The Athletic

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Editor’s Note: Read more WNBA coverage from the Athletic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/">here</a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.
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Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd, the top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee, the team announced Wednesday.
This story will be updated.

Press Release

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NEW YORK, August 19, 2026 – WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued the following statement regarding Nneka Ogwumike’s retirement announcement:
“There is no telling the story of the WNBA’s recent growth and evolution without Nneka Ogwumike. Her extraordinary career has been defined not only by excellence, but by the way she has led and lifted those around her. She is a champion and MVP, one of the most accomplished players of all time, and a fierce competitor who has represented the very best our game has to offer. For 15 seasons, Nneka has led with grace and conviction, competed with an unmistakable spark, and carried herself with a generosity and thoughtfulness that have earned the admiration of everyone across our game.
“Nneka will retire at the end of this season leaving the WNBA much better than she found it — a testament not only to the player she has been, but to the person and leader she is. I have been fortunate to work closely with Nneka over the years and have been inspired by her passion and unwavering commitment to the players. It has been a privilege to watch her remarkable journey, and while there is still more basketball to be played this season, we congratulate her on an extraordinary career and look forward to celebrating her in the months ahead.”
# # #
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WNBA Statement on Nneka Ogwumike's Retirement

Player News

The following is a press release from the Los Angeles Sparks:
 
WNBA Champion, MVP, 11-time All-Star and longtime WNBPA President concludes one of the most accomplished and influential careers in women’s basketball
LOS ANGELES – Aug. 19, 2026 — Nneka Ogwumike, WNBA champion, league MVP, 11-time All-Star and President of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, announced today in an exclusive interview with Taylor Rooks for Boardroom Talks her intent to retire from the WNBA at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
“I’ve learned there’s power in knowing when to walk away. For so long, that strength meant finding a way to keep pushing. Now, it means recognizing when you feel complete. I find myself grateful, fulfilled, and at peace with everything this game has given me and everything I’ve poured into it,” Ogwumike said.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 WNBA Draft, Ogwumike retires as one of the most decorated and consequential players of her generation. Her career includes the 2012 Rookie of the Year award, the 2016 WNBA MVP and championship, eleven All-Star selections, eight All-WNBA selections, seven All-Defensive Team selections and recognition as a member of The W25, honoring the 25 greatest players in league history at the WNBA’s 25th anniversary.
Ogwumike also leaves an enduring mark on the Los Angeles Sparks, where she spent 13 of her 15 WNBA seasons and became the franchise’s all-time leader in scoring, field goals made, steals and double-doubles.
Her impact extends well beyond the court. As WNBPA President since 2016, Ogwumike has been one of the most influential player leaders during a transformational period for the WNBA and women’s professional sports. During her tenure, WNBA players have secured the single largest salary increase from one CBA to the next in the history of professional sports, along with expanded benefits, player protections and resources that have helped redefine the standard for women’s professional basketball.
“Playing in the W for 15 seasons has given me far more than I ever imagined. I’ve been challenged as a competitor, shaped as a leader, and exposed to unforgettable people and experiences. I can stand proudly as the player I’ve become, and even more proud of the woman I am becoming.”
Ogwumike’s next chapter will continue her commitment to growing women’s basketball and expanding its impact globally.

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Nneka Ogwumike Announces Retirement from the WNBA Following the 2026 Season

