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Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot appeared on an episode of Chicago Med, while Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson will make cameos in the animated movie “GOAT” next month. This got me thinking about which other WNBA players I would like to see on the big or small screen... January 20, 2026 WNBA Acting Gigs We Need Steve Pimental While the longest WNBA season ever drags on, there is a unique way for fans to see some of their favorite stars. Last week, Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot appeared on an episode of Chicago Med, while Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson will make cameos in the animated movie “GOAT” next month. This got me thinking about which other WNBA players I would like to see on the big or small screen. Here are five WNBA appearances we need ASAP. Kelsey Plum, Law and Order My favorite characters on Law and Order are the ones who look sweet on the outside but turn out to be cold-blooded killers. That could probably describe a lot of WNBA players, but I think Kelsey Plum is perfect for that role. She has a 1000-watt smile and seems like a blast off the court, but she will delight in ripping your heart out on the court. And in case you don’t agree with that assessment, Plum led the league with 70 clutch points last season. I would also love this because it would be a big departure from her role in Happy Gilmore 2. Kate Martin, Star Trek Lower Decks Martin is a fan favorite despite only starting in six of her 76 career games. There is a decent chance she will be an expansion draft pick for a second consecutive season, where she would most likely come off the bench again. I believe this would make her the perfect WNBA player to make a cameo on Lower Decks. Lower Decks is a show about a bunch of junior officers on a smaller Starfleet ship, in contrast to all the other Star Trek shows that focus on the highest-ranking officers on the most important ships. These characters are good at their jobs and take them seriously even though they (mostly) don’t take themselves too seriously. That sounds a lot like Kate Martin to me. Sydney Colson, The Tonight Show The late-night talk show format appears to be heading for extinction, but I have no doubt Sydney Colson could breathe some life into it. Sydney actually would have been a great choice for Lower Decks as well, but I didn’t want to choose the same athlete for two different properties. Colson has made just 16 starts in 271 career games, six of which came last season for the injury-ravaged Indiana Fever. One of the reasons Colson has stuck around so long in this league is that she is a fantastic teammate who appears to be universally loved around the league. She is hilarious in her own right but is also a fantastic hype man for her more prominent teammates. She would be like a (much) less annoying version of Jimmy Fallon. Caitlin Clark, Space Jam I am so certain this will happen that I actually looked it up to make sure it hadn’t been announced. I feel like this is pretty much the only way to keep the franchise going, unless we’re just going to wait another 25 years for the next movie. Clark is a big enough star to make people care, and her addition would provide a new wrinkle for a franchise that could desperately use it. Clark has proven to be pretty personable in her State Farm ads and her appearance on Saturday Night Live, so I think she could do well as herself in Space Jam. Aliyah Boston, Sesame Street I’m not sure how well I can explain this, but I just think Boston’s energy and enthusiasm would be perfect alongside Elmo and Big Bird. Something about watching her do the Say the Word on Beat challenge just makes me think she would do well on a children’s show. Boston isn’t a superstar just yet, but I think she is on that trajectory on and off the court. An appearance on Sesame Street would be fitting for a player of her stature. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

Two of Unrivaled's most exciting guards are bound to put on a show... January 16, 2026 These 5 Matchups Will Raise Unrivaled Viewership This Week EJ Arocho FRIDAY: Aliyah Boston vs Alyssa Thomas Both teams are locked in at 2-1. The Phantom are in 2nd place thanks to a +30 differential with the Laces not far behind at 5th with a +26 differential. AB & AT are two of the most physical players in the league, so this will be popcorn-worthy! Boston- 16.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG Thomas- 10.0 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 5.0 APG FRIDAY: Chelsea Gray vs Kelsey Mitchell Two of Unrivaled's most exciting guards are bound to put on a show. Chelsea is off to a blazing start, leading the defending champ Rose to a 3-0 start, while the Hive are still searching for their first win in their inaugural season. Both teams have three players in the Top 20 in scoring, with Rose boasting Chelsea Gray, Azura Stevens & Shakira Austin and Hive boasting Sonia Citron, Monique Billings & Kelsey Mitchell. This battle will be won in the back court! Gray- 31.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.7 SPG Mitchell- 13.3 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.3 SPG SATURDAY: Aaliyah Edwards vs Breanna Stewart Former UConn stars clash! Two of the top scoring forwards, they'll look to use versatile scoring to secure a dub, which for Aaliyah & the Lunar Owls, would be the first of the season. Edwards- 24.7 PPG, 12.0 RPG Stewart- 17.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 BPG SATURDAY: Paige Bueckers vs Dearica Hamby One of basketball's newest stars & a seasoned vet who just set an Unrivaled single-game scoring record will go head-to-head! Paige Buckets & Dearica Hamby are off to hot starts, with PB scoring double-figures in every game thus far, while Hamby is fresh off a historic 40-piece vs Hive. Bueckers- 18.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 7.3 APG, 1.0 BPG Hamby- 22.3 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 1.3 APG MONDAY: Dominique Malonga + Cameron Brink vs Alanna Smith + Breanna Stewart These four bring super versatile scoring and strong inside-out defense to this huge clash. With an average height of 6'4" between them and the two longest wingspans in the league (Malonga & Stewie at 7'1"), you can expect a ton of blocked shots and possibly even...a dunk??! Malonga- 16.7 PPG, 10.7 RPG Brink- 10.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG Smith- 6.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.0 BPG Stewart- 17.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 BPG 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!

