Category: Basketball

Teams ideally want to have any deals lined up before the NBA draft in a few weeks, which has the NBA trade rumor mill speeding up daily.

Knicks’ path to Antetokounmpo

Of course the Knicks are interested in trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo. If he decides it's time to move on from Milwaukee (a decision likely to come closer to the NBA draft), 29 other teams are going to call Bucks GM Jon Horst and kick the tires on a deal.

There is a hypothetical path for the Knicks to land Antetokounmpo, but it's a long and winding one: New York hires Jason Kidd away from Dallas, then Antetokounmpo tells the Bucks he only wants to be traded to the Knicks to reunite with his former coach and still friend Kidd, then the sides work out a deal.

Good luck with that.

First, Dallas needs to give New York permission to speak with Kidd, which is no lock. One source told NBC Sports that approval was unlikely, and James L. Edwards III of The Athletic reported the "expectation" is that the Knicks would deny the request.

That said, Kidd and the Knicks share a "mutual intrigue," ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported. Kidd did not like being out in front of the Luka Doncic trade (can you blame him?), Edwards reported. Is that frustration enough to leave coaching Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving (out much of next season recovering from a torn ACL), and Anthony Davis? Even if the Mavericks give permission for the talks and Kidd agrees to go to New York, he is still under contract with the Mavericks, which means the sides need to figure out what draft compensation to send back to Dallas in this deal (typically a first-round pick). The Knicks are not exactly flush with future picks.

Even if the Knicks land Kidd, Antetokounmpo then would have to decide he wants a trade out of Milwaukee — something other teams are increasingly convinced may not happen, or if it does he won't hit the open market for a bidding war. Other front offices are very much in a "wait and see" mode while making a "Plan B" if he is not available, a handful of league sources have told NBC Sports.

The Knicks need Antetokounmpo to decide he wants a trade and only to New York (to play with Jalen Brunson and Kidd). There is a rumor that New York is putting together a massive offer for Antetokounmpo, but what is that going to look like? A Karl-Anthony Towns-based trade could be constructed (KAT and Giannis make within half a million of each other) with a third team, but if the Bucks move on from Giannis they are going to rebuild and will want a massive haul of picks and younger players, not a Towns-based package. The Knicks don't really have young players and picks to offer, while other teams do (including that team across the bridge in Brooklyn). Finding a trade that gets Antetokounmpo to Madison Square Garden and makes sense for the Bucks is... challenging. To put it kindly.

Still, this rumor persists and is not going away.

Durant to the Knicks? It’s complicated, too

Assuming the Antetokounmpo dream is just that, the Knicks would have interest in Kevin Durant — they made an offer for him at the trade deadline but it went nowhere, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

Is this a trade the Suns would want? Again, the easy Knicks trade for Durant involves Towns (they have similar salaries, although a third team would be brought in), but the well connected John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 says the Suns would want a trade to be based around one of the Knicks' wings, OG Anunoby or Mikal Bridges. For a Knicks team looking to add depth for next season that could be complicated, but that would be the path to a deal.

Durant to Raptors?

If Antetokounmpo becomes available by trade, the Toronto Raptors are a team to watch. They want him and there is some level of mutual interest from the Greek Freak, something we have reported before.

But what if Antetokounmpo doesn't hit the open market? Then expect the Raptors to pivot and be one of the teams in the Durant trade market, something Marc Stein reported at The Stein Line.

"The Raptors, furthermore, would figure to have a more realistic shot at assembling a competitive trade offer for Durant compared to the mammoth offers that the Bucks would inevitably seek for Antetokounmpo's services."

Cavaliers “open minded” about Garland trade?

If one thing was clear in the Cavaliers' second-round loss to the Pacers, it was how much Darius Garland means to Cleveland's offense and the team's title chances. He played in just three games against the Pacers and was clearly slowed by the toe injury he tried to play through (he shot 34.2% for the series, 16.7% from 3). The Cavaliers needed him healthy to have a chance against the Pacers.

