While some teams dove into the WNBA free agency market, others invested in existing star power for 2026, keeping franchise players at home with plenty of incentives.
After making guard Jackie Young the league’s first million-dollar signing, Las Vegas secured deals for both Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, needing only 2025 MVP A’ja Wilson to complete its championship core.
"Chelsea is a pure example of a true champion," Aces president and GM Nikki Fargas said in a team statement. "She sets the standard for what it means to compete and win at the highest level, and we cannot wait to see the Point Gawd back in an Aces uniform."
"The Las Vegas Aces are special. And I couldn't imagine chasing history anywhere else. I'm grateful to be able to continue building on this legacy for the fans and this amazing city," said Gray, after earning her first WNBA title with LA in 2016 before adding three more with the Aces.
Phoenix Avoids Losing 2026 Headliners to WNBA Free Agency
2025 WNBA finalist Phoenix also took care of business, hanging onto key talent after losing forward Satou Sabally to New York in free agency.
Forward fiancés Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner and guards Kahleah Copper and Sami Whitcomb all re-signed with the Mercury, emboldening Phoenix as it hunts another deep postseason run.
The Indiana Fever is also looking to run it back, re-signing guards Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham, and Lexie Hull to compliment rostered stars Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston.
With the CBA well on its way to becoming official, WNBA teams are announcing 2026 preseason exhibition matchups in the ramp-up to the league's 30th season.
On Monday, the Phoenix Mercury dropped plans for two preseason games, starting with an April 25th friendly against the Chicago Sky in Sioux Falls.
The clash will mark the first-ever WNBA game in South Dakota, with the game's historic location coming in part to honor the local ties that Phoenix head coach Nate Tibbetts and assistant coach Megan Vogel have to Sioux Falls.
The Mercury will then return to Phoenix to host an exhibition against the Japan women's national team on April 29th — the pair's third-ever meeting and first since 2013.
The international friendly isn't the only one on the WNBA's 2026 preseason docket, with Nigeria set to face both the LA Sparks and the Minnesota Lynx next month. The Sparks' April 25th friendly will make LA the first-ever WNBA team to play an African national team, before the Lynx host the visitors on April 27th.
The WNBA preseason will tip off on Saturday, April 25th, capping a whirlwind of activity spanning a two-team expansion draft, college draft, and free agency period.
ESPN reported the first step in the crammed lead-up to the 2026 season on Monday, with the league giving its veteran teams from April 1st through the 5th to finalize their player protection lists before the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo stock their rosters in an expansion draft on Monday, April 6th.
Kara Braxton, a two-time WNBA champion with the Detroit Shock, has died at age 43, the league announced Sunday. It did not disclose a cause of death.
"It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton," the WNBA said in a statement. "Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time."
Braxton played college basketball at Georgia from 2001 to 2004, earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2002 as a 6-foot-6 center-forward. The Detroit Shock subsequently selected her No. 7 overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft.
Braxton made an immediate impact in Detroit, making on the league's 2005 All-Rookie Team. She went on to win her first WNBA championship with the Shock in 2006 before capturing her second in 2008.
The 2007 WNBA All-Star averaged 7.6 points and 4.7 rebounds during her 10-year pro career.
Kara Braxton's Post-Detroit Shock Journey
After winning two titles with Detroit, Braxton played her final seasons in New York after stints with three different WNBA teams.
Braxton spent part of the 2010 season in Tulsa after the Shock franchise relocated to Oklahoma, before the Phoenix Mercury acquired Braxton via trade later that year. She went on to join the New York Liberty during the 2011 season, where she finished her WNBA career in 2014.
Braxton's son, Jelani Thurman, played tight end at Ohio State for three years before transferring to North Carolina in January 2026. The college football player carries on his mother's athletic legacy.
In addition to her son, Braxton leaves behind a legacy as a league champion and respected veteran in the world of women's basketball.
The 2026 WNBA schedule has arrived, as the league released key dates on Wednesday despite ongoing CBA talks that threaten to delay the start of the upcoming season.
Opening day will be Friday, May 8th, when the WNBA tips off with a tripleheader featuring incoming expansion side Toronto Tempo against the Washington Mystics, the New York Liberty hosting the Connecticut Sun, and the Golden State Valkyries visiting the Seattle Storm.
Fellow 2026 addition Portland Fire will debut on Saturday, May 9th, hosting the Chicago Sky to close out another tripleheader that includes a 2025 WNBA Finals rematch between the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, as well as a Rookie of the Year showdown between the Paige Bueckers-led Dallas Wings and Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever.
