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

The grass court chaos of Wimbledon didn't disappoint this week, as the unpredictable surface claimed more than one surprise victim in the 2025 Grand Slam's first round.

A full 10 of the London tournament's 32 seeded players fell in the competition's first round, including four of the WTA's Top 10: World No. 2 Coco Gauff, No. 3 Jessica Pegula, No. 6 Qinwen Zheng, and No. 9 Paula Badosa.

"I should just play no tournaments, get no wins, then roll into Wimbledon, and maybe I'll have better results," US star Pegula joked after her two-set Tuesday loss to Italy's No. 116 Elisabetta Cocciaretto, referencing her recent wins.

Gauff's short Wimbledon outing also represented a new challenge for the 21-year-old standout, as the top-ranked US tennis player struggled to bounce back after winning the 2025 French Open last month.

"I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards," Gauff told ESPN. "So I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it."

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The upsets continued as Wimbledon entered its second round on Wednesday morning, claiming several more seeded players like world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini and No. 15 Diana Shnaider, though both No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and unseeded fan favorite Naomi Osaka cruised into the Slam's third round on two-set wins.

No. 8 Madison Keys now leads the US contingent, with fellow US contender No. 12 Amanda Anisimova joining the 2025 Australian Open champion in snagging their own two-set, second-round victories on Wednesday.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon Championships

Second-round play at the 2025 Wimbledon women's singles tournament continues on Thursday, as seven US players — including No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 28 Sofia Kenin — look to advance to the competition's third round.

Live continuous coverage of the London Grand Slam airs on ESPN.

The world No. 1 USWNT will close out their summer international break against a familiar foe on Wednesday night, facing North American rival No. 8 Canada for the first time this year.

"It's never friendly, you know? It's always like a final," US midfielder Sam Coffey told media earlier this week. "We all know each other super well."

"I'm really excited to be a part of it again for our younger, newer players," she continued. "I think it's going to be a huge learning opportunity on what representing this crest means."

The Northern neighbors are the USWNT's most frequent opponent, with the US entering the pair's 67th meeting with a 53-4-9 all-time record against Canada.

Wednesday's matchup will also mark Canada's first US clash under new head coach Casey Stoney, who joined the team in January following her abrupt June 2024 dismissal by the NWSL's San Diego Wave FC.

As for US boss Emma Hayes, she'll be looking for yet another refreshed set of starters on Wednesday after swapping out all 11 players between the team's two friendlies against Ireland last week.

"It's a testament to players and staff alike that we can rotate to different groups like we did last game, and everybody's understanding [the tactics] to varying degrees," Hayes said on Tuesday.

With months to go before the next USWNT camp in October, Wednesday's showdown serves as the last chance for bubble players to prove their worth, all while the team aims to cap the summer window with a big win over their longtime rivals.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Canada on Wednesday

The USWNT will cap their three-friendly summer break against Canada at 7:30 PM ET in Washington, DC.

Live coverage of the clash will air on TNT.

The Indiana Fever lifted their first trophy since 2012 on Tuesday night, winning the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup with a 74-59 upset victory over reigning Cup champs Minnesota — all while injured star guard Caitlin Clark watched from the sidelines.

To snag the win, Indiana leaned on balanced scoring, with forward Natasha Howard's 16-point, 12-rebound double-double leading the Fever's five double-digit shooters.

At the same time, the Fever employed a shutdown defense, limiting the Lynx to their lowest point total of the season.

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Beyond the $500,000 payout, Tuesday's win gives the 8-8 Fever a momentum boost as the team continues contending with both high-profile departures and the limited availability of their floor general.

"We have a resilient group, you know?" Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the game. "They're tough, mentally and physically, they pull for one another. I'm just really proud."

"It felt good to get a win under gut-check circumstances," echoed guard Kelsey Mitchell. "To have so much going on and still stay consistently for each other, it was beautiful. It felt really amazing."

As for the league-leading Lynx, the Commissioner's Cup loss won't impact Minnesota's regular-season WNBA standings — and they’ll hope to build on the learnings from last night's ego blow.

Minnesota also has a bit of history one their side, as the last two Commissioner's Cup runners-up went on to win the WNBA Championship in the same year.

"We have to take this game to heart and learn from the mistakes we made, the way we showed up, the way we prepared, and make sure we don't do it again," said Lynx center Alanna Smith.

How to watch the Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx this week

Neither 2025 Commissioner's Cup contender will have much time to reflect on Tuesday's game, as both Indiana and Minnesota will dive back into regular-season WNBA play on Thursday.

The Fever will host the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET, airing on Prime, before the Washington Mystics visit the Lynx at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham turned heads on Tuesday, criticizing the latest WNBA expansion plans in light of ongoing WNBPA CBA negotiations.

Cunningham drew ire from some fans after expressing skepticism about the WNBA awarding expansion teams to Detroit and Cleveland over other possible cities, while also suggesting that the league might be growing too quickly.

"You want to listen to your players, too. Where do they want to play?" she told reporters ahead of Indiana's Commissioner's Cup win. "I'm not so sure what the thought process is there, but at the end of the day, you want to make sure that you're not expanding our league too fast."

"It's kind of a hard decision-making situation. But man, I don't know how excited people are to be going to Detroit or [Cleveland]."

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Elsewhere, Phoenix Mercury forward Satou Sabally also voiced her expansion concerns on Tuesday, calling on the WNBA to keep player support at the forefront when adding expansion teams.

"We really have to put an emphasis on the players that are in our league right now," she told reporters. "Maybe focus on the teams that find excuses continuously to lack investment in their players before we focus on adding more to the grain of people that can't really be sustained."