Which makes the idea that the Cavaliers would trade Garland a strange one. Add in Garland undergoing surgery to repair that toe injury, which likely has him out for the start of next season, and a Garland trade seems to be an even longer shot.

However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst said it's possible on ESPN Cleveland.

A number of teams, including Orlando (where he would be a fantastic fit) are reportedly interested.

The Cavaliers won 64 games and may believe it will be a more wide-open East next season, following the Jayson Tatum injury in Boston. The Cavs may think, "If we run it back and stay healthy this time, we can make the Finals." However, if a big enough trade presented itself (Antetokounmpo?) and that was the price, then Cleveland would have to consider including Garland in the deal. Also, the Cavaliers will be into the second apron next season and ownership could look to trim some money from the bottom line.

Most likely though, Garland is a Cavalier next season.

Suns want to trade Beal

Another note from Gambadoro in Arizona, the Suns would like to trade Bradley Beal this summer but, just like at the deadline, the combination of his no-trade clause and the fact he is owed $110.8 million over two more years may make that impossible.

Don't be surprised if Beal gets a fair amount of run for new coach Jordan Ott at the start of next season, as they try to rebuild his trade value.

Spurs open to trading No. 14 pick

As if the San Antonio Spurs haven't had enough lottery luck in recent years, they jumped up to get the No. 2 pick in this year's NBA draft. The expectation in league circles is that the Spurs will not trade that pick and will use it to select Rutgers' point guard Dylan Harper, forming a talented but crowded backcourt with De'Aaron Fox (who will receive an extension this summer) and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle. It would take an Antetokounmpo-level trade for them to give up the No. 2 pick.

The Spurs also hold the No. 14 pick and are open to packaging that pick with a player to acquire someone who can help the team start winning now, reports Kevin O'Connor at Yahoo Sports. It would be a smart move by San Antonio, the question is who is that wing player (the team is pretty set at guard and center)?

• Another draft note: Look for the Thunder (picks 15 and 24) and the Nets (8, 19, 26 and 27) to try and package those picks to move up in the draft, reports Jake Fischer at The Stein Line.

Celtics taking Jrue Holiday calls

This isn't a surprise — we know Boston is trying to trim payroll heading into a largely Tatum-less next season and Jrue Holiday was one of the names mentioned as on his way out — but the Celtics are listening to calls, reports Fischer.

There are a lot of playoff teams Holiday would help, but at age 35 next season, and owed three years and $104 million, the market for him may not be as robust as the Celtics hope.

On Wednesday, June 11, the Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14) and Indiana Pacers (50-32) are all set to square off from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City rolled Indiana in Game 2, 123-107 behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 34 points, plus 34 more from Jalen Williams (19) and Chet Holmgren (15).

The series heads back to Indiana tied at 1-1 and the Pacers will need more than an all-around effort from its starting five after every starter scored in double-figures for Game 2.

Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 17 points and 6 assists, while Pascal Siakam led Indiana in rebounding with 7.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

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Game details & how to watch Thunder vs. Pacers live today

• Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
• Time: 8:30PM EST
• Site: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
• City: Indianapolis, IN
• Network/Streaming: ESPN / ABC

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.

Game odds for Thunder vs. Pacers

The latest odds as of Wednesday:

• Odds: Thunder (-218), Pacers (+180)
• Spread: Thunder -5.5
• Over/Under: 228.5 points

That gives the Thunder an implied team point total of 116.5, and the Pacers 111.5.

Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!

Expert picks & predictions for Wednesday’s Thunder vs. Pacers game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes the value on long shots in the series assist leader market:

"As someone who has a Jalen Williams ticket at +6500 odds, I am pulling for him as he is +1300 to +2000 at most markets for the NBA Finals series assist leader.

This is a five-player race with Tyrese Haliburton (-200) leading he charge at 12 assists. Behind him with 11 is Williams (+1300) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+155). With 10 assists is Andrew Nembhard (+5000) and T.J. McConnell (+7500).

