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Thanks in part to having an expansion team this year, a whopping 22 rookies are averaging at least 10 minutes per game. It would be impossible to discuss all of them, so instead, I have decided to single out the ones I find most interesting, including a few who have struggled for playing time. June 25, 2025 Eight Intriguing Rookies to Watch Steve Pimental In the lead-up to the 2025 WNBA draft, fans and media seemed more focused on who wasn’t in the draft than who was. Several of the top prospects, most notably Olivia Miles, chose to return to college and lucrative NIL deals rather than enter the draft. Since then, however, several rookies have made huge contributions to their new teams. Most of the teams that have exceeded their preseason expectations did so, at least in part, due to the contributions of their rookies. The WNBA schedule is longer than ever, and most of these rookies entered the season after having played a full season in college or overseas. There is a decent chance some of these rookies will hit a wall in the coming weeks and months, which makes now the perfect time to check in on how they have performed and on their outlook for the future. Thanks in part to having an expansion team this year, a whopping 22 rookies are averaging at least 10 minutes per game. It would be impossible to discuss all of them, so instead, I have decided to single out the ones I find most interesting, including a few who have struggled for playing time. Even with so many rookies contributing, some of the most intriguing long-term prospects have played sparingly so far. Paige Bueckers, Guard, Dallas Wings Dallas has struggled this season , but it is difficult to place much of the blame at the feet of Bueckers. Her -0.7 net rating is highest on the team among the nine players who have started at least one game for Dallas. Bueckers leads all rookies in minutes, points, assists, and steals per game. Only two players in the entire league have averaged more steals per game than Bueckers this season. I would like to see her take more than 3.4 threes per game, and she probably needs to have the ball in her hands even more than she already does, but the future looks bright in Dallas. Good players are going to want to play with her, which could be crucial in an offseason where nearly everyone will be a free agent. Sonia Cintron, Guard, Washington Mystics Remember when the Chicago Sky traded the third overall pick (which became Cintron) and a 2027 pick swap to the Mystics so that they could chase the eighth seen for one year with Ariel Atkins? She is unlikely to let Sky fans forget that anytime soon. Cintron has been a revelation for Washington, carrying the offense along with Most-Improved candidate Brittney Sykes. Cintron is second among rookies in minutes and points per game, while ranking third in rebounds and sixth in assists. Behind the play of Cintron and fellow rookie Kiki Iriafen, the Mystics’ rebuild appears to be ahead of schedule. Kiki Iriafen, Forward, Washington Mystics The Mystics arguably have the best young frontcourt in the league with Iriafen and Shakira Austin. Iriafen is fifth in the league in rebounds per game, and she is a big part of why the Mystics are third in the league in rebounding rate. She is shooting just 50 percent from the field, which is pretty low for someone who doesn’t shoot any threes, but I think she’ll get easier shots once the Mystics surround her with more offensive firepower. Dominique Malonga, Center, Seattle Storm Even after Seattle traded Yi Yuerli to the Dallas Wings, Malonga has struggled to find consistent playing time despite outplaying Ezi Magbegor. Malonga is averaging nearly twice as many points per 36 minutes as Seattle’s starting center while shooting more than 10 percentage points better from the field. Seattle is a surprising 9-5 and Magbegor is a free agent after this season, so Malonga will likely have to wait until next season for significant playing time. Until then, she needs to try to cut down on her turnovers and fouls. Malonga is averaging 4.0 turnovers and 5.2 fouls per 36 minutes. Te-Hina Paopao, Guard, Atlanta Dream LFG readers are probably getting sick of me raving about Paopao, but I had to include her on this list for one important reason: her 77.5 true shooting percentage leads the league among players with at least 21 minutes this season. Kennedy Burke is second at 70.9 percent. Paopap is shooting an absurd 57.1 percent on 6.9 threes per 36 minutes. I would like to see her actually get up more threes, and play more minutes, but like Malonga, Paopao is unlike to play a whole lot more while her team is winning. Paopao is fifth among rookies in fantasy points per 36 minutes, which illustrates her productivity when she is on the court. Like most of the rookies in this class, she has to cut down on her turnovers, but at the very least, the 18th overall pick in the draft has proven she is one of the best backup point guards in the league. Lexi Held, Guard, Phoenix Mercury Someday soon, I will take a deep dive into the Mercury and the four rookies averaging more than 20 minutes per game. While their three stars deservedly get most of the credit, this team is third in the standings because all of the unproven role players have exceeded expectations. Held has arguably been the best of the Mercury rookies, averaging 15.2 points per 36 minutes. She picked up the scoring slack at times with Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper out, but the undrafted rookie out of DePaul has settled into a secondary-playmaking role with the stars back in the lineup. Aneesah Morrow, Forward, Connecticut Sun I find it concernng that Morrow has played just 11.8 mpg despite playing for one of the worst teams in the league. Tina Charles and Oliva Nelson-Ododa are established vets, but getting Morrow on-court reps should be a priority for this rebuilding team. Morrow has averaged 17.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per 36 minutes on 40.4 percent shooting from the field. She appears to be living up to her pre-draft billing as a budget Angel Reese. Hailey Van Lith, Guard, Chicago Sky Speaking of a budget Angel Reese, Van Lith was Chicago’s second pick in the first round of the draft, just like Reese was last season. Also like Reese, Van Lith has struggled from the field, shooting 37.5 percent. Van Lith’s playing time has been wildly inconsistent despite Courtney Vandersloot’s torn ACL. The Sky needed Van Lith to step in for Vandersloot and run a million pick-and-rolls with Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Instead, Van Lith has come off the bench in every game this season and is averaging just 11.8 points and 3.6 assists per 36 minutes. Until she starts averaging more assists than turnovers, Van Lith isn’t even guaranteed to make it as a backup in this league. She was much better on the ball than off-ball in college, so my hope is that Chicago will give her the ball more once they are officially eliminated from the playoff race. She currently ranks sixth on the team in usage behind Elizabeth Williams and Maddy Westbeld. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

