WNBA All-Star week is here.

As we gear up for the matchup between Team USA and Team WNBA in one of the most exciting All-Star Games in memory, we are eyeing a few storylines that could define the battle of the WNBA’s best. Tune in Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN to see who comes out on top in Las Vegas.

Which first-time All-Star will make a statement?

There are seven first-timers on Team WNBA: Kahleah Copper, Dearica Hamby, Brionna Jones, Betnijah Laney, Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally and Courtney Williams. Team USA has one in Ariel Atkins.

Laney, in particular, has been on a tear this season with the Liberty. A season after being named the WNBA’s Most Improved, Laney is seventh in the league with 19 points per game.

Ogunbowale, the third-year Wings guard, is just behind Laney in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game. She’s also scored in double figures in a league-leading and franchise-record 58 consecutive games entering the Olympic break. Ogunbowale should be extra motivated in Wednesday night’s matchup after missing out on a U.S. Olympic roster spot.

Who will win the star-studded frontcourt battle?

When it comes to post play, there’s no shortage of star power on either side. Team WNBA features Liz Cambage, Jonquel Jones and Candace Parker. Parker has been a major factor in the Chicago Sky’s turnaround, leading the team to a seven-game win streak after returning from injury. Jones has been on fire all season and still sits second in league scoring after returning from a history-making EuroBasket run for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, Cambage is one of the more efficient shooters in the group, with a 54.3 field goal percentage, and one of the best shot blockers in the league.

The only two players on the floor who block more shots per game than Cambage are Sylvia Fowles and Brittney Griner of Team USA. The national team also has Tina Charles, who leads the WNBA with 26.3 points per game — more than five points ahead of second-place Jonquel Jones.

Can the WNBA All-Stars actually beat Team USA?

For the first time in the WNBA’s 25-year history, Team USA will take on a group of WNBA All-Stars in a matchup officially recognized as an All-Star Game. As the U.S. national team prepares for the Olympics, where it will be playing for its seventh straight gold medal, there’s a legitimate question as to whether Team WNBA can beat the gold medal favorites.

As Jonquel Jones said in Sunday’s postgame presser, they certainly want to. And Team WNBA also has the talent to do so.

Each team has nine players in the top 25 in scoring, so the game will likely come down to the defensive battle. Team WNBA also boasts playmaker Courtney Vandersloot, who leads the league in assists, and Ogunbowale and Kahleah Copper, who have something to prove after competing in U.S. training camps but not making the final roster for the Olympics.

After a dramatic 3-0 win over crosstown rival Manchester United on Saturday, Manchester City is now leading the WSL, sitting three points clear atop the 2025/26 league table while notably extending their advantage over second-place powerhouse Chelsea FC.

The home side scored all three of their goals in the first half, with defender Rebecca Knaak putting City ahead in the 26th minute before attacker Khadija "Bunny" Shaw added to the lead in the 43rd minute.

Returning from injury with a vengeance, forward Lauren Hemp sealed the deal for the Citizens with the final goal in first-half stoppage time.

"It's so nice to be back," Hemp said postgame. "Today we showed the mentality that I said at the start we needed to show."

While reigning six-time WSL champions Chelsea have yet to lose a match this WSL season, a trio of 2025/26 draws has the Blues now trailing the current eight-win, one-loss record held by Manchester City.

As for United, the WSL third-place Red Devils were without star goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce in Saturday's loss, after the USWNT net-minder suffered a fractured eye socket in November 8th's 1-0 loss to Aston Villa.

"She should be fine, it's just trying to make sure she doesn't get another knock in that area," said United manager Marc Skinner, noting that Tullis-Joyce could return as soon as the club's 2025/26 Champions League match against VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday.

One of this season's NWSL Coach of the Year finalists is moving on up, with Kansas City manager Vlatko Andonovski leaving his position as the Current's head coach to become the club's full-time global sporting director.

Andonovski has been juggling both jobs since joining the Current in October 2023, with the 49-year-old coming off what was arguably his most successful managerial season, leading Kansas City to a first-ever NWSL Shield amidst a record-shattering 2025 campaign.

In his new role, Andonovski will "implement the long-term vision for the club's technical and athletic success, as well as be responsible for player recruitment, roster strategy and scouting."

"It's vital to move into this role to keep growing this club with the aim of being a perennial contender on the global stage and a top developer of talent," Andonovski said in Friday's club announcement.

With the administrative switch in the works prior to last weekend's playoff upset, Andonovski will now join the hiring committee tasked with appointing his successor, while continuing his head coaching duties until Kansas City secures its new manager.

In another front office shift, the Current's head of soccer operations Ryan Dell will immediately take over as the club's GM, with former GM Caitlin Carducci departing the club after one year at the helm.

Michigan women's basketball is on the rise, as the then-No. 14 Wolverines avenged their early 2025 NCAA tournament exit with a stunning 93-54 blowout win over then-No. 18 Notre Dame on Saturday.

Michigan sophomore guard Olivia Olson led the game in scoring with 20 points as the Wolverines put together a true team effort, with six bench players combining for 38 points in the win.

The Big Ten team also dominated defensively, limiting the Fighting Irish bench to just two points while keeping Notre Dame star guard Hannah Hidalgo to a mere 12-point performance.

"We knew exactly what Michigan was going to do," said Notre Dame basketball head coach Niele Ivey afterwards. "We did not have any type of fight defensively, and that's where we have to start."

The Wolverines' victory was especially sweet after Notre Dame ousted Michigan from last season's national tournament with a 76-55 second-round Irish win.

Saturday's fallout also affected this week's AP Top 25 poll, with Notre Dame falling six ranks to No. 24 while Michigan earned an eight-spot bump to No. 6.

After quietly recruiting five-star talents like Olson and Syla Swords in 2024, Michigan — a program that has yet to earn a title at the NCAA or conference level — proved over the weekend that they are entering the 2025/26 season with added depth and experience.

"That's why I committed to Michigan," Swords told JWS at October's Big Ten Media Day. "That's why so many of us came there, because we wanted to be part of something new, part of something that's never been done."

Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman is back in action, subbing into her team's 2025 NWSL semifinal win in Saturday's 90th minute as she continues to rehab a sprained MCL — with questions still remaining surrounding her future with the club.

"It felt amazing," she said afterwards. "If I get 30 seconds, or if I get 90 minutes, it feels great to be out there."

Rodman will hope for more involvement in next weekend's NWSL Championship game, taking the pitch for the Spirit in her final match under contact before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

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The USWNT standout's extension negotiations have apparently made it all the way up to the NWSL commissioner, with Rodman garnering interest from multiple UK clubs willing to outspend the US league's salary cap restrictions.

The NWSL's most recent collective bargaining agreement sets each club's current salary cap at $3.3 million, which will titrate up to $5.1 million by 2030.

"Right now, my head's completely down. It's been so distracting being injured, and that's all I can really think about," Rodman said on Saturday, addressing the reports. "Once we get this championship, then I can start making decisions and figuring out what next year looks like for me."

With rumors swirling around Rodman and her future with the Spirit, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman defended the salary cap this week, telling CBS Sports that the parity the cap fosters is "the reason our league is the most competitive league in the world."