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Just Women’s Sports announces media deal with NWSL

(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Just Women’s Sports and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) are teaming up, with the two sides announcing their media partnership on Thursday.

Core to the new deal, Just Women’s Sports (JWS) has acquired the rights to distribute NWSL highlights from both the current and past seasons, bringing the top moments from the popular league to a growing, passionate fan community across multiple platforms, while helping to drive tune-in to NWSL broadcasts.

JWS is also bringing its pre-game show “The Warm-Up” to the NWSL Championship game and will be throwing an officially-sanctioned VIP party leading into the NWSL Championship — which tripled its 2019 viewership in 2021 on CBS.

“The NWSL continues to generate some of the most exciting soccer in the world, and we are thrilled to be providing a platform that will bring fans access to the league’s biggest moments,” JWS Founder and CEO Haley Rosen said. “Highlights are the cornerstone of digital sports media. They are the easiest way for current fans to engage with their favorite athletes and for prospective fans to discover what all the hype is about.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to partner with a digital-first media brand dedicated to growing the audience for women’s soccer,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said. “Just Women’s Sports understands the space, and we believe this is just the beginning of what will be an important and long-lasting relationship between JWS and the NWSL.”

Additionally, JWS has also announced today the renewal of its media partnership with Athletes Unlimited. This allows JWS the opportunity for extensive coverage of the 18-game AUX Softball season, which began this month, as well as Athletes Unlimited’s Lacrosse and Softball leagues, which begin seasons two and three, respectively, this July on ESPN.

These deals come on the heels of a breakthrough year for JWS, which has included a recently-announced $6 million fundraise from an all-star group of new and returning investors.

2025 WNBA Prospect Sedona Prince Goes Undrafted Amid Abuse Allegations

Center Sedona Prince looks on before TCU's 2025 March Madness first-round game.
TCU center Sedona Prince was not selected in Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft. (Cooper Neill/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

Despite some mock drafts projecting her to go as high as the first pick in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft, TCU’s Sedona Prince did not earn an invite to the pro league on Monday night.

The move came after the 6-foot-7 center helped lead the Horned Frogs to the 2024/25 NCAA tournament's Elite Eight round.

Prince, who turns 25 years old next month, suited up for Texas, Oregon, and TCU during her seven-year NCAA career. Her run spanned multiple injury-induced redshirt seasons caused by a broken leg, torn elbow ligament, and a broken finger.

During Monday's ESPN broadcast, commentators noted that her age and injury record may have impacted Prince's WNBA prospects. They also directly brought up Prince's history of intimate partner violence and abuse allegations.

As reported both via social media and by The Washington Post, several women have accused Prince of abuse or sexual assault. Prince denies these claims and, to date, has never been charged with a crime.

Prince's complicated collegiate campaign also includes a viral 2021 social media post calling out gender inequities within the NCAA tournament. The post ultimately ignited top-line changes across college sports.

Sedona Prince blocks a shot from Notre Dame's Liza Karlen during TCU's 2025 Sweet 16 victory.
Sedona Prince led TCU to an Elite Eight appearance in 2025. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

WNBA GMs weigh risk factors in drafting Prince

Like other undrafted athletes, Prince could still receive an invite to any of the 13 teams' training camps. Though the decision to offer her a preseason try-out remains complicated for WNBA front offices.

"You want to be fair about it and don't want to necessarily hold [the allegations] against her," one unnamed WNBA GM told ESPN’s Katie Barnes in a recent article detailing Prince’s draft prospects. "But from an organizational standpoint, you also have to be cautious and do your due diligence."

"We wouldn't touch it, but I think that everybody's at a different spot. Everybody has different information," another GM said. "But where we're at with this franchise, right, wrong, or indifferent, there's a risk associated and that's not a risk on someone's character that we'd take."

Dallas Takes UConn Star Paige Bueckers No. 1 Overall at the 2025 WNBA Draft

Overall No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers holds a Dallas Wings jersey with commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the 2025 WNBA Draft.
2025 WNBA Draft No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers will join the Dallas Wings. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

The Dallas Wings made arguably the easiest decision of the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night, selecting UConn guard Paige Bueckers as the overall No. 1 pick.

"I can't wait to play with that system, to play with that team, to embrace that new city," Bueckers told reporters. "To be in a place that you're loved and wanted, that's very important."

"Very early on it was Paige, and Paige only. She's such a special player," said newly hired Dallas GM Curt Miller.

Bueckers bolsters revamped Dallas team

Bueckers has been the consensus No. 1 draftee since the start of the 2024/25 NCAA season. Top pick-holder Dallas subsequently spent the offseason assembling existing WNBA talent to complement their expected collegiate recruit.

Returning starters include Arike Ogunbowale and Teaira McCowan. Additionally, Miller brought on experienced players NaLyssa Smith, DiJonai Carrington, and Ty Harris.

