Cooper Flagg’s rookie stats are; 21 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.5 APG on a 46.8 FG%. He beat out his fellow Duke roommate Kon Knueppel for the award.
Tim MacMahon, reporting for ESPN;
Flagg edged Knueppel by 26 points in the voting by a panel of 100 media members. Flagg received 56 first-place votes, with the rest going to Knueppel. Flagg had 44 second-place votes, while Knueppel received 55 second-place votes and one third place.
Flagg has the making of an NBA Supper star and barring injury, the Mavs are in a good place right now, considering what happened to them last year.
Returning from injury with a vengeance, Wembanyama’s 27-point, 7-block performance fueled the Spurs’ 114-93 victory on Sunday. San Antonio are now one win away from clinching the series against Portland. As the video description says “Spurs victory is the second-largest comeback in franchise postseason history in the play-by-play era.”
De’Aaron Fox added 28 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists for the Spurs, who will return home for Game 5 on Tuesday night.
Portland led by as many as 19 points in the first half, even holding the Spurs to just 18 points in the second quarter. However, San Antonio turned the tables in the second half, stifling the Trail Blazers to 16 and 19 points in the final two frames while scoring for 33 and 40 points of their own.
Despite 26 points from Avdija and 20 from Holiday, Portland couldn’t overcome the Spurs’ defensive pressure. San Antonio dominated the hustle stats, out-blocking Portland 10–5 and winning the turnover battle with 13 steals to the Blazers’ 6.
The series shifts back to San Antonio for Game 5, giving the Spurs an opportunity to close out the series at home.
The Minnesota Timberwolves pushed the Denver Nuggets to the brink of elimination after defeating them 112–96, Saturday evening. The win was fueled by a historic performance from Ayo Dosunmu, who erupted for a career-high 43 points off the bench—the highest-scoring playoff game by a reserve in 50 years.
AYO DOSUNMU GIVES WOLVES 3-1 LEAD WITH NIGHT FOR THE AGES.
🔥 43 PTS, most he's scored in NBA 🔥 13-17 FGM, 5-5 3PM, 12-12 FTM 🔥 68 PTS in Games 3+4
Dosunmu is the first player since Steph Curry in 2016 to score 40+ off the bench in the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google! pic.twitter.com/myApdo2aRg
What’s impressive about this win is that the Timberwolves did it without two of their starters; Donte DiVincenzo left the game due to a torn right Achilles tendon, while Anthony Edwards sustained a hyperextension of the knee after contesting a layup late in the second quarter.
Even though they’re missing two starters, the Wolves stifled Denver’s offense, holding the Nuggets to 22% from deep. The game ended in a heated skirmish resulting in ejections for Nikola Jokic and Julius Randle. Minnesota now looks to close out the series Monday night in Denver.
The Indiana Fever had a strong start to their 2026 campaign with a commanding 109–91 victory over the New York Liberty at Barclays Center on Saturday. While exhibition games often focus on roster experimentation, the Fever showcased a high-octane offense that left the Liberty scrambling to keep pace.
Indiana’s victory was fueled by a balanced scoring effort as Kelsey Mitchell and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough led the charge with 18 points each, demonstrating the backcourt depth the team has assembled in the off-season. Raven Johnson, the No. 10 overall pick, shut critics down by making a game-high eight assists and proving she is ready for the professional spotlight. Caitlin Clark back from her USA basketball, ignited the crowd in her return to action, finishing with seven points and four assists in 17 minutes.
The Liberty, playing without their full starting rotation, saw strong flashes from Han Xu, who recorded 20 points and was a defensive presence with 2 blocks, and Breanna Stewart, who added 16. However, Indiana’s fast paced-game game and 32-point first-quarter explosion proved too much to overcome. The Fever now look toward their next preseason test against the Dallas Wings on May 1st.
Game Highlights;
The Indiana Fever defeated the New York Liberty, 109-91, to pick up their first preseason win!
The Portland Trail Blazers closed the game on a 16–4 run over the final five minutes to defeat the San Antonio Spurs 106–103 and even the series at 1–1.
Real talk! The Blazers would not have won if Wemby hadn’t fallen to the ground and exited with a concussion. Even without Wemby, the Spurs still managed to build a 14-point lead (93–79) with eight and a half minutes left in the game; however, Portland went on a 27–10 run to close the game with a win.
Here’s a clip of that nasty Victor Wembanyama fall resulting in a concussion.
