How Top WNBA Players Are Spending This Year’s Off-Season
It feels like a lifetime since the Las Vegas Aces took home the 2025 WNBA Championship title. In reality, it’s been less than two months. If it feels like an eternity to you, you might be wondering how you’ll make it until June without watching Sabrina Ionescu sink a three-point shot or Skylar Diggins get chippy with her opponents on the court. Thankfully, you may not have to wait that long to see your favorite women’s basketball players hoop…depending on who they are, of course.
While three-time WNBA champion and four-time MVP A’Ja Wilson prefers to kick back with her family during the off-season, many WNBA players stay in competition mode, whether they’re taking part in an off-season league or training for a spot on the USA Basketball national team ahead of the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in September.
Here’s how just 10 of the most followed, prominent, and talked-about players in the W are spending their off-season. And if your fave is not on this list, there’s a good chance you can catch them playing in the Unrivaled 3x3 league, Athletes Unlimited, or competing overseas in EuroLeague or the EuroCup. Don’t drop the ball!
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A'Ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
A’Ja Wilson is taking a well-deserved victory lap, appearing on talk shows like The Tonight Show and The Jennifer Hudson Show to celebrate her historic four-time MVP status and third championship ring. Oh, and she hugged Beyoncé at Formula 1’s 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
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Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever
After sitting out much of the 2025 season due to multiple injuries, Caitlin Clark told a reporter she’s “feeling back to 100 percent” while participating in the 2025 Annika Pro-Am golf tournament in Belleair, Florida.
On November 24, it was announced that Clark will take part in the USA Basketball senior national team training camp at Duke University in North Carolina from December 14 to December 16.
According to the official release, “USA Women’s National Team managing director Sue Bird will evaluate players prior to naming a team for the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup, which will take place from Sept. 4-13, 2026 in Berlin. The USA will seek their fifth consecutive World Cup gold medal.”
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Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Not only is Glamour Women of the Year honoree Napheesa Collier helping the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) negotiate the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, but she’s also gearing up for the sophomore season of Unrivaled, the Miami-based 3x3 league she co-founded with fellow UConn alum Breanna Stewart.
Kicking off on January 5, Unrivaled games will air on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max. Collier is set to play for The Lunar Owls Basketball Club (BC) alongside Aaliyah Edwards, Marina Mabrey, Rachel Banham, Rebecca Allen, and Skylar Diggins. You can view the schedule here.
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Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty
Unrivaled co-founder Breanna Stewart is returning to Miami, where she will play in her second season with the Mist BC alongside Alanna Smith, Allisha Gray, Arike Ogunbowale, Li Yueru, and Veronica Burton.
And just like Collier, Stewart serves as a VP on the WNBPA executive committee, which is fighting for a higher revenue share and improved conditions for WNBA players in the new CBA.
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Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
The 2025 Rookie of the Year is busy this off-season. While the point guard was traveling all over the country (and parts of Europe) to sit courtside at various sporting events, it was reported that she will be producing and starring in an upcoming basketball movie. If that weren’t enough, she’ll be attending the USA Basketball training camp before her Unrivaled debut with The Breeze BC in January.
In a recent interview with Glamour, Bueckers spoke about “playing free” with her Breeze teammates Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson, Kate Martin, Aari McDonald, and Dominique Malonga.
“Obviously, we’re all kind of in the same generation, so there’s a lot we can relate to with each other,” she said, in part. “We’re all learning and growing. It’s Rickea’s second year. I think it’s Kate’s second year. But the rest of us, it’s our first year in Unrivaled, so we’re all kind of just learning and growing and getting better together. So that’s really exciting.”
And don’t be surprised if she makes time for a TikTok makeover with former Dallas Wings teammate DiJonai Carrington while she’s in Florida… You can read the full interview for more about that and view the Unrivaled schedule here.
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Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
Like Wilson, Ionescu is not participating in any competitive leagues this off-season, despite playing in Unrivaled’s inaugural season last year. Honestly, that’s probably the safest bet after the toe injury that caused her to miss multiple games towards the end of the 2025 WNBA season.
On November 24, Ionescu attended the Golden State Warriors game against the Utah Jazz, where NBA star Steph Curry was playing in a pair of her signature Nike sneakers.
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Angel Reese, Chicago Sky
Reese may not be returning to Unrivaled or playing in any other off-season league, but she’s got plenty of other stuff going on. After making her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut as the first pro-athlete V.S. Angel, Reese is heading to North Carolina for the USA Basketball training camp in December. Oh, and you can catch new episodes of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, whenever you miss her.
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Skylar Diggins, Seattle Storm
The 11-year WNBA veteran is preparing for her second Unrivaled season with the Lunar Owls while speaking up for working mothers amid the ongoing CBA negotiations, which were just extended into 2026.
“The resources stuck out to me right away, specifically with childcare,” she said of Unrivaled in a recent interview with USA Today. “And I had never experienced being able to go to the games and drop my kids off. I knew they were going to be safe.”
She continued, “It was very inspiring to be a part of the first year and now for it to come back for Year 2, even stronger and bigger, you feel really special.”
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Alyssa Thomas, Phoenix Mercury
While Alyssa Thomas recently signed on to join the new Project B 5x5 league during next year’s off-season, she will be focused on 3x3 this winter. For the second year in a row, she will be playing in Unrivaled with the Laces BC, which also includes Brittany Sykes, Jackie Young, Jordan Canada, Maddy Siegrist, and Naz Hillman.
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Kelsey Plum, Los Angeles Sparks
The First Vice President of the WNBPA, Kelsey Plum has been on the front lines of the ongoing CBA negotiations. Meanwhile, she’s also planning to attend the USA Basketball training camp in December before making her Unrivaled debut with the Phantom BC in January. Her teammates include Aliyah Boston, Dana Evans, Kiki Iriafen, Natasha Cloud, and Glamour Women of the Year honoree Satou Sabally.
