Caitlin Clark was the sure-fire No. 1 pick in last year’s WNBA draft. This year belongs to Paige Bueckers.

The UConn guard is presumed to be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA draft next April. But although Bueckers is expected to be the first player off the board, it’s not clear where she’ll land.

That will be determined Sunday, and each team will need a little luck on their side. The 2025 WNBA draft lottery will feature four teams — the Los Angeles Sparks, Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics — who are all vying for the overall first pick.

The Sparks have the best odds of landing the No. 1 pick, followed by the Wings and Sky (tie) and the Mystics. The Sparks find themselves in the WNBA draft lottery yet again after using the No. 2 and No. 4 overall picks of the 2024 WNBA draft to select Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, respectively.

Here is what you need to know about the 2025 WNBA draft order and more:

When is the 2025 WNBA draft lottery?

The 2025 WNBA draft lottery will be held Sunday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. ET.

How to watch WNBA draft lottery

The draft lottery will be broadcast on ESPN, marking the 13th consecutive year the network has televised the event.

2025 WNBA draft lottery odds

The four teams that missed the playoffs last season are entered into the draft lottery, and odds are determined by each team’s cumulative record the past two seasons. The Sparks were 25-55 combined in the 2023 and 2024 seasons, while the Wings and Sky are tied at 31-49. The Mystics finished the past two seasons 33-47.

Here’s how the odds for the No. 1 pick stack up, according to the WNBA:

Los Angeles Sparks: 44.2%
*Dallas Wings: 22.7%
*Chicago Sky: 22.7%
 Washington Mystics: 10.4%

*Dallas has the right to swap its own first-round pick for Chicago’s own first-round pick

How does WNBA draft lottery work?

According to the WNBA, ’14 balls numbered 1-14 will be placed in a lottery machine and mixed. Four balls will be drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team assigned that four-ball combination will receive the No. 1 pick. The four balls will then be placed back into the machine and the process will be repeated to determine the second pick.  The team with the lowest cumulative two-year record whose numerical combinations do not come up in the first two four-ball combinations will select third and the remaining team will select fourth.’

When is the 2025 WNBA draft?

The 2025 WNBA Draft will be held on Monday, April 14, 2025.

2025 WNBA draft order

TBD
TBD
TBD
TBD
Golden State Valkyries
Washington Mystics from Atlanta Dream via Dallas Wings (Allisha Gray, 1/21/23)
Phoenix Mercury*
Indiana Fever
Seattle Storm
Chicago Sky from Connecticut Sun
Minnesota Lynx
New York Liberty*

*New York has the right to swap its own first-round pick for Phoenix’s own first-round pick

Who is the projected No. 1 pick in 2025 WNBA draft?

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Let’s look at this thing strictly from what happened on the field. A novel idea, I know. 

Texas beat Arkansas 20-10 Saturday in Fayetteville, an uninspiring effort that continued to underscore the Longhorns’ slog to the top of the College Football Playoff rankings. 

Two weeks ago, in the same stadium against the same Arkansas team, Ole Miss humiliated the Hogs 63-31. A week ago, Ole Miss embarrassed big, bad Georgia by 18.

Yet if you looked at the current CFP rankings, the gap between Texas and Ole Miss is as wide as Florida State’s dreams of joining the Big Ten and reality. 

And this is the problem with the playoff rankings — and more specifically, the selection committee that clearly abides by the rule of he who loses less, gains more.

Look at the Texas schedule, there’s nothing there. No signature win, no impressive run of games or undeniable statement that proves the Longhorns deserve their No. 3 ranking. 

Then there’s Ole Miss, and in the CFP committee’s eyes, it’s clearly more than the beatdown of Georgia that leaves the Rebels at No. 11 in the poll. And by more, I don’t mean the 24-point win at the hottest team in the SEC (South Carolina). 

By more, I mean losses. Ole Miss its has two, Texas has one. 

Wait, it gets better. 

Texas lost at home to Georgia — the same team Ole Miss handed its worst regular-season loss since 2018 — where it was 23-0 in the second quarter before Texas could exhale. Where coach Steve Sarkisian was so flustered, he benched starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Quinn Ewers, and by the third quarter, both Ewers and Arch Manning wanted no part of the Georgia defense.

Ole Miss lost at home to Kentucky and at LSU, both on fourth-down prayer throws. Without those two improbable plays, Ole Miss is unbeaten. 

And that’s the rub with the committee. There’s no nuance in the rankings, no examination of teams and common opponents and degree of difficulty. 

