Offseason leagues are stocking up, as Wings rookie Azzi Fudd announced she’ll join Project B while Storm first-year Flau’Jae Johnson signed a multiyear deal with Unrivaled.
No. 1 draft pick Fudd follows Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, and other WNBA vets to Project B, as the six-team international league prepares to launch a Formula 1-style circuit tour this winter.
“Basketball has always been global to me,” Fudd said. “Project B brings players and fans from everywhere together, and [I] can’t wait to get out there.”
Johnson became the second 2026 rookie to sign with Unrivaled, joining Minnesota’s Olivia Miles ahead of the 3×3 league’s third season.
Both standouts featured in last year’s Future is Unrivaled NIL program, alongside Washington’s Lauren Betts, LA’s Ta’Niya Latson, Toronto’s Kiki Rice, and Dallas’s Fudd.
“From signing one of the first NIL deals with Unrivaled to now joining the league as a player, it’s been incredible to see this journey come full circle,” Johnson said.
The Golden State Valkyries shut down Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers, taking the 91-80 WNBACommissioner's Cup victory in Wednesday's Wings vs Valkyries game.
Bueckers finished with 15 points on 5-of-13 shooting as rookie guard Azzi Fudd also suffered shooting struggles. She finished the night with just 10 points on 4-of-13 from the field.
Golden State's physical defense disrupted the rhythm of both Dallas playmakers throughout the game.
Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd Stats Slump in Wings vs Valkyries Loss
The WNBA Commissioner's Cup clash turned physical late, as Bueckers and Valkyries guard Veronica Burton collided while diving for a loose ball. Burton — a former Wings WNBA draft pick — answered with an all-around performance, recording 11 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Beyond limiting Paige Bueckers, Golden State also benefited from Dallas going cold from deep. The Wings could not find their range behind the arc, particularly during a rough second quarter. Azzi Fudd in particular faced a 3-point skid, going 2-5 on the night.
The WNBA Commissioner's Cup result extends Golden State's winning streak while leaving Dallas searching for consistency.
Without reliable outside shooting to complement Bueckers, the Wings face a familiar problem heading into their next stretch of regular-season WNBA games. They face the Chicago Sky on Saturday at 8 PM ET, live on CBS.
Two Western Conference titans are colliding, as No. 4 Dallas and No. 1 Minnesota carry unbeaten Commissioner’s Cup records into tonight’s high-stakes rematch.
The Lynx won last month’s non-tournament clash 90-86 behind Natasha Howard’s buzzer-beating 26 points, while Dallas looks to extend a four-game winning streak after Friday's 104-96 victory over LA boosted the Wings to No. 2 in the Commissioner’s Cup race.
“Our defense in that game was maybe right before we started figuring some things out,” top 2026 draft pick Azzi Fudd said of Dallas’s May 14th loss. “Now we have a much better understanding of our defensive identity.”
The clash pits Fudd against record-breaking No. 2 pick Olivia Miles, after Miles out-dueled her with 15 points and six assists in their first meeting.
“She’s a great shooter and a great passer,” Wings forward Maddy Siegrist said of Miles. “She’s going to make a lot of ‘wow’ plays, so you just try to make everything as difficult as possible.”
Dallas will expect reinforcement from previously injured Li Yueru and Aziaha James, while veteran Odyssey Sims remains sidelined.
Where to Watch Lynx vs Wings WNBA Commissioner's Cup Game
Minnesota hosts Dallas tonight at 8 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.
The WNBA’s 30th season tipped off with a bang, as the league welcomed its newest generation to the pros via a hyper-competitive weekend slate.
2026 No. 2 draft pick Olivia Miles impressed for Minnesota in her debut, putting up 21 points and eight assists in Saturday’s 91-90 loss to Atlanta. Elsewhere, Seattle rookie Flau’jae Johnson averaged 14 points over her first two games.
“My team trusts me, and they need me to do that,” Miles said postgame. “So just staying aggressive, and the outcome will be the outcome.”
Other top prospects from the Class of 2026 began their pro careers with a slightly more muted approach. Highly touted No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd came off the bench in Dallas’s 107-104 win over Indiana on Saturday.
“Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league,” said Wings coach Jose Fernandez. “We got five really talented backcourt players.”
2026 NCAA champions Kiki Rice, Lauren Betts, and Angela Dugalic also struggled to find their footing in Friday’s Bruin reunion. There, Betts and Dugalic combined for just two points in Washington’s 68-65 win over scoreless Rice’s Toronto.
Where to Watch WNBA Rookies Azzi Fudd & Olivia Miles
Fudd faces another test tomorrow, as Dallas takes on Atlanta at 8 PM ET, before Minnesota visits Phoenix at 10 PM ET, live on League Pass.
UConn basketball continues to pile on the preseason accolades, with ESPN's annual Top 25 women's NCAA player rankings listing star Sarah Strong at No. 1 ahead of her sophomore season with the Huskies.
Even more, UConn emerged as the only program with two Top 10 players, as ESPN put Strong's teammate Azzi Fudd at No. 8 entering her final NCAA season.
