Candace Parker enters 2023 as a highly sought-after free agent, and the two-time WNBA MVP has shown interest in three teams: The Chicago Sky, the Los Angeles Sparks and the Las Vegas Aces.

She’s already met with the Sky (her current squad) and the Sparks (her former team), and she’ll meet with the Aces as well, per Chicago Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile. But which team is the best fit for Parker?

Chicago Sky

Chicago has been good to Candace Parker. After she signed with the Sky as a free agent in 2021, she went on to win a title for her hometown team. The 36-year-old has said many times that her retirement is close, and that means this could be her last season. Going out in her hometown is an obvious draw for the Naperville Central grad, which could give Chicago an advantage.

But Parker will also want to go out a winner, and Chicago may not be in position to do so this year. Allie Quigley is contemplating retirement, and Courtney Vandersloot, Emma Meesseman and Azura Stevens are all free agents, so there is a chance that none of those key players stay in Chicago. If coach James Wade can convince at least some of them to stick around, or if he can add comparable talent around Parker, then her chances of staying increase.

On this day last year, on our home court...

𝐒𝐤𝐲. 𝐈𝐧. 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫.🏆

A championship-reminiscing 🧵 #skytown pic.twitter.com/r6AriNk829

— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) October 17, 2022

Los Angeles Sparks

Parker’s career started in Los Angeles after the Sparks drafted her first overall in 2008, and for a while it looked like she might spend her entire career with the franchise.

But after 13 seasons, then-coach Derek Fisher failed to re-sign the 2016 Finals MVP and Parker joined the Sky. The end to her time with the Sparks was messy, as Fisher also let Chelsea Gray walk, and the team found itself in a downward spiral. But now, with a new coach in Curt Miller, the possibility of bringing Parker back to LA is an intriguing one.

Miller served as an assistant for the Sparks in 2015, so the two are familiar with one another. He also expressed excitement about the possibility of bringing the free agent back to her former team during his introductory press conference. For Parker, this would be an opportunity to retire with the team that drafted her, and the chance to go out on her terms. LA also has good pieces that would compliment Parker in her hunt for another title. New additions Jasmine Thomas and Dearica Hamby, as well as established Sparks Chiney and Nneka Ogwumike, make for a talented lineup.

Las Vegas Aces

If Parker heads to Vegas, the upside is obvious. The Aces are already the favorites to repeat as WNBA champions with 2022 MVP A’ja Wilson, 2022 Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, and All-Stars Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young all returning. Add in Parker and you’ve got a super team. It’s hard to imagine anyone challenging a squad with that much talent.

The downside for the Aces? The recent controversy with Hamby. The two-time Sixth Player of the Year was dealt to the Sparks over the weekend, and she raised questions about the reasoning behind the trade. Hamby is pregnant with her second child, and she claimed the Aces “lied to, bullied, manipulated, and discriminated against” her because of her pregnancy. The WNBA Players Association is investigating the report. Besides being a mother herself, Parker has long been an advocate for her peers in the league, and the controversy likely won’t sit well with her.

Incoming Matildas boss Joe Montemurro revealed a new setback in the return of Australia captain Sam Kerr from injury on Monday, disclosing that the Chelsea striker has recently undergone an additional surgery unrelated to her January 2024 ACL tear.

"I think there were some complications," Montemurro told Australia's Channel 10 about the 31-year-old attacker's status this week. "There was a subsequent intervention, but I do believe she is now back running."

"It was something completely different [to the ACL injury]. I think the knee is fine," Montemurro continued.

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Montemurro, who took the reins of the Matildas this week following a year-long stint leading European club titan OL Lyonnes, did not detail a specific timeline for Kerr's return.

However, the Australia captain is likely to miss the world No. 16 team's upcoming three summer friendlies against No. 38 Slovenia and No. 57 Panama.

That said, though Montemurro has yet to directly connect with Kerr, the Australia boss did state that "there's nothing to worry about, she's on track."

"By all reports, she's focused on getting back and she's focused on being back at her best, knowing that there's an exciting tournament coming up," the new Matildas manager said, referencing the 2026 Asian Cup.

"So with that attitude, I expect to see a fantastic Sam Kerr."

This week's 2025 French Open quarterfinals set up the clay-court Grand Slam's semifinals, with world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka taking on three-time defending champ No. 5 Iga Świątek while No. 2 Coco Gauff faces wild card No. 361 Loïs Boisson on Thursday.

In Wednesday morning's highly anticipated all-American showdown, Gauff survived a tight 6-7(6) 6-4, 6-1 quarterfinal battle with fellow US star No. 8 Madison Keys to punch her semifinals ticket.