NEW YORK, NY and SAN FRANCISCO, CA, August 18, 2026 –  The Women&#8217;s National Basketball Association (WNBA) announced today that the Golden State Valkyries and the San Francisco Bay Area have been selected to host AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star 2027, marking the first time the league’s premier midseason event will be held in the region. The 2027 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game will take place on Saturday, July 31, 2027, at Chase Center, capping a weekend of WNBA All-Star events and activities across the Bay Area.
&#8220;We are thrilled to bring AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star to the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time,&#8221; said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. &#8220;The Golden State Valkyries have brought incredible energy and excitement to the WNBA from the moment they were announced as an expansion team in 2023, and the response from fans across the Bay Area has been remarkable. Valkyries fans have embraced this team with an extraordinary level of passion and enthusiasm, and we can’t wait to see that energy on full display for an unforgettable All-Star weekend next summer.”
&#8220;Hosting AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star in only our third season is an incredible honor and a reflection of everything this fanbase, this region, and this organization have built together,&#8221; said Jess Smith, President, Golden State Valkyries. &#8220;From day one, the Bay Area has shown up for this team in a way that’s redefined what’s possible in women’s basketball, and we can’t wait to put that same energy on display for the entire league next summer.&#8221;
“In the last two years, the Golden State Valkyries have taken the world by storm—and San Francisco’s recovery has done the same. People are coming from across the world to visit our city, and we’re excited to welcome even more for the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game,” said Mayor Daniel Lurie. “San Francisco is the center of the sports world. After we hosted the Super Bowl, FIFA World Cup, and NBA All-Star Weekend, we are bringing the MLB All-Star Game and Vogue World to our city—because the world can see that San Francisco is the place to be. When the WNBA’s best come next year, our unmatched passion for women’s sports, and our city’s comeback, will be on full display.”
&#8220;The 2027 WNBA All-Star Game coming to the Bay Area is a testament to what the Golden State Valkyries have built in such a short time … a passionate fanbase, sellout energy, and a community that has embraced women’s basketball at scale,&#8221; said Zaileen Janmohamed, CEO, Bay Area Host Committee. &#8220;It’s also a reflection of our region’s proven track record with major events, having successfully hosted NBA All-Star 2025, Super Bowl LX, and FIFA World Cup games. We’re ready to bring that same world-class approach to WNBA All-Star 2027.&#8221;
In addition to the AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game, fans can expect:
<ul>
<li>The Kia WNBA Shooting Stars and State Farm WNBA 3-Point Contest at Chase Center on Friday, July 30.</li>
<li>The sixth annual WNBA Live presented by AWS at Moscone Center.</li>
<li>Community impact events throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.</li>
<li>Additional fan experiences, watch parties, and programming throughout the region, with more details to be announced in the coming months.</li>
</ul>
Friday night All-Star festivities will air Friday, July 30, on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET, and the 2027 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game will air Saturday, July 31, on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Further details, including ticket information and the complete schedule of events, will be announced in the coming months.
About the WNBA 
Currently in its historic 30th season in 2026, the WNBA continues to be one of the fastest-growing brands in sports, fueled by record-breaking momentum and unprecedented growth. Having reached a new transformational Collective Bargaining Agreement in March 2026, the league enters a bold new chapter focused on elevating the player experience, increased investment, and growing women’s basketball globally. The WNBA’s dedication to societal impact is supported by the WNBA Changemakers Collective (Ally, AT&amp;T, AWS, CarMax, Deloitte, Google, and Nike), a first-of-its-kind group of purpose-driven companies working to empower players and the league, increase visibility, and drive business transformation.
About the Golden State Valkyries
The Golden State Valkyries are a professional women&#8217;s basketball team competing in the WNBA. Based in Oakland at the Sephora Performance Center and playing home games at Chase Center in San Francisco, the Valkyries made history in their inaugural 2025 season by breaking the all-time WNBA attendance record with 22 consecutive regular-season sellouts, and are led on court by 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase. Rooted in Norse mythology, Valkyries are a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering &#8211; flying through air and sea alike. This brand is Golden State’s modern interpretation of Valkyries: strong, bold, and fierce. For more information on the Golden State Valkyries 2026 season, presented by Kaiser Permanente, visit valkyries.com.

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AT&T WNBA All-Star Heading to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2027