New UConn transfer Serah Williams also made the cut at No. 18, as the preseason AP No. 1 Huskies attempt to repeat their 2024/25 title despite losing superstar Paige Bueckers to the WNBA.
Last season's Final Four participants No. 2 Lauren Betts (UCLA), No. 4 Madison Booker (Texas), No. 11 Joyce Edwards (South Carolina), and No. 17 Kiki Rice (UCLA) round things out, accompanied by more individual standouts like No. 3 Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame) and No. 5 Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU).
The lineup also featured big-name offseason transfers, including highly touted newcomers No. 6 Olivia Miles (TCU), No. 7 Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina), No. 14 Gianna Kneepkins (UCLA), and No. 19 MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU).
Freshmen were not eligible for ESPN's preseason rankings, though NCAA debutants can make the updated list as it shifts throughout the year.
How to watch the ESPN Top 25 players in action
The NCAA basketball elite will tip off the 2025/26 season on Monday, with a full slate of games beginning at 11 AM ET.
The ESPN 2025/26 NCAA basketball preseason Top 25 players
1. Sarah Strong (UConn)
2. Lauren Betts (UCLA)
3. Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame)
4. Madison Booker (Texas)
5. Flau'Jae Johnson (LSU)
6. Olivia Miles (TCU)
7. Ta'Niyah Latson (South Carolina)
8. Azzi Fudd (UConn)
9. Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt)
10. Audi Crooks (Iowa State)
11. Joyce Edwards (South Carolina)
12. Mikaylah Williams (LSU)
13. Raegan Beers (Oklahoma)
14. Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA)
15. Kymora Johnson (Virginia)
16. Zoe Brooks (NC State)
17. Kiki Rice (UCLA)
18. Serah Williams (UConn)
19. MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU)
20. Yarden Garzon (Maryland)
21. Talaysia Cooper (Tennessee)
22. Khamil Pierre (NC State)
23. Cotie McMahon (Ole Miss)
24. Toby Fournier (Duke)
25. Maggie Doogan (Richmond)
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.
Upstart 3×3 league Unrivaled Basketball stole some of the WNBA's thunder over the 2025 All-Star weekend, with the offseason venture announcing Saturday the signing of 13 NCAA stars to new NIL deals.
Headlining the group is USC guard and 2025 National Player of the Year JuJu Watkins, with the Trojan junior joined by Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), MiLaysia Fulwiley (LSU), Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina), Syla Swords (Michigan), Audi Crooks (Iowa State), Madison Booker (Texas), and Olivia Miles (TCU).
Rounding out the new signees are a pair of reigning national champions in UConn guard Azzi Fudd and forward Sarah Strong — the 2025 National Freshman of the Year — as well as a trio of UCLA Bruins: guard Kiki Rice, center Lauren Betts, and forward Sienna Betts.
The younger Betts sister, Sienna, is notably the only incoming freshman inked by Unrivaled.
Bringing the 3×3 league's current college class to a total of 14 players is LSU guard Flau'Jae Johnson.
Unlike the 13 other players, Johnson's NIL deal is a renewal, with Unrivaled extending their partnership with their second-ever college signee.
Last season, Unrivaled inked just two NIL deals with NCAA stars, partnering with Johnson after signing former UConn guard and current Dallas Wings rookie All-Star Paige Bueckers.
While Bueckers and Johnson both secured equity in the league last year, this year's deals — with Johnson as well as the 13 other NCAA players — do not include that benefit, though Watkins holds an additional unique position as one of Unrivaled's initial investors.
Despite the NIL partnerships, Unrivaled does not guarantee any future roster spots to the 14 athletes.
While the league is targeting a two-team expansion for the league's 2027 season, Unrivaled plans to keep their core roster number at 36 next year, though injury replacement players are again on the table.
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 2025 WNBA Draft. The crew dives deep into who went where, which teams scored big, and — most importantly — who wore what.
For Sports Are Fun!, style definitely stole the show.
"This is one of my favorite parts of draft night," said O'Hara. "It's seeing how people dress, what they choose, how they bring in their own bits of personality, or things that they want to pay tribute to."
"I'm a suit girl, so Paige [Bueckers] and Georgia [Amoore] were my two favorites," she added.
"Well do you know the background behind Georgia's?" asked Diaz. "She is the first WNBA player to be styled by an NBA player. Russell Westbrook has his own brand, Honor the Gift, which is so cool. And to see them both just interacting yesterday was so cool."
"I loved it," she continued. "I hope it sparks even more collaborations with other players and brands. Even them — I'd love to see them do some more work together.
"Yeah, I hope that Russ has some tunnel fits for Georgia going into the season. That'd be sick," said O'Hara. "I'd like to see more."
Over an action-packed 49 minutes, Sports Are Fun! also gets into the state of the USWNT post-Brazil friendlies, Midge Purce's return to Gotham, and so much more.
'Sports Are Fun!' rate player outfits from the 2025 WNBA Draft
After wading into the 2025 WNBA Draft style conversation, Sports Are Fun went all in. O'Hara, Diaz, and BJ didn't hold back when it came to WNBA Draft night fashion, discussing the good, the glam, and the uncomfortable.
