Despite deboarding her plane from Turkey at 2 p.m. Los Angeles time Monday, Kayla McBride proved instrumental in the Minnesota Lynx’ first win of the season Tuesday night, less than 36 hours after she landed in the United States.

While it felt like 6:30 a.m. in Turkey to the globe-trotting McBride, she was excited to be back with the Lynx (1-4) – especially after helping Fenerbahce Safiport to the Turkish League title on Sunday.

“The whole ride here, I’m thinking about how grateful I am to do what I do,” McBride said. “Being a professional athlete, it’s only going to last so long. So you have to grind, but the chemistry, how much we grew just tonight, is worth it.

“I understand what this Lynx culture is about. It doesn’t matter how tired I am or how jet-lagged, I want to show up and give whatever I can give. I’m super grateful that I showed up for my team, because we needed that. Whatever it was that God had intended, whatever his plan was, it was for me to be here tonight.”

McBride gave everything she had and more in the 87-84 win against the Los Angeles Sparks, playing nearly 38 minutes. She scored a team-high 24 points – including the game-winning 3-point play – without even knowing the day of the week.

“What’s today? Tuesday?” she asked to start her press conference. “It’s Tuesday, right?”

McBride rattled off four 3-pointers in the first quarter. She was joined in the 20-point club by Sylvia Fowles, who had 20 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out, and Moriah Jefferson, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Jefferson joined Minnesota last week after being waived by Dallas.

Nneka Ogwumike had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Sparks, while Liz Cambage and Lexi Brown each had 12 points apiece.

“We knew what our challenges were, and it was necessary for us to respond to some of those challenges so we could have some stability for the long run,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “You’ve seen Kayla’s impact in terms of pace of play, that you’ve got to guard her. That just gave us another dimension.

“I knew she would be in shape because she was coming off playing [overseas]. I don’t necessarily like playing her that many minutes, but she was that good. She’s a captain of this team and wants her play to be contagious. It was all that and then some.”

McBride wasn’t going to stay on the sidelines.

“There’s no way I could’ve been sitting on the sidelines today, as exhausted as I was. That’s just kind of in my DNA,” she said. “There was no way. I’m never going to take these moments for granted. I enjoyed every moment of it, as exhausted as I was. Thirty-eight minutes? Hey, whatever. Whatever it is, rest up and that’s just kind of the name of the game the women play.”

LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.

From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.

USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.

Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.

One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.

Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.

How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network

The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

With the rookie card of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark still doing numbers, trading card manufacturer Panini America is debuting Caitlin Clark Chronicled this week, dropping a limited-edition release on Monday that features a 22-page collectible book and 100-card set of the WNBA standout.

The book spans images of Clark on and off the court, and includes eight four-card packs and 32 randomly inserted trading cards, as well as autographed exclusives.

"I'm excited to launch 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' with Panini America and share some of my favorite moments on and off the court from my first two years in the WNBA," Clark said in Monday's statement. "We wanted to create something different that combined great photography with trading cards, including some special exclusives. I am proud of this collection and hope fans enjoy it."

The WNBA superstar is an exclusive Panini partner in the trading card and autographed memorabilia space, with Clark making headlines last July when her one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for more than $600,000 — setting a new world record for a women's sports card.

How to buy Panini's 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' card set

Panini's limited edition Clark collection is currently available for purchase at Target stores and Target.com.

Tensions remain high between the WNBA and WNBPA, after The Athletic reported on Monday that the latest CBA proposal from Players Association more than doubles the league's revenue share offer — suggesting a deepening rift in negotiations.

The union outlined a deal that would give players around 30% of total WNBA and team revenue — a significant leap from the league's proposed 15% share.

According to sources, the WNBPA also suggested linking the salary cap to the previous season's total revenue, factoring in player benefits and the number of teams in the league.

The move intends to undercut an accusation from the WNBA that the players have yet to put forward an economically viable revenue sharing model.

The union's proposal begins at 29% of the prior season's total league grosses, then grows to 34% by the final year of the CBA with a one-time adjustment for the new 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA media rights deal.

Notably, the league recently rejected a flat 33% revenue share CBA proposal, prompting this week's 1%-per-year increase system in response.

It's clear that the WNBA office and the WNBPA are at odds, but the union is showing their work as both sides strive for a CBA that will keep players on the court in 2026.

Olympic swimming icon Katie Ledecky has done it again, becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mile with a time of 14:59.62 at her namesake Katie Ledecky Invitational in Maryland.

Smashing her own US record of 15:01.41, Sunday's sub-15 minute mile gives Ledecky the 1,650-meter freestyle's eight fastest times, with US teammate Erica Sullivan earning the ninth-best in 2019.

"This is a special one for sure," Ledecky said afterwards. "This has been a goal of mine, to break 15 minutes in the 1,650, for probably eight or nine years. So, just putting in the hard work, believing that I could do it someday, and to do it at this meet, is really special."

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The 28-year-old Washington, DC, product is the most decorated women's swimmer in the history of the sport, prompting Nation's Capital Swimming — where Ledecky got her start at age six — to name their annual event in her honor earlier this year.

"I definitely was a little nervous before the race, just knowing there were a lot of eyes on me and all that," she continued. "But I knew I could just relax and have fun with it, and whatever happened, happened."

How to watch Katie Ledecky in action

Ledecky's next major competition will likely be the TYR Pro Swim Series, which kicks off in Austin on January 14th, 2026.

The domestic competition series will be covered across NBC Sports platforms.