"There's a new GM, new coach, new assistant coach, a whole new team," Bueckers said. "We're excited for that fresh start."

The 11th-place Wings ended last season on a nine-game losing streak. And with a 9-31 record, Dallas missed the 2024 WNBA Playoffs. The team now aims to right the ship in 2025 behind their new-look lineup and freshly minted franchise player Bueckers.

"She can take over a game when she wants to, but she has a great feel for getting others involved and that’s really special," said incoming Wings head coach Chris Koclanes.

"You put that next to Arike, and I feel together they'll be able to play off each other."

With a fully revamped roster and an upgraded arena and practice facility in the works, the Dallas Wings appear to be bypassing the traditionally slow rebuild and will instead hit the ground running in 2025.

2025 WNBA Draft Taps Top NCAA, International Recruits in First Round

Georgia Amoore holds a Washington Mystics jersey with commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected No. 6 in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Georgia Amoore was among the Washington Mystics’ three first-round 2025 WNBA Draft picks. (Elsa/Getty Images)

After UConn superstar Paige Bueckers set the tone as the overall No. 1 pick, the rest of Monday night’s 2025 WNBA Draft played out without too many surprises, as teams stocked up on fresh talent from both home and abroad.

The Seattle Storm selected French phenom Dominique Malonga second, before the Washington Mystics took Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron at No. 3 and USC forward Kiki Iriafen at No. 4.

Incoming expansion team Golden State threw the night’s initial curveball with their first-ever draft pick, adding Lithuanian forward Justé Jocyté to the Valkyries' inaugural roster at No. 5.

However, Jocyté's availability remains a question mark, with the 19-year-old confirming her intent to join her national team for this summer's EuroBasket.

Young stars earn first round selections at the 2025 WNBA Draft

The rest of Monday's first round showcased NCAA and international standouts alike, with teams prioritizing both skills, potential, and team fit as they strategized and vied to load their draft boards with top talent.

The exception to the original first-round lineup was Las Vegas, whose No. 10 pick was rescinded after a 2023 investigation found the Aces guilty of violating league policies.

  • No. 6: Georgia Amoore (Kentucky) to the Washington Mystics
  • No. 7: Aneesah Morrow (LSU) to the Connecticut Sun
  • No. 8: Saniyah Rivers (NC State) to the Connecticut Sun
  • No. 9: Sarah Ashlee Barker (Alabama) to the LA Sparks
  • No. 10: Ajša Sivka (Slovenia) to the Chicago Sky
  • No. 11: Hailey Van Lith (TCU) to the Chicago Sky
  • No. 12: Aziaha James (NC State) to the Dallas Wings

With the 2025 WNBA season starting in just one month, the new draftees will soon be joining their pro teams in training camp, where final roster decisions will be made as franchises make difficult cuts en route to May 16th's opening tip-off.

"The WNBA is so unique with how powerful the talent is because it is so small," said Van Lith, who's set to link up with her former LSU teammate Angel Reese at the Chicago Sky this year. "It's a competition that I'm ready to embrace, that I'm excited to embrace."

Seattle Picks France’s Dominique Malonga No. 2 Overall at the 2025 WNBA Draft

No. 2 pick Dominique Malonga holds a Seattle Storm jersey with commissioner Cathy Engelbert at the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Seattle selected France’s Dominique Malonga as the overall No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)

Teen phenom Dominique Malonga officially introduced herself to US basketball fans during Monday's 2025 WNBA Draft, with the 19-year-old becoming the highest drafted French player in league history as the overall No. 2 pick by the Seattle Storm.

"I'm so proud just to show that today French basketball is at a level that we have never seen," she told reporters after her record-setting selection.

"She's a unicorn. She's one of one," Seattle head coach Noelle Quinn said of the 6-foot-6 teenager. "The thing that is very intriguing about her is the way that she's grown rapidly over the last few years.... She's 100% an amazing athlete."

France teen star Dominique Malonga wins the ball during a 2024 Olympic qualifying game against Puerto Rico.
Dominique Malonga was the youngest player on France's 2024 Olympic silver medal-winning team. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Malonga's rapid rise to the WNBA

After turning pro at just 15 years old in 2021, Malonga's first international spotlight came during the 2024 Paris Olympics, when the then-18-year-old debuted as the youngest player on France’s silver medal-winning national team.

A nimble, athletic player with skilled shooting and marked versatility, Malonga went on to make waves last October as the first-ever Frenchwoman to dunk in a game.

"I would say that international FIBA basketball prepared me [on] toughness because it was always high-level games," Malonga added. "I think that it really helped me to be ready for the league."

Though not yet a household name in the US, Seattle is keeping an eye on the future by drafting a player whose generational talent could potentially set the bar in the WNBA.

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