A new mascot has entered the villa

The GIST: It isn’t a summer weekend without statements made on and off the court in the WNBA. As much as some try to distract, here’s the latest from the hardwood with just over a month until the postseason begins.

✅ Atlanta Dream, Indiana Fever, NY Liberty, and Washington Mystics clinch playoff berths: All four join the league-leading Minnesota Lynx, surging Golden State Valkyries, and reigning champ Las Vegas Aces in the eight-team postseason field.

• That leaves just one spot still TBD (along with seeding), with two squads — the Dallas Wings and Portland Fire — still in contention to claim it. Buckle up.

🤓 Minnesota’s Olivia Miles continues to shine: The clear Rookie of the Year frontrunner, Miles is also making an MVP case, breaking yet another record over the weekend. The 2026 No. 2 overall pick became the fastest player to reach 700+ career points and 200+ assists, achieving the mark in just 36 games. Catch The Spectacle back in action vs. the Valkyries tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

🌹 Portland introduces mascot, Rose: A new bombshell mascot has entered the villa. The 2026 expansion team unveiled Rose the Glitter-Breathing Dragon yesterday, the latest diva in an already stacked lineup of WNBA mascots. Slays only.

✨ There’s nothing better than feeling like you really know a player. For MLB All-Star Ozzie Albies, that meant bringing his signature style to every detail this Players’ Weekend. He teamed up with Adobe Express to create those iconic custom cleats and one-of-a-kind bat you saw in action in Milwaukee.

• “Players’ Weekend is fun because it’s where we really get to show more of our personality,” the four-time All-Star said. “The best part was making the design and seeing my idea turn into something I could actually wear.” What can’t he do?

If you’re looking for more creative inspo of your own, check out the story behind how Ozzie brought his ideas to life, plus a few pointers on how you can do it too with Adobe. You got this.

The GIST: The US Open, tennis’ final major of the season, is just around the corner. But first, the tune-up Cincinnati Open delivered history and a whole lot of momentum before the stars descend on the Big Apple. Time to serve up the highlights.

🏆 No. 4 Coco Gauff claims another title: Fan favorite Gauff defeated fellow American No. 3 Jessica Pegula in straight sets last night to snag her second career Cincy crown. Gauff broke Pegula twice to race out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set before closing out the win in commanding fashion. Not a bad US Open sendoff.

• As for the men, No. 21 Arthur Fils is officially a Masters 1000 champ after defeating American No. 23 Frances Tiafoe yesterday. Fils is the first Frenchman to win the singles tournament since 1991. Magnifique.

⏩ Looking ahead to the US Open: Now the spotlight shifts to New York, where the main draw for the final Grand Slam of the year begins on August 30th. The GOAT Serena Williams will make her first competitive appearance at the tournament since 2022, joining reigning men’s singles champ Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles after the pair received a wild card. The duo we didn’t even know we needed.

• Sadly, not everyone is NYC–bound. While Alcaraz will also return to singles play after a four-month absence due to a right wrist injury, world No. 1 Jannik Sinner is officially out with a persistent right knee injury.