WNBA

A highly anticipated matchup between Angel Reese and Sabrina Ionescu brought out some celebs on Tuesday night -- including Vanessa Bryant and her daughters -- and the WNBA superstars sure didn't disappoint while in the spotlight.

Kobe's wife -- joined by Natalia, Bianka and Capri Bryant -- hit Barclays Center to catch the big Liberty vs. Sky contest ... and they were treated to some fun WNBA action.

While New York ended up steamrolling Chicago, 85-66, Reese, Ionescu and Breanna Stewart each gave their fans something to cheer about. Reese logged 17 points, Ionescu dropped 23, and Stewart poured in 18.

Indiana Pacers star Pascal Siakam was testy during his postgame availability in New York ... and it just happened to involve the reporter who had a cringeworthy interaction with Caitlin Clark in 2024 -- Gregg Doyel.

Siakam met with the media after the Knicks dodged elimination with a 111-94 win at Madison Square Garden ... when the big man said New York was "more aggressive from the jump."

Then Doyel's turn came around to pick Siakam's brain ... and he asked how it was possible for the team not to play as hard as their opponent.

It doesn't seem Candace Parker is going to cry many tears for Caitlin Clark over the rough play she at times receives in the WNBA ... 'cause the women's basketball legend tells TMZ Sports she believes it's all part of being a superstar in the league.

We caught up with the three-time champ out in Beverly Hills this week and had to ask about all the claims that Clark is being unfairly roughed up by her peers on the court ... and Parker made it clear, she doesn't necessarily see an issue.

The ex-Sparks forward told us "star players aren't ever treated fairly" -- and while she didn't expound much more on her thoughts ... it's pretty obvious she thinks hard fouls come with the territory of being dubbed the face of the W.

The WNBA says it's found no evidence fans were spewing racist hate toward Angel Reese or anyone else during Chicago's game against Caitlin Clark's Fever earlier this month.

The league launched a probe after social media accounts alleged Reese and some of her teammates were on the receiving end of some disturbing trash talk during the Sky's May 17 matchup against the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

But in a statement released Tuesday afternoon, the W says its investigators have yet to find anything that corroborates the report.

Law enforcement clearly took Brittney Griner's "Gay Baby Jail" note concerns seriously ... new police video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows two cops intently investigating the matter.

The bizarre scene unfolded back on Feb. 17 at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland ... after Griner told officials at the hotel she had discovered a handwritten message in her room that she found to be threatening.

Prince George's County Police body camera footage shows just a couple hours after the WNBA superstar hastily bolted from the area over the letter ... two officers rolled into the lobby in an effort to get to the bottom of the situation.

WNBA player Sophie Cunningham is adamantly denying she ever hooked up with Phoenix Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein ... calling the claims made in a recent lawsuit "untrue and extremely hurtful."

The current Indiana Fever guard was named in bombshell court documents filed by former Suns and Mercury employee Gene Traylor earlier this month ... and among the numerous allegations laid out, he stated he heard of an affair between the hooper and exec when she was still on the team.

In the lawsuit, Traylor said he was notified of the inappropriate relationship by coworker Cornelius Craig, the organization's VP of security and risk management.

Angel Reese is speaking out after the WNBA launched an investigation into allegations of racist comments being directed toward her during a game ... thanking the league and her team for the support she's received.

The 6'3" Chicago Sky forward broke her silence after Tuesday's team practice ... when reporters asked her about the W announcing it was looking into claims of inappropriate behavior directed at Reese during Saturday's game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

"Obviously, there's no place in this league for that," the 23-year-old said.

WNBA superstar Skylar Diggins -- who told reporters this week she no longer wanted Smith included when referencing her name -- filed for divorce from her husband earlier this year, TMZ Sports has learned.

The 34-year-old hooper filed the docs on March 26 ... which state she initially separated from ex-Notre Dame football player Daniel Smith in November 2024.

In the docs, she requested the split because the "marriage is irretrievably broken."

