The WNBA season came to a close on Sunday as the Aces defeated the Sun in Game 4 to win their first championship in franchise history. That milestone brings us to naming our final team of the month.

For September, the roster is made up of players from Las Vegas and Connecticut whose performances kept their teams alive into the apex of the WNBA season.

Chelsea Gray, G, Las Vegas Aces

There’s no team of the month without Finals MVP Chelsea Gray, who averaged 21.7 points, seven assists and 3.8 rebounds per game during the postseason. In September alone, she averaged 22.2 points per game, recording a double-double of 31 points and 10 assists in Game 4 of the semifinals against Seattle to propel the Aces into the Finals.

Throughout the playoffs, Gray made tough shot after tough shot, shooting 61.7 percent from the field and 66.7 percent on contested shots.

Riquna Williams, G, Las Vegas Aces

RIQUNA WILLIAMS STEP-BACK. CLUTCH 🥶 pic.twitter.com/BlVetsPxX7

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 18, 2022

Gray may be the Finals MVP, but the Aces wouldn’t have won Game 4 without Riquna Williams, who came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the 3-point line. She made four of those 3-pointers during the fourth quarter, which made up nearly half of the Aces’ 25 points in the frame.

Her final two 3-pointers came in the last 1:39 of play. The first gave Las Vegas a two-point lead, and the second extended their advantage to four points with just 53 seconds to go.

A’ja Wilson, F, Las Vegas Aces

The WNBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year continued her dominance in September, recording five double-doubles. She started the month with a 34-point and 11-rebound performance and followed it up with 23 points and 13 rebounds to help the Aces advance past the Storm in the semifinals.

Wilson ended the month averaging 20 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the Finals. Wilson was on the court for nearly every big moment for the Aces, averaging 37.2 minutes per game during the postseason.

Alyssa Thomas, F, Connecticut Sun

Connecticut’s floor leader made history in Game 3, becoming the first WNBA player to record a triple-double in the Finals when she finished with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists to help her team force a Game 4. Then she did it again in that game, recording 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in a Herculean effort to try to keep the Sun’s season from ending.

Jonquel Jones, F, Connecticut Sun

While Thomas was making history, Jonquel Jones was fighting an intense battle with Wilson in the paint. During the Finals, the 2021 MVP averaged 16 points and 8.3 rebounds. She also kept the Sun alive in Game 4 with 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots, both of which came against Wilson. And in the semifinals, Jones pushed her team past the Sky in Game 5, recording a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.

Second Team

Kelsey Plum, G, Las Vegas Aces

Plum came alive in Game 2, exploiting the Sun defense with drives to the basket and scoring 20 points to give her team a 2-0 lead in the series. She had 15 points, three assists and three steals in Game 4 to help the Aces seal the championship.

DeWanna Bonner, G/F, Connecticut Sun

In Game 3 of the Finals, Bonner kept the Sun from being swept by using her length to defend Gray, who finished with 11 points but only scored two when Bonner was guarding her. She also recorded 18 points, six rebounds and five assists in that contest.

DEFENSE ➡️ OFFENSE‼️#WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/KSopwhOQTM

— ESPN (@espn) September 16, 2022

Breanna Stewart, F, Seattle Storm

Despite playing just two games in September, Breanna Stewart earns a second team nod because of her monster numbers. She had 20 points and 15 rebounds in Game 3 against the Aces, and then 42 points in Game 4 as she battled to keep her team alive in the series.

Jewell Loyd, G, Seattle Storm

Like Stewart, Jewell Loyd did everything she could for the Storm in a memorable semifinals series against the Aces. Loyd had 17 points in Game 3, and then 29 points in Game 4.

Kahleah Copper, G/F, Chicago Sky

The Sky played three games in September — one win and two losses against the Sun in the semifinals — and Copper was solid throughout, averaging 17.7 points per game.

Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.

US Soccer submitted its World Cup bid book to FIFA last week, naming 14 US stadiums among the 2031 tournament's 20+ proposed North American host venues.

The four-country joint bid for the 2031 World Cup spanned cities across host nations USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Jamaica, with the quartet collectively identifying 50 potential stadiums while also designating their proposed core of 20 venues.

In the US, stadiums in Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, and Seattle made the proposed shortlist, as well as Arlington, Texas, and East Rutherford, New Jersey, among others.

Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Torreón made Mexico's primary proposal, while Costa Rica and Jamaica put forward San Jose and Kingston, respectively.

The bid includes both soccer and football venues, with secondary venues also listed as possible options in eight of the first-choice US cities.

Additionally, the bid book pegged Atlanta as the World Cup draw host and Dallas as the tournament's international broadcast center, though FIFA will likely not make final decisions on 2031 venues until after the 2027 competition in Brazil.

"By proposing more than the required 20 sites, the joint bidders demonstrate a commitment to securing the best possible hosting conditions and ensuring the tournament represents the full diversity of our region on a global scale," FIFA stated.

The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a second CBA extension late Sunday night, officially pushing the contract's deadline to January 9th, 2026, to allow for 40 more days of negotiations.

Like the original CBA extension from October 31st to December 1st, either the WNBA or WNBPA now has the option to terminate the agreement with 48 hours of notice.

"We expect substantive movement from the league within this window," the players union told Front Office Sports, while the WNBA issued a statement saying both parties are "continuing to work toward a new agreement."

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While total annual compensation offers have reportedly crossed the million-dollar mark for players earning the league's maximum, the WNBA's salary model — particularly in regards to revenue sharing — remains a core issue.

According to sources, the WNBA's proposal offers players a revenue-sharing option only after reaching certain minimums, while the WNBPA continues to advocate for a bigger cut of the exponentially growing league.

The players union is also reportedly advocating for a salary cap that increases with the league's income, rather than at an arbitrarily fixed growth rate.

With important offseason processes like the planned two-team expansion draft to stock incoming 2026 WNBA franchises the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo now delayed until a new CBA is in place, the pressure is approaching new highs on both sides of the negotiating table.

No. 4 Texas blew past two top-ranked opponents last week, setting the tone for the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season with back-to-back wins over No. 3 UCLA and No. 2 South Carolina to earn the Players Era Championship trophy on Thanksgiving Day.

Fifth-year senior Rori Harmon was named tournament MVP, putting up a game-leading 26 points and breaking the Longhorns' career assists record in Wednesday's 76-65 defeat of UCLA before hitting the game-winner to lift Texas over the Gamecocks 66-64 in Thursday's title game.

"I just read the vibe and flow of the game," Harmon said afterward. "[Texas head coach Vic Schaefer] called the play at the end of the game, and I've been in this moment before, so it felt good coming out of my hands."

Texas's win added fuel to the burgeoning SEC rivalry, with the teams squaring off five times in the last year — and South Carolina riding a narrow 3-2 advantage.

"I'm not upset at all," Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said postgame. "This is going to help us because there are a lot of things to unpack in it."

"If you can give [Texas] a run for their money in that way, I mean, you're on to something," she continued. "I like our resiliency. We've just got to clean up some things at the end of the game."

How to watch Texas, South Carolina this week

Both Texas and South Carolina have another ranked matchup on this week's NCAA docket, with the No. 4 Longhorns taking on the No. 12 UNC Tar Heels while the No. 2 Gamecocks face the No. 23 Louisville Cardinals.

Both games tip off at 7 PM ET on Thursday, with Texas vs. UNC airing live on ESPN2 while South Carolina vs. Louisville airs on ESPN.

After a year of testing and experimentation, the USWNT will look to close out 2025 on a high note on Monday night, when the world No. 2 squad faces No. 12 Italy in the second of the pair's winter friendlies.

"I've been very clear on the process to develop players and what we have to go through, so I'm not zoomed in on three losses," US manager Emma Hayes said of the team's 2025 shortcomings. "If I was, I wouldn't make changes."

"We work in an environment we're really proud of," she continued. "It's a very inclusive environment, diverse environment, and all these things contribute to the culture that hopefully leads to long-term success."

In line with her ongoing rotational philosophy, Hayes indicated that fans in Fort Lauderdale on Monday could see a departure from the combination of players that defeated Italy 3-0 in Orlando on Friday — as well as new tactics from the 2025 Euro semifinalists.

"My whole argument is that no matter who plays, the level of performance should still be high," Hayes said.

The US saw 16 players debut this year — the most since 1985 — with 51% of the team's combined 39 goals and 26 assists in 2025 involving a player under 25 years old.

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How to watch the USWNT vs. Italy on Monday

The 2025 finale for the No. 2 USWNT will see the national team kick off against No. 12 Italy at 7 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage airing on TNT and HBO Max.