Stephanie Kaloi

Geno Auriemma says he has no plans to retire from UConn in the foreseeable future after four decades leading one of the most successful programs in basketball history. He discusses Apple TV’s documentary The Dynasty: UConn Huskies, which chronicles the program’s 12 national championships, extraordinary winning streak and generations of WNBA players. Auriemma highlights Chris Dailey’s essential role, reflects on his demanding but close relationship with Paige Bueckers and her development into a vocal leader, and regrets that his rivalry with Pat Summitt sometimes overshadowed the players and teams. He also describes UConn’s broader legacy as helping women see professional possibilities in sports and empowering them to believe anything is possible.

The WNBA’s Chicago All-Star Weekend overcame a tense buildup involving officiating disputes, online conflict, and incidents involving racist or transphobic rhetoric to deliver a celebratory and record-setting event attended by 19,783 fans. Players and coaches urged supporters to focus on the league’s joy, diversity, and quality basketball rather than social-media outrage, while Commissioner Cathy Engelbert acknowledged shortcomings in disciplinary processes and communication. League announcements, including a replay center for next season, suggested continued institutional progress as the WNBA enters its 30th season.

The WNBA has sharply increased foul calls after complaints about inconsistent officiating and excessive physicality during the 2025 season. A taskforce involving coaches and league officials focused on enforcing existing freedom-of-movement rules more consistently, raising average fouls from 17.5 to about 22 per team per game. Coaches generally welcome the communication and collaboration, while players are divided: some see stricter enforcement as a challenge requiring greater discipline, while others argue referees must better protect players and adapt to opponents baiting calls. Rickea Jackson’s season-ending ACL injury has renewed concerns about whether the new approach is improving player safety or creating new problems.

The Guardian’s contributors expect the Las Vegas Aces to remain the team to beat in the WNBA’s 30th season, with A’ja Wilson favored to win another MVP and Becky Hammon’s squad widely tipped for a championship repeat. Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire provide new expansion energy, while the Washington Mystics, Dallas Wings and Los Angeles Sparks are identified as potential surprise teams. Olivia Miles, Flau’jae Johnson and other rookies are highlighted as award contenders. The new collective bargaining agreement is the offseason’s defining development, raising the salary cap by 364% and quadrupling minimum salaries, while roster movement, injuries and uncertainty around teams such as Phoenix and Minnesota could reshape the playoff race.

A new WNBA collective bargaining agreement dramatically raises player compensation, lifting the minimum salary from $66,000 to $270,000, setting an estimated average salary of $583,000 and pushing top salaries to $1.4m. Players including Courtney Williams, Alysha Clark, Alanna Smith and Maddy Siegrist say the gains will help them support family members, buy homes, plan for retirement and avoid the risks and sacrifices of playing overseas. The deal also introduces revenue sharing after the league generated enough money to distribute $8m among its 13 teams. Players view the agreement as recognition of their work and a foundation for future generations, while emphasizing that their fight for respect, growth and fair compensation continues.

Azzi Fudd’s selection first overall by the Dallas Wings should have centered on her elite basketball ability and UConn achievements, but public discussion focused on speculation about her relationship with former teammate Paige Bueckers. The piece argues that this fixation reflects the marginalization of women athletes, the erasure of the WNBA’s longstanding queer culture, and the fetishization of same-sex relationships. Social media has intensified parasocial speculation, even though players’ romantic lives are private and complex and should not overshadow their professional accomplishments.

WNBA draft analysts see the 2026 No 1 pick as unusually uncertain, with Spanish center Awa Fam and UConn guard Azzi Fudd the leading candidates for the Dallas Wings. UCLA’s championship run has significantly boosted Lauren Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, Kiki Rice and Gianna Kneepkens, potentially giving the Bruins four first-round selections. The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire are assessed as the most intriguing expansion teams, while Raven Johnson is among the prospects whose stock has risen most. The writers also highlight international players such as Frieda Bühner and Nell Angloma, along with later-round sleepers including Hannah Stuelke, Rori Harmon and Yarden Garzon.

