top-steals-of-the-day-06-22-2019

Top Steals of the Day, 06/22/2019

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Arlington, TX – The Dallas Wings announced today forward Karima Christmas-Kelly will undergo season-ending knee surgery and miss the remainder of the 2018 season.
“Any time a team loses a key contributor, it creates a challenge and what Karima means to our squad as a co-captain and leader is about so much more than just on-court performance,” stated Wings President &amp; CEO Greg Bibb. ”Karima is the ultimate competitor and I know she will face this setback like any challenge, and ultimately persevere. I look forward to seeing her return to the court as soon as possible. In the interim, this situation opens the door for our younger players to play more prominent roles for the remainder of this season. I look forward to seeing how they respond to this opportunity as we continue our quest to qualify for the playoffs and ultimately compete for a WNBA Championship.”
Christmas-Kelly who started in six of seven games this season, is scheduled for knee surgery to address an osteochondral defect in her right knee in the upcoming weeks. The Long Beach, Calif. native will have the procedure take place in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Recovery time will take approximately six months.
“Karima will be truly missed this season,” said head coach Fred Williams. “Her mental toughness and leadership is something that can’t be replaced. We support her 100% on her decision to have the surgery on her knee. Knowing her, she will bounce back strong and continue her basketball playing career in the WNBA. She will continue to be a strong voice for us on sidelines to help develop our young team.”
The Wings have been granted a roster hardship exemption and have signed Teana Muldrow of West Virginia, who was drafted by the Seattle Storm in the third round (29th overall) of the 2018 WNBA draft. Muldrow will wear #11 for the Wings.
Muldrow completed her collegiate career averaging 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. The East Orange, NJ native was West Virginia’s all-time leader in games played with 143. A 2018 All-Big 12 First Team selection, Muldrow was also named a 2018 Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and was recognized as one of five national finalists for the 2018 Cheryl Miller Award, presented to the nation&#8217;s best small forward after averaging 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in her senior season.

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Wings Forward Karima Christmas-Kelly to Miss Rest of Season

Tina Charles scores 34 points to go along with 10 rebounds as the Liberty get the win over the Wings, 94-89.

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GAME RECAP: Liberty 94, Wings 89

Sylvia Fowles led all scorers with 23 points and she grabs 20 rebounds to lead the Lynx past the Wings, 76-68. Liz Cambage scores 14 points and grabs 12 rebounds for the Wings.

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Lynx 76, Wings 68

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Karima Christmas-Kelly Posts 15 points &amp; 10 rebounds vs. Atlanta Dream

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Karima Christmas-Kelly with 15 Points vs. Atlanta Dream

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Karima Christmas-Kelly sinks the shot at the buzzer

Diana Taurasi scores 26 points and becomes the first WNBA player to hit more than 1,000 3-pointers as the Mercury get the season-opener win at home and defeat the Wings, 86-78.

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Mercury 86, Wings 78

Elena Delle Donne grabs 11 rebounds and scores 15 points as the Mystics defeat the Wings, 86-76.

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Game Recap: Wings 76, Mystics 86

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Karima Christmas-Kelly nets 15 points in loss to the Sun