The value on Williams and Nembhard is worth betting and so is McConnell after Haliburton shows signs of an injury or some pain in the post-game presser of Game 2.

If Haliburton misses anytime, then there is value on Nembhard and McConnell in this market, so I think taking anyone but Haliburton or SGA is the smart move."

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Thunder & Pacers game:

• Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Oklahoma City Thunder at -5.
• Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 228.5.

Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions pagefrom NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Thunder vs. Pacers on Wednesday

• Oklahoma City is 1-2 on the ML and 2-1 ATS in Game 3's this postseason
• Indiana is 0-3 on the ML and ATS in Game 3's this postseason
• The O/U is 1-1 in the series so far
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 72 points is the most through a players first two NBA Finals games in history
• Isaiah Hartenstein and Pascal Siakam are tied for the series lead in rebounds (17) and are +140 and +145 to finish as the leader
• Aaron Nesmith leads the series in three-pointers made (7) and is +135 to finish as the leader
• Andrew Nembhard leads the series in assists (14) and is +5000 to finish as the leader

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:

- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

The WNBA’s third week of action came and went, providing us viewers with five days' worth of on-court entertainment and two game-less days that allowed us to catch our breath. And while the off-days forced many WNBA followers to await more action eagerly, the week’s scheduling didn’t impact everyone equally.

“Cathy (Engelbert) added a lot of games. Nine games in 18 days; that’s not really responsible for a commissioner,” said the Mercury’s Satou Sabally following a 77-89 loss on Saturday to the Storm. Sabally’s comments came on the heels of Phoenix’s fourth game of the week, which led the team to reach ten games played before any other league member.

Each WNBA team is slated for a record-setting 44-game schedule this regular season, and there’s no reason to believe that anything would cause the schedule to become shorter anytime soon. Yet, with so many injuries across the league despite not even being a full month into the season, Sabally’s call-out shouldn’t be dismissed. It’ll be worth paying attention to how, or if, the commissioner can tinker with the schedule on the margins in the coming years to prevent situations.

The injury-plagued Mercury will play just two games this week.

The Commissioner’s Cup was also one of the bigger storylines of the week. Phoenix has logged four Cup games, though most teams are either two or three games in. Unsurprisingly, the Liberty and Lynx (both undefeated this regular season) sit atop their respective conferences in the Cup’s standings. The coincidence is that both franchises are the two most recent Cup champions, with Minnesota winning last season and New York in 2023. Both used their Commissioner’s Cup titles to assemble WNBA Finals runs in those same seasons, but ultimately came up short. With the 2024 WNBA Finals participants seemingly on track to link back up on familiar stages, it’s fair to wonder if, realistically, there is a team that could ruin those plans.

The third week also saw several well-traveled veterans sustain their early-season production to continue putting together somewhat unforeseen seasons deep into their careers.

Erica Wheeler’s re-emergence after mostly being a veteran depth piece a season ago with the Fever has been fun, as she’s grown into an actual offensive focal point in her debut season with the Storm — she averaged 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two games this past week while making her way to the starting unit. On the heels of a 32-point showing, Odyssey Sims had another exceptional week and is quietly thriving as a reliable combo-guard alongside Kelsey Plum in her second stint with the Sparks. And how about Bria Hartley, who, after two years out of the league, found her way into the Sun’s starting five and helped them secure their first couple of wins?

Week 3 left us plenty to discuss, and this upcoming round of games should be no different. The fourth week of the season will take most teams a quarter of the way through their schedules, putting us at the point where the early-season data is long enough not to be considered insignificant.

Below are five games this week to circle on your calendars.

