Annie Costabile

The WNBA Will Have a Draft Lottery Despite CBA Uncertainty Without a CBA the league will not be able to conduct an expansion draft, free agency, or the 2026 WNBA draft.

REMINDER: The WNBA Draft Lottery is tonight at 6:30 PM ET. The Wings (42%) have the best odds, followed by the Lynx (26.1%) by way of Chicago, then the Storm (16.7%) by way of LA, the Mystics (9.5%), and the lowest odds belong to the Sky (5.5%) via CT.

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The NWSL Is Growing at Breakneck Pace. Can It Keep Surging? The NWSL is quickly adding franchises and seeing an influx of capital. Yet its rapid-growth strategy also triggers big questions.

NWSL expansion is moving at a pace all its own.

Next season the league will have doubled in size from the original 8 franchises it debuted w. in 2013. By 2028, commissioner Jessica Berman wants to see 18.

But can the league sustain this rapid growth?

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Liberty Hiring Longtime Warriors Assistant as Head Coach The 2024 WNBA champions have agreed to a deal with Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco, a league source confirmed to FOS.

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Can confirm the New York Liberty have agreed to terms w. Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco making him the teams new head coach.

DeMarco has been w. the Warriors since 2012, serving in a number of roles. Unclear at this point how long he will stay on with the Warriors. Story TK

The WNBA’s Million-Dollar Offer Isn’t What it Seems The reported $1.1 million figure represents a six-figure base salary with potential revenue sharing added in, multiple sources told FOS.

NEW: The WNBA's latest offer to players includes a million-dollar max salary—but only if certain revenue sharing targets are hit. The base supermax in 2026 would remain in the six figures.

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PWHL to Consider Every Option for Ottawa Charge in Arena Crisis With seating capacity slashed in a planned renovation of the Charge’s home arena, the future of the Ottawa women’s hockey team is uncertain.

The PWHL's Ottawa Charge is in the midst of an arena crisis after the Ottawa city council approved a renovation plan that will slash their home venue by nearly 3,000 seats.

The PWHL says every option is on the table as it assesses the team's future.

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New WNBA Offer to Players Includes Max Salary Over $1 Million The league's offer to players has included a salary over $1 million for the first time, a source confirmed to FOS.

The WNBA's latest CBA proposal includes a max salary exceeding $1 million.

As the Nov. 30 deadline approaches, where do things stand?

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Women’s Pro Baseball League To Play 1st Season in Springfield, Illinois The Women’s Pro Baseball League tells FOS it expects to raise $3 million and will play its entire debut season in the Midwest.

Springfield, Illinois will be the home to the WPBL in its inaugural season. The league—which will feature four teams in year one—will play all of its games at Robin Roberts Stadium.

More on the league's Series A investment + salaries here:

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Why Do So Few Teams Want to Host the WNBA All-Star Game? Despite the league's broader success, only one team bid for 2026, and the league asked a team to host in 2025.

The Sky were the only team to bid for the 2026 WNBA All-Star game, sources told me. The WNBA recruited Indiana to host in 2025. The Aces hosted 3 of the 4 All-Star games before 2024.

Why has there been such a disinterest in playing host? And is that changing?

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Project B Basketball League Says It Has No Saudi Funding The startup’s cofounder tells FOS that its fundraising “doesn’t include any dollars from Saudi Arabia.” The league has a Saudi event partner.

Following Project B's announced signing of Nneka Ogwumike questions were raised regarding funding.

While Project B denies it is backed in any way by Saudi Arabia, there is a connection: Sela, a subsidiary of the Saudi PIF, is a league event partner.

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Project B Basketball League Says It Has No Saudi Funding The startup’s cofounder tells FOS that its fundraising “doesn’t include any dollars from Saudi Arabia.” The league has a Saudi event partner.

Following Project B's announced signing of Nneka Ogwumike questions were raised regarding funding.

While Project B denies it is backed in any way by Saudi Arabia, there is a connection: Sela, a subsidiary of the Saudi PIF, is a league event partner.

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Project B is Offering WNBA Stars Multi-Million Dollar Salaries The global basketball startup has the potential to shake up the women’s basketball landscape.

Project B is offering WNBA stars multi-million dollar salaries to play in the startup league, multiple sources told me.

So, what threat does the global league pose? And to whom?

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NWSL Investor Monarch's Next Move Is German Soccer The firm already owns the maximum three stakes in NWSL teams.

Monarch Collective, the U.S. based investment firm focused solely on women's sports, has gone international buying a stake in German Women’s Bundesliga club FC Viktoria Berlin.

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Sandy Brondello Turned Down More Money to Coach Tempo The WNBA expansion team still made Brondello one of three known coaches in the league earning seven figures annually.

The Tempo introduced Sandy Brondello as the franchise's first coach this AM.