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Karima Christmas-Kelly

CAREER TRANSACTIONS:
Selected in the second round (23rd overall) by the Washington Mystics in the 2011 WNBA Draft on April 11, 2011. Waived by Washington on July 21, 2011.
Signed as a free agent with the Tulsa Shock on July 22, 2011.
Acquired by the Indiana Fever in exchange for Roneeka Hodges on July 2, 2012.
Signed with the Tulsa Shock as a restricted free agent on February 5, 2015.
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WNBA AWARDS:
WNBA Champion (2012)
MILESTONES
Scored 1500th point on May 25, 2017
CAREER
2017
Started and played in all 34 games&#8230;. Played in her fourth playoff game on 9/6&#8230; Averaged 10.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 29.7 minutes per game&#8230; Recorded a new career high in points with 27 on 5/30 against Indiana&#8230; Also registered a career high in field goals made with 10&#8230; Shot her 1500th WNBA career point against San Antonio on 5/25 along with teammate Skylar Diggins-Smith&#8230; Played her 200th career game on 5/30&#8230; Recorded her 5000th career minute on 7/30.
2016
Only Wings player to start in all 34 games&#8230; Nominated for Most Improved Player&#8230; Surpassed a career best with 12.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 2.1 assists per game&#8230;Ranked eighth in the league in minutes, averaging 31.6 minutes per game&#8230;Finished in the top 20 in steals (2.1) and rebounds (5.9)&#8230;Led the team in steals averaging 2.1 per game&#8230;Finished third for the Wings in rebounds with 5.9 per game and fourth in field goal percentage (.400)&#8230;Ranked in the top 10 for the team in 3-point and free throw percentage (6th in 3-point percentage at .400 and 8th in free throw percentage with a .796)&#8230;Broke a career high in a single game recording 15 rebounds at Atlanta on 7/8&#8230;Also broke a career high registering six assists versus Chicago on 5/29&#8230;Recorded four double-doubles, with the highest taking place in Atlanta on 7/8 with 18 points and 15 rebounds&#8230;Scored double figures in eight consecutive games and in 24 games overall
2015
Appeared in and started 32 games for the Tulsa Shock…Averaged a career-best 10.6 points per game and 5 rebounds per game…Also averaged career-highs in field goal (39.6%) and three point percentages (38.6%)…Averaged a career-high 28.7 minutes per game…Set a career-high for assists in a game (5) against San Antonio at home on June 16…Set season-high for minutes played with 36 at Phoenix on August 4…Scored a career-high 24 points on July 11 against Los Angeles… Set season-high marks for free throws made with 11 that game…Set career-highs for offensive rebounds with 7 at San Antonio on June 14 and defensive rebounds with 8 at Atlanta on July 7…Also tied a career-high for total rebounds on July 2 with ten…Shot a season-best 75 percent (6-of-8) from the field on July 11…Ranked sixth in the WNBA in three point percentage with 38.6%&#8230;Reached the 1,000 career points mark at home versus Phoenix on August 18
2014
Appeared in all 34 games for the Indiana Fever, starting three… Averaged 6.9 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game in 21.6 minutes per game… Shot 34.3 percent from the field and 38.6 from the three… Starting in her first game of the season, Christmas scored a team high and season-high 18 points at Minnesota on June 22, tying a career-high in 3-pointers made with three…  Also in Minnesota pulled down a season-high eight rebounds, tied her career-high in blocks with three and set a new career-high in steals with five… In her second start on June 25 in Tulsa, scored 17 points and a season-high 16 field goal attempts… Tied her season-high 18 points and grabbed a season-high nine rebounds in Atlanta on July 1… Ranked ninth in the WNBA in three point percentage with 38.6 percent.
2013
Appeared in all 34 games for the Indiana Fever, starting 28… Averaged career-highs with 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds… Scored a career-high 21 points in an overtime loss in Connecticut on September 15… Ranked among the WNBA’s most improved scorers (+5.4 points per game) from 2012, scoring in double figures in seven straight games… Posted the first double-double of her career with 16 points and ten rebounds at Atlanta on June 25… In the playoffs, started all four playoff games… Led the team in points with 15.8 and assists with 2.5 per game… Had a playoff career-high of 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Chicago September 20… Finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists in a loss in Atlanta on September 2.
2012
Appeared in 16 games for the Indiana Fever… Averaged 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game… Scored in double figures for the first time in a Fever jersey when she scored ten points and added a career-high seven rebounds, three steals and one blocked shot against Tulsa on September 23… In her first playoff appearance, Christmas played in three of the four WNBA Finals games, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds… In Game 4 of the Finals against Minnesota on October 21, she finished with seven points, five rebounds and one blocked shot… Appeared in 14 games for the Tulsa Shock, starting six… Averaged 3.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 11.5 minutes per game.