The exact reason why the playoff was expanded to 12 teams.

This blatant avoidance of what’s playing out on the field is bad for the College Football Playoff, and bad for the game. There’s too much money involved in the process ($1.2 billion annually) for the committee to get this wrong. 

The easy response is relax, there are three more weeks for this thing to play out and the committee to get it right. But that’s not the point. 

Because if this is how the committee deliberates and comes to these specific conclusions, what does that mean about the rest of the poll? If something so blatant as this is ignored, where else will it happen again?

These committee decisions are critical because the No. 7-10 slots in the poll will be so close, the aforementioned arguments will be deciding factors in who hosts a playoff game, and who travels. 

If a team from the south travels to a team from the midwest, and plays a December game in sub-freezing temperatures and possibly snow, or plays at home in the 50s.

If the committee can’t see something as simple as Texas’ best win is against Colorado State of the Group of Five or at Vanderbilt, and that Ole Miss has beaten Georgia and South Carolina, what else will the committee ignore for the sake of one less loss?

The hard work and heavy lifting happens on the field. Not the secluded and secretive selection committee room. 

It’s no different than the confounding Bowl Championship Series rankings, where computer polls – each with its own weighted and secret formula – helped decide who played for the national title. 

Think about this: we’ve taken the most important process of the college football season, and put it in the hands of athletic directors and random businessmen and women on the committee. 

Rule No. 1, everybody: big wins are more important than a gut-punch of a loss.

A novel idea, I know.

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

Jon Jones earned a TKO victory over Stipe Miocic to retain the heavyweight championship at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

Both fighters announced their plans for the future after the match.

Miocic returned to the octagon for the first time since losing to Francis Ngannou by knockout in 2021. Jones returned to the octagon after winning the vacant title in his heavyweight debut in March 2023. He now has a 28-1 record and has won his last six fights.

The card will also feature Michael Chandler taking on Charles Oliveira and Viviane Araujo taking on Karine Silva. David Onama will take on Roberto Romero in a lightweight fight on the preliminary card after Onama’s featherweight fight with Lucas Almeida was canceled.

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic results: Jones wins by TKO to retain championship

Jones is one of four champions to successfully defend championships in two divisions along with Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier and Amanda Nunes.

Jones said he would not retire and expects to work with Dana White to find his next opponent. Stipe Miocic announced his retirement after the match.

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (Heavyweight): Results, Analysis

Round 1: Jones and Miocic spend the first minute feeling each other out. It’s Miocic’s first fight since 2021. Jones took down Miocic and worked in some ground and pound early. Jones continued to deliver a series of elbow strikes that appeared to rattle Miocic with just over a minute remaining in the opening period. Jones cut open Miocic in the final seconds of the round before time expired.

Round 2: The fights remained on their feet through the first half of the round with an exchange of strikes. Miocic’s corner spent most of the round telling him to after Jones with a continued attack but wouldn’t follow through after landing a punch.

Round 3: Miocic appeared a bit more aggressive to start the round but Jones managed to retreat and cut off his momentum. Jones landed a significant right-handed shot to remain in control of the fight.

Jones landed a spinning kick to the rib cage that dropped Miocic in the final seconds of the third round. Jones retains the undisputed heavyweight title with a knockout victory.

Charles Oliveira overwhelms Michael Chandler (Lightweight): Results, Analysis

Round 1: Oliveira favored his eye early in the fight after he was poked by Chandler but the Brazilian managed to get the upper hand halfway through the period and took control of Chandler on the ground for well over three minutes.

Round 2: Chandler slipped and the Brazilian moved quickly to try and capitalize. Chandler found himself retreating on several occasions. Oliveira took Chandler back down to the ground for a second time. Oliveira successfully landed elbow strikes to the face of Chandler, cutting him open on the forehead.

Round 3: Oliveira landed several strikes on Chandler with him back on the ground again. Oliveira was in complete control through the first three rounds. Chandler continued to break free of his submission attempts.

Round 4: Chandler came out a bit more aggressive as the two exchanged strikes. Oliveira worked Chandler back down to the ground again to control the fight with two minutes left in the period. Chandler continued to do enough to evade Oliveira’s submission attempts.

Round 5: Chandler gave himself a chance by landing some significant strikes that rattle Oliveira. Chandler had Oliveira on the ground for some time before letting him back up. Oliveira’s face was bloodied but managed to take down Chandler again to establish control. Chandler took one last gamble by standing up with Oliveira on his back and dropping backward twice before time expired.

