The Portland Fire selected 21-year-old French guard Carla Leite with the No. 3 overall pick in Friday's 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft, giving the franchise a young backcourt piece ahead of its inaugural season.
Leite joins Portland after a steady rookie year with the Golden State Valkyries. Appearing in 37 games, she averaged 7.2 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game. According to Golden State, she ended her debut year as one of seven WNBA rookies to post at least 250 points, 40 rebounds, and 70 assists, while shooting 38.7% from the field.
That production came after her initial transition to the US league. The Dallas Wings selected Leite No. 9 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, before she subsequently landed with Golden State in the 2025 expansion draft. She carved out a consistent role in the California club's rotation, proving herself as both a solid ball-handler and scoring option.
Leite arrived from France with experience in her home country's top professional league and national team system. Her game resonates via pace and control, able to create off the dribble, operate in the pick-and-roll, and hold her own defensively.
Portland's selection fits its roster-building approach. In a statement, Fire GM Vanja Cernivec said the team prioritized players who "embody effort, selflessness, and a commitment to team success." She added that "each player we select reflects the culture of what we are building."
Leite's selection marks her second straight year being taken in an expansion draft, reflecting both her upside and value as a young WNBA talent.
Portland will open its debut season in May, with Leite in position to compete for significant minutes as the Fire establishes their backcourt rotation.
Azzi Fudd is simultaneously preparing for the 2026 WNBA Draft while leading UConn into the Final Four in Phoenix — and she's tying her decision to the Huskies' postseason run.
While the fifth-year guard hasn't announced her plans, the timeline is clear. The WNBA entry draft takes place shortly after the NCAA tournament, putting Fudd's future in focus as unbeaten 38-0 UConn tips off against South Carolina.
For now, Fudd says her goal is to remained locked in and avoid looking ahead, even as draft projections place her among the year's top picks.
"My goal all year has been to stay present," the 23-year-old said from Phoenix.
"I know how special it is to be in this program... I want to take full advantage and just really appreciate everything about this year."
As UConn gears up for tonight's 2025 title game rematch, Fudd has remained central to the game plan. Along the way, she and 2026 Naismith Player of the Year Sarah Strong have formed one of the NCAA's most efficient scoring duos.
Meanwhile, coach Geno Auriemma made clear what's at stake for Fudd's legacy this weekend.
"If we win tomorrow and if we win Sunday, Azzi will be crowned one of the greatest of all time," he told reporters.
"If we don't win tomorrow and we don't even get a chance to play on Sunday, she's going to feel like that this was a disappointing year for her."
Fudd's college career already includes the 2025 national title and subsequent Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. She went on to add All-American recognition to her final collegiate year — as well as a chance to cap her tenure with back-to-back NCAA championships.
For now, Azzi is only thinking about finishing the job, helping the Huskies chase their first perfect season since 2016.
How to Watch Azzi Fudd Lead UConn in the 2026 Final Four
UConn takes on South Carolina on Friday, April 3rd at 7 PM ET, live on ESPN.
The winner advances to Sunday's national championship game.
Just over a month before tipoff, the Toronto Tempo announced that former Raptors president Masai Ujiri has joined the 2026 WNBA expansion team's ownership group as a principal owner.
Ujiri led Toronto's NBA franchise to its only championship in 2019 before departing last summer to focus on his basketball nonprofit, Giants of Africa.
"I believe deeply in the vision behind the Tempo: creating female leaders, elevating women not just on the court, but across the organization, and building championship culture from day one," Ujiri said in a team statement.
As part of his duties with Toronto Tempo, Ujiri will spearhead Tempo Rising, a global coaching mentorship program designed to support emerging women-identifying and non-binary coaches. The initiative aims to shape the future of basketball by developing coaching talent in communities worldwide.
The announcement comes as the 2026 expansion franchise prepares for its inaugural season. Toronto joins the league alongside the Portland Fire as the WNBA's 15th team.
