The WNBA Players Association is releasing its first official NFT collection on the OpenSea Platform on Thursday, with proceeds benefiting voting rights.

In collaboration with Hoopers Vote, a campaign launched during the 2020 election by Entertainment Broadcaster and Producer Ben Lyons and the HEARTLENT Group, the Hoopers United NFT collection will donate over 50 percent of each sale to Rock the Vote and the WNBPA.

Elliot Gerard, Founder and Head of Creative at HEARTLENT Group, is the creative force behind the collection, creating unique works of art that highlight WNBA players’ individuality and achievements.

“WNBA players have always been the first in every social issue that’s on the right side of history, and this is an opportunity to continue to support them as they’re out there balling and doing great stuff in the community,” Lyons told Just Women’s Sports. “I’m a huge fan of the athletes in the WNBPA. They are real-life superheroes that I admire and love to watch hoop and ball out.”

The players of the WNBA have long been vocal advocates for social and racial justice and voting rights. Their work reached a crescendo in 2020 when the players’ campaign for Rev. Raphael Warnock during the Georgia Senate race helped him win the seat over former Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler, who had spoken out against WNBA’s embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I think I always go back to the start of our partnership with Rock the Vote. Back in 2018 we started working with them and they just recognized how genuine the players were when it comes to voting rights and all that they wanted to do to amplify the message,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told JWS.

“So, we stayed working with them through the midterms and the major election cycles, and started working with the whole Hoopers Vote initiative a few years ago when we were in the (WNBA) bubble.”

The players’ political and social activism, Jackson says, stems from their understanding of the responsibility they have in their diverse communities.

“What the players have always said is that it’s in their DNA,” Jackson said. “When you think about it what it means to be Black, Brown, woman, a member of the LGBTQ community, an ally of that community, the fact that pay equity is an issue that they champion, that women’s health is an issue that they champion, that all affects them. They see their connection and their responsibility to their communities.”

The Hoopers United NFT drop is a seamless way for the WNBPA to do what Jackson says the league’s players are best at — connecting the dots.

“This is the 144 that gave this country a lesson in civics, a lesson in democracy, just a few years ago and did it beautifully and so proudly,” Jacksons said. “They made a major statement. I don’t care what your politics are — they got people to the polls, they got them registered and interested in voting and passionate about it and paying attention, they got them completing the census, all issues that are just important lessons in civics.”

The NFT series will also celebrate the athletes’ significant achievements on the court. The Hoopers United collection will not just feature a select few WNBPA members, but the entire collective. Each piece of original artwork will celebrate the player’s singular contributions to sport and culture, raising their profile, honoring their accomplishments in the league and directing funds directly to the WNBPA.

“Our goal is to just to continue to highlight how they’re the best in the world and they should be compensated appropriately for it, and this is another way to drive some revenue towards them,” Lyons said.

NFTs, Lyons says, were a natural choice for the product in today’s shifting sports landscape.

“We all want access to our favorite athletes. We want some type of token of connection, and this provides that next opportunity to connect with your next favorite player,” Lyons said.

“This is another way fans are communicating. They’re building community, they’re sharing their love of their teams and their players in this space, and we wanted to make sure that the women of in the W all had an opportunity to be a part of this.”

The Hoopers United Genesis Drop will be available for purchase on Thursday on the Hoopers United website.

Clare Brennan is an Associate Editor at Just Women’s Sports.

The Tour de France Femmes confirmed its course for 2026 this week, setting up next year's event as the longest iteration of the race in the women's tour history.

The 2026 course will run in nine stages starting in Lausanne, Switzerland, on August 1st and continuing through the finish line in Nice, France, on August 9th.

Cyclists will cover a total of 1,175 kilometers, with 18,795 meters of climbing.

The course will feature three flat stages and three hilly stages as well as two mountain stages and one individual time trial, with riders tackling Mont Ventoux — an iconic climb from the men's event — for the first time.

