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WNBA training camp: Which rookies will get their shot?

Naz Hillmon greets Cathy Engelbert after being selected 15th overall by the Atlanta Dream. (Evan Yu/Just Women’s Sports)

WNBA teams open training camp Monday, and most teams have released their training camp rosters as they start to gear up for the season.

Both drafted and undrafted rookies will look to make their mark as they compete for the few spots available on already competitive WNBA rosters. Each team can carry a maximum of 12 players into the season.

Atlanta Dream

In addition to drafting Rhyne Howard as the No. 1 overall pick and selecting Naz Hillmon at No. 15, the Atlanta Dream signed Georgia guard Que Morrison to a training camp contract Tuesday.

The Dream are one of the few teams in the league that could see competition at multiple positions ahead of the team’s first WNBA season under head coach Tanisha Wright. The Dream have 16 players listed on their roster ahead of training camp.

Chicago Sky

The Sky added undrafted rookies Lexi Held and Kayla Wells to their training camp roster. Held spent four seasons at DePaul, averaging 12.8 points and 5.3 assists in her senior season. Wells spent five seasons at Texas A&M, averaging 15.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2021-22.

The Sky’s roster stands at 22 players. In addition to Held and Wells, Rhode Island’s Emmanuelle Tahane joins the Sky as an undrafted rookie.

Fifth-year player Imani McGee-Stafford and second-year player Kysre Gondrezick will also attempt to make the Sky roster, which is returning much of its 2021 championship team.

Connecticut Sun

The Sun picked up three undrafted rookies in addition to draftees Nia Clouden, Kiara Smith and Jordan Lewis.

Alexus Dye, Delicia Washington and Aleksa Gulbe were all signed to training camp contracts by the team. The team’s total training camp roster sits at 20 players.

Another looking to compete for a spot on the 12-player roster is Taj Cole, who was signed by the team at the beginning of the Athletes Unlimited basketball season.

Dallas Wings

The Wings finalized their training camp roster Thursday, with draftees Veronica Burton, Jazz Bond and Jasmine Dickey all featured.

Destinee Walker, a 2021 Dallas training camp signee, and Morgan Bertsch, a 2019 Dallas draft pick, will also compete for spots on the roster.

Indiana Fever

In addition to a plethora of draft picks Monday, the Fever announced that they had signed undrafted rookie Erin Whalen out of Dayton to a training camp contract.

The Fever will be looking to fill many holes during the preseason, with plenty of opportunities to make the regular season roster. They carry 22 players into their preseason training camp.

Las Vegas Aces

The Aces have some key training camp additions, including Sydney Colson and Kalani Brown out of the Athletes Unlimited season.

They also added six rookies during Monday’s draft ahead of Becky Hammon’s first season as a WNBA head coach. The team waived one player ahead of the draft, bringing its training camp total to 16.

Los Angeles Sparks

Los Angeles reloaded during the offseason, including the key addition of Liz Cambage. The team also acquired Lexie Brown from the Sky and added Jordin Canada from Seattle.

The Sparks drafted Rae Burrell, Kianna Smith, Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Amy Atwell. They carry a roster of 18 into the preseason.

Minnesota Lynx

The Lynx finalized their training camp roster Wednesday, signing draftees Kayla Jones and Hannah Sjerven. Undrafted rookies Chloe Bibby, Cece Hooks and Moon Ursin were also added to the roster.

The status of Napheesa Collier, who due to give birth to her first child in May. Collier has expressed interest in returning for what will be Sylvia Fowles’ final season but her game-readiness could be a factor.

The Lynx are carrying 20 players on their training camp roster.

New York Liberty

New York has announced that first-round pick Nyara Sabally will not play the upcoming season, and neither will third-round pick Sika Kone. Second-round pick Lorela Cubaj will look to make the 12-player roster on a team that also boasts Stefanie Dolson and Michaela Onyenwere.

The Liberty will have 14 players in training camp without Sabally and Kone.

Phoenix Mercury

The Mercury’s roster has little room thanks to the offseason additions of Diamond DeShields and Tina Charles. But the absence of Brittney Griner – without any knowledge of when she could return from being detained in Russia – certainly hangs over the team.