Ujiri joins an ownership group that already includes other notable figures from the sports and entertainment world. YouTube creator and actress Lilly Singh became a minority owner in May 2025, before Quebec sports icons Geoff Molson and France Margaret Bélanger invested last September.
The franchise hired Monica Wright Rogers as general manager in February 2025. In January 2026, the team subsequently added Ciara Carl and Brian Lankton as assistant coaches.
The Tempo tips off its debut WNBA season this May inside Toronto's Scotiabank Arena.
Former WNBA MVPs and champions Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne headline the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
Candace Parker is the only player in WNBA history to win championships with three different franchises, capturing titles with the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky, and Las Vegas Aces. She remains the only player to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season, accomplishing the feat in 2008.
Parker's dominance extends beyond the WNBA. She won the dunk contest at the McDonald's All American Game in high school, before captured two NCAA championships at Tennessee. She later went on to add two Olympic Gold medals to her elite resume.
Elena Delle Donne joins Parker as a two-time league MVP, winning the honor in 2015 and 2019. She subsequently became the first WNBA player to finish a season shooting 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free throw line. The sharpshooter led the Washington Mystics to its only WNBA title in 2019.
Parker and Delle Donne are just the latest WNBA icons to heed the Hall of Fame call. Last year, pro basketball superstars Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles joined the Class of 2025.
Basketball Hall of Fame Sets August Enshrinement Ceremony
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame's enshrinement ceremony will take place this August in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The Comets are officially slated for a comeback, as the WNBA and the Fertitta family confirmed on Monday that the Houston Rockets owners will buy the Connecticut Sun and relocate the franchise to Texas.
Previously owned by the Mohegan Tribe, the Sun will spend the 2026 WNBA season in Uncasville before tipping off the 2027 campaign in the Lone Star State.
"I would have loved to remain in the region for our fan base," Sun president Jen Rizzotti told The AP. "I'm at a point now where my focus turns to making this the best season we can have.... It's an opportunity to say thank you to them."
Though the sale still requires approval from the WNBA Board of Governors, the Comets are already staffing up, with reports emerging that newly tapped Houston assistant GM and vice president of analytics Kevin Pelton — a former ESPN NBA journalist — will work alongside the Sun's front office to transition the team this year.
The Comets' new owners are aiming to return the franchise to its initial heights, with Houston winning the first four WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000 — fueled by stars Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson.
The team then suspended operations in 2009, hanging onto the brand rights for potential future investment.
"Houston has a proud championship history in the WNBA," said Rockets alternate governor Patrick Fertitta in a Monday press release. "We believe the time is right to begin the next great era of Comets basketball."
How to buy Houston Comets merch, season tickets
Fans can both register for updates and lock in 2027 season tickets at HoustonComets.com.
To coincide with the historic sale, the team also dropped a limited edition apparel line of WNBA Houston T-shirts, polos, hoodies, and more, available now at RocketsShop.com.
The Connecticut Sun is on the move, as the Mohegan Tribe reportedly sold the WNBA team to the NBA's Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and his family on Friday, ending a sale saga that loomed over much of the team's 2025 season.
According to sources, the $300 million deal will set a new WNBA record, though the sum doesn't include a relocation fee.
The sale reflects the league's growing influence, after WNBA leadership blocked a $325 million bid to bring the team to Boston last August, among other front office interventions.
After acquiring the then-Orlando Miracle in 2002 and moving the team to Connecticut, the Mohegan Tribe has helmed the Sun since 2003.
"What I don't want people to forget is the Mohegan Tribe stepped up when nobody wanted a WNBA team and there were NBA owners folding franchises left and right," Sun president Jen Rizzotti told the Associated Press.
The team will see out the 2026 WNBA season in Uncasville, before tipping off under the revived Houston Comets name in 2027.
One of the eight original teams, the Comets won the first four WNBA championships behind basketball legends like four-time Finals MVP Cynthia Cooper and three-time league MVP Sheryl Swoopes, before ultimately folding after the 2008 season.
Both the sale and the relocation still face approval from the WNBA Board of Governors, with the Sun set to tip off its 2026 campaign on Friday, May 8th.
