Apple TV's recent docuseries on UConn women's basketball provided a trip down memory lane for Rebecca Lobo, documenting her journey from program-changing recruit to the leader of Geno Auriemma's first national championship squad.
Lobo's favorite moment from the three-episode series, however, captured a much more recent moment within the program. 10 days after a season-altering loss at Tennessee during the 2024-25 season, UConn bounced back resoundingly with an 87-58 win at South Carolina, prompting Auriemma to deliver a triumphant locker room speech that still resonates with Lobo.
"My favorite clip from the UConn doc. Look at the players' faces [and] how they respond to Coach's words," Lobo wrote on social media platform X. "Playing for [UConn] isn't easy, but there's great satisfaction when you accomplish challenging things together. His players care about each other [and] love him. You see that here."
The 6-foot-5 Lobo towered over her high school competition in western Massachusetts, where she emerged as one of the nation's top recruits and drew the attention of over 100 colleges around the country. Lobo ultimately stayed close to home and joined UConn, citing a focus on academics, becoming one of the first major recruits that Auriemma drew to Storrs.
Her blue-chip pedigree didn't deter Auriemma's hard-nosed coaching style, as Apple's docuseries showcased his push for Lobo to embrace a more physical brand of basketball. Auriemma's efforts ultimately paid off, as Lobo blossomed into the National Player of the Year and helped capture UConn's first national **** le with a memorable win over Tennessee in 1995.

#lobo #auriemma #recent

Unrivaled announced several high-profile returnees to the 3x3 women's basketball league Thursday afternoon, including a "multi-year deal" with former UConn women's basketball star Paige Bueckers.
Bueckers was among the league's premier players last season, averaging over 22 points and five **** ists for a youth-laden Breeze BC squad to earn First-Team All-Unrivaled honors. The 23-year-old point guard indicated that she will rejoin the team this winter, reposting Thursday's news on her Instagram story with the caption "Breeezeeeee."
Her Breeze BC teammate, Courtney Williams, also announced her plans to rejoin Unrivaled Thursday. The remainder of last year's Breeze squad includes young post talents Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and Dominique Malonga, along with fan-favorite Kate Martin and Fever guard Aari McDonald.
Fellow UConn alums Naphessa Collier and Breanna Stewart co-founded Unrivaled in 2023, seeking to provide a domestic alternative for WNBA players to pursue off-season basketball. Bueckers became one of the league's earliest high-profile partners, signing a groundbreaking NIL deal with Unrivaled in August 2024 that made her the first NCAA student-athlete to receive an ownership equity stake in a professional sports league. A year later, she signed a three-year contract to play for the league.
The trio's equity in the league has skyrocketed in recent months, with Unrivaled reporting a $650 million valuation earlier this week, which nearly doubled last year's figure. A recent Series C fundraising round included several high-profile investors, including UConn coach Geno Auriemma, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Trae Young, and actor Ashton Kutcher.

#Basketball

As the WNBA season winds down, Unrivaled will return in the coming months riding a wave of optimism after another successful round of fundraising.
The 3x3 women's basketball league, founded by former UConn stars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart, announced Wednesday that a Series C fundraising round increased the organization's value to $650 million - Unrivaled was valued at just $340 million in 2025.
UConn coach Geno Auriemma was among the investors in the latest $100 million round, which also included NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Trae Young, along with women's soccer icon Alex Morgan and actor Ashton Kutcher.
"We're partnering with investors who share our vision to create lasting value and greater opportunity for the best players in the world, while continuing to elevate the game for fans," co-founder and CEO Alex Bazzell, who is also Collier's husband, said in a statement Wednesday.
About 30% of this value, or around $200 million, is controlled by Unrivaled players - the league claims that 97% of the league's roster, and all 36 of the league's founding players, own equity, according to Front Office Sports. Former UConn star Paige Bueckers signed a three-year contract with Unrivaled in April 2025, which included an undisclosed share of equity in the league.

#round

Unrivaled, the professional three-on-three women's basketball league, announced Wednesday that it had raised money that puts the league's valuation at $650 million.
Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell said in a statement that this Series C funding is ******* ulatively more than all of the league's other funding combined, and he sees it helping strengthen the league, which will enter its third season this winter. The valuation is an estimate made by the league.
The three-on-three league was co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier (Bazzell's wife) and provides players with an equity stake in addition to their salaries. The players remain the largest shareholder group after this latest investment round, with the value of the player-equity pool increasing to nearly $200 million, according to the league.
Ten Pillar Sports Fund, backed by UC Investments, led the Series C raise, which is oversubscribed, surpassing the league's initial $100 million target. Sports stars including Naismith Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, Washington Wizards guard Trae Young and UConn coach Geno Auriemma, and former U.S. soccer star Alex Morgan's Trybe Ventures, actor Ashton Kutcher and Bessemer Venture Partners built on previous investments in the league. The estimated valuation of the eight-team league puts it ahead of each WNBA team except that of the Golden State Valkyries, according to Sportico's 2026 WNBA valuation ranking.
"Anyone who's watched Unrivaled knows this game is every bit as thrilling as any other sport out there — and there's another essential ingredient that drew us in: Unrivaled's athletes don't just play in the league, they own a piece of it," UC Investment chief investment officer Jagdeep Singh Bachher said in a statement. "We're excited to help propel that momentum forward."

