Tina Charles is set to sign with the Seattle Storm after mutually parting ways with the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, according to multiple reports.

Phoenix announced the contract divorce with Charles in a statement released on Saturday. The Ball Out was the first to report the news of the center’s intended new destination.

“After discussions with Tina and agent, it was best for both parties to go our separate ways at this time,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said. “Due to circumstances both in and out of our control, our season has not gone according to plan, and we continue to pursue all avenues for improvement.”

Charles averaged 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 16 appearances with the Mercury after signing a one-year contract with the team in February.

The Seattle Storm, who waived forward Reshanda Gray on Friday, are looking to send Sue Bird out with a title run in her final WNBA season. Currently in fourth place in the league standings, Seattle (11-7) has engineered a turnaround after a slow start to the season.

Storm coach Noelle Quinn did not comment on the Charles reports before Seattle’s Saturday game against the Los Angeles Sparks.

“Our focus is right now and my focus right now is on the game,” Quinn said. “I don’t really have a comment about Tina.”

The Mercury (7-12) won their first game without Charles on the roster Saturday night, beating the Wings 83-72. But she was clearly on the minds of at least one of her former teammates. Sophie Cunningham shouted “F— Tina Charles!” after the win, according to reporter Landon Thomas.

The Storm and the Mercury will face off for the third and final time this season at 10 p.m. ET on July 22.

A legend in the sport of volleyball is stepping down, as longtime Nebraska head coach John Cook announced his retirement on Wednesday.

Joining Nebraska in 2000 after seven years with Wisconsin, Cook's 25 years at the Cornhuskers' helm included 14 conference titles, 12 trips to the NCAA Final Four, and four national championships (2000, 2006, 2015, 2017). Most recently, Cook led the team to back-to-back national semifinal appearances.

Even more, Cook turned Nebraska volleyball into a can't-miss phenomenon. The Huskers are currently riding a 339 home match sellout streak dating back to 2001 — an NCAA record for all women's sports.

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The three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year (2000, 2005, and 2023) also helped Nebraska stage two volleyball matches in their football stadium in August 2023, when 92,003 fans packed Memorial Stadium to break the international women's sports attendance record.

Cook retires with an overall 883-176 career record — the fifth-best all-time winning percentage in Division I (DI) volleyball history. His 722-103 resume with Nebraska makes him the winningest DI coach in the sport this century.

"I’ve been here for 25 years. That’s a long time to do something. It’s been a great run," Cook said in the school's announcement.

"For me personally, the greatest accomplishment in coaching is seeing former players...taking the lessons they’ve learned from being a Nebraska volleyball player and applying it to their everyday lives," he continued. "There is no greater reward in coaching than that."

"I’ve always said to 'Dream Big,' and we’ve dreamed bigger than any volleyball program in the history of the world."

Alumna Dani Busboom Kelly succeeds Cook

Cook's successor is former Nebraska volleyball star Dani Busboom Kelly, who helped earn the 2006 national title as the starting libero before serving as Cook's assistant during the Cornhuskers' fourth title run in 2015.

Busboom Kelly took over as Louisville's head coach in 2017, leading the Cardinals to the program's first-ever Final Four in 2021 and following it up with national championship game appearances in 2022 and 2024. She exits the ACC squad with a 203-44 record and has agreed to a six-year contract with her alma mater.

"The opportunity to come home to Nebraska is more than a dream come true," Busboom Kelly said in a statement. "Nebraska is the greatest place in the world to play volleyball and I am honored to be a part of it once again!"

The NWSL officially sealed the deal with Denver early Thursday, granting the league's 16th expansion team to the Mile High City for a planned 2026 debut.

To welcome the city's first-ever major league women's team, NWSL Denver is finalizing plans for a new purpose-built stadium and dedicated performance facility designed specifically for women athletes. 

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Controlled by Denver Sports Commission founder Rob Cohen, the ownership group behind Denver's $110 million expansion fee — the largest in US women's sports history — includes prominent Vail snow sports advocates the Borgen family as well as David and Molly Coors of brewing giant Molson Coors.

"As the NWSL continues its rapid growth, we knew it was critical to launch our 16th team in a city with a passionate sports culture and vibrant fan base," said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman in a league statement. "With this ownership group's vision and dedication, we are confident that Denver NWSL will set new standards for excellence on and off the pitch."

NWSL stars double down

Existing NWSL teams also flexed their investment prowess this week, with multiple top athletes signing contract extensions across the league on Wednesday.

