The Under Armour Next Elite 24 games return Friday in Chicago following a six-year hiatus, featuring 24 top prospects in the inaugural girls game.

The all-star showcase will air live on ESPNU from Northerly Island on Chicago’s lakefront, with the girls game set to tip off at 5 p.m. ET. The boys game will follow at 7 p.m.

Top 2023 recruit Mikaylah Williams, an LSU commit, is among the players who will take part in the showcase. She’ll be joined on the Breakthru squad by Team USA teammate Hannah Hidalgo. The Ascent squad includes four players who competed for Team USA over the summer, including the U17 national team’s Jaloni Cambridge. U18 national team members Courtney Ogden, Chloe Kitts and Aaliyah Del Rosario are also on Ascent.

Both US national teams won gold over the summer — the U17 team claimed its fifth gold medal at the World Cup in Debrecen, Hungary, while the U18 team won gold at the Americas Championship in Buenos Aires.

Since it began in 2006, the Next Elite 24 has been played at Rucker Park in Harlem, Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn and Venice Beach in Los Angeles. It is notably the only all-star event to be played outside.

Check out the full rosters below.

Team Breakthru

No. 0 | Taliah Scott, 5-9 guard, Saint John’s Country Day School (Fla.), Sr.
No. 1 | Dee Alexander, 6-1 guard, Purcell Marian (Ohio), Soph.
No. 2 | Essence Cody, 6-3 post, Valdosta (Ga.), Sr.
No. 4 | Reniya Kelly, 5-5 point guard, Hoover (Ala.), Sr.
No. 5 | Cassandre Prosper, 6-2 forward, Cairine Wilson Secondary School (Can.), Sr.
No. 6 | Mikaylah Williams, 6-foot guard, Parkway (La.), Sr.
No. 8 | Malaysia Fulwiley, 5-6 guard, W.J. Keenan (S.C.), Sr.
No. 10 | Jasmine Davidson, 6-1 wing, Clackamas (Ore.), Soph.
No. 12 | Deniya Prawl, 5-11 guard, Fort Erie International Academy (Can.), Soph.
No. 14 | Blanca Thomas, 6-5 post, Charlotte Catholic (N.C.), Jr.
No. 16 | Maddy McDaniel, 5-5 point guard, Bishop McNamara (Md.), Jr.
No. 22 | Hannah Hidalgo, 5-6 point guard, Paul VI (N.J.), Sr.

Team Ascent

No. 1 | Ashlynn Shade, 5-9 guard, Noblesville (Ind.), Sr.
No. 4 | Jasmine Brown, 5-9 guard, Example Academy (Ill.), Sr.
No. 5 | Adhel Tac, 6-5 post, South Grand Prairie (Texas), Jr.
No. 9 | Kymora Johnson, 5-7 guard, Saint Annes-Belfield (Va.), Sr.
No. 13 | Zakiyah Johnson, 5-11 guard, Sacred Heart Academy (Ky.), Soph.
No. 17 | Joyce Edwards, 6-2 forward, Camden (S.C.), Jr.
No. 20 | Olivia Olson, 6-foot point guard, Benilde Saint Margaret (Minn.), Jr.
No. 22 | Jaloni Cambridge, 5-6 point guard, The Ensworth School (Tenn.), Jr.
No. 23 | Courtney Ogden, 5-11 wing, Westminster School (Ga.), Sr.
No. 26 | Chloe Kitts, 6-2 forward, DME Academy (Fla.), Sr.
No. 32 | Sarah Strong, 6-2 forward, Grace Academy (N.C.), Jr.
No. 35 | Aalyah Del Rosario, 6-5 post, The Webb School (Tenn.), Sr.

Trent Singer is the High School Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow him on Twitter @trentsinger.

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka has once again merged high fashion with elite athletics, debuting a custom "jellyfish-inspired" kit during the opening rounds of the 2026 Australian Open.

The outfit, a collaboration between Nike and London-based designer Robert Wun, immediately went viral following the world No. 17's first-round victory over Croatia's Antonia Ružić.

The avant-garde walk-on look featured a turquoise and green tie-dye palette, characterized by organic, wavy ruffles designed to mimic the movement of jellyfish tentacles. The multi-piece configuration included a zip-up jacket with cascading tendrils, a pleated miniskirt layered over wide-leg trousers, and a dramatic wide-brimmed hat complete with a sheer white veil and matching parasol.

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Osaka later revealed her two-year-old daughter Shai inspired the concept. While reading a marine life storybook together, Osaka noticed her daughter's interest in a jellyfish illustration. That led her to translate the visual into her 2026 tournament aesthetic.

"It felt symbolic of energy, transformation, and excitement," Osaka told reporters. She went on to describe the design as representing "the birth of something new" in both her career and journey as a mother.

The outfit also featured two delicate white butterflies — one fixed to her hat and another to her parasol. These served as a reference to the 2021 Australian Open, when a butterfly famously landed on Osaka’s face during her title-winning run.

On the court, Osaka has backed the bold style with strong performances. She secured a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win over Antonia Ružić in her opening match on January 20th, followed by a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory against Sorana Cirstea on January 22nd.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2026 Australian Open

Osaka is scheduled to face Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis in the Australian Open's third round. The pair will meet early Saturday morning at 4:40 AM ET.

