Kershaw, 37, was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a skinny kid out of Dallas and will retire as one of the most decorated pitchers in the franchise’s long history. He led the major leagues in earned run average four times and the National League five times, and recently recorded his 3,000th strikeout. 

Kershaw won his first Cy Young Award in 2011 and added titles in 2013 and 2014, throwing the lone no-hitter of his career in the latter season. He has 222 career wins and seemed ticketed for much more, but back problems in the middle of last decade curtailed some of his greatest seasons. 

Still, he has a half-dozen top three Cy Young finishes and 11 All-Star appearances to his name. 

His 2.54 career ERA ranks first among active pitchers, and 47th all-time. 

The Dodgers were such frequent postseason participants – currently on their way to a 13th consecutive appearance – that Kershaw almost had an additional career in October.

For much of that span, he was forced to shoulder a disproportionate load, pitching too deep into games to cover for an inadequate bullpen early in his career, or forced to take on relief roles in tight spots later in the 2010s.

The results could at times be tragicomic – such as the two late-inning home runs he gave up in the decisive Game 5 of the 2019 NLDS to the Washington Nationals – yet Kershaw always took the ball.

He pitched in 12 postseasons, 22 series overall, and finally reaped the reward of a championship in 2020, when the Dodgers powered past four opponents to win the World Series not far from his Dallas Metroplex roots during the COVID-19 shortened season.

Kershaw got another ring in 2024, but was injured for their playoff run that ended in a vanquishing of the New York Yankees.

This year, he got healthy and again has been great – 10-2 with a 3.53 ERA, the beguiling break on his slider returning as Kershaw gets by with a 90 mph fastball a half-dozen ticks below his career peak.

And there’s one more playoff date coming, the Dodgers likely to win the NL West and host a wild card series. Before then, though, he’ll bring down the curtain on his regular-season Dodger Stadium career – with a Sept. 19 start against the rival San Francisco Giants. Tickets for that engagement just got a lot more expensive.

Clayton Kershaw stats

222-96 career record in 2844 ⅔ innings
3,039 strikeouts
2014 National League MVP
2011, 2013 and 2014 NL Cy Young winner

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The Buffalo Bills’ quarterback added a visor to his helmet ahead of the team’s practice session on Tuesday. The change comes after Allen suffered an injury to his nose in Week 2’s clash with the New York Jets, when defensive tackle Micheal Clemons’ left hand wacked him in the face as Allen took a sack.

The injury caused Allen to miss about a minute and a half of the first quarter – just two plays. He returned to the game for the start of the second quarter with cotton gauze shoved up his left nostril.

After the game, Allen, with some visible bruising around his nose, told reporters, ‘We can breathe, so it’s good.’

Allen has not been listed on the Bills’ injury report at all this week, meaning he’ll be a full go for Thursday night’s divisional matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

Josh Allen injury update

Allen returned to his Week 2 face-off with the Jets after only missing a couple of plays with a bloody nose. He also stayed off the Bills’ injury report all week.

The Buffalo quarterback has been practicing with a visor on to provide some extra protection for the upper half of his face and told reporters Tuesday that he plans to wear it during the game. Allen has never previously worn a visor on his helmet in an NFL game, though he said he did wear one while at Wyoming during his collegiate career.

Allen should be a full go for the Bills’ ‘Thursday Night Football’ meeting with the Dolphins barring any drastic status change.

Bills QB depth chart

Josh Allen
Mitchell Trubisky
Shane Buechele (practice squad)

Trubisky is in the second year of a two-year deal he signed with the Bills in 2024 to join the team for a second stint as Allen’s backup. He appeared in Sunday’s game against the Jets after Allen’s injury and completed one of two pass attempts for 32 yards.

Buechele re-signed with Buffalo on a one-year deal in January, was cut from the 53-man roster ahead of the late August roster cut deadline, then re-signed to the team’s practice squad. After initially signing with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2021, Buechele has yet to appear in a game.

OK, this is officially getting scary.