Golden State Valkyries @ Los Angeles Sparks

(Monday, June 9 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)

Perhaps you had a chance to take in the Valkyries’ win on national television over the Aces on Saturday. Their 27-point thumping of Las Vegas ended a four-game skid and served as perhaps the signature win of this franchise’s inaugural season. And what better momentum to ride into a tie-breaker tonight against the team that handed you your first-ever defeat? But viewers aren’t tuning into this one only for what Golden State has to offer — the Sparks bring plenty to the table. More on the Valkyries’ debut game referenced above — Kelsey Plum logged her first regular-season minutes for the Sparks and pieced together a memorable, 37-point performance to bring in the new season before the Valkyries avenged that loss exactly a week later on the backs of rookies Carla Leite and Janelle Salaun. Plum’s ability to electrify as a scorer and the two-way versatility of players like Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens make the Sparks an incredibly entertaining team to watch, and the trilogy a must-see.

Indiana Fever @ Atlanta Dream

(Tuesday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3 and WNBA League Pass)

Speaking of trilogies, how about another? The Fever and Dream engaged in battle twice during the first full week of the season, with both teams capturing a victory on the other’s home court. Both Indiana and Atlanta have had to endure key injuries since then, but they each managed to stay afloat. Specifically, the Fever playing .500 basketball in the four games Caitlin Clark missed is noteworthy, and their two-game winning streak heading into Tuesday’s contest only adds to the hype. Meanwhile, a healthy Dream roster is making a case to have their name thrown into conversations when discussing championship contenders. Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray have the best seasons of their careers, while Brionna Jones and Brittney Griner make up one of the most challenging frontcourts in the WNBA to play against. The first two meetings provided top-tier basketball; the third should as well.

Minnesota Lynx @ Seattle Storm

(Wednesday, June 11 at 10 p.m. ET on WNBA League Pass)

The Lynx look like a team on a mission to right the wrongs of how last season’s WNBA Finals concluded — they sit at 9-0 with Napheesa Collier once again dialing up MVP-like performances to begin the season, Courtney Williams is orchestrating the offense, while the remaining pieces are falling seamlessly into place. The results have equaled the storied franchise’s best start to a season since 2017, the last year they won a WNBA championship. Seattle played Minnesota tough in the first go-around, though. And on the heels of back-to-back wins, their veteran make-up could serve as the ideal team construction to rise to the occasion of a big regular-season matchup such as this one.

Los Angeles Sparks @ Minnesota Lynx

(Saturday, June 14 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS)

While Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles are long-removed from their days representing Los Angeles and Minnesota, it’s hard not to think about them and the back-to-back WNBA Finals matchups they gifted us in the mid-2010s when seeing the words “Lynx” and “Sparks” next to one another. Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and Sparks guard Odyssey Sims are the only ones left from the battles mentioned above, yet the two rosters that will share the floor feature several high-caliber performers. Minnesota served Los Angeles a double-digit beatdown on the season's third day. What can the Sparks do differently this time to make this one uncomfortable for the Lynx?

New York Liberty @ Indiana Fever

(Saturday, June 14 at 3 p.m. ET on ABC)

We were treated to one of the most entertaining games yet when the Liberty and Fever met in Indiana on the second Saturday of the season. Both teams held double-digit leads and appeared on their way to victories before allowing massive runs to swing the momentum in the opposite direction. An outstanding fourth quarter from Jonquel Jones, go-ahead free throws from Sabrina Ionescu, and Natasha Cloud’s game-winning defensive stop on Caitlin Clark on the following possession ultimately kept New York unbeaten. The two retake center stage three weeks later for another nationally televised showdown. And it could mark the return of Clark from her quad injury. The Fever were moments away from logging the win during the first meeting, so a victory and possibly New York’s first loss feels like a realistic potential outcome. However, dealing with the league’s No. 1 offense and defense will be quite the task for Indiana.

Kirk Cousins has not been with the Falcons for most of their voluntary offseason work, but the quarterback is expected to take a different approach for the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

Dianna Russini of TheAthletic.com reports that the team expects Cousins to report for the three-day minicamp. Cousins is under contract, so he would be subject to fines if he misses the minicamp without being excused by the team.

