Kristen Hamilton plays as a forward for both the North Carolina Courage of the NWSL and the Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia’s W-League. Prior to helping the Courage win their second NWSL title in a row last season, Hamilton was called into the USWNT, where she recorded her first national team cap against Portugal in September.

The NWSL is entering it’s 8th season. You’ve been in the league for five years. What’s changed since you joined? 

The league has made leaps and bounds since I’ve been involved. I tore my ACL right out of college, so 2015 was technically my first full year in the league, and oh my gosh, the minimum salary was like $6,000, which is absolutely insane. The minimum this year is up to $20,000, so even just in terms of money, it’s gotten much better. We now have year-round housing. We have better medical training staff. Just all around, it’s a more professional organization. This is actually something that people can do for a living now. Before, it was almost like you had to pay to be a professional athlete.

Your own career has been on an incredible upward trajectory. Can you talk about what it was like mentally to grind for so long without seeing much of the field?  

Mentally, it was exhausting. In this league, you’re always fighting to earn your spot, because everybody’s the best of the best. If it’s not something you’re passionate about, if it’s not something you love and you’re truly willing to fight for, I don’t think it’s for you. This was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around when I first got into the league. I realized I just had to fight and be patient. I had to learn to be a different type of role player on the team. If I’m not scoring all the goals, I have to find another way to help us win. No matter the number of minutes I’m playing, I need to be the best teammate I can possibly be. I tell rookies this all the time, but you have to understand that everyone in this league was the best player on their college team. That’s why they’re here. They probably played every minute of their college career. Not everyone is going to get to do that at the next level, at least not right away.

Did you ever think about walking away? 

There were definitely times I wanted to quit. And there was a time when I wanted Paul to trade me, because, to be fair, our team is stacked. Our forwards are unbelievable. And Jessica and Lynn we’re playing so well together, I knew that it was going to be hard to take them off the field. They were just that good. It’s hard when you have coaches telling you that you could get more minutes on another team, and you’re like, do I really want to leave this environment? Because Paul and all of us really have built something special in North Carolina. I feel like I’m still getting better every day, whether I’m playing 90 minutes or zero. And I think that’s very, very rare and very unique. The fact that people still want to stay on the same team, even though they’re not playing, is a testament to Paul and a testament to all the girls on the team just making everyone feel welcome. But yeah, I wanted to be traded, and now I’m very happy that I wasn’t.

I’m playing in Australia for the first time right now, and I love it, but I definitely miss the environment in North Carolina. I’m playing every minute here, but that on its own hasn’t made me necessarily happier. It’s been a good wake up call for me, because it’s helped me realize how important the people are and the culture is. There’s so much more that goes into it than just playing a 90 minute game. I’ve been blessed to come down here and have a great time and also have this learning experience. It’s a hard gig, but I’m grateful to be playing.

You were called into the national team after this last season. What was that experience like? 

Honestly, I kind of thought that opportunity had passed. I thought that was just something that was never going to come to fruition. In my head I was just kinda like, Oh well, I’m going to continue to play because I love it, and I’ll play as long as I can because who wants to go sit at a desk and work a job when you could be out on the field doing this? But then I got an opportunity to join the team for the World Cup victory tour, and it was amazing. I had zero international experience. I was never with the youth national team. My route was very unconventional, but it worked out. It made me realize the dream isn’t dead. And it’s something that, once you get a little taste of it, it just kind of makes you want more.

Your partner, Abby Erceg, is also on the Courage. What’s it like to compete day in and day out with someone that you’re also in a relationship with?  

To be honest, it’s really good that we play different positions. Because even though we go against each other, it’s not a competitive thing where, if she started then I wouldn’t. It isn’t a positional battle, which would suck. We’re always having fun on the field, but we’re super competitive with each other. There’s a lot of banter, especially if I score on her. And if she beats me in a sprint, it’s because I wasn’t warm. Obviously, she’s starting every game because she’s a badass — I’m not biased or anything. And it’s so cool just go see somebody you love, somebody you care about, go out on the field and just be so successful. And there’s something very real about being in this together, about getting to see somebody on a daily basis live out their passions. Most people don’t get to see their partners at work. But we each get to see each other at our most authentic moments, doing what we love.

Is it hard to turn it on and off, in terms of stepping onto the field and being teammates, and then stepping off and being in a relationship?  

We’re pretty good about that stuff. It’s easy to stay focused on the field because your mind is so preoccupied. It’s not like I’m sitting there as we’re competing, thinking, you know, I’m in a relationship with her. She’s just another teammate in those moments. It’s very professional. It’s very much, when we’re at work, it’s work. We understand that and everyone else on the team knows that. And then after work, you go home and things are normal. Things might get heated at training, but you learn to leave it on the field.

The NWSL season is just around the corner. What’s your mindset like right now as you and the Courage get ready to defend your title? 

