What did the first half of the 2021 WNBA season tell us about where teams and players stand entering the final stretch? The WNBA’s break for the Olympics over the past month seemed like the best time to answer that question by getting the pulse of those within the league.

We polled seven WNBA experts — consisting of general managers, coaches, agents and PR representatives, and each representing different teams — to get their anonymous responses to seven questions. The topics ranged from the top performers to the biggest surprises and most glaring disappointments.

A lot can change between now and the WNBA playoffs, which begin next month. Our panelists give us a taste of what to take away from the first half of the season and what to expect as the games tip off again.

Who would you bet on right now to win the championship?

Seattle Storm: 4 votes
Chicago Sky: 2
Connecticut Sun: 1

The choices here, for the most part, reflect the top of the WNBA standings. Perhaps most surprisingly, none of our panelists picked the Las Vegas Aces, currently in second place behind the Storm at 15-6.

In their own words:

“Seattle knows what it takes to win it all and will likely have a renewed sense of urgency as Sue [Bird]’s career is winding down. Can Las Vegas generate the sustained focus needed to get it done?”

“Breanna Stewart is clearly the best player in the world, and I think that makes you the favorite to win it all. With Jewell Loyd and Sue Bird playing at All-Star levels, combined with Ezi Magbegor’s development this year, this team is the most versatile.”

“The hunger aspect of this is a huge factor in any team winning a championship. Chicago is starving for it. This could be Allie [Quigley]’s last year, [Courtney Vandersloot] has not performed well in playoff play, Candace [Parker] wants at least one more. When you keep losing in the playoffs in a bad way, it will make you hungrier. And I think they have it the most, to go along with the shortest window, to get it done and keep the whole team together.”

“The Sun’s chemistry is something special. They are a gritty team capable of taking teams out of what they want to do. They have been on that stage and are ready to go take one despite the odds.”

Who would you bet on right now to win MVP?

Jonquel Jones: 3 votes
Breanna Stewart: 3
Tina Charles: 1

The official race for WNBA MVP should come down to the wire this season, so it’s no surprise these votes are as close as they are.

Two panel members gave another player the nod over Jonquel Jones — who’s averaging a double-double this season for the Sun — solely because of the games she missed to compete with Bosnia and Herzegovina at EuroBasket in June. Tina Charles leads the WNBA in scoring with 26.3 points per game, while Breanna Stewart continues to do a little bit of everything for the No. 1 Storm.

In their own words:

“Tina Charles’ numbers are ridiculous and Washington has been able to win some games, despite all of the injuries, because of her. Jonquel Jones would have my vote, but she has missed too many games at this point.”

“When it is all said and done, Breanna Stewart will be the best player on the best team, and that puts you in a prime position to win this award.”

Which team has been the biggest disappointment?

Phoenix Mercury: 3 votes
Atlanta Dream: 2
Los Angeles Sparks: 1
Indiana Fever: 1

The responses to this question were mixed. The Dream have gone through multiple changes internally this season, including interim head coach Mike Petersen stepping down in late July due to health reasons, and dropped their last four games before the break. They also have had to address questions about the locker room after second-year guard Chennedy Carter was suspended indefinitely for “conduct detrimental to the team.”

The 4-16 Fever and 6-13 Sparks have also underwhelmed this season. But, to most of our panelists, it’s the Mercury who have most glaringly failed to meet expectations through the first half of the season.

In their own words:

“Phoenix traded two firsts for [Kia] Nurse and [Megan] Walker and the return has been substandard. Would you rather have [Michaela] Onyenwere and your pick next year or what they have now? If you are going to trade away those picks, it’s a chips-to-the-middle-of-the-table type of move, and I’m really not sure they have the cards they thought they had.”

“With three Olympians, the Phoenix Mercury should be well above .500. Not 9-10”

“Atlanta has a ton of talent, speed and scoring, especially when Tiffany Hayes is healthy. But, I guess chemistry goes a long way.”

Which team has been the biggest surprise?

