🏀 "Everybody, yeah, rock your body right, the WNBA's back, alright." You're never too old to hit the dance floor or too young to fall in love with the WNBA. The FIBA World Cup break is over (Team USA is golden once again) and the WNBA returns tonight with every team playing four more games to close out the regular season. And while all eight playoff spots are locked, there's still plenty to settle on seeding, home-court advantage and first-round matchups. These games are crucial, it's like a mini playoff before the playoffs. The Lynx are on top with the Valkyries breathing down their neck, Vegas in their rear-view mirror, ATL & Indy tied at the 4-5 spots and a three-way tie between the Mystics, Liberty and Wings for the last three seeds. Catch it all across Prime Video, ION, Peacock, USA Network, CBS/Paramount+, NBA TV, or rabbit ears.
⚾️There's something special about witnessing so much history in one season. All of it came at us fast, and now we're at the WPBL championship series: the San Francisco Firebells against the Los Angeles Queens, best-of-five. LA took game one of the series. San Francisco is led by two-way star and No. 1 overall pick Kelsie Whitmore, who tied for the league lead with 11 home runs while also pitching 24 innings, while LA counters with Ashton Lansdell, who finished third in the league in OPS and second in stolen bases. The series continues Thursday and Saturday, both at 7 p.m. ET, with Game 4 (if necessary) Sunday at 3 p.m. and Game 5 (if necessary) the following Tuesday at 7 p.m., streaming on ESPN+. Get your popcorn ready. Or in my case, a box of Kleenex. Somebody's about to make WPBL history.
⚽️ We're in the home stretch of the NWSL season and I'm loving the parity. It's non-stop action all weekend, but here are three games worth watching. Friday, fourth-place San Diego hosts a Kansas City team scrapping to hold its spot, but with Chawinga and Bethune, they could go on a tear. Saturday, fifth-seeded North Carolina and Ashley Sanchez, having an MVP-caliber season and the league's leading scorer, host a Gotham team that's been the best in the NWSL all year behind goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. Fun! And my beloved ACFC faces a real test against third-place Utah on Sunday. The Royals have quietly gone from one of the worst teams in the league to one of the best, a slow build powered by Cloé Lacasse, whose 10 assists are tied for the NWSL single-season record, and Mina Tanaka, who's been one of their most dangerous scorers and made the August NWSL Best XI. Angel City's backline is going to be tested. For all the details, check out the NWSL’s How To Watch page.