Explore 2026 Australian Open women’s singles: discover favorites, sleepers & rising title contenders like Sabalenka, Swiatek & Andreeva. January 16, 2026 Tennis Betting: 2026 Australian Open Women's Betting Picks, Odds, Predictions and Tennis Best Bets Sahsa Yodashkin The first tennis Grand Slam of 2026 begins Sunday, Jan. 18 from the hard courts of Melbourne, Australia, with the first action taking place Sunday morning down under, which will still be Saturday evening in the U.S. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek have separated themselves from the pack as the top two players on the WTA Tour, but they have faced far more resistance from the rest of the field compared to the ATP top two of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz . Swiatek (five) and Sabalenka (four) have combined to win nine of the last 15 Grand Slam events, but there are more than a handful of legitimate title contenders in the Australian Open women's singles draw. Before we get to the favorites, contenders and sleepers at the Australian Open, let's acknowledge some notable injuries and absences. Qinwen Zheng (elbow) and Veronika Kudermetova (undisclosed) will miss the tournament due to injuries, while Danielle Collins and the pregnant Ons Jabeur also aren't among the Australian Open entrants. A few other women listed in the draw were dealing with injuries prior to the tournament but appear ready to give it a go, the most notable of which is Marketa Vondrousova (shoulder). The list of legitimate title contenders is much longer in the women's draw compared to the men's draw, but Sabalenka's the clear player to beat as the world No. 1 chases her third Australian Open title in four years. After each player's name below, you will see their title odds from DraftKings Sportsbook . Australian Open WTA Picks The Favorite for the 2026 Australian Open Aryna Sabalenka (+185) - Sabalenka had a 20-match winning streak at the Australian Open snapped by Madison Keys in the 2025 final, as the top-ranked Belarusian came one win shy of a threepeat down under. After making the final of each of the last six hard-court Grand Slams (winning four), Sabalenka seems like a shoo-in for another deep run, despite a tricky early draw that includes four-time Australian Open quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova as a potential second-round opponent and No. 28 seed Emma Raducanu -- who pushed Sabalenka to a third-set tiebreak in their last meeting -- in the third round. Things only get tougher from there with No. 14 Clara Tauson or No. 17 Victoria Mboko in the Round of 16, No. 7 seed Jasmine Paolini as Sabalenka's chalk quarterfinal opponent, and No. 3 Coco Gauff or No. 8 Mirra Andreeva potentially waiting in the semifinals. Sabalenka's relentless power off the ground and underrated variety will make her a favorite in any of those matchups, but she's accurately pegged as a clear underdog against the deep WTA field. In the Mix for the 2026 Australian Open Iga Swiatek (+500) - Swiatek's second-half resurgence in 2025 included an unlikely title at Wimbledon, where she had previously struggled, so it would be foolish to count out the two-time Australian Open semifinalist completely, but Swiatek's game remains better suited for slower court conditions than those in Melbourne. The world No. 2 brings a well-rounded mix of offense and defense coupled with a championship mentality that has helped Swiatek go 6-0 in Grand Slam finals while losing just one set across those six matches. Her early draw is unremarkable, but Swiatek could face off against four-time hard-court Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in the Round of 16, kicking off a treacherous stretch that could include No. 5 seed Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals, then one of Keys or her American compatriots Amanda Anisimova or Jessica Pegula in the semis. Coco Gauff (+700) - Gauff's another player who does her best work in slower conditions, as she's just 16-6 at the Australian Open in her career, peaking at a semifinal showing in 2024. To get back to that point in this tournament, the third-seeded American may have to get by No. 8 seed Mirra Andreeva , who has succeeded the 21-year-old Gauff as the WTA Tour's most promising teenager. Prior to a potential quarterfinal showdown against Andreeva, Gauff could face Marketa Vondrousova in the third round and one of Emma Navarro or Karolina Muchova in the Round of 16. None of those players have the power to hit through Gauff's elite defense, but they can all control play with variety. Elena Rybakina (+800) - Rybakina has risen back to No. 5 in the rankings on the heels of a strong finish to 2025, as the big server won the last 11 matches she played to close out last year, capping that run with a win over Sabalenka in the WTA Finals championship match. Various ailments and injuries have prevented Rybakina from playing her best tennis at times in recent years, but she's right up there with the WTA Tour's best when firing on all cylinders and is the clear favorite to make it to the quarterfinals from a section of the draw with No. 10 seed Belinda Bencic . Rybakina has a respectable 5-6 head-to-head record against potential QF opponent Swiatek. Amanda Anisimova (+900) - Anisimova was a finalist at each of the last two Grand Slams of 2025, avenging her Wimbledon double-bagel against Swiatek at the U.S. Open before falling to Sabalenka in the championship match in New York. Having overcome some personal tragedies and mental struggles, the 24-year-old American is finally playing up to her potential as one of the game's cleanest ball strikers. The No. 4 seed is part of an American-heavy section, with 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin as a possible third-round opponent and either Keys or Pegula in the quarterfinals, with Linda Noskova or Jelena Ostapenko on Anisimova's path in between those potential all-American matchups. Mirra Andreeva (+1600) , Naomi Osaka (+2500) and Madison Keys (+3000) also come in with title odds of +3000 or better. Andreeva demonstrated her immense upside by winning hard-court WTA 1000 titles in Dubai and Indian Wells last year. The 18-year-old Russian reached the Round of 16 in each of her previous two Australian Open appearances and has made the French Open semifinals and Wimbledon quarterfinals, showcasing an all-court skill set built around both athleticism and variety. Osaka hadn't made it past the third round of a Grand Slam since winning her fourth major at the 2021 Australian Open until her semifinal run at the 2025 U.S. Open, which announced her return to the top tier of the women's game and propelled her back into the top 20. If she faces Swiatek in the Round of 16, it could be the biggest pre-quarterfinal match of the tournament. Keys is the defending champion but just missed out on a top-eight seed, which significantly complicates her path. The big-hitting American could face No. 6 seed Pegula, No. 4 seed Anisimova, No. 2 seed Swiatek and No. 1 seed Sabalenka back-to-back-to-back-to-back to defend her title. Sleepers for the 2026 Australian Open Marketa Vondrousova (+10000) - Vondrousova has been a contender for big titles when healthy, winning Wimbledon in 2023 in addition to reaching the French Open final in 2021 and taking home an Olympic silver medal on the hard courts of Tokyo in 2021. She had just worked her way back to top form after a multi-month layoff due to a shoulder injury in 2025 when a knee injury prevented her from taking the court in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open against Sabalenka. Given Vondrousova's injury history, it's concerning that she withdrew from Adelaide citing a shoulder injury, but she certainly has the game to make a deep run if that exit turns out to be mostly precautionary. The No. 32 seed could face Gauff in the third round. Barbora Krejcikova (+10000) - Krejcikova's another injury-prone Czech with championship pedigree. The 2021 French Open champion and 2024 Wimbledon champion reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in her last appearance here in 2024 but missed the 2025 event due to a back injury. Healthy and coming off a quarterfinal result at the 2025 U.S. Open, Krejcikova's much more dangerous than her No. 55 ranking suggests. The unseeded floater draws No. 23 Diana Shnaider in the first round and could eventually face No. 12 Elina Svitolina in the third round and Andreeva in the Round of 16. Krejcikova's willingness to take risks in big moments allows her to play most matches on her terms, fueling deep runs when she gets in a groove. Maya Joint (+15000) - There have been plenty of teenage success stories on the WTA Tour in recent years, and the Australian crowd would love nothing more than for the 19-year-old Joint to add her name to that list. The young Aussie won a pair of WTA 250-level titles last year, climbing into the seeded range to begin 2026 at a career-high No. 32 ranking and earning the 30th seed here. Joint has yet to post a breakthrough result at a bigger tournament, but she could quickly put her name on the map here with a potential opportunity to notch the biggest win of her young career in the third round against Rybakina. Australian Open Prediction I'm picking Mirra Andreeva to break through for her first Grand Slam title, beating Rybakina in the final. Andreeva has had some trouble handling hostile crowds, but a slight uptick in mental maturity is all that's needed for the 18-year-old Russian to take the next step and become a perennial Grand Slam title contender, as she possesses all the tools and has already beaten most of the WTA Tour's best players in big moments. Those looking for more tennis coverage can check out RotoWire's latest tennis news , Tennis Injury Report , Tennis Events page , and Tennis Player Comparison tool . SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Sasha has been contributing NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and Tennis content to RotoWire since 2015, with an emphasis on DFS. He is a huge New York sports fan who has been playing fantasy sports since middle school.

