Angel Reese topped 1.1 million followers on Instagram following LSU’s run to the national title. 

Both Reese and teammate Flau’jae Johnson were the top two social media stars across the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, leading all Final Four players in Instagram followers. Johnson had 884,000 followers at the start of the Final Four last Friday, and she has broken the 1 million mark as well. 

Reese began the tournament with 447,000 followers, and she started the Final Four with 558,000 followers. Then her profile skyrocketed, as she gained more than 650,000 followers during March Madness.

me & 4 woke up wit a MILLION followers! WOW! we have really inspired sooo many people in these past 9 months together🥺😭 BLESSEDDDDD & we just getting STARTEDD! proud of you 444444 @Flaujae

— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 4, 2023

Reese’s NIL valuation has increased along with her follower count. According to On 3, her valuation now sits at $876,000, which marks a $485,000 increase over the past week. She now sits third overall in NIL rankings for women’s basketball.

And while Reese may soon see her NIL deals multiply, what’s on her mind is the impact she’s had on young girls who one day envision themselves in her shoes. 

“I didn’t even realize the impact I made on so many little girls. Sometimes I’m like what am I doing that you guys love? What is it?” she said Saturday. “I’ll ask them, why do you love me? And they said, because you are who you are. You’re you. And that’s just a trait, the biggest trait I carry. 

“Be who you are, and never, ever back down to anyone. Don’t ever get the answer no. I don’t take the answer no. I’m going to find a way to get things done.”

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark also saw a significant increase in followers, with her count more than doubling from 230,000 followers to 539,000 on Instagram during the Final Tour weekend. She now sits sixth on the NIL valuations list.

And if you ask Clark, the coolest part of her impact has been seeing how the game of women’s basketball has grown.

“Honestly, I don’t think it’s really hit me yet. I don’t think it will hit me for a couple more weeks. I’m trying to enjoy every single second of this,” she said Saturday. “I will say what I really loved is I saw so many videos of people back in Iowa City, just every single bar completely packed, screaming about women’s basketball. That’s so, so cool to see your impact on your university and your state.”

The men, meanwhile, didn’t see such follower increases. Andre Jackson Jr., who was the most-followed men’s Final Four player with 61,100 followers, saw just an increase of 2,800 followers during UConn’s run to the title.

Chelsea FC kept their quadruple dreams alive this weekend, advancing to the 2025 FA Cup Final with Saturday’s 2-1 semifinal win over Liverpool in their quest to lift four major trophies in a single season.

With the 2025 League Cup already secured last month, the Blues will continue hunting a sixth straight WSL title when they dive back into league play next week.

The WSL leaders have yet to lose a league match this season. Chelsea currently holds a six-point lead over both London rival Arsenal and Manchester United at the top of the table, with just four matchdays separating the club from their second piece of 2024/25 hardware.

A first-ever UWCL title could clinch a Chelsea quadruple

If the Blues take home the 2025 FA Cup after their May 18th battle with Man U, they will need just one final championship to clinch the quadruple — the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League trophy.

First, however, Chelsea must book a spot in the UWCL's championship match on May 24th. To do so, first-year manager Sonia Bompastor’s squad must outlast Champions League powerhouse Barcelona in the tournament's two-leg semifinals, which kick off next weekend.

Should they go on to lock down the 2025 FA Cup, WSL, and UWCL titles, the Blues will become just the third team to ever win a quartet, joining the 2006/07 Arsenal squad and last season's dominant Barcelona roster.

China PR pulled out of their June 3rd friendly against the USWNT, according to a Friday US Soccer release which announced that Jamaica will replace the 2022 Asian Cup winners at Energizer Park in St. Louis.

As of now, China will still face the USWNT on May 31st in St. Paul, marking the first of the US’s upcoming two-game international break.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

"After initially agreeing to play two matches during the upcoming FIFA window, the Chinese Football Association subsequently informed US Soccer that its Women’s National Team could play only the first match," USSF said in its statement.

The federation did not provide an explanation for China’s cancelation, quickly tapping Jamaica as stand-ins.

