South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley will be taking her talents to CBS Sports, with the network announcing Wednesday that the basketball legend will headline a new WNBA pregame show premiering this weekend.
Hosted by sports reporter Sarah Kustok, WNBA Tip Off will feature both the decorated South Carolina boss and fellow former WNBA star Renee Montgomery as analysts.
In addition to her lengthy playing and coaching resume, Staley will bring specific insight into particular athletes during these broadcasts, with nine of the icon's former players — from reigning three-time MVP A'ja Wilson to 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston — competing in the WNBA this season.
Staley's involvement also spotlights CBS's commitment to live WNBA broadcasts, with the network scheduling WNBA Tip Off slots for four of the network's eight regular-season league games.
WNBA Tip Off will debut at 7:30 PM ET this Saturday, serving as the lead-in to the Sky's primetime matchup against regional rival Indiana Fever — the first WNBA game ever set inside Chicago's United Center and the first-ever primetime WNBA regular-season game on broadcast television.
The other three games featuring Staley and her new CBS pre-game crew will be the July 12th clash between 2025 expansion side Golden State Valkyries and the Las Vegas Aces, a second Fever vs. Sky matchup on August 9th, and a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion New York Liberty and runners-up Minnesota Lynx on August 16th.
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.
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.
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.
The city of Columbia, South Carolina, honored South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley with her very own statue this week, reflecting the three-time national champion leader's legacy as a change-maker in women's college basketball.
The 14-foot bronze likeness, which sits just next to the university's alumni center, reflects Staley's championship prowess, with the statue showing the coach on a ladder holding a cut-down basketball net.
"This statue is a tribute, but it really doesn't encompass what she's delivered for us as a community, what she's done for women’s sports, what she's done for young people, especially young women,” Columbia mayor Daniel Rickenmann told reporters before Wednesday's ceremony.
A legendary coaching resume
After her decorated pro career, the six-time WNBA All-Star and three-time Olympic gold medalist took over the South Carolina coaching job in 2008, building the program into the behemoth it is today.
To date, Staley has led the Gamecocks to nine SEC regular-season titles and nine conference tournament crowns as well as seven Final Fours — including appearances in the last five NCAA tournament semifinals.
The four-time National Coach of the Year is far from done, though.
Staley, who turns 55 years old on Sunday, inked a contract in January to remain with South Carolina through the 2029/30 NCAA season.
That blockbuster deal — worth over $25 million — makes her the highest paid women's college basketball coach in history.
Staley agreed to statue to increase representation
Staley's statue now joins one of former star player and now reigning three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, who saw her own likeness installed outside Colonial Life Arena in 2021.
Though initially opposed to becoming a bronze sculpture, Staley later acquiesced to the honor in order to boost the currently low numbers of US statues depicting women, particularly Black women.
"I agreed to the statue not for me, but for the girl who will walk by one day and wonder who I was," Staley said at the Wednesday unveiling. "Maybe she'll look me up. She'll see that I did some things in basketball, of course — but I hope she sees much more."
"I hope she sees that I was a champion for equity and equality. That in my own way, I pushed for change... not as someone perfect or extraordinary, but as a regular girl who used her gifts to open doors so other girls wouldn't have to knock as hard."
Reigning NCAA basketball champions UConn powered up this week, signing former Wisconsin standout Serah Williams out of the transfer portal — and beating both LSU and North Carolina to the punch.
After several top programs — including the Tigers and the Tar Heels — tried to court the All-Big Ten first team forward, the 6-foot-4 rising senior officially opted to play out her final year of eligibility with the Huskies on Wednesday.
Averaging 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last season, Williams joins a talented UConn frontcourt that includes starters Jana El Alfy and 2025 NCAA Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong.
The All-Big Ten first team forward joins the reigning champs after averaging 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Badgers last season.
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2025/26 NCAA basketball rosters snap up top talent
With most big-name transfers now committed, next season's college basketball landscape is coming into view.
Despite missing out on Williams, LSU is likely this year's transfer portal winner, having signed Notre Dame freshman forward Kate Koval and highly touted South Carolina sophomore guard MiLaysia Fulwiley to the Tigers' 2025/26 roster.
Ohio State also made headlines on Wednesday, inking Florida forward Kylee Kitts — the younger sister of South Carolina standout junior Chloe Kitts — following the Buckeyes' loss of star junior Cotie McMahon to Ole Miss.
While the transfer portal window closed last week, there's no deadline for signing with a new school, leaving the athletes still in limbo time to find their ideal fit.
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.
Welcome to another episode of Sports Are Fun!
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, the Sports Are Fun! crew makes some room on the couch for JWS's own social media guru, Gab Basinski. Together, the hosts then tackle a range of women's sports subjects, including how NIL deals and the NCAA transfer portal are reshaping the college basketball landscape.
