Is star WNBA rookie Olivia Miles making a case for world’s best two-sport athlete?

Unrivaled scores $650M valuation

Unrivaled is cashing in, as the 3×3 league announced a $650 million valuation following an oversubscribed Series C round — nearly doubling its worth in one year.

• Led by Ten Pillars Sports Fund and backed by the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Geno Auriemma, Alex Morgan, and Ashton Kutcher, the round blew past its initial $100 million target as the league gears up for its January 2027 return. 

• Players remain Unrivaled’s largest equity group with a near-$200 million pool — a stake that’s climbed more than 550% since its 2025 launch. (See full report)

Big moves: The eight-team upstart hit the road last winter, departing its 1,000-seat Miami arena to set a pro women’s basketball attendance record in Philadelphia before selling out Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. 

• President Alex Bazzell said Unrivaled plans to further its reach in its third year, targeting additional higher-capacity venues for its season-openers, playoff games, and more. 

• “Nothing is off the table,” Bazzell told ESPN. “Whether that’s format, cities, where we go next, or who we sign, we want to make sure we are making sound, long-term decisions.” (See full report)

Ashley Sanchez sets NC scoring record

Ashley Sanchez can’t be stopped, as the NWSL’s Golden Boot leader broke No. 5 North Carolina’s single-season goals record with two more in last night’s 2-0 win over No. 9 Angel City.

• Sanchez tied Lynn Biyendolo’s 2019 mark of 14 with a 41st-minute strike, later tacking on her 15th after running onto a long ball from keeper Kailen Sheridan and outpacing three defenders to slot it in. 

• The brace was Sanchez’s second in four days after Saturday’s 2-1 win over Boston, with Sheridan claiming a second career assist — more than any other goalie in league history. (Watch full highlights)

Falling short: The loss snapped a four-game unbeaten run for Angel City, after LA battled league-leader Gotham to a tense 0-0 draw on Sunday — spotlighting this season’s tight turnarounds.

• “We played a top team in a really good performance that demanded a lot from us on Sunday, and now we played again today,” said interim coach Leif Gunnar Smerud. “It’s natural that this is gonna cost some energy, and we need to make sure we are recovered.” (See full remarks)

Up next: Sanchez returns Saturday, as NC visits No. 7 Kansas City at 6:30 PM ET (ION), before ACFC takes on Boston Legacy on Monday at 8 PM ET (CBS Sports).

WNBA viewership hits record high

The WNBA is hitting new heights, as Sunday’s Fever vs Sky clash drew 3.31 million viewers across NBC and Peacock to become the league’s most-watched regular-season game since its first-ever weekend slate.

• Peaking at 3.82 million, the 113-90 Indiana win ranks as the third-most watched regular-season game on record, trailing only June 1997’s New York vs LA (5.04 million) and Charlotte vs Phoenix (3.59 million) inaugural season-openers on NBC.

• Fever star Caitlin Clark fueled the numbers with a lights-out performance, erupting for 37 points off a career-best eight 3-pointers plus 10 assists. (See full report)

Context: The night marked the second regular-season WNBA game to feature in a linear network’s primetime Sunday lineup, highlighting NBC’s return to the WNBA.

• The channel dominated live coverage from 1997 to 2002, before signing back on as a part of this year’s blockbuster media deal.

• “Remember when I joined the league, we had 15 games on national platforms, mostly on ESPN2 and ESPNU,” Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Sports Business Journal in May. “This year we’ll have 216 out of 330 regular-season games on national platforms. That’s over 65%.”

Star-studded field tees off at FM Championship

The LPGA tees off in Boston today, as world No. 1 Nelly Korda leads 23 of the LPGA’s Top 25 into the 2026 FM Championship with $4.4 million on the line.

• Thirteen 2026 champions are in the mix, headlined by Korda’s four titles, plus three-time winner Jeeno Thitikul, and two-time champion Haeran Ryu — the tournament’s lone returning winner. (See full field)

One last ride: The event doubles as a send-off for golfing great Anna Nordqvist, after announcing plans to retire from the LPGA following this weekend’s tournament — though she’ll still captain Europe at next month’s Solheim Cup.

• The 39-year-old Swede leaves the tour with nine LPGA wins, three major titles, and more than $14 million in earnings over her storied pro career.

• “Twenty years ago, I came to the US with two suitcases, a golf bag, and a dream,” Nordqvist said. “I’m not sure what the future has in store for me, but it’s with a grateful heart I have decided to retire from playing professional golf to focus on my health and my family.” (See full post)

WPBL gears up for 1st postseason

The WPBL is headed into the final stretch, launching postseason ticket sales ahead of its September 9th playoffs at Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois.

• Capping a 30-game regular-season schedule, all four clubs will advance to the playoff bracket, with the top seed facing the No. 4 seed while No. 2 takes on No. 3 in a best-of-three semifinals. 

• The two winners advance to a best-of-five Championship Series starting September 16th, with the league eventually crowning the country’s first pro women’s baseball champion since 1954. (See full details)

Taking stock: After last night’s 8-6 win over Boston, LA sits just a half-game behind No. 1 San Francisco, with the Queens looking to extend their race up the WPBL standings in tonight’s showdown with No. 3 New York.

Watch more: Dive into pro baseball’s return in JWS’s The DNA Of: 70 Years Later.

Number of the day 

52

Despite not suiting up for three weeks, Dallas’s Azzi Fudd still leads all WNBA rookies with 52 steals on the season.