Because nothing is coming easy or effortless right now for the Detroit Tigers. It’s like watching somebody walk across a sheet of ice. The Tigers are slipping and sliding and crashing and getting back up with a bloody knee and an aching back.

Yes, we have officially entered a hold-your-breath moment after the Cleveland Guardians beat the Tigers, 3-1, on Thursday, Sept. 18, finishing off a three-game sweep of the Tigers.

A devastating sweep.

‘We got our (butt) kicked in pretty much every aspect, and they swept us,’ Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. ‘We know how important these games are. We’ve got some work ahead of us to do this right.’

Everything feels like it has flipped inside out. Just from a year ago.

In 2024, the Tigers jumped on a magic carpet ride, soaring out of a hole and going 17-8 in September just to make the playoffs.

This year, it’s completely the opposite. Thursday marked the 179th day that they have been in first place. I mean, think of it this way: They had a 14-game lead on July 8. Those are all great things if only they’d stop losing. But they can’t make it across that ice right now.

In what felt like a must-win game Thursday, the Guardians came out on top. Cleveland has now won 12 of 13. Meanwhile, the Tigers have lost 15 of their last 22.

It’s like they are living the same life. One year apart.

Tigers have a lot to lose

OK, let’s take a deep breath and think of the big picture.

Right now, the Tigers have three different goals.

No. 1. They want to get back into the playoffs. And let’s face it, it would take an absolutely epic collapse for this team not to make it. But yeah, they are doing their darndest to muck this up.

No. 2. They want to win the American League Central. They entered this game with a 4½-game lead over the Guardians. The Tigers held a magic number of 7. So, any combination of Detroit wins and Cleveland losses that add up to seven would give the Tigers their first Central title since 2014.

No. 3. They want to finish with one of the top two seeds in the American League. They entered this game with the second-best record in the AL, four games behind the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays (89-63) and 1½ games ahead of the AL West-leading Houston Astros (84-69).

By finishing in the top two, the Tigers would get to skip the best-of-three AL wild-card series and advance to the best-of-five ALDS.

Yeah, I know.

It seems complicated. It’s a lot of this-or-that.

But this is all you need to remember. They just need to win.

And that’s the problem.

‘It’s going to be kind of a sprint to the finish line,’ catcher Dillon Dingler said. ‘We could have put ourselves in a little bit better the position if we were taking care of business this week. But now that we are in this position, we have to make sure that we play good baseball from here on out.’

Tarik Skubal did his job

All of this set up an amazing drama. Thursday turned into a massive, must-win game, and the Tigers couldn’t have had a better pitcher on the mound.

They rolled out left hander Tarik Skubal — the 2024 AL Cy Young Award winner and 2025 favorite.

‘This is an incredible stretch of games that we have in front of us to play our way into the playoffs,’ Hinch said late Wednesday.

But there was some uncertainty around Skubal. In his last start in Miami, he had to leave the game after 45 pitches because of left-side tightness.

How would he hold up? That was the big question.

This was playoff baseball under a blue sky and warm temperatures.

In the second inning, Colt Keith hit a double, knocking in Spencer Torkelson, giving the Tigers the early lead. But it came with a twist. After the inning, Keith walked toward the dugout holding his side. He was shaking his head and let out a sigh, clearly in obvious pain. So, Hinch removed him from the lineup, moved Zach McKinstry to third and put in Trey Sweeney at shortstop.

‘All he was saying to me is, ‘I got to come out of the game,” Hinch said. ‘So that, in itself, is pretty alarming.’

He went for tests.

As the game unfolded, every moment felt magnified.

Then, Cleveland answered in the most surprising way. In the fourth inning, Skubal had Jhonkensy Noel right where he wanted him on an 0-2 count. But Noel crushed a changeup over the left-field fence, which was stunning. It was the first time that Skubal had given up a homer on an 0-2 count all season.

But the game was still tied, and Skubal opened the sixth inning with a couple of strikeouts.

Then, everything went sideways. Actually, it went right off Wenceel Pérez. Brayan Rocchio hit a ball down the right-field line. Pérez had a long run and tried diving for it. The ball bounced off his body, off the wall and scooted away from him. It was like the corner of Comerica Park had turned into a pinball wizard. Rocchio scampered around to third. Then, Skubal walked Austin Hedges. So, this game that had drama on top of drama, was left with this: two guys on, two outs, Nolan Jones at the plate.