Analysis

There are only a handful of games left to be played before the WNBA’s midseason break for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup, which is taking place from September 4 to September 13. This means that the very few games left to play before that break are even more crucial to playoff seeding and an actual shot at a playoff berth, something that teams like the Portland Fire, Dallas Wings, and Washington Mystics are all too aware of.
Even if you’re in 9th or 10th place right now in the standings, that could quickly change with a win streak before the FIBA break. That pressure has made for some unbelievably fun basketball lately.
<hr />
<h2>Valkyries Hit Another Winning Streak</h2>
The Valkyries have been flying a bit too under the radar for my liking this season. Their team defense, which is probably best described as “hitting teams with metal bats for all four quarters,” has not wavered much since the beginning of the season. They’re currently first in the league in defensive rating (101.1), and Veronica Burton has the highest defensive win shares of any player in the league with at least 30 games played (0.190). 
They finished up Week 12 of the season with another winning streak kept alive, hitting five straight victories. They’ve kept pace with the Minnesota Lynx and the similarly red-hot Las Vegas Aces to remain atop the standings, and to separate themselves from the growing mess that is the WNBA’s seeding from 4-8. 
Golden State has a league-high seven games before the FIBA break, which should be more than enough to continue solidifying their spot near the top of the standings. Most of those games come against teams below .500.
<hr />
<h2>Minnesota, Las Vegas Clinch Playoff Berths</h2>
<div id="attachment_269308" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-269308" class="wp-image-269308 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T111235.196.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T111235.196.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T111235.196-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T111235.196-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T111235.196-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T111235.196-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Napheesa Collier #24 of the Minnesota Lynx guards A&#8217;ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces</div>
At the other end of the Valkyries’ spot on the standings, the Lynx and Aces both managed to become the first teams to clinch playoff berths. For Minnesota, it came as no surprise &#8211; they’ve been on a roll the entire season, and have only looked more dangerous since the return of Napheesa Collier to the starting lineup.
A convincing win over the Aces on Saturday further separated them from the rest of the pack, and continued to showcase what makes them so dangerous come playoff time &#8211; their depth. Six of the eight players head coach Cheryl Reeve played in that game scored double digits, whereas the Aces only had four players hit that note. 
As for Las Vegas, this season has been another strange one, although not as weird as their 2025 campaign that ended in another championship. You can almost feel when they’ve decided to either hit the gas hard or take their foot off the pedal. Ideally, you’d like to see them with a bit more of a lead foot in games like this, potential Finals previews. Only two efficient shooting games from A’ja Wilson and Nalyssa Smith won’t get that done, though. 
In good news for Las Vegas, they have the weakest remaining schedule of all contenders.
<hr />
<h2>Johannès Looking Like the Liberty’s Best Remaining Spark Plug</h2>
The New York Liberty had a matchup against the struggling Connecticut Sun this past weekend, and the game was a lot closer than Liberty fans might’ve wanted it to be throughout the first half and towards the end of the contest. 
One player that did not seem to want to let things get out of hand, though, was Marine Johannès. The French guard finished with 17 points on 62.5 percent shooting from three-point range, and had a healthy diet of either <a href="https://x.com/WNBA/status/2088698613597704402?s=20">one-legged threes</a> or crafty drives to the basket. She also <a href="https://x.com/UnderdogWNBA/status/2088700933001597386?s=20">had a highlight-reel pass</a> to Rebecca Allen in the 4th to continue to seal the victory for New York. 
The Liberty have struggled to find this sort of spark on offense lately, with injuries and almost one too many lineup changes making chemistry hard to come by. Johannès, though, is clearly using these remaining contests ahead of the FIBA World Cup as good practice for her time with the French national team. And, New York is thriving as a result.
<hr />
<h2>Fever Taking Shape as True Contenders</h2>
<div id="attachment_269309" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-269309" class="wp-image-269309 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T112026.181.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T112026.181.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T112026.181-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T112026.181-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T112026.181-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-18T112026.181-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Kelsey Mitchell #0 and Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever</div>
All season, the Fever have been on the periphery of the conversation about contenders. Kelsey Mitchell has been on an absolute tear this year, while Aliyah Boston remains one of the WNBA’s best post players through August. And, they’ve had a mostly-healthy Caitlin Clark as their main floor general, although her weaknesses on defense and tendency to get too overzealous when complaining about foul calls have made her a risk for technical fouls all year long. 
Still, they’ve climbed up the standings, and last week they convincingly took down the Dallas Wings, New York Liberty, and Atlanta Dream to sweep their Rivals Week competition. They’re only a half game behind the Aces in the standings, and they have the tiebreaker over Las Vegas after going 2-1 against them this regular season. 
Clark averaged nearly 10 assists over these three key contests, while Mitchell had 25+ points in two out of the three. Clark picked up where Mitchell left off in their game against the Dream, scoring 26 and dishing out nine. 
They could be one of the scarier teams to face this postseason, as they’re a threat from the post as well as from long range thanks to Clark and Mitchell. However, it’ll be a matter of whether their depth can really match up with that of the Lynx, Aces, or Valkyries that will set them apart.
<hr />
<h2>Fire Keeping Pace in Standings</h2>
Who knew that the Portland Fire, despite a sluggish start to their season, would actually be pushing for a postseason spot?
Well, if you’ve been paying attention to both the talent in this league and the way that expansion franchises over the last few seasons have been playing with a chip on their shoulders, it wouldn’t be all that surprising. 
Portland continues to not go down without a fight, most recently taking down the Phoenix Mercury on Diana Taurasi’s jersey retirement night, and the Seattle Storm as part of Rivals Week. They also only lost to the Lynx by four, although we won’t talk up any moral victories here &#8211; the Fire wouldn’t want that. 
They have the toughest hill to climb of all remaining bottom-seed playoff teams, as they’re still 13.5 games back headed into a new week of the eight-seed Wings. They have one more critical game against Dallas next week, which could give them the tiebreaker if both teams finish with the same record in a race for the 8-seed. 
They also have the 4th-strongest remaining schedule, which will either sharpen them or bury them before they have a chance to really make a postseason push in earnest. Bridget Carleton and Megan DiLeo are two of Portland’s most postseason-weathered players, and they’ve been leading the push this past week for the Fire &#8211; they need a lot more help from their younger supporting cast if they want to become just the second expansion franchise to make the postseason in their inaugural season.

