Alexis Jones plays guard for the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about her relationship with Adidas, her favorite cross-training workouts, and how she’s managing to rehab her knee while also training under quarantine. You can find an earlier interview with Alexis Jones about her draft day experience and her time with the Minnesota Lynx here.

Adidas has made a big push to invest in women’s sports. Can you talk about your experience with the brand and how they’ve supported you through your injuries?

Adidas has been super great to me, with anything I need. They’re always there for me and right now we have the #hometeam going on, where we got together all our Adidas athletes, and we’re just trying to show our fans and our community our activity while staying inside. We want to show them we’re still working out. And we’re just trying to get that positive energy to everybody who has to stay in the house right now. We’re trying to give the love back to our fans and show them that we’re here, and we’re going to support them in any cause, in any way.

What have you been doing while you’ve been quarantined?

I’ve been working out, keeping with the same routine I’ve had for the last three months. I made a hashtag video for Adidas where I showed them my boxing workouts I do. I’ve been really harping on these boxing workouts I’ve been doing lately.

#stayhome... working out is always a option for me! Stay moving and stay safe y’all !! @adidas @atlantadream @DrewdotCash #hometeam #makeembelieve pic.twitter.com/6WozazcDNY

— Alexis Jones (@real_alexisj) March 25, 2020

I saw that. They’re gnarly. They’re really good workouts, too. I feel like people don’t realize that.

Yeah, I be going hard with the boxing workouts. Man, you can go in there for 30 minutes and be dead tired and feel like you’ve been working out for two hours. It’s crazy. And I feel like it’s the combo of cardio, and because you’re hitting, it feels almost like an upper body workout, too. And it’s mental, too. If you’re going for 30 minutes, you can’t just pause. You have to mentally train your body and train your mind to keep doing something that you don’t want to do for a long period of time, and it helps you with your breathing, your stamina and just finishing through anything. You can’t just quit during that moment when it’s hard. You just keep finishing and keep attacking.

I love that. That’s awesome. Do you do a lot of cross training?

Only boxing right now, but I wouldn’t put it past me. The further I get in my career, I’m going to start doing other stuff. I do a little swimming, too. That’s so hard. I don’t know how swimmers do it. I had to learn, and at first I was like, we can just regularly swim, but somebody taught me how to swim swim, and I was like, yeah, I can’t breathe like that. I’m hyperventilating, feeling like I’m about to drown. But if I can get that part down, I think that’s something I might try to really get into.

How have you mentally been handling some of the collective stress of this moment combined with your own training and rehab? 

It sucks that this is all happening, what we’re all going through… I’m trying to have a professional mindset. I found a lot of people that support me, and I’m super proud of how I’ve been handling rehab these last three months. I want to be a professional. And I think me being back home, and starting to build my foundation and find people who I want to be around me, will all help my game grow.

I want to get out there and let people know that I am out here and trying to work. I’m not trying to show-off or nothing like that. But I really do love the game, and this injury has been super impactful to me. But I’m feeling good. I like my process.

You’ve had to recover from multiple serious injuries in your career. How have you been able to overcome those and still compete at a high level?

Man, it’s crazy because I’m still overcoming them. When I went down in college, I was already physically hurt from my other right knee. Nobody knew, but I was trying to play through it as much as possible, and it just didn’t work out for me. My ACL has thankfully been fine ever since it’s been fixed. It’s just my right knee has been a little bit rocky ever since I tried to come back.

I think I rehab hard. And in every rehab, I try to take the baby steps, even if that means taking the year off to get everything right. And since coming into the league, I’ve learned a lot more about my body. I know how to train my body now. I know how it works. I know all the flexibilities I need to keep my joints and stuff moving and things like that. Those are things that I didn’t really grasp when I was in college. But I’m glad I’m 25 and I found out now before it was too late, because I know if I can just maintain my body and do the things that I do, I can last so much longer in this league.

Before signing Dream, you were waived by LA at the end of last season. How was that? That’s got to be emotional. 

No.

No? 

No. I got waived, and it is hard to get waived, because that was my one thing, to never get waived, and I got waived. But I had an opportunity to go to Atlanta. They believed in me, even coming back from this injury. And for them to trust me to be ready and be prepared to come and play — at this point, I’m just happy for the opportunity and praying for the best.

Regardless of when it’s played, what are your goals for next season?

I think my goal for the season is just to go in there, play hard, and to just try to have a good season and to try to just build the team and try to be a real team player in the midst of all that. And just try to get the feel of the game and keep learning in that area until I reach the level where I need to be.

For the first time in the NWSL's 12-year history, fans can now buy their own goalkeeper jerseys. And while replica goalkeeper jerseys representing all 14 NWSL teams hit the market on Wednesday, some didn't stick around for long. 

Fans across women's soccer have long vocalized their discontent over the position's lack of availability on social media, often comparing the shortcoming to the widespread availability of men’s goalkeeper jerseys. And as the NWSL has grown, so has demand — and not just from those in the stands. 