Is this the Aaliyah Edwards breakout we were hoping for?...Are Breanna Stewart and Arike Ogunbowale bouncing back?... January 15, 2026 What we Learned from the First Week of Unrivaled Season Two Steve Pimental 1. Is this the Aaliyah Edwards breakout we were hoping for? Edwards is currently third in the league in points per game and first in rebounds per game. There is a decent chance she wouldn’t even be playing if Napheesa Collier was healthy, but Edwards’s numbers have popped in a way that even her most optimistic supporters couldn’t have anticipated. Edwards has shown great pick-and-roll chemistry with Marina Mabrey, rolling to the basket with purpose and punishing switches in the post. I’ve also been impressed with Edwards’s dribble handoff game. In Monday’s loss to the Laces, Edwards beat Alyssa Thomas off the dribble multiple times when Thomas overplayed the handoff to Mabrey. It certainly helps that the Lunar Owls almost always have a knockdown shooter in Rachel Banham or Rebecca Allen on the other side while they run these pick-and-rolls, but Edwards has been impressive nonetheless. I hope that Sylar Diggins returns from her leg injury soon so that we can see how Edwards does with another pick-and-roll partner. Mabrey is a capable floor spacer in her own right, so the Lunar Owls should have favorable situations to run the Diggins/Edwards pick and roll. Even with Diggins out, I think I’ve seen enough in the last week to say that the Connecticut Sun should protect Edwards in the upcoming expansion draft. I wouldn’t have said that after this WNBA season, when Edwards averaged just 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17 minutes per game after the midseason trade to the Sun. Edwards obviously won’t have the same floor spacing in the W that she enjoys in Unrivaled, but I believe she has shown she should be more involved in the offense, especially if she plays with the second unit. 2. Maybe Chelsea Gray really is The Point Gawd. I’ve never really loved that moniker for Gray, even if there is no denying she has been the second or third-best player on four championship teams. Rose BC is the only 3-0 team in the league, and Gray deserves the lion’s share of the credit. Gray is the only Rose player averaging more than 14.2 minutes per game, and she leads the league with 31.7 ppg. Gray is tied for third with 5.7 assists per game, while leading the league with 5.3 3PM per game. She is tied for first in game winners (2) and minutes per game (21.8). Gray tied a career high with 3.9 3PA per game this season, but this performance seems to indicate she could be even more aggressive in hunting her three-point shot. I will be watching closely to see what this Rose team looks like when Kahleah Copper comes back. Gray should see her minutes and usage decrease, which will likely be a good thing for the 33-year-old. 3. Does Monique Billings need to play more? Hive is the other team, along with the Lunar Owls, that has a negative point differential and is still searching for its first win. And on some level, it doesn’t matter who plays inside if Hive’s perimeter players don’t do a better job navigating screens. That being said, Billings is tied with Sonia Citron for the team lead in points and rebounds despite being third on the team in minutes per game. Billings has been better than I anticipated off the dribble, and I like her ability to run inverted pick-and rolls. Perhaps more importantly, I think Billings’s mobility makes her more suited to the Unrivaled game than Ezi Magbegor. I also don’t think its a coincidence that most of Kelsey Mitchell’s best moments against Vinyl on Sunday came with Billings setting a screen to get Mitchell open. Mitchell needs to be dominant offensively if Hive is going to turn their season around, and I think Billings puts her in the best situation to do that. 4. This league is up for grabs. I think any of the five teams with winning records could make a case for being the best team in the league. Rose is 3-0, but they are third in point differential. The Mist and Breeze are behind in point differential, but that could be mostly due to the fact that they haven’t played the Lunar Owls yet. I might still pick Rose as the best team if/when Kahleah Copper returns, though she could actually disrupt the chemistry Chelsea Gray has developed with her teammates. I love that there aren’t any teams that look like they’re going to run roughshod over the rest of the league. It should keep things interesting all season. 5. Are Breanna Stewart and Arike Ogunbowale bouncing back? Both players are coming off the worst WNBA seasons of their careers, and it is notable that they are teammates for the Mist in Unrivaled. Stewart is averaging 17.0 points in 16.2 minutes while Ogunbowale is averaging 12.0 points in 13.6 minutes. I have been skeptical of the idea the Dallas Wings would protect Ogunbowale in the expansion draft or that she would have any trade value around the league. If she continues to play like this, I could be proven wrong. I will say that Unrivaled’s format favors primary creators and mobile bigs, so it isn’t that surprising that Stewart and Ogunbowale are playing well. Ogunbowale does appear to be taking defense more seriously than she has in the past, which could be important coming off the worst offensive season of her career. Of the two, I think Stewart is more likely to bounce back in the coming WNBA season, despite the fact that she is three years older. Stewart is too good of a shooter to struggle again next season, while even after seven WNBA seasons, the jury is still out on whether or not Ogunbowale is a winning player. 6. Can the Breeze take care of the basketball? Only the 0-3 Lunar Owls have turned the ball over more than the Breeze. That isn’t exactly shocking, considering Breeze has only one player with more than two years of WNBA experience and that is Aari McDonald, who has played just 6.4 minutes this season. I actually think McDonald and Cameron Brink could play more, which might help the Breeze hold onto the ball. McDonald didn’t turn the ball over in her one game, while Brink has been (slightly) better at holding onto the basketball than Dominique Malonga. Malonga has committed 4.0 turnovers per game so far this season, second only to Marina Mabrey. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

One thing that is certain is that whenever the two sides agree on a new contract, the remaining offseason business will be conducted at breakneck speed. January 13, 2026 Which Teams are Best Equipped for this Hectic Offseason? Steve Pimental Nearly half of the WNBA offseason has come and gone, and a new collective bargaining agreement is nowhere in sight. I remain hopeful that the WNBA and the WNBPA can avoid the first work stoppage in the 30-year history of the league, but time is running out. There is still plenty we don’t know about what the league and its 15 teams (and counting) will look like in 2026 and beyond. One thing that is certain is that whenever the two sides agree on a new contract, the remaining offseason business will be conducted at breakneck speed. Under the previous CBA, free agency would have begun January 11 with core designations and the extension of qualifying offers. We don’t even know if the core designation will exist in the new CBA, and the league must conduct a two-team expansion draft before free agency opens. Then the league will need to hold the WNBA draft and training camp before the season begins (hopefully) in May. I’m not sure it can be overstated how difficult a test this will be for WNBA front