#league #alex

Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women's basketball league that launched in 2025, announced a Series C funding round Tuesday, securing more than $100 million in funding that values the league at $650 million.
The league has nearly doubled its valuation in a year; It was valued at $340 million in September after closing a series B funding round. The fundraising around was led by Ten Pillars Sports Fund, backed by UC Investments, and also included reinvestments from notable sports figures Carmelo Anthony, Geno Auriemma, Trae Young, Alex Morgan, and Trybe Ventures.
In comparison, the Connecticut Sun, the most recent WNBA franchise sold, was purchased for $300 million earlier this year. The Golden State Valkyries are the highest-valued WNBA team at $1 billion, according to CNBC projects released in May.
"I think this is a testament to how quickly the **** e is evolving and growing, but also to the incredible foundation that we've built," Unrivaled co-founder Alex Bazzell told Front Office Sports. Bazzell co-founded the league with WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who is also his wife.
Unrivaled also announced that the portion of the company owned by players is valued at nearly $200 million, about 30% of the company. The league says the player equity pool has increased 550% since it was launched.

#million #unrivaled #bazzell

The UConn women's basketball dynasty wasn't built by accident. In the new Apple TV docuseries that released on Friday, longtime coach Geno Auriemma explained why.
"The Dynasty: UConn Huskies," traced the 40-year history of the Huskies' rise from the bottom of the college basketball world to the most storied program in the sport's history.
But its most revealing moments came from the 2025 championship team led by stars Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong, who opened up about the toll of Auriemma's demands, the pressure of ending UConn's nine-year national championship drought and what it took to reach the mountaintop once again.
Here are the biggest things we learned:
It's no secret that Bueckers and Fudd have kept their relationship private.

#championship #Apple

UConn legend Geno Auriemma believes WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert can't control what players say, but there is one thing she can do.
Look, the WNBA is practically suffocating under its own growth right now. Every single week, actual basketball gets shoved to the backseat so the internet can fight another exhausting culture war.
That frustration finally blew wide open when Sophie Cunningham took a sledgehammer to Cathy Engelbert's leadership. Cunningham didn't hold back, basically suggesting Engelbert is out of her depth and could halt the future progress and development of the WNBA.
When players are openly talking about replacing the commissioner, you know there's an issue.
However, her job hasn't been made easy by all the outside noise involving the transgender situation, and former NBA players like Enes Kanter and Royce White.

#engelbert #cunningham #look

The UConn women's basketball team, winner of 12 national championships, will renew a slew of rivalries during the non-conference portion of their 2026-27 schedule.
The slate, which was announced Monday, Aug. 17, includes matchups with South Carolina, Tennessee and Notre Dame.
UConn will face Dawn Staley's Gamecocks on Nov. 24 at the Hall of Fame Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. This will be the first meeting between UConn and South Carolina since the 2026 Final Four where UConn coach Geno Auriemma got upset near the end of the loss that ended the Huskies' perfect season, yelling at Staley before leaving the court.
The Huskies will visit the Fighting Irish at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, on Dec. 9, marking the 58th meeting between the two sides. UConn beat Notre Dame twice last season, once in Storrs, Connecticut, and again in the Elite Eight in Fort Worth, Texas. UConn leads the all-time series 41-16 and the teams are 5-5 over their last 10 meetings.
Tennessee and UConn will square off on Dec. 12 at a still to-be-announced location. The Huskies have won five of the last six meetings with the Lady Vols, with Tennessee's victory coming on Feb. 6, 2025 in Knoxville during Kim Caldwell's first season as head coach.

#uconn #season #carolina #connecticut

UConn women's basketball has won more championships than any other Division I team.
The 12 they've won came over a span of 31 years—about 39 percent of the time they won it all over that stretch, while finishing in the top 10 of the final AP poll 100 percent of the time. Every player who has come through Geno Auriemma's program since the first **** le in 1995 has had good reason to hope that they could win at least one.
So, it was inevitable that a film would be made about Auriemma's tenure, and now the docuseries is here.
Executive produced and directed by Matthew Hamachek and Erica Sashin, "The Dynasty: UConn Huskies" debuts globally on Apple TV on Friday, Aug. 21.
What wasn't guaranteed was that the filmmakers would capture a full-circle moment.

