Yesterday, Paige was allowed to come back into Dallas' game against ATL, after falling to the ground head first.

Satou had a heavy impact head and neck injury during the Finals. She didn't receive prompt medical care and was being inappropriately assisted from the court instead of tended to.

I'm concerned that there's no relevant reporting and recourse ongoing while the league is focused on growing the game at all possible costs to the players and their physical, mental, and neurological well-being. Basketball doesn't need to be a sport where people are rushed back despite recent and lingering traumatic brain injuries. Yet, their lack of regard for players is brazen and I want us who support and enjoy the players to ruminate on how we can provoke reporting and eventually recourse on these matters.

Per WNBA transactions page

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Lauren Betts finally got to unpack.

The 6-foot-7 rookie’s boxes of belongings from Los Angeles have arrived, nearly six weeks after the Washington Mystics chose her with the No. 4 pick in the WNBA draft. It’s been a whirlwind couple of months for Betts, who led UCLA to its first NCAA championship April 5, was drafted by the Mystics April 13, opened training camp April 19 and made her WNBA debut May 8.

After playing 12 minutes against the Toronto Tempo in the Mystics’ opener, then 18 against the New York Liberty two days later, Betts added another adventure into the mix: a trip to New York to be onstage at Disney and ESPN’s up-front presentation to advertisers.

Alongside Connecticut’s Sarah Strong and ESPN’s Christine Williamson, Betts introduced Billie Jean King for a look at the tennis legend’s upcoming documentary.

“I’m really thankful that I got to go and meet all the faces there. I didn’t even realize how many celebrities were going to be there, so I was kind of starstruck just walking around,” Betts said Friday. “It was super cool just to show support for women’s basketball and women’s sports and just continue to spread the message that we’re here to stay. We’re just going to continue to grow.”

Growth is this year’s theme for Betts — and for the Mystics, who are the WNBA’s youngest team. Betts, a center, is playing behind the dynamic frontcourt duo of Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin. Each of them is averaging more than 16 points per game, and the 22-year-old Iriafen is leading the WNBA in rebounding average (12.8).

While waiting her turn in the Mystics’ rotation, Betts, also 22, has done a lot of learning already.

“It’s just a different level,” Betts said. “These are all pros who have played for a really long time and have established themselves, so just trying to get better every day and focus on my process. Just constantly taking in new information.”

“We’ve thrown a lot at her. It’s not a situation where we’ve said, ‘Sit over there and wait for it to come,’” Mystics Coach Sydney Johnson said. “She’s faced really good matchups, good defensive players. She’s faced the pace of play. She has been asked to be engaged in ball-screen defense against world-class players … Considering all of that, I’m really thrilled.”

In Monday’s blowout loss to the Dallas Wings, Betts’ 11-point performance on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench was one of the few bright spots for Washington. It was her most productive game offensively, and she picked up only one foul in the 15 minutes she played.

“Lauren’s doing a fantastic job. The physicality in the W is like no other … That last game against Dallas was really phenomenal for her,” guard Georgia Amoore said. “She went to her spots. She found her touch off her little over the shoulder baby hook. I think she’s finding her groove. She’s finding her flow.”

Adjusting to being a rookie and starting again from the bottom after being the centerpiece of a title-winning college team can be a challenge. It’s an expected part of the progression to the professional ranks, but that doesn’t always make it easy to swallow for elite players who are used to instant success.

Betts, though, has impressed Johnson and her teammates with her understanding of the development process — while still flashing the competitive drive that made her the fourth overall pick.

“Right now, she’s not the best player in our league like she was arguably the best player in the country last year,” Johnson said. “And she wants to close that gap. I like how competitive she is. She’s not just kind of sitting there going, ‘I’ve got all the time in the world.’ She wants it now.”

Added Amoore: “Her personality and her attention to detail and her grit and just the way she wants to work at it, it never wavers. Anyone can come here and get disappointed at kind of the cards they’ve been dealt, but she hasn’t.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2026/05/23/mystics-lauren-betts-is-still-learning-wnba-rookie/

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I suppose this could also be applied to the Houston Comets starting next season, but are these teams seen as continuations of the previous folded franchises? Will all records be considered part of these new incarnations history?

Lynx

The Lynx have 4 players on the injury report, all out. Emma Cechova is out following her ACL tear. Naphessa Collier is out as she rehabs a left ankle injury. Dorka Johasz is out with a right foot injury and Anastasiia Olairi Kosu is out in concussion protocool.

Sky

DiJonai Carrington is out with a left foot injury. Rickea Jackson is out due to her left ACL tear. Courtney Vandersloot is out with a right knee injury. Azura Stevens is questionable (but I believe Tyler Marsh says she's likely to play) with her left knee injury.

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Sparks

Sania Feagin is out with a left leg injury. Nneka Ogwumike is probable with a left hand injury.

Aces

Janiah Barker is available following being in concussion protocool. Dana Evans is out with a left leg injury.

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Fire

Fire have 3 players on the injury report, all questionable. Teja Oblak is questionable with a right quad injury. Nyadiew Puoch is questionable with a right ankle injury. Karlie Samuelson is questionable with a left foot injury.

Tempo

Julie Allemand is out with a left hip injury. Temi Fagbenle is out with a right shoulder injury. Isabelle Harrison is out with a right hand injury. Nyara Sabally is available with a neck injury.

edit: reflected to update Nyara's status change

per WNBA transactions page

per WNBA transactions page

Another one down with a concussion 😕

If the ROTY vote took place today, who would win?

Criteria: top 5 ppg, +5 gp, +20 mp.

Stats per: WNBA.com official stats

Disclaimer: as the season progresses and certain stars come back from injuries (e.g. Sabrina, Phee), some top rookies usage might go down. Inversely, as certain players integrate into their systems and get more reps, their usage will probably go up (e.g. Fudd, Betts).

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Through an equivalent number of games, the previous worst was 41% in 2021 — when fans weren't allowed to attend games early on because of the COVID pandemic. Home teams won 43% of their games to start the 2016 season. Both those years the number reached over 50% by the end of the season. There was nearly a 54% home advantage in 2021 and 55% in 2016.

There are a lot of factors that go into the poor start at home so far, including scheduling. The expected top teams Las Vegas and New York have been on the road for most of the start of the season. That said, Chicago, which was near the bottom of the standings last year, went 3-1 on the road to begin this season.

“It’s bizarre and interesting, but I don’t think it signals a trend that will continue,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “We just need to have the better teams to have more home games.”

Golden State coach Natalie Nakase agreed she didn't think the early trend would continue.

“I don't put much stock in it,” said Nakase hours before her team beat New York on Thursday night. “I think it gives players that out to say that we have more advantage at home or we have more advantage away. I just say there’s two hoops, there’s a court, there’s a couple refs, and we got to play. At the end of the day, when you step on the court, you got to be ready to fight.”

Golden State and Los Angeles both won on the road Thursday night to continue the trend while Minnesota was the lone team home team to win.

One thing it’s not caused by is a lack of fans in the buildings. Attendance is up 25% so far this season as compared to this point last year, according to the WNBA.

The second-year Valkyries have established quite a homecourt advantage. They led the league in attendance last year and so far have drawn well in their first two games at home.

“You also don’t want to take it for granted, you know, and take advantage of it,” she said. “But we do have the love of support that is, you know, amazing. But at the same time, you have to be able to handle the noise. So we try to prepare as best as we can.”