USWNT to contend with Concacaf foes Jamaica

Despite sharing a confederation, the US and Jamaica have only squared off six prior times, with June's match marking the teams' first meeting in three years.

The last clash between the pair occurred at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship, where the US walked away from the pitch with a 5-0 victory over the Reggae Girlz.

Led by Manchester City striker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw, Jamaica earned spots in the last two World Cups, advancing to the Round of 16 for the first time ever in the 2023 edition.

The pair's upcoming seventh meeting will also serve as a celebration of retired USWNT captain and local product Becky Sauerbrunn, with US Soccer calling the decorated defender "the greatest female player in St. Louis soccer history."

With the 2025 WNBA Draft tipping off on Monday night, experts across women’s basketball are busy predicting the results, as this year’s sure-thing overall No. 1 pick begets question marks down the line.

Barring a shocking surprise, the Dallas Wings will snap up UConn star Paige Bueckers first, ushering in a new era of Texas basketball.

The rest of the lottery is more of a mystery, with one lesser-known name projected to shake up the early picks.

Mock drafts from both ESPN and The Athletic have the Seattle Storm using their No. 2 spot to select 19-year-old French center Dominique Malonga, pivoting away from the NCAA-to-WNBA pipeline.

After the top two picks, opinions diverge, with factors like team-fit and overall talent influencing WNBA teams' strategies as they eye the guard-heavy field.

Among the top NCAA players expected to go early in Monday's first round are Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, USC forward Kiki Iriafen, and LSU forward Aneesah Morrow.

Sportsbooks are also weighing in, with FanDuel currently favoring Citron at No. 3 (-140), Iriafen at No. 4 (+170), and Morrow at No. 5 (+105).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

How to watch the 2025 WNBA Draft

With commissioner Cathy Engelbert set to announce the No. 1 pick shortly after 7:30 PM ET, live coverage of Monday's 2025 WNBA Draft will begin at 7 PM ET on ESPN.

The top three NWSL teams continued their reign over the standings this weekend, with the Orlando Pride, Kansas City Current, and Washington Spirit all rattling off wins in the league’s return from April's international break.

On the top trio's heels is Angel City, whose unbeaten streak lives on after the LA club earned their second straight win in a promising season start for the young team.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Stars, Portland Thorns, and Gotham FC managed to break into the win column for the first time this season, leaving only the North Carolina Courage and Utah Royals still searching for their first three-point performances of 2025.

Resilience puts injury-laden Washington Spirit on top

While they haven’t been perfect, Washington’s continued success could be the season’s most impressive so far, as the team digs out wins despite its onslaught of availability issues.

Saturday's 2-0 road victory over Racing Louisville, for example, came from a Spirit side missing 10 players from its roster — including regular starters Croix Bethune, Casey Krueger, and Hal Hershfelt.

The talent-packed Spirit stepped up in their stead, with midfielder Leicy Santos notching the 58th-minute game-winner before striker Ashley Hatch found the back of the net for the fourth time in as many games in the 75th minute.

Hatch now leads the NWSL's Golden Boot race, with her Saturday goal registering as her 50th in regular-season play for the Spirit — the third-most for a single club in league history.

Though the 2025 NWSL season is only four matchdays old, the race to the Shield could depend on a club's resilience — making the Spirit, with their ability to pick up points when the going gets tough, an early favorite.

2025 NWSL Standings: Week Four

1. Orlando Pride (4-0-0)
2. Kansas City Current (4-0-0)
3. Washington Spirit (3-1-0)
4. Angel City FC (2-0-2)
5. Gotham FC (1-1-2)
6. Portland Thorns FC (1-1-2)
7. Seattle Reign FC (1-2-1)
8. Bay FC (1-2-1)
9. San Diego Wave FC (1-2-1)
10. Houston Dash (1-2-1)
11. Racing Louisville FC (1-2-1)
12. Chicago Stars FC (1-3-0)
13. North Carolina Courage (0-2-2)
14. Utah Royals FC (0-3-1)