There has never been a better time to be a fan of women’s sports. The leagues we follow, like the WNBA, NWSL and WSL have never been more popular, while newer leagues like LOVB, PWHL, AUSL  and the upcoming Women's Pro Baseball League offer even more opportunities to enjoy women’s sports. One of the great things about the explosion of women’s sports is finding even more players to root for.

One of my first LFG Articles was Seven Players I love to Root For. In the months since then, I have found even more athletes who I want to see do well. A couple of these names will come as no surprise to anyone who has read my work for LFG, but there are some new players I haven’t discussed much, and am I excited to do so now.

Julia Lopez Ramirez

I just love Lopez Ramirez’s game. When she joined the LPGA last season as a rookie she immediately became one of the longest hitters on tour, finishing first in average driving distance and fourth in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. She also finished 11th in Rookie of the Year Points.

Her game can be a bit volatile, as she finished led the tour in Eagles and Double bogeys. She missed four of her first five cuts to start the season but ended her rookie season with eight straight made cuts. She played in the final group on Sunday at the U.S. Women’s Open but a final-round 79 dropped her to 19th place. I think she’s going to continue to thrive on long courses, but if she can develop a bit more consistency, Julia Lopez Ramirez could make a name for herself among all the good young players on the LPGA Tour. I can’t wait to see how she follows up on her strong rookie season.

Te-Hina Paopao

I promise these won’t all be victory laps on players I was right about. That being said, I predicted Paopao’s three-point shooting would make her a perfect fit for new Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko’s offense, and that was the case in a bench role. Paopao was +3.9 in 16.7 mpg while shooting 38.6 percent on threes. I actually thought Paopao should have gotten more playing time and could have been more aggressive in hunting her own shot, but that never materialized in her rookie season. I have seen some people predicting the Dream will draft a point guard in the first round of the WNBA draft, but I am hopeful that Paopao will see an expanded role in her second season.

Akie and Chizzy Iwai

I suppose it makes sense that the first four players on this list are rookies. If they weren’t, there is a good chance I would have written about them back in June. Akie and Chizzy represent two growing trends on the LPGA Tour: Rookies who won in 2025 and young Japanese players who are taking the tour by storm. I give them both a lot of credit for doing interviews in English following their wins, even though they were clearly still learning the language. They always seem like they are having a good time on the course, and I am always a sucker for athletes who take the game seriously but don’t appear to take themselves too seriously. These two certainly seem to fit the bill.

Juste Joycte

I have watched a lot more EuroLeague this season than ever before, and Juste Joycte was one of the first players to catch my eye, which is why I wrote about her back in October. Like Paopao, I think she fits perfectly with the team that drafted her. If she joins the Golden State Valkyries this season, I’m going to have an awfully hard time not picking her for Rookie of the Year. She is currently averaging 12.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in EuroLeague for Spar Girona.

Natasha Cloud

This probably shouldn’t be a surprise, considering how much I love Kelsey Plum, and how well Plum and Natasha Cloud appear to get along as Unrivaled teammates. Natasha Cloud is a dog on the court, but a ton of fun off of it. She appears to be universally loved by her teammates, and she seems completely genuine in interviews and on social media. Cloud has been a good, if not great, guard in the WNBA for a long time, but lately I find myself rooting for her more and more.

Ilona Maher

Like everyone else, I couldn’t help but root for Maher and her Rugby teammates in the Summer Olympics. That being said, every time she appears in my social media feed, either in interviews or from her own podcast or video clips, she is saying something inspiring or insightful or hilarious. Oftentimes, we forget about Olympic athletes as soon as the Games are over. I am very happy to see that it hasn’t been the case.

Tessa Grubbs

You just knew I had to get at least one LOVB player on this list. I think what sets Grubbs apart from other outstanding hitters in this league like Jordan Thompson, Madisen Skinner, Logan Eggleston or Alexa Gray, is just how much of Atlanta’s offense went through Tessa Grubbs. Not only is she a fantastic hitter, but I think she’s an underrated server. I don’t know how Atlanta is going to be competitive this season with Grubbs out following ankle surgery. I am hopeful she can return healthy next season, as there is no doubt the league is more exciting when she is in it.