offices. They obviously have more insight into contract negotiations than what is publicly available, but they won’t know for certain what the new league rules are until the contract is signed. I am certain they are preparing for the offseason as best they can, but how do you prepare for an expansion draft when you don’t know what the rules are? How do you get ready for free agency when you don’t know how much money you have to spend, what the minimum or maximum contracts are, or if any of the unrestricted free agents are able to be cored? This offseason was going to be challenging enough, even if it played out over the full six months. It has been 26 years since the WNBA has seen a multi-team expansion draft, so this is going to be a new challenge for everyone involved. On top of that, the salary cap is set to be at least three times larger in 2026 than it was in 2025. The players’ latest proposal would see the cap rise to approximately $12.5 million, over eight times larger than the 2025 cap. This won’t be quite the same as when the NBA salary cap spiked in 2016 and a bunch of teams signed really terrible contracts, but it will almost certainly take some time for teams to adjust to the new cap environment; time that these teams simply will not have. I’m not sure if it's accurate to say that any team will benefit from the truncated offseason, but I do believe some teams are better-equipped to handle it than others. First and foremost, I believe the teams with a large and experienced front office staff will likely make fewer mistakes when the offseason starts in earnest. A team like the Dallas Wings, which revamped its front office last offseason by hiring General Manager Curt Miller and Assistant General Managers Travis Charles and Jasmine Thomas, could be the first to pick up on some of the nuances in the new rules. Similarly, a team like the Minnesota Lynx, with a long track record of success in the drafting and development of young players as well as in free agency, should handle this offseason better than most. On the other hand, I believe this offseason will give bad, inexperienced, or unaligned front offices even more opportunities to make mistakes. The good news for the Chicago Sky is that they are unlikely to have many difficult choices to make when it comes to protecting their players in the expansion draft. Unless the rules turn out to be a lot crazier than we are anticipating, they’re only going to have a handful of players worth protecting. That’s not a concern. It's all the other offseason business that terrifies me as a Sky fan. GM Jeff Pagliocca had all the time in the world last offseason and still made the disastrous trade for Ariel Atkins. I have no confidence he will do better this time around. Perhaps obviously, the expansion teams especially will begin this offseason behind the eight ball. The expansion draft will be a challenge for everyone, but most teams only need to worry about protecting their own players and potentially negotiating a trade with one or both of the expansion teams. The expansion teams have 13 potential trade partners to negotiate with, as well as a pool of dozens of players to choose from. And as soon as they finally add some players to their rosters, then they’ll have to do it again in free agency. I feel like it might be slightly easier for the Toronto Tempo because they have an experienced head coach in Sandy Brondello, who likely has a clear vision of how she wants to play and which players can fit that style. That may be more of a challenge for the four first-time head coaches hired this offseason. I feel like another advantage the Wings will have this offseason is that they have 10 players on rookie contracts or restricted free agency. Even after they lose two players in the expansion draft, they will still have a ton of young, cheap talent. While some teams will need to remake their entire rosters, Dallas will likely have a ton of cap space to throw at a few roster spots. The Golden State Valkyries are in a similar spot, as most of the players they selected in last year’s expansion draft are still under contract. I feel bad for any player who gets selected in the expansion draft two years in a row, but the remaining players should give Golden State a strong base from which to build another roster that can reach the playoffs. Finally, I believe the teams with All-WNBA talent on rookie deals will have an even greater advantage than usual. The Indiana Fever may have a ton of unrestricted free agents, but at least they know they have Caitlin Clark to build around. Nearly all of the Las Vegas Aces’ rotation is entering free agency. Even if they bring back their core, that will take time and money that teams like the Fever and Mystics will be spending building around their young cores. As a WNBA fan, I am preparing myself for an offseason that is nearly impossible to keep up with. I can’t imagine what this time must be like for the people in WNBA front offices. Because so much offseason business will be crammed into such a relatively short period of time, I think we should be prepared for teams to make a lot of mistakes in the expansion draft, free agency, trades, and the WNBA draft. Hopefully, you root for one of the teams that should have an advantage in navigating these uncharted waters. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

The intimate setting makes the competitiveness feel raw and real. Opening day saw techs fly with Marina Mabrey & Sug Sutton turning up the heat.  It's spicy over here! January 9, 2026 Unrivaled Vibes This Week + Predictions EJ Arocho More Elite 1-on-1 Battles The condensed court keeps isolations coming and every game feels like a showcase of pure skill. Athleticism and endurance on full display. Can't-miss matchups: Paige Bueckers (Breeze) vs Sonia Citron (Hive) Marina Mabrey (Lunar Owls) vs Kelsey Plum (Phantom) Shakira Austin (Rose) vs Dominique Malonga (Breeze) Natisha Hiedeman (Hive) vs Courtney Williams (Vinyl) Stars Leaning Fully into Their Bag With fewer players on the floor, the league’s biggest names get the greenest of green lights... Arike Ogunbowale (Mist) Paige Bueckers (Breeze) Alyssa Thomas (Laces) Kelsey Plum (Phantom) Rivalries Starting to Feel Personal Familiar faces, new teams and repeat matchups [from last season] will add extra edge. Teammates [in the W] become rivals! Late-Game Chaos Tight scoring, fast possessions, and no hiding on defense = wild finishes! Unexpected Breakout Performances Someone new seems to pop every week when given more touches and space. Creative Coaching Adjustments Lineups, switches, and pace changes matter more in this format... and coaches are experimenting! Any lag or slip-up in coverage will expose even the most lockdown defenders. Trash Talk You Can Actually Hear The intimate setting makes the competitiveness feel raw and real. Opening day saw techs fly with Marina Mabrey & Sug Sutton turning up the heat. It's spicy over here! Players Showing Different Sides of Their Game Post players on the perimeter, guards defending bigger matchups, it’s versatility on display. Momentum Swings That Happen Fast A couple stops and buckets can flip a game in under a minute. Things can change at the drop of a dime, especially when you have speed demons Kelsey Mitchell & Kahleah Copper like on the floor! Transition terrors! The League Finding its Identity in Real Time Each week makes Unrivaled feel less like a concept and more like a must-watch product. Who will be the face of Season 2? Opening day saw Paige Bueckers debut with 24 points, French phenom Dominique