Cathy Engelbert was a good commissioner for someone who once ran an accounting firm. Now the WNBA needs a true visionary. @theathletic.com column, free to read: www.nytimes.com/athletic/756...

Cathy Engelbert did her job. Now the WNBA needs a true visionary as commissioner

The game has earned that type of leadership — a tone-setter instead of a caretaker.

nytimes.com

Kate Koval detailed her decision to leave LSU was tied to the recruitment of "a Russian player" in an Instagram post on Wednesday. What this means for Koval's eligibility for the upcoming season is unclear at this point. www.nytimes.com/athletic/756...

Ukrainian center Kate Koval details leaving LSU after recruitment of Russian player

Koval says she was told about the recruitment after the transfer window closes. She's hoping the NCAA allows her to play elsewhere.

nytimes.com

Introducing The Athletic LIVE 🎥🚨 A new show that brings together fans, journalists and creators for the most interesting “group chat” in sports. The show will launch on Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and will stream on YouTube, The Athletic app and theathletic.com. Details: bit.ly/3URycTv

NEWS: Skylar Diggins will miss the remainder of the 2026 season to focus on recovering from an aggravated right knee injury, the Sky announced Tuesday. www.nytimes.com/athletic/755...

Sky guard Skylar Diggins to miss remainder of season with knee injury

Diggins has been sidelined with a right knee injury since July.

nytimes.com

"He doesn’t lose his s—," Geno Auriemma says. "He stays pretty calm, which is probably a welcome relief to her." Pushing Paige Bueckers? Resurrecting the Dallas Wings? After a long climb, it's just basketball to Jose Fernandez. @theathletic.com story, free to read: www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...

DeWanna Bonner is signing with the Atlanta Dream, a source tells @anniecostabile.bsky.social. The 17-year veteran will look to win a championship in what is expected to be her final season.

Early on, Jose Fernandez publicly called out his Dallas Wings. A superstar shrugged. "I was like, ‘Oh, just another day in life,'" says Paige Bueckers, expert in The Auriemma Method. On a fast-tracked rapport that resurrected a franchise, unlocked @theathletic.com: www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...

Unrivaled’s valuation reaches $650 million after an oversubscribed Series C fundraise. In season 3 the league will be touring for roughly 8 games, up from two last season. This will also be the league's last playing at Sephora Arena in Medley, Fla. www.nytimes.com/athletic/753...

Unrivaled announces new funding that sets league valuation at $650 million

The three-on-three league, founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, will begin its third season in January, adding more tour stops.

nytimes.com

"He doesn’t lose his s—," Geno Auriemma says. "He stays pretty calm, which is probably a welcome relief to her." Pushing Paige Bueckers? Resurrecting the Dallas Wings? After a long climb, it's just basketball to Jose Fernandez. @theathletic.com story, free to read: www.nytimes.com/athletic/752...

Big Ten officials and athletic directors are considering a conference-wide rule that would prohibit football players from returning to college after signing with NFL teams, multiple people involved in the discussions told The Athletic. nyti.ms/4giGpbL

Big Ten, ACC considering rules to prohibit players returning to college football from NFL (Gift Article)

A meeting is scheduled for later Tuesday, with player eligibility on the agenda.

nyti.ms

From @theathletic.com: LIV Golf 1.0 met an unceremonious end Sunday at a country club in the Indianapolis suburbs. This league arrived with pomp and controversy, representing perhaps the strangest time in golf history.

LIV Golf 1.0 met an unceremonious end. Inside the fight for what comes next

No longer is LIV trying to usurp the PGA Tour as golf's hegemonic power. It's now just about survival.

nyti.ms

Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was escorted out of Wintrust Arena on Sunday evening after Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud confronted him at his courtside baseline seat.

The NHL is on track to award its 33rd franchise to Texas as soon as the end of the year, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic.