"To have goalkeeper kits available for fans in the women’s game as they have been for so long in the men’s game is not only a long-awaited move in the right direction, it’s just good business," said Washington Spirit goalie Aubrey Kingsbury in an team press release. "I can’t wait to see fans representing me, Barnie [Barnhart], and Lyza in the stands at Audi!"

just went looking at #nwsl goalkeeper kit stock out of curiosity — Alyssa Naeher's $145 kit already sold out S-XL (league announced GK jerseys on sale 3 hours ago)https://t.co/8bYA7tlwcx

— Meg Linehan (@itsmeglinehan) April 17, 2024

Business does, in fact, appear to be booming. Alyssa Naeher’s Chicago Red Stars kit sold out less than three hours after the league's announcement. Jerseys for other keepers like DiDi Haračić, Abby Smith, Michelle Betos, Katelyn Rowland, and Bella Bixby aren’t currently available via the Official NWSL Shop, though blank goalkeeper jerseys can be customized through some individual team sites. Jerseys start at $110 each.

"This should be the benchmark," said Spirit Chief Operations Officer Theresa McDonnell. "The expectation is that all players’ jerseys are available to fans. Keepers are inspiring leaders and mentors with their own unique fan base who want to represent them... I can’t wait to see them all over the city."

Decorated gymnast Simone Biles took to the popular Call Her Daddy podcast this week to open up about her experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, revealing she thought she was going to be "banned from America" for her performance.

After Biles botched her vault routine due to a bout of the "twisties," she withdrew from the team final as well as the all-around final in order to focus on her mental health. She later reentered the competition to win bronze in the individual balance beam final.

In her interview with podcast host Alex Cooper, Biles admitted to feeling like she let the entire country down by failing her vault attempt.

"As soon as I landed I was like 'Oh, America hates me. The world is going to hate me. I can only see what they’re saying on Twitter right now,'" she recalled thinking. "I was like, ‘Holy s---, what are they gonna say about me?'"

"I thought I was going to be banned from America," she continued. "That’s what they tell you: Don’t come back if not gold. Gold or bust. Don’t come back."

Widely regarded as the greatest gymnast of all time, Biles has hinted at a desire to join her third Olympic team in Paris, though her participation won't be confirmed until after the gymnastics trials in late June. She holds over 30 medals from the Olympic Games and World Artistic Gymnastics Championships combined, and if qualified, would be a sure favorite heading into this summer’s games.

Caitlin Clark is reportedly close to cementing a hefty endorsement deal with Nike.

The Athletic was the first to break the news Wednesday evening, commenting that the deal would be worth "eight figures" and include her own signature shoe. On Thursday afternoon, the publication tweeted that the deal would top $20 million, according to lead NBA Insider Shams Charania. Both Under Armour and Adidas are said to have also made sizable offers to the college phenom and expected future WNBA star.

The new agreement comes after Clark's previous Nike partnership ended with the conclusion of the college basketball season. She was one of five NCAA athletes to sign an NIL deal with the brand back in October, 2022. 

Considering Clark's overwhelming popularity and Nike's deep pockets, the signing's purported value doesn't exactly come as a shock. New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu’s deal with the brand is reportedly worth $24 million, while NBA rookie and No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama’s deal is rumored to weigh in at $100 million. And in 2003, LeBron James famously earned $90 million off his own Nike deal. 

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Clark’s star power continues to skyrocket, with the NCAA championship averaging 18.9 million viewers and the 2024 WNBA Draft more than doubling its previous viewership record. Following the draft, Fanatics stated that Clark's Indiana Fever jersey — which sold out within an hour — was the top seller for any draft night pick in the company’s history, with droves of unlucky fans now being forced to wait until August to get their hands on some official No. 22 gear.

In Wednesday's Indiana Fever introductory press conference, the unfailingly cool, calm, and collected Clark said that turning pro hasn’t made a huge impact on how she’s conducting her deals.

"If I’m being completely honest, I feel like it doesn’t change a ton from how I lived my life over the course of the last year," she said. "Sponsorships stay the same. The people around me, agents and whatnot, have been able to help me and guide me through the course of the last year. I don’t know if I would be in this moment if it wasn’t for a lot of them."

Former Oklahoma slugger Jocelyn Alo has signed on with Athletes Unlimited and will compete in the AU Pro Softball AUX this June.

The NCAA record holder in career home runs (122), total bases (761), and slugging percentage (.987), Alo was originally drafted by the league in 2022 but opted instead to join the newly debuted Women’s Professional Fastpitch. 

Alo currently plays for independent pro softball team Oklahoma City Spark, with team owner Tina Floyd reportedly on board with her recent AUX signing. AUX games are scheduled for June 10-25, while the Spark's season will kick off June 19th. Alo will play for both. 

Among those joining Alo on the AUX roster are former James Madison ace pitcher Odicci Alexander and former Wichita State standout middle infielder Sydney McKinney.

According to Alo, the decision to play in the Athletes Unlimited league was fueled by her desire to propel women's sports forward as well as provide more exposure to a sport that's given her "so many opportunities."

"Not only to challenge myself more, but just for the growth of the game," Alo said, explaining her reasoning to The Oklahoman. "I genuinely believe that professional softball can be a career for girls."

Joining AUX is also one more step in her plan toward representing Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"I’m constantly thinking about how can I do these little things right in these four years to prepare me for the biggest stage of softball," she told The Oklahoman. "I definitely want to play in the Olympics, for sure."

Alo further expressed enthusiasm in the hope that the rise of other women’s sports, like women’s basketball and the NWSL, will push softball’s professional viability even higher.

"We’re seeing the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) get their stuff going, I see the WNBA starting to get hot," she continued. "I feel like the softball community is like, 'All right, it’s our turn and it’s our turn to just demand more.'"