It's back-to-school weekend for the WNBA, as teams travel to stars' old collegiate stomping grounds to tip off a series of preseason exhibitions.
While preseason matchups don't carry the same weight as opening day, the league raised the stakes this year to give fans a taste of what's to come during the gap between March Madness and the May 16th 2025 WNBA season tip-off.
Kicking off the preseason party is this year's No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, who will make her professional debut when the Dallas take on Las Vegas on Friday. The showdown will occur at Notre Dame's Purcell Pavilion, as both teams boast Fighting Irish alumni in the Wings' Arike Ogunbowale and the Aces' Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd.
Later on Friday, reunited LSU teammates Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith will return to the Baton Rouge court when the Chicago Sky tips off against the Brazil Women's National Team.
After facing the Washington Mystics on Saturday, Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever will travel to the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's alma mater Iowa for their own date with Brazil on Sunday.
Fever fans will be particularly grateful that Sunday clash will receive national airtime, as resale tickets for the sold-out game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena are averaging upwards of $440 apiece.
To cap off the weekend, Sunday will also see the new-look Connecticut Sun will battle a Seattle Storm squad hungry to jump back into title contention this season.
Though the exhibition results won't matter, testing players in front of a crowd while building excitement for the upcoming 2025 season can be just as crucial for teams as they look to polish their rosters over the next two weeks.
How to watch this weekend's WNBA preseason games
Friday will see the Dallas Wings take on the Las Vegas Aces at 7 PM ET followed by the Chicago Sky's matchup against Brazil at 9 PM ET, with both games airing live on ION.
Indiana's busy weekend begins with Saturday's 1 PM ET clash with Washington on NBA TV before the Fever face Brazil at 4 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on ESPN.
The weekend's final exhibition pits Connecticut against Seattle at 6 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage available with the WNBA League Pass.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark and the Fever will hit the airwaves sooner than expected this year, with multiple sources reporting that ESPN will televise a preseason game between Indiana and the Brazil national team on May 4th.
The broadcast boost will reportedly make the Fever vs. Brazil matchup the WNBA's first-ever nationally televised exhibition game, a move that comes after a 2024 preseason battle between the Minnesota Lynx and Chicago Sky earned more than two million streams — from a fan's cellphone.
WNBA teams follow in the Indiana Fever's preseason footsteps
The May matchup will mark the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's return to Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with the Fever set to play in front of a sold-out crowd at Clark's alma mater.
Indiana isn't the only team taking a trip down memory lane this preseason, with several teams bringing exhibition games to university arenas before the 2025 WNBA season tips off on May 16th.
Two days before facing the Fever, Brazil will clash with the Sky at Chicago star Angel Reese's collegiate home of LSU — an arena also familiar to new Sky recruit Hailey Van Lith.
Also on May 2nd, Notre Dame will host legendary alums Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, and Jackie Young when the Las Vegas Aces play the Dallas Wings at South Bend's Purcell Pavilion.
Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft could seriously shape the future for the three teams at the helm of this year’s lottery, as top pick-holders Dallas, Seattle, and Washington all prepare to make major moves after a rollercoaster offseason.
The Wings currently hold the overall No. 1 pick, while Seattle will select second after a blockbuster three-team trade with LA and Las Vegas sent star Jewell Loyd to the Aces and the No. 2 pick to the Storm.
Washington also wields significant draft capital following another series of trades, which sent top guard Ariel Atkins to Chicago in exchange for the No. 3 pick. Meanwhile, the Mystics also hold Monday's fourth and sixth first-round selections.
While Dallas and Seattle wield the highest picks, Washington’s wealth of selections gives them the most first-round influence — especially over expansion franchise Golden State’s No. 5 pick.
"I think it actually creates an opportunity for us to build strength in a couple of different ways," said Mystics GM Jamila Wideman.
Flexibility is key in navigating the WNBA Draft
Uncertainty has reigned supreme in recent months, as team executives find out alongside the public exactly which college stars are entering the WNBA’s talent pool as some eligible standouts opt to remain in the NCAA for one final season.
"We're always nimble as GMs in this league," Dallas GM Curt Miller told media on Thursday. "You don’t truly know who is declaring and coming into the draft until the very end."
As for teams outside of the lottery, they'll have to cross their fingers and wait patiently on Monday, as last year’s lowest record-holders raid the draft pool first.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball's 1v1 tournament is fast approaching, with the offseason league dropping the competition's official bracket on Wednesday.
The head-to-head showdown tips off on Monday, February 10th, with the semifinals and three-game final series all tipping off on Friday, February 14th.