Oliveira does enough to beat Chandler by unanimous decision to join Andrei Arlovski and Donald Cerrone for second all-time with 23 UFC career victories.

Chandler calls out Conor McGregor after the fight.

Bo Nickal outlasts Paul Craig (Middleweight): Results, Analysis

Round 1: Paul Craig appeared unfazed following the round. He never sat down and was chatting with his corner the entire time. Craig looks significantly bigger than Nickal.

Round 2: Craig continued to chat with Nickal to start the round. Fans were booing during the round as it appeared to be a bit of a standstill through the first four minutes of the period.

Round 3: Nickal lands a couple of shots on Craig to get the crowd going halfway through the round. Craig was cut open near his right eye. The crowd quickly lost interest in the fight again, chanting ‘overrated.’ Nickal walks over to have a word with Donald Trump before he was declared the winner by unanimous decision. He remains undefeated with a 7-0 record.

Viviane Araujo drains Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight): Results, Analysis

Round 1: Araujo dictated most of the round but it was Silva, who proved to be the aggressor in the final seconds of the period. Araujo’s nose was bloodied at the end of the round.

Round 2: Silva landed a series of shots to rock Araujo with 3:15 left in the round. Silva then had Araujo pinned against the fence following the strikes before taking her down to the mat. Silva began to have blood pouring from her face. Araujo managed to get Silva in an armbar but wasn’t able to hold on to it. The round finishes with both fighters on the ground.

Round 3: The two Brazilian fighters share a hug before starting the round. It was not long before both were back on the ground. Araujo allowed Silva to get back up and the fight resumes. There was a slower pace through the first four minutes of the round with Silva appearing visibly tired. Araujo wins by unanimous decision.

Mauricio Ruffy beats James Llontop (Catchweight): Results, Analysis

Round 1: After spending some time feeling each other out in the early minutes of the fight, Ruffy landed various strikes on Llontop in the final seconds of the round.

Round 2: Ruffy drops Llontop with a look-away left-handed punch with 3:30 left in the round. Ruffy took a few more shots at a grounded Llontop. Llontop displayed a level of toughness getting back to his feet and bringing the fight to Ruffy. Ruffy returned with another right-handed shot that drew blood from Llontop’s face. Llontop’s left eye was swollen.

Round 3: Ruffy had landed more shots to the head through two and a half rounds but Llontop had landed more shots to the body and legs. Llontop continued to push throughout the third round to keep it competitive. Both fighters acknowledge each other after the fight before Ruffy goes over toward Donald Trump and Elon Musk for a quick conversation. Ruffy wins by unanimous decision.

Donald Trump arrives to watch UFC 309 main card

The United States president-elect made a grand entrance following the conclusion of the preliminary fights at Madison Square Garden. Trump walked in alongside UFC CEO Dana White, Kid Rock and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Other notable names in attendance included: Kate Hudson, Karl Anthony-Towns, Adin Ross, Robert Kennedy Jr. and Jelly Roll.

Eryk Anders vs. Chris Weidman was cancelled late

Anders had reportedly fallen ill and had to bow out of his fight with Weidman in the hours leading up to the event on Saturday. It remains unclear if the fight will be rescheduled for a later date.

UFC 309 PRELIM RESULTS

Marcus McGhee does enough against Jonathan Martinez (Bantamweight)

Both fights continued to feel each other out during the first two rounds. Martinez managed to land leg kicks to limit McGhee’s movement late in the second round. Martinez never took advantage of the hobbled fighter as time expired in the third. McGhee did enough in the early rounds to earn the unanimous decision victory.

Jim Miller submits Damon Jackson (Lightweight)

Miller earned his 27th UFC victory with a guillotine in the first round. He is the all-time winner in UFC history with the most victories. Andrei Arlovski and Donald Cerrone are second all-time with 23 UFC victories.

David Onama beats Roberto Romero (Lightweight)

Romero rocks Onama, dropping him to the ground and attempting to put him in a chokehold. Both men manage to get back on their feet in the first round. Onama landed a couple of shots to Romero that got a reaction from the crowd before time expired. Despite a late attempt by Onama to end the fight in the final seconds of the third round, the fight goes the distance. Onama wins by unanimous decision.

Marcin Tybura defeats Jhonata Diniz (Heavyweight)

Diniz had the early advantage against Tybura in the first round but things turned around in the second round. Tybura landed a series of elbow strikes to bloody Diniz’s face as time expired in the period. Diniz was wobbly getting back to the corner and after advice from the doctors on sight, referee Herb Dean called the fight.

