Becky Hammon is used to betting on herself — even when no one else would.

The Las Vegas Aces coach finished her college career as the most prolific scorer in the history of the Colorado State program, but she went undrafted by the WNBA in 1999.

“I’m disappointed but the battle’s not over,” Hammon said at the time. “It’s not going to end up a sad story.”

Hammon would go on to have a Hall of Fame playing career, with the New York Liberty and the San Antonio Stars, the franchise that later became the Aces. A six-time WNBA All-Star, she was named to the WNBA’s 15th, 20th and 25th anniversary teams.

Before taking the head coaching job in Las Vegas before the 2022 season, she became the first person to have her number retired by the franchise.

“It’s one of the biggest honors as an athlete that you can have,” she said. “You never know when you show up everyday and go to work. I had no idea. I was undrafted, played 16 years, and I wasn’t supposed to be here but here I am.”

She went on to coach in the NBA, spending eight years as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs. Many saw her as a possible successor to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who attended the Aces’ win in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night.

“I always do what she says,” Popovich told the Aces after the game, which put them one win away from the first title in franchise history.

“You don’t need me, that’s for sure,” Popovich continued. “But it’s been great watching you guys play. It’s been great watching you on TV and the way you execute, the way you play physically, it’s just beautiful to watch. You just play great basketball.”

Coach Pop with the special guest appearance ❤️🖤@BeckyHammon // @spurs pic.twitter.com/DYMm03PsDL

— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) September 14, 2022

Hammon interviewed for NBA head coaching jobs on multiple occasions while with the Spurs, but she was never offered a position

“I sat in a lot of head coaching interviews,” Hammon said after being hired by Las Vegas. “Two things that people always said: ‘You’ve only been in San Antonio, and you’ve never been a head coach.’ Well, Mark Davis met me. Nikki met me. And they said, ‘That’s a head coach right now.’”

And in her first year as a head coach, she’s proved both Davis, the team owner, and Nikki Fargas, the team president, right. And she’s proved every single NBA executive who passed over her for a head coaching gig wrong.

In her first season as a head coach, Hammon has the Aces on the verge of a title. But that’s not all she’s done this year.

She led Las Vegas to the best record in the league at 26-10 and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA playoffs, earning her Coach of the Year honors in her debut campaign. She’s the first former player to win the honor in her first season and the third overall.

Under Hammon, the Aces set a franchise record for wins in a single season. She also recorded the second-best winning percentage ever by a rookie head coach. She led the team to a Commissioner’s Cup championship in July and was one of the coaches for the WNBA All-Star game.

Now she has her sights set on yet another accolade: a WNBA championship.

“It’s about putting these ladies in a position to win a championship. That’s been my focus,” Hammon said following the Game 2 win.

“That’s why I took the job. I felt they had the talent to do it and I felt that I could build the relationships and build the culture in the right way for us to put ourselves in a position to be able to win a championship. Like I said before, we haven’t won anything yet. All we did was take care of home court, what we are supposed to do.

“I’m used to people not picking me — I don’t know if you’re aware. I just do me.”

Nike is sending Team USA to Italy in style, with the sportswear giant's ACG (All Conditions Gear) brand releasing the designs for a special 2026 Winter Olympics collection this week.

Branded with Nike ACG badges alongside Team USA patches, this year's collection builds off a traditional red, white, and navy color scheme to outfit the country's Olympic and Paralympic athletes, as well as fans, ahead of the 2026 Games' February 6th opening ceremony in Milan.

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The designs include a long-sleeved T-shirt displaying an animated, winter sports-bound bald eagle and a zipped fleece sherpa and Therma-Fit skirt, both emblazoned with a bald eagle soaring over mountains.

Additionally, the collection boasts multiple T-shirts, long-sleeved sweat-wicking shirts, Polartec® jackets, and accessories including a baseball cap and winter beanie.

Nike is just one of many major brands outfitting Team USA for this year's competition, with the athletic corporation joining J.Crew in inviting fans to gear up for the Games after the fashion retailer dropped its own Winter Olympics capsule collection earlier this month.

How to purchase items from the Nike ACG x Team USA collection

The Nike ACG x Team USA line will hit shelves on Friday, January 23rd, with fans able to snag pieces prior to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The collection will be available for purchase via nike.com.

Stars of the 2025 Euro stole the EA FC 26 spotlight this week, as the video game giant's fan-voted 2026 Team of the Year recognized some of international soccer's top achievers on Thursday.

