From the very first moment she stepped onto the WNBA court, Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier has never taken no for an answer.

She's a pro at tuning out the doubters. Six years into her WNBA career, the UConn product still believes she was the top prospect in the 2019 WNBA Draft. In fact, she went on to win that season's Rookie of the Year award despite the Lynx selecting her No. 6 overall. Secondly, after giving birth to her daughter Mila in May 2022, Collier showcased her ability to be both a mother and an elite professional athlete. She returned the following year, picking up her third WNBA All-Star nod while carrying the Lynx all season long.

And most recently, she reformed the business of women's basketball as the co-founder of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball. The offseason league debuted to great success this past January.

So when a controversial foul call at the end of Game 5 of the 2024 Finals proved to be the final barrier between Collier and her first WNBA championship, she swore it would never happen to her again.

"To have it end that way, it feels super unjust," Collier told reporters last October, shortly after the Lynx lost to the New York Liberty. "I don't think that is something to get over."

Now, as a new season tips off, Collier is laser-focused on rewriting the narrative for the Lynx. But she's also making moves off the court, announcing today that she's joined the athlete roster at Jordan Brand. The Nike offshoot is building up its women's basketball footprint, currently supporting 12 WNBA players including Atlanta's Rhyne Howard and Las Vegas's Dana Evans. 

For the 2024 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, Jordan Brand represents an iconography of excellence. And it's one Michael Jordan himself explained to her this past winter.

"I'm really excited about everything that I saw from the outside," she told Just Women's Sports late last month. "But going through the pitch, learning what Jordan's about, just the way they exemplify greatness. It's something that I've always wanted be a part of."

"[Michael] Jordan, if you're a basketball player, just watching those games — the iconic red and black and white shoes that he wore — he was everywhere," she said of the brand's namesake NBA icon. "He's definitely still my idol."

Joining a basketball legacy at Jordan Brand

It might be too early to draw parallels between one of the greatest players of all time and a 28-year-old still growing into her full potential. But Collier's commitment to greatness does mirror His Airness.

Collier is aiming to win everything this year, from her first WNBA MVP award to her first championship with the Lynx. And it appears that the league is on board.

In this week's anonymous WNBA general manager survey, Minnesota was named most likely to win a title this season. And 67% of respondents tapped Collier for 2025 MVP — towering over three-time MVP A'ja Wilson's 25%. 

Of course, it's no surprise. Collier is a wiry power forward with an unstoppable motor on both ends of the court. She has the ability to beat defenders off the dribble and a lethal fadeaway that gives opponents fits in the paint. And her balance only improves with every passing season.

Yet while experts key into Collier's rising form, they're also recognizing the fire that's been lit under Minnesota. After all, they're still convinced they were one foul call away from last year's WNBA title. 

The Lynx clearly have a chip on their shoulder. And their job now is to make sure they use that as an asset, and not a liability.

"It's just the worst feeling — you don't want to feel like that again," Collier said of falling just short of the 2024 championship. "So use it to push you every day, where you're getting in the gym more than you were."

"It's just that little voice you hear when you're like, 'Okay, I'm tired,' or 'I don't have to lift today.' Or, you know, 'I shot yesterday. I don't have to shoot today,'" she continued. "It's that voice that's like, 'Well, do you want the same outcome or not?'"

Collier is making the change she wants to see

Growing up in Jefferson City, Missouri — also the hometown of retired Lynx legend and fellow Jordan Brand signee Maya Moore — Collier credits her parents for fostering her drive to create a future for herself that she hasn't always seen around her, both on and off the court.

It's a mentality that dates back to her earliest days in a pair of basketball sneakers. That's when her local youth team said they didn't have room on their roster for a young Collier discovering her love for the game. 

"My parents were like, 'We'll make our own team," she recalled. "And that's what they did. They got girls from surrounding cities, and we created our own basketball team. And we ended up playing really well."

Decades later, Collier brought that same ingenuity to founding Unrivaled alongside old friend and fellow WNBA standout Breanna Stewart. And when it debuted in early 2025, the league's resounding impact sent shockwaves across the entire women's sports landscape.

