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Kevin Durant, Elena Delle Donne and Arike Ogunbowale among new investors in Just Women’s Sports

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Just Women’s Sports is excited to announce that it has raised $3.5 million in seed funding, which will help the company continue its mission of building the media platform in women’s sports.

The round was led by Will Ventures, with participation from Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures, Drive by DraftKings, OVO Fund, Supernode Global as well as an all-star roster of women’s sports superstars, including Elena Delle Donne, Hilary Knight, Sam Mewis, Kelley O’Hara and Arike Ogunbowale.

In addition to their investment, Thirty Five Ventures will also utilize its network and resources to help amplify Just Women’s Sports through its Boardroom media platform. As a result, Just Women’s Sports founder Haley Rosen will be a featured guest on Boardroom’s “Out of Office” podcast with Rich Kleiman and Kevin Durant.

“In order to grow women’s sports, fans need to see how great the games are, and they shouldn’t have to look hard to do that,” said Thirty Five Ventures co-founder and two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant. “Just Women’s Sports is creating a much-needed platform centered around game and player highlights and analysis that shows fans exactly how good these players are and why they’re worth watching.”

O’Hara has long been part of the JWS family as host of the “Just Women’s Sports” podcast, which features in-depth conversations with some of the world’s top athletes in women’s sports. Additionally, Mewis co-hosts “Snacks” with teammate Lynn Williams, a recently launched podcast taking fans behind the scenes of life atop the soccer world.

Other JWS content includes “Off the Ball,” featuring Olympian and NWSL star Ali Riley, and “The Soccer Show,” a first-of-its-kind digital weekly highlights-driven show covering the FA Women’s Super League through an exclusive premium content partnership with Ata Football. Additionally, later this month Just Women’s Sports will feature “Tea with A & Phee,” the popular podcast hosted by 2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and 2019 WNBA Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier.

You can also follow Just Women’s Sports on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

The funding enables Just Women’s Sports to expand its production of high-quality content and continue to lead the way in promoting equality in sports. JWS will also continue to build out its executive, production and editorial teams. Recent hires have included former Google and Uber Eats exec Ali Braverman as Head of Revenue, former ESPN producer Ashley Braband as Head of Content and Production, and former The Athletic editor Hannah Withiam as Managing Editor.

Read more about what to expect from Just Women’s Sport’s coverage.

Angel City and New Zealand Captain Ali Riley to Retire After 2025 NWSL Season

Angel City defender and captain Ali Riley poses for a photo during the NWSL club's 2025 media day.
Longtime NWSL star Ali Riley will officially retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 season. (Harry How/NWSL via Getty Images)

Angel City captain Ali Riley is calling it a career, with the 37-year-old defender announcing plans to retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 NWSL season on Tuesday.

"As I reflect on what this game has given me these past three decades, since I started in the Palisades here in LA, I know that I have truly given my all, both physically and emotionally," Riley said in a club statement. "As a player, I strived to be the best teammate, a positive influence in the locker room, and compete on the field every day. For my entire career, I never took a day when I got to play soccer for granted."

"Ali Riley is Angel City. Her heart, grit, and unwavering commitment to lifting everyone around her have shaped the culture of this club," said ACFC CEO and co-founder Julie Uhrman. "Ali has shown us that leadership goes far beyond the pitch; it's in how you care for others, how you show up."

Exiting the global stage after five World Cups and four Olympics with the New Zealand Football Ferns, the Stanford alum also helped pioneer the European women's game, competing in Sweden, England, and Germany from 2012 to 2020 before returning to the NWSL to join the Orlando Pride.

Angel City snagged Riley from the Pride before the expansion team's 2022 debut season, with the captain making her first 2025 club appearance in August after returning from a chronic nerve injury that sidelined her for more than a year.

"I am so proud to be able to say goodbye on my own terms, in my hometown, and know for certain that I am giving everything I have left to the people around me and the sport that shaped me," Riley wrote in her Instagram announcement.

NCAA Moves 2028 Women’s Final Four to NFL’s Lucas Oil Stadium as Ticket Demand Soars

An exterior view of Indianapolis's Lucas Oil Stadium with signage for the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four.
The 2028 NCAA Basketball Final Four will be the first women's edition played in a football stadium since 2005. (Andy Lyons/Getty Image)

The Women's Basketball Final Four is getting an upgrade, with the NCAA announcing Tuesday that the 2028 edition of the annual competition will move from Indianapolis's Gainbridge Fieldhouse to Lucas Oil Stadium due to surging ticket interest.

