Where should the WNBA expand next? Ask the All-Stars.

Gotham mutually terminates Esther’s contract

No. 2 Gotham FC is losing a centerpiece, as the Bats announced they’ve mutually terminated striker Esther’s contract this week — a surprise development with major league implications.

• According to a statement, the Spanish international is leaving the NWSL entirely, temporarily stepping away from soccer to attend to personal matters back home.

• “This journey has surpassed every expectation I had when I first came to Gotham,” Esther said, after tallying two NWSL championships, a Concacaf W Champions Cup title, and the 2026 Challenge Cup. “I will forever be proud to say that with this club, I won it all.” (See full release)

Big shoes: The 33-year-old built a legacy in her brief tenure, departing New Jersey as the team’s all-time leading scorer with 33 goals across all competitions.

• She’d been in terrific form this season, racking up four goals in her final three matches and six overall.

• “We wish Esther and her family all the best,” said Gotham President of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West. “Esther has been a model professional on and off the field.” (See full report)

Minnesota returns with winning mentality

No. 1 Minnesota can feel the energy, tipping off the second half of the season atop the WNBA standings — with No. 1 playoff seeding front of mind.

• Bolstered by rookie phenom Olivia Miles and fellow 2026 All-Stars Courtney Williams and Natasha Howard, the Lynx already saw a boost via forward Napheesa Collier’s triumphant return from injury last week.

• “Phee’s not a player that a lot needs to be run for her,” said head coach Cheryl Reeve. “She finds offense because of the way she moves and playing off of others.” (See full report)

Scouting report: Minnesota faces expansion side Toronto tonight, as the Tempo comes off a three-game losing streak despite guard Marina Mabrey’s stellar play.

• Sitting 10th with 18 regular-season games to go, Toronto could look to sell ahead of Sunday’s midseason trade deadline, while Minnesota won’t shy away from buying with a possible title run in the works.

• “We’re certainly a team that’s been quote ‘open for business,’ open-minded to things that are being talked about,” Reeve said. “It’ll be a busy week for us.” (See transaction tracker)

Tune in: The Lynx host the Tempo tonight at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass).

Las Vegas zeroes in on repeat push

No. 3 Las Vegas is on the hunt, as the reigning champion looks to set the tone for the season’s second half with tonight’s clash against No. 9 Portland.

• The Aces will aim to right the ship after dropping two of their last three games heading into the All-Star Weekend — including a 34-point blowout loss to Indiana.

• “At some point, all of us go through this,” said coach Becky Hammon. “Every team has a rough patch in the schedule where it’s just difficult.” (See full report)

Scouting report: Las Vegas has the chance to push restart against the reeling Fire, after the expansion team won just three of its last 10 matchups — and picked up some troubling injury news along the way.

• Portland guard Sarah Ashlee Barker tore her ACL in last week’s 101-97 loss to Dallas, with the Alabama product landing on the SEI list.

• “She is one of the better point-of-attack defenders in the league, and that’s how we've been using her,” coach Alex Sarama said. “It really hurts our defense.” (See full report)

Tune in: Las Vegas takes on Portland tonight at 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass).

WNBA All-Star Game attendance soars

The 2026 All-Star Game reached new heights, breaking the annual matchup’s all-time attendance record by selling out Chicago’s United Center — the NBA’s largest arena.

• 19,783 fans watched Team Spoon overtake Team Coop, edging the 2027 All-Star Game’s previous record of 19,487 set in Washington, DC.

• “To be able to have 19,000 people in the highest attendance ever in the All-Star Game, just really shows that our league is growing and people want to be around us,” said All-Star MVP Jonquel Jones. (See full recap)

Big splash: Saturday’s showdown also marked the first time the WNBA All-Star Game outsold the NBA All-Star Game, held in Los Angeles in February.

• 15,973 fans attended last seaon’s men’s event at the smaller Intuit Dome, outpaced by almost 4,000 WNBA fans. (See full report)

AUSL Awards highlight 2026 standouts

Pro softball celebrated its stars on Friday, announcing the winners of the second annual AUSL Awards ahead of the season’s weekend finale.

• Chicago’s Sami Williams won Batter of the Year after setting records in both doubles (12) and RBIs (34) while batting .427 — good for second in the league.

• Rookie of the Year went to Carolina catcher Reese Atwood, after the Texas alum followed up back-to-back WCWS titles with a .309 batting average, eight home runs, and 25 RBIs.

Big winners: Two-time champion Utah’s Montana Fouts took home Pitcher of the Year — just days before clinching a second title with the Talons.

• Comeback Player of the Year went to Fouts’s teammate Bri Ellis, after she batted .353, tallied five home runs, and posted a .450 OBP. (See full list)

Number of the day 

73 million

The WNBA passed the 73-million viewer mark ahead of Friday’s All-Star Weekend, already making 2026 the most-watched season in league history.