Champions England fielded four honorees as forward Alessia Russo joined a trio of Lioness defenders — Leah Williamson, Millie Bright, and Team of the Year captain Lucy Bronze — on the 11-player list.

"Being named the first-ever Women's EA Sports FC TOTY Captain is an honour," Bronze said in a statement. "2025 was an amazing year — winning the Euros again and picking up my first BWSL with Chelsea — so much of that success is thanks to our fans, and it's great to see them recognize my efforts with this award."

The rest of the EA FC 26 Team of the Year also favored European titans, as Euro runners-up and Nations League winners Spain also saw a quartet of players make the roster. La Roja fully owned the Team of Year midfield as stars Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey, and Alexia Putellas joined forward Clàudia Pina on Thursday's lineup.

Rounding out the squad were three other European club standouts as EA FC 26 also tapped Chliean goalkeeper Christiane Endler (OL Lyonnes), French defender Selma Bacha (OL Lyonnes), and Polish forward Ewa Pajor (FC Barcelona).

The first Grand Slam of 2026 has arrived, as the main draw of the Australian Open hits the court on Saturday evening, promising some early-round fireworks.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka enters as the tournament favorite, though the rest of the WTA Top 10 promises to give her a run for her money — as No. 2 Iga Świątek chases the only major tournament title still eluding her.

Meanwhile, No. 9 Madison Keys will attempt to defend her 2025 crown, as fellow US products No. 3 Coco Gauff, No. 4 Amanda Anisimova, and No. 6 Jessica Pegula also locked down top seeds.

Another US superstar will return this weekend, with 45-year-old Venus Williams following up her impressive 2025 performances by accepting a wild-card entry to her first Australian Open in five years.

"Even though I've been on tour for a long time, this is also still my first experience as [reigning champion]," Keys said. "I'm really just trying to soak in all of the really cool fun parts."

How to watch the 2026 Australian Open

The 2026 Australian Open begins at 7 PM ET on Saturday, with Williams as well as top-seed Sabalenka and world No. 7 Jasmine Paolini set to face their first opponents on the first day of the Slam's main draw.

The second day of first-round matches will see the rest of the WTA elite in action, as No. 2 Świątek, No. 3 Gauff, No. 4 Anisimova, No. 6 Pegula, and No. 9 Keys — as well as No. 5 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 10 Belinda Bencic — will hit the hardcourt in Melbourne starting at 7 PM ET on Sunday.

All matches in the 2026 Australian Open — from the first round through the women's final on Saturday, January 31st — will air live across ESPN platforms.

Monday's NCAA basketball action will put two of the nation's top guards to the test, as No. 10 TCU faces No. 14 Ohio State in Newark, New Jersey's Coretta Scott King Classic — part of a stacked MLK Day slate.

Buckeye sophomore Jaloni Cambridge is on a tear in this season, averaging 21.8 points per game — good for No. 10 in the country — and tallying 102 points, 20 rebounds, and 20 assists across Ohio State's last three games.

At the same time, TCU has seen similar stylings from Notre Dame transfer Olivia Miles, with the senior putting up a career-high 19.2 points per game while sitting at No. 9 in the nation behind her 7.3 assists average for the Horned Frogs.

Even more, Miles is lapping her collegiate cohort in triple doubles on the season, posting four of the elite stat-sheet performances while all other NCAA players have a maximum of one.

Both teams are meeting expectations head-on this season, impressing following 2025 NCAA tournament exits that spurred significant offseason roster changes.

Ohio State star forward Cotie McMahon transferred to Ole Miss after the Buckeyes' second-round ousting, while TCU graduated standout starting guard Hailey Van Lith and center Sedona Prince.

With Miles and Cambridge leading the charge, however, both squads are flourishing: TCU faltered just once in their 2025/26 campaign so far — a January 3rd overtime loss to unranked Utah — while Ohio State's two season losses came at the hands of titans No. 1 UConn and No. 3 UCLA.

"Ultimately, [TCU forward] Marta [Suarez] and Miles are two of the best players in college basketball," Horned Frogs head coach Mark Campbell said after Sunday's win over Arizona State. "But for our team to reach our full potential, we need these other players to show great growth. And I think we have."

How to watch TCU vs. Ohio State basketball on Monday

The No. 10 Horned Frogs will take on the No. 14 Buckeyes at 12 PM ET on Monday, airing live on FOX.