Victor Wembanyama (concussion protocol) is OUT for the remainder of the game after hitting his head on the court. pic.twitter.com/qP8tAf6osN
Game 3 of the first-round playoffs will now shift to Portland. We’ll see how San Antonio adjusts their game, especially if Victor Wembanyama is on limited playing time.
Another dominant performance from LeBron James, as the Lakers secured a 101–94 victory over the Rockets in Game 2, extending their series lead to 2-0. Once again James flirted with a triple-double, racking up 28 points, 8rebounds, and 7 assists. Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard added 25 points and 23 points, respectively. Smart and Kennard also made a 8 of the 13 three-pointers of Lakers.
In the second quarter, Houston attempted a comeback fueled by Alperen Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr., but their efforts were undermined by self-inflicted wounds. Kevin Durant struggled with a game-high nine turnovers, and their half-court execution was generally sloppy, preventing the Rockets from closing the gap in the final minutes.
The Lakers are still without Luka Doncic (strained hamstring) and Austin Reaves (strained oblique); this latest win will allow them to get more rest. The series now shifts to Houston for Game 3 this Friday, where the Rockets will face a must-win scenario to avoid a 0-3 deficit.
DENVER — — A big early deficit in Denver didn’t bother the Minnesota Timberwolves, who two years ago staged the biggest Game 7 comeback in NBA history, clawing out of a 20-point hole to beat the Nuggets and advance to the Western Conference finals.
This time, they overcame a 19-point deficit, rallying past the Nuggets 119-114 on Monday night behind 30 points from Anthony Edwards and 24 from Julius Randle to tie their first-round playoff series at one game each.
An epic comeback from the Minnesota Timberwolves and an epic choke job by the Nuggets!
Wemby is basically blocking and rebounding the ball at the sametime! 😀
Update: As per Michael C. Wright, reporting for ESPN;
SAN ANTONIO — Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday night, becoming the first to win the award unanimously and setting the 7-foot-4 phenom on a path he predicted for himself as a rookie.
On this day in NBA history, Michael Jordan delivered one of the greatest scoring performances the game has ever seen.
In Game 2 of the 1986 First Round, a 23-year-old Jordan exploded for a playoff-record 63 points against the Boston Celtics, pushing the eventual NBA champions to double overtime. He finished with 22 made field goals and 21 free throw attempts, as two Celtics fouled out trying to contain him.
Despite the Chicago Bulls falling 135-131, the performance became instantly legendary.
After the game, Larry Bird said it best:
“I think he’s God disguised as Michael Jordan.”
The San Antonio Spurs officially ended their six-season postseason drought with a commanding 111-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round Playoffs.
Victor Wembanyama stole the show in his playoff debut, exploding for 35 points, breaking Tim Duncan’s franchise record for a postseason opener. Supported by Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox, who added 17 points each, with 7 and 8 assists, respectively. The Spurs led throughout at a raucous Frost Bank Center. Despite a valiant 30-point effort from Portland’s Deni Avdija, the Blazers struggled to contain San Antonio’s length and defensive efficiency. The Spurs now hold a 1-0 series lead heading into Game 2.
LOS ANGELES — — Luke Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27 points, LeBron James had 19 points and 13 assists, and the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers capitalized on Kevin Durant’s injury absence for a 107-98 victory over the Houston Rockets in the opener of their first-round playoff series on Saturday night.
Deandre Ayton had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the fourth-seeded Lakers, who pulled off an impressive win without their top two scorers.
The absence of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, have little to no affect at all with the Lakers, while the Rockets really needed KD in this game. Plus, Lebron James was vintage and was 2 rebounds aways for a triple-double.
Game 2 of the Lakers-Rockets series will be Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The Phoenix Suns secured the final playoff spot in the Western Conference on Friday night, defeating the Golden State Warriors 111–96 in a winner-take-all play-in tournament finale. Led by a stellar performance from Jalen Green, who exploded for 36 points and eight three-pointers, the Suns clinched the No. 8 seed and a first-round date with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Jalen Green offensive MASTERCLASS 👏
36 PTS 14/20 FG 8 3PM PHX W
He joins Stephen Curry as the only player in @SoFi Play-In history to total back-to-back 35+ point games!
Phoenix dominated early, jumping to an 18-point lead in the first quarter. While the Warriors clawed back to within five points by halftime, the Suns’ defense proved too much. Stephen Curry was held to just 17 points on 4-of-16 shooting as the Suns’ backcourt harassed him all night. Devin Booker contributed 20 points before being ejected late in the fourth quarter following a heated exchange with Draymond Green.
Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr share a moment after their 14th season together ♥️ pic.twitter.com/ivu63E5VL2
The Indiana Fever and Aliyah Boston have agreed to a new contract, with the center signing a new, multiyear agreement through the 2029 WNBA season. With the agreement, Boston becomes the first player in WNBA history to sign a deal under the newly-created Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract (EPIC) provision.
Indiana did not provide any financial details on the contract but ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reports that the deal is “a four-year, $6.3 million contract extension with the Indiana Fever, giving her the richest total salary in league history to date.” Boston will earn $1M this year, then 20% of the cap through 2029, which is approximately $1.77 million per year, for the final three years of her contract.
The new deal secures Aliyah Boston’s long-term future with the Fever, especially since Caitlin Clark is expected to receive a similar, if not larger, contract from Indiana.
Golden State caught fire collectively, shooting 15‑of‑20 from the field (75%) and 8‑of‑11 from three (72.7%) in the final frame, with Draymond Green sealing the win by coming up with two clutch steals down the stretch. After defeating the Clippers 126–121, the Warriors now head to Phoenix to face the Suns for the 8th seed and the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
That was a wild game and a defensive clinic by the Warriors.
Warriors will face the Suns this Friday, for the 8th spot of the NBA Playoff and will play the defending champs OKC Thunder in the 1st round.
The Golden State Warriors completed a stunning 126–121 comeback victory over the LA Clippers in Wednesday’s high-stakes play-in tournament. Trailing by 13 in the fourth quarter, the Warriors ignited a 16–6 closing run and held Kawhi Leonard scoreless until the final 16 seconds of the game.
Steph Curry was sensational, scoring 35 points on 7-of-12 shooting from deep, becoming the oldest point guard in NBA history to record a 35-point game. While Curry provided the spark, Draymond Green anchored the defense with 3 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals—two of which came in the final frame. Green spearheaded a physical team effort that neutralized Leonard for nearly the entire quarter. Al Horford added 14 points, including three consecutive clutch triples down the stretch. This win keeps Golden State’s season alive; they now travel to Phoenix for a do-or-die matchup against the Suns for the 8th seed and face the defending champion Oklahoma City in the first round.
A'ja Wilson, the WNBA's first ever four-time MVP, is signing a three-year, $5 million supermax contract to return to the Las Vegas Aces, sources tell me and @Andraya_Carter. The deal, which is the largest in WNBA history to date and fully guaranteed, was negotiated by Jade-Li… pic.twitter.com/xSJhkHOvId
That’s a no brainer for Las Vegas, Wilson is arguably the best player in the WNBA and I’m sure that $5M is just pocket change for the owners!
Andraya Carter and Shams Charania, reporting for ESPN;
Last season, Wilson became the first WNBA or NBA player to win the scoring title, MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP all in the same season. She averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.6 steals while shooting 50.5% from the field in 2025.
Indiana Fever will be the No. 10 in this year’s 2026 WNBA Draft and from the 1st to 3rd round, they made the best out of what’s available with their pick.
Below are the picks of Indiana Fever in the 2026 WNBA Draft;
with the No. 10 pick in the @WNBA Draft, we have selected @GamecockWBB guard Raven Johnson 🌟
1st round – Raven Johnson from South Carolina, she’s famous for being waved by Caitlin Clark during the 2022 Final Four game between Clark’s Iowa’s Hawkeyes and South Carolina.
Stat-wise, Johnson is a 5’9″ guard, who has improved her outside shooting since “that game” against Clark and Hawkeyes in the Final Four. In her final collegiate season, Johnson posted career-highs across several categories:
Points Per Game: 9.9
Assists Per Game: 4.0
Rebounds Per Game: 4.0
Steals Per Game: 1.5
FG%: 42.3%
3P%: 39.8%
It’s funny how after what has happened between the two, Clark and Johnson are now teammates.
with the No. 25 pick in the @WNBA Draft, we have selected @VandyWBB guard Justine Pissott 👏
2nd round – Justine Pissott from 6-foot-4 forward out of Vanderbilt. Justine Pissott from 6-foot-4 forward out of Vanderbilt. She is the first Vanderbilt player to be drafted into the WNBA under fifth-year Commodore head coach Shea Ralph. In her last year in College, Pissott had a career year in 2025-26, putting up 11.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocks per game, all career-bests.
She will be a great addition to the Fever and playing along side Caitlin Clark will be a great stretch big with her career 40% in the 3-point line at Vanderbilt, 9th-best in school history.
