It's been a long time since former Arizona star Aari McDonald played in a WNBA game. That has come to an end with the first-place Minnesota Lynx announcing her signing on Monday afternoon.
McDonald was injured last August while playing for the Indiana Fever. She tried to come back by playing in the Unrivaled 3×3 league during the WNBA offseason, but she was again sidelined by injury. As WNBA training camp approached this year, she said she would not be in camp but she would return this season. It took a while, but now she's not only returning, but she's doing it with the best team in the league.
The Lynx lead the WNBA standings with a 31-9 record and four games left in the regular season. The league returns to play on Sept. 18 after a break for the FIBA Women's World Cup where many top players are representing their countries. That event runs from Sept. 4-13, but the league shut down on Aug. 31.
McDonald sat out a large chunk of last season after being waived by the LA Sparks in training camp. She eventually landed with the Indiana Fever, where she quickly became a fan favorite of the passionate fan base and a fixture in the local community.
She averaged 9.8 points on 42.9 percent shooting, 4.7 **** ists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes per game for Indiana last season. She appeared in 20 games with 13 starts. It was a career high in games started, minutes per game, field goal percentage, **** ists per game, and rebounds per game.

#games

Every WNBA offseason used to mean one thing for the league's biggest names: hopping a flight overseas, grinding through unfamiliar gyms, and hoping the body held up before training camp. That routine is losing its grip fast.
Unrivaled CEO Alex Bazzell made the case for why in blunt terms, telling Front Office Sports that his 3-on-3 startup is now the single safest league in women's basketball to play in anywhere on the planet.
"There's a lot of data around our players and the wear and tear," Bazzell said. "It's the safest league right now to play in compared to other leagues."
That claim isn't just marketing. Bazzell backed it with a number that should worry every overseas offseason league still trying to poach WNBA talent: 38% of Unrivaled's players are putting up career-high scoring averages back in the WNBA this season, a stat he credits directly to how the league trains its athletes rather than simply running them into the ground.
"Come in, get better every day, compete against the best, make great money," Bazzell said, describing the environment he believes separates Unrivaled from the pack.

#bazzell #every #overseas

Women's basketball's biggest names are headed back to Miami for Season 3 of Unrivaled.
The 3x3 league co-founded by former UConn women's basketball greats Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier continues to thrive as the premier offseason domestic league for WNBA stars.
For the second straight year, Unrivaled will feature eight clubs when its third season tips off in January 2027 (official schedule not released yet). The league announced 46 of its 48 roster spots this weekend, with the final two players to be named later. Next season's roster features six former Huskies and five former Connecticut Sun stars.
Paige Bueckers, Olivia Miles and Gabby Williams highlight the 2027 roster as Bueckers returns for her second season in Unrivaled, while Miles and Williams will make their debut. Both Miles and Williams signed multi-year contracts with the league.
Also making their Unrivaled debuts this season are Bueckers' Dallas Wings teammate Jessica Shepard, Golden State Valkyries star Kayla Thornton, New York Liberty star Marine Johannes, Portland Fire star Bridget Carleton, and current Seattle Storm/former LSU star Flau'jae Johnson.

#former #miles

Lexie Hull lands multiyear deal with Unrivaled before WNBA break originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Lexie Hull's season will not end when the Indiana Fever play their final WNBA game. Unrivaled announced Friday that Hull signed a multiyear contract with the three-on-three league, securing her place in the expanding offseason competition.
"Lexie Hull is Unrivaled," the league announced on X, adding that the Fever guard would return for the league's third season.
The timing made the news even sweeter for Hull. It arrived before Indiana's final game ahead of the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup break and during a promising turnaround in what has been a challenging individual season.
Hull entered the weekend averaging 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.8 ****** ists. Those numbers were down from her averages of seven points, four rebounds and two ****** ists during the previous campaign. Her production, however, recently began moving in the right direction.

