Clark, Reese and Bueckers join final USA Basketball roster of 2025
The young WNBA superstars join five Olympic medalists as managing director Sue Bird takes charge of the program.
USA Basketball sets camp roster
The team’s December camp will take place from the 12-14th. (Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
USA Basketball announced on Monday the 18-player roster that will be convening at Duke University from December 12-14th to participate in the team’s final training camp of 2025.
Five 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalists will be taking part, as Kahleah Copper, Chelsea Gray, Brittney Griner, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young bring veteran leadership.
The group also features 10 senior team first-time call-ups, including young WNBA superstars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Cameron Brink. (See full roster)
College standouts Lauren Betts and JuJu Watkins have also been included in the roster, though Watkins will not be participating in on-court activities as she rehabs an ACL tear.
Big picture: The camp will be run by new USA women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson, who will be assisted by Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts, Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase, and Fever coach Stephanie White.
The camp will serve as the first step towards the team’s World Cup qualifiers appearance in March 2026, which the US is participating in despite having already qualified for the World Cup by way of their AmeriCup title.
Bottom line: The clock starts now for USA women’s basketball managing director Sue Bird, who will be in charge of cultivating the best team for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
NWSL TV viewership makes gains
Playoff viewership prior to Saturday’s final was up 5% year-over-year. (Carmen Mandato/NWSL via Getty Images)
Despite a slight dip in regular season attendance, the NWSL has continued to see steady gains from its TV audience in 2025, posting 22% league-wide viewership growth during this year’s regular season.
Prior to Saturday’s title game, the NWSL also announced that playoff viewership had risen 5% from 2024, when the Orlando Pride completed a league double Shield and championship win.
Big picture: ABC and ESPN platforms saw the largest percentage hike this season as their NWSL audience grew an impressive 61% year-over-year, though CBS still touts the highest viewership average with 479,000 viewers per match.
Three of ABC/ESPN’s top matchups featured the Washington Spirit, with the Portland Thorns also making two appearances in the top five most-watched games of the season on the platform.
CBS’s semifinal between Washington and Portland match on November 15th drew 548,000 viewers, while the league’s other semifinal between Orlando and Gotham averaged 328,000 viewers on ABC.
ION, which carries the most linear games each season, has seen a 5% increase in overall viewership from 2024.
Bottom line: The NWSL remains competitive with other North American soccer leagues in finding an audience on TV, with the hope that the league can retain its star power to encourage even more growth.
Stanford rolls as upsets abound in NCAA soccer tournament
The No. 1 seed advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 6-0 rout of BYU. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
No. 1 seed Stanford has rolled through the competition in the first three rounds of the 2025 NCAA women’s soccer tournament, qualifying for the quarterfinal round with a 6-0 thumping of No. 5 seed BYU on Monday.
The Cardinal has outscored their opponents in the first three rounds of the tournament 16-4, including a 7-3 shootout win over No. 8 seed Alabama in the second round.
No. 1 seed Vanderbilt is also still alive, taking down fellow SEC opponent No. 4 LSU in the Sweet Sixteen.
Big picture: Not every top seed is through, as No. 1 seeds Notre Dame and Virginia both fell in the second round.
Big Ten Champions and No. 4 seed Washington sent Virginia home in a penalty shootout, as the team has continued their spirited run following the passing of goalkeeper Mia Hamant.
Unseeded Ohio State has also surprised, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2010 behind golden goal overtime winners over Notre Dame and No. 5 seed Baylor.
No. 2 seeds Michigan State, Duke, and TCU, as well as No. 3 Florida State round out this week’s quarterfinal competition.
Tune in: The NCAA women’s soccer Elite Eight resumes on Friday at 4 PM ET, live on ESPN+.
Get on ground at NWSL Championship Weekend |
Prime was on the ground in San Jose last week, teaming up with JWS to speak to NWSL fans at Thursday’s Sports Are Fun! Live Show presented by Prime and Prime’s Fan Fest activation — two of NWSL Championship Weekend’s hottest events.
Soccer personality Duda Pavão led the charge, quizzing the NWSL faithful on their soccer knowledge and what they love about Prime, before providing one lucky winner with a pair of upgraded seats for the big game.
Tune in: Catch all the On Ground At action on JWS YouTube.
Shopping. Streaming. Live Sports. It’s on Prime.
Phoenix Mercury rebrand ahead of 30th anniversary
The logo changes mark the team’s first-ever rebrand. (Phoenix Mercury)
The Phoenix Mercury have a new look going into 2026, after one of the founding organizations in the WNBA announced their first-ever rebrand going into their 30th anniversary season.
“While our logos have been reimagined, the Mercury’s identity remains the same – our organization’s commitment to the community and the grit and joy of our team will continue to define Mercury basketball,” said Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein.
Finishing touches: The primary logo evolves the Mercury “M,” positioned at an angle of 19.97 degrees, while the global logo features the primary emblem at the center with four rings positioned behind it, mirroring the planetary rings on the team’s original design.
The team is also debuting a first-ever secondary logo, featuring the outline of Arizona with the seams of a basketball, while also officially introducing the popular nickname “Merc” into the team’s lexicon.
Cash in: The team is running a Merc Merch Swap through December 5th at the club’s Team Shop, in which any Mercury fan can swap old merchandise for apparel featuring the new logo.
UConn’s Sarah Strong signs with Jordan Brand
Strong joined the brand’s four-player NIL Class of 2025 this week. (Jordan Brand)
Jordan Brand Basketball has signed another top women’s basketball talent, announcing UConn standout Sarah Strong as part of their NIL Class of 2025.
“Being part of Jordan Brand is honestly a huge honor,” Strong said in a statement. “Jordan is a symbol of greatness and confidence, so being part of the family feels very surreal.”
The sophomore joins a stacked NIL roster that includes USC prospect Saniyah Hall, UCLA guard Kiki Rice, and LSU junior Mikaylah Williams.
Big picture: The partnership further punctuates Strong’s rising stardom and Jordan Brand’s continued commitment to the women’s game.
The iconic brand’s roster currently features over 10 WNBA players, including Lynx star Napheesa Collier and Dream guard Rhyne Howard.
Quote of the day
“Hopefully, this is not the last time we’ll be doing this. Hopefully, there’s many more.”
Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle
celebrating the club’s NWSL championship during Monday’s key ceremony in New York City.