"If you want to see a difference or make a change, why not just do it yourself?" Collier said. She and Stewart were done waiting for the higher-ups to capitalize on the potential they were seeing every day.

Unrivaled's timing couldn't have been better, with the 3×3 upstart riding women's basketball's "Caitlin Clark effect" wave in perfect harmony. But Unrivaled's success wasn't all the Indiana rookie's doing.

"We saw a need for something," she added. "It's something that we've been pushing for and fighting for for so long," she added, urging that women's sports's appeal, when given a platform, is undeniable. "People enjoy what we're doing, and now you see how excited people are over women's sports."

Minnesota's 2025 mantra: If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Today, Collier is leaving Unrivaled's day-to-day operations to her capable staff while she attends to unfinished business in the WNBA. The Lynx had a quieter offseason than many franchises this year, avoiding the many roster shakeups embraced across the league. In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Collier is subsequently all in, noting that having an established core can give Minnesota an advantage. And that rings especially true as other teams scramble to put new puzzle pieces together. 

"It's one of my favorite teams I've ever played on. Just the chemistry that we had from day one, the way that we were so there for each other," she said of the Lynx's personality-rich lineup. "It felt like college, honestly, where you create those bonds. You don't see that a lot in professional sports anymore."

The Lynx's training camp performances reflected that assertion. They've moved like a well-oiled machine with the ability to hit the ground running.

"We're doing things in day four of training camp that we were doing halfway through the season last year, just because everyone knows what's going on," Collier said. 

That edge could be on full display in tonight's season-opener, as Minnesota takes on a revamped Dallas Wings before facing fresh rebuilds in LA and Connecticut.

Jordan Brand is striking while the WNBA iron is hot

Collier isn't giving herself much time to slow down. After playing with Unrivaled, she's jumping into this year's WNBA slate while also flexing her muscles with Jordan Brand. But she's also making time to appreciate the massive moment women's basketball is currently enjoying.

"I just feel really lucky to be able to say that I am living in this time. And get to play during this time," she said. "To see that change and to be a part of it, usually things like this happen so slowly over time. But when you see it happening in the blink of an eye, you can track the change."

No matter what this season holds, Collier will strive to embody everything that Jordan Brand hopes for in an athlete. That means a shrewd business sense, an understanding of what makes a team great, a competitive prowess, and that unwillingness to accept no for an answer as she pushes for even more progress.

"This partnership feels especially meaningful because it connects my performance on the court with impact that extends far beyond the game itself," Collier stated in Friday's press release, issued just hours before she's scheduled to hit the court in Heir Series sneakers.

"When young girls see that iconic silhouette, I want it to inspire them to aim higher than they thought possible."

A feeling of quiet exuberance pervaded Gotham FC's postgame press conference on Sunday. It came on the heels of the No. 8 Bats bouncing No. 1 Kansas City, the winningest team in NWSL history, from the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Despite competing for a top-four finish up until the regular season finale, the New York/New Jersey side slid into the postseason as the lowest-seeded contender — but that was before they pulled off the ultimate upset against the league's best.

"Underdog, my ass — we are not an underdog," Gotham forward Jaedyn Shaw said with a wry smile, taking the mic to discuss the team's belief in one another.

She answered the postgame questions with the same level of confidence as she played, registering both the opening goal and an assist on Katie Stengel's extra-time game-winner. She impacted the match on levels, showing unfettered commitment to the club that made a million-dollar gamble on her midseason.

But Shaw hasn't always been as self-assured as Sunday's performance would bely. Her current tenacity on the pitch is a result of a non-linear journey back to playing with joy. And that's a factor she's always considered her superpower.

Shaw enters her New York era as Gotham picks up speed

Shaw is taking to city life like a natural, she told Just Women's Sports in the lull between the regular season and the playoffs. She found herself adjusting to the change of scenery in September, following a league-record transfer from the North Carolina Courage. It was a move she pursued after seeing her on-field progress stall in her first year in Cary.

