LSU women’s basketball is taking Washington, D.C.

The Tigers are celebrating their 2023 national championship with a trip to the nation’s capital. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed the team to the White House for a ceremony in honor of their victory.

“You showed us — girls and boys, women and men — what it means to be a champion,” Jill Biden said. “You gave us hope and joy, a way to find that fire in ourselves, and most of all the chance to see you soar. Thank you for giving us those gifts.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, who also attended the ceremony, recalled meeting LSU stars Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson and Alexis Morris earlier this year.

“I understood immediately when I first met them how you all took home the trophy because you are not just a team, you’re family, you support each other on and off the court,” Harris said. “Throughout your record-breaking season, you showed the world who you are. You are leaders, you are role models, and of course you are champions.”

The ceremony paused briefly after LSU player Sa’Myah Smith appeared to faint during President Biden’s speech. Smith was checked by paramedics, and LSU coach Kim Mulkey assured the audience that the rising sophomore was “fine, just a little embarrassed.”

A tradition for NCAA champions, the invitation to the White House initially caused a stir, as Jill Biden suggested extending the offer to runner-up Iowa as well. Reese in particular took issue with Biden’s comment.

“I just know if the roles were reversed, there wouldn’t be the same – if we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House,” Reese said.

Biden later walked back her comment, and Reese and the Tigers accepted the invitation to celebrate its national title.

“I’m going to do what’s best for the team and we’ve decided we’re going to go. I’m a team player. I’m going to do what’s best for the team… I’m the captain,” Reese said of the decision to accept the invitation.

For Mulkey, the ceremony marked her fifth time greeting a president, as she visited the White House twice during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, once during George W. Bush’s presidency and during both Barack Obama and Donald Trump presidencies.

The last three of the visits were for national championships she won during her tenure at Baylor. The first came after she won a national championship as a player at Louisiana Tech, and the second came after she won an Olympic gold medal as a player with Team USA.

For LSU guard Jasmine Carson, this was her second time meeting a president. She and her grandmother visited with the Obamas when she was 10 years old. For most of the team, though, the White House trip was a first.

“As with any national championship trip to the White House, we’ve had the excitement and the build-up with the players — the apprehensiveness of not knowing,” said Jennifer Roberts, LSU’s director of player personnel and influence. “You see the White House. You hear about the White House. But now you’re going to the White House.”

LSU’s Washington adventure also included a tour of the U.S. Capitol, where the team accepted an American flag that flew over the building on the day of the national championship game as a gift from Louisiana’s congressional representatives.

The Tigers have arrived in Washington D.C.! pic.twitter.com/Cive6bjByr

— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) May 25, 2023

Unrivaled Basketball and trading card manufacturer Panini America are teaming up, bringing the 3×3 league's first officially licensed trading cards to market on Friday.

As part of a multi-year agreement between the two parties, Panini will debut the Instant Cards just hours before the first full weekend of play in the 2026 Unrivaled season tips off on Friday.

Panini also plans to launch a Rewind set of trading cards celebrating the 2025 inaugural Unrivaled season, among other future drops.

"Our partnership with Unrivaled is a great way to reinforce and showcase our support of the women's game and female athletes," said Panini America SVP of marketing Jason Howarth in the pair's Thursday announcement. "Unrivaled's 3-on-3 format makes for exciting and compelling game play and continuing to work with the best players in the world in this format made this partnership make perfect sense."

Following Monday's Season 2 tip-off, Unrivaled is continuing to form strategic partnerships as the offseason pro league grows in popularity.

"We want to meet fans where they are, and Panini's history in this space makes them an ideal partner to highlight the biggest moments for women's basketball's biggest stars," said Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell.

How to purchase Unrivaled Instant Cards

The full Unrivaled Instant Card set will release online at 3:08 PM ET on Friday at PaniniAmerica.net.

