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Posts tagged as “Marina Mabrey”

Ionescu, Plum, and Mitchell Among Stars “Cored” for 2026 WNBA

April 8, 2026

Alexa Philippou, writing for ESPN;

Ten of 15 WNBA teams have extended core qualifying offers to players since free agency started Monday.

Players who have been “cored” — akin to being given the NFL’s franchise tag — include Sabrina Ionescu, by the New York Liberty; Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx); Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana Fever); Kelsey Plum, (Los Angeles Sparks); and Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings).

The core designation gives a team exclusive negotiating rights to a player and comes with a baseline contract of a fully guaranteed one-year deal worth the supermax ($1.4 million in 2026), though the player can negotiate different terms.

Here’s the full list of cored players, via @alexaphilippou

  • Atlanta: Allisha Gray
  • Chicago: Ariel Atkins
  • Dallas: Arike Ogunbowale
  • Indiana: Kelsey Mitchell
  • LA: Kelsey Plum
  • Minnesota: Napheesa Collier
  • NY: Sabrina Ionescu
  • Portland: Bridget Carleton
  • Seattle: Ezi Magbegor
  • Toronto: Marina Mabrey

Indiana Fever defeat Connecticut Sun to advance to the Commissioner’s Cup Finals (88 – 71)

June 19, 2025

After a very physical game, the Indiana Fever defeated the Connecticut Sun (88 – 71). The win assures the Fever a spot in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals.

It was a close game in the first half but in the second half, Indiana managed to build an 8-point lead entering the 3rd quarter then tension started to build between Clark and Sun guard Jacy Sheldon, after Sheldon “accidentally” made contact with Caitlin Clark’s face during a play, leading to a shove from Clark and a subsequent push to the ground by Marina Mabrey. After a lengthy review, Sheldon was assessed a Flagrant 1 foul, while Clark, Mabrey, and Tina Charles each received technical fouls.

In the final minutes of the game, there was tension between the two team in the final minute of the game. With the Fever comfortably ahead, Sophie Cunningham committed a hard foul on Sheldon, leading to a scuffle that resulted in Cunningham’s ejection with a Flagrant 2, and ejections for Sheldon and Lindsay Allen of the Sun for escalating the altercation. Fever coach Stephanie White later expressed frustration with the officiating, citing a perceived lack of control throughout the game and the season.

In the end, the Indiana Fever’s strong offensive execution and defensive tenacity, especially in the third quarter, proved too much for the struggling Connecticut Sun. The win, combined with an Atlanta loss, means the Fever will now face the Minnesota Lynx in the Commissioner’s Cup Final on July 1st.

Game Highlights

Indiana will travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Valkyries this Friday, while the Connecticut Sun will host the Phoenix Mercury this Thursday.