Sports

WNBA’s Johnson: Didn’t Expect Arrest After Griner Fight

Published

9 years ago

May 27, 2015

In this May 17, 2013, file photo, Tulsa Shock’s Glory Johnson pauses during the team’s preseason WNBA basketball game against the Seattle Storm in Seattle. Johnson had no idea her fight with Brittney Griner would become such a big deal. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

CLIFF BRUNT, AP Sports Writer

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Glory Johnson had no idea her fight with then-fiancee Brittney Griner would become such a big deal.

After the WNBA All-Stars stars battled so fiercely at their home that police were called, the now-married couple immediately began working through their problems together.

“We fought, we hashed it out, we talked it out, we were like, ‘Did we really just do that?'” Johnson told The Associated Press Tuesday. “Then we hugged, and we were like, ‘OK, the cops are coming.'”

The WNBA said Johnson pushed Griner in the shoulder, and Griner responded by pushing Johnson in the back of the neck. The April 22 confrontation included wrestling, punches and the throwing and swinging of objects. Griner had a bite wound on her finger and scratches on her wrist, while Johnson was scratched above her lip and diagnosed with a concussion.

Both were arrested, which surprised Johnson.

“The police said they have no idea who was the victim,” the Tulsa Shock forward said. “They had no idea. It surprised me, but I can’t control how people take it, I can’t control how people handle it, I can only control what I do from here on out.”

Johnson said multiple triggers led to the dispute with Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury.

“We know how we care about each other, and we fought out of that,” she said. “A lot of it was passion. We fought because we were mad that this person felt like this, or this person said this.”

The league suspended them for seven games each — just over a fifth of the season — without pay. Johnson is appealing her suspension, and said her lawyer is ready if further action is needed.

“Do I think it was a little much? Yes,” Johnson said. “Especially because of the way we are and the way we handled it.”

The league’s decision is significant for both teams.

Griner is the reigning WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and helped the Mercury win the WNBA title last season. Johnson is a two-time All-Star for the Shock. Griner will be out until Phoenix’s game against Minnesota on June 27. If Johnson’s suspension stands, her first game back would be June 26 against New York.

Despite what Johnson called “one of the toughest months I’ve ever experienced,” she said she never reconsidered her plans to marry Griner. Their wedding went on as planned a few weeks after the fight.

“I never had any second thoughts,” she said. “Even though it was a situation that had never happened to me before, in any relationship that I’ve had, it was almost like, ‘OK, I partook in the situation, too, and I did fight as well.'”

Johnson said she has seen where some question why she remains in the relationship.

“If it’s something that I can work through, or it’s even something that I was a part of, you’ve got to take responsibility and either decide you want to move forward with the person that you care so much about or not, and I care a lot about this person, and it was my decision to move forward, and she did the same.”

Johnson said she understands the significance of domestic violence.

“I don’t want anyone to have to deal with that situation, any of my sisters, or even any of my teammates to deal with a situation like that,” she said. “I’d probably tell them to leave, but if they were like, ‘Man, but we’ve been through so much, and we care about each other more than just this one incident,’ then there’s more pros than cons.”

The Mercury play the Shock on July 2 in Phoenix. Griner and Johnson have faced each other before — both are post players in the league’s Western Conference. Johnson said the matchups this season will be intense, as usual.

“We’re very competitive,” she said. “It might even look like we’re going at each other. But afterward, we’re like, ‘Where do you want to go eat?'”

Johnson said the couple’s relationship is on solid ground, and added that people who judge it based on the fight “have to be realistic.”

“We still feel the same,” she said. “If anything, it brought us a little bit closer.”

___

Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP

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Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR

Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver. (File Photo)

By Tamara Shiloh

Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”

Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.

In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.

People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.

Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.

In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.

Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.

From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.

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Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Angel Jackson. Photo courtesy of Jackston State.

The Richmond Standard

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.

“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.

That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.

Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.

“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”

The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.

She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”

“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.

All she could do in that moment was cry.

“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”

There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.

Her high school coach agrees.

“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”

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Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February. Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy of Alexis Gray Lawson.

By Post staff

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February.

Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott Civic Center Hotel.

“I am truly honored to receive this incredible nomination,” said Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, who, along with college teammate Devanei Hampton, lead Oakland Tech to its second consecutive state title in 2005. “It took a village to raise me and get me here, and I truly am excited to continue the legacy.”

Gray-Lawson, a “second team” Parade All-American and an All-State honoree, as a senior in ’05, was chosen for the California Interscholastic Federation sportsmanship award. She only lost one game throughout her four-year career in high school. Her jersey was retired at Oakland Tech and placed in the National High School Hall of Fame as a four-time All-City recipient, averaging 17.2 points per game during her career.

Gray-Lawson received scholarships in volleyball, softball, and basketball before deciding to travel up College Avenue to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she played in more basketball games (143) than any other player in Golden Bears’ history. She finished her career as the Bears all-time 3-point leader (211), and she is ranked third in scoring with 1,982 points.

An All-Pac 10 and honorable mention All-American in 2010, Gray-Lawson also was the top player at 5’8” or under for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. Later that year, she was a third-round pick of the Washington Mystics in 2010 and played with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 2011 and 2012. She also played professionally overseas in Turkey and Israel.

Other inductees are Clifford Ray (Basketball); Lee Lacy (Baseball); Spencer Haywood (Basketball); and Mohinder Singh Gil (Track & Field).

Organizers say the event promises to be a “historic and celebratory evening,” and iconic personalities from across the professional sports industry and its various disciplines will attend.

The no-host cocktail hour begins at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:45 p.m.; and the ceremony at 7:45 p.m. All times are prompt. General tickets are $250.00; Seniors (65 and older) $150.00, and students $50. This includes dinner and the ceremony. Tables of 10 are available as well, and early purchase is recommended.

MESHOF is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring athletes from all corners of the globe who have made significant contributions to the world of sports and broadening the public’s understanding of the contributions people of color have made to professional sports; and to provide educational life skills and mentorship opportunities for deserving youth. Proceeds will help maintain the City of Oakland’s Curt Flood Field, Oakland Parks & Recreation, and MESHOF’s after school and mental health initiatives.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.multiethnicsportshof.com. For additional information, please contact: Arif Khatlib @ afrosportshall@aol.com or India Alston @ india@beamcreativehouse.com