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Recovering goth

“I kinda got it on a whim,” says Alexis P. Morgan, 30, about the dazzling two-piece ensemble she purchased from Boohoo. “I normally don’t get super…

Sports

5 Chicago Bulls storylines to watch at NBA Summer League, including Dalen Terry’s debut and Makur Maker’s next step

The season is months away, but Chicago Bulls fans can get their first taste of the 2022-23 team Friday when the Bulls begin play in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.The tournament began with two games Thursday and will run through July 17. A Bulls team consisting mostly of rookies — including first-round draft pick Dalen Terry — and second-year players will face the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets in the first round.AdvertisementHere are five storylines to track throughout the summer league.Assistant coach John Bryant will lead the Bulls in the summer league for the first time. After two seasons in Chicago focused mostly on working with centers and forwards, Bryant got the nod from Bulls coach Billy Donovan to guide this summer’s group of young players.AdvertisementBryant will be inspired on and off the court by the memory of his father, John, who died last year after battling COVID-19.“I know he’d be proud of me,” Bryant said. “I’m trying to do it the best way that I can every day. When I played, he just was like: ‘Hustle. Try your best. Do your best. Work hard.’ And I’m trying to do that for not only our players and our staff but to be a reflection of what he taught me to do. I know he’s smiling.”Read more here.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 17The Bulls introduce first-round draft pick Dalen Terry on June 27, 2022, at the Advocate Center. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)After the Bulls selected him with the No. 18 pick, Terry will get his first chance to prove himself against fellow NBA players. With Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams not competing in summer league games this year, Terry’s performance will be the most important to track for the Bulls.Terry has been working on his shooting and fitness this summer to make the leap to the NBA. It’s unclear how many minutes he can expect as a rookie, but the summer league will provide a beneficial challenge to see how he sizes up against pros.The Bulls’ Marko Simonovic (19) defends the Spurs’ Nate Renfro during an NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas on Aug. 10, 2021. (Chase Stevens / AP)A second-round pick in the 2020 draft, Simonović struggled to crack the Bulls rotation as a rookie. He appeared in only nine games, averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in garbage time. But his performance in the G League for the Windy City Bulls — he averaged 17 points and 9.9 rebounds in 28 games — bolstered optimism about his future potential.The 6-foot-11 Simonović packed on 25 pounds in his rookie season and is focusing on strength this summer to prepare for his second season. It won’t be make or break, but his performance in the summer league could help the Bulls determine whether the young center is prepared to take a bigger role behind Nikola Vučević and newly acquired backup Andre Drummond. Read more here.Howard’s Makur Maker defends VCU’s Nah’Shon Hyland during the NBA draft combine on June 24, 2021, at Wintrust Arena. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.Maker became the highest-ranked modern-era recruit to sign with a historically black college or university when the consensus five-star picked Howard in 2020, but his college career was cut short after he suffered a groin injury two games into his freshman season.AdvertisementThe 6-11 Maker withdrew his name from the 2021 draft and spent last season playing with the Sydney Kings in Australia. After going undrafted last month, he’s making another bid to reach the NBA as a summer league player with the Bulls.DePaul’s Javon Freeman-Liberty puts up a shot against Marquette on Jan. 11, 2022, in Milwaukee. (Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)The summer league roster is filled with former college standouts who are hoping to impress in Las Vegas and earn G League or rookie contracts.After coming off the bench as a freshman at Marquette, Justin Lewis averaged 16.8 points in his sophomore season. Bryant said Lewis impressed the Bulls coaching staff with his energy and competitiveness in his first practices ahead of summer league.Javon Freeman-Liberty averaged 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a senior at DePaul last season. A Chicago native and Young graduate, Freeman-Liberty transferred to DePaul in 2020 after two years at Valparaiso. He was mentored by his uncle, “Flyin’ Illini” legend and former NBA player Marcus Liberty. Friday: Dallas Mavericks, 3 p.m., ESPNUSunday: New York Knicks, 4 p.m., ESPN2Tuesday: Toronto Raptors, 4 p.m., NBATVThursday: Charlotte Hornets, 5 p.m., ESPN2Guards/wingsNo. 9, Ethan Thompson, rookie (Oregon State)No. 21, Malcolm Hill, second yearNo. 25, Dalen Terry, rookie (Arizona)No. 26, Carlik Jones, second yearNo. 50, Javon Freeman-Liberty, rookie (DePaul)No. 55, Justin Wright-Foreman, second yearNo. 72, Perrion Callandret, rookie (Idaho)No. 95, Sindarius Thornwell, fourth yearCenters/forwardsNo. 19, Marko Simonovic, second-yearNo. 34, Justin Lewis, rookie (Marquette)No. 76, Akoldah Gak, rookie (Illawarra)No. 83, Henri Dell, rookie (Estonia)No. 99, Makur Maker, rookie (Howard)