#hull

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

Pershing Square Holdings, an investment holding company, released its second quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Pershing Square is an alternative ****** et manager that primarily manages capital in publicly traded investment vehicles, with 98% of its capital structure dedicated to such ****** ets, including Howard Hughes Holdings. This capital permanency allows for long-term investments, fostering sustainable competitive advantages and yielding substantial market returns since 2018. The investment strategy focuses on acquiring high-quality companies at safe price points, anticipating significant annual EPS growth of 15% or more in the coming years. Additionally, reviewing the Fund's top five holdings could help identify its best picks for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Pershing Square Holdings highlighted Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) as a new position. Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) is a Swiss-based healthcare and medical technology company focused on eye care products. On August 18, 2026, Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) closed at $73.55 per share. The one-month return of Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) was 9.21% and its shares lost 9.24% over the past 52 weeks. Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) has a market capitalization of $37.14 billion.
Pershing Square Holdings stated the following regarding Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Alcon Inc. (NYSE:ALC) is the world's leading ophthalmology company, with a dominant position in surgical vision, strong positions in vision care and contact lenses, and a small but promising pharmaceuticals business. It benefits from attractive long-term, mid-single-digit market growth supported by aging population demographics, rising global incomes, and improved access to healthcare.
Alcon is the premier franchise in this industry, benefiting from a massive global installed base, strong brand affinity, and unrivaled commercial capabilities. The core of Alcon's business is its dominant surgical vision franchise, supported by a 30,000-unit capital equipment installed base. This installed base anchors a highly attractive stream of high-margin recurring consumables revenue — a classic "razor / razor blade" model — which in turn funds Alcon's ability to field the industry's largest sales, commercial, and research organizations, powering its innovation flywheel..." (Click here to read the full text)

#square #investment #company

Unrivaled, the 3v3 women's basketball league, signed two LSU women's basketball players to its "The Future is Unrivaled" class of 2026. Jada Williams and Mikaylah Williams were two of nine players included in an announcement by the league on Friday.
The pair of experienced guards are among the college game's top players signed to the class. Fellow SEC stars Madison Booker and Joyce Edwards also made the cut alongside UConn's Sarah Strong and KK Arnold. Michigan's Olivia Olson, Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo and Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge roundup the group.
Last year, Flau'Jae Johnson and MiLaysia Fulwiley signed with Unrivaled in the inaugural class, which included 14 players. Johnson currently plays for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA after four seasons in Baton Rouge while Fulwiley returns for a second season under head coach Kim Mulkey.
Jada Williams signed with the Tigers and projects to be the starting point guard in 2026-27. She fills an immediate need after Jada Richard departed for Ole Miss. A proven floor general, Williams averaged 15.3 points, 7.7 **** ists and 3.5 rebounds per game with Iowa State last year.
Mikaylah Williams started for LSU immediately upon her arrival to campus. The rising senior plays inside and out on both ends of the court. She averages 15.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 48% shooting from the field across three seasons with the Tigers.

#class #johnson #tigers

For the third straight year, Unrivaled has signed some of college women's basketball's biggest names to NIL deals. The 3-on-3 women's basketball league announced its 2026 class of "Future is Unrivaled" athletes on Friday.
Nine college basketball players are part of the initiative, Unrivaled announced Friday. The group will also attend a multi-day event at league headquarters in Miami to go through skill development sessions, group bonding activities and content and merchandise shoots.
$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage
Some players, such as former Olivia Miles and Flau'jae Johnson, have signed professional contracts with the league after previously inking NIL deals. Here is the full athlete roster for Unrivaled's Class of 2026.
KK Arnold
Guard
UConn

#league #Friday #college #Basketball

Despite their troubled relationship, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov have both established a lasting bond with soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo over their years in the spotlight.
Ronaldo is second to none among the world's most famous people, capitalizing on his notoriety beyond the sport to amass a staggering 1+ billion followers across all social media accounts. The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward has shown an interest in mixed martial arts in his time away from the field, often finding himself at UFC showcases when his busy schedules allow. Because of this, he has been able to connect with many notable figures in the combat sports world, most significantly McGregor and Khabib.
The Portuguese phenom has not slowed down at the grand age of 41, pushing to further his record as soccer's all-time leading goalscorer. Less than 30 goals away from hitting 1000, Ronaldo is on the verge of unrivaled greatness, though he is also closing in on a personal milestone arguably more important than his career achievements.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his long-term girlfriend, Georgina Rodriguez, have decided on a wedding date after eight years of dating. The wedding is set to be trending among the biggest in history, and the guest list is full of familiar faces around the globe.
For MMA fans, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov will be front and center should they accept the reported invitation. If the UFC stars put their feud behind them, they will be in attendance alongside famous musicians Drake, Rihanna, and Jennifer Lopez, as well as personalities like IShowSpeed and Piers Morgan, who are all rumored to be present.