Personally, I’m just looking forward to another year of challenges and continuing to grow. I think that’s something that Pau has done really well, is instill in us that you’ve never reached your peak potential. You can always grow, you can always improve. Last season was definitely my best as a pro, so I just want to build on that. I think everyone on the team is excited to get back into the environment we’ve built. It feels like a home. It feels like family. I can’t wait to get back in that locker room and see everyone. I don’t mind missing a bit of the pre-season right now though. Paul usually kicks our ass.

The sale saga of the Connecticut Sun added a new chapter this week, as the state of Connecticut submitted a bid proposal on Thursday that would see the WNBA team remain in-state.

Owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the state is just the latest entrant into an ongoing bidding war for the franchise, with Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and the WNBA itself all making offers ranging from $250 to $325 million in recent weeks.

Unlike previous relocation bids, the state's proposed sale plan sees the Connecticut Sun splitting home games between their current Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and Hartford's larger PeoplesBank Arena, while also promising a new practice facility in the state capital.

Despite winding down 2025 in 12th place, the Sun have amassed a loyal local following, selling out their 10,000-capacity arena four times this year in a state buoyed by NCAA basketball powerhouse and current national champion UConn located less than an hour away.

"The best place for the Connecticut Sun is Connecticut because we have this very fierce fan base for women's basketball," Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz told ESPN. "We love the [UConn] Huskies. We love watching the Sun… and we've seen that the Connecticut Sun players have been great community leaders and role models."

The Chicago Sky reportedly held a team meeting to address the explosive Chicago Tribune interview of Angel Reese this week, after the star forward put the already-eliminated WNBA team on blast.

"We are aware of [Reese's comments]," Sky head coach Tyler Marsh said on Wednesday. "We're addressing it in-house as currently speaking. That's where we'll stay right now."

"Angel has shown a commitment to wanting to be here," he continued. "We as an organization continue to show a commitment that we want people that want to be here."

Reese focused much of her critique on the team's leadership and roster construction, expressing disappointment as the Chicago Sky closes in on back-to-back losing seasons.

"We can't rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she's at," the 23-year-old Reese said of veteran Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot, following the 36-year-old's season-ending ACL tear in early June. "I know she'll be a great asset for us, but we can't rely on that."

"We need someone probably a little younger with some experience, somebody who's been playing the game and is willing to compete for a championship and has done it before," Reese added.

Notably, Vandersloot helped the Chicago Sky snag the 2021 WNBA title before taking the New York Liberty to a franchise-first championship last season.

A high-stakes coastal clash tops this weekend's NWSL bill, with results directly impacting the increasingly tight league standings as No. 8 Gotham tries to hold off a No. 9 Angel City side sitting just one point outside of postseason positioning.

The pair last met in April, when Gotham shutout ACFC 4-0 at LA's BMO Stadium behind a brace from the NWSL's current Golden Boot leader Esther González.

"That's the key — everyone knows their role, their responsibilities, and they're willing to sacrifice for the team defensively while also bringing their quality in attack," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amorós said earlier this week.

As they try to rise above the crowded mid-table traffic, both teams have seen positive results in recent weeks — along with challenging levels of upheaval.

Angel City recently lost defender Alanna Kennedy, midfielder Katie Zelem, and star forward Alyssa Thompson to midseason overseas transfers, while Gotham's had little room to breathe after defeating Concacaf W Champions Cup opponent Alianza 2-0 in El Salvador on Tuesday.

"You need to be loyal to your style, cement it, and make sure the players know it," said Amorós. "That's critical when you're playing three games in seven days and traveling almost around the world."

How to watch Gotham vs. Angel City this NWSL weekend

No. 8 Gotham will host No. 9 Angel City this Sunday, kicking off live at 5 PM ET on ESPN.

The No. 6 Golden State Valkyries made WNBA history this week, becoming the first-ever expansion team to clinch a playoffs berth in their debut year with Thursday's 84-80 win over the already-eliminated No. 13 Dallas Wings.

The Valkyries overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to top the Wings, with forward Janelle Salaün scoring nine of her team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to seal to deal.

"This is awesome," said guard Veronica Burton, who added 15 points to Thursday's victory. "It's a testament to all the work that we put in…to the belief that our coaching staff had in us."

"I told the girls, I intentionally picked you guys for this reason, to do things for the first [time]," Golden State boss Natalie Nakase said afterwards.

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In addition to their newly claimed postseason history, Golden State set the WNBA record for most wins by an expansion team with 23 on the season so far, while also leading the league in three-pointers as well as attendance marks — all under first-year head coach Nakase.

"What's kind of cool is we like to be uncomfortable," continued Nakase. "I have 13 players that love to be pushed."

Golden State will literally be out of their comfort zone during the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, with the Valkyries forced to relocate their first-round home game from San Francisco's Chase Center to the SAP Center in nearby San Jose due to a pre-existing scheduling conflict.

"While we would have loved to host our first playoff game at Chase Center and sought every opportunity to try and make that happen, Ballhalla has never been about just one building — it's about the incredible community our fans have created," said team president Jess Smith in a statement.