Malonga record 17 points & 14 rebounds and defending champ Chelsea Gray drop 35. Predictions: Friday- Rose beats Vinyl, Breeze beats Hive Saturday- Lunar Owls beats Phantom, Mist beats Laces Sunday- Breeze beats Rose, Hive beats Vinyl Monday- Mist beats Phantom, Laces beats Lunar Owls SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to watch League One Volleyball, and I was excited to watch the First Serve match between the defending champion LOVB Austin and the team they swept in the championship, LOVB Nebraska... January 8, 2026 Eight Takeaways from LOVB Opening Night Steve Pimental One of my New Year’s resolutions was to watch League One Volleyball, and I was excited to watch the First Serve match between the defending champion LOVB Austin and the team they swept in the championship, LOVB Nebraska. It was a fun back-and-forth match, and if it is indicative of the rest of the games, LOVB will have a great second season. Here are my takeaways from Opening Night of LOVB. 1. I like Austin’s home court. I’m not exactly a court connoisseur. I mostly like the NBA’s weird courts during the NBA Cup, but I’m usually content with a plain court. Austin’s court was understated, but I thought it looked good on television. The purple bordering the court made it relatively easy to see when balls were in and out, and it didn’t distract from the game. 2. We need more stats. Overall, I thought the commentators did a great job calling the game. They explained the game in a way that was easy for a relatively casual fan like myself to understand. They also did a good job of providing background information on these players, including their collegiate and international careers. I just wish they used more statistics to tell the story of the game.They did a better job as the match went along of telling us that Kimberly Drewniok was leading the game in points or that Asjia O’Neal was hitting .600, but I thought there were a lot more opportunities to tell us the stats or even display them on the screen.It almost makes it worse that the LOVB.com Match Central has a bunch of really interesting stats. I went there during the game to try to find out how old Jordan Larsen is (more on that later) and was very impressed with their in-match stats. 3. Is this the only league that does challenges well? You would never know it if you watch the NBA, MLB, NFL, EPL, or NHL, but it turns out challenges don’t actually need to take three minutes every time. If a team or the referee challenged a call they would show a couple of replays, make a decision and then move on with their lives. I’ve never understood why it takes a dozen replays for officials in other sports to make a decision. One of the best parts of professional volleyball is how fast the game moves. Often, there isn’t even time to show a replay of the previous point before the next serve. It was a refreshing change of pace from watching other leagues, and the quick challenges played an important part in the pace of play. 4. Please tell us how old these players are. They don’t have ages or birth dates on their player pages, so maybe it is a conscious effort by LOVB to not dwell on anyone’s age. And just because every other league provides that information and media discusses it all the time, doesn’t necessarily mean that is the only way to do it. I just feel like I would know these players so much better if I had any sense of who the veteran players were. Who’s fresh out of college? Who is hoping to make their first Olympic team in 2028, or is hoping to hold on for one more? Its great to know that Jordan Larsen has played in four Olympics but she was LOVB Nebraska’s best player for large swaths of that match at 39-years-old. How are they not making a huge deal out of that? 5. I love watching the setters. There is no denying that they aren’t as exciting as the outside hitters, but I was so impressed watching how both setters could take passes that were low or away from the net or on the other side of the court and somehow set the ball exactly where it needed to be, almost every time. I knew the outside hitters would jump high and hit hard, and they certainly did, but it was so fun to watch the setters turn points around with one good set. Someone obviously agreed with me since Austin setter Brie O’Reilly was named the Player of the Match. 6. Logan Eggleston was really, really good. I don’t want to make too many declarations about the players in this game before I’m able to see the other teams. If both of these teams go out and lose at home on Sunday, I’ll feel differently about them than I do now. That being said, Logan Eggleston was noticeably bigger than everyone else on the court, but she didn’t move like it. I thought she did reasonably well with the fact that Nebraska served to her nearly every time, but she looked like she was everywhere at the net on both offense and defense. Between Eggleston, Asjia O’Neal and reigning LOVB Finals MVP Madisen Skinner, it is hard to see how any team slows down Austin’s offense this season. 7. The slide is the most fun play in volleyball. I’ve always felt this way, but this game just reinforced it. It’s probably not nearly as effective as it looks, which is one of the reasons neither team used it a ton, but something about the middle blocker going around the outside and stuffing the ball just looks pretty. Maybe I just like it because it is easy for my untrained eye to identify. 8. I’m even more interested to see a game live. It sounded at times like the crowd was very into the game, especially when Austin made its comeback in the fourth and fifth sets. It's hard to tell sometimes because the fans are so far away from the action, but it certainly seemed loud in the arena. I just think it has to be so much fun to see a game live. Both teams had some crazy athletes, and I can only imagine what that looks like up close. I was excited to drive up to Madison for a game anyway, but seeing this game on TV only made me want to go to a game that much more. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

Last week, Unrivaled announced that Napheesa Collier would be out 4-6 months after doctors determined she needed surgery on both ankles. The news was a big blow to Unrivaled, which lost its co-founder and reigning MVP... January 7, 2026 Fantasy Fallout from Napheesa Collier’s Injury Steve Pimental Last week, Unrivaled announced that Napheesa Collier would be out 4-6 months after doctors determined she needed surgery on both ankles. The news was a big blow to Unrivaled, which lost its co-founder and reigning MVP. Its an even bigger blow for her Unrivaled team, Lunar Owls FC. Temi Fagbenle is a fine replacement for Collier, but she's not enough to singlehandedly prop up the defense. Unless Aaliyah Edwards is ready to make a huge leap ahead of her third WNBA season, I don't see how the Lunar Owls stay competitive. The fallout for the Lynx is not nearly so clear. Collier and most of the starters are free agents, though Minnesota will certainly use the Core designation on Collier if it still exists in the next CBA. The Lynx have enough young talent, including the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft, that they should be championship contenders if they can get to the playoffs with Collier healthy and playing at close to her MVP runner-up level. Once we have a new CBA and have seen free agency and the draft, we can evaluate Minnesota’s chances in 2026. For now, I think it is far more interesting to look at how this new affects Collier’s fantasy value as well as the value of her teammates. Collier was second