#khabib

Former Florida Gators and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN, the sports broadcasting network announced July 20.
"I love this game and getting to talk about it every Saturday with the crews on SEC Network and ESPN is a gift I don't take lightly," Tebow said in a statement. "SEC fans bring a passion that never gets old, and I'm grateful I get to keep doing this alongside people who feel like family."
The statement mentions that Tebow will continue to appear on SEC Nation, the SEC Network's weekly Saturday morning pregame show he has appeared on for the past decade, in addition to doing work on ESPN's College Football Live and SportsCenter.
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"Tim is one of the legendary players in the history of college football and he will continue to be a fixture in our coverage on SEC Network and across ESPN," ESPN president of content Burke Magnus said in a statement. "Tim's unrivaled experience in the SEC combined with his knowledge and genuine passion for the game make him one of the sport's most credible voices, particularly among the SEC Nation fanbase."

#tebow #statement #college

Florida Gators legend Tim Tebow has signed a multi-year contract extension with ESPN and will continue as a college football ****** yst on SEC Network's traveling pre-game show SEC Nation, according to a press release from the network.
The Gator Great, who won two national championships and a Heisman Trophy with the Orange and Blue, will also remain as a mainstay in ESPN's College Football Playoff programming, providing his ****** ysis and insight across ESPN networks.
"I love this game and getting to talk about it every Saturday with the crews on SEC Network and ESPN is a gift I don't take lightly," said Tebow. "SEC fans bring a passion that never gets old, and I'm grateful I get to keep doing this alongside people who feel like family."
Additionally, Tebow will continue to bring his expert commentary on various high-profile ESPN shows throughout the year, including College Football Live, SportsCenter and more.
"Tim is one of the legendary players in the history of college football and he will continue to be a fixture in our coverage on SEC Network and across ESPN," said Burke Magnus, President of Content. "Tim's unrivaled experience in the SEC combined with his knowledge and genuine passion for the game make him one of the sport's most credible voices, particularly among the SEC Nation fanbase."

#game #nation

LOS ANGELES — Aliyah Boston, who was questionable with a right lower leg injury, will not play on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks, Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White said at shootaround.
Caitlin Clark, who was probable with a back injury, will play. The game against Los Angeles is the first of a travel back-to-back, and the two will "flip flop," White said, for Thursday's game against Phoenix — Boston will be available, Clark will be out.
Boston popped up on the injury report Tuesday afternoon following the Fever's practice. She has been managing a right lower leg injury since February, when she first got injured in Unrivaled. She missed the Unrivaled playoffs, the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in March, and the Fever's first two preseason games as she recovered. She also missed Indiana's regular-season game against Seattle on May 17.
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Clark has been working through back issues all season, as well. She missed the Fever's game against Portland on May 20 and has mostly been listed as probable (back) since then. She has missed the Fever's last two games and left their game June 24 against Phoenix in the third quarter after two hard fouls in the second; she got up rubbing her back after a landing **** e foul that wasn't upgraded, and Alyssa Thomas put a fist to her throat in a skirmish that was not called at all on the floor.

Amidst a breakout season in the WNBA, Jessica Shepard has garnered the interest of other professional basketball leagues.
For the first time, Shepard will play in Unrivaled during this upcoming offseason. The 3-on-3 women’s basketball league announced Wednesday, June 8 that they signed Shepard to a multi-year deal, a week after she was named as a starter in the WNBA All-Star game for the first time ever.
Shepard has previously spent her offseasons playing in Europe, most recently for clubs in Greece and Italy. She was named All-EuroLeague Second Team this past spring and in 2025 was the All-Greek A1 Player of the Year.
“I am really excited to be joining Unrivaled for the coming seasons. I’ve heard nothing but great things since the league started,” Shepard said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to competing and playing with the best players in the world in a different setting, as well as developing my game.”
More: WNBA power rankings: Who is the team MVP at the midway point?

Unrivaled has secured two top international players.
French guard Marine Johannès has signed a multiyear deal to join Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league announced Monday. The announcement comes just days after Unrivaled announced it had signed Canadian forward Bridget Carleton for the 2027 season.
It also comes less than two weeks after Project B, the global basketball league set to launch in December, announced the signing of Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd. Fudd had previously signed an NIL deal with Unrivaled.
Unrivaled and Project B appear to be the two biggest 2027 offseason destinations for WNBA players. Unrivaled has been positioned as a domestic option that offers six-figure salaries, while Project B aims to be an international league that tours across markets. The latter has also offered multi-million dollar salaries to some of its biggest stars.
Unrivaled only has a small handful of slots remaining for 2027, as it only has 48 roster spots and has filled over 90% of them. There is also a six-player developmental pool to help fill teams facing injuries.