And Skubal struck him out with a 99-mph fastball. The crowd in Comerica Park gave him a standing ovation. He walked off the mound and low-fived Dingler.

‘Obviously the loss is kind of probably what I’m more focused on, then kind of how I’m feeling physically right now,’ Skubal said.

So, the Tigers ace did his job; and if the story ended right there it would be perfect for Tigers fans.

But Skubal was replaced by Troy Melton, a 24-year-old rookie, who began the year at Double-A Erie.

In the seventh inning, he walked Ángel Martínez and faced José Ramírez, who had 28 homers.

It was yet another edge-of-your-seat moment then spun out of control. On his second pitch, Ramirez jacked a homer over the fence, which would prove to be the difference in this game.

One swing of the bat.

One more slip on the ice.

And suddenly, this feel-good movie has taken a dark twist.

‘These are tough times when you go through these stretches at the wrong time of the year, but it’s going to take the games to figure ’em out,’ Hinch said.

What’s next?

The Tigers have just nine games left: three against Atlanta this weekend in Comerica Park, three at Cleveland and then three at Boston.

‘Now they’re going to get another shot of us, or we’re going to get another shot at them, whichever way you want to look at it,’ Hinch said, of playing Cleveland.

Do they have time to turn this around and start winning? Of course.

But nothing feels certain right now. The pressure has ratcheted up. Uncertainty is everywhere you turn. Everything is cold and frigid, as they sprawl out on the ice. And the Tigers have only one way out of this: to win their way into the playoffs.

‘At some point we’re going to run out of games,’ Tyler Holton said. ‘So it’s time to buckle up and strap in. Because we’re in the middle of a fight.’

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him @seideljeff. To read his recent columns, go to freep.com/sports/jeff-seidel.

Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season is here, and with that comes plenty of difficult fantasy football lineup decisions.

Week 2 saw six quarterbacks drafted outside the top 16 at the position finish inside the top 10:

Russell Wilson (QB2)
Drake Maye (QB3)
Daniel Jones (QB7)
Bryce Young (QB8)
Mac Jones (QB9)
Spencer Rattler (QB10)

We also had two running backs (Javonte Williams and Rhamondre Stevenson) drafted outside the top-40 finish as the RB4 and RB6, respectively. At wideout, three players drafted as the WR69 or later finished inside the top eight — Wan’Dale Robinson (WR5), Hunter Renfrow (WR7) and Troy Franklin (WR8). Finally, at tight end, only three with a positional ADP inside the top-12 finished as a TE1 — Tucker Kraft (TE1), Trey McBride (TE5) and Tyler Warren (TE7).

All that’s to say that fantasy football is hard, and our team is here to make your decisions easier:

Start/sit:Overall | Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Kicker | D/ST

Trades:Trade value charts | Buy low, sell high

Waiver wire:15 players to add | 5 players to drop

Analysis:Week 2 winners and losers | 20 risers and sleepers

Given the volatility of this league and fantasy football in particular, these rankings will be updated up to a half hour before the Sunday afternoon games kick off. Let’s get to it.

Fantasy football quarterback rankings Week 3: Best matchups

Baker Mayfield vs New York Jets – From Week 6 and on last year, only four teams ceded more fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks than the Jets. New York surrendered more than 20 fantasy points seven times during that stretch. In Week 1, the shell of Aaron Rodgers dropped 244 yards and four tuddies on this defense.
Caleb Williams vs Dallas Cowboys – Only the Carolina Panthers were more generous to passers last year than the Cowboys, and that was with Micah Parsons terrorizing offensive lines. Dallas gave up at least 23+ fantasy points to quarterbacks in 10 of their 17 games, and they only limited them to fewer than 16 points on three occasions. This is also the defense that allowed Russell Wilson to finish as the QB2 last week.
Other plus matchups – Jared Goff at Ravens, C.J. Stroud at Jaguars, Carson Wentz vs Bengals, Jake Browning at Vikings.