3rd round – Jessica Timmons a 5-foot-8 guard from the Alabama Crimson Tide from the University of Alabama, she averages 16.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 2.3 apg and 39.4% from the 3-point line.
As the 40th draft pick, she will most likely be at the end of the roster and will be a 3rd stringer at the guard position and may see limited playing time.
The 2026 WNBA Draft took place yesterday, April 13, 2026, and it was a historic night for UCLA, which set a record with six players selected, including five in the first round alone. Azzi Fudd (UConn) was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings.Here is the full list of picks from all three rounds:
Here is the full list of picks from all three rounds:
The Indiana Fever have officially announced the return of fan-favorite guard Sophie Cunningham for the 2026 season. After being acquired via trade from the Phoenix Mercury in 2025, Cunningham quickly cemented herself as a cornerstone of the Fever’s roster and a locker-room leader.
Despite a shortened 2025 campaign due to an MCL tear in the final month of the regular season, Cunningham’s impact was undeniable. She stepped up significantly during Caitlin Clark’s injury-related absence, providing elite floor spacing and veteran grit. Her statistical contributions were stellar, as she shot:
47% from the field overall.
43% from 3-point range (ranking 3rd in the WNBA).
General Manager Amber Cox praised Cunningham’s “infectious energy” and competitive spirit, noting that her elite perimeter shooting creates vital opportunities for her teammates. Cunningham expressed her excitement to return to Indianapolis, citing a desire to finish what the team started during their “special” 2025 run. Now fully recovered, the sharpshooting veteran is expected to be a primary catalyst in Indiana’s 2026 championship pursuit, much to the delight of a fanbase she has dubbed the best in the league.
“Sophie’s that wild card. Sophie’s a dawg. She’s a competitor, but what she brings from an energy standpoint, she raises the level of play of everybody around her. She’s definitely an X-factor.”
After re-signing Kelsey Mitchell, the Indiana Fever added veteran forward Monique Billings to their roster. Billings, an eight-year WNBA veteran, entered the league in the same 2018 draft class as Mitchell. The two have already established strong chemistry this year as teammates for Hive in the 2026 Unrivaled basketball league.
Before joining Indiana, Billings played for the 2025 WNBA expansion side Golden State Valkyries. In her 26 games there, she averaged 7.3 points per game and recorded a total of 21 blocks and 16 steals.
Billings also brings experience playing alongside Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. The trio represented the United States as members of the 2026 Women’s World Cup Qualifying Team, where Billings helped the squad to a 5-0 record while averaging 6.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Most recently, she participated in the April 2026 USA Basketball training camp in Phoenix, Arizona.
Indiana Fever has resigned All Star Kelsey Mitchell, with the two sides agreeing to contract terms ahead of the 2026 WNBA season. This will be Mitchell’s ninth season with the Indiana Fever, the team who drafted her No. 2 overall by the Fever in the 2018 WNBA Draft. The signing will keep Fever’s Big 3, the includes Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston for the 2026 WNBA Season.
Mitchell returns to the Fever following what was her most successful season, a year which saw the guard win the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup, earn her first All-WNBA First Team honors and named a finalist for 2025 WNBA Most Valuable Player. In 2025, Mitchell set a new franchise record for points per game in a single season (20.2), surpassing a two-decades long record set in 2003 by Tamika Catchings. Additionally, Mitchell was named a WNBA All-Star for the third-consecutive year and was a two-time WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
In the postseason, Mitchell led the Fever to the WNBA Semifinals for the first time in a decade, appearing in all eight of Indiana’s playoff games while scoring 178 points, the third most in a single postseason in franchise history, behind only Catchings (2012, 2015).
After the announcement of Kelsey Mitchell’s resigning, Clark and Boston has a special for their team-mate;
NEW YORK, April 9, 2026 – The WNBA and NBA Board of Governors have formally approved WNBA expansion teams in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, the WNBA announced today. Cleveland will begin play in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030.
This coming season WNBA currently have 15 teams, this will be the inaugural season of Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. Each WNBA team is set to feature 44 games per team and by 2030, with 18 teams, we could see an increase in games played to 52 to 55 games per team.
A 52-game schedule would allow for a more balanced rotation, potentially seeing every team play each other exactly four times (2 home, 2 away) in an 14-team league, or adjusted “rivalry” scheduling as the league hits 18 teams.
