WNBA starts with a bang | Current charges ahead | Gauff makes strides

Got diamonds on my hands, got diamonds on my records.

WNBA is off to the races

The WNBA tipped off with a bang this weekend, with blockbuster rookie debuts, early MVP candidates, and a high-energy team launch driving the headlines.

High rollers: The league’s sharpshooters wasted no time in establishing their dominance, with high-scoring performances erupting from coast to coast.

• 2024 MVP A’ja Wilson dropped 31 points and 16 rebounds in Las Vegas’s Saturday loss to reigning champs New York, as a breakout 22-point, nine-assist performance from Liberty newcomer Natasha Cloud secured the 92-78 win.

• Also on Saturday, Caitlin Clark notched her first triple-double of the season, racking up 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to boost Indiana over Chicago 93-58 while teammate DeWanna Bonner passed Houston legend Tina Thompson to claim No. 3 on WNBA’s all-time scoring list.

• Last year’s MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier tallied 57 points in two games for the Lynx, fueling an undefeated Minnesota run that left both Dallas and LA in the dust.

• Team efforts were also on display, with Satou Sabally’s 27 points for Phoenix and Kelsey Plum’s 37-point masterclass for LA powering the highest-scoring opening games in each franchise’s history.

New beginnings: The new kids also made a splash, with several 2025 draft picks making their professional debuts in style.

• Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers held her own on Friday, scoring the first basket against Minnesota before going on to notch 10 points in the physical 99-84 loss.

• Washington recruits Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen dropped a combined 65 points over two games, leading the Mystics to a surprise 2-0 start with weekend wins over Atlanta and Connecticut.

Bottom line: With the season now in full swing, expect these early results to build as heavy-hitters to continue to excel while new additions strive to meet expectations.

On-court dust-up sparks fan conduct concerns

Indiana’s 35-point blowout win over Chicago wasn’t Saturday’s only newsmaker, as a controversial foul and subsequent crowd response sparked conversations off the court.

• Fever guard Caitlin Clark’s third-quarter foul against Sky forward Angel Reese incited a brief dust-up between the second-year stars, with Clark’s offense upgraded to a Flagrant 1 while Reese and Fever center Aliyah Boston picked up a pair of offsetting technicals for their reactions.

• “Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on,” Reese said after the game, with Clark telling reporters, “It was just a good play on the basketball. I’m not sure what the ref saw to upgrade it, and that’s up to their discretion.”

The aftermath: On Sunday, the WNBA opened an investigation into Indiana fans directing alleged hateful remarks toward Reese after the flagrant ruling.

• Officials acknowledged allegations of racist abuse inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, saying the league “strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms,” and that they’re “looking into the matter.”

• “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players,” said Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Mel Raines, who oversees the Fever, in a statement.

• “We will do everything in our power to protect Chicago Sky players, and we encourage the league to continue taking meaningful steps to create a safe environment for all WNBA players," echoed Sky CEO and president Adam Fox.

Bigger than basketball: This isn’t the first time Fever-related fan misconduct has taken center stage, as last season’s storylines start to spill over into 2025.

• In anticipation of the issue, the league launched “No Space for Hate” on Thursday, describing the campaign as “a multi-dimensional platform designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces — from online discourse to in-arena behavior.”

Kansas City lengthens the lead

The No. 1 Kansas City Current strengthened their grip on the 2025 NWSL Shield race, taking down now-No. 3 Orlando 1-0 on the road to go four points up at the top of the table.

• 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga scored the game’s lone goal, leaping to second in this year’s Golden Boot race with five goals in nine games.

• “If you don’t come with heart, you have no chance,” Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said after the match. “And today I think we showed heart.”

Shifting tides: The weekend’s biggest drama, however, hovered near the playoff line, as point totals don’t always reflect a team’s rising or falling form.

• Gotham fell to No. 2 San Diego 1-0 on Friday, with the Bats skidding to No. 8 on a three-game winless streak and boxing No. 9 North Carolina out of playoff contention — despite the rising Courage securing their third win in four games with Saturday’s 2-0 victory No. 14 Chicago.

• “Obviously, we were hot for a little bit, and teams have slumps all the time, so now it's just finding a way,” Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell said of the team’s recent struggles.

Bottom line: While some rebuilds soar, last year’s postseason contenders are still finding their way, as the league charges on into the second-third of the 2025 season.

Gauff makes strides despite Italian Open loss

US tennis star Coco Gauff’s Italian Open run ended this weekend, as the 21-year-old fell to Italy’s own Jasmine Paolini — the first homegrown winner in 40 years — to close out the annual French Open tune-up tournament.

• Emerging as bonafide clay court contender ahead of next week’s Grand Slam, it appears Gauff lost the battle but won the war as she rose to No. 2 in this week’s updated WTA rankings.

• Gauff reached Saturday’s final via the longest match of her career, winning an epic 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 showdown with 2024 Olympic gold medalist Qinweng Zhang after dropping 2025 Indian Wells champ Mirra Andreeva in the quarters.

Big picture: Clay has been good to Gauff, as she now heads to Paris with two straight clay court finals appearances under her belt.

• “Hopefully I can get to the final in Roland-Garros and maybe the ‘third time is a charm’ thing is a real thing,” Gauff told reporters in Rome.

WNBA injury report starts to build

While most WNBA stars hit the court running this weekend, a few saw their seasons already shorted as teams released opening weekend injury reports .

• Phoenix forward Kahleah Copper is schedule to miss four to six weeks, the Mercury reported, after the Olympic gold medalist underwent arthroscopic knee surgery.

• LA’s Rae Burrell took a knock to the right leg just 41 seconds into the Sparks’ 2025 debut win against Golden State, sidelining the fourth-year guard for an expected six to eight weeks.

• On Friday, the Mystics released an update on rookie guard Georgia Amoore, confirming that the Australian standout will sit out the entire 2025 season after undergoing a successful ACL surgery.

Chelsea completes the treble

Chelsea got it done on Sunday, beating Manchester United 3-0 to lift the 2024/25 FA Cup and complete the famed domestic treble.

• A rocket of a header from USWNT striker Catarina Macario sealed the deal for Chelsea the 84th minute, after Sandy Baltimore slipped a penalty kick past United goalkeeper — and key USWNT prospect — Phallon Tullis-Joyce to open scoring late in the first half.

• With this season’s League Cup and WSL title already secured, the Blues took their final victory lap in front of 74,412 fans inside historic Wembley Stadium — as new minority owner Alexis Ohanian and tennis great Serena Williams watched on.

Parting remarks: “It’s a very emotional day," Macario, back with the Blues this season after a lengthy ACL recovery, told the broadcast after the win. “It’s a trophy we always wanted to win.”

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