The WNBA has officially entered the wide world of cryptocurrency. The league joined forces with Coinbase in October, making the company the league’s exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner.

As part of the partnership, all 144 members of the WNBA Players’ Association will receive Coinbase accounts and crypto funds to become more familiar with the space. The partnership also features educational sessions on crypto and NFTs for the players.

The WNBA is no stranger to the marketplace, having partnered with Top Shot last summer to release NFTs featuring the league’s top moments and players. In May, the New York Liberty became the first team in WNBA history to launch an NFT with their digital nail art series.

The league and its teams aren’t the only ones getting in on the action, either. Here are five WNBA players who have taken advantage of the crypto and NFT marketplace.

Jewell Loyd

A longtime student of financial investing, Loyd has been active in the cryptocurrency market since 2013. So, when the WNBA and Coinbase teamed up ahead of this season, the Seattle Storm star was eager to become a brand ambassador for the company.

“Coming into the league, I was steps ahead of most people ahead because I was lucky to have a good background,” Loyd recently told Just Women’s Sports. “I understood the fundamentals and had a good foundation. The moment I got into the league and got my first check, it was let’s invest this. Let’s save this, put it somewhere and strategize.”

Loyd announced the partnership officially on Instagram in May, posting a piece of digital art by artist Yasmin Shima with the caption: “It’s time to secure the W in crypto. I’m proud to be a part of team Coinbase.”

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In addition to her personal investments, Loyd has long been a vocal supporter of the crypto economy. The four-time All-Star was a part of Front Office Sports’ Learning Crypto in Sports Essentials course, where she discussed athletes’ connections with and adoption of cryptocurrency in the sports industry.

Through the league’s partnership with Coinbase, the 28-year-old is hopeful that her fellow WNBA players will learn about all of the financial opportunities the crypto market has to offer.

“It’s finally a language everyone can speak,” Loyd said. “It’s something you can teach anybody who has access to this. Not everyone can go to a bank and get a credit line. It’s easier for somebody to open a Coinbase account and start using it that day.”

Sue Bird

Seattle Storm veteran Sue Bird was one of the first WNBA players to develop her own digital art, headlining a group of athletes represented by the Wasserman sports agency. “The Collective Series,” a collection of non-fungible token trading cards, was released in May 2021 to Zora, a crypto collectibles marketplace.

Los Angeles-based artist Lauren Nipper brought the trading card renderings to life.

“Typically, athletes are bound by union and league restrictions, so the nature of NFTs in allowing women athletes, in this instance, to have full autonomy and agency over their own name and likeness in the crypto realm is a really unique opportunity,” Circe Wallace, Wasserman’s EVP of action and Olympic sports, said ahead of the release.

“The Collective Series” also included NFTs from USWNT star Megan Rapinoe, Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, X Games skateboarder and gold medalist Mariah Duran, Paralympian Scout Bassett and several other WNBA athletes.

In May, ahead of her final season in the WNBA, Bird also became a brand ambassador for Coinbase. Announcing the partnership on social media, she wrote, “Here’s to the new era for women in crypto.” As a part of her deal, Bird will develop NFTs that will be available on Coinbase NFT.

The four-time champion has helped spearhead the WNBA’s crypto movement before she officially walks away from the game at the end of this season, her 19th in the league.

Sabrina Ionescu

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu has been at the forefront of culture, business and basketball since making her WNBA debut in 2020. So, it’s no surprise that Ionescu has been one of the first WNBA athletes to get involved in the NFT marketplace.

In May, the 24-year-old joined forces with Autograph, an NFT platform co-founded by NFL legend Tom Brady, for the “The Future is…” Collection. The series features Ionescu and four other young athletes who are changing their sport: Devin Booker, Coco Gauff, Justin Herbert and Collin Morikawa.

“I’m so excited to be a part of the next era of digital collecting and the Web3 world alongside so many other amazing athletes,” Ionescu said in a press release. “I want to make sure the next generation knows that there’s a place for them in Web3, and Autograph is helping to pave the way.”

Ionescu selected Los Angeles-based illustrator and designer Kelly Malka as her collection artist for the NFT series.

“I was so honored to hear that Sabrina Ionescu picked me! I really admire her and her work ethic, she’s really paving the way for the new generation of young female athletes, and I’m excited to be a small part of her journey,” Malka said.

Elena Delle Donne

Elena Delle Donne of the Washington to Mystics is also on the cutting edge of NFTs, partnering with the popular SODA: Society of Degenerate Apes in January. The WNBA star has two unique SODAs made in her image, adding to an NFT she already owns from the collection.

“So excited to officially have my own 1/1 (Derivative Apes) loved the first one I bought but this just takes it over the top,” Delle Donne tweeted as part of the announcement earlier this year.

Delle Donne has gotten involved in the crypto space as well. She and her wife, Amanda, share a Coinbase Wallet in an effort to learn as much as they can about the wide world of Web3 before diving in headfirst.

Aari McDonald

As Aari McDonald led Arizona to the NCAA championship game in 2021, her national profile and WNBA Draft stock soared, culminating in the Atlanta Dream selecting her with the No. 3 pick in that year’s draft. Like Collier, McDonald’s draft night is commemorated with an NFT as part of Wasserman’s collection.

