What goes up must come down.

The NFL draft isn’t an event that takes the words of Isaac Newton literally, but the general concept remains the same. For someone to rise up the boards, that means someone must fall.

It’s an inexact science as teams examine a number of traits, personalities and game tape to make a projection before selecting a player. Some will be right and others, not so much.

Players will inevitably fall down the board, but it’s not always a fault of their own.

The 2025 NFL Draft isn’t thought of as a top-heavy class with a clearly defined top-10 or 15 players. Instead, the class is characterized by its depth, meaning the drop-off between first and second-round picks isn’t as big as it typically is.

So, while these future NFL players won’t be ordering a Life Alert anytime soon, they could be waiting a little longer than previously expected. Here’s a look at the projected first-round picks that could fall down the draft board.

NFL draft predictions: Players who could fall

Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado

Sanders was previously thought of as the potential No. 1 pick. Now, there are questions about whether he even lands in the top 10. The pick range for the Colorado quarterback has never been larger, making him a clear candidate to tumble down the draft board.

Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

Injuries and a lack of participation in pre-draft workouts like the 40-yard dash cloud the draft future for Johnson. Perhaps he finds himself in the Derek Stingley Jr. mold of overcoming injuries and those concerns don’t come to fruition. Regardless, that won’t be the case for every team, even if he does have an argument as the best cornerback in the class, aside from Travis Hunter. With other players carrying less risk, Johnson’s history is a disadvantage on draft night.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

McMillan might headline a weak receiver class, but his lack of speed could doom him early. While some project the Arizona receiver to land inside the top 10, others have him waiting until the back half of the first round. With so many teams prioritizing speed over size at receiver, he may fall out of favor with better talent available at other positions.

Tyler Booker, OG, Alabama

Booker has seen himself rise into the late teens in some mock drafts, but the fact that he doesn’t play a premium position could ultimately be his undoing. The last batch of picks in the first round is prime territory for teams eyeing premium positions for the coveted fifth-year option. That’s where we can see some quarterbacks sneak into the first round. Given Booker’s position, he feels like a prime candidate to drop back into the second round.

James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

A year ago, Pearce was commonly thought of as the crown jewel of the 2025 class. He’s since fallen out of favor in draft circles, with mocks pushing him into the latter half of the first round and others dropping him into the second. Time will tell where Pearce ends up, but it comes across as more prospect fatigue than a sudden loss of talent.

As a more slender pass-rusher, Pearce will likely need to bulk up to become an impact player. While teams overthink prospects at this stage, the soon-to-be former Tennessee Volunteer could make some noise if he lands with the right one. It might just come later than expected.

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NEW YORK — When the Golden State Valkyries were awarded a WNBA franchise on Oct. 3, 2023, the work began to try to correct the disadvantages that every other expansion team faces.

Not only with finding the right people to lead, but also the complex, arduous task of building a team once the framework of a front office is decided.

That task is now in the hands of Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin and head coach Natalie Nakase, who spent the previous three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces, helping them win two WNBA championships.

Even before Monday night’s WNBA draft, Nyanin clarified what kind of player they sought.

‘We aren’t looking for the face of our franchise just yet,’ Nyanin said last week. ‘We need to build our identity, and throughout the season, hopefully, the face of the franchise emerges. I want it to be an organic process. Who is going to earn it? I don’t want it to just be given to anybody.’

‘I genuinely believe that if you work really hard at (becoming the face of a franchise), then you don’t mismanage it once it’s been given to you.’

The future started Monday night at the 2025 WNBA draft when the Valkyries, the first expansion team to enter the league since the Atlanta Dream in 2008, selected Justė Jocytė from Lithuania at No. 5 overall with their first-ever pick. The 19-year-old Jocyte, at 6-foot, can defend multiple positions and is a combo guard, whose offensive game shows that she has range from beyond the arc. She no doubt will need to get tougher, however, especially against the physical inside players, once inside the paint.

Jocytė, who doesn’t turn 20 until Nov. 19, averaged 12.7 points, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game for Lyon ASVEL of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball. She is expected to compete for her country in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2025, so her availability is still a question mark.

‘The national team is always my priority,’ Jocytė told Basketnews. ‘If the WNBA told me I couldn’t go and I had to choose, I would definitely choose the national team. I know that there is a possibility to arrange when you can be released a few weeks in advance, and this is a negotiation with the clubs about the dates.’

The Valkyries added Maryland star Shyanne Sellers with their second-round pick (No. 17 overall).Sellers did it all during an impressive four-year collegiate career for the Terrapins, becoming the first player in program history to clear 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists.