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"A healthy Azura Stevens is the most versatile forward in the W, there I said it!" + more WNBA hot takes... May 30, 2025 Mr. Women's Basketball's Week 3 Hot Takes EJ Arocho 1. PLAY DOMINIQUE MALONGA! While it’s known that Noelle Quinn doesn’t play rookies right away, Malonga is far from your average rook! In 7.6 mpg off the bench, she’s averaging 3.2 ppg & 2.0 rpg, compared to Li Yueru’s 2.0 ppg & 1.6 rpg in 10.4 mpg. With the right balance of minutes between Ezi, Li & Dominique, Seattle might just find the recipe to success and start creating some separation this week in the Western Conference. 2. Liz Kitley IN, Kiah Stokes OUT. Vegas needs production at the 5 and A’ja Wilson needs help. So far, the Aces aren’t finding success with Stokes in the starting rotation. She’s been held scoreless in 4 starts this season. Kitley, on the other hand, has shown glimpses of greatness in her minutes off the bench. 4.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.0 spg & 1.0 bpg in 9.3 mpg. 3. This week may determine ROY: KiKi Iriafen & Sonia Citron are the frontrunners & one of them could distance herself from the other in Week 3. The Mystics have two games against New York & a game against Indiana. 4. Move Julie Allemand into the starting lineup! She brings undeniable energy and effort. In 15.0 mpg off the bench this season, she’s putting up 3.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg & 1.5 apg. In 29.5 mpg, Odyssey Sims is averting just 4.2 ppg more! I think Allemand more than deserves the starting role at PG, which may benefit everyone and get LA some more wins. Games vs Vegas & Phoenix this week will be very telling. 5. Kamilla Cardoso needs more touches! The offense should be directly flowing through her! If she gets a touch on every possession, she’ll be able to put Chicago in a position to win games… something they desperately need if they want a chance at playing postseason basketball! On the post-entry pass, she can either go up with it or kick out to 3-pt shooters Vandersloot, Atkins, Banham & Nurse. At 6’7”, she draws a lot of attention. Give her the ball & let her go to work! That strategy paid dividends at South Carolina! 6. Get more assertive, Paige! Good things typically happen when PB has the ball in her hands. Having a scoring juggernaut like Arike on your team can be tough to navigate especially as a rookie & not wanting to step on toes, but Paige should take more command and let that ball fly! She’s known for her efficiency, something we saw Tuesday in Dallas’s first win of the season over Connecticut (21 points on 8-10 shooting). We need more of that! 7. Bria Hartley IN, Jacy Sheldon, OUT. Connecticut needs to find the recipe for success & quick! They go into Week 3 winless. With the news of Lindsay Allen’s left hamstring injury (out approx. 2 weeks), CT needs to fix rotations at the guard spot. I think the perfect place to start would be to move Bria into the starting rotation & have Jacy come off the bench. She’s back after a 3-year hiatus & in 20.2 mpg off the bench, looks good! 8.4 mpg & 3.0 apg could see a big increase due to versatility at the guard spot; can play the 1 & the 2 very well. 8. Sydney Colson out, Sophie Cunningham in. While Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with injury, the Fever need a reliable point guard. Cunningham has proven to be that over the past few years, on both sides of the ball. In their loss to Washington on Wednesday, Colson got the start and went 2-7 from the floor to finish with 4 points in 31 minutes. Give Sophie the starting role at PG and let her go to work. 9. A double-double isn’t enough. If Chicago wants to get on the winning track, more efficiency will be needed from their star Angel Reese. Though a dominant force on the glass, her shooting has been abysmal to start off the season. She’s shooting it at a 31% clip, which simply isn’t going to cut it. We saw last year what happened when AR shoots the ball at a higher clip: THEY WIN GAMES. If she can shoot it 50% or better from the field, Chicago wins Saturday vs Dallas. 10. A healthy Azura Stevens is the most versatile forward in the W, there I said it! This is the best she has ever looked in her pro career. She’s currently leading LA in rebounds & blocks while ranking third in points & steals. At 6’6”, nobody plays inside-out basketball as efficiently as she does. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author EJ Arocho is Mr. Women’s Basketball and lives in New Jersey. Lives by the shore but looking to make waves everywhere!

