WNBA and Team USA icon Sue Bird added another accolade to her resume over the weekend, becoming the only US player named to the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Sunday.
Bird's 2026 inclusion will see her join past US inductees like South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley and legendary UConn sideline leader Geno Auriemma.
A core member of USA Basketball's ongoing Olympic domination, Bird tallied five straight gold medals in her tenure with Team USA, winning every Olympic matchup she played from the 2004 Summer Games in Athens through the 2021 Tokyo tournament.
Along with her Olympic success, Bird also claimed championships at four FIBA World Cups throughout her playing career.
Most recently, USA Basketball appointed the 45-year-old legend as managing director of the nation's women's team, with Bird assuming her new role in May 2025 after retiring from a decorated WNBA career that included four league championships with the Seattle Storm.
This weekend's FIBA announcement is just the latest in Bird's string of recent honors, with the Storm immortalizing the former guard in statue form in August before her September induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
A two-time NCAA champion, Bird also saw her No. 10 UConn jersey retired into the rafters earlier this month in Storrs.
Bird will snag her next well-deserved honor in Berlin, Germany, as she joins six other players and one coach in the FIBA Hall of Fame Class of 2026 induction ceremony on April 21st.
Fresh off her rookie WNBA season, Seattle Storm star Dominique Malonga is causing a stir overseas, abruptly withdrawing from her offseason contract with Turkish club Fenerbahçe this week — and creating controversy in her wake.
Malonga initially signed a three-year deal with the two-time Euroleague champions in March before she "unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause," according to a Fenerbahçe social media post on Monday.
"We inform the public that we will exercise all our legal rights to seek compensation for any material and moral damages incurred by our club during this process," the team continued.
While she didn't disclose a reason for leaving Istanbul, the 19-year-old did reveal that she recently required surgery to repair a dislocated tendon in her wrist, estimating that she'd be in a cast for six weeks.
The 2025 WNBA Draft overall No. 2 pick finished her debut WNBA season averaging 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, earning herself a spot on the stacked 2025 All-Rookie Team.
Should the contract dispute remain unresolved, Fenerbahçe could attempt to disrupt Malonga's second season in Seattle due to a longstanding "letter of clearance" rule requiring approval from both the WNBA and Europe's FIBA before athletes can move between leagues.
Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that while the WNBA signed off on the 19-year-old's Turkish contract, Fenerbahçe could deny her ability to return to the US league "under the condition that she violated the terms of her contract."
"If the season tips off in May as it did in 2025, this would give Fenerbahçe and Malonga about six months to rectify any potential dispute and clear her for a WNBA return," warned FOS.
USA Basketball is heading to France, with NCAA stars Sarah Strong (UConn), Mikaylah Williams (LSU), and Sahara Williams (Oklahoma) — plus 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Cierra Burdick — packing their bags for this weekend's 2025 FIBA 3×3 Women's Series.
Two-time FIBA 3×3 World Cup champ Burdick anchors the squad, with the 31-year-old returning to international competition just five months after undergoing hip surgery.
The college standouts also have key 3×3 experience, with all three earning gold for the U18 team at the 2022 and 2023 World Cups.
Reigning NCAA champion and Freshman of the Year Strong also took the 2024 World Cup title, while 2021 World Cup winner Mikaylah Williams owns two USA Basketball 3×3 Female Athlete of the Year awards.
This weekend's event will kick off Team USA's run in this year's 3×3 Series, a five-month, 16-stop global tour with more than $1 million in prize money on the line.
The 14-team Marseille competition begins with a three-team qualifying round followed by pool play on Friday, with Saturday's knockouts determining the champion.
How to watch Team USA in the 2025 FIBA 3×3 Women's Series
The US opens their 3×3 campaign against Ireland at 7:15 AM ET on Friday, with continuing live coverage on the All Women's Sports Network and YouTube.
The New York Liberty will open the 2025 WNBA season at the top of the league's power rankings, drumming up high expectations despite a short-staffed roster.
