The WNBA’s prioritization rule could change the face of the WNBA, starting with the 2023 season.

The controversial clause could force players to choose between playing in the W and securing a more lucrative paycheck abroad.

“I’m also shying away from the W because teams aren’t touching what I’m making in Europe,” Seattle Storm forward Gabby Williams told reporters in her exit interview after the 2022 season.

So, how exactly does the prioritization clause work, and how did it come to be?

WNBA’s prioritization clause, explained:

What is it?

The prioritization clause, which will go into effect for the 2023 season, requires players to prioritize the WNBA over international leagues.

Players with two or more years of experience in the WNBA must report to their team by the start of training camp or by May 1, whichever is later. If they miss the start of training camp, they will be fined. If they miss the start of the regular season, they will be suspended for the year.

In 2024, the punishment gets even harsher: If players don’t join their WNBA team by the start of training camp for the 2024 season, they’ll be suspended for the whole campaign.

What’s the problem?

Many WNBA players head overseas in the offseason to supplement their WNBA incomes. Last year, almost half of the WNBA’s 144 players went overseas, per the Associated Press.

Players can make much more money abroad then they do in the U.S.-based league.

Seattle Storm star Breanna Stewart, for example, signed a supermax one-year deal with Seattle for $228,094, a fraction of the $1.5 million per year she made for Russia’s UMMC Ekaterinburg. While she left the Russian club this summer for Turkey’s Fenerbahce Safisport, she likely earned another large payday.

The WNBA plays in the summer, while international leagues play in the winter, which has allowed players to stay on the court throughout the year. But some international leagues’ late-season schedules conflict with the start of the WNBA season.

So players may need to leave their international teams early — or they may need to forgo either the WNBA or their international teams altogether.

How did it come to be?

The prioritization clause was negotiated as part of the WNBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement, signed in 2020.

“The owners really stepped up on the compensation side for the players in this collective bargaining cycle, and I think the kind of quid pro quo for that was prioritization, showing up on time for our season,” WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said ahead of the WNBA finals.

The WNBA Players Association agreed to the clause as a concession to the league so they could make gains in other areas of the CBA.

“The league was in a place of not negotiating without it,” WNBA legend Sue Bird said of prioritization. “We wouldn’t have got the money, the maternity leave, without it. I’m not defending it… I want the WNBA to be the only league people play in. I want it to thrive so we never have to go overseas.”

The clause was meant to incentivize the WNBA’s best players to stay in the States, but it may have the opposite effect.

What’s next?

Several players have indicated that as long as overseas salaries eclipse the WNBA’s, the prioritization clause will remain an issue.

Chicago Sky star Courtney Vandersloot said the rule is one of the reasons she signed just a one-year deal with the team last offseason, while her Sky teammate Emma Meesseman said the rule is unfair to non-American players.

European leagues could bend their schedules to help their players meet the WNBA’s deadline. Meesseman, who signed with Fenerbahce Safisport for the upcoming European season, said she believes the Turkish club will tighten the timeline of its season as a result.

Still, if the WNBA wants to retain top talent, it will need to work on improving compensation and working conditions or risk losing out.

No. 3-seed Texas A&M made history on Sunday, taking down the No. 1-seed Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 in the 2025 NCAA volleyball championship final to lift the Aggies' first-ever national volleyball trophy.

Down by as many as six points in the first frame, the Aggies had to save a Kentucky set point early before surging to a 26-24 opening win — with Texas A&M then finding their groove, never relinquishing the lead as they took the second set by a dominant 25-15 scoreline before easily closing out the sweep 25-20 in the third.

"I just said, 'It's going to take one or two points, start to get firing, they're going to be there,'" said third-year Texas A&M sideline leader and 2025 AVCA Coach of the Year Jamie Morrison.

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Senior opposite Logan Lednicky and sophomore outside hitter Kyndal Stowers again led the Aggies' attack with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, while senior middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla shut down the Wildcats at the net with four blocks — before her eighth kill of the night clinched the championship for A&M.

Following a whirlwind tournament that saw Texas A&M end the seasons of one No. 2 seed (Louisville) before ousting three straight No. 1 seeds (Nebraska, Pitt, and Kentucky), Sunday's unlikely victory saw the Aggies' claim just the second-ever NCAA volleyball title for the SEC — and shed their underdog status for good.