“To go top 3 in the draft and hear my name called was a dream come true. All of my hard work and sacrifice paid off and I am glad that so many of my loved ones got to be in the moment with me,” reads McDonald’s NFT, emblazoned with neon accents.

All three WNBA players in the collection opted for an auction sale, according to Queen Ballers Club. A year after the initial release, Bird’s highest bid is roughly equivalent to $300, Charli Collier’s is close to $100, and McDonald’s is near $35, with the platform allowing users to trade and resell their digital art.

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

Five-time Olympic medalist and USA track star Gabby Thomas will miss this month's 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo due to a lingering Achilles injury, the 28-year-old sprinter announced on Tuesday.

Thomas, who captured a full trio of gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games, has been dealing with the injury since May, going on to re-aggravate it in July prior to August's 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships, in which she placed third in her favored 200-meter race — narrowly booking her spot at the World Championships by a mere one-thousandth of a second margin.

"I understand that it will be disappointing for some track fans to hear this news, but I've finally come to the realization that it's OK to be human and take care of myself," she said in a statement.

"As an athlete you always want to keep grinding, but sometimes you simply can't outwork an injury," Thomas explained. "Sometimes it's about patience and making the right decision for the long term. All the best to my Team USA teammates fighting for medals in Tokyo."

As one of Team USA's top talents in the 200-meter dash as well as the 4×100- and 4×400-meter relays, Thomas plans to return to competition in 2026.

Bay FC forward Asisat Oshoala is on the move, finalizing a transfer to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal this week after making 38 appearances for the 2024 NWSL expansion team.

"Asisat has been an incredibly important part of Bay FC history, not only with her impact on the pitch but also through the energy, professionalism, and kindness she brought every day," Bay FC sporting director Matt Potter said in a Tuesday statement. "She is a world-class player and an even better person, and we are grateful for everything she contributed to our club."

One of Bay FC's splashiest signings ahead of their inaugural season, the former Barcelona star led the franchise with seven goals during its debut campaign — including the club's first-ever goal in the team's initial match.

However, the 30-year-old Nigerian national and six-time African Women's Footballer of the Year has since seen her NWSL playing time drop, logging just 12 appearances in 2025 so far.

Oshoala isn't the first high-profile NWSL player to transfer to the 10-team Saudi Women's Premier League since its 2022 debut — the same year that the Middle East country founded its women's national team.

Following the Orlando Pride's 2024 Shield and Championship-winning season, Brazilian star Adriana joined Saudi side Al Qadsiah FC for a then-club-record $500,000 transfer fee.

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is doubling down on NIL, spotlighting the offseason league's deep roster of NCAA talent in its "Future Is Unrivaled" (FIU) collection drop on Tuesday.

The new merch line features FIU-branded sports apparel and accessories alongside one-offs like pleated skirts, button-ups, and jackets, all backed by a social media campaign starring college stars Lauren Betts (UCLA), Sienna Betts (UCLA), Madison Booker (Texas), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Azzi Fudd (UConn), MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU), Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina), Olivia Miles (TCU), Kiki Rice (UCLA), Sarah Strong (UConn), Syla Swords (Michigan), and JuJu Watkins (USC).

After first signing NCAA stars Paige Bueckers and Flau'Jae Johnson in late 2024, Unrivaled added more than a dozen of college basketball's biggest names to its "Future is Unrivaled" Class of 2025 earlier this summer.

While they cannot play in the upstart league prior to turning pro, the NIL signees did participate in July's Unrivaled Summit, a multi-day event in Miami that focused on skill development, content creation, brand building, social media strategy, and community service.

Unrivaled basketball's investment in the next generation of superstars underlines the 3×3 venture's growing influence in the sport, as it becomes a wedge issue in the WNBA's ongoing CBA negotiations while prepping to tip off a second season in January.

How to purchase from the "Future Is Unrivaled" collection

The full merch collection is available now online at Unrivaled.

The No. 5 New York Liberty finally punched their ticket to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, as the 2024 champs secured a postseason berth thanks to a Tuesday night loss by the No. 8 Indiana Fever — despite their own 66-58 defeat at the hands of the surging No. 6 Golden State Valkyries.

With star guard Sabrina Ionescu still sidelined with injury, the Liberty only scored 26 first-half points in the matchup, becoming just the second reigning title-holders to fall to a first-year expansion team in WNBA history.

"We just lost a game," New York head coach Sandy Brondello said afterwards. "Obviously, we're in the playoffs, but we still lost a game. Liked the second half, didn't like the first half that much."

With the Fever falling 85-79 to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, tension in the WNBA standings has hit a new high as four teams — No. 6 Golden State, No. 7 Seattle, No. 8 Indiana, and No. 9 Los Angeles — battle for the last three playoff spots.

Golden State is hot on the heels of New York, shooting to become the first-ever expansion team to make the playoffs in their debut year as their magic number dwindles down to two — with four games left on the Valkyries' regular-season docket.

"We're in playoff mode right now!" Golden State center Temi Fagbenle, who put up a team-leading 16 points in Tuesday's win, told the Valkyries' crowd.

How to watch Golden State, New York in action this week

The No. 6 Valkyries have a chance to close in on history during their Thursday date with the last-place Dallas Wings, which tips off at 10 PM ET on WNBA League Pass.

Meanwhile, the No. 5 Liberty will look to regroup during their Friday visit to the No. 7 Seattle Storm, which airs live at 10 PM ET on ION.