WNBA free agency for the 2026 season is officially underway, following a condensed timeline necessitated by the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations. While teams and players are currently in the middle of negotiations, the WNBA has officially released the full list of 2026 Unrestricted Free Agents, Restricted Free Agents, Reserved Players, and Core Players for each team.
This expanded list of designations guides each franchise as they transition from the Negotiation Period (April 8–10) to official Signings (April 11). These movements represent a massive financial leap for the players; for the first time, top-tier stars like A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu are expected to sign deals worth $1.4 million annually, a nearly five-fold increase from the previous maximum.
The entry of expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, has also sparked a bidding war for “Reserved” talent as these new organizations look to build competitive rosters around the veterans they secured in the expansion draft.
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.
We’re just in day-one of the 2026 WNBA Free Agency and the Chicago Sky just made a blockbuster trade by sending Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream for two (2) first-round draft picks in 2027 and ’28. Aside from Angel Reese, Atlanta Dream will also receive 2028 second-round swap rights.
🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨
The @chicagosky trades the contract of Angel Reese and the right to swap the teams’ own 2028 2nd round draft picks to @atlantadream in exchange for Atlanta’s own 2027 1st round draft pick and Atlanta’s own 2028 1st round draft pick. pic.twitter.com/24g37U3Cdc
The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association agreed today that free agency will open tomorrow, April 6, with the start of the Designation Period, the WNBA announced today.
The Negotiation Period will begin on Wednesday, April 8 and continue for three days. Teams and players will first be able to sign new contracts beginning on Saturday, April 11.
This is a free-for-all period for teams and free agents alike. It could make or break a team, depending on how the front office performs during this free agency window.
In a high-stakes game with playoff-level intensity, the Denver Nuggets edged the San Antonio Spurs 136–134 in an overtime thriller on Saturday night. The game served as a masterclass from the NBA’s top two MVP candidates, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama, who traded blows in OT.
Jokić was nearly flawless, exploding for 40 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds. Most impressively, he became the first center in NBA history to record a 40-point, 10-assist game without committing a single turnover. His late-game brilliance fueled a Nuggets comeback from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit (107 – 96) with 9-mins remaining in regulation.
Wembanyama, returning from a one-game absence, was equally transcendent. The young star put up 34 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks, anchoring a Spurs defense that held the lead for most of the regulation. Despite his dominant interior presence, Wembanyama’s potential game-winner at the buzzer clanged off the rim, leading to a Denver-controlled overtime. The victory snapped the Spurs’ 11-game winning streak and kept Denver within half a game of the Western Conference’s third seed.
The 2026 WNBA Expansion Draft took place on April 3, 2026, for the league’s two newest franchises: the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. Each team selected 11 players from the unprotected lists of the existing 13 WNBA teams. Notably, both teams reached agreements with the Chicago Sky to bypass their roster in exchange for draft picks.
Portland Fire Selections
The Fire held the No. 1 overall pick and focused on a mix of versatile forwards and young international talent.
Player
Position
Former Team
Bridget Carleton
Forward
Minnesota Lynx
Carla Leite
Guard
Golden State Valkyries
Emily Engstler
Forward
Washington Mystics
Haley Jones
Forward/Guard
Atlanta Dream
Nika Mühl
Guard
Seattle Storm
Sarah Ashlee Barker
Forward
Los Angeles Sparks
Nyadiew Puoch
Forward
Connecticut Sun
Sug Sutton
Guard
Phoenix Mercury
Maya Caldwell
Guard
Atlanta Dream
Luisa Geiselsöder
Center
Dallas Wings
Chloe Bibby
Forward
Las Vegas Aces
Toronto Tempo Selections
The Tempo focused heavily on veteran leadership, shooting, and international experience for their inaugural roster.
Player
Position
Former Team
Julie Allemand
Guard
Los Angeles Sparks
Marina Mabrey
Guard
Connecticut Sun
Nyara Sabally
Center
New York Liberty
María Conde
Forward
Golden State Valkyries
Kristy Wallace
Guard
Indiana Fever
Nikolina Milić
Forward
Minnesota Lynx
Aaliyah Nye
Guard/Forward
Las Vegas Aces
Kitija Laksa
Guard
Dallas Wings
Maria Kliundikova
Center
Phoenix Mercury
Adja Kane
Forward
New York Liberty
Maria Vadeeva
Center
Los Angeles Sparks
After the expansion draft, both Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will still get draft new player from the WNBA Draft which will be on the 13th of April. In the WNBA Draft, Toronto Tempo will be the No. 6, while the Portland Fire after choosing to pick first in the expansion draft will be No. 7.