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Five Things I Like: Week 12

<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-199787" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1.png" alt="" width="2560" height="100" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1.png 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1-300x12.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1-1024x40.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1-768x30.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1-1536x60.png 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/06/2560-x-100-1-2048x80.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />
Editor&#8217;s Note: Read more WNBA coverage from the Athletic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/">here</a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.
***
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-269238" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/2026-08-17T002127Z_275313293_MT1USATODAY29599573_RTRMADP_3_WNBA-PORTLAND-FIRE-AT-PHOENIX-MERCURY-scaled-e1786927145765-1024x683-1.png" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/2026-08-17T002127Z_275313293_MT1USATODAY29599573_RTRMADP_3_WNBA-PORTLAND-FIRE-AT-PHOENIX-MERCURY-scaled-e1786927145765-1024x683-1.png 1440w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/2026-08-17T002127Z_275313293_MT1USATODAY29599573_RTRMADP_3_WNBA-PORTLAND-FIRE-AT-PHOENIX-MERCURY-scaled-e1786927145765-1024x683-1-300x200.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/2026-08-17T002127Z_275313293_MT1USATODAY29599573_RTRMADP_3_WNBA-PORTLAND-FIRE-AT-PHOENIX-MERCURY-scaled-e1786927145765-1024x683-1-1024x683.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/2026-08-17T002127Z_275313293_MT1USATODAY29599573_RTRMADP_3_WNBA-PORTLAND-FIRE-AT-PHOENIX-MERCURY-scaled-e1786927145765-1024x683-1-768x512.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />
PHOENIX — Few take to the hardwood like Diana Taurasi.
For six Olympic games, she did so wearing the No. 12 under the letters U-S-A and won six gold medals. In 12 seasons overseas, she wore Nos. 13 and 32 while winning six Euroleague titles during stints with Spartak Moscow and UMMC Ekaterinburg.
And for two decades, she defined the WNBA while wearing one number — No. 3 — for one franchise, the Phoenix Mercury. Sunday afternoon, the Mercury honored her by raising that No. 3 to the rafters. And once again she took the court as no one else could — this time wearing an all-black suit with a jeweled brooch — and delivered a speech encapsulating it all.
“Driving to the game today, I didn’t know whether I was going to suit up, whether it was my funeral or a celebration,” Taurasi said with a grin. “I’ve come to realize it’s all of it and it’s amazing.”
Taurasi exemplified excellence in the WNBA for 20 years.
She became the first player in the league to eclipse 10,000 points, then added 646 more before retiring. She won three WNBA titles. She was an 11-time All-Star, the 2009 MVP, a five-time scoring champion, a two-time finals MVP and 10-time All-WNBA first-teamer. Eighteen months after retiring on Feb. 25, 2025, the Mercury officially retired her jersey number.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A legendary night for a legendary player.
After 20 seasons in the WNBA, Diana Taurasi’s No. 3 is officially in the Phoenix rafters. 
🎥 <a href="https://x.com/WNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WNBA</a> <a href="https://t.co/Md0mnzbqJn">pic.twitter.com/Md0mnzbqJn</a>
&mdash; The Athletic (@TheAthletic) <a href="https://x.com/TheAthletic/status/2089151049579819123?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 17, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Today feels different,” Taurasi said before the Mercury’s 88-85 loss to the Portland Fire. “When your number goes up there, you can’t use it anymore. It’s done. So, if there was any little competitiveness still in me, I think today it goes up in the rafters with the number, and it feels really good to know that.”
The Mercury and the city of Phoenix spent the weekend celebrating the career of their adopted daughter.
On Thursday, a street outside of Mortgage Matchup Center was named “10646 Taurasi Way” in honor of her career point total. Taurasi partook in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for one of the three refurbished outdoor courts in the Phoenix area. A mural with her likeness was painted on a wall outside the arena.