Fan votes determined the seeding for the debut league's first-ever in-season tournament. Those ballots gave the Mist's Jewell Loyd and Vinyl's Arike Ogunbowale first-round byes, moving them straight into Tuesday's quarterfinal round.
Meanwhile, the other 28 competitors have four rounds to overcome to claim the trophy — not to mention $200,000 in prize money.
Breaking down the Unrivaled 1v1 bracket
Some early battles will be tougher than others, as Unrivaled co-founder and current scoring leader Napheesa Collier takes on fellow UConn alum Katie Lou Samuelson. The winner of that matchup then faces either Jackie Young or Rickea Jackson.
Collier's fellow co-founder Breanna Stewart — also a UConn product — drew 2024 UConn standout Aaliyah Edwards in Monday's first round. The winner subsequently earns a second-round date against either Marina Mabrey or Kate Martin.
Despite her first-round bye, Ogunbowale's bracket quadrant appears to be a gauntlet.
The guard will first battle either fellow Notre Dame alum Skylar Diggins-Smith, who has four game-winners under her belt so far this season, or Vinyl teammate Dearica Hamby.
The Olympic 3×3 bronze medalist trails only Collier and Laces star Kayla McBride on Unrivaled's score sheet, averaging 21.2 points per game. Additionally, Hamby's 10.4 rebounding average has her sitting fourth in the league.
Should they advance, either McBride or Satou Sabally will await Ogunbowale in the quarterfinals.
Ultimately, every matchup is stacked considering the star-studded league's depth.
"I just want the top dawgs to knock each other out," joked Courtney Williams ahead of her own first-round clash with Tiffany Hayes, with the winner set to square off against either Rhyne Howard or Lexie Hull.
"[If] your shot's falling, really anyone can win 1v1," she continued. "It's all about who figured it out in that moment."
How to watch next week's Unrivaled 1v1 tournament
The inaugural contest's first round tips off at 2 PM ET on Monday, with live coverage on truTV. The evening session begins at 7 PM ET on TNT.
Both the second round and quarterfinals will air on truTV starting at 7 PM ET on Tuesday, with the semifinals and finals taking over both truTV and TNT on Friday beginning at 7:30 PM ET.
The WNBA is all shook up, as the league's February 1st free agency signing day radically reshaped rosters from coast to coast.
In the largest offseason trade so far, the Phoenix Mercury and Dallas Wings took the buyer's market by storm while the Connecticut Sun sent starters packing in preparation for a major rebuild. Along with the Indiana Fever, these four teams moved a total of 13 players and 18 assets, making it the most prolific single trade in WNBA history.
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut) and Satou Sabally (Dallas) headlined the deal, joining Phoenix alongside Dallas's Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun.
Connecticut took Phoenix's Natasha Cloud and Rebecca Allen (who's reportedly moving on to Chicago), plus Dallas's Jacy Sheldon and a first-round draft pick.
Indiana picked up Sophie Cunningham (Phoenix), Jaelyn Brown (Dallas), and a second-round draft pick.
To close it out, Dallas's haul included DiJonai Carrington (Connecticut), Ty Harris (Connecticut), and NaLyssa Smith (Indiana) as well as additional player considerations and draft futures.
That blockbuster four-team transaction comes on the heels of last week's history-making trade between the LA Sparks, Las Vegas Aces, and Seattle Storm, which became official over the weekend. The league's first-ever trade involving multiple former No. 1 draft picks sent Las Vegas's Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and Seattle's Jewell Loyd to the Aces, with the Storm grabbing the 2025 WNBA Draft's No. 2 pick.
More WNBA teams flex free agency muscles
Phoenix and Dallas weren't the only teams profiting off of Connecticut's reshuffling, as 2025 postseason hopefuls Indiana and Atlanta jumped into the market.
Sun standout DeWanna Bonner and three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard (Dallas) both inked one-year deals with the Fever, joining recently re-signed All-Star Kelsey Mitchell in Indiana.
The Atlanta Dream complemented last week's game-changing Brittney Griner pick-up by netting Connecticut forward Brionna Jones.
Other teams have also kept their names in the mix, with Chicago officially bringing back two-time WNBA champion Courtney Vandersloot, who spent 12 seasons with the Sky before her title-winning stint with the Liberty.
The Sky are also reportedly courting Sparks free agent Kia Nurse after sending guard Lindsay Allen and the rights to forward Nikolina Milic to the Sun in exchange for Australia Opals star Rebecca Allen.
