Rebekah Gardner helped the New York Liberty win the Commissioner's Cup trophy last week, and she could help them win more silverware later this year. The Liberty defeated the Las Vegas Aces to become the first team to repeat as champions. Breanna Stewart won MVP and Sabrina Ionescu made clutch three-pointers, but Gardner stepped up with seven points in 12 minutes, shooting 60% from the field.
Rebekah Gardner: From Undrafted Rookie to Key Bench Player
The UCLA product was a 31-year-old undrafted rookie in 2022 after playing overseas in Turkey, Romania, and Spain. She burst onto the scene with the Chicago Sky, earning a spot on the All-Rookie team. Now, she plays a significant role off the bench for a deep Liberty squad, taking on the toughest defensive assignment, maintaining efficient shot selection (50.7% on the season), and staying healthy—something the Liberty desperately needs.
NaLyssa Smith: Stepping Up for the Aces
After being traded to the Las Vegas Aces from the Dallas Wings midway through last season, NaLyssa Smith says she fell in love with the game again. This season, she is playing like a champion, starting alongside four-time MVP A'ja Wilson and showcasing some of the best basketball of her career. Through 21 games, Smith has the highest field-goal percentage in the league at nearly 66%. In an overtime win against the Sky last Friday, she posted a season-high 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting without Wilson, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. "She's truly our glue," Wilson said of her teammate. "She does all the little things."
Kaila Charles: Unsung Hero for the Valkyries
Kaila Charles has been in and out of the league since 2020, but she seems to have finally found a home with the Golden State Valkyries. Her scoring stats may not be the flashiest (6.0 points per game off the bench), but she contributes in other ways. Her 4.7 rebounds per game are the fifth-best among guards. She consistently gets defensive stops in crunch time, knocks down timely three-pointers, and embodies the hard-nosed identity Golden State has set out to claim. The University of Maryland product is an unsung hero and will come up huge in the postseason for this squad.
Madina Okot: Rookie Making an Immediate Impact
South Carolina fans were keeping their fingers crossed that Madina Okot would even make the Atlanta Dream's roster after she was selected with the No. 13 pick in this year's draft. Not only did she make the team, but she has made an immediate impact. Atlanta's All-Star center, Brionna Jones, has been out indefinitely due to injury, so when the opportunity arose for the rookie to absorb her minutes, Okot took advantage. She has been solid on the offensive end (5.7 ppg in 9.5 minutes of action) and has had to guard the gauntlet of bigs throughout the league. Remarkably, Okot has only been playing basketball since 2020—just six years. In that span, she competed in college in her home country of Kenya, reached the NCAA national championship game with South Carolina, and even started a game as a WNBA rookie.
Flagrant 2 Foul Controversy and Player Safety
Almost two weeks later, the league is still talking about Alyssa Thomas's Flagrant 2 foul on Caitlin Clark that led to Thomas's one-game suspension. Thomas has publicly stated that she and her family have received death threats and have been the center of social media toxicity. Clark came under fire for failing to respond, but in a statement on Friday, she condemned the hatred being spewed at players online. Fever coach Stephanie White had chimed in a few days prior: "I think for the league as a whole, there's been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia – straight up hateful nonsense, and it is absolutely unacceptable." The WNBA also released a statement on how "unacceptable" it is for fans to send death threats to players.
Robin Roberts and Geno Auriemma Reunite for 30th Anniversary
On 23 June 1997, Robin Roberts and Geno Auriemma were on the call for ESPN's first nationally televised WNBA broadcast. The New York Liberty defeated the Sacramento Monarchs 73-62. The two would call many WNBA games together for ESPN in the league's early years. On Tuesday night, Roberts (now co-anchor for Good Morning America) and Auriemma (UConn's head coach) returned to the booth for a special one-night-only reunion 30 seasons later as the Liberty hosted the Wings in Brooklyn. The game featured three of Auriemma's brightest alums: Breanna Stewart for New York and Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd for Dallas. Bueckers and Fudd, who won a championship with Auriemma in 2025, got the upper hand as the Wings won 88-77.
Tunnel Picks: Connecticut Sun's Fashion Game
The Connecticut Sun may be last in the standings, but their fits are first-place worthy. Olivia Nelson-Ododa wore a Christopher Esber baby blue satin gown, looking like she was auditioning for a runway model each game. Aaliyah Edwards paid homage to Diana Taurasi with a custom No. 3 jersey dress during a UConn reunion. Aneesah Morrow complemented a leather look with boots that screamed "I mean business," and her Sun got a 29-point victory over the Chicago Sky.
