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WNBA training camp: Which rookies will get their shot?

Naz Hillmon greets Cathy Engelbert after being selected 15th overall by the Atlanta Dream. (Evan Yu/Just Women’s Sports)

WNBA teams open training camp Monday, and most teams have released their training camp rosters as they start to gear up for the season.

Both drafted and undrafted rookies will look to make their mark as they compete for the few spots available on already competitive WNBA rosters. Each team can carry a maximum of 12 players into the season.

Atlanta Dream

In addition to drafting Rhyne Howard as the No. 1 overall pick and selecting Naz Hillmon at No. 15, the Atlanta Dream signed Georgia guard Que Morrison to a training camp contract Tuesday.

The Dream are one of the few teams in the league that could see competition at multiple positions ahead of the team’s first WNBA season under head coach Tanisha Wright. The Dream have 16 players listed on their roster ahead of training camp.

Chicago Sky

The Sky added undrafted rookies Lexi Held and Kayla Wells to their training camp roster. Held spent four seasons at DePaul, averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists in her senior season. Wells spent five seasons at Texas A&M, averaging 15.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2021-22.

The Sky’s roster stands at 22 players. In addition to Held and Wells, Rhode Island’s Emmanuelle Tahane joins the Sky as an undrafted rookie.

Fifth-year player Imani McGee-Stafford and second-year player Kysre Gondrezick will also attempt to make the Sky roster, which is returning much of its 2021 championship team.

Connecticut Sun

The Sun picked up three undrafted rookies in addition to draftees Nia Clouden, Kiara Smith and Jordan Lewis.

Alexus Dye, Delicia Washington and Aleksa Gulbe were all signed to training camp contracts by the team. The team’s total training camp roster sits at 20 players.

Another looking to compete for a spot on the 12-player roster is Taj Cole, who was signed by the team at the beginning of the Athletes Unlimited basketball season.

Dallas Wings

The Wings finalized their training camp roster Thursday, with draftees Veronica Burton, Jazz Bond and Jasmine Dickey all featured.

Destinee Walker, a 2021 Dallas training camp signee, and Morgan Bertsch, a 2019 Dallas draft pick, will also compete for spots on the roster.

Indiana Fever

In addition to a plethora of draft picks Monday, the Fever announced that they had signed undrafted rookie Erin Whalen out of Dayton to a training camp contract.

The Fever will be looking to fill many holes during the preseason, with plenty of opportunities to make the regular season roster. They carry 22 players into their preseason training camp.

Las Vegas Aces

The Aces have some key training camp additions, including Sydney Colson and Kalani Brown out of the Athletes Unlimited season.

They also added six rookies during Monday’s draft ahead of Becky Hammon’s first season as a WNBA head coach. The team waived one player ahead of the draft, bringing its training camp total to 16.

Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles reloaded during the offseason, including the key addition of Liz Cambage. The team also acquired Lexie Brown from the Sky and added Jordin Canada from Seattle.

The Sparks drafted Rae Burrell, Kianna Smith, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Amy Atwell. They carry a roster of 18 into the preseason.

Minnesota Lynx

The Lynx finalized their training camp roster Wednesday, signing draftees Kayla Jones and Hannah Sjerven. Undrafted rookies Chloe Bibby, Cece Hooks and Moon Ursin were also added to the roster.

The status of Napheesa Collier, who due to give birth to her first child in May. Collier has expressed interest in returning for what will be Sylvia Fowles’ final season but her game-readiness could be a factor.

The Lynx are carrying 20 players on their training camp roster.

New York Liberty

New York has announced that first-round pick Nyara Sabally will not play the upcoming season, and neither will third-round pick Sika Kone. Second-round pick Lorela Cubaj will look to make the 12-player roster on a team that also boasts Stefanie Dolson and Michaela Onyenwere.

The Liberty will have 14 players in training camp without Sabally and Kone.

Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury’s roster has little room thanks to the offseason additions of Diamond DeShields and Tina Charles. But the absence of Brittney Griner – without any knowledge of when she could return from being detained in Russia – certainly hangs over the team.