2011
Appeared in 17 games for the Tulsa Shock… Averaged 9.9 minutes, 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds a game… Had her best game with the Shock against the Phoenix Mercury on September 8, when she recorded 12 points and four rebounds… Appeared in 14 games for the Washington Mystics&#8230; Averaged 10.1 minutes, 3.4 points and 1.2 rebounds per game… Scored a season- high 13 points against Indiana on June 21.
BACKGROUND
COLLEGE 
Became the 27th player in Duke history to score over 1,000 points in her career (1,052)&#8230; Averaged 4.7 rebounds per contest in her four years and tallied 204 steals and 160 assists&#8230; Helped Duke to back-to-back ACC regular season and tournament titles… Finished her career ranked 10th in school history in steals. 2010-11: Selected to the Philadelphia Regional All-Tournament Team and to the All-ACC Tournament First Team&#8230; Played in 36 games with 35 starts, averaging 9.5 points per game and pulling down 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 steals&#8230; Scored double-digits in 16 games including four games with 20 points or more&#8230; Scored a season-high 23 points in a 70-63 win over 10th-ranked DePaul in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinal, including hitting 7-of-16 in field goals and 9-of-14 free throws&#8230; Earned four double-doubles on the year… She went over 1,000 career points in the ACC Championship game against 19th-ranked North Carolina. 2009-10: As a junior, Christmas started 18-of-36 games, averaging 9.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.2 steals with a field goal percentage of 43.1… Reached double-figures in 18 contests&#8230; Was a Memphis Regional All-Tournament Team honoree and selected to the All-ACC Tournament first team&#8230; Scored a career-high 25 points in a win over Maryland&#8230; Posted her second double-double of the season against Baylor in the NCAA Tournament with ten points and 12 rebounds&#8230; Started three straight games during the ACC Tournament, averaging 13.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.3 steals&#8230; Grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds against Temple. 2008-09: As a sophomore, she earned a starting spot in two of the 33 contests and averaged 7.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.4 steals&#8230; Shot 49.4 percent from the field, posting a season scoring high against Miami collecting 21 points, six steals, and hitting three three-pointers&#8230; She pulled down 13 rebounds versus Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament… She hit 17-of-37 from 3-point land for a 45.9 percentage, which ranked fifth all-time on Duke’s season charts. 2007-08: Coming off the bench in 30 games, Christmas averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds as a freshman… Reached double-figure scoring on two occasions against Penn State and N.C. Central, and pulled down a season-high seven boards against Virginia Tech&#8230; Shot 52.1 percent of her field goals.
PERSONAL
Karima Brittany Christmas was born September 11, 1989 in Long Beach, Calif… She is the daughter of Byron and Jennita Christmas, and has one brother, David, and three sisters, Shelly, Krishma and Kristy&#8230; Was married to Austin Kelly on April 13, 2017… Her AAU coaches, Fred and Lola Reed were like second parents&#8230; Has a god-brother, Fred Reed, Jr&#8230;. Majored in sociology at Duke… Christmas was a four-year letterwinner at J. Frank Dobie H.S. under Head Coach Doug Gibson, where she was a 2007 Parade Magazine fourth team All-America&#8230; Played in the WBCA H.S. All-America game and scored four points while pulling down five rebounds&#8230; Was a three-time All-District selection and TABC All-Region honoree&#8230; Received two-time All-District 23-5A honors and was MVP of her H.S. squad in 2005 and 2007&#8230; As a senior, she averaged 18.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.1 steals and 3.2 assists while leading her squad to a 32-7 record&#8230; Was a three-time Street &amp; Smith’s Honorable Mention All-America&#8230; In final recruiting rankings, Christmas was listed 13th by the All-Star Girls Report, 21st by BBALLX.com, 31st by Hoopgurlz and 38th by Blue Star Report &#8230; Sidelined with an injury during her junior campaign, she averaged 10.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 4.3 steals in eight contests&#8230; As a sophomore, she averaged 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists and earned District MVP honors&#8230; She posted averages of 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds. 1.9 steals and 1.7 assists as a freshman&#8230; She was a member of the CY Fair Elite AAU team that placed fifth nationally and was knocked out of the tournament by Duke teammate Jasmine Thomas’ team&#8230; She was also a four-year letterwinner in track &amp; field, finishing third in the regional qualifier for the triple jump as a senior… Was the district champion
in the triple jump&#8230; Lettered in volleyball as a freshman and sophomore and was a member of the Superintendent’s Student Council.

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