Trailing the reigning champions at No. 2 are 2024 runners-up Minnesota, followed by 2023 champs Las Vegas at No. 3.
Fueled by this year's overall No. 2 draft pick Dominique Malonga, the Seattle Storm claimed No. 4 in the WNBA rankings, with the revamped Indiana Fever eyeing a 2025 turnaround at No. 5.
The betting market similarly reflects the league's latest forecast, with sportsbook FanDuel setting the Liberty's title odds at +210, followed by the Aces at +360, and the Lynx at +370.
The lines also support Indiana's promise, giving the Fever the fourth-best championship odds at +390 — far higher than the fifth-best Phoenix Mercury at +1,300.
On the other hand, the Dallas Wings, LA Sparks, Washington Mystics, Connecticut Sun, and Golden State Valkyries occupy the rankings' bottom half, as 2025's potential lottery teams prepare to prove themselves against top-line squads this season.
The up-for-sale Sun and brand-new Valkyries have the longest title odds on FanDuel, clocking in at +50,000 each.
While preseason action has provided some quality sneak peeks, Friday's opening tip-off represents a fresh start for the league, one where anything can — and likely will — happen.
European WNBA stars drop out of 2025 EuroBasket
Several European WNBA standouts announced they will skip out on this summer's FIBA EuroBasket, opting to prioritize league play following a pivotal 2024 Olympics.
Reigning Olympic silver medalists Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga both confirmed they will not represent France at the European tournament in June, opting to remain with the Seattle Storm.
The duo's France teammate Carla Leite is also forgoing the trip, instead remaining with the Golden State Valkyries for the entirety of the expansion side's debut season.
As a major international tournament, the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket is exempt from the WNBA's prioritization rule, meaning eligible players can miss regular-season league play to compete in the overseas contest without being in violation of WNBA protocols.
The 2025 regional FIBA competition between Europe's top national teams will tip off on June 18th.
Duke women's basketball head coach Kara Lawson will lead a different team this NCAA offseason, taking on sideline duties for Team USA at this summer's 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Chile, USA Basketball announced on Tuesday.
Likely one of the last coaching decisions handled by committee, Lawson — alongside assistants DeLisha Milton-Jones and Jennie Baranczyk, the head coaches of Old Dominion and Oklahoma, respectively — will aim to return the four-time champions to the top of the biannual tournament's podium, after falling short to Brazil in the 2023 gold medal game.
The 2005 WNBA champion boasts a long history of success with USA Basketball, earning 2008 Olympic gold amid multiple medals as a player before beginning her coaching career.
Since then, the 44-year-old helped lead various USA Basketball teams to an astounding 75-5 competition record, picking up nine gold medals along the way.
Most recently, Lawson added 2024 Olympic gold as an assistant coach to her inaugural 3x3 Olympic championship as a head coach at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
"I'm incredibly honored," said Lawson in a USA Basketball statement. "It's such a gift. It's a gift that has given me so much over the years as a player, as a committee member, and as a coach. I've always tried to compete and give my best.... That won't change this summer."
Taking place in the middle of the 2025 WNBA season, the Team USA roster could feature NCAA talent.
"The goal is to put together a competitive team, one that represents all the standards that we hold dear to us," added Lawson.
The 2025 FIBA AmeriCup team that Lawson will lead will be announced after next month's trials, shortly before the tournament tips off on June 28th.
Some of the biggest NCAA stars are heading to Arizona to participate in this weekend's 3X Nationals, a three-day tournament to determine USA Basketball's 2025 3×3 champion.
Sixteen four-player women's squads will take the court when the competition tips off on Friday, with top college programs like South Carolina, TCU, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, Florida, Richmond, and South Dakota State fielding 3×3 teams alongside pro clubs and other organizations.
"With the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 on the horizon, we are looking forward to welcoming 3×3 players, both veterans and those new to the game, to Mesa to compete in this exciting event that features a unique style of basketball," said USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley.
Played in the FIBA half-court style, the tournament also serves as an evaluation tool for USA Basketball's 3×3 rosters, including the group tapped to represent the US at June's 3×3 World Cup in Mongolia.