The weekend culminated with Sunday’s ceremony and Taurasi’s induction into the franchise’s Ring of Honor. She joins Mercury legends Cheryl Miller, Jennifer Gillom, Bridget Pettis, Michele Timms and Penny Taylor, who is Taurasi’s wife.
A wide variety of noteworthy figures sat courtside for the game, including 23-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps, four-time WNBA champion Sheryl Swoopes, Arizona Cardinals Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald, Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker and Taurasi’s former teammate Brittney Griner, who helped Taurasi lead the Mercury to the 2014 WNBA championship.
Team owner Mat Ishbia, who also owns the NBA’s Suns, welcomed Taurasi onto the court at halftime. Her parents, sister, wife and children were there waiting for her. Ishbia delivered a brief speech before passing the mic to Pettis, a former teammate of Taurasi’s, who accepted her into the Ring of Honor. Then it was time for Taurasi’s speech, which she called an “appetizer” ahead of a lengthier celebration held after the game.
Taurasi thanked Ishbia and the organization for valuing the Mercury with treatment and respect equal to the Suns. She then spoke directly to Mercury fans and Phoenix residents. She shared the story of her first conversation with former Mercury owner Jerry Colangelo and said she knew she would never leave the desert.
“This place made me who I am,” Taurasi said. “You guys let me grow. You let me fall. You let me get back up and you gave me the space to become who I am today.”
But after the game, Taurasi really let it rip in a ceremony that lasted roughly an hour and a half, with Taurasi’s speech accounting for just over 30 minutes. Seemingly more than 80 percent of the sold-out crowd stayed for its entirety. Twenty players, coaches and executives spanning the length of her WNBA career met her at center court with flowers.
Taylor, the only other player who was part of all three Mercury titles, recited a poem, imploring everyone in attendance to listen as she spoke about the person, not the player. When it was finally Taurasi’s turn to speak, the arena was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, aside from the boisterous laughter and hearty cheers when she delivered one of her infamous Taurasi-isms.
For the roughly 30 minutes that Taurasi spoke, she shared details about the grind of her career and the joys of doing it with teammates who became family. She joked about the bad coaches and about the good ones, sharing how NBA and WNBA championship-winning coach Paul Westhead would sometimes walk into the locker room wearing two different-colored shoes before talking about Shakespeare.
At one point, a fan yelled, “I’m going to be a basketball player.”
To which Taurasi replied, “You do it, girl. There are three outdoor basketball courts, go hit ‘em.”
The common thread from all those who spoke about Taurasi, whether close friends or on-court foes, was the competitive fire that fueled her success. They spoke about her ruthlessness on the court, and about her kindness and sincerity off it.
For 30 minutes, she gave fans all sides.
The competitor.
The comedian.
The family woman.
And the GOAT.
“Throughout my career, it wasn’t about winning in this weird way,” Taurasi said. “That didn’t make me happy. The winning or the losing, it didn’t motivate me more or less. So, once <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6160597/2025/02/26/diana-taurasi-retirement-column-wnba/">I retired</a>, I didn’t have this urge to be competitive. I didn’t have this urge to prove myself. Hopefully, I still treat the day the same way, where whoever I come in contact with, I give them my attention, I give them my energy.”
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/annie-costabile/?eafs_enabled=false">Annie Costabile</a> is a Senior Writer for The Athletic covering the WNBA and women&#8217;s basketball at large. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a women&#8217;s sports reporter for Front Office Sports and, prior to that, was a sports reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times for seven years, where she covered the Chicago Sky and women&#8217;s sports. Annie also served as the high school preps and recruiting editor at The Clarion-Ledger. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa, based in Brooklyn.

