Nothing like bonding in the Baltics.

New Liberty coach ready to embrace “championship franchise”

New York’s newest hire has officially introduced himself, as incoming Liberty coach Chris DeMarco held his first WNBA press conference yesterday — despite plans to remain an assistant with the Golden State Warriors through the end of the year.

• “It was a no-brainer that this is the best opportunity in the WNBA,” DeMarco said his decision to take the job. “[It’s] a good championship franchise, and this was what I wanted and that’s why I'm here right now.”

• The 40-year-old comes to Brooklyn via the NBA, having spent 13 years working for Golden State in a variety of roles — and winning four league titles with the team.

Big picture: After parting ways with longtime head coach Sandy Brondello, DeMarco’s addition indicates the 2024 WNBA champs are prioritizing new ideas over experience with the women’s game.

• “In my free time I have, pouring into this, probably ordered every book on the New York Liberty,” DeMarco said. “I always watched as a fan, so now I have to shift my focus and watch as a coach… [and] learn about the history of the WNBA.”

• He also mentioned he spoke with Phoenix Mercury boss Nate Tibbetts and GM Nick U’Ren, as both joined the WNBA from the men’s side.

Up next: DeMarco will stay in California through January 1st, before heading to New York just as offseason movement begins to kick up.

Midweek UWCL action leaves three clubs unbeaten

Barcelona, OL Lyonnes, and Chelsea stand alone atop the Champions League table, winding down the 2025/26 league phase ahead of the pack after all three clubs notched midweek wins.

• No. 1 Barcelona and No. 2 Lyonnes share 13 points apiece, while the Spanish contenders have the edge with a +15 goal differential.

• Chelsea sits third with 11 points after Wednesday’s 6-0 drubbing of No. 17 AS Roma, though they’ll need a result against No. 7 Wolfsburg next week to secure automatic entry to March’s quarterfinals with a top-four finish.

Big picture: With just one matchday left before the knockout rounds, several of Europe’s biggest teams have already qualified for February’s playoffs.

• Wolfsburg alongside No. 10 Paris FC, No. 9 Manchester United, No. 8 Arsenal, No. 6 Juventus, No. 5 Real Madrid, and No. 4 Bayern Munich have racked up enough points to advance out of the league phase.

• Three clubs — No. 13 Vålerenga, No. 12 Oud-Heverlee Leuven, and No. 11 Atlético de Madrid — are fighting for the two remaining playoff tickets, with December 17th’s simultaneous kickoff set to determine the field.

Up next: The final UWCL league-phase matchday kicks off Wednesday at 3 PM, live on Paramount+.

Alyssa Naeher re-signs with Chicago Stars

One NWSL legend isn’t hanging up her boots just yet, as former USWNT goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher signed a one-year contract with Chicago this week.

• 2026 will mark Naeher’s 11th season with the Stars, where she holds the club record for regular-season starts and appearances (165), minutes played (14,821), and saves (512).

• “I feel like I still have more to give and want to be out there competing with my teammates and continue to push this organization forward,” she said in Wednesday’s statement. “We made a lot of positive strides to close out last season and I want to build on that.”

Big picture: Naeher’s veteran presence will be a boost for Chicago, as the team welcomes new head coach Martin Sjögren after cycling through three interim sideline leaders following Lorne Donaldson’s April firing.

• The Stars finished 2025 in last place, and have not made it past the first round of the NWSL playoffs since 2021.

• “If you feel like you can still give 100% to what you’re trying to do, then keep going,” Naeher told fellow NWSL vet Ali Riley on BFFR this week. “If you don’t think that you can, then it’s not fair to yourself or the team to do that.”

WTA scores game-changing Mercedes-Benz deal

The WTA scored a major victory this week, entering into a multi-year partnership with Mercedes-Benz that has the potential to become the largest deal in women’s sports history.

• Mercedes-Benz signed on as the pro tennis association’s premier partner, committing $50 million per year for up to 10 years, with the lifetime value worth a possible half a billion dollars.

• The deal is intended to help the WTA Tour reach its goal of achieving equal prize money across all men’s and women’s tournaments and standalone competitions by 2031.

Big picture: The move reflects growing global investment in women’s sports, building on the WTA’s expiring four-year, $20 million-per-year contract with Hologic.

• “Our mission statement when we founded the WTA was that any girl born in this world, if she was good enough, would have a place to compete, be respected, and make a living playing tennis,” legend Billie Jean King said in a press release. “This is a real partnership and Mercedes are in it for the long term.”

PWHL drops 1st-ever memorabilia collection on The Realest

PWHL fans can now own a piece of hockey history, as the third-year league unveiled a new memorabilia collection with auction site The Realest this morning.

• According to a release, the partnership creates “the first-ever witness-based, fully-authenticated collection of game-used and player-sourced PWHL hockey jerseys, equipment, and one-of-a-kind artifacts.”

• “As we enter our third season of unprecedented growth and record-shattering fan support, it was important to preserve our league’s history and share those moments with our fans,” added PWHL VP of merchandising Kate Boyce.

What’s inside: The debut collection features game-used items like Montréal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin’s 2025 playoff jersey, Seattle Torrent captain Hilary Knight’s stick, and Minnesota Frost defender Natalie Buchbinder’s helmet, among other exclusives.

• “From day one, we set out to make women’s sports memorabilia a true category, not an afterthought, and our record-setting work across women’s leagues proves the demand,” said The Realest CEO Scott Keeney.

Shoot your shot: The PWHL collection opens for bidding today via The Realest.

Number of the day 

30

Iowa State center Audi Crooks notched her fourth 30-point game of the season last night, as the No. 10 Cyclones took down No. 11 Iowa 74-69.