The WNBA is back, which means it’s time to dust off the JWS Power Rankings as we head into the final stretch of the 2021 regular season.

We were without live WNBA games during the Olympics, but there still was plenty of activity to monitor that could affect the standings in the second half. Which teams might have benefitted from the break, and which teams might have suffered setbacks during it?

Let the power rankings light the way.

12. Indiana Fever (4-16) —

The Fever won three straight games before the Olympic break for their first victories since May. There’s no guarantee that the momentum has carried over from the month away, but it’s a start. One key learning Indiana should have taken away from the win streak? Teaira McCowan, averaging a near double-double this season, deserves to be in the starting lineup.

11. Atlanta Dream (6-13) -1

The Dream have the most questions to address in the second half. Mike Petersen stepped down as interim head coach on July 24, leaving Atlanta with yet another person in charge. Candice Dupree brings much-needed veteran leadership after signing with the Dream on July 26, and Petersen’s replacement, Darius Taylor, has called the next month a “restart” for the team. With Chennedy Carter’s suspension still hanging over them, the Dream will take whatever positive boost they can get.

10. Los Angeles Sparks (6-13) +1

It was a disappointing first half for the Sparks, who were voted as the team most affected by injuries and absences in our anonymous survey about the first half of the season. Los Angeles is banking on the returns of Kristi Toliver, Chiney Ogwumike and Nneka Ogwumike (who should be extra motivated after an eventful Olympic break) as the keys to getting back into the playoff race.

9. Washington Mystics (8-10) -1

If the Sparks were the team most affected by missing players, the Mystics weren’t too far behind. Elena Delle Donne is practicing with the team again, but whether she returns this season from a serious back injury is anyone’s guess. It also doesn’t appear likely that Emma Meesseman will return after competing with Belgium in the Olympics.

8. Dallas Wings (9-12) -2

The Wings dropped four of their last five games before the Olympic break, including a 16-point loss to the Aces on July 11. Arike Ogunbowale leads Dallas into the second half after an epic MVP performance in the All-Star Game. The Wings continue to be the best upset candidate in the WNBA, but will their overall inexperience trouble them down the stretch?

7. New York Liberty (10-11) —

The Liberty looked like a shell of their early-season self in July. When their 3-point shots weren’t falling, they struggled to get anything going on offense beyond Betnijah Laney’s isolation game. Natasha Howard is back at practice after missing all but two games with a knee injury, while Sabrina Ionescu had a month to rest her ailing ankle. Those are all good signs for the Liberty, so long as they can capitalize on them.

6. Phoenix Mercury (9-10) +3

The Mercury severely underwhelmed during the first half of the season, so moving them up three spots from the last power rankings might come as a surprise. But the Mercury have been in this position before, winning seven of their final games in 2020 and just missing out on a semifinal appearance. Diana Taurasi’s health remains a question, but Brittney Griner’s dominance at the Olympics bodes well for Phoenix coming out of the break.

5. Chicago Sky (10-10) -2

For as talented a roster as the Sky have, their streakiness in the first half of the season makes them a wild-card entering this stretch. Their ball control has improved since their seven-game losing streak early in the season, but they still turn the ball over 15.8 times per game, which is the second-most in the league. The chemistry they’ve built since Candace Parker returned from injury will be the key to a deep playoff run.

4. Minnesota Lynx (12-7) +1

The Lynx head into the final month with the most momentum, having won their last seven games before the break. Cheryl Reeve has put together one of the most efficient offenses in the league, built on good ball movement and strong finishing at the rim. As part of Team USA’s undefeated run to the gold medal, Reeve, Sylvia Fowles and Napheesa Collier haven’t lost a game since June 19. That’s what we call a winning mentality.

3. Connecticut Sun (14-6) +1

The Sun looked like they hadn’t played in a month Thursday night, dropping the Commissioner’s Cup championship game 79-57 to the Storm. Jonquel Jones had an off night and still recorded a double-double, which is all you need to know about her dominance this season. The Sun’s 20 turnovers Thursday were very uncharacteristic for a Curt Miller-led team and shouldn’t persist.

2. Las Vegas Aces (15-6) -1

The Aces hold the regular-season edge over the Storm and still have time to retake the top spot in the power rankings. They went into the break first in points per game (90.7), first in field-goal percentage (46.7), first in rebounds (39.3) and second in blocks (5.2). They’re as complete a team as any in the league, and the experience A’ja Wilson gained from her Olympic run with Team USA will only help.

1. Seattle Storm (16-5) +1

It was only one game, but it felt impossible not to give the Storm the honors of the top spot after their performance in the Commissioner’s Cup title game. Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd led the way despite getting back from Tokyo on Monday. They showed no signs of jet lag or fatigue, and instead made the defending champions look even more formidable as we move closer to the playoffs.

With recent transfers Talia von Oelhoffen and Kiki Iriafen joining first-team All-American JuJu Watkins and the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class at USC next season, the Trojans look to transition from an up-and-coming squad to a legitimate title contender. 

Former Oregon State graduate student von Oelhoffen is the latest collegiate talent to commit to the program, announcing her transfer Monday via ESPN. She follows ex-Stanford leading-scorer Iriafen in the jump to the pair’s one-time Pac-12 rival.

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The 5-foot-11 Washington native was a two-time All-Pac-12 guard during her time at Oregon State. But after the recent dissolution of the Pac-12, the Corvallis side found themselves without a permanent home conference going forward. Many big name players opted to take their skill elsewhere as a result, with von Oelhoffen’s fellow ex-Beaver Raegan Beers announcing her own departure to Oklahoma on Monday.

