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June Ambrose talks Puma’s groundbreaking women’s basketball collection

courtesy of PUMA

PUMA is doubling down on women’s hoops, dropping High Court, a basketball-inspired collection designed by fashion legend June Ambrose.

Joining PUMA in 2020, Ambrose has been critical in launching and expanding the brand’s Women’s Hoops category. Her debut High Court collection features a range of pieces, including apparel, accessories and footwear ranging from $30-$375 in price.

“I developed this collection during COVID when the United States was on lockdown,” Ambrose tells Just Women’s Sports. “In terms of origin and references, I really had to tap into my authentic intelligence to forecast designs.”

Seeing High Court come to life has been especially rewarding for Ambrose, who had to endure the trials and tribulations of creating amid the global pandemic. Unable to touch and feel samples or draw visual inspiration from visiting different spaces, Ambrose was forced to reimagine her creative process.

“Taking the concept to reality was a labor of love through the pandemic, all of our design meetings and fittings were done virtually so to finally be in a place where women and women of the WNBA are wearing the collection, it’s beautiful!”

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Breanna Stewart (courtesy of PUMA)

The High Court campaign, shot by Ambrose’s long-term creative partner Hype Williams, features WNBA stars Skylar Diggins-Smith, Breanna Stewart, Katie Lou Samuelson and Jackie Young.

Stewart made headlines in May when the former league MVP signed a long-term deal with PUMA, becoming the first WNBA player in a decade to develop her own signature shoe.

“With PUMA launching their women’s basketball division it shows the brand’s commitment to women in sport,” said Ambrose. “The High Court Collection and Breanna getting her signature shoe is the start of a new chapter for PUMA, it’s a really monumental time for the brand. I want to continue to create a lifestyle around women’s basketball, it’s as much about who she is on the court as who she is off the court and this collection speaks to that.”

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Skylar Diggins-Smith (courtesy of PUMA)

Ambrose’s vision not only includes current basketball icons, but also draws inspiration from the broader push for equity in sports, including Title IX.

“The collection was inspired by the fearless and bold energy that women and youth channeled in order to get this civil rights law passed,” reveals Ambrose, “I want to leverage the collection and the launch of the women’s basketball division to continue to draw attention to conversation around equality in sport.”

It wasn’t just athletes Ambrose had in mind when she was creating the collection — empowering women across industries and circumstances was also important for the designer.

“I built the collection around the philosophy that Life is a sport,” said Ambrose, “that as women we hold court in so many positions in the game of life, we need a wardrobe that works for all of them.”

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June Ambrose (courtesy of PUMA)

Ambrose’s favorite piece? That would be the Retro 90s rugby set. The piece is inspired by one of Ambrose’s favorite silhouettes growing up, and she likened the rugby to a classic white button-down, but with a retro 90s vibe and bold color.

The High Court collection will be available starting Dec. 1 on PUMA.com, PUMA NYC Flagship store and select Nordstrom locations.

Nebraska Chases Perfection as 2025 NCAA Volleyball Tournament Kicks Off

Nebraska teammates Andi Jackson, Bergen Reilly, Rebekah Allick, Olivia Mauch, and Harper Murray celebrate a point during a 2025 NCAA volleyball game.
The undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers enter the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. (Kayla Wolf/Getty Images)

Led by undefeated overall No. 1-seed Nebraska, the college volleyball elite will begin their quest for the 2025 national championship on Thursday, when the first round of the 64-team NCAA Division I tournament hits courts nationwide.

The Huskers are still chasing a perfect season, entering the 2025 title hunt on a 30-0 run having dropped just six sets all season — including losing just one set since September 16th.

"I was expecting us to be great, but certainly not undefeated," said Nebraska alumna and first-year Cornhusker head coach Dani Busboom Kelly on a recent episode of the Welcome to the Party podcast. "They continue to exceed our expectations."

Busboom Kelly's roster is loaded with the kind of experienced connection that only comes when the core of players have competed together for three straight seasons — an increasing rarity in the transfer portal and NIL era.

That said, this core has unfinished business on the national stage, with the superstar junior trio of middle blocker Andi Jackson, outside hitter Harper Murray, and setter Bergen Reilly — all AVCA Player of the Year semifinalists — looking to bring the first NCAA trophy in eight years back to Lincoln.

"It's such a special row, because we just know that all of us have been through thick and thin together and our bond is so strong," Jackson told USA Today Sports earlier this week. "[And Busboom Kelly] gives us so much confidence and we know that with her as our coach, we just can play fearless."

SMU middle blocker Favor Anyanwu aims to hit the ball through Stanford defenders' outstretched arms during a 2025 NCAA volleyball game.
Elite teams like No. 2-seeds SMU and Stanford will look to upend Nebraska en route to the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship. (Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Stacked tournament field looks to spoil Nebraska's season

Even with their "fearless" play, a host of stellar opponents await Nebraska in the NCAA tournament gauntlet, hoping to play spoiler — including Busboom Kelly's previous program, the Louisville Cardinals, who await the Cornhuskers as the No. 2-seed in their own regional quadrant.

Fellow No. 1 seeds Texas, Kentucky, and Pitt will also chase their eventual chance at the Huskers via their own regionals, where the Longhorns could see arguably the stiffest competition from both No. 2-seed Stanford — the winningest program in NCAA volleyball history — and defending champion and No. 8-seed Penn State.