"I definitely am a bit more of a city girl," the Dallas-area native said. "It's fun for this part of my life — I'm turning 21 this month. I just feel like my early 20s is going to be a fun era."

After months of uncertainty, Shaw's latest era appears to be in a complete upswing. After landing in North Carolina by way of the San Diego Wave, her playing time and attacking efficiency dwindled. But the 20-year-old has looked like a brand new player since making the jump to New Jersey. She scored in her first match against the Wave, and in October she returned to the ranks of the senior USWNT for the first time since April. 

Of course, her progress hasn't been lost on Gotham. The club recently signed Shaw to a contract extension through 2029.

"Everyone has been so welcoming to me and has made this place feel like home, and it's been a really easy transition for me," she said, days before her standout playoff performance.

Shaw's rising star takes flight in San Diego

One of the pioneers of the NWSL's U-18 entry mechanism, Shaw has always been comfortable following  where the game takes her. But growth isn't always linear, and Shaw faced setbacks that all young footballers battle early in their careers. She burst onto the scene in 2022 at the age of 17, looking like the Wave's next cornerstone creator and immediately gelling with USWNT superstar Alex Morgan. 

But things changed ahead of the 2025 season. San Diego made a swift coaching change, and Morgan rode off into the retirement sunset. That's when Shaw requested a move to the Courage. She wanted to play a higher-possession style that seemed to favor her instincts as a deep attacker or creative midfielder. 

However, Shaw's style and the Courage's philosophy fairly quickly proved not to be a good fit. She struggled to marry her desire for fearless attacking with the club's more methodical approach, seeing less and less playing time. After winning Olympic gold with the USWNT in 2024, Shaw fell out of senior team consideration during the summer. She didn't wait long to request another change.

Gotham took a gamble on Shaw — and it's paying off

Gotham set a new intra-league transfer record bringing Shaw in midseason, betting big on her ability to change the tempo. 

"The staff knew a little bit the way the first part of the season had gone for me as an individual," she said. "They really focused on the delivery of things towards me, making me feel really confident and comfortable in this environment." 

The Gotham locker room presented very few question marks, packed with Shaw's USWNT teammates like Midge Purce, Rose Lavelle, and Emily Sonnett, as well as youth level compatriots like Lilly Reale, Sofia Cook, and Sarah Schupansky. But not only did she find connection off the field, she also took to the faster pace and heightened creativity on the pitch.

"I have freedom once I get to a certain part of the field, playing with risk-takers like Rose and Midge and Esthér," said Shaw. She was impressed by her teammates' bravery in one-on-one situations, not losing confidence even if combinations don't work right away. And the coaching staff supports them all the way.

"Trying [something] again without hesitation and not getting screamed at or pulled off the field, feeling like someone's ready to come in and replace you after you make a mistake, is something that I really feel in this environment," Shaw explained.

And the feeling is mutual. "Jaedyn, for me, is definitely one of the best players in the world," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amoros said on Sunday. He credited her rejection of the team's underdog status as a feeling that permeated his entire squad. 

"It's been so fun being a part of this club," Shaw told reporters. "We all knew that we were going to come into this game and give everything that we had."

Building a foundation as Shaw's USWNT ambitions rise

Shaw might have found immediate success, but she also stressed that her comfort at Gotham needs to be a foundation rather than a short burst of quality.

"I think this year has been a lot of mental growth," she said. "How do I weather storms? Recover from mistakes? Recover from losses? How do I recover from bad performances? That's the biggest thing for me, to continue growing as a player and a professional." 

She wants to keep excelling with the USWNT, whether at the U23 or senior level, and Gotham has her back there. "I feel like [Gotham's] goals align with mine," she said. "They know how important the national team is to me."

Gotham also knows that much of the club's success hinges their young star's willingness to maintain the mental edge that propelled her initial rise. 

"My style of play is very based on how I feel and how comfortable I am, how much I believe in myself, and confidence in the environment," she added.

Whether or not Shaw's resurgence can take Gotham all the way to their second NWSL championship is yet to be seen. But regardless, the dividends are already paying off for everyone involved.