Leaonna Odom, Jennie Simms, Kiana Williams and Kristine Anigwe are all signed to training camp contracts and will be looking to make the regular season roster. A total of 18 players are on the roster heading into the Mercury’s training camp, the team’s first under new head coach Vanessa Nygaard.

Seattle Storm

On Thursday, the Storm announced the signing of undrafted rookies Raina Perez, Jenna Giacone and Paisley Harding to training camp contracts. Perez joins NC State teammate and Storm draftee Elissa Cunane in Seattle.

Ahead of what is likely to be Sue Bird’s final season, the Storm are carrying 19 players into training camp, including draftees Evina Westbrook and Jade Melbourne.

Washington Mystics

The Mystics carry No. 3 pick Shakira Austin into preseason, as well as second-round pick Christyn Williams and undrafted rookie Jennifer Coleman out of the Naval Academy.

International players Lee Seul Kang and Rui Machida also join Washington. The team is carrying 18 players into training camp.

Caitlin Clark Player Edition Kobe 5 Sneakers Fly Off Nike’s Shelves

An image of the Nike Kobe V Protro sneakers designed by WNBA star Caitlin Clark.
The Nike Player Edition Kobe V Protros designed by Caitlin Clark sold out in minutes on Monday. (Nike)

The first Nike Player Edition sneakers designed by WNBA star Caitlin Clark sold out almost immediately on Monday morning, with fans snapping up the limited run of the Fever guard's Kobe 5 Protros within minutes of the 10 AM ET online drop.

Inspired by the Indiana Fever's colors, Clark's high-gloss Kobe shoes come in Midnight Blue with a tongue and additional accents in Bright Crimson, as well as "vibrant hits of University Gold."

Though Nike did not disclose actual stock numbers, multiple sneaker insiders estimated that Monday's release included just 13,000 pairs of Clark's edition.

Originally on sale for $190 through Nike's website, the Kobe 5 Protro PE is already topping $350 on the resale market.

Clark has been a Nike athlete since inking an NIL deal with the sportswear giant just before her junior NCAA season at the University of Iowa in October 2022, with the WNBA sophomore later signing a reported eight-year, $28 million endorsement contract just after finishing her collegiate career.

That current deal, inked just after the Indiana Fever selected Clark as the 2024 WNBA Draft's overall No. 1 pick, includes the release of a signature shoe.

While Nike still plans to add Clark to its signature shoe roster, the brand appears to be testing the market's waters using the guard's preferred on-court Kobe sneakers — to a sellout success.

How to buy the Caitlin Clark x Nike Kobe 5 Protro PE

Plans looking to pay retail prices for Clark's latest sneaker design will have to wait for Nike to restock, with online resellers like StockX, GOAT, and Flight Club currently selling the shoes at a significant markup.

Waivers, Trades Rattle WNBA Standings as Teams Hunt Midseason Boosts

Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith looks down during a 2025 WNBA game.
Former Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith was abruptly traded to the Las Vegas Aces on Monday. (Cooper Neill/NBAE via Getty Images)

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming later this month, teams across the league aren't waiting for the August 7th deadline to pull the trigger on trades and waivers, significantly shaking up league rosters.

On Monday, Dallas abruptly traded forward NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for a 2027 first-round draft pick, surprising Smith and her Wings teammates — including girlfriend DiJonai Carrington.

"Sick to my stomach dawg, never seen this coming," Smith posted to X after the WNBA announced the trades, adding "if I could've chose anywhere to go it would've been Vegas, so hella excited [for] this new opportunity."

WNBA trades target future prospects

The recent WNBA trades both reflect the depth of options Dallas has in their frontcourt — most recently boosted by the Wings acquiring center Li Yueru from Seattle last month — and indicates the team's early play at a talented WNBA Draft class, with NCAA stars like USC's JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo going pro in 2027.

At the same time, Smith's trade extends Las Vegas's first-round draft drought, with the Aces — who last added a first-round selection in 2022 — currently without an early draft pick until 2028.

As the Las Vegas focuses on leveling up this season, hoping Smith helps boost their current seventh-place league standing, the Aces also added roster cuts to their Monday trade.

Las Vegas handed out waivers to guard Tiffany Mitchell and second-year forward Elizabeth Kitley, who was selected 24th overall by the Aces in the 2024 WNBA Draft despite tearing her ACL at the end of her NCAA career.