With their third selection of the night, Golden State took Kaitlyn Chen with the fifth pick of the third roud (No. 30 overall). Chen teamed with No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers to lead the UConn Huskies to the 2025 national championship.

Very few professional teams have made the playoffs in their first season, but the Valkyries have some advantages, that few, especially in the WNBA, have. The team already has a state-of-the-art practice facility and was the first league team to sell 10,000 season tickets.

But even Nyanin said she didn’t know what Valkyries will look like once the season starts. In December’s expansion draft, Golden State selected 11 players, including guard Kate Martin from the Las Vegas Aces and former New York Liberty forward Kayla Thornton. Seven of those expansion draft players are international.

‘We’re taking our sweet time to define that because once you define it—coming from experience—it’s really hard to change it,’ Nyanin said.

Like every other WNBA team, the time to find that out will be very short as the Valkyries’ first regular-season game will be against the Los Angeles Sparks on May 16.

Paige Bueckers going No. 1 in the 2025 WNBA Draft was a forgone conclusion from the moment she announced she was leaving UConn. On Monday night, she officially became a Dallas Wing.

Bueckers, who wore her heart on her sleeve after being subbed out for the final time in the Huskies’ national championship win over South Carolina, was similarly emotional speaking to Holly Rowe after having her name called.

Also similar to her court-side kudos to the UConn staff, she was most emotional when she was talking about her teammates and all of the people who helped her get to this point, rather than making the moment about herself.

‘Just an overwhelming sense of gratitude,’ Bueckers told Rowe when she was asked what was on her mind after being picked first. ‘It’s super surreal just being here with other draft invitees. My teammates are here. My family’s here. Just super grateful. Been focusing on staying present. Staying where my feet are. And to be here right now I’m just extremely blessed.’

Paige Bueckers gets emotional about teammates in attendance

While Bueckers kept an even tone while talking about her own journey, her voice did waver when she talked about her UConn teammates being in attendance to see her go first overall.

‘They’ve changed my life, those’re my sisters,’ Bueckers said before taking a moment to collect herself. ‘Just extremely grateful for them. I think two teams or one team would be genius to add Kaitlyn Chen and Aubrey Griffin to their team so I think they should get drafted tonight. But just, I just love them so much and they’re gonna be my sisters for life.’

Finally, Bueckers signed off with a food confession, although not an unforgivable one for a Midwesterner who played basketball on the Atlantic coast.

‘Before I was asked about Tex Mex vs barbecue I was unfamiliar with the term Tex Mex so that’s my pick. But Dallas I’m so excited just a new city. A new start. A fresh start and so. I’m excited let’s get it.’

The University of Colorado announced Monday that quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter are “officially untouchable” and will retire their football jersey numbers Saturday in a ceremony at Folsom Field.

That means jersey No. 2 for Sanders and No. 12 for Hunter will not be worn again by any Colorado player and will be only the fifth and sixth retired jersey numbers in CU football history.

Both players played only two seasons at Colorado after transferring from Jackson State in Mississippi. But both made historic marks on the program. Sanders, son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, set over 100 school records, including career passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Hunter, the receiver/cornerback, won the Heisman Trophy last year and is described in his CU bio as the ‘most decorated player in a season in college football history,’ including his win of eight major college football awards in 2024.

The ceremony to retire their jersey numbers will happen at the start of CU’s annual spring football intrasquad game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Both players are expected to be first-round NFL draft picks on April 24 after helping the program finish 9-4 in 2024 just two years after the Buffaloes went 1-11 in 2022.

Only four other players have had their numbers retired in CU’s 135-year football history:

∎ Byron White’s No. 24. White finished second in the Heisman voting in 1937 and went on to become a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

∎ Joe Romig’s No. 67, worn by the guard/linebacker in 1959-61 before he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

∎ Bobby Anderson’s No. 11, worn by quarterback/tailback in 1967-69 before he also was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

∎ Rashaan Salaam’s No. 19, worn by the running back in 1994 when he also won the Heisman Trophy.

Swift decision by Colorado on retiring these numbers

The retirement of Hunter’s and Sanders’ jersey numbers marks the soonest Colorado has retired a player’s number after his final college game, triggering some discussion about it by former Colorado players. Salaam’s jersey number wasn’t retired until 2017, nearly 23 years after his final season at CU (and after he died in 2016).

Anderson’s number was retired the soonest before that − at halftime of the spring game following his last season at CU, on May 9, 1970.

Former Colorado receiver Darrin Chiaverini discussed the timing of this news in a post on social media site X. Hunter’s and Sanders’ last college game was in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 28.

“Retiring numbers is a huge honor and something that should never be taken lightly,” Chiaverini wrote. “I believe strongly that there should be a cooling off period, the same as with the Hall of Fame in the NFL, so decisions are not made out of emotion.”

