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Sue Bird joins Gotham FC as minority owner at record $40M valuation

Sue Bird is joining Gotham FC’s ownership group. (Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images)

WNBA star Sue Bird is set to join NJ/NY Gotham FC’s ownership group. The retiring Seattle Storm legend is buying a minority stake in the NWSL club, Forbes reported Thursday.

Bird is joining Gotham FC’s ownership group alongside former NFL quarterback Eli Manning. While the financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed, Sportico reported that the franchise now is valued at an NWSL-record $40 million.

Bird and Manning join Kevin Durant’s Thirty Five Ventures and former USWNT star Carli Lloyd on the roster of Gotham FC investors.

As part of the investment, Bird will act as an “advisor” to the club as it aims to increase its brand profile. Bird told Forbes that Gotham FC “met her business requirements” and that the club appears to be sustainable. The investment was also met with enthusiasm from fiance Megan Rapinoe, who plays for the NWSL’s OL Reign.

“It wasn’t a conversation,” Bird said. “It was, ‘Yeah, that sounds amazing.’”

Bird will retire upon the conclusion of this WNBA season. She announced her intent to do so on June 16. The Storm sit in fourth place in the league and well within playoff position, with the league’s top eight teams making the postseason.

Washington Spirit Head Coach Jonatan Giráldez Departs NWSL for OL Lyonnes

Washington Spirit head coach Jonatan Giráldez talks with the team after a 2025 NWSL match.
Giráldez will leave the Washington Spirit after less than a year at the helm. (Elsa/NWSL via Getty Images)

Another Washington Spirit coach is departing DC, with multiple weekend reports linking current manager Jonatan Giráldez to the newly opened head coaching job at French Première Ligue side OL Lyonnes.

According to The Athletic, Giráldez will step away from the Spirit in June, with assistant Adrián González — who led Washington as interim manager prior to Giráldez's mid-2024 arrival — set to take over the NWSL squad on July 18th.

The move follows additional reports that first-year OL Lyonnes boss Joe Montemurro is Australia-bound after agreeing to head up his home country's national team, the Matildas.

Spirit coach swap raises questions for multi-team owner Kang

With Giráldez jumping from one Michele Kang-owned team to another, the former Barcelona manager's European return raises questions about Kang's multi-club ownership model — and concerns about the future of injured Spirit star Trinity Rodman, who recently took leave from the NWSL to seek treatment overseas.

"We are not going to sacrifice one team to make another team successful. Absolutely not," Kang told Forbes in 2024 interview. "Our goal is to make every team the champion in each of their leagues."

In addition to the Spirit and OL Lyonnes, Kang's Kynisca corporation also owns recently promoted WSL side London City Lionesses.

The Spirit has weathered big changes before, but Kang's involvement in this particular personnel swap will face critique should Washington lose pace later this season.

US Tennis Stars Gauff, Keys Set Up All-American 2025 French Open Quarterfinal

Madison Keys plays a backhand return to fellow US tennis star Hailey Baptiste during their Round of 16 match at the 2025 French Open.
US tennis star Madison Keys advanced to the 2025 French Open quarterfinals early Monday morning. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Two US tennis stars are still shining at the 2025 French Open, as world No. 8 Madison Keys and No. 2 Coco Gauff blew through their Round of 16 matches on Monday to set up an all-US quarterfinal showdown on Tuesday.

Gauff dealt No. 20 Ekaterina Alexandrova a dominant 6-0, 7-5 loss early Monday morning, while 2025 Australian Open champion Keys ended fellow US player No. 70 Hailey Baptiste's French Open run with a 6-3, 7-5 defeat shortly afterward.

"Coco is so good, and especially on clay," Keys said ahead of her upcoming quarterfinal opponent. "She's an unbelievable player and such a great athlete.... I'm looking forward to it and happy to see there will be another American in the semifinals."

