Brionna Jones was named the WNBA’s Most Improved Player on Tuesday, deservingly so after a dominant season for the No. 1 seed Connecticut Sun. The reality, however, is the forward’s impact goes beyond the spirit of the Most Improved award.

Jones is on her way to being one of the best players in the league. Period.

Jones’ emergence could be the golden ticket to the Sun’s long-awaited first WNBA championship after making three Finals appearances in franchise history. Entering Game 1 of the semifinals Tuesday on a 14-game win streak, the Sun are having their best season to date at 26-6.

The 25-year-old shot a team-high 57.1 percent from the field during the regular season, averaging 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Her numbers have improved every year and have dramatically since she averaged 2.9 points and 1.7 boards as a rookie with the Sun in 2017.

Jones’ 2021 season has been storybook. Just a couple of days after being named the AP Most Improved Player on Wednesday, the 6-foot-3 forward was named to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team for the first time in her career.

“After going through it and the work that I put in in the offseason, being able to get a shoutout with this is really special,” Jones said of the AP honor, days before she’d also earn the WNBA version of the award.

The most wholesome celebrations 🥺

AP AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS!
JONQUEL JONES - MVP
BRIONNA JONES - MIP
CURT MILLER - COACH OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/aFYmzVK9DB

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 22, 2021

Sun teammate and fellow Maryland Terp Kaila Charles wasn’t surprised by the recognition Jones was receiving.

“I knew it was just a matter of time when she got to the league until she would be able to step into her own and make a name for herself,” Charles said. “Being able to actually witness it, to play with her and see just how far she’s grown as a player, as a woman, it’s just amazing to see.”

Jones had a breakout season in 2020, when she was moved into the starting lineup in Jonquel Jones’ absence. Through 21 starts in 22 games, Brionna Jones led the Sun with a 60.5 field-goal percentage, averaging 9.4 points per game. Before 2020, she hadn’t averaged more than 3.5 points per game

After the season, the Sun offered Jones a multi-year contract and she’s started all 32 games in 2021.

Connecticut head coach Curt Miller credited Jones’ growth to her knowledge of the game.

“She deserves this recognition. She deserves this [MIP] award because she puts in the work to continue to improve, to transform her mind – you name it,” he said. “She just continues to get better and better.”

Assistant coach Brandi Poole has seen the most improvement in Jones’ confidence, which has grown her teammates’ faith in her as well.

“I think we all know when Breezy touches the ball, something good is going to happen on the offensive end of the floor,” Poole said.

The Sun’s dominant season has earned them a bye to the best-of-five semifinals series starting with Game 1 on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2). Many eyes will be on AP MVP Jonquel Jones and DeWanna Bonner, but the Chicago Sky — the Sun’s opponent — will not be taking Brionna Jones lightly.

Charles knows the best is yet to come for Jones.

“She’s going to be one of the best to put on a Connecticut Sun jersey,” she said.

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

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Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.