Fantasy football running back rankings Week 3: Best matchups

Kenneth Walker vs New Orleans Saints – From Week 3 and on last year, only two teams fared worse against running backs than the Saints. A whopping 13 backs racked up at least 15 half-PPR points against them over their final 15 games.
Isiah Pacheco at New York Giants – In 2024, the Giants gave up the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing backfields. Seventeen backs totaled double-digit half-PPR points against them, including 10 with at least 15 points. Through two games this season, New York has given up the most fantasy points to runners.
Other plus matchups – Javonte Williams at Bears, Jordan Mason vs Bengals, Jaylen Warren at Patriots, Nick Chubb at Jaguars.

Fantasy football wide receiver rankings Week 3: Best matchups

Rome Odunze vs Dallas Cowboys – Odunze is the current WR4 in half-PPR formats, and he gets a mouth-watering matchup in Week 3. Dallas allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to receivers in 2024, but it got particularly ugly at the end of the campaign. Over their final seven games, no team was more generous to wideouts than Dallas. They’ll also be coming off a game in which they gave up 309 yards and three touchdowns to Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson.
Tet McMillan vs Atlanta Falcons – From Week 5 and on last year, no team ceded more fantasy points to wide receivers than the Falcons. Eight wideouts eclipsed 16 fantasy points during that stretch. While Atlanta did a good job limiting Minnesota’s receivers in Week 2, they did give up 76 yards and two scores to fellow rookie Emeka Egbuka in Week 1.
Other plus matchups – A.J. Brown vs Rams, Courtland Sutton at Chargers, Garrett Wilson at Buccaneers, George Pickens at Bears, Chris Olave at Seahawks.

Fantasy football tight end rankings Week 3: Best matchups

Zach Ertz vs Las Vegas Raiders – Over their final 10 games of the 2024 season, the Raiders yielded an average of 2.3 more half-PPR points per game to tight ends than any other team in the league. Ertz is the TE2 through two weeks and should get plenty of work regardless of who’s behind center for the Commanders.
T.J. Hockenson vs Cincinnati Bengals – On the season, the only team that surrendered more fantasy points to the position than Vegas was Cincinnati. Eleven tight ends garnered double-digit half-PPR points against the Bengals.
Other plus matchups – Jonnu Smith at Patriots, Kyle Pitts at Panthers, Jake Ferguson at Bears.

Complete Week 3 fantasy football rankings: PPR and non-PPR

This is the USA TODAY Sports NFL newsletter, 4th and Monday. If this newsletter isn’t already getting conveniently delivered to your inbox, click here to subscribe. USA TODAY Sports is now on Bluesky! Give us a follow for more of our NFL content.

Welcome to Week 3, which features two matchups between 2-0 teams …

➤ On tap for Thursday night: Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills — Hoo boy, this one could get ugly. Josh Allen and the Bills have scored 71 points through their first two games. The Dolphins’ milquetoast defense is allowing 33 points a game, and 13 of 15 offensive drives by opponents have resulted in points. The Bills have won 12 consecutive regular-season home games, the longest such streak in the NFL. Allen, meanwhile, is undefeated (7-0) in Thursday games.

➤ Game of the week: Los Angeles Rams at Philadelphia Eagles — The Rams and Eagles are among 10 teams that have opened the season 2-0. In a legitimacy power rankings, the Eagles and Rams rank No. 3 and 5, respectively. Perhaps more notably, this is a rematch of last season’s NFC divisional playoff. And one might recall it was the Rams who gave the Eagles the tightest game in last season’s playoffs, with Philly hanging on for a 28-22 win en route to Super Bowl glory. Sean McVay will be coaching hurt in this one after suffering a torn plantar fascia during the Rams’ Week 2 win.

➤ Sneaky-good game of the week: Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers — There’s a chance that Brock Purdy could be back for this matchup of 2-0 teams. Even so, the 49ers – who are without George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk – aren’t quite at full strength. That, however, does not diminish the importance of this early-season NFC West clash. With the Rams also at 2-0 entering Week 3, these are the type of divisional games that could have big ramifications down the line.