Cousins signed a four-year deal with Atlanta last March, but the Falcons later used a first-round pick on Michael Penix and Penix replaced Cousins as the team's starter during the 2024 season. Cousins is guaranteed $27.5 million in salary this season and the Falcons have said that they are comfortable keeping him on the roster as a backup to Penix.

Cousins has been less enthusiastic about the prospect of staying with the team, but no trade has materialized and moving him may take an injury somewhere else at some point in the summer or fall.

Cousins

After appearing in a career-high 75 regular-season games, Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is not guaranteed to be available for the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

Monday afternoon, the Cavaliers announced that the team's starting point guard will be out for 4-5 months after undergoing surgery on his left great toe. While the expectation is that Garland will be good to go by the start of training camp, that does not precisely align with the timeline provided by the team.

Having averaged at least 20.6 points per game in three of the last four seasons, Garland earned his second All-Star Game appearance and helped lead the Cavaliers to 64 wins and the top seed in the Eastern Conference. In addition to the 20.6 points, he averaged 2.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.8 three-pointers in 30.7 minutes.

In his first season playing for Kenny Atkinson, Garland's efficiency improved. At the same time, his playing time decreased slightly, with the first-year head coach being willing to go deep into his bench throughout the regular season. Garland shot 47.2 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three and 87.8 percent from the foul line while averaging 2.5 turnovers per game, his lowest average since his rookie season (2019-20).

Unfortunately for Garland and the Cavaliers, a left great toe injury initially suffered in late March flared up during the postseason. It sidelined him for four games, including the first two games of the team's second-round series against the Pacers. Cleveland would lose both of those games, falling into a hole that proved too deep to crawl out of. And in the aftermath of the second-round elimination, Garland and center Jarrett Allen have been mentioned in some trade rumors.

On a potential connection with Orlando, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported on June 8 that there have been no “substantive conversations” between the two franchises regarding a deal involving Garland. One would assume that uncertainty regarding Garland's health would take any potential deals off the table if Cleveland were interested in breaking up its "core four."

Also, Garland's surgery may impact the front office's approach to Ty Jerome, who will be an unrestricted free agent next month. Coming off the best season of his NBA career, Jerome may be in line for a significant payday. However, his importance to the Cavaliers cannot be understated, especially if Garland is not guaranteed to be healthy when training camp begins.

Bethany Donaphin, a former player and now the head of league operations for the WNBA, remembers what it was like to grow up in New York City in the 1990s loving basketball. As a tween she would make it a point during recess to play basketball out on the blacktop.

Donaphin was always the only girl playing, something that looking back was a bold choice. It was a decision that took a ton of confidence and a boat load of risk to participate in a situation where she was the only girl. It took a lot of guts for a 12-year-old Donaphin to want to set herself apart, especially at a time when most girls are looking to fit in.

Donaphin’s early memories resonate for many former and current WNBA players. This idea that young girls always had something to prove and were underestimated when they stepped onto an outdoor court in a park or blacktop at school has been the inescapable reality, the status quo.

This summer the WNBA is looking to challenge that common experience with the launch of their new nationwide initiative “Line ‘Em Up,” which will paint the official WNBA three-point line on outdoor park basketball courts across the United States. The league will launch this officially in New York on Thursday at the outdoor courts of Brooklyn Bridge Park, and later in July the league will take the campaign to Indianapolis for WNBA All-Star Weekend.

“This is so necessary in order to represent the league in spaces that are iconic,” WNBA Chief Marketing Officer Phil Cook told NBC Sports about the initiative. “There's not a basketball player in the world who hasn't spent some time dribbling on an outdoor space, and we, [the WNBA] belong in that space. And women, young women, have been going to the park for as long as park basketball has been happening. They just haven’t had their representation in that space.”