Golden State Valkyries guard Julie Vanloo looks on during a 2025 WNBA game.
Golden State waived Belgian guard Julie Vanloo as she returned from winning the 2025 EuroBasket. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Golden State waives 2025 EuroBasket champ Vanloo

Making their own controversial Monday move was 2025 expansion side Golden State, as the Valkyries cut Belgian guard Julie Vanloo shortly after the 2025 EuroBasket champion rushed to return to California, skipping her national team's title-winning celebrations.

"Literally just touched down in the bay," Vanloo wrote on an Instagram story littered with broken heart emojis. "I need some time to process all of this man and put my feels into words. I can't right now."

While Golden State faces backlash for the timing of the cut, waiving Vanloo ultimately opens up a contract for the Valkyries, with rumors swirling that either guard Kaitlyn Chen or forward Laeticia Amihere will earn the roster spot after impressing as replacement players during European absences.

All in all, with WNBA roster space remaining at a premium, teams are making big swings in an effort to shore up their ranks as they push toward the 2025 season's halfway point.

Indiana Fever Face Minnesota Lynx at 2025 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Final

The Indiana Fever huddle during a 2025 WNBA game.
The Indiana Fever will play in their first-ever Commissioner's Cup final on Tuesday night. (Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final tips off on Tuesday night, when first-time finalist Indiana will look to upset reigning Cup champs Minnesota in a winner-take-all showdown for both bragging rights and the lion's share of the in-season tournament's prize pool.

With the total purse set at $500,000, athletes on the winning team will earn around $30,000 each — plus an additional $5,000 for the Commissioner's Cup final MVP — while losing players will take home $10,000.

While Tuesday's final won't count toward the regular-season WNBA standings, the battle will be the first meeting between the Lynx and Fever this year, adding first-clash drama to the already-high stakes.

"I think it's going to feel like a playoff game. It's going to be really fun," Lynx star Napheesa Collier told reporters, noting Minnesota's home-court advantage in the matchup. "Our fans show up for us every game, but especially in that environment ... it's going to be electrifying."

Despite the excitement, player availability could tip the scales in Tuesday's outcome, as both Collier and Fever guard Caitlin Clark contend with recent injuries.

While Collier returned from a lingering back issue without missing a beat last weekend, Clark missed Indiana's last two games due to a groin issue and is currently "questionable" to play for the Commissioner's Cup.

"I'm going to be day-to-day," Clark said on Sunday. "Doing everything I can to put myself in position to play the next game. That's always my goal."

How to watch tonight's WNBA Commissioner's Cup final

The Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever will take the court for the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final at 8 PM ET on Tuesday.

Live coverage of the in-season tournament's championship game will air on Prime.

WNBA Drops All-Star Game Starters, Taps Rookie Paige Bueckers

Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers celebrates a play during a 2025 WNBA game against the Indiana Fever.
Paige Bueckers is the only rookie to make the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game starting lineup. (Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images)

The WNBA dropped its All-Star Game starters list on Monday, with just one rookie earning enough votes to feature on the star-studded 10-player lineup.

In addition to being the lone rookie, Dallas's No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers will be the only All-Star debutant playing in the game's first minutes, as the Wings guard joins nine previous All-Stars to tip off the July 19th matchup — giving her a presumptive edge in this year's Rookie of the Year race.

Joining Bueckers as WNBA All-Star starters will be team captains Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx) and Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), as well as Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), and A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces).

A mix of 50% fan voting, 25% player voting, and 25% media voting determined the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game starting lineup — though the three groups did not necessarily come to a consensus.

For example, players ranked Clark ninth among guards, while the media put her in third. A record-setting 1.29 million fan votes boosted the Fever star into a captain's role.

As for players who fell just short of a starting position, like Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell and Chicago forward Angel Reese fell just short of starting at their positions, their All-Star dreams aren't over yet.

Head coaches across the league will now vote to select 12 reserve players, likely adding both fan favorites and stat-sheet stars to the July 6th final All-Star player pool, with Collier and Clark building their teams from that list on July 8th.

Though reputation, skill, and popularity all factor into All-Star nods, this year's group is also underlining the depth of the WNBA's talent base.

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