Leaonna Odom, Jennie Simms, Kiana Williams and Kristine Anigwe are all signed to training camp contracts and will be looking to make the regular season roster. A total of 18 players are on the roster heading into the Mercury’s training camp, the team’s first under new head coach Vanessa Nygaard.

Seattle Storm

On Thursday, the Storm announced the signing of undrafted rookies Raina Perez, Jenna Giacone and Paisley Harding to training camp contracts. Perez joins NC State teammate and Storm draftee Elissa Cunane in Seattle.

Ahead of what is likely to be Sue Bird’s final season, the Storm are carrying 19 players into training camp, including draftees Evina Westbrook and Jade Melbourne.

Washington Mystics

The Mystics carry No. 3 pick Shakira Austin into preseason, as well as second-round pick Christyn Williams and undrafted rookie Jennifer Coleman out of the Naval Academy.

International players Lee Seul Kang and Rui Machida also join Washington. The team is carrying 18 players into training camp.

2025 WNBA Season Tips Off with Action-Packed Friday Lineup

The Golden State Valkyries and LA Sparks tip off a 2025 WNBA preseason game.
The Valkyries play their first-ever official league game in Friday's 2025 WNBA season tip-off. (Supriya Limaye/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA season is finally here, with Friday's official tip-off leading an opening weekend full of tough competition and simmering storylines.

The reigning champion New York Liberty enter as odds-on favorites, but results are nearly impossible to predict after a very active offseason across the league.

This weekend's slate features new builds, regional rivalries, and plenty of fresh faces as top 2025 draft picks log their first pro minutes.

  • Minnesota Lynx vs. Dallas Wings, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): This year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers makes her official WNBA debut as revamped Dallas tests itself against a Minnesota team still stinging over last year's title loss.
  • Los Angeles Sparks vs. Golden State Valkyries, Friday at 10 PM ET (ION): The Valkyries play their first-ever regular-season game, looking to form an identity against downstate rivals LA, led by new Sparks addition Kelsey Plum.
  • Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty, Saturday at 1 PM ET (ABC): The 2023 champs meet the 2024 title-winners in a heavyweight clash that sees 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson take on a confident New York team led by guard Sabrina Ionescu.
  • Chicago Sky vs. Indiana Fever, Saturday at 3 PM ET (ABC): Last year's rookie headliners Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese meet again in Indiana, with the regional rivals relying on both incoming vets and young cores to write their next chapters.

Packed with great matchups, this weekend is the ideal tip-off for a 2025 season that promises to be a wild ride — no matter which WNBA team you follow.

No. 1 Kansas City Faces No. 2 Orlando in Top-Table NWSL Weekend Match

Orlando's Marta dribbles the ball past Kansas City's Nichelle Prince during the 2024 NWSL semifinals.
Orlando ousted Kansas City in the 2024 NWSL semifinals. (Dustin Markland/Getty Images)

The NWSL is back in action this weekend with a top-table match, a bicoastal battle, and some middle-of-the-pack clashes as the 2025 season enters its ninth matchday.

Parity is riding high these days, with just three points dividing the No. 1 Kansas City Current and No. 3 Washington Spirit in the NWSL standings — while only three more separate the No. 4 San Diego Wave from the No. 8 Seattle Reign.

With competition remaining tough as nails, don't expect much more daylight between teams following this weekend's tense lineup:

  • No. 7 Gotham FC vs. No. 4 San Diego Wave, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): Coming off a two-game winless streak, Gotham is still searching for consistency as they take on a confident San Diego side that hasn't lost in four games.
  • No. 9 Racing Louisville vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Friday at 7:30 PM ET (NWSL+): All tied up with 11 points each, Seattle will look to hold off Louisville as Racing continues to hunt the club's first-ever playoff berth.
  • No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 1 Kansas City Current, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): There's little love lost between these NWSL titans, as the reigning champion Pride takes on hosting duties in an attempt to leapfrog current top-dog Kansas City in Friday's marquee match.

