What's Going On With The WNBA
Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh made sure to keep his players locked in ahead of the WNBA break.
The WNBA will take a 17-day break to give way to the 2026 FIBA Womenâs Basketball World Cup from Sept. 4 to 17 in Berlin, Germany.
On Saturday, the Sky played their last game before the break, visiting the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. However, they absorbed an 85-66 defeat. This was their third straight loss and 25th overall of the season.
During his postgame interview, Marsh was asked about his parting message for his players before this much-needed hiatus.
âYes, to enjoy the break, first and foremost,â Marsh said. âEnjoy the break. You know, we all need time away throughout the season. But part of the messaging too is that this isnât the end of our season either. Thereâs still four games left.â
Chicago Sky head coach Tyler Marsh reacts on the sideline during a game.© David Gonzales-Imagn ImagesMarsh and the Sky are now officially eliminated from playoff contention. They are currently 10th in the league standings with a 15-25 record.
In the same interview, the 38-year-old tactician also discussed how the team will make the most of this break to recover both physically and mentally and end the season on a high note.
âSo we want to be able to regroup and refresh ourselves from a mental standpoint and from a physical standpoint, but still coming back with the mindset of finishing the season strong,â Marsh added. âThat was the messaging.â
This will be the third straight season Chicago has missed the postseason, and they hope to turn things around next year.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Collage featuring BASKETBALL-WNBA-MIN-GSV/ and BASKETBALL-WNBA-ATL-MIN/. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectOlivia Miles-led Minnesota Lynx lost to Angel Reeseâs Atlanta Dream 89-81 on Sunday, Aug. 30. Miles finished with another 20+ scoring night. However, her zero assists put her under a microscope, attracting tons of reactions from the WNBA world.
Olivia Milesâ 0-Assist Night Drew Harsh WNBA ReactionsMiles lit up the scoreboard with a team-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe. But her playmaking was almost nonexistent, as she finished the game without a single assist. Besides, she also posted a team-worst minus-19 plus-minus during 30 minutes of play.
Her lack of involvement in creating opportunities for her teammates quickly became a major talking point, especially as the rookie phenom has been in MVP conversations.
âStop telling me Olivia Miles deserves better odds for WNBA MVP than Caitlin Clark,â OutKickâs Jon Root asserted.
âEverybody on the Lynx roster got an assist today vs the Dream except for Olivia Miles⊠Nasty work,â one WNBA observer highlighted.
For half of the game, Miles was even sloppy on the scoring end. During the first two quarters, she managed nine points.
X handle Letstalksports took a dig at Miles, calling her game âone-dimensional.â
âOlivia Miles: 9 PTS, 0 AST â looking every bit like a rookie after struggling the last few games. Super one-dimensional right now. But yâall told me sheâs better than Caitlin Clark. SHUT THE HELL UP. đ,â Letstalksports joked.
Miles gained some momentum in the second half of the game and added 12 points to her tally. But her playmaking remained a no-show.
âPlease stop mentioning Olivia Miles and Caitlin Clark in the same sentence. Immediately,â Letstalksports iterated, highlighting Milesâ stat line.
One X user took the criticism to another level, bringing Caitlin Clark into the picture and highlighting that the Indiana Fever superstar has never had a zero-assist night in her entire basketball career.
âPoint guard Olivia Miles had zero assists today against the Dream and the worst plus-minus on her team. She needed to get her teammates involved in order to get the W, but couldnât do so. Fun fact: Caitlin Clark has never had a game in college or in the WNBA with no assists,â the X user wrote.
âOlivia Miles leading the Lynx in scoring isnât a recipe for success. If she is not playmaking and getting the easy buckets for the others, the Lynx are an entirely different team, as we saw vs the Dream,â another X user posted.
Miles played for Notre Dame and TCU during her collegiate career but never won the NCAA basketball championship. Her non-existent playmaking against the Dream also brought that fact into the spotlight.
One user argued that Miles is not a team player, writing:
âWhen your team goes on a run because you are not playing your role (pg with 0 assists), more obsessed with your own points, and a CONE on defense â you are not a team player nor a winner. This is why Olivia Miles never won a tournament in 4 years of college.â
But the most glaring part of Milesâ play during the night was her plus-minus score. Despite being the leading scorer, the Lynx rookie registered the worst minus-19 plus-minus, which highlights how ineffective her performance was against the Dream.
Putting that into perspective,one X user quipped, âIs that -19?â
Miles has been a steady presence for the Lynx throughout the season. She leads the team in both scoring and assists and has played a major role in the Lynxâs 31-9 record and their position atop the WNBA standings.
But the Lynx have now dropped two straight games. With the playoffs approaching, a dip in Milesâ playmaking could become a major concern for Minnesota.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
Angel Reese pulled down her 10th rebound with 5:40 left in the fourth quarter Sunday, reaching 13 points and 10 rebounds for her 29th double-double of the season and the WNBA single-season record. The Atlanta Dream beat the Minnesota Lynx 89-81 at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Ga.
Reese finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists on 5-of-9 shooting and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line. Alyssa Thomas set the previous record of 28 double-doubles with Connecticut in 2023, when the regular season ran 40 games. This season runs 44.