So, about those 53 points.
For the third time in WNBA history, a player scored 53 points in a single game that ended in regulation, with the latest addition maybe the most surprising of the bunch. The Toronto Tempo’s Marina Mabrey, who has never even made an All-Star team, lit up the Los Angeles Sparks in a 125-97 win Friday by making 17 of 28 from the floor and 10 of 12 free throws, tying A’ja Wilson and Liz Cambage for the highest-scoring game in league history.
In the process, Mabrey also tied the record for most 3-pointers in a game (nine), a mark she also equaled two games prior. Of the nine times a player has hit nine triples in a game, three came in a two-week stretch this season: these two by Mabrey and Las Vegas’ Chelsea Gray on June 11.
Mabrey has been on quite the heater this calendar year, starting with a 47-point performance in Unrivaled on Jan. 30. That court is smaller, but she put up that total in just over 21 minutes and hit 10 3-pointers. Three of her seven 30-point WNBA games have come this season with Toronto, and with Brittney Sykes injured, Mabrey is cooking even more. She set a career high on June 19 with 37 points (the first game in which she hit nine 3s) before exploding for her 53 on Thursday.
Mabrey is playing for the most offensive-minded head coach of her WNBA career in Sandy Brondello, but she’s also playing in the friendliest offensive environment in league history. WNBA teams were averaging 86.4 points per game entering Sunday, nearly five points higher than last year’s mark of 81.7. The league’s highest previous scoring average, outside of the 2020 bubble (83.1 points), was 82.7 per game in 2023. Efficiency is at its highest with a leaguewide effective field-goal percentage of 51.1 percent. Per Across the Timeline, there have been 58 games in WNBA history where both teams have scored at least 100 points; 10 have come in the 2026 season. Kamilla Cardoso also set a record this past week with 13 made field goals and no misses in a win over Portland.

Eight-year WNBA veteran Gabby Williams has signed a multiyear contract with Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 women’s basketball league announced on Thursday.
Williams, 29, did not play with Unrivaled for the league’s first two seasons while she played with Fenerbahçe SK in FIBA EuroLeague Women in 2025 and 2026. During the past two seasons with Fenerbahçe, Williams earned first-team and second-team All-EuroLeague honors and was twice named Defensive Player of the Year.
This season is Williams’ first with the Golden State Valkyries after she played the past four years with the Seattle Storm. She is currently averaging a career-high 16.3 points and shooting 38% on 82 3-point attempts.
Last season, the 5-foot-11 forward registered 99 steals, tying for the second-most for a season in WNBA history (and finishing one behind the record set in 1998 by Teresa Witherspoon). She finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind co-winners Alanna Smith and A’ja Wilson.
Williams was originally the 2018 first-round pick of the Chicago Sky (No. 4 overall) out of UConn. She played three years for the Sky before missing the 2021 season while playing for the French Olympic team. Chicago suspended her for being unavailable and traded her to the Los Angeles Sparks. However, due to her suspension, she never played there and was traded before the 2022 season to the Storm.

Breanna Stewart: “This new CBA is going to be historic.” Kiki Rice on a championship run + March legacies

Hoops 360 hosts Caroline Fenton, Cassandra Negley, and basketball ****** yst Isis “Ice” Young break down the newly agreed-upon WNBA CBA. Breanna Stewart joins the show to discuss the negotiation process and reflect on her championship season with Unrivaled.
UCLA guard Kiki Rice also stops by to share her mindset heading into March and the Bruins’ goals as they chase their first national ****** le. Plus, the crew debates which coaches and players have a chance to cement their legacy as

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ’s veneer of political invulnerability has begun to crack as he struggles to find his footing on Americans’ concerns about affordability and fails to extinguish a push by renegade Republicans to release more files from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The twin challenges, coming shortly after Democratic victories in recent elections and before next year’s midterm campaigns that will determine control of Congress, represent a sobering situation for a president who has reveled in his unrivaled dominance in Washington.
He has overhauled the federal government w