Alysha Clark is the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year. 

The two-time WNBA champion joined Las Vegas in February as a free agent and beat out DiJonai Carrington and Dana Evans for this year’s award. Clark averaged 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game.

Stepped up all szn long👏@Alysha_Clark is your 2023 WNBA @Kia Sixth Player of the Year

Coming off the bench, Alysha Clark averaged 6.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 22.5 MPG for the @LVAces #KiaSixth #MoreThanGame pic.twitter.com/QqHQ7V5feI

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 18, 2023

Clark played an integral role in the team’s offense and defense, all while coming off the bench and joining the defending champion Aces as an outsider. And if you ask Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon, she fit right in. The 36-year-old wing’s abilities allowed for Las Vegas to play smaller lineups but defend at a high level.

According to PBP Stats, the Aces have a 98.7 defensive rating and allow opponents to shoot 44.6% from 2-point range when Clark is on the floor. Those numbers go down whenever she isn’t in the game.

“What’s allowed her to fit in so seamlessly is that she’s a hooper, she fits right in,” Hammon told The Athletic. “She’s a great person, great teammate. Her IQ is pretty off the charts and her professionalism and approach, so I’m not really surprised how well she’s fit in. But I’ve loved how she’s fit in with our group.”

She’s a 12-year WNBA veteran, but this is her first individual award. She was named to the WNBA’s All-Defensive First Team in 2020, her last year playing in the WNBA before 2023; she played in Europe in the interim.

While never the centerpiece of an offense, Clark has honed her skills playing on teams with Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, having played eight years in Seattle. When she joined the Aces, players like Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson told The Athletic they’re glad they no longer have to guard her.

“She’s a defensive guru,” Clark’s former teammate and current Seattle Storm coach Noelle Quinn said. “You put her on the floor and she can defend anybody.”

“She’s a huge piece for us on the court, for sure, just the level of versatility that she gives us on both ends,” Aces assistant coach Tyler Marsh added. “She gives us an ability to play big or play small depending on how we want to go with the lineups. She’s able to stretch the floor, and she’s able to guard the other team’s best defender. And she can guard one through four; at times, she can guard the five. When you have players who are as versatile as Jackie and A’ja as well defensively, that makes a ton of difference.”

Clark joins a long line of Las Vegas Aces players to win the Sixth Player of the Year award. She becomes the fourth in the last five years, joining Dearica Hamby (2019 and 2020) and Kelsey Plum (2022).

Two key upsets headlined Thursday's WNBA bill, sending the Phoenix Mercury soaring into third place in the league standings while the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries continued to outwit opponents.

The red-hot Mercury snagged their fourth straight win by taking down the No. 2 New York Liberty 89-81 on Thursday night, overcoming an 35-point performance from two-time MVP Breanna Stewart with five double-digit Phoenix scorers.

Meanwhile out West, the Valkyries stifled a surging No. 7 Fever, downing Indiana 88-77 in part by holding star guard Caitlin Clark to just 3-for-14 from the field — and 0-for-7 from behind the arc.

"We were being disruptive, we know that she doesn't like physicality, we know that she wants to get to that left step-back," Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase said about the Valkyries' strategy to effectively contain Clark.

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Though the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and 2024 WNBA champions New York still hold court atop the table, Thursday's actions proves that other squads are making some unexpected in-roads.

Putting together an impressive road record are the Mercury, who will ride a 4-2 away record into their Saturday matchup against the No. 11 Chicago Sky — the last stop on a four-game road trip that's been perfect for Phoenix thus far.

Already flipping the script on expectations is Golden State, with the 2025 expansion team rising despite relying on a hodgepodge roster as several players compete at EuroBasket 2025. The Valkyries will aim to keep their winning momentum in their Sunday clash with the No. 12 Connecticut Sun.

How to watch the Mercury, Valkyries this weekend

Both of Thursday's victors will be back in action this weekend, with Phoenix facing Chicago at 1 PM ET on Saturday, airing live on ABC.

Then on Sunday, Golden State will host Connecticut at 8:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

In another weekend full of WNBA action, all eyes are on Las Vegas, as the No. 8 Aces will try to curb a two-game losing streak against two formidable opponents.

A successful weekend for Las Vegas could hinge on three-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson's potential return from injury, with the star forward recently upgraded to "questionable" after landing in concussion protocol last week.

Overall, the margin for error has narrowed in the middle of the WNBA pack, as talented teams continue to translate quality performances into consistency.

• No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Aces will try to end their free fall in Friday's head-to-head battle with a Seattle side that can beat anybody at their best.

• No. 7 Indiana Fever vs. No. 8 Las Vegas Aces, Sunday at 3 PM ET (ESPN): Las Vegas next faces a Fever team still smarting from Thursday's away loss to the Golden State Valkyries, with both teams narrowly clinging to positions above the playoff line.

• No. 2 New York Liberty vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, Sunday at 7 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Liberty have a comfortable hold on second place, but with two losses in their last three games, New York is flirting with danger entering their Sunday game with Seattle — particularly if star big Jonquel Jones is out after suffering a knock to the ankle on Thursday.

Ultimately, there's no rest for the weary in the WNBA, as a series of difficult matchups can see a single error quickly slide into a losing streak.

The final NWSL weekend heading into the league's six-week summer break has arrived, giving teams one more chance to prove themselves before regular-season play pauses to make way for major international tournaments.

With a five-point gap separating No. 1 Kansas City from No. 2 Orlando in the NWSL standings, the Current will enter the break as the 2025 Shield frontrunners regardless of this weekend's results.

Despite Kansas City's grip atop the table, there's still plenty of room for movement both above and below the postseason cutoff line, as clubs across the NWSL look to wrap their midseason finales on a high note:

• No. 1 Kansas City Current vs. No. 10 Angel City FC, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): Angel City has a shot at launching themselves above the cutoff line on Friday, but they'll have to snap the Current's five-game winning streak to make it happen.

• No. 8 Gotham FC vs. No. 9 Bay FC, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Gotham and Bay FC enter the weekend tied on points while staring at each other from on opposite sides of the playoff line — meaning a Saturday win for either club could set the tone for the rest of the 2025 season.

• No. 3 San Diego Wave FC vs. No. 4 Washington Spirit, Sunday at 10 PM ET (CBS Sports): The weekend's only top-table clash could see San Diego sprint back into second place — unless Washington leapfrogs the upstart Wave to claim the third-place spot.

The LPGA Tour has turned its attention to Texas, with the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship — the third major of the pro golf season — teeing off in Frisco to a flurry of first-round action on Thursday.

All of the sport's Top 100 athletes are participating in this week's event, including No. 1 Nelly Korda, who sits in a 14th-place tie with an even-par first-round performance, and surging US dark horse No. 50 Lexi Thompson, who tied for 10th in her Thursday return from a brief retirement.

However, leading the pack heading into Friday's second round is Thailand's world No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul, who finished the first day of competition atop the leaderboard with a score of 4-under-par.

Australia's No. 24 Minjee Lee also posted a strong start, capping Thursday at 3-under to sit in second place.

While the sport's best chase victory on the links, the 2025 KPMG Women's PGA Championship is already making history off the green.

Not only is it the first-ever women's major to tee off at Frisco's Fields Ranch East, the tournament also increased its purse to $12 million on Tuesday — nearly tripling the $4.5 million prize pool from just four years ago and tying the US Women's Open for the LPGA Tour's highest payout in the process.

How to watch the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The third LPGA Grand Slam of 2025 continues through Sunday.

Friday's second round will air live on the Golf Channel, while coverage of Saturday and Sunday's final rounds will air across NBC and Peacock.