in fppg in each of the last two seasons and third in 2023. I think she had to be second on draft boards behind A’ja Wilson prior to this news, even if some people would take Caitlin Clark ahead of her. Even if Collier comes back at the low end of her timeline and it looks like she will be read for the start of the WNBA regular season, I don’t think you can have her second anymore. In addition to Wilson and Clark, I’m taking Alyssa Thomas and Breanna Stewart ahead of her. Probably Paige Bueckers, Rhyne Howard, and Sabrina Ionescu as well, but I think that’s it. In her last five WNBA seasons, Collier has finished below 32 fppg once and below 35.6 fppg twice. I think that is basically her floor this season. I’m not counting on her to return to the 39 fppg she has topped in each of the last three seasons, but she still has that ceiling, especially in the second half. Collier has never played fewer than 32.3 mpg in a season, but I think she’ll have a hard time reaching that number this season. I worry that even if both ankles heal quickly, it might take her time to build up her stamina enough to play as many minutes as she has in the past. If it looks like she won’t be back until sometime in June, we’ll have to move Collier into the second or even third round of fantasy drafts, though at that point we will be taking her behind players who are clearly worse on a per-game basis. As sad as it will be to not see Collier play for as much as half the year, I am intrigued to see what the rest of the Lynx can do with increased minutes and usage. Courtney Williams couldn’t carry the offense in the playoffs with Collier out, but she should be fine in that role in the regular season. I was surprised to see that Williams’s usage last season was the highest of her career outside of the Wubble in 2020. I think Williams’s draft stock will increase the longer Collier is out, but that may be a mistake. I’m not sure Williams can take on much more usage, and even if she does, it might come at the cost of her efficiency. Williams averaged 29.1 fppg last season, the second-highest mark of her career. I’m not going to count on her matching that total in her age-32 season. With Collier out in Game 4 of the semifinals against Phoenix, Jessica Shepard stepped up with 14 points in 36 minutes on 6-11 shooting. Phoenix was largely able to contain her in the second half, but I see no reason to believe she won’t be effective in the regular season. Shepart averaged 28.1 fantasy points in 31.5 minutes per game in 12 starts last season, and I think she would come close to those numbers if she starts in place of Collier early in the season. Perhaps the biggest effect of Collier’s injury will be on the No. 2 overall pick. There is a good chance Awa Fam will need to come along slowly but if Minnesota takes anyone else, they could walk right into heavy usage. Olivia Miles might be the best fit as the point guard the Lynx have struggled to find since Lindsay Whalen retired, but I think any of the top prospects would do well if they landed there. I am most interested to see which of Minnesota’s young bigs step up if Collier has to miss time. This question becomes even more urgent if Shepard, Allanna Smith, and/or Bridget Carleton leave as unrestricted free agents. Maria Kliundikova was third on the Lynx with 36.6 fantasy points per 36 minutes, behind Napheesa Collier and tied with Courtney Williams. In her only regular-season start, Kliundikova scored 33 fantasy points in 36.9 minutes. We can’t expect that kind of fantasy production in a larger role, but as a fantasy player, I’ll be rooting for Kliundikova to win a starting role. Dorka Juhasz wasn’t great in seven starts for the Lynx in 2024, but she just turned 26 last month, and she is averaging 13.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in 23.8 minutes per game for Galatasaray. If she doesn’t get taken in the expansion draft, she could be ready for a more prominent role. She pretty much only played in garbage time as a rookie, but I was impressed by Anastasiia Olairi Kosu nonetheless . I like her athleticism and aggression, even if that didn't translate into a rotation spot as a rookie. She averaged 29.4 fantasy points per 36 minutes in the regular season, and she will turn 21 in April. Minnesota has had a lot of success developing young bigs of late, and I am excited to see what Olairi Kosu can do, especially if Napheesa Collier sticks around. I fully expect Collier to return to the peak of her powers at some point next season, but until then, her teammates should have plenty of opportunities to score fantasy points. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

January 2, 2026 Unrivaled Opening Day Matchups + Predictions EJ Arocho Monday, January 5th Mist vs Hive The Mist are stacked with a GOAT (Stewie), a defensive menace (Alanna Smith) and arguably the most clutch player in women's hoops (Arike). The Hive, in their inaugural season, come equipped with one of the best guards in the game (Kelsey Mitchell), a future face of the league (Sonia Citron) and a defensive anchor (Ezi Magbegor). If Hive wants to pull off the opening day dub, they'll have to get around 6'7" Li Yueru and 6'4" Stewie (who has a 7'1" wingspan). Monique Billings and Ezi (both 6'4") will have their work cut out, but with snipers like Kelsey, Sonia and Natisha Heidemen, anything's possible. Prediction: Mist Top Scorer: Arike Ogunbowale Vinyl vs Laces Alyssa Thomas & the Laces have a roster who many believe could go all the way. They have size, speed and unmatched physicality. Jordin Canada is one of the quickest players in the league, Jackie Young brings knockdown shooting and Naz Hillmon is a Swiss-Army knife of talent. They also have an Unrivaled champ on board in Brittney Sykes. While there's certainly a lot to contain, Vinyl BC has some major players of their own! 6'9" force BG is a tough assignment for anyone, Dearica Hamby is constantly in the conversation for one of the best players in women's hoops today, Rhyne Howard is a two-way stud and Courtney Williams is a fan-favorite and comes equipped with arguably the best mid-range shot in the league. Prediction: Laces Top Scorer: Jackie Young Lunar Owls vs Rose The defending champs bring back playmaking wizard Chelsea Gray, the ever-versatile Azurá Stevens, fan favorite Lexie Hull and speed demon Kahleah Copper. They'll be tested from the jump, facing a well balanced Owls squad that features 6’4” Temi Fagbenle (replacing Napheesa Collier), arc assassin Marina Mabrey and two-way terror Skylar Diggins. Having to contain Sky is a challenging assignment in itself! Rachel Banham can light it up in a hurry from outside and Aaliyah Edwards may just be this team's x-factor going forward. Prediction: Rose Top Scorer: Azurá Stevens Phantom vs Breeze Breeze BC might just be the most exciting team on paper. They enter their inaugural season with Paige Bucket Bueckers, who'll likely be the focal point of their offense. A strong supporting cast boasts a defensive juggernaut in Cameron Brink, French phenom Dominique Malonga, speedy guard Aari McDonald, fan favorite Kate Martin and big shot-maker Rickea Jackson. This team has a lot of options. So many weapons offensively and defensively! The Phantom have quite an exciting lineup of their own, with electric guards Kelsey Plum, Natasha Cloud and Dana Evans, double-double machines Aliyah Boston and KiKi Iriafen, and a season-vet in Tip Hayes. This battle could very well be won on the glass. Prediction: Breeze Top Scorer: Dominique Malonga 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!