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Mercury Retire Diana Taurasi’s No. 3, Welcome WNBA Legend to Ring of Honor

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Editor&#8217;s Note: Read more WNBA coverage from the Athletic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/">here</a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.
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ATLANTA — Inside an overly warm, dimly lit, standing-room-only space usually reserved for Zamboni parking, Stephanie White offered a three-syllable summary of how the Indiana Fever have slogged through chaos to become a viable championship threat.
“We’ve grown up,” White said Sunday evening.
The latest case in point: A 95-91 overtime win over the Atlanta Dream at State Farm Arena in which both red-hot clubs stumbled badly and regularly. The Fever, with their all-world backcourt and an offense on a record efficiency pace, in fact leaned on young frontcourt talent and an ability to finish defensively, earning a critical victory as they pursue home-court advantage in the WNBA playoffs. It was Indiana’s fourth straight win, boosting their record to 23-12. Atlanta slipped to 21-13.
Indiana salvaged a 2-2 split of its season series with Atlanta, which started the day a half-game behind the Fever in the overall standings. White considered this entire five-games-in-seven-days trip a rehearsal for playoff basketball — in particular the quick prep and adjustments required in it — and Sunday sure looked a lot like the postseason played early.
“You can’t let one slip because that’s the difference between hosting two games in the first round or going on the road,” said Fever guard Caitlin Clark, who finished with 26 points and nine assists. “This was a big one. This was a really important one for us to get, and that’s kind of the story of this whole road trip — this is the last matchup we have with a lot of these teams, and these teams are really good, and possible teams we’ll see in the playoffs.”
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<h2>Timpson continues revelatory growth</h2>
In February, the Fever staff visited Unrivaled and checked in with Makayla “KK” Timpson, their promising 6-foot-2 forward who had very much looked like a rookie in her rookie year. Come to Indianapolis early, they told Timpson. There’s a lot of work to do.
Timpson’s growth trajectory has now altered the trajectory of Indiana’s season. On Sunday, in her fifth start of the season, she posted a career-high 20 points. She scored six points in the overtime session alone, one off a lob and one off a pseudo-lob — catching a Kelsey Mitchell airball and banking it in for a bucket. “Just throw it up,” Timpson said afterwards, “and I’ll go get it.”
Still, it’s her defensive capabilities that have altered the calculus for White and the coaching staff. Timpson began the game matched up with Rhyne Howard, one of the guards headed to the FIBA World Cup with Team USA next month. After that, she shifted onto bigs and then quickly closed up space when the Fever deployed a fourth-quarter zone that flummoxed the Dream.
“This was not something we would have thrown at her the first third of the season,” White said. “She’d be in regular switches, guarding post players. But the more and more comfortable she’s got, the more and more responsibility we’ve given her, and the more and more she stepped up and met those expectations. It allows us to do a lot of different things.”
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<h2>Gray Goes Cold</h2>
Allisha Gray was the best player on the floor in the first half, scoring 17 points at all levels and earning some face-to-face time with Angel Reese, who made a beeline off the Dream bench to hype up her more reticent teammate. And when Gray hit a stepback 3 midway through the fourth quarter, it put her at 32 points while at least temporarily quelling the Fever’s increasing momentum.
Gray then finished the game with … 32 points. From the 6:14 mark of the last frame through overtime, the four-time All-Star vanished. She missed a potential go-ahead jumper out of a timeout with less than a minute to play in regulation and then went 0-of-4 shooting with a turnover in the overtime period.
“I just feel like we came up short tonight,” a clearly frustrated Gray said after the game.
That said, the Dream were without starting point guard Jordin Canada, who missed the game with illness, and Gray wasn’t the only star to miss chances. On the final sequence of regulation, Howard missed a 3-pointer, and both Reese and Naz Hillmon missed putback attempts before the horn sounded.
“We just had to move on to the next play,” Dream coach Karl Smesko said. “There was supposed to be one screen in there, and we kind of forgot the screen, but then (Howard) took the shot and we told those two to really crash the boards. They both did exactly what we asked for. We got two looks that could’ve won it for us. They rolled out. Just kind of a bad break.”
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<h2>Kelsey Mitchell: Shoes Off, Scoring Streak On</h2>
This was not the smoothest effort for Mitchell, the WNBA’s second-leading scorer, or her footwear. In the first half, she spent an entire defensive possession retying a shoe that had fallen off while she ran back down the floor. (Somehow, the Fever got a stop anyway.) Then with a chance at the go-ahead score in the final seconds of regulation, Mitchell had the ball, planted to change directions and had her left shoe fall off yet again, forcing Indiana to call a timeout.
Mitchell slammed the wayward high-top to the floor after that. But with 13.5 seconds left in overtime, she finished a drive through traffic to create a five-point edge for the Fever — a bucket that also preserved her streak of 20-point games. It’s now at 19 in a row, one shy of the record of 20, held by Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson.
“Kelsey struggled from the floor in the first half and she found it in the second half,” White said. “That’s part of her growth, just knowing to stay with it, that it’s going to come.”
But, yes, one more suggestion from the coach.
“Triple-knot the shoes,” White said with a laugh.
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/brian-hamilton/?eafs_enabled=false">Brian Hamilton</a> joined The Athletic as a senior writer after three-plus years as a national college reporter for Sports Illustrated. Previously, he spent eight years at the Chicago Tribune, covering everything from Notre Dame to the Stanley Cup Final to the Olympics.

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