Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson won the matchup of MVPs in the 2023 WNBA Finals over her New York Liberty counterpart Breanna Stewart.

Wilson won the Finals MVP award in the process. Her trophy haul should provide ample consolation for her loss to Stewart in the voting for the regular-season MVP award.

Of course, some might say Wilson deserved the 2023 WNBA MVP award over Stewart in the first place – including Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who has been vocal from the start about the snub. But Wilson, who did win the 2022 MVP award, set herself apart throughout the championship series, leading the Aces to a 3-1 win over the Liberty.

In the 2023 playoffs, Wilson averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game, beating out her New York Liberty counterpart. Stewart averaged 18.4 points and 10.2 rebounds, and through 10 postseason games shot just 35.8% from the field.

Stewart made 42.1% of her shots in Game 1 against the Aces, but in Game 2 was held to just 35.3% shooting. In the final game of the series, she shot 17.6% from the field and scored just 10 points. She went 67-187 in the playoffs, which is not what the Liberty needed from their star player.

Stewart also struggled with 3-point shooting, making just 19.6% of her shots from behind the arc in the postseason compared to 35.5% in the regular season. She sunk just nine 3-pointers out of 46 attempts in the playoffs.

And on Wednesday, New York put the ball in her hands for the game-winning shot — but she was denied by Alysha Clark. Still, if you ask head coach Sandy Brondello, the decision to put the ball in Stewart’s hands is one she’d made again.

“I put the ball in the hands of the MVP because we trust her. And it just didn’t work out today,” Brondello said. “It ended up with Breanna at the end, so it was just her trying to make a play from there. So, I [would] still do it again. That’s the right call.”

Stewart’s 10 points in the series-ending loss were the fewest she had scored in a game in the 2023 postseason.

Wilson, meanwhile, nearly doubled Stewart’s shooting percentages in the playoffs, going 82-for-148 from the floor. She shot 55.4% through nine playoff games.

With those numbers, Wilson finishes the playoffs having put together her best postseason to date. Last year, she averaged 20.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 55.2% shooting in the playoffs en route to the Aces’ first title – all career bests. She improved in all three categories this season.

Comparatively, this is one of the worst postseasons of Stewart’s career. She only averaged below 40% shooting in the playoffs one other time – in 2017, when the Seattle Storm were eliminated after one game. The only other time she’s been below 50% came in 2018, when Seattle played eight games en route to winning the title.

Her 19.6% 3-point shooting is particularly glaring, as she had never averaged below 40% in the playoffs, and averaged 50% or better in four out of the five previous postseasons in which she has played.

The WNBA blew past viewership records throughout its 2025 campaign, ESPN reported this week, with the league delivering the network's most-watched season in history.

ESPN averaged 1.3 million viewers through 25 regular-season games, accounting for a 6% year-over-year increase, with the full season's 49 broadcasts averaging 1.2 million viewers per game — up 5% over last year's lineup.

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Postseason coverage was especially popular, with the Las Vegas Aces' championship-winning series sweep averaging 1.5 million viewers per game to become the second-most watched WNBA Finals behind the 2024 edition.

The gains also hit the ESPN studio, with the network's WNBA Countdown averaging 437,000 viewers through the 2025 Playoffs — up 30% over last season — while Hoop Streams and The Wrap-Up saw a 60% year-over-year viewership growth across eight postseason episodes.

Overall, the numbers punctuate the stability of the WNBA, with viewership continuing to rise despite superstars like Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese all missing screen time due to injury this year.

The dividends, as well, are already paying off, as the WNBA embarks on a new $2.2 billion media deal promising at least $200 million per year in returns through the 11-year contract.

With the league currently wading through contentious CBA negotiations, this year's soaring ratings seemingly back the WNBA Players Association's arguments for increased investment and revenue sharing.

Professional women's volleyball is officially landing in Los Angeles, with LOVB announcing Wednesday that the league plans to launch an LA expansion team funded by Angel City investor — and Serena Williams's husband — Alexis Ohanian.

Ohanian's Seven Seven Six venture capital firm is behind the new club, adding to a portfolio that also includes track and field competition Athlos and NWSL-focused docuseries The Offseason, as well as the men's Los Angeles Golf Club.

"We're excited to make LOVB the third jewel in Seven Seven Six's LA sports family," Ohanian said in the league's expansion announcement. "Volleyball is such a natural addition for Southern California, which has already proven how warmly it embraces new pro sports teams."

LOVB wrapped its inaugural six-team season in April 2025, with the league's second season set to kick off in January 2026 before LOVB LA becomes the pro venture's seventh squad in 2027.

"We're thrilled to partner with Alexis and the Seven Seven Six team, true women's sports champions," said LOVB Pro president Rosie Spaulding, further acknowledging the impact of Ohanian's sports portfolio and investment acumen. "Their commitment strengthens the entire volleyball ecosystem, and marks an exciting new chapter for LOVB and the sport as a whole."

"We can't wait to work with them to bring professional women's volleyball to Southern California as we continue to grow the sport across the US."

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman is sticking around, with Sportico reporting last Friday that the NWSL Executive Committee voted for a three-year contract extension for the league leader through the 2028 LA Olympics.

The 48-year-old inked her initial four-year deal in 2022, quickly driving commercial growth after joining an NWSL still reeling from a period of league scandals.

Under her purview, Berman led the NWSL through successful CBA negotiations and inked a blockbuster $60 million-per-year media deal, boosting team valuations from the low single-digit millions to upwards of $250 million.

Berman also helped drive the league's ongoing expansion, seeing 12 clubs in action during her debut 2022 season before growing to 14 in the 2024 campaign — with additional expansion sides Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC ballooning the field to 16 squads beginning next year.

Despite those successes, Berman recently faced backlash surrounding the league's handling of on-field medical incidents, with Sportico's sources noting that the board of governors' decision to move forward with the NWSL commissioner's contract extension was not unanimous.

"We're proud to have Jessica Berman's continued leadership," executive committee chair and Gotham FC owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett said in a league statement. "Under her guidance, the NWSL has reached new heights in attendance, revenue, and global visibility. This extension ensures we can continue building on that momentum."

As the penultimate international window of 2025 kicks off next week, several global soccer stars are announcing their impending retirements, hanging up their national team boots as global attention turns toward next year's 2027 World Cup qualifiers.

Headlining the list of exiting stars is Wales' all-time top scorer and longtime Seattle Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock, who will suit up for the world No. 32 Dragons one last time against No. 15 Australia next week, ending a 19-year international career.

The 38-year-old notched 48 goals in her 165 caps for her national team, including scoring Wales' first-ever goal in a major tournament during last summer's 2025 Euro tournament.

"The Euros was the pinnacle of my football career, seeing the dragon on the world stage for the first time will be a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime," Fishlock posted in her Wednesday announcement. "Every minute was a pleasure, a privilege, and an honour."

Also stepping away from international duty is 2022 Euro champion and Chelsea FC defender Millie Bright, retiring from No. 4 England's backline on Monday after previously removing herself from consideration for the Lionesses' successful Euro title defense earlier this year.

Other notable international soccer retirements this week include No. 27 Ireland defender Megan Campbell, No. 6 France midfielder Sandie Toletti and winger Amel Majri, and No. 11 Netherlands midfielder Sherida Spitse and striker Renate Jansen.