Pro athletes are speaking out about abortion bans in the United States, giving a look into a future in which where an athlete plays could be determined by where states stand on reproductive rights.

USA Today Sports interviewed 30 current and former professional athletes in women’s sports to gauge how the changes to reproductive rights have affected their career decisions.

For USWNT and Portland Thorns star Crystal Dunn, it’s simple.

“Playing in a red state right now, I would say that’s out of the question,” she told USA Today. “It’s up to all players in the league to protect each other.”

Dunn, who recently gave birth to a son, noted the physical and emotional toll of pregnancy. Returning to soccer also took its toll, she said. And even though she made the choice to have a child, she doesn’t want anyone else to be forced to do so.

“If I didn’t want to continue with the pregnancy because my career could be disrupted, that should be my choice,” Dunn said. “I just don’t think if you find yourself pregnant anyone should be able to force you to keep that baby — especially a man.”

There’s also a question of whether the bans will affect free agency in women’s leagues.

“I had (someone) ask me, ‘Will this impact free agency? Will players not want to go to the Dallas’ and Atlantas of the world?’” newly retired WNBA legend Sue Bird said. “For every woman, that’s a real thing, to think about where you are going to live based on your rights.”

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman would not say if the league would block trades based on a player’s wishes with regard to reproductive rights but did say it would be open to a conversation.

“Certainly in a situation like that, we would want to have a conversation about how we can ensure that (everyone) feels safe and supported to get the medical care they might need in the place where they’re being asked to live or work,” Berman said. “The league is there as a safety net, to ensure that her medical needs would be addressed appropriately.”

As leagues like the WNBA and NWSL also look at expansion, league leaders are taking abortion restrictions under consideration when it comes to selecting homes for new franchises.

“At the end of the day, it’s a business decision, and they’re going to do what makes the most money,” Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson said. “They need to understand what women in the WNBA stand for, so it is something they need to look into.”

There’s also the matter of collegiate athletes. A large number of elite women’s programs reside in states with abortion bans. There are concerns over whether this will begin to affect recruiting, and also college team’s abilities to fill out their staffs.

Some schools haven’t addressed the issue, and outdated school policies regarding pregnancy – include the NCAA’s, which hasn’t been updated since 2008 – have led to “major panic,” one Power Five coach told USA Today.

While Wilson, a two-time WNBA MVP and former South Carolina standout, said she would “probably” still have attended the school given the situation, she would not allow her daughter to attend.

“No, I would not let my child go there,” Wilson told USA Today, without hesitation.

Chicago Sky All-Star Candace Parker was hesitant about if she would allow her daughter to attend Tennessee, where she won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2007 and 2008.

“I want to be able to say that my daughter has the same rights over her body that my son does,” Parker said. “I don’t know today that I can say that.”

Leagues and athletic organizations are lending support in the wake of the restrictions to abortion access.

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that the league will “absolutely” reimburse travel expenses for any league employee and that players have abortions covered through their insurance. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has also promised access to “family planning benefits” in any state through insurance and will cover “reasonable travel expenses” if such services are unavailable.

But athletes recognize their privilege and the fact that such promises are not made to most American women.

“I don’t feel like I’m safe because I’m from California or I live in Connecticut,” said Connecticut Sun player DiJonai Carrington. “The concern remains the same — if we’re not all safe, then none of us are safe.”

Expansion team WNBA Golden State has officially brought on New York Liberty assistant GM Ohemaa Nyanin as general manager, the team announced in a Monday afternoon statement.

The move marks one of the first major personnel hires for the highly anticipated franchise, set to begin league play in 2025. Nyanin will oversee all basketball operations for the Bay Area addition, including building out the roster, shaping the team, and developing talent. 

Nyanin joins team president Jess Smith and senior vice president of marketing and communications Kimberly Veale in the WNBA Golden State front office.

"Ohemaa is the perfect fit to lead our WNBA basketball operations as we prepare for our inaugural season in 2025," Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO Joe Lacob said in the release. "As we moved through the GM hiring process, it became more apparent each day how impressive and well-versed Ohemaa is in all facets of the business, and as a person."

Nyanin was with the Liberty for more than five years, most recently serving as the team’s assistant general manager. Prior to that, she spent five years as the assistant director of the women’s national team at USA Basketball, helping to oversee team operations through gold medal wins at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and the 2018 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup.

"I am truly honored to be chosen as the first general manager of WNBA Golden State," Nyanin said. "Throughout the interview process, it was clear that bringing a WNBA team to the Bay Area was meticulously thought out and those involved are motivated changemakers who will be proactive in growing the league. I look forward to joining this franchise and building a competitive basketball team that the fans deserve."

In a July 2023 profile published by The Next, Liberty assistant coach Roneeka Hodges described Nyanin as the New York team's “Ms. Make-it-Happen."

"She’s a jack of all trades," added Hodges, while Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb paid Nyanin a particularly prophetic compliment.

"She needs to be a general manager in this league," Kolb said. "Full stop, it needs to happen, and that’s her goal."

Chelsea began Sunday with their WSL title hopes a distant dream... before closing out the weekend right back in the thick of the title chase.