"It's a testament to the work we put in in the practice gym and just generally in all of our careers," Lednicky said afterwards. "It's been a long time coming for us, a lot of work put into this moment."

NWSL expansion team Boston Legacy FC has found a home, with the franchise announcing Friday that it plans to play the majority of the club's 2026 inaugural season at Foxborough's Gillette Stadium while moving some matches to Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Home to the NFL's New England Patriots, Gillette will also serve as a host site for the men's 2026 World Cup, pushing the Boston Legacy to relocate some conflicting summer clashes to Centreville Bank Stadium.

Located approximately 22 miles by car from Foxborough, Pawtucket's soccer-specific venue is home to second-flight USL Championship side Rhode Island FC.

"As we expand across two exceptional venues, we see this as an opportunity to connect with even more soccer fans across the region," said Boston Legacy president Jennifer van Dijk in Friday's club statement.

Meanwhile, the Legacy is still moving forward on a public-private partnership with Boston's White Stadium for the 2027 season and beyond, with the Franklin Park venue still undergoing renovations through the 2026 season.

How to attend the first-ever Boston Legacy FC match

With the club aiming to move into its state-of-the-art performance center prior to making its NWSL debut, Boston Legacy FC is also gearing up for its first-ever home opener, which will kick off inside Gillette Stadium at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, March 14th.

Though the expansion side's opening opponent — as well as the rest of the league's 2026 schedule — is still unknown, fans can be a part of NWSL history by snagging tickets to the club's first-ever match at BostonLegacyFC.com.

As Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball gears up for Season 2, broadcast partner TNT unveiled additional 2026 coverage plans last week while the offseason league crowned its team captains across the expanded field.

Unrivaled co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart will captain the Lunar Owls and Mist BC, respectively, while Season 1 veterans Jackie Young (Laces BC), Kahleah Copper (Rose BC), and Dearica Hamby (Vinyl BC) will also resume their boss roles next month.

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Earning first-time captain status for the 2026 campaign are three league newcomers, with Kelsey Plum helming Phantom BC while 2025 WNBA rookies Sonia Citron and Paige Bueckers lead incoming Unrivaled expansion teams Hive BC and Breeze BC, respectively.

Stocked with eight clubs and an extra night of weekly programming, TNT is doubling down on Unrivaled this winter, tapping three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker to lead the network's coverage in the hot seat.

Joining Parker will be fellow WNBA retiree and All-Star Renee Montgomery as well as host Lauren Jbara, with special appearances throughout the season by basketball legend Lisa Leslie.

Each week will now feature four nights of Unrivaled basketball, with TNT airing Friday and Monday games while truTV broadcasts the 3x3 league's action on Saturdays and Sundays.

How to watch Unrivaled Season 2

The second season of Unrivaled Basketball will tip off with all eight teams in action across a pair of doubleheaders — one in the afternoon and one in the evening — beginning at 1 PM ET on Monday, January 5th, with live coverage airing on truTV and TNT.

The Houston Rockets are reportedly shooting for the Sun, with sources telling ESPN last week that the NBA team's ownership group has entered "substantive" talks with the Mohegan Tribe to buy and relocate the WNBA franchise from Connecticut.

Calling the discussions "positive," a source told ESPN that Houston apparently improved upon the $250 million bid put forth by the WNBA to purchase the Connecticut Sun back in August.

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However, as neither party has signed a formal agreement, the Sun's longterm future remains uncertain.

The Mohegan Tribe began exploring the sale in 2024, with Houston emerging as a possible landing place after the WNBA reportedly blocked the Sun's $325 million sale to former Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca — with the league preferring to find a buyer with past expansion team experience.

The Sun also fielded a bid from the State of Connecticut to keep the team in the area, though ESPN reported last week that those talks have slowed.

Notably, Houston boasts deep WNBA roots as one of the league's founding markets, with the Texas city serving as home to the four-time champion Comets from 1997 to 2008.

Of course, the league's current CBA negotiations are further complicating any transaction — especially after the WNBPA voted last Thursday to approve a potential strike.