The WNBA returns with a full slate of competition, and viewers treated to games every day this week.

Just Women’s Sports has three storylines to watch as the action continues.

Will Tina Charles suit up for Seattle?

The Phoenix Mercury and Tina Charles shocked the league when the team announced Saturday it had agreed to a contract divorce with the star center. Charles signed a one-year deal with the Mercury in February, appearing in 16 games with the team during the 2022 regular season.

“After discussions with Tina and her agent, it was best for both parties to go our separate ways at this time,” Mercury general manager Jim Pitman said in a news release. “Due to circumstances both in and out of our control, our season has not gone according to plan, and we will continue to pursue all avenues of improvement.”

According to multiple reports, Charles is set to join the Seattle Storm, though the team has yet to comment on the rumors.

If Charles clears waivers and signs with Seattle in time for their midweek matchup against league-leading Las Vegas, she could appear for the Storm as early as Wednesday. It’s unlikely that any team has the cap space to take on Charles’ pre-divorce contract, so once she clears waivers, she will become an unrestricted free agent and Seattle can sign her.

The 33-year-old adds a post presence to the Seattle team, which already boasts offensive firepower from Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird. Charles is still in the hunt for her first WNBA championship, with the Storm also hoping to lift the league trophy at the end of the year to send out Bird on a high.

Sky have top spot within sight

The Chicago Sky put on a thrilling performance in their home game against the Minnesota Lynx Sunday, following up a historic comeback against the Aces on Tuesday. Now the Sky are looking to extend their win streak to four games as they face off against Connecticut on Wednesday and Phoenix on Saturday.

Sitting only a half-game back of league-leading Las Vegas, Chicago has a chance to dethrone the Aces atop the table.

The Sky’s offense has been stellar, leading the league in field goal percentage at 47 while falling behind the Aces in three-point percentage at 35.9. Courtney Vandersloot, a key facilitator for the squad, has finished in the double-figures in the last six Sky games for her best scoring streak since 2020.

Is New York the real deal?

The New York Liberty are enjoying a two-game win streak, turning around a season that got off to a slow start.

Sabrina Ionescu has been on a tear since notching her second career triple-double on June 12, nearly repeating the feat in her last four games. The addition of Marine Johannes has been critical for New York, with the French star joining Ionescu as one of the squad’s clutch shooters.

The Liberty released Crystal Dangerfield from her hardship contract Friday but may bring her back in early July with some roster engineering. How the team will fair without her and whether or not New York can continue their climb up the WNBA standings will be in question as they face the Atlanta Dream on Thursday and the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday.

Full Schedule

Monday, June 27

• Indiana Fever vs. Phoenix Mercury at 10 p.m. ET on Facebook.com/Indianafever
• Las Vegas Aces vs. Los Angeles Sparks at 10:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV

Tuesday, June 28

• Atlanta Dream vs. Washington Mystics at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
• Dallas Wings vs. Minnesota Lynx at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN3

Wednesday, June 29

• Connecticut Sun vs. Chicago Sky at 12 p.m. ET on NBA TV
• Indiana Fever vs. Phoenix Mercury at 10 p.m. ET on NBA TV
• Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Storm at 10 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime

Thursday, June 30

• Atlanta Dream vs. New York Liberty at 7 p.m. ET on Twitter

Friday, July 1

• Los Angeles Sparks vs. Dallas Wings at 8 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
• Las Vegas Aces vs. Minnesota Lynx at 8 p.m. ET on NBA TV
• Indiana Fever vs. Seattle Storm at 10 p.m. ET on Facebook

Saturday, July 2

• Phoenix Mercury vs. Chicago Sky at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN

Sunday, July 3

• Washington Mystics vs. Connecticut Sun at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN
• Seattle Storm vs. Atlanta Dream at 3 p.m. ET on NBA TV
• New York Liberty vs. Los Angeles Sparks at 6 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
• Las Vegas Aces vs. Minnesota Lynx at 7 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime

Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun! presented by TurboTax.

Every week on Sports Are Fun!, co-hosts soccer legend Kelley O'Hara, sports journalist Greydy Diaz, and JWS intern BJ serve up their hottest takes on the biggest women's sports headlines.

This week, Sports Are Fun! talks all things NWSL with Gotham FC goalkeeper — and O'Hara's fellow Stanford alum — Ryan Campbell.

"We're five games in at this point and now I feel like things are starting to take shape — we can talk about them," O'Hara opens, referencing the start to the 2025 NWSL season. "I'm excited... the settling's happened, now we can get into season."

"So we're going to talk about what happened this weekend," she continues. "First on the list: Gotham FC. Thankfully we have our very own Gotham FC player in the house."

"I feel like what you're saying is like totally correct — the first three games, I think we scored not very much — a bit of a drought," says Campbell. "But, I mean, I practice with these girls every day. I know Ella Stevens can hit it upper-90, I know Esther's chipping me at practice. I know we have scoring power."

"We all had the sentiment and didn't really get discouraged and I don't think the staff was discouraged at all," she adds. "The resounding sentiment was, 'The rain's going to fall, like it's going to drop for us.' And I think you saw that against Angel City."

In addition to this weekend's NWSL action, Sports Are Fun! also tackles the WNBA Draft's viewership, the NCAA Gymnastics Championship, and so much more.

'Sports Are Fun!' reflects on former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski

Then, Sports Are Fun turned to coaching. The headline? Angel City bringing on new manager Alexander Straus from Germany's Bayern Munich.