Lisa Leslie is adding a few more assists to her stat sheet -- by surprising small businesses with $20,000 checks!!!

The WNBA legend made the special announcement in honor of Small Business Hero Day. Leslie, alongside Intuit QuickBooks and Intuit Mailchimp, presented three mom-and-pop shops with financial support at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

"It actually gives me great pride to be able to tell your stories," she said during the event. "It really warms our heart and inspires us."

WNBA star Rickea Jackson may be off the market after being spotted with Atlanta Falcons draft pick James Pearce Jr. at a watch party on Thursday ... but after her appearance made waves on social media, she elected to handle it all with some humor.

The chatter began after the Falcons traded up to pick the former Tennessee linebacker with the 26th selection of the first round ... when the broadcast went live to Pearce's viewing setup, which revealed the fellow ex-Volunteer was seated to his right and rubbing his leg.

Fans expressed their thoughts on the apparent hard launch on social media ... with some sharing their heartache after realizing the L.A. Sparks star might be unavailable.

Pete Carroll assembled an Avengers-esque lineup of guests for his USC course this week ... with none other than Tom Brady and JuJu Watkins joining the class!!

The Las Vegas Raiders coach/professor welcomed the seven-time Super Bowl champion -- and as he noted, his new boss -- to Thursday's session via Zoom ... and students in attendance understandably lost it when TB12 popped up on the big screen.

The class, called "The Game is Life," is being taught by Carroll, USC Dean of Religious Life Varun Soni, and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship David Belasco.

The woman who designed Kiki Iriafen's stunning WNBA draft night dress has seen her pockets grow a little fatter since the ex-USC star rocked the look ... with TMZ Sports learning her business is now surging!

The mind behind the amazing 'fit is Nneka C. Alexander ... and when we spoke with her in the days after Iriafen's gold-and-bronze get-up went viral, she said her DMs have been going crazy.

She told us people have been hitting her up seeking some custom pieces -- similar to the one Iriafen rocked on Monday.

Seems JuJu Watkins' coach doesn't have much worry her star player will be back to her normal self soon -- Lindsay Gottlieb tells TMZ Sports the 19-year-old is "doing great" in her rehab ... and attacking things with a laser focus.

Watkins, of course, tore her ACL on March 24 in an NCAA tournament game ... but Gottlieb told us out at LAX this week she's showing plenty of signs that she's going to be all right.

"She's doing great," the Trojans sideline manager said. "She's doing great. She's in focus mode, rehab mode."

The Paige Bueckers effect is already taking over Dallas ... 'cause ticket sales and prices have seen a major spike since the Wings took the UConn star with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft.

Bueckers -- who won the 2025 NCAA championship with the Huskies -- was the first name called in Monday night's event ... which was quite the no-brainer for the organization.

Ever since Paige walked the stage, platforms have been overwhelmed with Wings fans trying to get their hands on game tickets ... including SeatGeek, which told us the sales are up 11x compared to five days before the draft.

Hailey Van Lith had a lot to celebrate at the WNBA Draft -- not only was she the 11th name called Monday night ... but she also sealed it with a kiss from her NBA boyfriend, Jalen Suggs!!

The sweet moment happened after the former college basketball guard was selected by the Chicago Sky ... a move that reunited her with former LSU teammate Angel Reese.

Van Lith -- who stunned in a sleek, black dress -- was all smiles after the pick ... and hugged her parents before taking the stage to shake hands with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert.

Paige Bueckers is taking her talents to Big D! The UConn superstar and NCAA champ was just selected with the number one overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.

Choosing the UConn Huskies star with the first pick was a no-brainer for the Dallas Wings ... as she was widely considered the best player in the entire '25 class -- just what Dallas needs after a horrible 9-31 season.

The 6-foot guard averaged 19.8 points and 4.6 assists per game in four seasons at the Connecticut school. She also helped the Huskies win their 12th NCAA championship title earlier this month.