In another key free agency signing, Connecticut is bringing eight-time All-Star Tina Charles back after drafting the 36-year-old first overall in 2010.
With the free agency floodgates fully open and a highly anticipated new CBA prompting a wave of one-year deals, even more big-name signings are likely ahead of April's WNBA Draft.
WNBA stars and two-time league champions Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum are on the move, with ESPN reporting Sunday that the Storm, Aces, and Sparks have finalized a huge three-team trade.
According to the report, Seattle is honoring Loyd's trade request by sending the six-time All-Star to Las Vegas. Plum is subsequently LA-bound on a one-year deal after the Aces cored her for a sign-and-trade.
The Aces also receive LA's No. 13 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft in the deal. Meanwhile, Seattle's No. 9 pick in 2025 plus their second-round pick in the 2026 draft now belong to the Sparks.
The Storm walk away with Sparks center Li Yueru, plus two massive draft selections. Seattle now owns valuable assets in the form of LA's No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and Las Vegas' first-round pick in 2026.
However, should they hang onto their chips, Seattle now has a shot at righting a disappointing 2024 run by snagging a top NCAA select like No. 3 Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles or No. 4 USC forward Kiki Iriafen.
Loyd, Plum trade makes WNBA history
Though the news won't be official until the free agency signing window opens on February 1st, the deal is the first in WNBA history to include multiple No. 1 overall draft picks.
Top-picks Loyd (2015) and Plum (2017) have only played for the franchises that originally drafted them. Plum relocated to Las Vegas as part of the San Antonio team that originally selected her out of the University of Washington.
Plum has reportedly indicated her intention to remain with the Sparks past the 2025 season, despite inking a one-year contract.
While the terms of Loyd's agreement remain unclear, both athletes will likely become free agents in 2026. They'll join the majority of WNBA players in doing so, as athletes hope to take advantage of a new CBA that's expected to significantly impact salary caps and other contract stipulations.
Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball tips off its inaugural season on Friday night, when four of the league's six clubs will take the court for the first time.
The Miami-based league's debut doubleheader begins with a co-founder face-off, as Breanna Stewart's Mist will first square off against 2024 WNBA Finals foe and fellow Unrivaled co-founder Napheesa Collier's Lunar Owls.
Shortly after that inaugural game, Rose BC, whose roster includes top-rated 2024 rookie Angel Reese plus WNBA Finals MVPs Kahleah Copper (2021) and Chelsea Gray (2022), will take the Unrivaled court. Facing them in Friday's nightcap will be Vinyl BC, a team headlined by WNBA Rookies of the Year Aliyah Boston (2023) and Rhyne Howard (2022).
The two remaining Unrivaled teams will debut on Saturday afternoon, when Phantom BC takes on Laces BC in another 3×3 doubleheader.
Led by All-Stars like Brittney Griner and reigning WNBA champion Sabrina Ionescu, the Phantom will start the season without guard Marina Mabrey due to a calf strain. Her recovery is expected to take two to four weeks, with an injury re-evaluation set for late January. In the meantime, the Phantom have added relief player Natisha Hiedeman to their short-handed roster.
IT'S GAME DAYYYYYYY! 🗣️ Make sure you tune in tonight at 7pm ET! pic.twitter.com/vAZ2IkemoF
— Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) January 17, 2025
Unrivaled stars prepare for their close-up
The innovative new league is launching with 36 of the WNBA's biggest stars, a brand new 3x3 format, and a product finely tuned for national TV broadcast. The goal is to bring fans even closer to their favorite athletes.
Subsequently, Unrivaled has teamed up with six US bars "dedicated to elevating women's sports" in an effort to promote official watch parties nationwide.
"The content piece and the TV piece of this is huge for us," Collier told The Athletic ahead of Friday's launch. "We want to make it the most interactive, fun, and exciting experience we can for people."
With a smaller court and cameras positioned closer to the action than in WNBA games, Unrivaled is aiming to bring a small-venue experience to a national audience.
"It’s definitely intimate, and you’re definitely going to hear a lot of stuff," Mist athlete Jewell Loyd told The Athletic. "But at the same time, that’s what you want, and it’s definitely going to make us play a little harder."
How to watch Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball this weekend
The new 3x3 league will tip off with the Mist and Lunar Owls at 7 PM ET on Friday, with Rose BC and Vinyl BC following at 8 PM ET.
All Unrivaled games will air across TNT, truTV, and Max throughout the season, with Friday's tip off broadcast live on TNT.
The New York Liberty are 4-0 on the season for the first time since 2007.