What makes a good coach? What do players look for in a coach? O'Hara knows one thing — playing under USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski wasn't exactly a learning experience.

"Hollywood's got a new hitman you guys," Campbell quips about Straus. "He has piercing blue eyes. They rival Leo DiCaprio."

"But can he coach a soccer team to a championship?" asks O'Hara.

"I've always wondered this," says BJ. "You played at the college level. You play now professionally, you played for the national team — how are you listening to a coach?"

"I think a good coach is going to go in and take a player as experienced as Christen Press, Sydney Leroux, and say, 'This is what I see. This is what I think you can bring to the team. This is how I'm going to utilize you in the system that I want to play,'" O'Hara answers.

"What is funny is — this is going to sound bad. I feel like I shouldn't say this. I don't feel like I learned anything new from Vlatko," she says, subsequently referencing the former USWNT coach. "And, actually, post-having him as a coach, I was like, 'Wow, is that on me? Did I stop learning or did he not coach me?"

"I had conversations with other other players about it. They were like, 'No, no, no, that was on him.' Because I feel like I was always open. I was like, 'I want to be coached, tell me how I can.' Because as a player, yes, you become the type of player you are, but you're never perfect."

About 'Sports Are Fun!' with Kelley O'Hara

'Sports Are Fun!' is a show that’ll remind you why you fell in love with women's sports in the first place.

Join World Cup champ, Olympic gold medalist, and aspiring barista Kelley O'Hara as she sits down with sports journalist Greydy Diaz and a revolving cast of co-hosts and friends. Together, they're talking the biggest, funnest, and most need-to-know stories in the world of women’s sports.

From on-court drama to off-field shenanigans, to candid (and silly) chats with the most important personalities in the space, this show screams "Sports Are Fun!"

Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.

The Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) announced a plan to launch a Division II pro arm in 2026, providing a domestic stepping stone for players aspiring to top-flight leagues like the NWSL and USL Super League.

The same Cleveland ownership group that recently fell short of securing an NWSL expansion team is backing the venture, making good on their promise to bring professional women's soccer to Northeast Ohio.

The league will launch with a shortened season following the 2026 men's World Cup, before beginning its first full-fledged campaign in April 2027.

With 15 teams already confirmed, WPSL Pro intends to field clubs in an initial 16 to 20 markets.

Along with Cleveland, the inaugural WPSL Pro season will include teams in Austin, Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Fargo, Houston, Oklahoma City, Sioux Falls, Wichita, and the Bay Area, among others. Each franchise will pay a $1 million fee to enter the league.

The WPSL has a history of fostering high-level amateur competition, currently housing over 100 clubs and boasting a roster of former players that includes USWNT icons Brandi Chastain, Alex Morgan, and Rose Lavelle. WPSL Pro, however, will become the US soccer pyramid's first-ever second-tier league.

"WPSL Pro is the bridge that's been missing — not just for players, but for the communities, investors, and brands ready to be part of the next chapter in women's sports," league co-founder Sean Jones said in a statement.

The No. 22 kit of Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark weighed in as last fall's second best-selling basketball jersey in the US according to sports outfitter Fanatics, with the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year trailing only NBA superstar Steph Curry on the top sales list.

Clark's merch dominance is nothing new, however. Her Indiana jersey sold out less than an hour after the Fever drafted her as the overall No. 1 pick in April 2024, making Clark the top seller of any draft night pick in the company's history.

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Even more, Clark's merchandise led last season's record-shattering WNBA sales, with Fanatics reporting that 2024 sales of player-specific gear earned a jaw-dropping 1,000% year-over-year increase by last summer's All-Star break — in large part thanks to the 2024 WNBA rookie class.

Fellow 2024 WNBA debutants Chicago Sky standout Angel Reese and then-Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin — Clark's NCAA teammate at Iowa — trailed the Fever star with the league's second- and fourth-most merchandise sales, respectively.

This year, a new WNBA rookie could give Clark a run for her money, as the No. 5 Dallas Wings jersey for 2025's No. 1 draft pick, Paige Bueckers, is already doing numbers at retailers across the country.

Already a brand mogul in her own right, Bueckers topped the 2024 NIL list as college basketball’s biggest earner via endorsement deals and merchandise sales prior to going pro.

Kenyan runner Sharon Lokedi shattered the women’s course record at the 2025 Boston Marathon on Monday, finishing the 129th edition of the race in 2:17:22 — more than two and a half minutes faster than the previous record set by Ethiopia's Buzunesh Deba in 2014.

The victory marked the 31-year-old runner's second major marathon championship following her 2022 New York City Marathon win.

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After finishing second in the 2024 Boston Marathon behind fellow Kenyan Hellen Obiri, Lokedi avenged her runner-up status by overtaking the back-to-back defending champion in the final kilometer of Monday’s race.

"I'm always second to her and today I was like, 'There’s no way,'" Lokedi said of her rivalry with Obiri. "I just have to put it out there and fight 'til the end and see how it goes. I'm so glad I ran that fast and she was right behind me. We all fought and wanted this so bad."

All of this year’s top three finishers broke through the course record pace, with Obiri and Ethiopia's Yalemzerf Yehualaw joining Lokedi both at the finish line and in the Boston Marathon's record book.

Along with her $150,000 winner's check, Lokedi will pocket an additional $50,000 for claiming the fastest women's time in Boston Marathon history.