WNBA

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.

The death of Kyren Lacy has shocked the sports world ... with star athletes like Odell Beckham Jr. and Angel Reese paying tribute to the former star LSU receiver.

Lacy -- who scored nine touchdowns last season -- died on Saturday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a police chase in Houston, TX.

The death of the 24-year-old football star came just days before a Grand Jury was set to convene to hear evidence in a fatal traffic incident from December 2024 -- which claimed the life of a 78-year-old retired U.S. Marine. Lacy was accused of causing the crash and fleeing the scene without calling for help.

LSU hoops star Aneesah Morrow is ready to make an instant impact in the WNBA ... telling TMZ Sports she's ready to grab boards and play lockdown D -- no matter where she's drafted!

TMZ Sports spoke to the 22-year-old forward from a Raising Cane's restaurant in NYC ... when we asked her to provide a self-scouting report -- as we're just days away from the WNBA Draft, going down from the Big Apple on April 14.

"Somebody that's gonna come in and work hard every day. I'm going to work hard to get on the boards, be able to rebound, and defend," Morrow told us.

College basketball star Hailey Van Lith is trading her jersey for some beachwear ... putting her athletic figure on display for her big debut with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit!!

The TCU hooper -- who was Big 12 Player of the Year this past season -- teamed up with the publication for a digital cover photoshoot at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas ... rocking several one and two-piece swimsuits as she posed for the cameras.

HVL spoke about the cool opportunity ... saying it's all about feeling comfortable in her own skin.

If Caitlin Clark really wants to play flag football at the 2028 Olympics, she won't be getting any superstar treatment to get a spot on the team -- so say the organization's CEO!!

The WNBA superstar recently mentioned at the NFL Annual League Meeting she always dreamed of playing football as a kid ... and even tossed out the idea of suiting up for the Red, White and Blue on the gridiron when the Games come around in a few years.

"Maybe LA 2028, maybe I'll do two sports," Clark said at the meeting. "Or if basketball doesn't work out, I'll head over to flag football."

WNBA champ Elena Delle Donne is riding off into the sunset -- she just announced her retirement after 10 seasons.

The 6'5" hooper -- who played for the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics during her career in the W -- released a statement on her decision ... revealing it's something she contemplated over time before reaching the choice that's right for her.

"One of my favorite children’s books asked, 'How did it get so late so soon?'" Delle Donne said on Friday.

Former WNBA superstar Chiney Ogwumike tells TMZ Sports she's absolutely positive we'll be seeing JuJu Watkins getting buckets on the hardwood again in the near future.

The 19-year-old phenom went down with a torn ACL during USC's Monday night NCAA tournament matchup with Mississippi State ... and while everyone is holding their breath over how the devastating injury might impact her insanely bright future, Ogwumike doesn't seem to be sweating it one bit.

When we got the two-time WNBA All-Star out at LAX this week, she told us she's just certain JuJu will attack the recovery process meticulously -- and will be ready to score again on the court in no time.

The Los Angeles Sparks are hoping to calm Cameron Brink's nerves ... clarifying the details of their upcoming male practice player tryouts and vowing to put the guys who make the cut through a thorough background check.

A team spokesperson tells TMZ Sports the Sparks have used male practice squad players since the team's inception in 1997 ... and they're not alone.

Teams like the Phoenix Mercury and the Dallas Wings have hosted their own tryouts in the past, too ... and it's a practice used in women's college basketball as well.

Angel Reese is takin' a jab at her WNBA salary ... joking (we think) about the paltry paycheck she receives compared to some other super high-paid athletes!

Here's the deal ... 22-year-old Reese played in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 hoops league (though she missed time with an injury), and her Rose BC team won the 'chip, with a 62-54 victory over Aliyah Boston's Vinyl team, securing a $50k bonus.

After securing the bag, Reese went to X and wrote, "50K NEED DATTTTT" ... prompting WNBA star Sydney Colston to respond with a joke, asking if she could hold some cash.

Cameron Brink has seen all the memes about the L.A. Sparks holding tryouts for male practice players ... and she's praying to the basketball gods that whoever makes the final cut isn't a creepy horndog.

The WNBA team sparked uncomfortable reactions after announcing its plans to welcome dudes into its training facility to compete against its athletes during workouts ... with a bunch of guys joking about how they would handle one-on-one time with Brink, Rickea Jackson and Kelsey Plum on the court.

The former No. 2 overall pick explained the team previously brought in folks from USC for the job ... but now she has serious concerns about who will be walking in those doors.

The WNBA could be adding a bit of mom's spaghetti flavor to it in the near future ... TMZ Sports has learned Eminem is currently in talks to join a bid for an expansion team.

A spokesperson for the legendary rapper tells us ... Marshall has had some preliminary discussions about securing a spot in an ownership group that's trying to bring the W back to Detroit.

So far, we're told he hasn't officially signed on just yet ... although, he does apparently have some big interest.