➤ Survivor Pool Game of the Week: Green Bay Packers at Cleveland Browns — The ‘pick whoever is playing the Browns’ strategy worked great last week, so we’re sticking to it. Vibes currently are great for the Packers, whose first two wins came against 2024 playoff teams. The Browns, meanwhile, already seemingly are steamrolling toward a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. (Previous survivor pool picks — Week 1: Broncos ; Week 2: Ravens .)

If you’re still alive in USA TODAY Sports’ survivor pool, make sure to make your Week 3 pick!

TNF BETTING LOCK

Josh Allen +340 to score 2+ touchdowns*. The reigning NFL MVP already has one game with two rushing touchdowns this season, so why not another in what is expected to be a blowout against the Dolphins? (The Bills are 12.5-point favorites*.) With two offensive touchdowns (passing, rushing and receiving combined) on ‘Thursday Night Football,’ Allen can become the fastest player to reach 300 career offensive touchdowns (including the postseason), surpassing Patrick Mahomes (126 to Mahomes’ 128 games).

*Odds per BetMGM (as of publication)

ONE BOLD PREDICTION

➤ Mike McDaniel is the first head coach to get fired. And it could happen after the Dolphins’ ‘Thursday Night Football’ game. It might seem a bit early for a head coach dismissal (Robert Salah was the first head coach fired in 2024, and it happened after Week 5), but the Dolphins’ 0-2 start has been brutal. No AFC team has allowed more points or has a worse point differential than Miami, which is less than ideal when you consider the eccentric McDaniel already was on the hot seat entering the season. A blowout defeat in front of a prime-time audience could be the final straw in Miami.

HOT READS

The best NFL reads from USA TODAY and our Sports Network:

While the top five of our updated NFL power rankings remained the same, one 2-0 team made a 15-spot advance.

There are 10 NFL teams off to a 2-0 start, but not all look like contenders. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz ranks those teams from most to least legitimate.

There are 10 NFL teams off to the dreaded 0-2 start, and nearly 88% of teams that have started that way since 1990 have missed postseason. (So, you’re telling me there’s a chance!) Nate Davis ranks the winless teams based on playoff viability.

The booming noise around the Dolphins’ abysmal start will only get louder with nationally televised matchups in the next two weeks, Safid Deen writes.

Patrick Mahomes leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards. Jarrett Bell writes that this is not a good thing.

With injuries hitting key NFL quarterbacks, how’s your backup situation? Nate Davis ranked them all.

Tom Brady made some waves Monday night when ESPN cameras showed the former NFL QB and current FOX analyst in the Raiders’ coaches’ box. Chris Bumbaca breaks down what we know about Brady’s involvement with the Raiders and how that affects his broadcasting, while Nancy Armour writes how Brady continues to cause the NFL headaches even a decade after Deflategate.

FANTASY ESSENTIALS

We’re just two weeks into the 2025 NFL season, but injuries already are starting to take a toll … especially at quarterback. As always, we’re here to help you navigate through the ups and downs of the fantasy football season.

Week 3 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Quarterbacks | Running backs | Wide receivers | Tight ends | Kickers | Defense/special teams

NFL DRAFT PROSPECT TO WATCH

 Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (vs. Illinois, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock) — This is not your older brother’s Illinois-Indiana matchup between Big Ten cellar-dwellers. This is a No. 8 (Fighting Illini) vs. No. 17 (Hoosiers) showdown on national television with possible College Football Playoff ramifications. We’re going to keep close tabs on Indiana’s quarterback. Mendoza currently is one of four quarterbacks projected to be selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, per Draft Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports Network. 

ON THIS DAY IN NFL HISTORY

On Sept. 18, 2016, an NFL game was played in Los Angeles for the first time since 1994. The game itself wasn’t all that memorable (a 9-3 win for the Rams over the Seattle Seahawks), and the Rams were embarking on a forgettable 4-12 campaign in which head coach Jeff Fisher would get fired.