Seattle Storm: 3 votes
Dallas Wings: 1
Minnesota Lynx 1
New York Liberty: 1

The panelists who chose the Storm cited their ability to remain as dominant as they have been despite missing key players from their 2020 WNBA championship team, such as Alysha Clark and Natasha Howard.

A common refrain for the Wings through the first half of the season is that their 9-12 record doesn’t reflect their talent. Minnesota ended the first half on a seven-game winning streak, earning them recognition. The Liberty overhauled their roster in the offseason and are currently sixth in the league at 10-11. One panelist felt there were no major surprises yet this year.

In their own words:

“Dallas has a young group. They’re starting to figure it out and can really score the ball. They are going to be really dangerous come playoff time.”

“In spite of all of their injuries, Minnesota has been able to get it together and finish the first half of the season strong after so many people wrote them off after their bad start.”

“New York has been the biggest surprise to me, in terms of how quickly they have been able to integrate so many new pieces after only winning two games last season.”

Which team has been most affected by injuries/absences?

Los Angeles Sparks: 4 votes
New York Liberty: 1
Chicago Sky: 1
Washington Mystics: 1

The Sparks were the runaway winner in this category due to the adversity they faced in the first half of the season.

Meanwhile, New York has missed Natasha Howard, their marquee free-agent addition, for most of the season with a knee injury. Chicago garnered only one vote despite suffering an 0-7 slump early in the season when they were without All-Stars Allie Quigley and Candace Parker as well as Stefanie Dolson and Astou Ndour-Fall, who’s having a career year. The Mystics have missed 2019 MVP Elena Delle Donne and 2019 Finals MVP Emma Meesseman for the entire season, as well as Natasha Cloud for parts of the season.

In their own words:

“The Sparks were without Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike, Maria Vadeeva, Kristi Toliver and Jasmine Walker for part of the season. Washington is a close second for me, but at least they have an MVP-caliber player in Tina Charles to help make up for it.”

“The Liberty traded the No. 1 overall pick for a player that positively changes everything they do on both ends of the floor and they’ve only had her for two games. [Jocelyn] Willoughby went down in preseason, [Leaonna] Odom was out nearly the first month, [Rebecca] Allen was a late arrival and missed time due to injury. It will be interesting to see what a healthy group in the second half can do.”

Which rookie will have the best WNBA career?

Michaela Onyenwere: 5 votes
Jasmine Walker: 2

Onyenwere, the current frontrunner for WNBA Rookie of the Year, garnered the most votes after averaging 9.8 points and 2.9 rebounds in 24 minutes per game for the Liberty through the first half of the season.

Walker played in just two regular-season games before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. Her two voters cited the 6-foot-3 forward’s preseason performances and long-term potential as reasons for their confidence.

One panelist talked about how difficult this question was to answer because of the shortcomings of the 2021 draft class as a whole.

In their own words:

“Onyenwere is so tough, she is so strong, and she competes at such a high level for her age.”

“Pure athleticism and skill.”

“To me, this is the toughest question. This class is not overly amazing in my opinion. I’m just going to say the obvious answer based on what she has been able to do this season so far in Michaela Onyenwere.”

Which player is the most underrated?

Brionna Jones: 2 votes
Sami Whitcomb: 2
Jackie Young: 1
Jonquel Jones: 1
Kahleah Copper: 1

Our panelists struggled with this question and included many honorable mentions as a result, such as Jackie Young, Courtney Vandersloot, Betnijah Laney, Jonquel Jones and Kahleah Copper.

In their own words:

“They are both All-Stars this year, but Brionna Jones and Kahleah Copper play on teams where other people get the shine, but they come in everyday and contribute in a major way. You don’t hear them complain about anything. They just do what is asked of them.”

“Did anyone in the league think [Sami Whitcomb] would be this good playing this many minutes? She is shooting close to 50 percent from the field, 45 percent from the 3-point line and tallying career-highs in nearly all statistical categories.”