Other 2026 season highlights include the return of the annual WNBA Commissioner's Cup in June and the Chicago Sky-hosted All-Star Weekend in late July, with the league set to pause for a two-week break in early September to allow its stars to compete in the FIBA World Cup.
After the regular-season closes on Thursday, September 24th, the 2026 WNBA Playoffs will tip off on Sunday, September 27th, with a repeat of last year's best-of-three first round, best-of-five semifinals round, and best-of-seven Finals.
Notably, the 2026 WNBA schedule drop falls within the current status quo period, which allows the league to conduct certain aspects of its business as usual under the old CBA while continuing to negotiate new terms with the players union.
"I'm just starting to see [the light at the end of the tunnel]," New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart told Front Office Sports this week, hinting at a bargaining resolution while an official work stoppage remains on the table.
The business of women's sports is booming, as Forbes confirmed this week in their Most Valuable Women's Sports Teams of 2025 rankings.
The publication reported that 25 women's sports organizations now boast valuations in the nine figures, with an estimated collective worth of $5.6 billion.
The WNBA's New York Liberty tops the list with an estimated value of $400 million, with women's basketball producing the inaugural rankings' five most valuable teams as the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury also punched at or above the $300 million mark.
Notably, all 12 long-established WNBA teams feature in the Top 25, with only 2025 expansion side Golden State still building into the top echelon of women's sports valuations — though the Valkyries seem a likely future addition to the list considering their record-breaking debut season.
Soccer standouts comprised the other 13 Most Valuable Women's Sports Teams of 2025, with eight NWSL franchises and five European football clubs scoring spots on the Forbes list.
No. 6 Angel City FC and No. 7 Kansas City Current lead the NWSL at $280 million and $275 million, respectively, while No. 8 Arsenal just edged Liga F side No. 7 Barcelona and fellow WSL club No. 8 Chelsea FC to top Europe's contingent with a valuation of $260 million.
Purpose-built arena and training facilities ultimately gave US teams a valuation edge, as many European clubs remain financially tied to their men's counterparts.
All in all, women's sports valuations reflect potential as much as they do current reality, as investors cash in on one of the sector's fastest-growing markets.
Sidelined Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally is still down for the count, with the 27-year-old set to miss the 2026 season tip-off of Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball as she continues to recover from lingering concussion symptoms.
Sabally suffered the head injury in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the 2025 WNBA Finals on October 8th, requiring assistance in exiting the matchup after visibly swaying upon standing.
The concussion forced Sabally to sit out the remainder of the postseason series against the eventual 2025 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces.
Both Sabally and Unrivaled planned her return to Phantom BC for the league's second season, with the German national impressing in the offseason venture's debut run by averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Sabally is under a multi-year contract with the upstart, with Unrivaled promising that while the forward will be out "indefinitely," medical personnel will reevaluate her fitness "at a later date" as both parties hope to see her on the 3×3 court this season.
In her stead, Golden State Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes — who suited up for Unrivaled's Laces BC last season — will join Phantom BC as Sabally's replacement.
The second season of Unrivaled 3x3 Basketball will tip off in Miami on January 5th, 2026.
New York's newest hire has officially introduced himself, as incoming Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco held his first WNBA press conference on Wednesday — despite plans to remain an assistant with the Golden State Warriors through the end of the year.
"I did just a little bit of research. It was a no-brainer that this is the best opportunity in the WNBA," DeMarco told reporters. "[It's] a good championship franchise and this was what I wanted and that's why I'm here right now."
The 40-year-old comes to Brooklyn via the NBA, having spent 13 years working for Golden State in a variety of roles — and winning four league titles with the team.
With New York parting ways with head coach Sandy Brondello in September, DeMarco's addition indicates the 2024 WNBA champs are prioritizing new ideas over experience with the women's game.
"In my free time, I have, pouring into this, probably ordered every book on the New York Liberty," DeMarco said. "I always watched as a fan, so now I have to shift my focus and watch as a coach… [and] learn about the history of the WNBA."
He also mentioned speaking with Phoenix Mercury boss Nate Tibbetts and GM Nick U'Ren, as both joined the women's league after careers in the NBA.
DeMarco will remain with the Warriors in California through January 1st, 2026, before heading to New York just as offseason movement begins to kick up.
USA Basketball dropped its 18-player December roster on Monday, selecting both standout vets and fresh faces for the national team's final training camp of 2025.
Taking place at Duke University from December 12th until the 14th, five 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalists — Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young — will anchor the Team USA lineup.