Women’s March Madness coaches and players have repeatedly emphasized joy and fulfillment despite the disappointment of elimination. Kara Lawson credited Duke’s growth after its Elite Eight loss to UCLA, while Notre Dame’s Niele Ivey and Vanderbilt’s Shea Ralph and Mikayla Blakes described joy as central to their seasons. Texas coach Vic Schaefer likewise said his team has made coaching especially enjoyable. The focus on enjoying basketball is particularly meaningful in women’s basketball, where only a small share of players advance from high school to college, Division I and professional competition, even as WNBA expansion creates some additional opportunities.

Four contributors preview the 2026 women’s NCAA Tournament, identifying UConn as the overwhelming favorite to repeat as national champion. South Carolina, UCLA and Texas are widely selected as Final Four teams, while Duke, LSU, West Virginia, Notre Dame, Villanova and Fairfield are highlighted as potential disruptors. Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd are presented as the centerpiece of UConn’s dominance, while players including Lauren Betts, Hannah Hidalgo, Mikayla Blakes and Dawn Staley are discussed as major figures in the sport’s expanding popularity.

The WNBA and its players’ union have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement after 17 months of negotiations, averting a potential strike. Reported terms include a salary cap rising from $1.5 million to about $7 million, roughly 20% revenue sharing, top salaries of up to $1.4 million, average pay near $600,000 and a $300,000 minimum, although the figures still require formal confirmation and ratification. The deal is expected to preserve the 2026 season schedule, improve benefits and working conditions, reduce—but not eliminate—the need for overseas play, and give players greater leverage as the league expands and attracts record audiences. It also represents a significant advance in pay and bargaining power across women’s professional sports.

Shea Ralph has transformed Vanderbilt women’s basketball during her fifth season as head coach, guiding the Commodores to a 27–3 regular season, a No 2 NCAA Tournament seed and the program’s strongest postseason position since 2007. Drawing on experience under Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma, Ralph rebuilt the team through sustained investment, player development and a strong culture of commitment. Mikayla Blakes emerged as an SEC Player of the Year-caliber star, while Aubrey Galvan and other key contributors helped Vanderbilt become a major force in the SEC. The team’s improvement has also energized Nashville, where attendance and grassroots interest in women’s basketball have grown substantially. Vanderbilt enters the tournament with hopes of reaching the Final Four and potentially facing Ralph’s former mentor, Auriemma, and UConn in the Elite Eight.

Guardian US contributors offer intentionally speculative predictions for 2026, including a public breakdown between Lakers star Luka Dončić and coach JJ Redick, Auston Matthews leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Audi Crooks becoming a national women’s basketball star. They foresee colleges dropping sports amid rising NIL, transfer-portal and travel costs; sports’ growth slowing as streaming fragments audiences; and MLB avoiding a 2027 lockout through a labor agreement. Other predictions include growing voter opposition to publicly funded stadiums, Miriam Adelson selling the Dallas Mavericks, and the WNBA reaching a bruising but ultimately successful collective-bargaining deal after players use strike authorization and alternative leagues as leverage. The piece concludes with a satirical prediction that tennis will replace human content creators with AI.

The Guardian’s college basketball writers preview the 2025-26 NCAA season through predictions about breakout teams, national player of the year candidates and championship contenders. Sarah Strong of UConn and Purdue’s Braden Smith receive strong support for the top individual awards, while Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson is identified as the leading NBA prospect and UCLA’s Lauren Betts as the top WNBA prospect among US college players. Houston is the most popular men’s champion pick, while UConn is favored to reclaim the women’s title, with South Carolina, UCLA and several other teams projected to reach the Final Four. The writers also highlight Kansas women, USC women, New Mexico and St Thomas as potential surprises and predict that a No 16 seed could again defeat a No 1 seed.