As our panelists’ responses show, there are few clear favorites or obvious answers after an eventful first half of the season. Many WNBA teams battled through injuries, late arrivals, mid-season absences and streaky play. Now, with the Olympics behind us and just over a month left to play in the regular season, we’ll see which teams can make up ground and which can hold on to the top playoff seeds.

Sophia Smith isn't much of a gamer. 

"It just does not come naturally to me," the Portland Thorns and USWNT forward tells Just Women's Sports with a laugh. "I think with more practice, I could get good."

Whatever skills Smith may lack on the virtual pitch are made up in full by her talent on the actual one. And that talent has ironically earned her an outsized on-screen role in the popular soccer video game EA Sports FC.

Earlier this week, the 24-year-old earned her second-straight spot on EA Sport's Team of the Year. The honor that places her alongside international heavyweights like Barcelona's Aitana Bonmati, Chelsea's Lauren James, and Lyon's Wendie Renard.

While gaming might not have been front of mind when Smith won Olympic gold in Paris last summer, she has noticed how FC 25 has become an essential way for soccer fans to get to know their favorite players. The franchise only started fully integrating NWSL teams in 2023, but Smith's rise to in-game prominence was swift. 

Her avatar is regularly featured in national TV commercials, scoring in both a Thorns and a USWNT jersey alongside men's soccer stars like Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham. It might be just a video game, but FC 25 feels increasingly like one of the few platforms that views both sides of the sport as having equal potential.

The phenomenon is not lost on Smith. She says that from time to time fans will recognize her not from the Olympics or an NWSL championship appearance, but from the video game. "When people have the ability to play with women in a game that they've played all their life, it opens a whole new door for us," she says.

"It's so great for women in sports, because it shows that we also deserve to be in a game," she continues. "We also deserve to have that platform, to have our names out there at the same level as the men."

EA FC levels the playing field

While the EA FC 25 Team of the Year is voted on by fans, the breadth of leagues in this year's lineup also calms some of the debates currently raging within the women's side. It's no secret that NWSL players sometimes have trouble gaining traction in top European awards. This is a tension that Smith herself has faced before her US national team breakout.

"I do think the NWSL isn't recognized enough," says Smith. "People have a lot of opinions on it, maybe people who don't even watch any games. That can be frustrating because it's a very challenging league to play in — every game is competitive."

To prove her point, she references the time it's taken for her USWNT teammate and fellow Stanford alum Naomi Girma to gain recognition on the international stage. If there were any player she could add to EA FC's Team of the Year, she adds, it'd be the San Diego Wave center-back — "and not just because she's my best friend." The growing global market for NWSL-based players like Girma and Smith likely won't silence critics promoting European-style football over American. But Smith sees differences across leagues as an asset for a player, not a problem.

"Either league could be good for any player for a number of reasons," she explains. "You can learn something in Europe that you can't learn here, and vice-versa. That's why players go back and forth."

"I believe that every league that exists can be challenging in its own way, and we're all just trying to figure it out," she continues. "FC having women in the game — women from the NWSL and European leagues — just puts us all as equals as we should be. It allows you to determine someone's game based off someone's game, not if they play in Europe or the NWSL."

Focusing on USWNT growth in 2025

Smith's game speaks for itself. Coming off a disappointing 2023 World Cup, the forward scored three goals and registered two assists during the USWNT's Olympic run, leading the team to their first major tournament trophy since 2019. Her club contributions were similarly impressive. She scored 12 regular-season goals alongside six assists despite Portland's failure to make it past the 2024 quarterfinals.

But the year took a toll, and Smith says that prioritizing rest has been essential to preparing herself for everything 2025 has to offer.

"I feel like this offseason was very much needed for me," she says. "While it was a great year, it was a long year — we just gave everything 110%, 24/7, so when we got to the offseason, it kind of just smacked us in the face."

Smith says she's physically bouncing back after a lingering ankle injury limited her playing time in the later half of 2024. "Most offseasons I'll take a few weeks and I'll start training," she says. "This offseason I took a little longer. I knew that in order to start this next year off right, I needed to give my body what it needed while I could."