In a season dominated by topsy-turvy results, the pressure to secure points week-over-week weighs heaviest on the teams who know they have the talent to rise above the rest.

Esther Extends Gotham Contract Amid MVP-Quality NWSL Season

Gotham forward Esther celebrates a goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
Gotham FC's Esther currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race. (Hannah Foslien/NWSL via Getty Images)

This season's NWSL Golden Boot leader Esther González is sticking with Gotham, with the Spanish international extending her contract with the NJ/NY club through 2027.

After helping Gotham to a first-ever NWSL championship in 2023, González earned the league's Best XI Second Team honors last year before launching a red-hot campaign this season.

The 2023 World Cup winner has tallied seven goals in nine games for Gotham in 2025, showcasing a blistering rush of form that has her sitting two goals ahead of the next Golden Boot race contender.

"Above all, it's about how I've felt during these two and a half years with Gotham FC," González said in Thursday's team announcement. "Continuing to be happy both on and off the field is really important. To keep enjoying myself and representing Gotham's colors, which I truly identify with, is something really incredible."

Gotham's continued investment underlines the 32-year-old's case for 2025 MVP candidacy, as award frontrunners start to emerge one-third of the way through the 2025 NWSL season.

González leads the NWSL in shots on target while sitting fourth in expected goals per 90 minutes, with her scoring outpacing many of her peers.

Other players crafting strong 2025 NWSL MVP resumes include Kansas City's 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga and comeback star Debinha, Angel City wunderkind Alyssa Thompson, and Orlando sharpshooter Barbra Banda.

FA Cup Finalist Chelsea FC Heads to Wembley with Historic Treble in Sight

Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze heads the game-winning goal past Manchester United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce in a 2025 WSL match.
Chelsea will aim for the domestic treble in Sunday's 2025 FA Cup final. (Molly Darlington - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Following a dominant 2024/25 campaign, Chelsea FC will look to cap their historic run by completing a domestic treble on Sunday, when they'll battle Manchester United for a third season trophy in the 2025 FA Cup final.

After securing the 2024/25 League Cup in March amidst an unbeaten run to a sixth-straight WSL title, the Blues will close out their season against the league's third-place finishers, the Red Devils, in London's iconic Wembley Stadium.

Should Chelsea secure the 2025 FA Cup, they will add a second domestic treble to their resume after clinching their first trio of trophies in the 2020/21 season. This time, however, they could do so in undefeated fashion.

"We are in a really good place, just the fact that we won the league being unbeaten," said first-year Blues manager Sonia Bompastor. "To end the season with an FA Cup final at Wembley against Man United is maybe the perfect way to end the season."

The 2023/24 Manchester United team and staff celebrate their first-ever FA Cup championship.
Manchester United seeks to defend their 2024 FA Cup title. (Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Manchester United hunts second straight FA Cup trophy

Standing between Chelsea and the treble are 2024 FA Cup champions Manchester United, who will take aim at their only trophy of the season partly behind the play of 2024/25 WSL Golden Glove winner and USWNT goalkeeper prospect Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Man United enter as the game's undisputed underdogs, having dropped both their WSL regular-season matches against Chelsea in narrow 1-0 defeats.

Even more, the Red Devils must overcome a particular tough stretch of play, facing more than a month without a victory on their schedule.

Man United's last win was their 2-0 FA Cup semifinal victory over Manchester City on April 13th, with the Red Devils suffering a pair of losses and recording two draws to close out WSL play.

That said, United has experience downing the Blues on the FA Cup stage, ousting Chelsea from last year's semifinals en route to a club-first FA title.

Remarking that Manchester United "are a really strong team," Bompastor pointed out that the Red Devils "don't concede a lot of goals, and we need to remember that."

"You only get the trophy if you win, so we need to make sure going into the game we have the best preparation and we perform on the day."

How to watch Chelsea play Manchester United at the FA Cup final

The 2025 FA Cup final between Chelsea FC and Manchester United will kick off at 8:30 AM ET on Sunday.

Live coverage of the match will begin at 8:20 AM ET on ESPN+.

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