The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury enter the 2025 WNBA Finals after contrasting playoff runs. Writers credit Las Vegas to varying degrees with A’ja Wilson’s dominance, improved defense, experienced stars and Becky Hammon’s championship pedigree, while Phoenix is praised for strong team defense, physicality, depth and the leadership of Alyssa Thomas. Predictions are split between the teams, with several writers expecting a six- or seven-game series and both Wilson and Thomas identified as leading Finals MVP candidates. The contributors also broadly agree that the WNBA’s rapid growth has exposed persistent problems with officiating, player welfare, scheduling, pay and league leadership, though they differ on how much responsibility belongs to commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Five Guardian writers assess the WNBA postseason, discussing absent stars, vulnerable high seeds, long-shot contenders and the players most likely to determine the championship. The New York Liberty and Phoenix Mercury are seen as at risk in the opening round, while the Golden State Valkyries are praised for reaching the playoffs in their inaugural season. Napheesa Collier and A’ja Wilson emerge as the leading player candidates, and most writers predict the Minnesota Lynx to win a rematch of their narrowly lost 2024 Finals campaign, although one writer selects the Las Vegas Aces after their 16-game winning streak.

The WNBA regular season has been shaped by injuries, unexpected contenders and late-season turnarounds. Caitlin Clark’s recurring groin problems and multiple injuries to Fever teammates have forced Indiana to repeatedly alter its roster. Expansion team Golden State, coached by former Aces assistant Natalie Nakase, has exceeded expectations and remains in playoff contention. Las Vegas has recovered from a poor first half behind A’ja Wilson and could challenge for another championship. Alyssa Thomas has surged into the MVP conversation after Napheesa Collier’s injury, while injuries to key Liberty players have jeopardized New York’s title defense and pursuit of home-court advantage.

The first month of the 2025 WNBA season has produced several notable storylines. The Los Angeles Sparks and Phoenix Mercury appear to have benefited from major free-agency moves, while Washington rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have made immediate impacts, with Iriafen emerging as a potential rival to Paige Bueckers for rookie of the year. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's on-court rivalry and contentious fan discourse continue to draw attention, while Clark's injury exposed the league's dependence on her star power after nationally televised viewership fell sharply. Her impressive return helped Indiana defeat the previously unbeaten New York Liberty. Expansion side Golden State Valkyries have exceeded expectations, whereas Connecticut, Chicago and especially Las Vegas have struggled, leaving the Aces needing improved leadership and roster health to recover.

The WNBA’s physical style is not a recent development, although the league’s rapid growth has put fouls, hard contact and player safety under greater scrutiny. Historical accounts and veteran players indicate that women’s basketball has always been demanding and that rule changes and player protections may have made the modern game less physical than in the past. The debate reflects lingering assumptions about how female athletes should play, while players and commentators argue that toughness, skill and competitive contact are central to the sport’s appeal.

The growing rivalry between Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is driving record interest in the WNBA, but coverage and fan engagement have often been marred by racism, sexism and homophobia. A flagrant foul involving Clark and Reese intensified online hostility, while the WNBA investigated alleged hateful comments directed at Reese and promoted its “No Space for Hate” campaign. Research from Rice University and the University of Illinois Chicago found that similar actions by the predominantly Black Reese and white Clark received sharply different public and media responses, highlighting racial and gender bias. The fixation on the pair also risks overshadowing other players and compelling games across the league, including A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces.

The Guardian’s writers expect the 2025 WNBA season to center on whether the New York Liberty can repeat as champions, with the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever among the leading challengers. A’ja Wilson is the principal MVP favorite, although Caitlin Clark and Napheesa Collier receive strong support. The Dallas Wings and expansion Golden State Valkyries are identified as potential surprise teams, while major offseason storylines include Jewell Loyd’s move to Las Vegas, the Fever’s veteran additions and coaching change, and the league’s upcoming collective bargaining negotiations. Predictions split among Minnesota, Indiana and New York as champion, reflecting a highly competitive season.

Paige Bueckers is projected as the clear No 1 pick by the Dallas Wings, with France’s Dominique Malonga expected to follow at No 2. The analysis highlights Kiki Iriafen, Sonia Citron, Saniya Rivers, Shyanne Sellers and Hailey Van Lith among the leading prospects, while identifying international talents such as Justė Jocytė and Ajsa Sivka and lower-round candidates including Harmoni Turner and Te-Hina Paopao. The Washington Mystics’ three top-six selections give them major roster-building leverage, while the Indiana Fever are praised for last year’s selection of Caitlin Clark alongside Aliyah Boston. Three mock drafts broadly agree on the top two picks but differ on selections from No 3 onward.