While pro players are eligible for roster spots, college talents have often dominated international 3×3 teams, including TCU alum and new Chicago Sky rookie Hailey Van Lith, who earned bronze at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This weekend's 3X Nationals could see NCAA standouts like Vanderbilt's All-American freshman Mikayla Blakes as well as South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, Tessa Johnson, and Chloe Kitts make cases for future USA Basketball roster spots.
How to watch the USA Basketball 3X Nationals
The 3X Nationals tip off at 6 PM ET on Friday, with the first two days consisting of pool play.
The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to Sunday's championship bracket, where the quarterfinal round will begin at 1:20 PM ET and the tournament final is expected to take the court at 5:20 PM ET.
All games will stream live on YouTube.
The fourth-annual FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup tips off Thursday in Puerto Rico, with 2022 winners Canada and three-time silver medalists Brazil aiming to dethrone defending three-time champs Team USA.
The US is led by three WNBA standouts. Veteran Mystics guard Brittney Sykes's 12.2 points per game was second on Washington's 2024 roster, while Sparks forward Azurá Stevens is strong on both ends of the court as LA's best three-point shooter also boasts the team's second-best rebound rate.
Meanwhile, Dallas Wings forward Maddy Siegrist is coming off a shooting hot streak, sinking over 50% from the field in her second WNBA season.
Former record-breaking Ivy League sharpshooter Abbey Hsu rounds out Team USA's roster, with the Belgian league rookie earning the spot over nine WNBA players.
The road to the 3×3 podium
Fifteen teams traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico, but only 12 will compete in the tournament's main draw. Thursday's court is reserved for the four teams vying to qualify, with either Guatemala, Cuba, Costa Rica, or the Cayman Islands surviving.
With the 12 tournament teams split into four groups of three, pool play takes over on Friday and Saturday. Pools B (Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica) and D (Puerto Rico, Argentina, and the final qualifying team) will play their round-robin round on Friday. Then, Pools A (USA, Uruguay, and the Dominican Republic) and C (Chile, Brazil, and Colombia) will do the same on Saturday.
The top two teams from each pool will advance to Sunday's knockout rounds. All elimination games will feature on Sunday's court, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, third-place game, and championship showdown.
How to watch Team USA in the 2024 FIBA 3×3AmeriCup
The tournament tips off at 12:30 PM ET on Thursday, but Team USA doesn't feature until Saturday, when they face the Dominican Republic at 3:30 PM ET before taking on Uruguay at 6:35 PM ET.
All FIBA 3×3 AmeriCup games — including Sunday's 8 PM ET championship — will stream live on YouTube.
Each of the 32 national teams in the 2023 FIBA men’s World Cup will receive “financial encouragement,” according to a report. A total of 3.2 million euros will be distributed among the participants, and the top 16 teams will receive an additional 100,000 euros each.
The report caught the attention of Belgium national player Emma Meesseman, who lamented the prize money – or lack thereof – allocated for the 2022 FIBA women’s World Cup.
“One year after the Women’s World Cup Championship, where nobody got any ‘financial encouragement.’ Thanks FIBA,” Meesseman wrote sarcastically on X.
One year after Women’s World Championship, where nobody got any ‘financial encouragement’. Thanks @FIBA https://t.co/C5ujAGxjFz
— Emma Meesseman (@EmmaMeesseman) September 9, 2023
The United States defeated China, 83-61, in the 2022 final, for its fourth consecutive championship. A’Ja Wilson scored 19 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals against China.
“This is why you sacrifice,” Wilson told reporters then. “My teammates hold me accountable. They put me in the best situation so I didn’t really feel tired. This is what we live for. This is honestly my job and I love my job. I love what I do and now I can go to sleep. I’m so excited. My bed is literally calling my name.”
Meesseman’s tournament ended in the quarterfinal, when Australia beat Belgium, 86-69.
In the men’s final, Germany will play Serbia on Sunday morning.