The person who tossed a green sex toy onto the court during the Los Angeles Sparks and Atlanta Dream game on Thursday has been arrested and indefinitely banned from all WNBA, NBA and affiliated league games and events, a source confirmed to The Athletic. nyti.ms/3SKPPDW

Individual who threw sex toy at Dream-Sparks game arrested, banned from league: Source (Gift Article)

The person hurled the object onto the court during the third quarter of the Dream's win, a theme that began last season.

nyti.ms

Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee, the team announced. The season is over for the top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft: nyti.ms/4qoBZDL

Dallas Wings’ top pick Azzi Fudd to undergo season-ending knee surgery (Gift Article)

The UConn product will begin rehabbing immediately after the procedure, the Dallas Wings announced.

nyti.ms

Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd will miss the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee, the team announced. The season is over for the top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft: nyti.ms/4qoBZDL

Nneka Ogwumike is retiring from the WNBA after 15 seasons in the league. The WNBA champion and league MVP announced on "Boardroom Talks" that the 2026 season will be her last. nyti.ms/4gF46Lo

On Sunday, the Phoenix Mercury retired Diana Taurasi’s No. 3. Taurasi is the WNBA’s All-Time leading scorer, a three-time WNBA champion, 11-time All-Star, 2009 MVP, five-time scoring champion, six-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time Finals MVP and 10-time All-WNBA first-teamer.  nyti.ms/4geBEPk

Wanted to shout out the amazing illustration that accompanied my Angel Reese story into @nytimes.com print last week. Stunning stuff from Sam Falconer. (Story here is free to read, too.) www.nytimes.com/athletic/742...

Caitlin Clark back on the floor, warming up after tweaking her ankle late in the first half. The Indiana Fever faithful may now exhale.

Cheers for Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White at the end of pregame intros at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Fans apparently got the message sent by Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and more.

The Fever are at the center of the WNBA’s chaos. They’re also playing like one of the league’s best teams. Indiana has looked like a championship threat over the last month, with an offense that could finish as the best in history: nyti.ms/4qh0DG0

Another weird thing happened with the Indiana Fever on Thursday: Nothing weird happened. They're at the center of WNBA chaos, yes. Somehow they’re also playing great and a serious postseason contender. Free to read column @theathletic.com: www.nytimes.com/athletic/751...

The Fever are at the center of WNBA chaos. They’re also a serious postseason contender (Gift Article)

You may have missed it amid the storms, but the Fever have won seven of the last nine heading into Friday's matchup against the Wings.

nytimes.com

The WNBA denounced “bad-faith efforts” to demean others during discussions on transgender athlete participation following a task force meeting Wednesday. No transgender policy decision is imminent, according to a source familiar with the talks. nyti.ms/4x26eTm

WNBA condemns online ‘bad-faith efforts’ to toxify league amid divisive conversations (Gift Article)

The league also said there are no eligibility issues regarding transgender athletes at this time.

nyti.ms

From @theathletic.com: Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White fired back at online criticism after some on social media faulted White for not criticizing a flagrant foul committed against Sophie Cunningham in a recent game.

Fever coach Stephanie White fires back at online criticism: ‘Everybody else can go to hell’

Some on social media faulted White for not criticizing a flagrant foul committed against Sophie Cunningham in a recent Fever game.

nyti.ms

Michael Blatt was on the verge of becoming the Seattle Seahawks’ GM. Then a longtime business associate was murdered with a crossbow. Blatt was charged with murder, but ultimately walked free. How? www.nytimes.com/athletic/748...

A playboy NFL agent was in line to run the Seahawks. Then came the crossbow killing (Gift Article)

Michael Blatt, one of the most feared agents in football, was on the verge of taking over an NFL team. Then a rival turned up dead.

nyti.ms

"I hated that our fans booed her before the game," Caitlin Clark said. "That made me a little sick, to be honest." Stephanie White's statement, strong words from a superstar and a big win. Just another night with the Indiana Fever. Free @theathletic.com story: www.nytimes.com/athletic/750...

Railing against calls for her firing and an “online community that’s trying to create narratives that simply don’t exist,” Indiana coach Stephanie White made an impassioned two-minute statement defending her relationship with the Fever players. nyti.ms/4g1MKXB

Quite the comment from Caitlin Clark, after Fever coach Stephanie White's emotional pregame statement: "I hated that our fans booed her before the game. That made me a little sick, to be honest."

Caitlin Clark, following Stephanie White's emotional pregame and a win over New York: "I can assure you: There was no way we were losing this game tonight."

Brian Hamilton@brianchamilton.bsky.social · 4w ago

Today's Indiana Fever thunderclap: Stephanie White vigorously defends her relationship with players and rails against calls for her firing. "I stand by them, I will always stand by them. Everybody else can go to hell." Free to read @theathletic.com: www.nytimes.com/athletic/750...