With tickets to the 2025 Final Four in Kansas City on the line, the NCAA volleyball bracket's 64 squads will start serving at 16 campus sites on Thursday.

How to watch the first round of the 2025 NCAA volleyball tournament

This year's NCAA volleyball finale begins when No. 5-seed Colorado takes on unseeded American University at 3 PM ET on Thursday, kicking off a two-day first round of 32 matches — with No. 1 Nebraska looking to handle Long Island University in their initial tournament tilt at 8 PM ET on Friday.

All games in the early rounds of the 2025 Division I tournament will air live on ESPN+.

Tennis Star Coco Gauff Leads Top-15 Highest-Paid Female Athletes for 3rd Straight Year

US tennis star Coco Gauff poses holding her 2025 French Open trophy.
US tennis star Coco Gauff earned $31 million on and off the court in 2025. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)

US tennis star Coco Gauff continues to win off the court, with the 2025 French Open champion topping Sportico's list of the 15 Highest-Paid Female Athletes for the third consecutive year.

Fueled by $23 million in off-court endorsements, the $31 million earned by the 21-year-old world No. 3 WTA player edged out the $30 million total income that fellow tennis star and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka garnered in 2025.

Unsurprisingly, a full 10 athletes on the Sportico Top 15 list are tennis stars, a direct result of the fact that all four Grand Slams and the Masters 1000 tournaments boast equal prize money between the men's and women's competitions — a shift that began with the 1973 US Open.

That established expectation of gender equity in prize money has tennis far outpacing salaries in most other women's sports.

Also making the Top 15 are two LPGA golfers — world No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul (No. 15 on the Highest-Paid Female Athletes list) and US star No. 2 Nelly Korda (No. 7) — as well as popular Olympic skiier Eileen Gu (No. 4), WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark (No. 6), and USA gymnastics legend Simone Biles (No. 11).

Notably, Gu, Clark, and Biles as well as Venus Williams (No. 14) all proved the power of endorsements on this year's list, with nearly all of the quartet's earnings coming from sponsorship deals.

Report: WNBA CBA Negotiations Continue to Hinge on Revenue Sharing

A basketball rests on the court before a 2025 WNBA game.
The WNBA has reportedly proposed a revenue share of less than 15% in their latest CBA offering to players. (Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

As WNBA CBA negotiations rage on, revenue sharing continues to be a wedge issue for both sides of the table, with the league office and the WNBPA eyeing the terms of the most recent proposal from differing viewpoints.

The Athletic reported on Wednesday that the WNBA believes it has offered the revenue-sharing salary model that the players have pushed for throughout the CBA talks, leaving athletes to claim 50% of the "sharable" portion of league revenue.

How the WNBA will determine the "sharable" cut is uncertain, though sources claim the compensation structure on offer will result in players taking home less than 15% of the league's total earnings.

That percentage is likely to take a further hit over the lifetime of a new CBA, according to the league's multi-year earning projections.

"I don't feel like there's any cultivation of a culture of trust [in the CBA talks]," WNBPA president and Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike told The Athletic. "I feel like we've been heard, but not listened to, and I'm hoping that that changes in this 40-day extension, because what we want to do is get a good deal done."

Parental leave, draft combine, and more enters the WNBA CBA talks

Along with the issue of revenue sharing, the latest WNBA offer also reportedly outlined other proposals, such as the institution of a required offseason draft combine, the elimination of team housing, and the possible extension of the competition calendar by starting earlier and/or finishing the season later.

As for the WNBPA's Tuesday counteroffer, the players union is seeking to eliminate the core designation and shorten the current four-year rookie contract to three years.

The WNBPA is also asking to add non-birthing parental leave, retirement benefits, and reimbursements for mental healthcare.

The WNBA and WNBPA will meet again to negotiate sometime this week, with talks racing toward the second-extension deadline of January 9th, 2026.

LSU Puts NCAA Basketball Scoring Streak on the Line Against Duke

LSU guard Mikaylah Williams high-fives Flau'jae Johnson during a 2025/26 NCAA basketball game.
The LSU Tigers have scored more than 100 points in every game so far this NCAA season. (Kristen Young/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

After setting a new NCAA basketball record by scoring 100+ points in eight consecutive games, the No. 5 LSU Tigers will face their season's first true test when they visit the preseason-No. 7 Duke Blue Devils as part of the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge on Thursday night.

"We don't play nobody in our nonconference schedule," senior guard Flau'jae Johnson told JWS in November. "From December on out, that's when it gets really [exciting]."

With their history-making string of lopsided wins under their belt, the Tigers will try to keep the streak alive against a now-unranked Duke side on a three-game losing skid.

The Blue Devils will rely on leading scorer and rebounder Toby Fournier for a spark, with the sophomore forward averaging 15.8 points per game despite Duke's 3-5 start.

As for LSU, the title-hunting Tigers will look to stat undefeated behind Johnson's team-leading 17.0 scoring average, as well as the 16.1 points per game put up by junior star transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley.

"Ballers just want to ball, like hoopers just want to hoop," Johnson said of LSU's quick cohesion this season. "You find different ways to bond and gel with teammates."

How to watch LSU vs. Duke on Thursday

Duke will host No. 5 LSU in the 2025 ACC/SEC Challenge at 9 PM ET, with live coverage airing on ESPN.