Before returning to L.A. for the 2016 season, the Rams played 21 seasons in St. Louis (appearing in two Super Bowls and winning one) after 49 seasons in Los Angeles (counting the 15 years in Anaheim). The Rams – who have appeared in two more Super Bowls, winning one since returning to Los Angeles – played four seasons in the historic L.A. Memorial Coliseum before moving into SoFi Stadium in 2020.

If you enjoy reading 4th and Monday , encourage your football fan friends to subscribe . Follow the writer of this newsletter on social media @jimreineking and drop a line if you want to talk some football .

The Indiana Fever will face off against the Atlanta Dream in a Game 3 showdown in first round of the WNBA playoffs at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia.

Following an 80-68 loss in Game 1, the Fever bounced back with a resounding 77-60 victory in Game 2, their first playoff game at home since 2016. Kelsey Mitchell scored 19 points, and Aliyah Boston had 15 points and five rebounds as the Fever extended the series to a winner-take-all third game.

Te-Hina Paopao, coming off the bench, led the Dream in scoring with 11 points, while Rhyne Howard added 10 points. Allisha Gray, who struggled with foul trouble and faced tensions with fans in the front row, contributed nine points and seven rebounds in the defeat.

What time is Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream?

The Atlanta Dream host the Indiana Fever in the decisive Game 3 on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Gateway Center in College Park, Georgia. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

How to watch Indiana Fever at Atlanta Dream: TV, stream

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Gateway Center Arena (College Park, Georgia)
TV channel: ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+, Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)

Dream vs. Fever schedule

Game 1: Dream 80, Fever 68
Game 2: Fever 77, Dream 60
Game 3: Fever at Dream, TBD Thursday (ESPN2)

Allisha Gray stats

Allisha Gray averaged career highs in points (18.4), rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.5) in 42 games (all starts) this season. She had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists, three steals and one block in the Dream’s Game 1 win, but was held to nine points (4-of-16 FG, 1-of-4 3PT) in the Dream’s Game 2 loss.

Kelsey Mitchell stats

Kelsey Mitchell averaged 20.2 points, 3.4 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 44 games (all starts) this season. Mitchell dropped a game-high 27 points, four assists and one rebounds in the Fever’s Game 1 loss. She followed up that performance with a game-high 19 points in Game 2, shooting 6-of-13 from the field including 4-of-8 from 3.

Aliyah Boston stats

Boston, the 2023 WNBA rookie of the year, averaged a career-high 15 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 44 games this season. She recorded eight points, 12 rebound and five assists in 34 minutes of work in the Fever’s Game 1 loss on Sunday.

