Nothing can break UConn head coach Geno Auriemma’s game day focus.

Liberty fires coach Chris DeMarco after 1 season

The Liberty is starting over, after New York fired head coach Chris DeMarco on Tuesday — just one season into his Commissioner’s Cup-winning tenure. 

• DeMarco arrived in December from the Golden State Warriors, where he spent 10+ years as an assistant with no background in women’s basketball.

• Finishing the regular season at 26-18, the No. 8 Liberty upset No. 1 Minnesota in the first playoff round before getting swept by No. 4 Atlanta in the semis. (See full report)

Moving on: The move leaves New York hunting its third coach in three seasons — but unlike the response to Sandy Brondello’s 2025 dismissal, players stopped short of backing DeMarco.

• “Those decisions aren’t ours,” said forward Breanna Stewart, calling the season a “missed opportunity,” while guard Sabrina Ionescu admitted she didn’t “know what’s going to happen.”

• GM Jonathan Kolb is leading the hiring search, fielding potential candidates like Team USA and Duke boss Kara Lawson and Indiana assistant Briann January as the WNBA offseason shifts into gear.

Napheesa Collier leads stacked free agency class

The WNBA faces a busy offseason, as Napheesa Collier, Kelsey Mitchell, and Jackie Young lead a star-studded 2027 free agency class ready to hit the market.

• Anticipating the 2026 CBA, many players signed one-year deals while betting that league-wide improvements would boost their 2027 outcomes.

• March’s ratification raised the salary cap from $1.5 million to $7 million, with WNBPA ED Terri Carmichael Jackson calling it “a new era led by players who know their power and chose to use it.” (See full changes)

Setting the field: Collier tops the list after returning from ankle surgery to shoot a career-best 44.4% from deep despite No. 1 Minnesota’s first-round playoff exit.

• Indiana’s Kelsey Mitchell — fresh off a career-high 24.7 points — vowed to “be selfish” in her decision, while Las Vegas’s Jackie Young posted career highs in scoring and assists.

• Phoenix’s Kelsey Plum, LA’s Rae Burrell, and New York’s Pauline Astier round out the Top 5, though restricted and reserved tags could limit deals. (See power rankings)

2026 WNBA Finals delivers record ratings

The WNBA’s ratings keep climbing, as the seven-game 2026 Finals averaged 1.89 million viewers to become the most-watched title series in league history.

• Golden State’s Game 7 win over Atlanta drew 3.3 million, ranking as the most-watched playoff game and fourth-most-watched game on record.

• This year’s showdown blew past the 2024 Liberty vs Lynx series’s 1.5 million average, with Game 1 (2.1 million) marking the most-watched Finals opener on record, while Games 3 (1.71 million) and 4 (1.9 million) also moved the needle. (See full breakdown)

Big results: Ratings never faltered despite scheduling snafus, after the league shifted Games 3, 4, and 6 to accommodate the Dream’s overbooked State Farm Arena.

• Game 6 took the biggest hit, taking in 1.5 million viewers despite facing backlash after moving to a 12:30 PM ET tipoff on Thursday.

• The surge caps a banner stretch for both the WNBA and its broadcasters, after a $3.1 billion media deal brought the Finals back to NBC for the first time since 2002.

PRESENTED BY AMAZON PRIME

Don’t miss ‘Time Wasting’ with Kelley O’Hara & Ali Riley

Soccer icons Kelley O’Hara and Ali Riley are back, as an all-new Time Wasting presented by Amazon Prime serves up another jam-packed helping of tactical breakdowns, behind-the-scenes stories, and insider perspectives.

• The 2026 NWSL playoffs are officially set! In the episode, Ali and Kelley dig into all the action, from Gotham FC lifting its first-ever Shield to Angel City cruising into the playoffs on a 10-game unbeaten streak.

• Plus, does Gotham’s historic win mark the beginning of a new NWSL dynasty?

Tune in: Catch Time Wasting on YouTube.

From streaming to fast shipping. It's on Prime.

England & Spain top UEFA Nations League draw

Europe’s titans know their fates, as the UEFA Nations League draw sets the stage for both the continental tournament’s third edition and the 2028 LA Olympics.

• Top-flight League A is a steep climb, as Group 1 sees back-to-back Euros champ England face France, Austria, and Portugal, while reigning winner Spain leads Norway, Ireland, and Switzerland in Group 2.

• Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Scotland headline Group 4, with Denmark, Italy, Iceland, and Wales rounding out Group 3. (See full draw)

How it works: League A’s group winners automatically clinch UEFA’s four allotted Olympic berths, with the results also laying the groundwork for the 2029 Euros.

• Group play kicks off in February 2027, with the semifinals slated for October before a two-leg final crowns the champion in late 2027. (See full format)

WTA drops Hello Kitty merch collab

Tennis is broadening its reach, as the WTA teamed up with Sanrio’s Hello Kitty to bring its first official merch collab to next week’s WTA Finals at Indian Wells.

• The line puts Hello Kitty on the court, with t-shirts, sweatshirts, and more spanning Forever Collectible, Wild Collective, and HOMAGE collections.

• “There’s something joyful about bringing the WTA and Hello Kitty together,” said WTA Ventures CBO Sarah Swanson. “Born just months apart in the 1970s, they’re essentially generational sisters with a shared history of breaking boundaries.” (See full release)

Stay tuned: The drop kicks off a bigger commercial push, with the WTA announcing plans to launch a dedicated online fan shop next spring.

Get yours: Fans can browse the WTA x Hello Kitty collection at the WTA Finals’ Fan Village starting November 8th or online now at Sanrio.com.

Number of the day

4

With Sunday’s 1-1 result against No. 9 Aston Villa, struggling No. 7 Arsenal became the first team in WSL history to tally four consecutive draws at home.