Aces knock off New York
Las Vegas is on a tear, downing the reigning champs 83-77 in another strong showing, plus the Chicago Sky's struggles continue and more news to know

Aces knock off New York

Las Vegas is on a five-game winning streak after taking down New York on Wednesday. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
A simmering rivalry turned a new page on Wednesday, as No. 5 Las Vegas Aces took down a short-staffed now-No. 3 New York 83-77 in another strong showing for the rising Aces.
“You can’t rush a cake to be baked,” Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon said of her team, after winning seven of their last 10 games.
“We’re just steady and poised in the locker room,” added guard Chelsea Gray. “In the uncomfortable situations, you figure out who you are as a team.”
Big picture: Las Vegas made key midseason changes after finding themselves on the postseason bubble, moving 2025 addition Jewell Loyd to the bench while shifting to a small-ball starting lineup centered around 2024 MVP A’ja Wilson and recent pick-up NaLyssa Smith. [Read more]
“She likes it, I guess,” Hammon said of Loyd’s new role, following the guard’s 21-point performance on Wednesday. “Anytime you have the threat of 20-plus coming in off the bench, that’s a huge advantage.”
“That’s the beauty of this team,” echoed Loyd. “We’re very unselfish in that way — we want to see people get going and I just got hot.”
The Liberty, however, are scrambling, losing their second-place grip on the WNBA standings last night as injured star Breanna Stewart watched from the sidelines. [Read more]
Up next: The Aces are in for another tough assignment tomorrow, as they travel to Phoenix to take on the No. 4 Mercury at 10 PM ET, live on ION.
Reese injury looms over struggling Sky

Reese has missed eight of Chicago’s last nine games with a back injury. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
The Sky are facing another failure to launch, as No. 12 Chicago struggles to navigate the WNBA season’s second half with star forward Angel Reese sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Reese has missed eight of the team’s last nine games with a lingering back injury, with the Chicago Tribune reporting Wednesday that she’s still not cleared for basketball activities.
“For Angel, if she’s healthy, she wants to play,” said Sky head coach Tyler Marsh. “We just don’t want to put her in harm’s way to further any existing injury.” [Read more]
Big picture: Riding a record of 8-24 into the last month of regular-season play, the Sky are shifting focus toward the future with their 2025 campaign all but over.
Reese had been a bright spot prior to injury, averaging 14.2 points and 12.7 rebounds per game while notching her first career triple-double in June.
With veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot out with an SEI and Reese unavailable, Chicago suffered their ninth loss in 10 games this week, falling to No. 13 Connecticut in a heated matchup that saw three players ejected. [See more]
Uncertain future: The Sky swapped first-round 2026 draft picks with the Sun back in July 2024, giving them likely lottery positioning going into next season’s WNBA draft.
However, Chicago then traded away their natural first-round 2026 pick to the Lynx in an effort to select TCU alum Hailey Van Lith with Minnesota’s 11th-overall 2025 pick — creating a non-zero chance that the league’s top team will tip off next season with that year’s No. 1 draft pick. [Read more]
The Sun’s sale saga continues

Three possible buyers are in play to take over as owners of the Sun. (Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Connecticut Sun’s roller-coaster sale has taken another turn, with Front Office Sports reporting Wednesday that three different buyers are currently in play to take over the team. [Read more]
Alongside former Boston Celtics owner Steve Pagliuca’s previous $325 million bid, ex-Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry recently entered a matching bid to move the team to nearby Hartford. [Read more]
Houston Rockets ownership has also entered the mix, with reports indicating that WNBA leadership would prefer the franchise relocate to Texas.
Big picture: Topping the sale price with an additional relocation fee may be the best way for a potential owner to separate themselves from the pack, with the relocation fee directly benefiting the WNBA’s front office.
After securing a hefty payday via three new expansion cities, commissioner Cathy Englebert has apparently cited Houston as “up next.” [Read more]
Bottom line: All signs point to the WNBA looking to align the Sun’s sale with their larger goals, leaving multiple fanbases — both existing and potential — in limbo.
NCAA soccer kicks off

The North Carolina Tar Heels (R) enter the season as reigning NCAA champions. (Anthony Sorbellini/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
The 2025 NCAA soccer season kicks off today, with longstanding powerhouses looking to repeat last year’s successes as the landscape continues to shift.
After a strong 2024 run, the ACC is once again poised to house college soccer’s upper echelon, representing six of the United Soccer Coaches’ preseason Top 10 teams including the top four programs.
Reigning champions UNC enter the season at No. 1, with 2024 MAC Hermann winner Kate Faasse returning for her senior season. [Read more]
Big picture: The ACC might stand alone, but the rest of the Power Four will attempt to make their own waves.
Southern California’s No. 5 USC and No. 8 UCLA are in line to rule the Big Ten for a second straight season, while No. 6 Arkansas holds the highest SEC prospects and No. 9 TCU is the Big 12 favorite. [See full rankings]
Nike teases 2nd A’ja Wilson sneaker

Wilson’s second signature Nike shoe is set to drop in 2026. (Nike)
After A’ja Wilson’s signature Nike A’Ones flew off the shelves in May, sneaker site Sole Retriever reported plans for the WNBA star to drop second edition in 2026.
While the updated design is still under wraps, the retail price is reportedly set to rise from $115 to $145 to accommodate an overhaul in the sneaker’s technology. [Read more]
Big picture: Wilson followed up her original A’One with additional colorways that proved popular across the league, becoming the fifth most-worn shoe in the WNBA.
The shoe’s initial drop sold out in under five minutes, underlining the growing market for signature apparel in women’s sports. [Read more]
Quote of the day
“Let them know Cheryl said ‘I’ll do whatever to my hair.’”
Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve
promising player duo the StudBudz that she’d dye her hair pink if Minnesota wins the 2025 WNBA Championship.