Caitlin Clark injury timeline

May 24: Clark suffered a left quad injury during the Fever’s 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty, where she recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 assists. Clark couldn’t pinpoint the specific play that caused her injury, but noted that it happened early in the contest. Clark said, ‘Adrenaline covers up a lot of stuff when you’re in the heat of battle. After the game, I had some pain, and then we got an MRI, and that kind of gave me the result that I didn’t want to see.’ She missed the Fever’s next five games.
June 14: Clark returned to Indiana’s lineup in the Fever’s 102-88 win over the Liberty and dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back. 
June 24: Clark suffered a left groin injury in the Fever’s 94-86 winover the Seattle Storm, which resulted in Clark missing the team’s next four games. Fever coach Stephanie White said she learned of Clark’s groin injury the following night after Clark alerted team trainers of discomfort.
July 1: Clark was ruled out of the Fever’s 2025 Commissioner’s Cup win over the Minnesota Lynx in Minneapolis. That didn’t stop Clark from rightfully celebrating the team’s hardware.
July 9: Clark returned to the Fever’s lineup in the Fever’s 80-61 loss to the Golden State Valkyries. Clark was limited to 10 points, shooting 4 of 12 from the field and 2 of 5 from the 3-point line, and had six assists, five rebounds and four turnovers. Following the blowout loss, Clark said it was ‘going to take me a second to get my wind back. … Just trying to get my legs under me.’
July 15: Clark suffered a right groin injury in the final minute of the Fever’s 85-77 victory over the Sun at TD Garden in Boston. White later confirmed Clark ‘felt a little something in her groin.’ This marked the last game for which Clark suited up.
July 18: Clark announced that she would sit out the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, where she was named a team captain. Clark was also set to participate in the 3-point contest. She said, ‘I am incredibly sad and disappointed to say I can’t participate … I have to rest my body.’
July 24: The Fever said Clark’s medical evaluations confirmed there’s ‘no additional injuries or damage,’ but the team said it will be cautious with Clark’s rehab and recovery.
Aug. 7: Clark reportedly suffered a mild bone bruise in her left ankle during an individual workout session in Phoenix, according to The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Aug. 8: During an appearance on Sue Bird’s podcast, ‘Bird’s Eye View,’ Clark spoke about the frustrations of her injury-filled season: “It’s not like I have a training camp to build up to play in my first game again. It’s like no, you’re tossed into Game 30 — like, ‘Go try to play well.’ It’s hard, it really is.”
Aug. 10: Fever coach Stephanie White said Clark has progressed in her recovery and has started running full court again, but Clark hasn’t returned to practice just yet: an important step in her ramp-up. ‘She’s been able to get a little bit more in her full-court running with all of her body weight. … She’s been able to do a little more on the court in terms of how she moves, but not into practice yet,’ White said.
Aug. 20: White confirmed that Clark has not returned to practice yet.
Aug. 24: Clark participated in a team shootaround and went through some non-contact drills with the second team, marking her first time practicing with the team since suffering a right groin injury on July 15.
Sept. 4: Clark shared a post on her official X account, stating that she will miss the rest of the regular season and any potential postseason action.

Sophie Cunningham injury timeline

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham suffered a season-ending MCL injury in her right knee in August 2025. She underwent surgery a week later and began her recovery and rehabilitation process in September 2025. Cunningham is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the 2026 WNBA season, which begins in May

2025 WNBA Finals schedule

*if necessary

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On the heels of a their 17-game wining streak being snapped, the Las Vegas Aces are in danger of seeing their season end on a two-game losing streak.

The Seattle Storm thundered back from a 14-point second-half deficit in Game 2 on Tuesday, Sept. 16, to create a winner-take-all showdown Thursday night on the Aces’ home court.

Seattle held Aces star A’ja Wilson scoreless over the final seven minutes and guard Skylar Diggins hit the clutch jumper in the final seconds to clinch an 86-83 win over No. 2-seeded Las Vegas and flip the series on its ear.

‘We weren’t scared to play against them,’ said Diggins, who finished with a game-high 26 points. ‘In the first game, we played hesitant. I was proud of the way we responded tonight and we had a great home crowd on our back to feed off.’

What time is Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces?

The Las Vegas Aces host the Seattle Storm in the decisive Game 3 on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT) at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2.

How to watch Seattle Storm at Las Vegas Aces: TV, stream

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. PT)
Location: Michelob Ultra Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
TV channel: ESPN2
Streaming: ESPN+, Disney+, Fubo (free trial to new subscribers)

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

For the third time in four seasons, Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson has been named the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

But this time there is a twist. Wilson will share the award with Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith, the WNBA announced Thursday.

Smith and Wilson received 29 votes each from 72 sportswriters and broadcasters on the panel. Seattle Storm guard Gabby Williams finished in second place with nine votes, Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas was third with three votes and Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier was fourth with two votes.

Smith, in her seventh WNBA season, was a 2024 All-Defensive second-team selection. Smith helped Minnesota to a league-best 97.5 defensive rating. She finished second overall in combined steals and blocks (135), ranked third in both blocks per game (1.9) and total blocks (80) and tied for 10th in total steals (55).

Wilson led the WNBA in blocks per game (2.3), total rebounds (407), defensive rebounds (316), and combined steals and blocks (156). She also ranked second in total blocks (92) and rebounds per game (10.2).

Smith and Wilson will each be awarded $5,150 and a trophy.