According to DraftKings, USC is now tied with UConn for the second-best betting odds to win the 2025 NCAA women’s tournament. Dawn Staley’s tested South Carolina side, poised for a repeat performance, holds down the number one spot.

Last year, LSU loaded up in the transfer portal after beating Iowa to win the 2023 national championship. The Tigers were clear favorites coming into the 2023-24 season, but were bounced in the Elite Eight by Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes. Shortly thereafter, star transfer Hailey Van Lith opted to transfer a second time, this time signing with TCU. 

Yet while history proves that an excess of star power doesn’t always translate to on-court chemistry, on paper, USC sure looks ready to hold their own — in 2025 and beyond.

The United States and Mexico have withdrawn their joint bid to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup, per a Monday afternoon release from U.S. Soccer and the Mexican Football Federation.

According to the statement, they will instead focus on developing a "more equitable" bid for the 2031 tournament, with the ultimate goal of "eliminating investment disparities" between the men’s and women’s tournaments.

The federations went on to cite the upcoming 2026 Men’s World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico as an opportunity to build support for local infrastructure, improve audience engagement, and scale up media and partnership deals in preparation to "host a record-breaking tournament in 2031."

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"Hosting a World Cup tournament is a huge undertaking — and having additional time to prepare allows us to maximize its impact across the globe," said U.S. Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone. "Shifting our bid will enable us to host a record-breaking Women’s World Cup in 2031 that will help to grow and raise the level of the women’s game both here at home as well as across the globe."

The decision leaves just Brazil and a joint bid from Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands in the running for the 2027 host spot. Brazil — the rumored frontrunner — has never hosted a Women’s World Cup, while Germany hosted the 2011 tournament as a solo venture. 

Furthermore, this postponement doesn’t mean the U.S. is a shoo-in for 2031, as it's been previously reported that 2022 UEFA Women's EURO host England is considering their own Women's World Cup bid. FIFA is scheduled to confirm the winning bid after the FIFA Congress votes on May 17th.

Former Stanford leading-scorer Kiki Iriafen is set to join star rising sophomore JuJu Watkins at USC next year, reported ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday. 

The 6-foot-3 forward is coming off a breakout season with the Cardinal, where the then-junior led Stanford to the Sweet 16 with an average of 19.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. Walking away with the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player award and a spot on the All-Pac-12 team, Iriafen entered the portal at the close of last season and was subsequently ranked second on ESPN’s 2024-2025 transfer ranking list.

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At USC, Iriafen will play out her senior year alongside the Women's Basketball Coaches Association’s 2024 National Freshman of the Year JuJu Watkins, forming what could be an explosive partnership for the Trojans as they look to build momentum going into next season. The Southern California side advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1994 this year, ultimately falling to UConn in a heated 80-73 battle.

Iriafen wasn’t the only one making choices this past week. LSU guard Hailey Van Lith officially announced her own transfer to TCU on Friday, while Princeton standout Kaitlyn Chen committed to UConn for her final year of college eligibility. Other big names still weighing their options are Oregon State's Talia Von Oelhoffen and Raegan Beers, as well as UNC's Deja Kelly.

With conference realignment on the horizon and team fit a contending factor, the NCAA women's basketball transfer portal has been busier than ever. And while transfers can bolster many types of college programs, this particular offseason has seen talent-rich programs growing even richer.

Legendary WNBA superstar Candace Parker announced her retirement from professional basketball on Sunday, effective immediately.

"I promised I'd never cheat the game & that I'd leave it in a better place than I came into it," she wrote in an Instagram post. "The competitor in me always wants 1 more, but it's time. My HEART & body knew, but I needed to give my mind time to accept it."

The Las Vegas Aces forward was in the midst of rehabbing a right ankle injury and a left foot fracture after missing part of the 2023 season.

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One of women's basketball's most prominent trailblazers, Parker popularized the play of a "big guard." A back-to-back NCAA National Championship winner with Tennessee, she was drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2008. She was named both WNBA MVP and Rookie of the Year in her debut season with the league. 

Parker exits the pros a three-time WNBA champion, a two-time league MVP, seven-time WNBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and two-time NCAA champion, in addition to many more individual accolades. Throughout her 16-year career, she averaged 16 points, 8.5 rebounds, and four assists per game. She remains the only player in WNBA history to earn three WNBA titles with three different teams: LA in 2016, Chicago in 2021, and Las Vegas in 2023. 

In her announcement, the 38-year-old implied the physical toll of league play was a driving factor in her ultimate decision to walk away from the game, despite recently signing a one-year deal with Las Vegas.

"This offseason hasn’t been fun on a foot that isn’t cooperating," she wrote. "It’s no fun playing in pain (10 surgeries in my career) it’s no fun knowing what you could do, if only…it’s no fun hearing 'she isn’t the same' when I know why, it’s no fun accepting the fact you need surgery AGAIN.

"I’m grateful that for 16 years I PLAYED A GAME for a living & DESPITE all the injuries, I hooped," she continued. "I’m grateful for family, friends, teammates, coaches, doctors, trainers & fans who made this journey so special."

Fans weren’t the only ones shocked by Parker’s surprise retirement. In a reaction captured on video, Liberty forward Breanna Stewart responded to the news with a jaw-dropped, eyebrow-raised "What? Wow." 

Yet while the Naperville, Illinois native’s time on the court might be over, Parker says she isn't leaving the world of basketball anytime soon.

"This is the beginning," she wrote. "I’m attacking business, private equity, ownership (I will own both a NBA & WNBA team), broadcasting, production, boardrooms, beach volleyball, dominoes (sorry babe it’s going to get more real) with the same intensity & focus I did basketball."