The Blues made a last-ditch effort to claim their fifth consecutive Barclays WSL title on Sunday with an 8-0 win over relegation-bound Bristol City. The victory came after a visiting Arsenal upset current table-toppers Manchester City at Joie Stadium, besting the home side 2-1 on back-to-back goals from Stina Blackstenius. With the win, the third-place Gunners re-opened the door for Chelsea to finish level at the top of the table on points.

Chelsea remains second in the standing, with 49 points to Manchester City's 52. But the barrage of goalscoring over the weekend could be enough to overtake City's potential tiebreak advantage in goal differential, leaving even coach Emma Hayes in awe.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

Chelsea holds a game in hand, but the Blues will need to win their May 15th match against Tottenham to give them a shot at the title. Should they take all three points, the title race will come down to the final weekend, when Chelsea squares off with Manchester United while City faces Aston Villa on Saturday, May 18th. 

Set to take over the USWNT in June, Hayes acknowledged the likelihood of finishing out her time at Chelsea with zero trophies, after losing in both the Conti Cup final and UWCL semifinal last month. But for now, her initial pessimism has subsided.

"Let me be clear, it's not f*****g over," Hayes said after coaching her last home match with Chelsea on Sunday. "There's no time for sentimentality, all work drinks are canceled. There's a title to be won.

"This group of players taught me something so special this week — that you never ever give up."

A WNBA League Pass error left fans scrambling to watch Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso make their preseason debuts for the Chicago Sky in Minneapolis on Friday. 

Despite indicating streaming availability via YouTube before tip-off, the evening’s game was later removed from the league’s platform. With no streaming options — along with no live TV broadcast — WNBA fan Alli Schneider began livestreaming the game on X from her seat inside Target Center. As many as 400,000 people logged on to watch the game live, and by Saturday, the resulting two-hour video had amassed over 2 million total views. 

In the lead-up to the preseason showdown, fans on both sides voiced frustrations over the WNBA's error. The league apologized in response, saying their app was "incorrectly showing that every preseason game (including CHI vs MIN) is available on League Pass."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

"The growth is happening so fast, it’s so accelerated. Business as usual isn’t going to work anymore, you’re going to get left behind," Reeve said of the blunder. "This is an example... We have to capitalize on those things."

Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon echoed Reeve's sentiments, calling it "awesome" that so many fans followed along via Schneider's DIY livestream.

"We would love for us to be on and for everyone to take a look, especially for this team, you have a great group of young women who are exciting to watch play," said Weatherspoon. "Tonight we had an opportunity to kind of get a feel for where we are and what we need to do. It’s awesome to know that a lot of people really tuned in."

On the court, Reese had a near double-double in her first professional outing, notching 13 points and nine rebounds in 24 minutes. A viral pass inside to set up fellow rookie Cardoso's bucket served as the icing on the cake. The Sky ultimately lost to the Lynx 92-81, despite Minnesota newcomer Alissa Pili netting just two points and one rebound in 13 minutes of playing time.

Due to overwhelming fan demand, the WNBA confirmed today that it will indeed stream the Sky's next preseason game against the New York Liberty on League Pass. The two teams square off on Tuesday, May 7th at 8 PM ET.

The Caitlin Clark WNBA era has officially begun, with the star-studded rookie making her preseason debut with the Indiana Fever on Friday. 

Clark scored a team-leading 21 points — including five threes — and recorded a game-high 16 points at the half. But it was Arike Ogunbowale who got the last word for Dallas, knocking down a splashy buzzer-beating three-pointer in front of the sold-out crowd to deliver the Wings the 79-76 win.

"I think there's gonna be a lot to go back and look at and learn from, because a lot of it is kind of different from college," Clark said shortly after the Fever's loss. "Just from, you know, a technique standpoint or you know, scheme standpoint, and what we do is not always always going to be the same. So I think those are the biggest things, but I think overall, I just played really hard and that's always something to be proud of."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

For Clark, the biggest transition challenges lie in WNBA's physicality and talent levels. 

"No matter who steps into the game, you can never really relax, because that’s how competitive the league is," she added.

Fever coach Christie Sides also commented on's Clark on-court adjustment in her postgame remarks. Noting that the team will have to take steps to protect their star as she navigates the W's upgraded athleticism, Sides shared that at one point in the game, Clark was "completely gassed" and called for a sub. 

"We have to do better, we can't let her get to that point," Sides said. "She just won't be able to last and the way people are guarding her — I mean, she's seeing a double team, she's seeing hard hedges, they're being real physical with her. That's how it's going to be for her. And so we've got to make sure we're doing what we can to protect her so she's able to go into fourth at the same level she is in the first."

Clark wasn't the only rookie making their pro debut in Dallas that night. Ohio State ace Jacy Sheldon racked up six points and one rebound in her 13 minutes on the court (plus an unfortunate viral moment), but the breakout performance of the night went to Jaelyn Brown, a Cal grad who went undrafted in 2020 and spent the last few years playing overseas. On Friday, she carried the Wings to the finish line with 21 points in 29 minutes on 7-of-15 shooting.

After the game, Brown attested that she's "ready to compete" in an atmosphere that she "belongs in."

"I just try and treat it as any other game," she continued. "The crowd was amazing, it’s a little different from overseas, a little bit, but it’s the same game. I just [came] out there with a calm composure and did what I can do."