WNBA defensive player of the year voting

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces/Alanna Smith, Minnesota Lynx
Gabby Williams, Seattle Storm
Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx

Past WNBA defensive player of the year winners

2025: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces/Alanna Smith, Minnesota Lynx
2024: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx 
2023: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces 
2022: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
2021: Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx 
2020: Candace Parker, Los Angeles Sparks 
2019: Natasha Howard, Seattle Storm 
2018: Alana Beard, Los Angeles Sparks 
2017: Alana Beard, Los Angeles Sparks 
2016: Sylvia Fowles, Minnesota Lynx
2015: Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury 
2014: Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury
2013: Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky 
2012: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever 
2011: Sylvia Fowles, Chicago Sky
2010: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever 
2009: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever 
2008: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks 
2007: Lauren Jackson, Seattle Storm
2006: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever 
2005: Tamika Catchings, Indiana Fever
2004: Lisa Leslie, Los Angeles Sparks
2003: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets 
2002: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets 
2001: Debbie Black, Miami Sol
2000: Sheryl Swoopes, Houston Comets
1999: Yolanda Griffith, Sacramento Monarchs
1998: Teresa Weatherspoon, New York Liberty 
1997: Teresa Weatherspoon, New York Liberty

Documents show that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and other executives funneled $118 million to a now-bankrupt company called Aspiration.
These payments, made between 2021 and 2023, were for investments and carbon credits.
The NBA has hired a New York-based law firm to lead an inquiry into whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap.
The Clippers stated Ballmer was ‘duped’ on the investment and that the carbon credit purchases were part of a sustainability effort for the team’s new arena.

The Los Angeles Clippers said owner Steve Ballmer was “duped” in light of new reporting showing the team and its executives funneled a total of $118 million to a now-bankrupt ‘green’ financial services company called Aspiration that is the focus of the NBA’s investigation around Kawhi Leonard’s alleged “no-show” endorsement deal.

In an episode of his “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast that published Thursday, Sept.18, investigative sports reporter Pablo Torre published previously unreported documents that showed the paper trail of the money being wired. The payments spanned from September 2021 through March 2023 and came in the form of investments and payments for carbon credits.

The purchase of carbon credits was actually something Dallas Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban brought up in a social media post on Friday, Sept, 12, when referencing the NBA investigation that the Clippers circumvented the salary cap through the alleged “no-show” endorsement deal with Leonard.

Essentially, because carbon offset purchases would infuse cash into the company at a very high margin, the appearance of a business expense would shield any potential impropriety the Clippers would be conducting.

“I bring this up because it would have been a lot easier and a lot safer, if he was trying to circumvent the CBA to just buy more carbon credits,” Cuban wrote in the post.

Torre published a document from Tuesday, June 14, 2022, with Clippers letterhead at the top. That document is confirmation of a payment made to Aspiration for $20.96 million ‘used to fund … carbon projects.’ The document is signed by the chief financial officer of the Clippers.

Torre asked a former senior executive in Aspiration’s finance department, who was interviewed using a voice modifier, about the payments in carbon offsets.

“Literally (Cuban) described one of the few ways that the Clippers and Ballmer got money into Aspiration,” the person said. “He literally described exactly what they did. So I think he’s completely correct that that would be one of the avenues to circumvent the cap.”

The NBA has contracted the New York-based law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz – which it has used in the past for other investigations – to lead the inquiry into the Clippers and Leonard.

“Steve and his family are focused on sustainability, which is why Intuit Dome was designed to be a carbon neutral building from its inception and to achieve LEED Zero status over time,” the Clippers said in a Thursday, Sept. 18 statement responding to the carbon offset purchases.

The team went on to say that its “development agreements for the arena included mandates to buy carbon credits,” but that the Clippers “went far beyond those requirements” and sought to buy carbon offsets from Aspiration.

“Some of those commitments were built into the sponsorship deal with Aspiration — totally separate of the investment in the company — and we made payments to Aspiration until the company was unable to fulfill their responsibilities,” the statement continues.

“This effort reflects Steve wanting to set a positive example and raise awareness of the growing and important role of voluntary carbon markets. Unfortunately, he was duped on the investment and on some parts of this agreement, as were many other investors and employees.”