With no major US tournaments set for 2025, Smith is looking forward to seeing the national team continue to gel and evolve. She's a big believer in USWNT manager Emma Hayes's "If it's not broken, break it" ethos. It makes her excited to push herself and her team to take things to the next level. 

Bringing the EA FC Team of the Year energy back to Portland

Smith also has work to do in the NWSL. She's rejoining a Portland club that saw multiple legends of the game step away after 2024's uncharacteristic sixth-place finish. As a leader, she wants to see the Thorns back at the top of the table. And she hopes to carry on the legacy of retired stars like Christine Sinclair, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Meghan Klingenberg.

"Since I arrived in Portland, every year there's been change. I'm just used to it at this point," she says. "The best thing we can do as players is stick together, really just show up for each other every day. And work towards the same goal, which is to win."

"It's easier said than done," she admits. "I'm used to being one of the younger players on the team. I still am, but I have more experience. I feel like I can be a leader in a different way."

With 2024's triumphs behind her, Smith views the new year as an opportunity to improve without the intense pressure of a major tournament. As always, the goal comes down to one simple thing: growth.

"I'm not the loudest person," she says. "But I can lead by example and show up every day, trying to be the best version of myself and helping those around me get better, too."

Making connections on and off the screen

One thing Smith can guarantee is that she'll continue to connect with fans. That goes whether it's signing autographs after a match or finding the back of the net in EA FC 25. 

"It wasn't that long ago that I was that little kid, watching people I grew up looking up to," she remembers. "If they took a minute out of their day to say hi or to sign something, that stuff means a lot." 

"So I try to be that person for people. If I can do that through FC, if I can do that in real life, I always take the opportunity."

Some of the NWSL's brightest stars made headlines this week, as the league's free agency transfer window continues to turn heads both at home and abroad.

Brazil forward Kerolin is officially departing North Carolina after spending all three of her NWSL seasons with the Courage, the club confirmed on Wednesday. The 2023 NWSL MVP will reportedly head to the WSL's Manchester City in a deal extending through 2028.

Sources are also linking two-time NWSL Defender of the Year Naomi Girma to the first $1 million transfer offer in women's soccer history, courtesy of French side Lyon and UK titans Chelsea and Arsenal. The 24-year-old USWNT star's current contract with the San Diego Wave runs through 2026, making a transfer fee a necessary part of any earlier deal.

The current record for a women's soccer transfer fee is $860,000, which Bay FC shelled out to receive Zambian forward Rachael Kundananji from Spain's Madrid CFF in February 2024.

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More NWSL teams make moves to lock down contracts

NWSL preseason has already started for select clubs, with teams putting the final touches on solidifying both their rosters and front offices.

Angel City hired former Portland Thorns FC and Washington Spirit head coach Mark Parsons as the club's new sporting director on Wednesday. The franchise is still searching for a permanent head coach after parting with boss Becki Tweed in December.

The 2022 expansion team also signed veteran forward Christen Press to a new one-year contract, per a Friday morning press release.

Meanwhile, with Girma's possible departure dominating the rumor mill, the Wave announced the addition of 17-year-old UNC defender and 2024 College Cup champion Trinity Armstrong to the club's ranks on Thursday.

Though Girma's fate is yet to be confirmed, San Diego's decision to pick up a talented young center back — on a three-year contract, no less — supports the theory that the USWNT standout is on the move.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball tips off its inaugural season on Friday night, when four of the league's six clubs will take the court for the first time.

The Miami-based league's debut doubleheader begins with a co-founder face-off, as Breanna Stewart's Mist will first square off against 2024 WNBA Finals foe and fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls.

Shortly after that inaugural game, Rose BC, whose roster includes top-rated 2024 rookie Angel Reese plus WNBA Finals MVPs Kahleah Copper (2021) and Chelsea Gray (2022), will take the Unrivaled court. Facing them in Friday's nightcap will be Vinyl BC, a team headlined by WNBA Rookies of the Year Aliyah Boston (2023) and Rhyne Howard (2022).