The program has been teased by WNBA players including Atlanta Dream star Allisha Gray, Lynx point guard Courtney Williams, Phoenix Mercury point-forward Alyssa Thomas and Sparks sophomore wing Rickea Jackson in addition to personalities associated with the league including GMA’s Robin Roberts and ESPN’s Arielle Chambers. Last week on Instagram the teases included photos of a mysterious looking blue background which included a bright orange curved line.

Last July at WNBA All-Star in Phoenix was when Cook and his team began having conversations about how the WNBA could lay down its legacy in a tangible and more vibrant way. How could the league create something that’s representative and “replicable” but also represents the work the league has done to grow the game of basketball for women, girls and nonbinary people on a larger scale?

Over breakfast in Phoenix, Cook and his staff discussed how the league could pursue a project that wouldn’t just last during tentpole events including the WNBA Draft, the WNBA All-Star Game, the Commisioner’s Cup, the playoffs and WNBA Finals. The league was looking for something permanent.

The league enlisted the independent creative marketing company JOAN to come up with a campaign that could represent the ways in which the WNBA has attempted to challenge the status quo, grow the game and encourage empowerment of girls and young people everywhere.

Representatives from the marketing agency came back to Cook and his team with the idea to paint a WNBA three-point line on outdoor courts at parks across the country working in conjunction with different cities and parks and recreation departments.

“It’s a very simple replicable idea that we hope every single outdoor park across the country, and every driveway across the country chalks up their three point line in orange chalk,” Cook said.

Beyond New York City and Indianapolis as the first two major places to get these new orange three-point lines, Cook sees a huge opportunity for the league’s two upcoming expansion cities in Toronto and Portland to get involved in the campaign.

All of the league’s current 13 teams including the newest in the Golden State Valkyries have been briefed on the campaign and how they can look to execute painting orange three-point lines in parks within their local communities. As part of the campaign, the league will make a donation to each park that participates in painting an orange three-point line on their courts.

To accompany the WNBA’s launch of the “Line ‘Em Up” campaign, the league enlisted Korean-Canadian director Iris Kim to create a film that would introduce the program and illustrate the need for orange WNBA three-point lines across the country.

The nearly four-minute video includes shots of some of the most famous outdoor parks in the country including Rucker Park in Harlem, Venice Beach in Los Angeles, and two other New York City parks in Dykman and The Cage. Later the film introduces former players Epiphanny Prince, Chamique Holdsclaw and Sue Bird in addition to current Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles, who traveled to New York during Sun training camp to be a part of the film. The four native New Yorkers explain what it was like growing up and playing on outdoor courts and the challenges that came with often being some of only young women.

“Growing up in Queens, NY at that time, it was really hard to be a female to get on the court,” Charles said in the film. “I know I had something to prove. We’ve all been through it. All the greats, all the ones that you’re fans of.”

And that includes Holdsclaw who told the story of how she used to hustle all the guys who underestimated her.

The film also features two New York community leaders in Sharon Bond and Alex Taylor who have both founded and led organizations that try to encourage participation in basketball for women and girls. Both Bond and Taylor explain that having the new orange three-point line painted on outdoor courts is boon for representation and it sends the message that women and girls are wanted in these spaces. Bird ends the film by stating the mission statement of the entire campaign, which is that the next generation of players won’t know a world without a WNBA orange three-point line painted across America.

The campaign represents the very fact that the WNBA has become more mainstream and more accessible in the past few years. The league isn’t distant and it’s much easier now more than ever to understand that the WNBA isn’t going anywhere and will be an institution that stands the test of time.

Donaphin thinks about what it would have been like if she had an orange three-point line to accompany her during those days when she was working hard on her game and often the only girl out there doing it.

“If I had had an orange line while I was going through that process, I think it would have given not just me, but the other kids around me, an understanding that, yeah, what I was doing was completely part of of what any person would do if they if they love something,” Donaphin told NBC Sports. “And that there was a place for me there.”

Check out the new “Line ‘Em Up” website and see if the WNBA's three-point line is coming to a court near you.