"Moving the 2028 Women's Final Four to Lucas Oil Stadium will allow for more access for our fans, and it represents the continued growth of the sport," said Division I women's basketball committee chair Amanda Braun. "With the interest we have seen, holding the Women's Final Four in a larger venue in Indianapolis is a natural next step."

Home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, the football stadium will open up approximately 13,000 additional seats for college basketball fans, bringing the total capacity for the 2028 Final Four to 31,000 — nearly double the original WNBA arena's 18,000 seats.

The committee also voted on Monday to continue the tournament's current preliminary-round format through the 2031 Championship, with seeded teams hosting the first two rounds at home followed by super-regional rounds in predetermined host cities — all leading up to the Final Four finale.

"The Women's Final Four continues to sell out, and the public demand for tickets has steadily increased," the NCAA said in a statement.

With sellout crowds across every NCAA Final Four dating back to 2017 — save the COVID-19 restricted 2021 edition — the 2028 move won't just allow more fans to attend, it will also give the governing body a more accurate measure of the true demand for the growing sport at the collegiate level.

Last-Place Dallas Wings Fire 1st-Year Head Coach Chris Koclanes

Dallas Wings head coach Chris Koclanes crouches on the sideline watching a 2025 WNBA game.
Head coach Chris Koclanes led the Dallas Wings to a 10-34 record during the 2025 WNBA season. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)

The Dallas Wings are officially making moves, with the franchise announcing Tuesday that it is parting ways with first-year head coach Chris Koclanes after the team finished the 2025 WNBA season in last place with a 10-34 record.

"As we enter a pivotal point in our team's future, we felt a change in leadership at this time was best for our organization," Dallas EVP and GM Curt Miller said in a Tuesday statement. "The Dallas Wings remain dedicated to their pursuit of WNBA Championships and building upon the strong culture established on and off the court."

Helming a Wings side that struggled with injury throughout the 2025 campaign, Koclanes cobbled together 18 different starting rosters as reserves and hardship signings led Dallas to field a WNBA-high 21 players across the season.

With Tuesday's announcement, Koclanes is now the third dismissed WNBA head coach this year, joining now-unemployed sideline leaders Noelle Quinn (Seattle Storm) and Sandy Brondello (New York Liberty) as the Wings look to build around 2025 No. 1 draft pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.

Dallas also has an eye on the future, heading into the offseason with the best odds to secure next year's No. 1 overall draft selection — their second straight top pick — after a midseason pivot saw the team offload 2025 additions NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington.

Las Vegas Aces Advance to 2025 WNBA Finals with Semifinals Win Over Fever

Las Vegas Aces stars Chelsea Gray, A'ja Wilson, and Jackie Young are interviewed after winning Game 5 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals.
The Las Vegas Aces advanced to their third WNBA Finals in the last four seasons with Tuesday's Game 5 semifinals win. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)

The No. 2 Las Vegas Aces are headed to the 2025 WNBA Finals, surviving the No. 6 Indiana Fever's Game 5 upset bid with a 107-98 overtime win to close out the semifinal series 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson and two-time league champion Jackie Young combined for 67 points in the victory, with Young and point guard Chelsea Gray additionally swapping clutch buckets to seal the deal as the clock ticked down.

"It's not just one person, it's not just five people, it's everybody. Everybody you see contributed to this game," Wilson said after leading the Aces to their third WNBA Finals in four years.

With six players already sidelined with injury, the Fever took another big hit in the third quarter, when leading scorer Kelsey Mitchell exited the game with lower-body cramps.

Short-staffed Indiana never let up, however, with former hardship signing Odyssey Sims contributing 27 points as the Fever pushed the home team to the brink of elimination.

"They're a great example to everybody of what it means to just put one foot in front of the other," Fever head coach Stephanie White said afterwards. "To persevere, to welcome people into the fold, to not give in to circumstance."

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Finals

The 2025 WNBA Finals are officially a battle in the desert, with the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces hosting the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series on Friday.

The first clash of the championship series will tip off live at 8 PM ET on ESPN.

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