"Apparently Georgia [Amoore] was like, 'I just want a blazer and I want to wear a skirt and I don't want to wear heels,'" O'Hara said, referencing the Kentucky grad's Russel Westbrook-designed outfit. "And I was like, girl after my own heart. She looked good, but she looked comfortable."
"So speaking of uncomfortable," O'Hara began, switching gears. "Paige [Bueckers] wore a three-piece suit on the Orange carpet. Then she did a fit change — still a suit, but went blazer, no shirt underneath. Clearly she was having some malfunctions, because she was having to hold it."
"She was also mic'ed up," reasoned BJ. "You could see her fixing the mic."
"I love that she matched Azzi," said Diaz, shouting out Bueckers's UConn teammate Azzi Fudd, who was seated next to her at the event. "They had a little matchy-matchy vibe. They both look so good in the black. And Azzi told me she straightened her hair — she's like 'Greydy, this is the first time I straightened my hair in like four years!'"
"Loved this look, amazing," O'Hara continued. "But [Bueckers] was having to hold her blazer down a lot and I was like, I just want her to be comfortable in this moment.
"I love this fit, I just like 'Could can someone get the girl some fashion tape and so she doesn't have to hold on?' In those moments, you want to look amazing and you want to feel your best but you don't want to be uncomfortable."
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.
NCAA basketball standouts are still making decisions on whether to remain in college or make the leap to the pros as the 2025 WNBA Draft looms on Monday — and many are choosing to stay in school.
In the most recent example of this trend, Texas senior Rori Harmon announced Wednesday that she’ll use her injury redshirt year to return to the Longhorns next season.
While most players in this year’s senior class began college in 2021 — after the cutoff to receive an extra year of eligibility following the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown — 2025’s draft-eligible group includes many players opting to stay in the NCAA.
Like Harmon, injuries resulting in redshirt seasons are allowing college standouts like South Carolina's Raven Johnson, newly announced TCU transfer Olivia Miles, and 2025 national champion and UConn star Azzi Fudd a final shot at the NCAA court.
LSU's Flau’jae Johnson and UCLA's Lauren Betts — current juniors who are draft eligible under the WNBA's age clause, which permits players who have not hit four collegiate seasons to go pro so long as they turn 22 years old within the draft's calendar year — have also declined to make the jump in 2025.
Star-power still up for grabs in the 2025 WNBA Draft
Despite the collegiate holdouts, there will still be significant NCAA names earning WNBA spots on Monday, led by UConn guard Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers is still considered a lock for the 2025 WNBA Draft's overall No. 1 pick, which is held tightly by Dallas — in spite of speculation that the Wings might not be her preferred destination.
Other projected first rounders include Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, USC forward Kiki Iriafen, LSU forward Aneesah Morrow, South Carolina guard Te-Hina Paopao, Kentucky guard Georgia Amoore, and Maryland guard Shyanne Sellers — with TCU guard Hailey Van Lith also making an early-round draft case through her 2025 March Madness play.
Monday could also see international prospects making a splash, with some mock drafts expecting French prodigy Dominique Malonga to go as high as No. 2, with Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka and Lithuanian shooting guard Justė Jocytė also possibly earning WNBA invites.
All in all, the upcoming 2025 WNBA Draft class boasts experience, solid shooting, and many winning resumes, but it's up to the pro scouts to determine who will fit their team best.
Fifth-year UConn star Paige Bueckers confirmed to Huskies legend Rebecca Lobo on Friday that she will indeed be declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft, opting to forgo her final year of college eligibility.
“Honestly, I thought I declared a long time ago,” Bueckers joked, making it clear that she has always considered this season to be her last in a UConn jersey.
Her decision follows UConn guard Azzi Fudd's announcement that she will forgo the 2025 WNBA Draft. Instead, the 22-year-old will will return to the Huskies for the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season.
The 23-year-old's declaration came one day before she scored a career-high 40 points in the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. The subsequent 82-59 blowout advanced UConn's March Madness run to the Elite Eight.
“Obviously, Paige was spectacular,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said after Saturday's win. “That was as good a game as I’ve seen her play the whole time she’s been here, at the most important time. When you’re a senior and you’ve been around as long as she has, this is what you’re here to do. This is why you came here.”
“Honestly, we just wanted to keep our season going as long as possible,” added Bueckers. “We all love playing together, we love playing here. We just love this program.”
Other expected top WNBA draft picks remain uncertain
Bueckers is considered a lock for this year’s No. 1 overall draft pick, currently held by Dallas. But uncertainty has loomed over other lottery slots, with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks recently exchanging hands.
Notre Dame senior Olivia Miles’s professional intentions remain unknown as of Saturday, with the projected No. 2 pick telling reporters she’s “leaning towards” declaring after crashing out of the NCAA tournament.
Eligible LSU junior Flau’jae Johnson is similarly undecided following Sunday’s loss to UCLA, with the soon-to-be 22-year-old also an expected top draft pick.