The two remaining Unrivaled teams will debut on Saturday afternoon, when Phantom BC takes on Laces BC in another 3×3 doubleheader.

Led by All-Stars like Brittney Griner and reigning WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu, the Phantom will start the season without guard Marina Mabrey due to a calf strain. Her recovery is expected to take two to four weeks, with an injury re-evaluation set for late January. In the meantime, the Phantom have added relief player Natisha Hiedeman to their short-handed roster.

IT'S GAME DAYYYYYYY! 🗣️ Make sure you tune in tonight at 7pm ET! pic.twitter.com/vAZ2IkemoF

— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 17, 2025

Unrivaled stars prepare for their close-up

The innovative new league is launching with 36 of the WNBA's biggest stars, a brand new 3x3 format, and a product finely tuned for national TV broadcast. The goal is to bring fans even closer to their favorite athletes.

Subsequently, Unrivaled has teamed up with six US bars "dedicated to elevating women's sports" in an effort to promote official watch parties nationwide.

"The content piece and the TV piece of this is huge for us," Collier told The Athletic ahead of Friday's launch. "We want to make it the most interactive, fun, and exciting experience we can for people."

With a smaller court and cameras positioned closer to the action than in WNBA games, Unrivaled is aiming to bring a small-venue experience to a national audience.

"It’s definitely intimate, and you’re definitely going to hear a lot of stuff," Mist athlete Jewell Loyd told The Athletic. "But at the same time, that’s what you want, and it’s definitely going to make us play a little harder."

How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball this weekend

The new 3x3 league will tip off with the Mist and Lunar Owls at 7 PM ET on Friday, with Rose BC and Vinyl BC following at 8 PM ET.

All Unrivaled games will air across TNT, truTV, and Max throughout the season, with Friday's tip off broadcast live on TNT.

With the 2025 NCAA gymnastics season in full swing, top collegiate athletes are already eyeing mid-April's national championship in Fort Worth, Texas.

Unlike elite gymnastics, where difficulty can outweigh execution, the college level values precision over big tricks, so Division I athletes all aim for perfect 10s in their competition performances.

Despite this difference, many of the world's most decorated elite gymnasts also compete in the NCAA. Two-time Olympian Jade Carey is back for her senior season with No. 14 Oregon State while her US teammate in both Tokyo and Paris, Jordan Chiles, is entering her junior year at No. 11 UCLA.

The Bruin, who took the 2024 NCAA season off to prepare for last summer's Olympics, will attempt to reclaim the national titles on uneven bars and floor exercise that she earned in 2023.

Top teams poised for the podium

After earning their first national title last spring, No. 2 LSU is hitting the 2025 mat armed with a stacked roster, headlined by 2024 all-around champion Haleigh Bryant and social media star Livvy Dunne.

Add in last year's freshman phenom Konnor McClain, whose prowess on the balance beam ultimately clinched LSU the NCAA trophy, and 2024 Olympic alternate Kaliya Lincoln, who opened her NCAA career with a 9.825 vault two weeks ago, and the Tigers are more than capable of a back-to-back run.

LSU isn't the only SEC team predicted to make a deep run this season, as the conference is once again flush with perennial contenders.

Elite US stars Kayla DiCello and early Freshman of the Year frontrunner Skye Blakely will join two-time US Olympic alternate Leanne Wong in trying to return No. 7 Florida to the NCAA championship meet. At the same time, new SEC team No. 1 Oklahoma, winner of seven of the last 10 NCAA trophies, could see senior Jordan Bowers de-throne Bryant for the 2025 all-around title.

Also causing early national championship chatter are 2024 finalists No. 5 Cal, who return two of the country's best all-arounders in senior Mya Lauzon and junior eMjae Frazier, and Big Ten champs No. 6 Michigan State, whose veteran-heavy lineup boasts stars Skyla Schulte and Sage Kellerman.

How to watch NCAA gymnastics this weekend

Some of the country's top NCAA gymnasts will take the mat when No. 7 Florida visits No. 2 LSU at 7:30 PM ET on Friday. Live coverage will air on ESPN2.