The 2023 WNBA title finalists notched a 74-63 win over Seattle on Monday night, with Sabrina Ionescu dropping 20 points alongside eight assists. After the game, Ionescu told reporters she thought the team was coming together a bit easier than they did last year.
"I think having a year together, we don't nearly have to communicate as much on the court anymore," she said. "Because we can just play off one another and read. And that's obviously been the growth of this team, is being able to play a season together last year."
The team’s defense has also contributed heavily to the season's winning start. Last night, the Liberty held Jewell Loyd to just 13 points and nine rebounds. Loyd let the Storm in scoring, with only two other players in double digits, while Nneka Ogwumike missed her second straight game with an ankle injury.
Storm free agency acquisition Skylar Diggins-Smith had eight points, and is averaging 14.5 points and 5.8 assists per game this season. In her postgame remarks, Storm head coach Noelle Quinn called on others to give her grace in her return.
"There needs to be respect about the fact that she's had two children and hasn’t played in 20 months," said Quinn. "She’s not going to come overnight and be who she was 20 months ago and we have to respect that and honor that. And I do.
"My grace as a coach is to know she’s working her butt off every day. You guys don’t see it. Every single day. Two children. Not one, two. Not many can do that."
Jewell Loyd is the all-time single-season scoring leader for the WNBA.
Last week, Breanna Stewart held the honor, as the New York Liberty star became the first of three players this season to surpass the previous mark. But on Sunday, Loyd finished at the top of the pack, scoring 939 points in 2023 compared to Stewart’s 919. And the Seattle Storm guard did it in 38 games to Stewart’s 40.
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson also broke the previous record, set by Diana Taurasi, who scored 860 points in 2006, when the league played shorter seasons. Wilson scored 912 points in 40 games in 2023.
Loyd moved past Stewart in the Storm’s second-to-last game Friday. While Stewart moved ahead of her again in the Liberty’s final game Sunday, Loyd scored 28 points in the Storm’s season finale later that day to take the record. The 29-year-old guard needed nine points to beat out Stewart — and she reached that mark in the first four minutes of the game, nailing a three-pointer with 6:33 left in the first quarter to seal her place in league history.
THE MOMENT. THE RECORD. pic.twitter.com/0UKVl2BZpv
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) September 10, 2023
“That wasn’t a goal of mine at all coming into the season,” Loyd said. “Even hearing about it and talking about it, it never was a goal of mine. It kind of just happened naturally. I think it’s pretty cool. What I miss, (two) games and still was able to produce the way I was producing, so that’s pretty cool.”
It was Loyd’s first game since signing a two-year supermax contract extension with Seattle, which she said Sunday was a result of her having no desire to become an unrestricted free agent.
“I didn’t have to think about it like seriously until a week ago,” Loyd said. “It’s kind of hard to make decisions while you’re in a season just because you’re not thinking about it. It takes a lot of energy and you have to focus in on what you’re going to do with your life.
“It didn’t feel like any pressure or I felt overwhelmed. At that same time, I understand the business and I knew kind of what I wanted. It was a feeling for me. At the end of the day it was a pretty easy decision.”
As Loyd moves forward with the Storm, and Stewart does the same with the Liberty, expect more records to fall. Stewart predicted as much after she broke Taurasi’s record last week.
“More games is more points,” Stewart said. “As we have 40-game seasons, and we continue to build off that, there’s going to be a lot of records that are broken.”
Jewell Loyd is staying with the Seattle Storm.
Loyd, 29, has agreed on a two-year extension, her agent, Jade-Li English of Klutch Sports, told ESPN. The deal will pay her $241,984 in the first season, the supermax for that year, and $249,032 in the second.
The All-Star forward has scored 911 points this season, a WNBA single-season record, and she’s leading the league with an average of 24.6 points per game. Loyd has been with the Storm since the team picked her No. 1 overall in the 2015 WNBA Draft.
“It’s been special for Seattle to witness Jewell compete for championships and rise to be one of the best in the game. She is a franchise player, and we are excited to continue to build our future around her,” Storm president and CEO Alisha Valavanis said. “She is a remarkable person and leader, she lifts her teammates, the organization, and her community. Everyone around Jewell knows she embodies greatness. We’re so glad she’s staying in Seattle.”
Loyd has been a bright spot in an otherwise dark season for Seattle, which is 11-28 entering its final game of the season, Sunday against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Loyd will look to finish her historic season on a high note. After signing the extension, she posted a famous Bruce Lee quote to X.
“I’m not in this world to live up to your expectations and you’re not in this world to live up to mine,” Loyd wrote.