All 2026 Australian Open matches air live across ESPN platforms.

Minnesota native and Unrivaled Basketball standout Paige Bueckers is returning to her roots to support local families.

After winning the first-ever Unrivaled free throw contest this week, the Breeze BC guard has pledged to match up to $50,000 in donations to the #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund. The initiative was established to ensure food security for students within the Hopkins Public Schools District — Bueckers's alma mater.

The #HopkinsStrong Relief Fund is a collaboration between the Hopkins Education Foundation (HEF) and the ICA Food Shelf. It addresses the urgent needs of families in the western Minneapolis suburbs facing economic uncertainty.

By leveraging her platform, the Unrivaled Basketball star is helping the foundation move toward its $250,000 fundraising goal. It aims to supply emergency food bags and assistance with essential costs like rent and utilities.

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"Community is how opportunity begins. When Hopkins families are supported with food and care, our young people can thrive," Bueckers said in a statement. "That’s why my foundation is committed to supporting the youth and families of Hopkins."

The contribution continues a long-standing tradition of community support from the former Hopkins High School standout.

Since 2023, Bueckers has partnered with the ICA Food Shelf to support local initiatives like the Hopkins West Middle School Food Market in Minnesota.

Minnesota native Bueckers lends a hand during uncertain times

The athlete's contribution is even more significant now, as Minneapolis deals with widespread unrest following a series of high-profile ICE raids.

"At this very moment, we have students and families who are afraid to leave their homes," says Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed, addressing the recent ICE raids in Minneapolis and the surrounding area.

"We are grateful to the Hopkins Education Foundation not only for supporting innovation in our classrooms but also for supporting Hopkins families during radically uncertain times."

"We want to be there for all of our students during this challenging time," added HEF executive director Emily Wallace-Jackson. "It’s our mission to enhance education for Hopkins students, and that starts with making sure that our children are fed so they have energy to learn."

As of late January, the fund has already presented an initial $50,000 to the ICA Food Shelf. With the matching period open, organizers are calling on the local community to contribute.

The NWSL is adding fan fashion to matchday this season, teaming up with Washington, DC-based design label Dead Dirt to launch an exclusive preseason collection of jerseys this week.

Dead Dirt dropped the colorful knit merch for all 16 NWSL franchises, with initial jersey inventories for multiple clubs — including incoming 2026 expansion teams Boston Legacy FC and Denver Summit FC — selling out within hours of the Thursday night release.

Showcasing a collared, V-necked, rugby shirt aesthetic, each kit includes nods to the club's color and crest throughout the design.

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Named the Spirit's first-ever creative director in March 2024, Dead Dirt founder Domo Wells dropped multiple collections with the Washington club over the last two seasons — from 2024's "New Growth" collection to 2025's "Cherry Blossom" and "Fast Track" capsules — before the NWSL tapped Wells to expand her design footprint league-wide.

"You have to truly understand the team's culture and region. That's why my first full season with the Washington Spirit mattered," Wells told The Cut last month. "That's when the conversation shifted from one team to the entire league."

Additionally, this week's launch is the first of many future NWSL collaborations, with Wells detailing a "layered" plan for cohesive league-wide drops "with the option for teams to go deeper if they want more."

As for what NWSL fans can expect from upcoming Dead Dirt collections, Wells sees her role as "reframing merch as storytelling."

"My goal [is] always to design pieces that live outside the stadium," she explained. "If it doesn't live in [a fan's] closet after game day, it's not worth the spend."

How to buy NWSL x Dead Dirt knit jerseys

The entire NWSL x Dead Dirt jersey collection is available online now at the NWSL Shop and the Dead Dirt store.

Team USA will see 97 skiers and snowboarders representing the red, white, and blue in Milan next month, with US Ski & Snowboard tapping a wealth of veteran experience for the 2026 Winter Olympic roster on Thursday.

All-time winningest FIS World Cup skier Mikaela Shiffrin will compete in her fourth Winter Games, with the 30-year-old two-time Olympic gold medalist hunting hardware in her preferred slalom event after failing to medal in Beijing in 2022.

At the same time, 41-year-old skier Lindsey Vonn is also mounting a dramatic comeback, participating in her fifth Olympics after winning multiple downhill medals on this season's World Cup circuit.

Also returning to the Olympic stage will be 25-year-old halfpipe star Chloe Kim, who is officially clear to return to competition after a recent shoulder dislocation put her Milan plans to become the first snowboarder to win three straight Olympic gold medals in jeopardy.

Alongside the deep veteran talent on the roster, US Ski & Snowboard is sending 48 athletes to make their Olympic debuts next month, including 15-year-old halfpipe freestyle skiier Abby Winterberger and 20-year-old two-sport talent Sammy Smith.

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Smith, a Stanford sophomore and starting defender for the 2025 College Cup runner-up Cardinal soccer team, will compete in cross-country skiing for Team USA in Milan.

Considering 15 of the 25 US Olympic medals at the 2022 Beijing Games came from ski and snowboarding, US snowboard program director Rick Bower noted that, "In many ways, making this team is even harder than [competing in] the Olympics themselves."