#hamachek

For much of Elena Delle Donne's remarkable basketball career, the spotlight followed her dominance on the court. But during her Hall of Fame speech, the WNBA legend turned that attention toward someone who has been a deeply important part of her life.
Delle Donne became emotional as she reflected on her sister and the extraordinary strength she has shown throughout her life.
The heartfelt tribute offered a deeply personal glimpse into the bond between the two sisters and why this moment meant far more to Delle Donne than any other basketball honor.
Delle Donne's connection with her sister, Lizzie, helped shape her basketball journey long before she became a WNBA superstar.
In 2008, the highly touted 6-foot-5 prospect lasted only about 48 hours at UConn under legendary coach Geno Auriemma before leaving Storrs and returning home to Delaware. The decision came down to family. Delle Donne wanted to be closer to Lizzie.

#donne #WNBA #elena

Geno Auriemma says the increasingly heated debate over transgender athletes in the WNBA is focused on an eligibility situation the league is not currently facing.
The UConn women's basketball coach addressed the controversy in an interview with TMZ Sports published Aug. 14, arguing that people are treating a hypothetical eligibility question as though it is already affecting WNBA competition.
"Why are we making a big issue over an issue that doesn't exist?" Auriemma asked. He noted that he was unaware of any transgender women currently playing in the league or an immediate case requiring the WNBA to decide whether a particular player is eligible.
An anti-hate task force of team presidents and general managers met Aug. 12 and discussed transgender athletes along with online abuse directed at players, but the meeting produced no new eligibility rules.
Auriemma acknowledged that people are entitled to different opinions about transgender participation in women's sports. His objection was to the amount of attention being devoted to a question he does not see as an immediate WNBA problem.

#WNBA

BATON ROUGE – The final piece of the puzzle is finally in place for 2026-27 for Kim Mulkey and the LSU women's basketball team.
LSU announced the official addition of 6-5 forward Anna Minaeva from Russia Aug. 14. After months of speculation of when Mulkey would bring in Minaeva, who had rumored to be who the LSU staff had zeroed in on, the waiting game is over for both parties.
Minaeva landed in the United States Thursday. She is the second international signee this offseason for LSU joining Spaniard Noa Morro, who's been with LSU for much of this summer.
LSU VS UCONN IN NASHVILLE Kim Mulkey v Geno Auriemma. LSU women's hoops to face UConn in Nashville
The 17-year-old Russian has been playing professional basketball in her home country mostly for MBA Moscow-2, the second level squad before being promoted to the top flight team where she averaged 5.6 points with four rebounds in just 12 games.

#mulkey #nashville

UConn and LSU, two of the dominant women's college basketball programs in the country, will play in Nashville during the 2026-27 season.
The game had been acknowledged since January but no official release of location was announced until Aug. 7. It will be played on Dec. 20 at Bridgestone Arena as part of the Sprouts Farm Market espnW Invitational. The invitational also features Virginia vs. Kentucky women.
The invitational features two of the top top women's basketball coaches in the country in Geno Auriemma at UConn and Kim Mulkey at LSU. It is the two programs' first meeting since Nov. 20, 2016.
Game times have not yet been announced.
UConn reached the NCAA Women's Tournament Final Four in 2026, falling to national runner-up South Carolina and Dawn Staley. UConn finished last season 38-1. LSU was 29-6 and lost in the Sweet 16 to Duke.

#Basketball #programs #since #announced

Legendary UConn head women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma remembers when Caitlin Clark was a relative unknown in the basketball world. Iowa knew her, of course. Diehard women's basketball fans were very much aware of the stat sheet-stuffing guard. And basketball junkies in general could wax poetic about her potential.
But she wasn't a household name during the 2020-21 season, when Paige Bueckers, also a freshman at the time, made history by sweeping all the National Player of the Year awards for which she was eligible while starring for Auriemma's Huskies.
Since then, however, Clark's popularity has soared, and so has that of women's hoops, with Auriemma partly attributing Clark's meteoric rise to her patented logo 3s and her rivalry with Angel Reese.
Auriemma expounded on those factors and a whole lot more during his early July appearance on Richard Deitsch's "Sports Media Podcast" after he was asked about the state of the never-ending conversation surrounding Clark, the NCAA's all-time leading scorer and now a three-time All-Star for the WNBA's Indiana Fever.
The 12-time national championship-winning head coach said Clark involuntarily became "a cause" and the fouls against her aren't "a referendum on America."

Where to watch Wings vs. Liberty today: Channel, time, TV schedule, live stream for Tuesday WNBA game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In a historic night for the WNBA, the Wings and Liberty will go head-to-head in a matchup set to commemorate 30 years on ESPN.
That's right, three decades after the pair called the network's first-ever WNBA game, broadcasting and coaching legends Robin Roberts and Geno Auriemma will return to the booth in Brooklyn. Alongside veteran commentator Beth Mowins, the three will celebrate the league's historic growth throughout the years.
The Wings and Liberty are fairly evenly matched, both boasting 13-8 records heading into this matchup. New York will have momentum entering Tuesday night at home, especially after just winning the Commissioner's Cup final over Las Vegas last week.
Who will secure the win on a historic night in New York?