"[Gotham's] brought me back to how I was when I was younger, the way that I trained and what got me to this place," Shaw said. "I feel like I'm playing with that joy, and that's really important to me."

The USA women's hockey team came out on top over the weekend, kicking off the four-game 2025 Rivalry Series against Canada by dominating their northern neighbors, outscoring them by an impressive 10-2 margin across the pair's first two games.

US forward Abbey Murphy emerged as a series star, scoring a natural hat trick in the team's 4-1 win in Cleveland on Thursday — the first three-goal turn by a USA player against Canada since team captain Hilary Knight did so at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship.

"I told [Murphy], 'You set the bar pretty high,'" said Knight, who added her own hat trick to the mix in Saturday's 6-1 victory in Buffalo.

"I love how we showed up," the 36-year-old continued. "We've been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work, and see situations that we need to work on."

Notably, while the USA brought their entire 2025 world championship-winning roster to the first two Rivalry Series games, Canada chose to evaluate some fresh faces while resting a number of standout veterans, including their No. 1 goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens — a fact that should temper the sting of adding two big losses to their now four-game skid against the US.

With women's hockey taking over Milan at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, the last two 2025 Rivalry Series matchups will more likely see both sides testing their final rosters for Italy.

How to watch the final games in the 2025 Rivalry Series

Canada will welcome the USA for the last two matchups in the 2025 Rivalry Series, with the puck dropping in Edmonton, Alberta, at 9 PM ET for both the December 10th and 13th clashes.

Both games will air live on the NHL Network.

The LPGA is bringing star power to Florida this week, as a wealth of women's golf talent — and one basketball superstar — tee off at the 2025 edition of The ANNIKA.

Kicking off the event on Wednesday was the annual Pro-Am, with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark headlining the field for the second straight year.

World No. 2 golfer Nelly Korda once again joined Clark through her first nine holes, as Fever teammates Sophie Cunningham and Lexie Hull served as guest caddies.

View this post on Instagram

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

The four-day professional tournament will then tee off on Thursday, though current world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul will not be in attendance for the second year in a row.

Korda, however, will lead the charge to both defend her 2024 title and secure her first win of the 2025 LPGA season — as well as add to her full trio of trophies collected at The ANNIKA.

Four other Top-10 players will look to upend Korda's back-to-back bid, including No. 3 Miyu Yamashita, No. 6 Charley Hull, No. 9 Mao Saigo, and No. 10 Lottie Woad.

With the 2025 CMA Group Tour Championship capping the LPGA season later this month, The ANNIKA will also see golfers on the bubble — like US stars Rose Zhang and 2023 champion Lilia Vu — try to snag enough points to make the end-of-year tournament's final 60-player cut.

How to watch The ANNIKA 2025 LPGA tournament

Coverage of the fifth edition of The ANNIKA continues through Sunday, airing live on the Golf Channel.

The No. 3 UCLA Bruins rose to the occasion on Monday, looking like 2025/26 NCAA basketball championship contenders as they took down the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners 73-59 in Sacramento.

Utah transfer Gianna Kneepkens made the difference for the Bruins, leading all scorers with 20 points while opposing defenses limited both UCLA center Lauren Betts and Oklahoma big Raegan Beers to single digits.

Bruins forward Angela Dugalić also put up a standout performance, coming off the bench to score 16 points and snag 15 rebounds on Monday.

"There are so many weapons that I feel like it's hard for the defense to choose what to take away," Kneepkens said ahead of Monday's matchup. "What makes this team special is that any night could be someone's night."

Monday's clash with UCLA also served as the national broadcast debut of Oklahoma freshman guard Aaliyah Chavez, with the No. 1 high school basketball recruit seeing her first Top 10 NCAA matchup as a Sooner.

Chavez had a slow start against the experienced Bruins, registering 11 points, three assists, and two rebounds across her 32 minutes on the court.

How to watch UCLA basketball this week

The heat continues for No. 3 UCLA on Thursday, when the Bruins will host the No. 11 North Carolina Tar Heels at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.