UFC 309 main card: time, streaming for Saturday

Date: Saturday, Nov. 16
Time: Main card: 10 p.m. ET; prelims start at 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+ with an additional PPV fee
Location: Madison Square Garden (New York)

Watch UFC 309 and more MMA with an ESPN+ subscription

UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic start time

Prelims: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (ESPN+)
Main card: 10 p.m. ET /7 p.m. PT (PPV on ESPN+)

UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic fight card

Main Card

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic (Heavyweight)
Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler (Lightweight)
Bo Nickal vs. Paul Craig (Middleweight)
Viviane Araujo vs. Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight)
Mauricio Ruffy vs. James Llontop (Catchweight)

Prelims

Jonathan Martinez vs. Marcus McGhee (Bantamweight)
Chris Weidman vs. Eryk Anders (Middleweight)
Jim Miller vs. Damon Jackson (Lightweight)
David Onama vs. Roberto Romero (Lightweight)
Marcin Tybura vs. Jhonata Diniz (Heavyweight)

Early Prelims

Mickey Gall vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (Welterweight)
Bassil Hafez vs. Oban Elliott (Welterweight)
Veronica Hardy vs. Eduarda Moura (Women Flyweight)

UFC 309: Jones vs. Miocic odds

All odds are for moneyline bets (as of Saturday afternoon unless noted otherwise), according to BetMGM.

Main Card

Jon Jones (-650) vs. Stipe Miocic (+475)
Charles Oliveira (-275) vs. Michael Chandler (+210)
Bo Nickal (-1400) vs. Paul Craig (+800)
Viviane Araujo (+240) vs. Karine Silva (-300)
Mauricio Ruffy (-1000) vs. James Llontop (+625)

Prelims

Jonathan Martinez (+115) vs. Marcus McGhee (-140)
Chris Weidman (-105) vs. Eryk Anders (-115)
Jim Miller (+135) vs. Damon Jackson (-165)
David Onama (-1400) vs. Roberto Romero (+800)
Marcin Tybura (-115) vs. Jhonata Diniz (-105)

Early Prelims

Mickey Gall (-185) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (+150)
Bassil Hafez (+240) vs. Oban Elliott (-300)
Veronica Hardy (-150) vs. Eduarda Moura (+125) — as of Friday

UFC 309 live stream

The prelims will be available for live stream on ESPN+. The pay-per-view main event can be purchased and streamed through ESPN+.

UFC 309 price

The UFC 309 pay-per-view can be purchased through ESPN+ (which requires a subscription) for $79.99.

UFC 309 location

The event will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York. MSG is a historic venue with a capacity of 19,500 and has hosted events in the past, including UFC 205: Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor.

UFC 309 predictions

Sporting News: Miocic could upset Jones

Daniel Yanofsky writes, ‘Miocic can cause a massive upset with one big punch. However, is his timing the same as it was in 2021? The fight going the distance seems unlikely, and Jones winning via TKO is a fair outcome. Will either retire, win or lose?’

MMAnews: Miocic’s inconsistency could be the difference

Ryan Jarrell writes: ‘I would love to pick Miocic to beat Jones and reclaim the heavyweight throne. But I just don’t see it happening at this point in his career. The former champ is much older now and hasn’t been fighting consistently at all.’

ClutchPoints: Jones will have to make proper adjustments to win

Dominik Zawartko writes ‘Ultimately, the difference for Jon Jones will be his striking and wrestling pedigree to lean on. His chin is much more solid at 240 pounds and he’ll make the proper adjustments if Stipe begins to tag him. We like Jones to win this fight, but the total over is more intriguing as we see a methodical fight from both men.’

Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic: Tale of the Tape

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Former NFL cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones was arrested in Arlington, Texas, after getting into an altercation at a hotel following the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium.

The Arlington Police Department confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Jones was taken into custody early Saturday morning for assaulting a peace officer, public intoxication and resisting arrest after authorities responded to a bar fight at the Live By Loews Arlington Hotel. The fight was separated by the time officers arrived, according to the police report, but cops said ‘Jones continued approaching and yelling at the others involved.’

‘The officer stepped between them and told Mr. Jones that if he tried to fight again, he would be arrested,’ the report reads. ‘A short time later, another fight broke out in the bar area, again involving Mr. Jones. While the officer and hotel security were working to separate the individuals involved, Mr. Jones hit the officer on her arm. At that point, she informed Mr. Jones she was placing him under arrest for Assault on a Peace Officer.’