Though 2026 will only by the fifth edition of the modern Tour de France Femmes, the race will make its debut in a standalone time slot one full week after the men’s race ends, with recent record viewership fueling the move to separate the races rather than continue the previous tactic of scheduling the two events back-to-back.

"We no longer need men for the Tour de France Femmes to exist,"  said race director Marion Rousse at Thursday's course unveiling. "There's no need to have the men's race as a platform to launch the women's race. Now people are waiting to see us."

"People have embraced us," Rousse continued. "The new dates, separate to the men, prove it."

This weekend's slate of international soccer features more than one blockbuster matchup, as some of the summer's top performers, including England and Brazil, begin the long process of preparing for the 2027 World Cup.

Reigning UEFA Women's Euro champions England will be hosting 2025 Copa América Femenina winners Brazil at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Saturday, when the Lionesses officially kick off their four-game Homecoming Series to close out 2025 play.

The match between world No. 4 England and No. 7 Brazil will serve as the first of the series of friendlies that will span the final two international breaks of the year, with the Lionesses closing out the opening pair of games against No. 15 Australia on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, while England fans will be enjoying the team's victory lap after their second-straight Euro title, other top UEFA competition are honing in on 2025 Nations League play.

Behind a long-range goal from winger Klara Bühl, No. 5 Germany snagged a narrow 1-0 victory over No. 6 France on Friday morning, taking the lead in the pair's two-leg semifinal.

The second Nations League semifinal round kicks off at 2 PM ET on Friday, when No. 1 Spain faces No. 3 Sweden live on Prime.

How to watch England vs. Brazil this weekend

England takes on Brazil at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage streaming on Prime.

The Wings have found their next sideline leader, as multiple reports on Thursday linked longtime University of South Florida (USF) head coach Jose Fernandez to the open position in Dallas.

Fernandez is still finalizing his contract with the WNBA team, with the 53-year-old exiting USF having led the Bulls for 25 years, making 10 NCAA tournament appearances along the way.

Calling his impact "profound," USF athletics CEO Rob Higgins acknowledged that Fernandez is leaving for a WNBA position in a Thursday statement.

"While this is a bittersweet moment for our program, it is a well-deserved opportunity for Jose," said Higgins. "We are incredibly proud of him."

Replacing Chris Koclanes after one year, Fernandez will become the fifth Dallas head coach in seven seasons, with the Wings trying to build a title-contending roster around 2025 WNBA Draft overall No. 1 pick and reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.

Fernandez will also be the third WNBA hiring out of the college ranks in the last two years, joining Atlanta Dream boss Karl Smesko (FGCU) and LA Sparks manager Lynne Roberts (Utah).

Hoping to improve on a 13th-place 2025 finish — and make the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2023 — Dallas could claim a second straight No. 1 draftee next year, with the Wings entering 2026 with the highest odds to snag the top pick in the league's draft lottery.

The WNBA league office and the Players Association (WNBPA) exchanged escalating public statements this week, as both sides dispute terms surrounding a key issue in the ongoing CBA negotiations: revenue sharing.

"When the players opted out [of their CBA] a year ago, they made it clear they wanted a salary system that values their labor and allows them to grow with the business they are very clearly driving," WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN in a statement this week, citing the vast disparity in revenue sharing percentages between the WNBA and the NBA.

Jackson continued by claiming that the WNBA intends to "run out the clock" and double down on a model that "intentionally undervalues the players."

Days ago, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said publicly that "[Revenue] share isn't the right way to look at it," pushing instead for salary increases in "absolute numbers."

WNBA leadership, however, denied that their current offer to players omits all revenue sharing, with the league calling the WNBPA's claim "incorrect and surprising," while indicating that an uncapped revenue sharing model "directly tied to the league's performance" is on the table.

"It is frustrating and counterproductive for the union to be making misrepresentations about our proposals while also accusing the league of engaging in delay," the WNBA's statement continued. "That is simply not true."

With both parties not seeing eye to eye, a resolution before the October 31st CBA deadline appears unlikely, though a formal request for an extension on negotiations is not currently in the cards.