Las Vegas Aces shoot for WNBA semis revenge tonight

From backflips to baby buggies.

Las Vegas looks to get even in semifinal Game 2

With their 17-game winning streak fading in the rear-view, No. 2 Las Vegas enters tonight’s semifinal clash with No. 6 Indiana vying to dig themselves out of a 0-1 hole.

• “We didn‘t really have a pep to us, the pace that they were playing at, the pep that they had in their step, we just didn’t have that,” Aces guard Jackie Young said after Sunday’s loss. “It’s on us to change that next game.“

• “I thought it was really poor, really poor,” echoed Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon, putting her team’s recent defensive effort on blast.

• The Aces will be must-win mode tonight, as no WNBA team has ever bounced back from dropping the two opening games of a best-of-five series.

Xs and Os: The Aces will likely try to avoid over-relying on star forward A’ja Wilson this time, after the Fever held the four-time WNBA MVP to just 16 points in Game 1.

• “I know we’re capable, but not when we play like that,” said Hammon. “God forbid A’ja doesn’t drop 40 for us. We had 12 assists in 40 minutes tonight.”

• Las Vegas will also focus on stopping Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell after the first-time MVP finalist scored a game-high 34 points on Sunday — with Hammon later adding, “You can’t ask any one person to guard her. It takes multiple actions and multiple bodies.”

Tune in: The Aces tip off against the Fever tonight at 9:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Coach Tibbetts leads 0-1 Mercury into Game 2 clash

As No. 4 Phoenix preps for tonight’s semifinal Game 2 against No. 1 Minnesota, second-year Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts has his work cut out for him.

• Armed with a revamped roster and modern technical approach common among next-gen WNBA coaches, Phoenix is faced with tying up their best-of-five series against a Lynx team laser focused on returning to the finals under legendary leader Cheryl Reeve.

• “They’ve been doing it, and now they’ve all got championships under their belt,” Tibbetts told JWS, giving props to elite veterans like Reeve. “Nothing is new to them when it comes to this league.”

The playbook: Ending on a 27-17 record, the Mercury have benefitted from Tibbetts’s stretch offense all season, lengthening the court and freeing up room for sharp-shooters like Alyssa Thomas to crash the glass.

• The strategy led Phoenix to a Top 5 regular-season finish in rebounds per game (34.7), assists per game (20.9) and total 3-pointers made (414).

• “[It’s] just maximizing shot attempts, getting your players to understand the true values of what a shot looks like from a points-per-shot basis,” Tibbetts continued. “I don’t think you need to overdo it — there’s a ton of smart players in our league.” (See full stats)

Up next: See if Tibbetts and the Mercury can even the score with Reeve and the Lynx tonight at 7:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Read more: “How 3 Rising WNBA Coaches Changed the Game in 2025” on Just Women’s Sports

Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí wins third straight Ballon d’Or

Celebrated Barcelona and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí took home her third consecutive Ballon d’Or on Monday, becoming the first-ever women’s footballer to accomplish the feat.

• “My third time in a row here, and I still can't believe it, incredible,” Bonmatí said at the ceremony in Paris. “Thank you to France Football for this.”

• Barcelona has dominated the last five player of the year honors, with the panel of journalists tapping Barça’s Alexia Putellas in 2021 and 2022 followed by Bonmatí starting in 2023.

• USWNT standouts No. 25 Emily Fox (Arsenal) and No. 26 Lindsey Heaps (OL Lyonnes) also made this year’s 30-player finalists list.

Stiff competition: The 27-year-old’s win wasn’t without controversy, beating out fellow Spanish national Mariona Caldentey (Arsenal), who came in second despite scoring in both her club’s UWCL Final win and Spain’s 2025 Euros Final loss.

• “If it was possible to share it I would, because I think it has been a year with an exceptionally high level, above all among my teammates, who had a great year,” added Bonmatí.

London calling: After their successful Euros title defense, England fans were also miffed at the choice, though manager Sarina Wiegman did win Coach of the Year.

• Five Lionesses also made the voters’ Top 10: No. 3 Alessia Russo (Arsenal), No. 5 Chloe Kelly (Arsenal), No. 7 Leah Williamson (Arsenal), No. 9 Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), and No. 10 Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), while Arsenal was named Women’s Club of the Year and Hampton took Goalkeeper of the Year.

Basketball is so back. And whether it's smashing viewership records or dropping logo threes, there's never been a better time to highlight all the blockbuster moments that move the WNBA.

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Unrivaled 3×3 rolls out 2026 player slate

Unrivaled 3×3 Basketball is stocking up, rolling out the first set of players set to join the expanded offseason league for its second season on Monday.

• With plans to announce six players every weekday through October 1st, the league has released the first six names: returning players Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix), Rickea Jackson (LA), and Satou Sabally (Phoenix) alongside newcomers Paige Bueckers (Dallas), Saniyah Rivers (Connecticut), and Erica Wheeler (Seattle).

Big picture: The second Unrivaled season is set to tip off on January 5th in Miami, returning with 48 players across eight teams plus a six development players, with four nights of games airing weekly.

• New roster assignments will drop in November, but it’s still unknown if returning players will join new teams or stick with last year’s squads.

USA Basketball taps coach Kara Lawson for 2028 Olympics

USA Basketball has promoted coach Kara Lawson, tapping the current Duke head coach and former Team USA assistant coach to guide the 5×5 squad through the 2028 LA Olympics as head coach.

• “I will work tirelessly to uphold the standards of this storied program. There is no greater honor in our sport than to be chosen to lead the US women in world competition,” Lawson said in Monday’s statement.

• Lawson won Olympic gold with the US as a player in 2008, going on to lead the 3×3 team to gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before joining previous head coach Cheryl Reeve’s 5×5 staff ahead of the 2024 Games.

Big picture: Following the team’s seventh consecutive gold medal win last summer, USA Basketball’s recently hired WNT managing director Sue Bird oversaw this cycle’s coaching selection, with approval from the USA Basketball Board of Directors.

• “Having shared the court with her, I know firsthand the leadership, competitive spirit, and basketball IQ that she brings,” Bird said of Lawson.

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