"The NCAA transfer portal closed last Wednesday, which had over 1,500 players enter," opens O'Hara. "So many moves here, but just to highlight a few: Olivia Miles to TCU, Ta'Niya Latson to South Carolina, UCLA lost their entire freshman class, and Londynn Jones to USC, and finally, MiLaysia Fulwiley to LSU."
"Of all DI players, almost 30% of players were in the portal," says Basinski. "That's insane."
"I have so many questions and thoughts," O'Hara says.
In addition to all those NCAA basketball thoughts, Sports Are Fun! also dives into NWSL rivalries, the crew's growing beef with the KC Current, PWHL expansion, Caitlin Clark jersey sales, and so much more!
'Sports Are Fun!' asks if NIL is taking the fun out of NCAA basketball
Then, the hosts took a hard look at NIL's impact on college rivalries.
"First of all, I think it's a cardinal sin — and that is pun intended — to transfer to a rival," O'Hara says. "Is that not a thing anymore? I could never, as a Stanford player, go to a UCLA or a USC. Absolutely not."
"When there's money involved, it's not it's not personal. It's business, baby," reasons Diaz. "We're seeing a Londynn Jones go from UCLA literally across the street to USC — that's insane to me. I feel like that's one of the craziest moves. So I guess it doesn't matter anymore?"
"To me, the thing that makes college sports so fun are the rivalries, your school pride," says O'Hara. "You are ride-or-die for your school, and it just doesn't seem like it exists anymore.
"I'd be ride or die for whatever school's paying me, to be honest," quips Basinski. "Get a bag. Because also, it's like, 'Oh they value me enough to pay this much for me to switch schools. So the school is kind of behind me, and if they're behind me this much, alright, I'll take your check and I'll go play.'"
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.
Former South Carolina star MiLaysia Fulwiley officially joined the Gamecocks' SEC rival LSU on Friday, putting the cherry on top of the Tigers' winning NCAA basketball transfer period.
According to multiple reports, the Columbia, South Carolina, product actually committed to LSU weeks ago — the same day she announced she'd be leaving her hometown school.
The rising junior won a national championship with South Carolina in 2024, but started only three of her 77 games with the talent-loaded Gamecocks — despite averaging 11.7 points per game and shooting 42.6% from the field.
Fulwiley's move only deepens one of the hottest rivalries of both the powerhouse SEC and the NCAA at-large, with either South Carolina or LSU featuring in each of the last four national championship games.
The guard won the SEC tournament's Most Outstanding Player award in 2024, after the Gamecocks beat the Tigers to secure last year's conference title.
Transfers reshape NCAA landscape ahead of 2025/26 season
This year's transfer portal has profoundly impacted the women's college basketball field, with more than 1,500 athletes — almost 30% of all Division I players — looking to jump ship.
Even though the NCAA basketball portal closed last week, there are no deadlines for transfers to commit to a new program — or return to their original school, should an athlete's roster spot still be available.
While Fulwiley and other NCAA basketball stars have locked in their 2025/26 NCAA homes, talented transfers like former USC guard Kayleigh Heckel are reportedly still looking for the right fit.
As the dust finished settling on a highly competitive 2024/25 season, roster shakeups could transform some teams into bonafide championship contenders — though history proves that building a superteam doesn't always guarantee a national title.
The NCAA basketball transfer portal window officially closes on Wednesday, after an active period saw top players unafraid to jump ship — even if that means joining a rival team.
After the portal window shuts, athletes can no longer declare their intention to transfer, though there's no official deadline for accepting admission to a new school.
Former UCLA rising senior Londynn Jones is the latest to switch sides, taking her 35.1% three-point shooting to the Bruins’ fiercest Big Ten competition by committing to crosstown rival USC on Tuesday.
The SEC — arguably the sport's powerhouse conference — has also seen significant movement in recent weeks, with Ole Miss landing ex-Ohio State standout Cotie McMahon and ex-Mississippi State guard Denim DeShields — WNBA veteran Diamond DeShields’s little sister.
Maryland is also cleaning up, signing ex-Duke star guard Oluchi Okananwa and Indiana center Yarden Garzon to the Terps' 2025/26 roster.
Meanwhile, 2025 national championship runner-up South Carolina added former Mississippi State big Madina Okot on Monday, after securing ex-Florida State guard and Division I's 2024/25 scoring leader Ta’Niya Latson earlier this month.
Another transfer portal superstar considers a jump
As the stars begin to settle, all eyes are on South Carolina transfer MiLaysia Fulwiley as she weighs her options ahead of her junior year.
Like UCLA-to-USC transfer Jones, the Columbia, South Carolina, product could opt to go the rival route, with rumors of Fulwiley seriously eyeing SEC foe LSU currently making the rounds.
All in all, while the player pool will be finalized on Wednesday, it could take days, weeks, or months to round out NCAA basketball rosters, as teams continue courting athletes in the portal before the 2025/26 season tips off.