Jones walked away from the officer as she attempted to place him in handcuffs, but authorities said he was arrested without further incident after backup arrived. He was booked into the Arlington City Jail.

The Tyson vs. Paul fight was held at the home of the Dallas Cowboys, where Jones played 2008. He also played for the Tennessee Titans (2005–2007), Cincinnati Bengals (2010–2017) and Denver Broncos (2018) during his 13-year NFL career, where he racked up a total of 507 tackles, 17 interceptions and 92 pass deflections.

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President-elect Donald Trump walked into Madison Square Garden alongside UFC CEO Dana White, Elon Musk and Kid Rock for UFC 309 on Saturday.

Trump received a warm welcome from the crowd before the start of the main card action.

Trump is no stranger to the mixed material arts scene having attended multiple events in the past, including UFC 302.

White is a friend of Trump. White introduced Trump on the stage on the final night of the 2024 Republican National Convention.

White had been asked on Friday during a press conference with reporters whether Trump would be in attendance for the event. White left the door open, but wouldn’t confirm whether the former president would arrive.

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Netflix dove headfirst into the arena of live sporting events with the broadcast of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul on Friday and the streaming service said it delivered a knockout punch, despite some technical difficulties.

One day after Paul defeated Tyson by unanimous decision, Netflix announced that more than 60 million households tuned into the fight streaming live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The co-main event, a rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, drew in 50 million households, making one of the ‘most watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history,’ Netflix added.

The streaming platform acknowledged that the live event didn’t go off without a hitch. Multiple users expressed frustration over various issues plaguing the broadcast, including buffering, screen quality concerns and audio issues: ‘The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes.’

The boxing event marked the first live sporting event on Netflix’s lineup. The platform is set to stream an NFL doubleheader on Christmas Day — Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers, followed by Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans.

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The Seattle Storm is investigating its coaching staff following allegations of player mistreatment, according to a story released Friday by the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Sun-Times reported that the franchise hired an independent law firm to look into alleged reports of the team’s coaches bullying and harassing players based on on-court performance. The alleged mistreatment reportedly happened during practices and games last season. ESPN also is reporting the news.

USA TODAY Sports reached out to the Storm and the WNBA for comment.

Noelle Quinn was named the head coach of the Storm in May 2021 after former coach Dan Hughes retired. Quinn is familiar with the organization and played five seasons in Seattle before joining Hughes’ coaching staff in 2019. Quinn served as an associate head coach in the Storm’s 2020 WNBA title run, led by Finals MVP Breanna Stewart and Sue Bird, before her promotion to head coach.

In her fourth season as head coach this year, Quinn led the Storm to a 25-15 record before Seattle lost to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs. Quinn’s coaching staff includes assistants Pokey Chatman, Ebony Hoffman and Perry Huang. Storm star Nneka Ogwumike is the president of the WNBA Players Association, a position she’s held since 2016.

Following the conclusion of the Storm’s season in September, Quinn said she planned to work with an executive coach in the off-season to ‘continue to work on my leadership skills and all the things that are important to me on my coaching journey.’ Quinn added that she was proud of the team’s ‘turnaround season.’

Seattle is not the first team to face player mistreatment allegations. In August, Los Angeles Sparks’ Dearica Hamby filed a federal lawsuit against her former team, the Aces, alleging discrimination and retaliation over her pregnancy before being traded in January 2023. Aces coach Becky Hammon denied the allegations.

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Toronto Maple Leafs tough guy Ryan Reaves was kicked out of Saturday night’s game and is looking at a likely suspension for a hit on Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse.

Reaves received a match penalty when he caught Nurse in the head with his shoulder in the second period. The defenseman was bloodied on the play and was tended to by a trainer for several minutes before he left the game.

The Oilers announced that Nurse wouldn’t return because of an upper-body injury.

A video review upheld the call against Reaves. A match penalty triggers an automatic review by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.

Reaves has been suspended three times in his career for a total of six games, including an illegal hit to the head in the 2020 playoffs.

His most recent suspension was in the 2021 playoffs when Reaves, then with the Vegas Golden Knights, used his body weight to hold down an opponent on the ice during a scrum and ripped out the player’s hair.

He also was suspended for three games in 2016 for boarding.

The Maple Leafs killed off the five-minute penalty to Reaves.