When I watch Unrivaled, it is with an eye towards what those players will do when they return to a WNBA court. With that in mind, here is one player from each team that I am excited to watch this upcoming Unrivaled season. January 1, 2026 Unrivaled Players to Watch Steve Pimental A new year has arrived, and with it, a new season of Unrivaled. While I enjoyed Unrivaled’s inaugural season, my first basketball love will always be the WNBA. It's one of the reasons I appear to be the only WNBA fan who doesn’t watch much NCAA basketball. When I watch Unrivaled, it is with an eye towards what those players will do when they return to a WNBA court. With that in mind, here is one player from each team that I am excited to watch this upcoming Unrivaled season. Dominique Malonga, Breeze BC At 27 years-old, Aari McDonald is the old head of this team. She will be interesting to watch in her own right after she resurrected her career with the Fever last season. I also could have picked either of the Sparks’ duo. Cameron Brink needs to stay healthy to show what she can do while Rickea Jackson flashed her potential down the stretch. I’m especially interested to see how much they play together. All that being said, Dominique Malonga is the player who left Fenerbahce and fired her agent to come play in Unrivaled. Malonga showed flashes of why she was the Number 2 overall draft pick last season, but she was largely overshadowed by what turned out to be a very impressive rookie class. If she plays well, it could mean big things for a Seattle Storm team that underperformed last season. If Malonga is buried on the Breeze bench behind Cameron Brink, it might indicate the Storm are in for a long rebuild. Ezi Magbegor, Hive BC Malonga’s teammate in 2025 was arguably the biggest reason Seattle underachieved. Magbegor had the fewest points per 36 minutes of her career, and her rebounds per 36 were her fewest since her rookie season. That was despite playing more than three minutes per game fewer than in 2024. Magbegor is a three-time WNBA All-Defensive player, but Seattle had just a 98.8 defensive rating when she was on the floor last season, the second-worst mark of her career. Magbegor and Monique Billings are the only players who are going to play any defense on this team. If Magbegor can keep Hive’s defense respectable, it could raise her stock in free agency. Veronica Burton, Mist BC The Mist may have the deepest team in Unrivaled, with reigning WNBA Most Improved Player Burton and former All-Star Arike Ogunbowale both likely coming off the bench. That being said, Ogunbowale is coming off the worst season of her career. I am interested to see if she shows signs of a bounceback, but I will be watching more closely to see if Burton’s impressive play with the Valkyries carries over. Burton has shot better than 34 percent on threes in each of her last two WNBA seasons after shooting worse than 30 percent in each of her first two. She should get open looks playing next to Breanna Stewart, Allisha Gray and Alanna Smith. I want to see if she can knock down shots while playing the strong defense that got her to the WNBA in the first place. Aaliyah Edwards, Lunar Owls BC It seems like a lot of WNBA observers think Edwards has untapped upside. I wonder if that is just leftover from her being the sixth pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. Her per 36 minute numbers have been solid in her career, though she averaged a career-low 9.7 points per 36 in the 15 games after she was traded to Connecticut last season. If Edwards is going to be a WNBA rotation player, much less a future starter, I think she has to show something in Unrivaled. Can she be anything more than Napheesa Collier’s backup on this team? Given the lack of proven defenders, I think they’ll need her to be. Jordin Canada, Laces BC I think the injuries and the depth of Atlanta’s backcourt has led people to forget just how good Jordin Canada is. I still think she is the best guard defender in the WNBA, and that should stand out even more in this format. Maddy Siegrist and Naz HIllmon are solid bench players but unlikely to move the needle. I think Laces needs Canada to give them a fourth starting-caliber player on this roster. Sug Sutton, Rose BC Sutton has done very well to stick in the league after being the last pick in the 2020 WNBA draft. With the WNBA expanding, I’m confident Sutton will stick around for years to come. I’m just not sure why a fringe WNBA player is on an Unrivaled roster. I want to see if I am wrong and Sutton is better than I think. I like the rest of this roster a lot, and if Sutton is able to contribute and earn significant playing time, I think they could be contenders. Brittney Griner, Vinyl BC Griner was 10th in Unrivaled in minutes per game and points per game for Phantom last season, but I don’t think she’ll even start for Vinyl. After she struggled for Atlanta last WNBA season, I am afraid that Griner’s days of being a difference-maker on a basketball court are over. That being said, maybe the 35-year-old can thrive in a bench role with her new team. Griner’s WNBA free agency could depend on playing well for Unrivaled. Aliyah Boston, Phantom BC Boston is playing next to great players in Kelsey Plum and Satou Sabally, with Natasha Cloud and Kiki Iriafen likely coming off the bench. I still can’t help but feel that Phantom BC will go as far as Boston takes them. I think she’s going to be an MVP candidate someday. If it happens this Unrivaled season, I think Phantom could win the championship. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

These are my personal women’s sports resolutions for 2026... December 30, 2025 My Women’s Sports New Year's Resolutions Steve Pimental When it comes to my relationship with women’s sports, 2025 was a very good year. I took my nephew to his first Chicago Stars game and gave him his first WNBA trading cards. I bought my first pair of signature shoes and, most importantly, had the privilege of writing for this quality site. While it will be a tough act to follow, I have plenty of things I want to do in 2026. These are my personal women’s sports resolutions for 2026. I’m not saying you should try to do all of these things this year; unless you live in the Chicago area, some of them will probably be quite challenging. However, you may be able to adapt this list to your own situation. And if you do live in Chicagoland, say hello if you see me out at a game. Also, say hello on Instagram, and let me know your women’s sports Resolutions for the coming year. Don't pay attention to the Caitlin Clark/Angel Reese nonsense on social media. I hate to start negatively, but these are in the order that they popped into my head, so here we are. I love Angel Reese, even if I think her days of playing for the team I root for are numbered. And I have nothing against Caitlin Clark, even if I think her popularity has not yet been matched by her play on a WNBA court. This is about ignoring everyone who tries to twist every sneeze or sideways glance to fit their own narrative. I feel like I’m usually pretty good at ignoring that kind of stuff, but it's hard sometimes, so I want to remain vigilant. Go to Babes Sports Bar This is one of my Chicago-centric resolutions, though with the proliferation of sports bars catering to women’s sports, there is a good chance you can find a similar establishment in your area. Like many suburbanites, I find myself making my way into the city less and less as I get older. Even so, everything I have seen on social media indicates this bar is worth a special trip. Perhaps I will go during the Winter Olympics or to catch some NCAA Tournament games. See the Chicago Stars at Northwestern Medicine Field I feel like I’m the only person who didn’t have a problem with SeatGeek Stadium, though that could just be because it was closer to my house than driving all the way into the city, or to Evanston. I am excited for the Stars to build a permanent stadium near the lake but until then, I want to see at least one game in their new home. It also seems like there is a good chance this will be Alyssa Naeher’s last season, and I want to be sure to see her one last time. Go to All-Star festivities I am sad to say that when Chicago hosted the WNBA All-Star Weekend in 2022, I was not in attendance. I can’t for the life of me remember what I was doing that weekend. Probably working. I have heard nothing but good things about the league’s expanded offerings around the All-Star