KC Current striker Temwa Chawinga, who record-breaking 2024 debut spanned 20 goals, the 2024 Golden Boot, and the NWSL MVP award, inked a deal that will keep her in Kansas City for the next three years.

"This year, we hope to bring the trophy home for the fans, for KC," Chawinga said in the club's statement. "My KC community has been incredible. All the support, it feels like home here."

On the West Coast, Angel City sister duo of 20-year-old forward Alyssa and 19-year-old defender Gisele Thompson also put pen to paper, with the young LA-born stars committing to ACFC through 2028.

With European clubs drawing top players away from the US, there's never been a more important time for the NWSL to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to player development and on-field success. 

US golf star Nelly Korda will look to launch yet another historic run on Thursday, when the 2025 LPGA season kicks off at the Tournament of Champions in Florida.

Korda registered seven victories on the 2024 LPGA Tour, catapulting to No. 1 in the world rankings and taking home LPGA Tour Player of the Year.

Calling last season "very, very, very crazy," the 26-year-old tied an LPGA record with five of her wins coming in successive starts. The fifth victory came at the 2024 Chevron Championship, earning Korda the second major title of her career.

A fresh start for Korda as 2025 LPGA Tour begins

Despite aiming to continue her record run, Korda acknowledges that the 2025 LPGA season will present its own challenges.

"The field is different. There [are] different girls in the field. Weather is different. Golf course could be different. There are so many variabilities that just completely changes it," she told reporters on Tuesday.

Her first test takes place in Orlando. That's where Korda will enter her seventh Tournament of Champions — a competition she's yet to walk away from as a winner.

Following its 2019 launch, the annual four-day event is limited to players who've won major LPGA competitions in the last two years. Due in part to Korda's recent dominance, only 32 professional golfers fit this year's criteria, including defending title-holder and world No. 2 Lydia Ko and 2024 runner-up Alexa Pano.

Also in this weekend's field are US stars No. 5 Lilia Vu, No. 14 Rose Zhang, No. 15 Lauren Coughlin, No. 20 Angel Yin, and No. 21 Megan Khang.

The pro competition will also run concurrently with a 72-hole celebrity contest that includes USWNT icon Brandi Chastain, among others.

"It’s a different, relaxed vibe," Korda said about the tournament. "And no better way to start off the year than playing in this event."

How to watch the LPGA Tournament of Champions this weekend

The 2025 Tournament of Champions starts at 11:30 AM ET on Thursday. Live coverage of the competition will air across NBC networks.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is at it again, revealing details about its inaugural 1v1 tournament on Tuesday.

Fueled by a $350,000 prize pool, the high-stakes competition will tip off with 30 players on February 10th. Athletes are currently in four equal pods, and fans will determine the tournament's seeding via ballot.

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The three-day tournament will feature a series of single-elimination games, culminating in a best-of-three final. 

Contests will be played to either a winning score of 11 points or a 10-minute game clock, whichever comes first. Each matchup will follow the traditional two- and three-point scoring format, but with a shortened seven-second shot clock.

The biggest difference from both traditional 5x5 play and Unrivaled's 3x3 format is in the 1v1 contest's make-it, take-it rule, which rewards scoring with both points on the board as well as continued ball possession.

Tournament rewards both 1v1 winner and Unrivaled team

Unrivaled's 1v1 tournament champion will ultimately take home $200,000 — more than what some WNBA players' salaries. The runner-up will claim $50,000, with each semifinalist earning $25,000.

Interestingly, individual players aren't just competing for themselves. Each of the champion's Unrivaled 3×3 teammates will also snag a check for $10,000.

"There’s still a team camaraderie perspective," noted Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell earlier this month. "You may be eliminated, but your teammate keeps advancing. Inevitably, you want to root them on — not just for personal reasons, but also there’s an incentive for you if your teammate wins the ultimate cash prize."

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Unrivaled reveals participating 1v1 roster

Of the 3×3 league's 36 players, only Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Angel Reese, Stefanie Dolson, and Courtney Vandersloot will sit out the 1v1 tournament alongside relief contract players Natisha Hiedeman and NaLyssa Smith.

Consequently, one potential matchup could pit Unrivaled co-founders and 2024 WNBA Finals foes Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier against each other. Dozens of other potential pairings involving All-Stars like Alyssa Thomas, Kahleah Copper, Arike Ogunbowale, and Satou Sabally are also on the table.

Fan voting for the player seedings that will determine those matchups will start on Thursday, with the tournament's full bracket dropping in early February.