New Las Vegas Aces teammates Kelsey Plum and Candace Parker didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye during their WNBA season opener against the Seattle Storm.

As the Aces rolled into halftime with a commanding 43-28 lead, Plum chided Parker in an interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe.

“Candace Parker, she’s wearing all black shoes with white socks. Which is, like, criminal, but she can pull it off,” Plum deadpanned.

“She’s the GOAT so we’re gonna let her do it today, but then we’ll talk to her about it after the game, right?” Rowe replied. (Video of the interview is embedded below.)

"Candace Parker, she's wearing all-black shoes with white socks. Which is like, criminal."

— @Kelseyplum10, everyone 😂 pic.twitter.com/sNCQyquq1j

— espnW (@espnW) May 20, 2023

Fans took to social media to debate the fashion choice. Even “Art But Make It Sports” – a Twitter account dedicated to juxtaposing iconic sports moment and works of art — weighed in, comparing Parker’s shoe-sock combo to The Matador Saluting, a painting by Édouard Manet.

The Matador Saluting, by Édouard Manet, 1866-67, 📸 by Scott Eklund https://t.co/UhmI9iDDkm pic.twitter.com/ZMAJmhT5eQ

— ArtButMakeItSports (@ArtButSports) May 20, 2023

“Call me Smooth Criminal (Michael Jackson Vibes),” Parker replied on Instagram.

The Aces won the game 105-64. The 41-point margin broke the WNBA record for largest margin of victory by any WNBA team in a season opener, per ESPN Stats & Info. Plum and Jackie Young recorded 23 points each, while four other Aces players also scored in the double digits: Chelsea Gray (14), A’ja Wilson (13), Candace Parker (12) and Alysha Clark (10).

Still, the Aces’ rout was overshadowed by the absence of head coach Becky Hammon, who served the first of a two-game suspension after a WNBA investigation found she made comments to Dearica Hamby about her pregnancy, violating the league’s Respect in the Workplace policies. Hammon has denied the claims. Assistant Tyler Marsh served as acting head coach during Saturday’s contest.

The 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup culminates on Saturday, when host nation England battles for their first tournament title in more than a decade in a top-tier final against Canada, who are hunting their first-ever world championship trophy.

The Red Roses' long dominance on the Rugby World Cup pitch has led them to eight finals in the competition's nine editions, with England emerging victorious twice — in 1994 and 2014.

On the other hand, Canada will make just their second-ever appearance in the World Cup final this Saturday, as the Maple Leafs aim for a decidedly different outcome from their 21-9 loss to England in the 2014 championship game.

The top-ranked Red Roses will also be looking to avenge their narrow 34-31 loss to New Zealand in the tournament's most recent 2022 edition when they square off against No. 2 Canada in front of an sold-out crowd inside London's Twickenham Stadium — with another women's rugby attendance record on the line.

"You feed off of that energy, especially knowing what this game is going to be," England defense coach Sarah Hunter said. "It's a cliché, but [the crowd] almost becomes the 16th person in those moments where you need them."

How to watch the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final

England and Canada will battle in the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup final at 11 AM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on Paramount+.

While the No. 1 Kansas City Current have officially run away with the 2025 NWSL Shield, the race for top playoff seeding rages on, as the No. 2 Washington Spirit fights to hold their ground against an unpredictable No. 9 Houston Dash this Sunday.

Bolstered by star Trinity Rodman's return from injury, the Spirit enter the weekend on a nine-game unbeaten streak, going up against a motivated Dash side sitting just two points outside of postseason contention.

"Every game we just need to be a lot more clinical in the final third," Rodman said after last weekend's 2-2 draw with No. 11 Angel City. "We're doing all the hard stuff and then it's [lacking] quality at the end."

Washington isn't without top-table challengers, with No. 3 Gotham FC riding their own five-game unbeaten streak into a Friday night match against the No. 4 Portland Thorns, who sit tied for points with both the Bats and the No. 5 San Diego Wave in the NWSL standings.

"At this stage, almost everyone still has a real chance to make the playoffs, which is great for the league," said Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amorós after the Bats' 1-1 draw with Bay FC last Sunday. "But it also means nothing can be taken for granted."

How to watch the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC this weekend

No. 3 Gotham FC kicks off this weekend's NWSL action when they host the No. 4 Portland Thorns at 8 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on NWSL+.

Then in Sunday's NWSL action, the No. 9 Houston Dash will visit the No. 2 Washington Spirit at 1 PM ET, airing live on Paramount+.

No. 6 Indiana is banking on home court advantage, as the underdogs tip off Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA semifinals against the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces on Friday night — with the short-staffed Fever looking to avenge the Game 2 loss that pulled the series level 1-1.

"We're excited," Fever guard Lexie Hull said prior to Friday's clash. "Just to be able to have two more [home games] for our fans that have been there with us all season, really excited for that, and we definitely do feed off of their energy."

Indiana will need the crowd to be their metaphorical sixth man this weekend, as they continue to navigate a hefty injury list and an up-and-down record.

Hull herself remains questionable with a lingering back issue, playing through discomfort in light of Indiana's tight roster constraints.

"I'm feeling sore still, but I think just a lot of treatment, trying to get our bodies as ready as we can be," she said. "I think for everyone, is it's the end of the season, everyone's a little fatigued and a little sore."

How to watch Las Vegas vs. Indiana in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

The No. 6 Indiana Fever will host the No. 2 Las Vegas Aces for both of their 2025 WNBA semifinals clashes this weekend, first tipping off Game 3 at 7:30 PM ET on Friday on ESPN2.

Game 4 will follow at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on ABC.

The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx land in Phoenix on Friday night, looking to secure a crucial Game 3 win against the No. 4 Mercury after seeing their best-of-five 2025 WNBA semifinals tie at one game apiece back home.

"Our response to [Phoenix] was a little bit uncharacteristic," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said after the Lynx blew a 20-point lead to cede Tuesday's Game 2. "We needed to go get buckets, and we had good opportunities. We weren't strong enough, we weren't tough enough."

"Nobody said this stuff was gonna be easy," she added.

Coming off just their third home loss all year, Minnesota's backs are now against the wall, forced to either take two games from the Mercury on the road or shoot for a decisive Game 5 back in Minneapolis.

The Lynx went 14-8 when traveling this year, nearly mirroring Phoenix's 15-7 home record — not to mention the Mercury's two postseason home wins that sent the defending champion New York Liberty packing in the first round.

Other than the strength and toughness noted by Reeve, a key to Minnesota's success on Friday will be avoiding the turnovers that led to their Tuesday downfall.

"It's frustrating, but it's a series," said Lynx forward Napheesa Collier. "So we need to go to Phoenix and take care of business."

How to watch Minnesota vs. Phoenix in the 2025 WNBA semifinals

The No. 4 Mercury will host the No. 1 Lynx for both of their weekend clashes in the 2025 WNBA semifinals, starting with Friday's Game 3 at 9:30 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.

Game 4 will follow at 8 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage of the clash airing on ESPN.