game in recent years, especially WNBA Live. I never made it down to Indianapolis last year, but I don’t have an excuse in 2026. I don’t know that I’ll make it to the game itself, but I will go to something. And probably write about it. Watch the LOVB Shoutout to my buddy Marty, who just brought this league to my attention on the day of this writing. It seems like the games should be pretty easy to find on the USA Network as well as ESPN 2 and ESPN+. Often, it can be exhausting trying to find when women’s sports are on and how we can actually watch them. The LOVB seems to have made it relatively easy. I am not a particularly huge NCAA volleyball fan, but I loved watching Illinois State volleyball when I went there, and I follow Olympic volleyball every four years. The six teams in the league appear to be loaded with talent, and there is a team within driving distance in Madison. In addition to watching these games on TV, I plan to attend at least one game in person. Buy more Women's sports merch My wardrobe is already roughly 50 percent women’s sports merch, but there is always room for improvement. The Chicago Sky alone have multiple hoodies and hats that I would love to add to my collection. I held off on buying the Angel Reese 1s because I am still wearing my A’Ones, but I think I have to give in this year. I definitely see a LOVB hoodie in my future, though I haven’t decided if I want to support my localish team (Madison) or get a “Volleyball is the Next Major League” hoodie. Commish a season-long WNBA fantasy league I was ecstatic when ESPN began hosting season-long WNBA fantasy leagues. As a longtime lover of fantasy sports and women’s sports, I am happy anytime those two are combined. I am sorry to say, I haven’t always been diligent about participating in those leagues, especially when I am unable to put together a league of people I know. While I hope to participate in multiple WNBA fantasy leagues in 2026, but top priority will be creating one league where I can play against some friends. I’ll plan on roping some of my LFG colleagues into participating, and if anyone reading this wants to join us, they should hit me up on Instagram. Listen to more podcasts One of these days, I am going to give up on trying to find a WNBA podcast I love, and I’ll just create my own. Until then, I want to make a more concerted effort to seek out new podcasts and to listen consistently. Some of my favorite podcasts have been cancelled or moved in recent years, especially when it comes to women’s soccer. I never really looked too hard to find new podcasts to replace the ones I lost, but that changes this year. Collect some WNBA Trading Cards I don’t know that I will ever have the time and/or means to become a serious card collector. Still, I have fond memories of collecting baseball, basketball and football cards when I was a kid, and my nephew has shown some interest as well. Combining that interest with my WNBA knowledge seems like it would be a lot of fun, even if the idea of ever sending cards in to be graded seems daunting. If nothing else, I know I’ll get a thrill any time I pull a card for Stef Dolson or any of my other favorite players. Watch more WSL I used to do a much better job following the WSL and actually watching the games when I listened to a couple of podcasts dedicated to that league. Since then, I rarely know when the big games are on or how I can watch. It also doesn’t help that I’ve cancelled my ESPN+ subscription. It’s probably time to bring that back. The exodus in recent years of players from the NWSL to the WSL has made it that much more important to tune into these games. Hopefully, in the next couple of years, Burnley (the side I root for) will make it to the WSL, and I’ll have even more reason to watch, but I don’t want to wait that long. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.

If there was a common throughline across women’s sports in 2025, it was that all of the teams and even the individuals we thought were juggernauts saw their seasons end in disappointment... December 25, 2025 Will the Favorites Bounce Back in 2026? Steve Pimental If there was a common throughline across women’s sports in 2025, it was that all of the teams and even the individuals we thought were juggernauts saw their seasons end in disappointment. In August, I declared the Minnesota Lynx were inevitable . They didn’t even make it to the WNBA Finals. The Kansas City Current finished the NWSL regular season with 65 points, 21 clear of the second-place Washington Spirit. Those were both records, as was their +36 goal differential, tying the 2018 North Carolina Courage. The Current lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champions Gotham FC. In the Champions League, three-time champions Barcelona lost in the final to Arsenal, who required come-from-behind wins in the quarterfinals and semifinals just to make it to that match. The Nebraska women’s volleyball team failed to advance to the final four after going undefeated to that point. We even saw a version of this on the LPGA Tour. We had 29 different winners on the LPGA Tour in 2025, but world number two Nelly Korda, who won seven times in 2024, was not one of them. World Number One Jeeno Thitikul won three times on tour en route to winning Rolex Player of the Year, but she was shut out in the majors yet again. It would be easy to dismiss all of this as a coincidence. After all, the entire point of having playoffs is that any team can lose a match or a series when you least expect it. If we wanted to just award the title to the team that had the best regular season, all of these leagues would be like the WSL and just wouldn’t have playoffs. That being said, we have seen a few commonalities across leagues. If there is one thing we could point to for why these teams or players failed to deliver when it mattered the most, it is that they all faced opponents who peaked at the right time. Gotham FC was the eighth seed, but they were second in the league with a +10 goal differential and they were 7-6-3 after the midseason break. The Phoenix Mercury took a long time to gel and get everyone healthy, but they peaked against Minnesota in the playoffs before suffering injuries of their own in the finals against the Aces. Nelly and Jeeno still had very good seasons but with the LPGA Tour featuring more talent than ever, they simply ran into players who got hot at the right times. I also suspect the increased length of these seasons leads to the best teams not peaking at the end. Both the NWSL and WNBA played more games than ever in 2025. That likely contributed to increased injuries, which in turn affected the playoffs. Gotham’s season turned around when Midge Purce returned from injury, with the Washington Spirit likewise rebounding when Trinity Rodman got healthy. It probably isn’t a coincidence that those teams met in the NWSL Final. The Lynx were already going to go down 2-1 in their semifinal series against the Mercury, but Napheesa Collier’s injury at the end of Game 3 effectively ended any chance they had of coming back. Similarly, the Mercury benefited from Breanna Stewart going down in the first round, and they saw their season end when Satou Sabally was injured in the WNBA Finals. Unfortunately, when you have strenuous regular seasons, you make it even less likely that the best teams will be completely healthy during the playoffs. While 2025 served as a good reminder that no team is as inevitable as it may appear during the regular season, I don’t expect this trend to continue in 2026 necessarily. It is too early to know who the favorites will be next year, but once they emerge, I expect they will do just fine. If the Lynx bring back most of their players next season, I’ll pick them to win the WNBA title and will be shocked (again) if they don’t. I’ll still expect Jeeno Thitikul and Nelly Korda to finish at the top of the Rolex Player of the Year race and for Jeeno to win her first major of many. Anything can happen in the crucible of the playoffs, and it is a testament to these leagues that there is so much talent that the top teams aren’t always safe. That being said, when teams prove themselves to be much better than the competition during the regular season, I expect that to carry through the playoffs as well. SEE MORE ARTICLES & VIDEOS About the Author Steve Pimental would rather write 20,000 words about Stef Dolson than write two sentences about himself. He lives near Chicago with his beagle/shepherd mix, Hootie.