on their performance. It’s a source of pride when female sport is treated in a similar vein to men’s and with this is an expectation, they will address poor performances and form, we won’t always be seen in a positive light. It’s not always easy to cop when negative press happens for the first time, but to me, it means the public and the media is invested in your story and taking you seriously.
WINNING AT HOME
Winning in 2020 did an enormous amount for women’s cricket and became an iconic moment.
In hindsight it was an incredibly unique experience to go through, the expectations on us challenged every part of our skills as athletes.
‘Fill the G’ was the marketing campaign they put in front of us 18 months out. We’d only just won in the Caribbean and we were launched straight into this. We knew it wasn’t going to happen without us making the final. The room fell silent when they told us, already the pressure was enormous.
We knew how hard reaching a World Cup final was but when you have that added burden of being on home soil and a massive marketing campaign it’s like nothing we’d ever been through.
‘Luckily’ we dropped our first game that tournament. Losing focused us. We spoke about how we were feeling and the fact we weren’t handling the pressure well. Some thrived on the extra attention and media spotlight, for others it was distracting and didn’t get the best out of them performance wise. We had frank conversations about our roles and adopted individual plans to handle the mental pressure. Doing this allowed us to actually enjoy ourselves.
MESSAGE FOR THE MATILDAS
Nothing prepares you for a home World Cup, nothing.
Kiss goodbye to anonymity, you will be stopped in the street, asked for photos and cheered everywhere you go – which is lovely – but was something I’d never experienced before.
I’d encourage all the squad, as much as possible, to enjoy the moments, take it all in. Not many athletes get the honour of being in a major event on home soil. Prepare as much as you can mentally and ask how will this impact you? Talk about it as a team.
Billie Jean King says ‘pressure is a privilege’. For me that epitomises how you want to think of a home event. People genuinely care about how you go, the country is behind you. Find a way as a team and as an individual to make this a positive experience for you. Ride the wave with the nation.
United States women’s team star Megan Rapinoe announced on social media on Saturday that she would be retiring from football at the end of this season.
“It is with a deep sense of peace & gratitude that I have decided this will be my final season playing this beautiful game,” the 38-year-old posted.
“I never could have imagined the ways in which soccer would shape and change my life forever,” she added.
The two-time World Cup winner, well known for her activism, is part of the USA squad for the upcoming women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, her fourth appearance at the tournament.
Rapinoe plays in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for Seattle based OL Reign — their season concludes in November.
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The winger currently has 199 caps over a span of 17 years playing for her country and also won an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012.
She was awarded the Best FIFA Women’s Player in 2019 but her fame came as much for her espousal of causes and her campaigning as for her skills on the field.
Rapinoe publicly came out as gay in July 2012 and has been a high-profile campaigner on social issues including LGBTQ+ rights, racial inequality and gender and pay equality.
She was a leading voice in the US women’s team’s successful fight for equal pay and conditions which resulted in a law suit and eventual new collective agreement being struck in 2021.
Rapinoe made headlines in 2016 when she took a knee during the national anthem in solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
Rapinoe celebrates scoring in the 2019 World Cup final.Source: AFP
“I’ve been able to have such an incredible career, and this game has brought me all over the world and allowed me to meet so many amazing people,” said Rapinoe.
“I feel incredibly grateful to have played as long as I have, to be as successful as we’ve been, and to have been a part of a generation of players who undoubtedly left the game better than they found it.”
“To be able to play one last World Cup and one last NWSL season and go out on my own terms is incredibly special,” she added.
Last July she received the highest civilian honour in the United States when President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Rapinoe was the first footballer to receive the award and one of just six female athletes or coaches.
Rapinoe earned America’s highest honour for a civilian.Source: AFP
“Beyond the World Cup title to Olympic medals, Megan is a champion for essential American truth that everyone is entitled to be treated with dignity and respect,” Biden said at the award ceremony.
“She helped lead the change for perhaps the most important victory for anyone on our soccer team or any soccer team: equal pay for women.”
US women’s team coach Vlatko Andonovski said Rapinoe remained an important part of the team for the World Cup which starts on July 20.
“Megan Rapinoe is one of the most important players in women’s soccer history and a personality like no other,” he said.
“She has produced so many memorable moments for her team and the fans on the field that will be remembered for a very long time, but her impact on people as a human being may be even more important.
“It’s been a wonderful experience to coach her in the NWSL and for the national team and I’m looking forward to her being an important part of our team at the World Cup.”
Rapinoe led the calls for racial justice after taking the knee in 2016.Source: AFP
The Californian has spent most of her career playing in domestic leagues but had a brief spell in Australia with W-League team Sydney FC in 2011 and two years later played for French club Lyon, reaching the final of the Champions League.
At the 2019 World Cup in France, she scored in the 2-0 win over the Netherlands in the final and was named Player of the Match. She won the Golden Boot as top scorer and Golden Ball for best player in the tournament.
“Megan is a generational talent,” US women’s national team general manager and former Rapinoe teammate Kate Markgraf said.
“When you talk about players performing on the biggest stages, she’s right up there with the best to ever do it.
“Her contributions off the field are the epitome of someone who saw that she had a large platform and used it for good.”
Cricket Australia announced a 17-player list of female contracts for 2023-24 on Wednesday with the news revealing one Tasmanian player had accepted her deal while another had declined.
Tasmania will again have just one female player on Cricket Australia’s books next season with Heather Graham offered a first-time contract and Tigers teammate Nicola Carey opting out following a tough year in the national team.
Graham, who was elevated into the Australian line-up in December of 2022, receives her first national deal after a breakout season that included a hat-trick on debut for her country before being a member of the victorious T20 World Cup campaign in February.
Carey, who was named the female Tigers player of the year last Friday, was offered a contract by the national selectors but declined the deal to focus on her commitments with the Tigers.
“Nicola Carey expressed a desire to spend the winter in Tasmania to allow her to utilize a full pre-season at home,” Cricket Australia national selector Shawn Flegler said.
“(Her) focus is on using that time to develop skills in her game to push for international selection in the future.
“We offered Nic a contract because we believe she is a player of international quality, but we respect her decision to focus on a pre-season program with Tasmania and will continue to support her moving forward.”
The 29-year-old endured a tough year in the national team, missing the final XI in both the 50-over World Cup win in April last year and the Commonwealth Games gold medal match in Birmingham in August before also being overlooked for the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
This didn’t stop her from producing a stellar campaign for the Tigers as they went back-to-back in the women’s national cricket league with Carey scoring 482 runs and taking 10 wickets to win her second award in three seasons.
The announcement of the 17-player list for the 2023-24 season comes following the groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement that saw the number of Cricket Australia women’s contracts increased from 15 to a possible 18 with those players now recognised as full-time athletes.
Cricket Australia 2023-24 contracted women’s players