Dating to last month, Reese has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 14 straight games. She pulled down 26 against the Los Angeles Sparks on Aug. 24, the most in a game in league history, and passed A'ja Wilson's single-season rebounding record in the same game. Reese leads the league in rebounding for the third consecutive season.
Allisha Gray made 6 of her 11 attempts from 3-point range and finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. Jordin Canada had 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists. Three Atlanta players finished with double-doubles.
Rhyne Howard missed her first 5 attempts from 3-point range. Minnesota used a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 7 before Howard made back-to-back 3s to put Atlanta ahead by 14 with 5:55 left. Howard scored 12 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.
DeWanna Bonner made her Dream debut and finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 17 minutes. Bonner signed with Atlanta on Thursday for the remainder of the season, a prorated maximum ESPN reported at roughly $116,000. Atlanta waived guards Jaylyn Sherrod and Aaliyah Nye in corresponding moves. Bonner agreed to a buyout with the Phoenix Mercury on Aug. 24, two days after Atlanta eliminated Phoenix from playoff contention.
Atlanta shot 46.5% and made 13 of 36 from 3-point range. The Dream scored 40 points in the paint and led by as many as 20. Minnesota shot 42.9%, made 6 of 19 from 3-point range, and turned 18 Atlanta turnovers into 23 points. The Lynx never led by more than 2.
Rookie Olivia Miles led Minnesota with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and took a hard fall on a driving layup in the final minute. Kayla McBride and Napheesa Collier scored 17 apiece. Courtney Williams returned from a one-game absence with a sprained right foot and scored 11. Natasha Howard had 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Minnesota had its eight-game road winning streak snapped. The Lynx (31-9) lost 80-66 at home to Golden State on Aug. 24 to end a six-game winning streak, and they have three losses since a 90-89 home defeat to Connecticut on July 6. Golden State beat Portland 86-69 later Sunday to move to 29-11, two games back of Minnesota for the best record in the league.
Atlanta (26-14) is tied with Indiana for fourth in the league standings with four games left. The Dream clinched a playoff berth on Aug. 22 in a 99-89 win at Phoenix, a game in which Reese scored a career-high 31 points. Reese was the seventh overall pick in the 2024 draft out of LSU and was acquired from Chicago before this season.
The regular season pauses until Sept. 17 for the FIBA Women's World Cup, which runs Sept. 4-13 in Berlin. Reese is on the United States roster. The Dream host the Connecticut Sun on Sept. 17, and the Lynx host New York on Sept. 18. The regular season ends Sept. 24, and the playoffs begin Sept. 27.
'Where Was All of the Energy to Cover the WNBA at ESPN?' -- Linda Cohn's Former Colleague Calls Out Her Newfound Interest in the W, Caitlin ClarkThe WNBAâs viewership skyrocketed when Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark entered the league. To date, she is still one of the first names that come to mind when discussing womenâs basketball.
With constant controversy surrounding the league this season, the WNBA world has become engulfed in flames. This stands true across sports broadcasting networks.
Linda Cohn Called Out by Ex-ESPN Colleague Over Sudden WNBA, Caitlin Clark CoverageLinda Cohn worked as one of ESPNâs âSportsCenterâ anchors for 34 years before announcing her retirement in June 2026.
Throughout her career, Cohn covered a variety of sports, but the WNBA was not her focal point. However, following her retirement, sheâs been very active discussing womenâs basketball on social media, triggering pushback from her former colleague Cindy Brunson.
In response to a circulating video regarding Clark, Cohn posted, âMakes perfect sense to those who make ridiculous observations.â
For reference, the clip is from âNo Offseason: The Athletic Womenâs Basketball Show,â featuring hosts Zena Keita, Sabreena Merchant, and Annie Costabile. The controversial episode stirred frustration because Minnesota Lynx phenom Olivia Miles was mistakenly credited with the WNBAâs single-season rookie assist record over Clark.
With Cohn continuing to discuss the WNBA on social media, Brunson stepped forward and posted, âCurious @lindacohn where was all of the energy to cover the @wnba while you were at ESPN?!? We worked alongside there for 13 yrs & I donât recall you using your clout to amplify the league or push for highlights on SportsCenter while the company willfully buried the W product.â
As expected, Brunsonâs retweet quickly gained traction, prompting Front Office Sportsâ Ryan Glasspiegel to rally to Cohnâs defense.
âItâs completely unfair to say ESPN âwillfully buriedâ the WNBA. Was it a major topic of conversation on talk shows before CC entered the league? No. But no network came close to giving womenâs hoops â W + college â the live windows, production, etc as ESPN for DECADES,â Glasspiegel responded on X.
Cohn regularly touches on subjects relating to the 24-year-old Clark. Of course, the young guard has been a polarizing player within the league, but this isnât anything new. Sheâs now in her third season, but continues to face crippling heat.
Clark is averaging 22.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game, shooting 45.6% from the floor.
She is the WNBAâs third-leading scorer, trailing only Kelsey Mitchell (25.0 ppg) and Aâja Wilson (26.0 ppg). Clark also ranks second on this yearâs assists leaderboard (8.4 apg) and is tied for fourth in 3-pointers made (106).
Itâs no secret that Clark has driven overwhelming attention to the league in recent years, but with attention comes criticism. Whether WNBA fans support or reject Clark, controversy will remain.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.