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Shortly thereafter, Boisson's historic Cinderella run continued as the 22-year-old French up-and-comer took down heavy favorite No. 6 Mirra Andreeva in straight sets — after pulling off a huge Round of 16 upset of US star No. 3 Jessica Pegula on Monday.

Boisson — the youngest French semifinalist at any Grand Slam in 26 years and the first woman to make the penultimate round in her major tournament debut since 1990 — will leap to at least No. 68 in the next WTA rankings thanks to her Roland-Garros performance.

"I don't think it's a miracle," said Boisson of her unexpected Grand Slam debut. "It's just the result of hard work. Nothing else."

On the other side of the 2025 French Open bracket, both Sabalenka and Świątek cruised through their Tuesday quarterfinal matches to reach Thursday's semis, but their toughest match lies ahead.

Despite beating Sabalenka in five out of six previous meetings on clay, Świątek hasn't reached a major tournament final since her 2024 Roland-Garros win.

"I'm super excited to go out there and to fight and to do everything I need to get the win," said Sabalenka about her upcoming date with Świątek.

How to watch the 2025 French Open semifinals

Sabalenka and Świątek will kick off the 2025 French Open semifinals at 9 AM ET on Thursday, with Gauff and Boisson taking the court shortly after the first semi concludes.

Both matches will are live on TNT.

The puck has officially dropped on the PWHL expansion process, with existing teams releasing protected players lists as incoming 2025/26 franchises Seattle and Vancouver begin to build rosters.

The teams' exclusive signing window opened Wednesday morning and runs through Sunday, with the 2025 Expansion Draft set for Monday evening.

Both Seattle and Vancouver can sign up to five players each from the league's unprotected and free agency pool this week.

Regardless of how many athletes the franchises choose to sign, the expansion process requires that the new teams grow their rosters to 12 total players by the end of Monday's draft, before completing their 23-athlete lineups alongside the other six teams during the June 24th PWHL entry draft.

The six founding PWHL clubs could only list three protected players for this week's signing window and next week's expansion draft, forcing some difficult roster decisions.

The Boston Fleet did not opt to add captain Hilary Knight to the protected players list — despite the 35-year-old leading the league in scoring this season — with New York's Alex Carpenter and Toronto's Sarah Nurse also headlining the unprotected list.

With growth front-of-mind, the PWHL Players Association also announced that its members voted late last week to publicly disclose their salaries — a move expected to aid negotiations during this week's signing window.

"This will be a tool for players as they consider opportunities across the league," PWHLPA executive director Malaika Underwood told The Athletic.

The Lone Star State is now ruling the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS), with the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders taking the NCAA softball field for the national tournament's best-of-three championship series for the first time on Wednesday night.

No. 6-seed Texas reached the final round with a 2-0 semifinal win over SEC foe No. 7 Tennessee on Monday, while No. 12 Texas Tech denied defending champion Oklahoma a chance to extend their historic record, ending the No. 2 seed's hunt for a fifth straight NCAA title with a dramatic 3-2 semifinal ousting.

Pitching will take center stage throughout the championship series, as the regional rivals each boast a stellar ace in the circle in Texas Tech transfer junior and this season's National Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady and Texas star sophomore Teagan Kavan.

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Texas packs experience against Cinderella Texas Tech

While both programs are searching for their first-ever national championship, the more experienced Longhorns have the edge entering this week's competition.

This year marks Texas's eighth overall trip to the WCWS and the Longhorns' third championship series appearance in the last four years, having fallen to Oklahoma in both 2022 and 2024.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech is still blazing trails through brand-new territory, adding a WCWS finals debut to an already-historic 2025 run that included the Red Raiders' first Super Regional appearance and win, and first-ever WCWS berth.

The Longhorns also own this season's head-to-head record over the Red Raiders, snagging two wins over Texas Tech in February.

However, while Kavan threw both those games, including an 11-0 run-rule victory, Canady only featured in one — a narrow 2-1 extra-inning Texas Tech loss in which the deciding run crossed on a throwing error.

Though the Red Raiders are technically the underdogs of this week's championship series, the likely pitchers' duel between Canady and Kavan means that the 2025 WCWS title is anyone's for the taking.

How to watch the 2025 WCWS championship series

The best-of-three 2025 WCWS championship series between Texas and Texas Tech starts on Wednesday, with Game 2 set for Thursday and, if necessary, a winner-take-all final tilt on deck for Friday.

All of the 2025 WCWS championship series clashes will begin at 8 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.