Well, that was fun.

With time to process everything that went down in this WNBA season, that was the first thought that came to mind. The season actually happened! There was a champion!

Not only that, but the players took advantage of the stage they earned in Bradenton and turned it into their own messaging platform for Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name, all while driving a voter registration campaign and increasing television viewership by 68%. For everyone watching at home, the season was fantastic. From network broadcasts to those on streaming platforms, the fans saw great basketball, and for all of the worries about opt-outs and lack of rest days, this may have been the best season ever.

Here’s why.

Offense was better than ever

Two years ago, WNBA offense peaked. The league average offensive rating (an estimate of the points scored per 100 possessions) was 105.6. While that number dipped ever so slightly to 104.4 in 2020 (the second highest in league history), every other significant offensive number was up.

The league’s 44.6% field goal percentage was the best in the its 24 year history. The 34.6% 3-point percentage was the highest since 2013, when the 3-point line was set at its current distance of 22 feet and 1 3⁄4 inches, and seventh-best ever. The 49.2% 2-point field goal percentage was the highest ever. The 80.7% free throw conversion rate was the highest ever. The 83 points per game was the highest ever.

And none of this was accomplished through isolation basketball either. The league tallied the fourth highest assist rate ever, with 62.7% of field goals coming off a pass.

Even without the numbers to back it up, it was clear from the proverbial “eye test” that offense was on the rise. Over the two months, there were some fantastic displays of individual offensive excellence. Courtney Vandersloot set the single-game assist record with 18 and ended the season as the first player to average double digit assists. In the playoffs, Sue Bird set a playoff record with 16 assists in Game 1 of the Finals.

HISTORY FOR SUE BIRD.

Bird sets a WNBA Finals record with 12 assists in a game ... and it’s only the third quarter ???? pic.twitter.com/5mT7z5eVDS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 3, 2020

Veterans turned back the clock

Speaking of Sue Bird, the four-time WNBA champion showed she still has a lot left in the tank, even now that’s 40. Bird, along with Diana Taurasi and Angel McCoughtry, are three veteran hoopers still deserving of the spotlight. Somehow, in season 17, 16, and 10 respectively, each found new heights.

Taurasi made a career-high 4.1 3-pointers per 36 minutes. Her 17% defensive rebounds percentage was the second best of her Hall of Fame career, as was her 62.5% true shooting percentage. 2020 also saw her record her fourth highest win shares per 40 minutes.

As expected, Taurasi’s star shined even brighter in the playoffs. The 25.5 points and 7.5 assists across Phoenix’s two playoff games were both the highest of her career.

While McCoughtry is still looking for her first Finals win, to say nothing of a championship ring, she was a crucial addition for the Las Vegas Aces, without whom a runner-up season would not have been possible. Las Vegas lost Kelsey Plum to injury and Liz Cambage to opt out before the season even started, but still managed to reach the Finals. Once there, and without Sixth Woman of the Year Dearica Hamby, the Seattle juggernaut was just too much. That didn’t stop McCoughtry from giving it everything she had.

Her 51.8% from the field was the best of her career by four percent. And if that’s impressive, then her 47.1% from 3-point range is simply absurd. That number is 10% higher than her next best season.

McCoughtry also shot a career-best 88.2% from the free throw line, despite being an 80.1% shooter lifetime. While her minutes were down from her peak, her 25.9 points per 36 minutes was the second highest of her career, and in those minutes, she had a more positive impact than ever before, recording a career-best in win shares (0.288 per 40 minutes). Her rebound rate (14.5%), true shooting rate (61.1%) and player efficiency rating (29.1) were all the highest of her career, while her turnover rate (12.8%) was the lowest.

It shouldn’t be possible to improve every aspect of your game at this point in your career. But inside the bubble, McCoughtry proved she’s still well in her prime.

And then there’s the champion, Bird, who played the fewest minutes per game in the regular season of this trio while also missing 11 games with an injury. Unbothered, Bird’s 49.4% field goal percentage, 2.1 3-pointers a game and 46.9% 3-point percentage were all the best of her career.

And even as she became a more efficient and versatile scorer, Bird continued to orchestrate the Seattle offense. Her eight assists per 36 minutes tied for second best in her career. And in addition to the single-game playoff record for assists, she averaged 9.2 per game in the postseason, the highest of her career. Breanna Stewart might have Finals MVP, and rightfully so, but Sue Bird proved she’s still the one piloting the Storm’s offensive juggernaut.

While publicly undecided about her 2021 season prospects, the public is begging for another chance to see Bird play in person. And after watching her dominate the 2020 season, it’s hard to see how one of the sport’s great competitors could walk away now.

The future looks very, very bright

Perhaps the best part of 2020 was the preview it provided of what’s to come. To say the league is in good hands would be an understatement.

First of all, Elena Delle Donne, Jonquel Jones, Liz Cambage, and Tina Charles, among others, are all set to return after sitting out the reason due to health concerns. That talent infusion alone is enough reason to be excitied for 2021.

Then there are the players whose careers are just beginning. The 2020 rookie class was supposed to be deep, and it proved to be historically so: for the first time ever, a second round pick won Rookie of the Year. Crystal Dangerfield became the second Lynx roookie to win the award after Napheesa Collier did so in 2019. For an organization that is supposed to be rebuilding, Minnesota is well ahead of schedule after making it to the semifinals of the playoffs despite missing Sylvia Fowles for much of the season.

First overall pick Sabrina Ionescu came into the league with unprecedented hype. She’ll basically get a do-over next year after only playing in three games this season before spraining her ankle. Still, in just her second game, Ionescu dropped 33 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. That was enough to leave Liberty fans dreaming of what’s to come with both a healthy Ionescu and Asia Durr sharing the backcourt.

What we saw from the Dallas Wings inside the bubble is likewise enticing. Arike Ogunbowale led the entire league in scoring, rookie Satou Sabally proved that every aspect of her play can translate to the pros, and Allisha Gray, the only player with a positive net rating for the season, continued to make strides since her Rookie of the Year award in 2017. To top it off, Marina Mabrey made the fifth most 3-pointers per game in her second year.

Many were surprised to hear that Brian Agler and Dallas were mutually parting ways after the season. “Philosophical differences” doesn’t seem like a good reason to walk away from a roster with this much talent. Regardless, whoever steps in will be given the keys to a team that’s ready to make the leap.

And then there’s Chennedy Carter, the walking highlight real who scored in bunches and with ease. Against Seattle, the league’s best defense, Carter put up 35 points and seven assists. Rookies aren’t supposed to do that, and Atlanta wasn’t supposed to be a borderline playoff team. They now have a franchise centerpiece around which to build.

So yeah, 2020 was fun. But I’m already ready for 2021.

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.