While the terms of her deal were not disclosed, multiple sources told me she will earn a seven-figure salary annually making her one of the highest paid coaches in the WNBA.

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WNBA and WNBPA Agree to 30-Day Extension. Now What? On Friday the WNBPA said their agreement on the CBA extension was contingent on the union’s ability to terminate it with 48 hours notice.

The WNBA & WNBPA agreed to a 30-day extension with the condition that either side can terminate the extension at any time with 48 hours notice.

So, now what? And how did we get here?

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Former Sky stars Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne to be inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Though much of their professional legacies were built elsewhere, both Parker and Delle Donne shined in Chicago. They headline the 2026 class.

Two Sky greats will be inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame next summer. Candace Parker and Elena Delle Donne headline the 2026 class announced Thursday.

WNBA, Players Union Agree to Extension for CBA Negotiations The WNBA and WNBPA have agreed to a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new CBA, making the new deadline Nov. 30.

The current CBA was set to expire on Friday before the WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a 30-day extension.

Set your clocks, the new deadline is Nov. 30.

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Malonga Headlines Unrivaled’s Final Player Announcements Unrivaled also announced new coaches for the next season, including former Storm coach Noelle Quinn and Liberty assistant Zach O’Brien.

Dominique Malonga headlined Unrivaled's final player announcements amid a dispute with Turkish club Fenerbahçe.

According to club, Malonga terminated her contract "without just cause." Ten days later, Unrivaled announced her as its final player.

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Unrivaled's final three players: Aari McDonald, Rebecca Allen and Dominique Malonga.

I'm told players have not yet agreed to the WNBA's proposed 30 day extension as talks continue.

Sources tell me both sides are meeting today.

Angel Reese Registers Another Trademark: Her Name This is Angel Reese’s fourth trademark application, according to the United States Patent and Trademark website.

Angel Reese adds her name to list of trademarks filed this year, including "Mebounds" a phrase she flipped into a six-figure-earning brand.

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WNBA Proposes 30-Day Extension on CBA Negotiations The current CBA expires on Friday at which point there are a few paths forward, including a work stoppage.

The WNBA has proposed a 30-day extension to continue CBA negotiations with the WNBPA.

This comes on the heels of a weeks worth of heated exchanges between both parties and just days ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline.

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WNBA, Players Remain Far Apart With CBA Deadline Days Away Union lawyer Erin D. Drake says a deal will not be reached by Friday’s deadline.

The public barbs continue between the WNBA and the WNBPA.

In a statement provided to FOS the league is accusing the union of "disseminating public misinformation" while urging them to join in "constructive engagement across the table."

More:

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Storm Hire Sonia Raman as Liberty Have Last Remaining WNBA Opening Raman also interviewed for the Liberty’s head coach position.

Sonia Raman has agreed to a multiyear deal to become the Seattle Storm's new head coach leaving the Liberty with the last remaining vacancy in the WNBA.

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Former Liberty assistant Sonia Raman has agreed to a multiyear deal to become the Storm's new HC, a source confirmed to me. She also interviewed for the Liberty's HC job.

Raman was an assistant with the Grizzlies from 2020-24 before joining the Liberty.

Wings Tap College Ranks Again for Fourth Coach in Five Seasons Jose Fernandez spent 25 seasons at USF, where he amassed an overall record of 485-317.

The Dallas Wings are closing in on a deal to make Jose Fernandez the franchise's fourth coach in five seasons.

USF, where he coached for over two decades, already announced his departure on social media.

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NEWS: Robin Roberts, Olivia Walton & Amy Griffin are the three latest investors in the Liberty, completing the round of investment announced in May, valuing the team at $450 million.

The investment from this group will support the construction of the practice facility.

Turkish Dispute Could Cloud French Star’s Return to WNBA Fenerbahçe said it would “exercise all our legal rights” after Dominique Malonga left the team.

On Monday, Fenerbahçe announced Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga had "unilaterally terminated her professional player contract with our club without any just cause."

BC of a required letter of clearance this could impede her return to the WNBA.

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WNBA’s Fire Prematurely Announce Head Coach Hire on LinkedIn Multiple league sources confirmed to FOS that the Fire plan to announce Alex Sarama as head coach in the coming days.

The Portland Fire prematurely announced NBA assistant Alex Sarama as the franchise's head coach on LinkedIn Tuesday AM.

Multiple sources told me that while a contract has not yet been finalized, Sarama is expected to be announced in the coming days.

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Standoff Over WNBA's Future Has Dominated Finals A dominant performance by A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces has been reduced to background noise as players and owners negotiate a new CBA.

According to multiple sources, the WNBA's latest CBA proposal includes a supermax closer to $850,000 & a vet min hovering around $300,000 in year 1

The two sides remain at odds w. Engelbert's frayed relationships extending to team presidents and owners.

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