The timing of fantasy sports focusing on women’s sports is perfect. The interest and competitive quality are at peak performance and the legalization is creating even more hype.... July 12, 2025 Find Out Why W/ Paris Smith Paris Smith 1. You were CEO of Pinnacle Sports for 17 years. What was your career trajectory prior to Pinnacle Sports and why were you drawn to gaming? Ironically, politics was the most likely trajectory. My grandfather was a politician, the former governor of North Dakota and I was also drawn to the idea of service of the people because of my exposure growing up with him. The draw to gaming was the newness, when I began in 1995 it was brand new, an industry in its infancy and I loved solving problems and creating everything around it. There was no framework, nothing prior to say "this is how it is done". It was exciting and new. Later in my career with managing people and running companies I always looked at the team as people I was there to serve as well as lead. 2. You succeeded at the highest levels in what many see as a male-dominated industry. Were there any specific challenges you faced because you were a woman CEO and how did you overcome them? At the time, I didn't even think about it, it wasn't until years later I realized I was one of the only women. I always worked for men who respected me and saw the potential I had with hard work. I believe my competitive basketball career really hardened me and created a solid foundation of confidence and resilience. I carried that through my career. I believe being the only woman was always a a strength. I knew how to keep the room in check, my strong personality created a no bull environment and my straight to the point approach resinated with the rest of the room. I never came across as a poor me person, but rather, I have something to say and I appreciate if you listen to it. I am also not afraid to say when i have made mistakes so that bit of humility goes a long way. 3. How do you see the future of fantasy sports dovetailing with the explosion in popularity of women’s sports? The timing of fantasy sports focusing on women’s sports is perfect. The interest and competitive quality are at the peak performance and the legalization is creating even more hype. Women's tennis was superior from a competitive perspective for years, and the volume of betting made that clear, but now with the increased exposure of Soccer/European football, WNBA, Lacrosse, etc.. the interest in betting via fantasy is increased and the acceptability is also there. Fantasy has already proven to be a perfect segway into other contests as we have seen with DraftKings and Fanduel. This gives players the ability to get comfortable with participating in contests in the sport. There have always been a strong amount of female gamers, now it is an increased market segment that needs the attention it deserves. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Paris Smith is an experienced iGaming executive who spent nearly two decades in leadership roles at Pinnacle. Known for her focus on operational strategy and early involvement in esports betting, she played a key role in the company’s international positioning.

July 31, 2025 Katelyn's Must-See Matchup Katelyn Hutchinson SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

In the Know April 25, 2025 LFG Founders' Welcome Message Adrienne Alitowski & Gary W. Marion Founders When our daughter was in elementary school, the first words she’d utter almost every morning were “Who won the game last night?” It didn’t matter the sport or the team. Since she’d have to go to bed before the final whistle, the girl needed to get caught up. She loves sports. She loves playing sports and watching sports and talking about sports. And when she got to high school, she talked to boys about sports for the first time. We remember her telling us at dinner one night that the boys told her that women’s sports were no good. Yeesh. We knew those boys were wrong. But when it was that easy for them to dismiss the hard-fought progress made by resilient and powerful athletes, well, we realized just how far there was left to go. Our daughter came of age with the 2015 and 2019 USWNT World Cup wins. We screamed our heads off, watching a giant screen in a park in Paris, when the US beat the Netherlands to win in 2019. We cheered at the inaugural Angel City FC game in Los Angeles. We welcomed Brittney Griner back to the WNBA in her first game (against the Los Angeles Sparks) after being released from Russia. Absolutely exciting and life-changing moments. Adrienne did not grow up a sports fan. When she and Gary moved in together in a small studio apartment she found him the perfect gift: TV headphones so she didn’t have to hear his sports. She didn’t understand his love for all things sport and she didn’t understand why they mattered so much to him. But watching their daughter play and love sports turned things around for her. And when Adrienne started noticing women’s sports on TV, the headphones finally came off. Women playing sports was a whole different story. She was all in! The global passion for women’s sports is catching up to our own. Audiences are growing and more people are tuning in. Maybe some of those high school boys are watching now, too. Our mission at LFG is to help grow women’s sports by bringing fans of women’s sports together. We are building a supportive, safe, and fun community that can chat, learn about our favorite athletes, and play fantasy contests. Community. Connection. Competition. What could be more fun? Welcome to LFG! Adrienne Alitowski & Gary W. Marion founded LFG as a way to support their love of women's sports. READ FULL ARTICLE AT SOURCE

LFG Network Women’s sports are everywhere and they are all the time!