"My focus [now] turns to making this the best season we can have," added Rizzotti. "It's an opportunity to say thank you to [our fans]."
The 2026 WNBA Draft is taking shape, with the league officially inviting the next generation of women's basketball superstars to the event at New York City's The Shed at Hudson Yards on Monday, April 13th.
The annual college draft will tip off eight days following the 2025/26 NCAA tournament final, as the WNBA gears up to open preseason play on Saturday, April 25th.
For the third straight year, ticketed fans will be able to attend the marquee event, with live coverage also airing across ESPN networks.
The Dallas Wings own the overall No. 1 pick for the second straight year, looking to pad its roster after selecting reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers first in 2025.
The Minnesota Lynx will select second, before the Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, and Chicago Sky close out the lottery, with 2026 expansion teams Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire welcoming their first-ever rookies with the sixth and seventh picks.
As for the class of 2026, NCAA stars Azzi Fudd (UConn), Lauren Betts (UCLA), Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina), and Flau'jae Johnson (LSU) are expected first-round picks alongside international talent like Spain's Awa Fam (Valencia Basket) and Iyana Martin (Perfumerias Avenida).
"Every year, the draft is a defining moment for our league and its future stars," said WNBA chief growth officer Colie Edison in the league's Thursday announcement. "We're excited to create an unforgettable experience as we welcome the next generation of WNBA talent."
How to buy tickets to watch the 2026 WNBA Draft
Tickets to the 2026 WNBA Draft are on sale now via Ticketmaster.
Fans looking to tune in from home can watch the April 13th draft live at 7 PM ET on ESPN.
WNBA expansion draft details have arrived, as incoming franchises Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire prepare to build their debut rosters now that the WNBA CBA is all but official.
Though previously reported to occur on April 6th, the WNBA clarified on Wednesday that the two-team expansion draft will occur on Friday, April 3rd, shortly before the league's star-studded free agency period begins in earnest.
Kicking off the process will be a coin toss between the incoming franchises this Friday, with the winner able to either earn the top expansion draft pick or secure the No. 6 overall pick in the April 13th college draft.
The league's 13 veteran teams can protect up to five players each, with full roster lists — including all potential unrestricted free agents — as well as "Protected Player" designations due to the WNBA office by Sunday.
Similar to last offseason's Golden State Valkyries expansion draft, the protected player lists will likely not be made public.
Both Portland and Toronto can select only one unrestricted free agent from this year's notably deep pool in the expansion draft.
Meanwhile, existing teams can protect any free agent eligible for a "core" designation.
Once the 2025 WNBA teams submit their protection lists, Toronto and Portland can also negotiate and enter pre-expansion draft trade agreements, either to specifically select or not select a particular player, or to select an unprotected player in order to immediately trade her to another team.
The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will begin stocking their rosters in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft on Friday, April 3rd.
The draft will air live at 3:30 PM ET on ESPN.
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.
The new WNBA CBA is almost over the finish line after both the players and the league's Board of Governors voted nearly unanimously to ratify the contract this week.
As details continue to emerge, ESPN reported that players will receive about 20% of the previous year's gross revenue via salaries and other benefits, resolving the deal's biggest wedge issue.
Minimum salaries will start at $270,000 based on years of service, with a max contract coming in at $1.19 million, and average rookie salaries reaching $386,000 for first-round draft picks — up from the roughly $75,000 that players like Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers banked in their rookie seasons.
The seven-year agreement also open up the possibility of a longer WNBA season, with the option to wrap play as late as November 21st in 2027 and — in order to allot for the LA Olympics — November 30th in 2028.
With the league's expansion plan targeting 18 teams by 2028, the 2027 season will likely span 50 games — up from 44 this year — with the potential to grow to 52 by 2029.
The CBA also includes upgrades to staffing and training facility standards, parental leave and protections, and merchandise licensing.
The WNBA CBA now moves to its final stage, with lawyers from the league and the players union set to officially sign off on the terms.