Notably, a full 10 players will join the senior team for the first time next month, as young WNBA superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink earn their first call-ups.
A pair of NCAA stars will also attend the December camp, with the national governing body tapping both UCLA senior center Lauren Betts and USC junior guard JuJu Watkins on the roster — though Watkins will not participate in on-court activities as she continues to rehab an ACL tear.
Along with the full camp roster, USA Basketball also dropped its December sideline leaders, with current WNBA head coaches Nate Tibbetts (Phoenix Mercury), Natalie Nakase (Golden State Valkyries), and Stephanie White (Indiana Fever) comprising the assistant coaching staff for the previously announced senior national team head coach Kara Lawson.
December's camp is the team's first step toward the World Cup qualifiers in March, when the US will compete despite having already qualified for the 2026 FIBA World Cup by winning the 2025 FIBA AmeriCup in July.
Overall, the clock starts now for USA women's basketball managing director Sue Bird, who is in charge of cultivating the best team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The USA Basketball December Training Camp Roster
- Lauren Betts (UCLA)
- Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever)
- Cameron Brink (LA Sparks)
- Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings)
- Veronica Burton (Golden State Valkyries)
- Sonia Citron (Washington Mystics)
- Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever)
- Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury)
- Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces)
- Brittney Griner (Atlanta Dream)
- Dearica Hamby (LA Sparks)
- Kiki Iriafen (Washington Mystics)
- Rickea Jackson (LA Sparks)
- Brionna Jones (Atlanta Dream)
- Kelsey Plum (LA Sparks)
- Angel Reese (Chicago Sky)
- JuJu Watkins (USC)
- Jackie Young (Las Vegas Aces)
Founding WNBA franchise Phoenix will have a new look entering the 2026 season, as the Mercury announced its first-ever rebrand on Monday to celebrate the team's upcoming 30th anniversary campaign.
"The new branding represents the Mercury's championship legacy, devoted fanbase, and the new era that began with a record-breaking season and memorable [2025] Finals run," said Phoenix CEO Josh Bartelstein in a statement.
In honor of the franchise's 1997 inaugural season, the new primary Phoenix logo positions the Mercury "M" at an angle of 19.97 degrees, while the team's redesigned global logo centers the primary emblem on top of four rings — mirroring the planetary rings on the Mercury's original design.
The team is also debuting a first-ever secondary logo, featuring the outline of the state of Arizona with the seams of a basketball, while also officially introducing the popular "Merc" nickname into the WNBA squad's branding lexicon.
In celebration of the rebrand, Phoenix is currently running a first-of-its-kind community giveback called the Merc Merch Swap, in which fans can trade old team merchandise — which will be donated to Goodwill — for a newly branded Mercury T-shirt.
How to purchase or swap for new Phoenix Mercury merch
To take part in the Merc Merch Swap, fans can bring any Phoenix, WNBA, or WNBA team item to the Mercury Team Shop at Mortgage Matchup Center to swap for a new logo T-shirt as well as a single-item 20% voucher through through Friday, December 5th.
Phoenix's rebranded items are also now available for purchase at the team's online shop.
The Toronto Tempo has officially landed a sideline leader, with the 2026 WNBA expansion team announcing ex-New York Liberty boss Sandy Brondello as their inaugural head coach on Tuesday — and making her one of the league's highest-paid coaches in the process.
"This is the place I wanted to be," Brondello said during her introductory press conference. "To build a team from the ground up — that really excited me."
Brondello joins the Toronto Tempo as a two-time championship-winning coach, claiming her first title with the Phoenix Mercury in 2014 before taking the New York Liberty to the top in 2024.
The first-ever Canadian WNBA team is also doubling down on their choice, with multiple reports valuing Brondello's multi-year contract at over $1 million annually.
The 57-year-old Australian — a three-time Olympic medalist as a player — will join the Mercury's Nate Tibbetts and Las Vegas Aces boss Becky Hammon as the only known WNBA coaches earning seven-figure salaries.
That said, Brondello could have banked even more, with Front Office Sports reporting that a different WNBA team offered her a more lucrative offer, but Brondello deemed Toronto a better fit.
"From my first conversations with the Tempo organization, it was clear we share the same vision: to build a world-class franchise that competes at the highest level, to create a strong and dynamic culture, and to root everything we do in clear and consistent values," Brondello said in team statement.
"This is a place that's serious about doing things the right way — about excellence, about people, about community — and that's exactly the kind of environment every coach wants to be part of."
As the offseason coaching carousel nears its final turn, teams are stretching resources as they prep for big spending — and a contentious new CBA — in 2026.