Sports

WNBA All-Stars will play at Wintrust Arena this weekend, and Sky fans are in luck when it comes to merchandise

Last fall, the Chicago Sky won its first WNBA title in a 80-74 victory over the Phoenix Mercury at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Fans were ecstatic, declaring the win a victory for both the team and women’s sports as a whole. But at the time, basketball-loving Chicagoans reported challenges finding merchandise to celebrate the city’s hottest sports team. Months later, Sky merchandise is a little easier to find but access could still be improved, retailers and fans say. That’s something that may be of note to the fans planning to descend upon Wintrust Arena this weekend for the WNBA All-Star Game, which will be played at noon Sunday .AdvertisementFour Sky players are set to make appearances at the All-Star Game. Sky star Candace Parker was the first draft pick. She’ll be joined in the arena by Chicago teammates Kahleah Copper, Emma Meesseman and Courtney Vandersloot, all of whom are reserves.AdvertisementOutside the arena, it may be a little easier for fans to access merchandise in bricks-and-mortar stores than it was in the immediate aftermath of the team’s championship win. But lags in the time it takes for merchandise to arrive after retailers order it means there’s generally more availability online — though online purchases require fans to wait for shipping and delivery.Jason Caref, co-owner of Clark Street Sports, which has a number of locations in the Chicago area, said he wants to sell “as much Sky merchandise we can get our hands on.” Caref said he ordered Candace Parker bobbleheads after the team won the WNBA championship last year. The bobbleheads came in about a month ago, he said. They are the only Sky merchandise he has in stock right now, and they sell.Clark Street Sports co-owner Jason Caref with Candace Parker bobbleheads for sale on July 7, 2022, in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)A man who identified himself as one of the managers of Chicago Sports & Novelty on Michigan Avenue said the store sells kids Sky T-shirts, as well keychains, can huggies and lanyards. The store ordered adult Sky merchandise before the team’s season started, but it still hadn’t arrived, the manager said.Caref said Clark Street Sports orders merchandise far in advance — he placed an order this week for more Sky products that will arrive next spring. He also plans to order Sky items on “chase,” meaning merchandise that is made domestically and can be shipped more quickly than the store’s typical orders, which are produced internationally.The chase products, he said in a text message, are “for when Sky win the championship again!”Caref said that last year, global supply chain issues related to COVID-19 scrambled retailers’ ability to place orders for chase product.“You think about a business like mine, our niche is we carry Chicago teams,” Caref said. He pointed to the records of the city’s other sports teams, including the Cubs, White Sox, Bears and Blackhawks.“The only good teams right now are the Sky and the Bulls,” he said.AdvertisementBrian Panganiban, creator of social media fan account The Sky Show Chi, said Sky merchandise availability had improved online, though it can still be difficult to find products in person.And Panganiban said that, despite the increased availability, he thinks there is still a gap between the amount of merchandise available for Sky fans and the amount fans of men’s sports teams have access to.“I think, just Bulls merchandising you have so options, so many different kinds of jerseys out there. Any fan of any sort — like an adult fan, a women’s fit, a youth, a toddler, even pets and stuff — they all kind have the opportunity to get whatever Bulls merchandise they’re kind of looking for,” he said.Peyton Moriarity, a spokesperson for Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is the official sporting goods retail partner of the WNBA, said the company has 16 stores in the Chicago market that carry Sky merchandise. The company carries Candace Parker, Courtney Vandersloot, and Kahleah Copper T-shirts, as well as adult Parker jerseys and youth Parker and Vandersloot jerseys, she said. It does not carry Emma Meesseman products. All-Star Game specific T-shirts are available on the Dick’s website, Moriarity said.Moriarity said that in Chicago, Dick’s locations in the South Loop and Lincoln Park will carry all-star merchandise.AdvertisementFanatics, one of the largest sports retailers in the U.S., did not list any Sky jerseys in its online store in October. Now, it sells customizable Chicago Sky and 2022 All-Star Game jerseys, which retail for $129.99 and $139.99, respectively.And as far as representation from the Sky’s 2022 All-Stars goes, the company also sells two women’s Candace Parker jerseys. It sells a Courtney Vandersloot 2021 All-Star jersey, an Emma Meesseman T-shirt from her time on the Washington Mystics and no Kahleah Copper merchandise. Fans can also choose from a host of general Sky merchandise, such as slides and sweatshirts.Caref said demand for Sky products was highest right around the Sky’s championship win but he was still hearing from fans who wanted to buy team merchandise.“It’s why I really want to carry it,” he said.