US women are lighting up the ice, performing record-breaking short programs at the US Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday as the nation's top skaters compete to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

Currently atop the field is 26-year-old Amber Glenn, with the reigning back-to-back national champion posting the highest short program score in event history on Wednesday.

Glenn's 83.05-point performance surpassed the 81.11-point previous record set just minutes before by her 20-year-old teammate, reigning world champion Alysa Liu.

"I think that was one of my most enjoyable experiences competing ever," Glenn said afterwards.

With Liu and Glenn leading the charge, the US is aiming to end a 20-year Olympic medal drought in women's singles figure skating in Milan, Italy, this winter — and Team USA has even more depth on their side.

A full six of the world's Top-17 skaters hail from the US, with 18-year-old Isabeau Levito — who claimed third in Wednesday's short program competition — joining Glenn and Liu in the Top 5.

Team USA can send only three singles skaters to next month's Winter Games, with the national selection committee assessing each athlete's full season — not just their performances at this week's championships — before announcing the Olympic-bound trio on Sunday.

How to watch the 2026 US Figure Skating Championships

The women's singles competition will conclude with Friday's free skate, which kicks off at 3 PM ET before the top skaters in the standings take the ice at 8 PM ET on NBC and Peacock.

The 2026 US Olympic Figure Skating Team will then be announced at 2 PM ET on Sunday, live on NBC.

This month's USWNT roster featured one notable gap, as the absence of Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey stirred up rumors that the 27-year-old is finalizing a move to the WSL to join the top-tier UK league's frontrunners, Manchester City.

First reported by The Guardian, ESPN added on Thursday that Manchester City will ante up a base transfer fee around $800,000 to add Coffey to the Citizens' roster — though the number could rise as negotiations continue and parties finalize a deal.

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The national team stalwart will reportedly travel to Manchester in the near future to ink a potential contract, but Coffey currently remains under contract with Portland until 2027, having signed an extension with the Thorns in 2024.

Coffey has been a mainstay for her NWSL club since Portland drafted the Penn State alum in 2021, but the UK league's pull could persuade her to join her USWNT teammates Alyssa Thompson (Chelsea), Emily Fox (Arsenal), Phallon Tullis-Joyce (Manchester United), and Naomi Girma (Chelsea) in making the leap to the WSL.

Currently sitting six points clear of six-time reigning champion Chelsea atop the 2025/26 WSL table, Manchester City has reportedly been searching for "the right defensive midfield option" as they pursue their first league title since 2016.

This weekend's SEC slate brings the heat, as the stacked NCAA basketball conference gears up for more than one high-profile ranked matchup on Sunday.

Undefeated No. 2 Texas will visit Baton Rouge to take on No. 12 LSU, with the Tigers looking to add to their 80-59 Thursday win over unranked Georgia as they continue battling back from a dismal 0-2 start in 2025/26 conference play.

"We think we're just going to go in there and out-jump, out-leap somebody," said LSU boss Kim Mulkey following last Sunday's loss to No. 7 Vanderbilt. "You're not going to do that in this league."

"This year, the [SEC] is every bit as good as last year — when you really think about it, it's probably way better," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer told the Austin American-Statesman on Thursday. "The big thing right now is we've got to get better."

Texas's clash with LSU opens a tough stretch for the Longhorns, as they face AP Poll headliners No. 3 South Carolina, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 7 Vanderbilt in the coming weeks.

Sunday's other SEC blockbuster between the Sooners and the Wildcats is all about redemption, as Oklahoma aims to bounce back from their 74-69 upset loss to No. 18 Ole Miss on Thursday while Kentucky looks to put their 64-51 Thursday loss to unranked Alabama in the rearview mirror.

How to watch ranked SEC basketball on Sunday

No. 2 Texas will tip off Sunday's ranked SEC slate against No. 12 LSU at 3 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.

Then at 4 PM ET, No. 5 Oklahoma will visit No. 6 Kentucky, with live coverage on the SEC Network.