May 17, 2024
Dallas Wings forward Natasha Howard out with foot injury
By Aya Abdeen
Wings acquire Monique Billings on a hardship contract
On Friday, the Dallas Wings announced that forward Natasha Howard will miss 3-6 weeks after breaking her foot in the team’s victory over the Chicago Sky on Wednesday. During the game, she had a double-double with 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes played.
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Natasha Howard was acquired by the Dallas Wings in a trade last season and played a crucial role during the team’s playoff run. The team was eventually swept by the Las Vegas Aces, who went on to win the WNBA Championship, in the semifinals. Howard averaged 16.5 points, 13 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game throughout the 2023 regular season.
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“‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ Romans 8:28 NIV,” Howard said in her tweet on the social platform X.
Dallas also announced Thursday that rookie guard/forward Jaelyn Brown will “undergo a procedure for a displaced nasal fracture” and will miss only a week. She suffered a broken nose during training camp. The Wings are also without 2023 Most Improved Player Satou Sabally, who is dealing with a shoulder injury. She is expected to return after the Olympic break.
Since the Wings have eight healthy players, they have acquired forward Monique Billings on a hardship contract. Once Dallas has ten other players, her contract will be terminated.
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Last season with the Atlanta Dream, Billings played 39 games and averaged 4.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. After playing for six seasons with Atlanta, she signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks during free agency. After participating in Sparks training camp, Billings was waived on Monday.
“Aye, Dallas Wings fans… looking forward to getting to work and meeting yall!” Billings said on X. “Just a little thing about me for the new fans here … One thing you can expect from me is hustle. Hustling for rebounds. Hustling on defense. Hustling up the floor. I pride myself on that.”
The Dallas Wings (1–0) will face the Chicago Sky (0–1) on Saturday at home.
Written by Aya Abdeen
Aya Abdeen is a student in sports journalism at Arizona State University and has been a contributing writer for The Next since December 2022. She is also a sports reporter for the Sun Devils’ women’s basketball team for The State Press. Her work has also appeared on AZPreps365.