Five US women and three men reached the fourth round at Roland-Garros this past weekend, tying the country's 1985 record before Baptiste joined No. 3 Jessica Pegula and No. 16 Amanda Anisimova on the ousted list.

No US player has won the French Open since Serena Williams in 2015, with both Gauff and Keys shooting for a championship match date against top contenders like No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka or No. 5 Iga Świątek — winner of four of the last five Parisian Grand Slams.

How to watch the 2025 French Open

Gauff and Keys will battle for a spot in semifinals on Tuesday morning.

The quarterfinals kick off at 5 AM ET, with live coverage on TNT.

Atlanta Dream, Phoenix Mercury Climb the WNBA Standings with Weekend Results

The Atlanta Dream's Te-Hina Paopao and Allisha Gray celebrate a 2025 WNBA win.
The re-vamped Atlanta Dream are currently third in the 2025 WNBA standings. (Jane Gershovich/NBAE via Getty Images)

While the undefeated New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx look down from the top, Phoenix and Atlanta are shaping up to be the early season's biggest players, as the No. 3 Mercury and No. 4 Dream continue to climb the 2025 WNBA standings.

The Mercury topped the skidding LA Sparks 85-80 on Sunday to reach 5-2 on the season, while the Dream secured their own 5-2 record after Friday's 94-87 win over the Seattle Storm.

Atlanta and Phoenix made some of league's boldest offseason moves this year, as Mercury legend Brittney Griner joined the Dream in free agency while Phoenix picked up top talent in forwards Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.

With Thomas nursing an injury, Sabally led Phoenix over LA behind a team-high 24 points on Sunday.

Griner's 15-point, eight-rebound performance helped Atlanta quiet the Dallas Wings 83-75 on May 24th, before established stars Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard combined for 61 points against Seattle.

Meanwhile at the bottom of the table, the Connecticut Sun registered their first victory of the 2025 season on Friday, edging out the injury-laden Indiana Fever to become the final WNBA team to enter the win column this season.

The Sun, however, came crashing back to Earth on Sunday, falling to the reigning champion Liberty by a steep 48-point margin on the first day of Commissioner's Cup play.

How to watch WNBA games this week

The Mercury are back in action in a road match against the Lynx at 8 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on ESPN3.

Following a full week of rest, the Dream will travel to Connecticut to take on the Sun at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on ION.

USWNT Tops China PR 3-0 to Kick Off International Friendly Series

Naomi Girma and Linsdey Heaps celebrate Sam Coffey's goal during the USWNT friendly against China PR on Saturday.
Sam Coffey (C) scored one of the three USWNT goals in Saturday's friendly. (Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

In their first match since early April, the USWNT didn't miss a beat, comfortably taking down China PR 3-0 to kick off a series of two international friendlies on Saturday.

Forward Catarina Macario opened scoring in the match's 28th minute, before midfielder Sam Coffey doubled the scoreline later in the first half. A header from captain Lindsey Heaps in the 54th minute put the finishing touch on the Saturday victory.

Head coach Emma Hayes's top-ranked USWNT played fluidly against No. 17 China PR, dominating the game's attack with more than 70% possession while notching 18 shots on goal — seven of them on target.

"I feel like I'm working a lot on trying to join the play more, get up in counter-measures. I tend to play it too safe, and think too 'worst-case scenario,' so I was just trying to join," Coffey told TBS after tallying her second international goal.

The match also saw the international debut of 32-year-old midfielder Lo'eau Labonta, who became the oldest player to earn a first cap in USWNT history with her entrance in the game's 70th minute.

"When they called my name, I was sitting being the best cheerleader I could be on the bench," LaBonta joked after the win. "I was like, 'This is amazing. I've never been field-view watching the national team.' It was so cool."

The US will go again against No. 40 Jamaica on Tuesday, but it appears that Hayes's roster reshuffling hasn't yet hindered their ability to control games.

How to watch the USWNT vs. Jamaica friendly this week

The USWNT will take on the Reggae Girlz at 8 PM ET on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, with live coverage on TNT.

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