Former Colorado linebacker Chad Brown echoed that sentiment on X.

‘You win the Heisman, I get it,’ Brown wrote. ‘But at least a waiting period please.’

Chiaverini wasn’t arguing against giving this honor to Sanders and Hunter, just noting a number of other great CU players hadn’t had their numbers retired, including quarterbacks Darian Hagan and Kordell Stewart.

Hagan reposted Chiaverini’s post on X Monday. Brown said CU’s No. 2 jersey ‘will always be Deon Figures for me,’ referring to the former CU defensive back who previously wore No. 2 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame last year.

“Legacy’s need time to be evaluated and proper steps should be taken so history is preserved properly,” Chiaverini wrote. “Congratulations to Shedeur and Travis. No doubt they are etched in Colorado Football lore but let’s make sure we honor those that came before.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The 2025 NFL draft will be the 90th edition of the event. It was first held in 1936, during which the Philadelphia Eagles selected running back Jay Berwanger with the top overall selection.

Since then, just 14 of the 89 players chosen with the top overall selection have gone on to become Hall of Fame players. Plenty are still active NFL players who well may join their counterparts in Canton, but to date, it hasn’t always been easy to hit a home run with the No. 1 overall pick.

Of course, there have still be plenty of high-end talents to top the NFL draft. From franchise quarterbacks to top-tier running backs and a few quality top-notch players in the trenches, there are a lot of No. 1 overall picks who have carved out nice careers for themselves in the NFL.

Below is a look at the 10 best players ever selected with the NFL draft’s top overall selection.

Honorable mentions: Paul Hornung (Packers, 1957), Lee Roy Selmon (Buccaneers, 1976), Eli Manning (Giants, 2004), Matthew Stafford (Lions, 2009), Myles Garrett (Browns, 2017), Joe Burrow (Bengals, 2020)

10. Orlando Pace, 1997

• Position: Offensive tackle
• Team: St. Louis Rams

Offensive linemen don’t always get the love they deserve, but Pace ended up being a key cog in the Rams’ ‘Greatest Show on Turf’ offense. He helped the team win Super Bowl 34 and thrived as a blind-side blocker for Kurt Warner.

Pace was named a Pro Bowler seven consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2005. He was an All-Pro first teamer in three of those seasons. He played 169 games across 13 seasons with the Rams and Chicago Bears and was became a Pro Football Hall of Famer in 2016.

9. Ron Yary, 1968

• Position: Offensive tackle
• Team: Minnesota Vikings

Here’s another offensive tackle selection who deserves some love. The Vikings made Yary the No. 1 pick in the 1968 NFL draft and he went on to play 207 games across 15 seasons.

From 1971 to 1976, Yary made six consecutive All-Pro first teams. He was also a part of the Vikings’ NFL championship-winning team in 1969, though the team was unable to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 4.

Yary was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

8. Earl Campbell, 1978

• Position: Running back
• Team: Houston Oilers

Few players in NFL history opened their careers better than Campbell. The bruising runner led the league in rushing in each of his first three seasons, averaging 348 carries for 1,694 yards and 15 touchdowns while playing in 46 games.

Over that span, Campbell was named an All-Pro first teamer three times and never finished worst than second in NFL MVP voting. He won the award in 1979 one season after being named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year.

Campbell played just eight NFL seasons with the Oilers and New Orleans Saints before retiring. He ended his career with 9,407 rushing yards and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991.

7. Troy Aikman, 1989

• Position: Quarterback
• Team: Dallas Cowboys

Aikman famously lost all 11 of his starts as a rookie before developing into one of the best quarterbacks in Cowboys history. He helped lead Dallas to three Super Bowl wins and was named the MVP of Super Bowl 27 after racking up 273 yards and four touchdowns in Dallas’ 52-17 rout of the Buffalo Bills.

Back and concussion problems ultimately ended Aikman’s career after just 12 seasons, but he was a Pro Bowler in six of those seasons and is the Cowboys’ all-time wins leader (94). He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

6. Terry Bradshaw, 1970

• Position: Quarterback
• Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Bradshaw may not have the most impressive counting stats among Hall of Fame quarterbacks, but he was one of the first great game managers during an era that was less pass-heavy.

Bradshaw helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls in his 14 years with the team. He was the first quarterback ever to achieve that feat, which has only since been matched by Joe Montana and passed by Tom Brady (seven Super Bowl titles). Add in Bradshaw’s impressive 14-5 postseason mark and strong 107-51 regular-season record and he clearly lived up to the expectations thrust upon him as the No. 1 pick.

5. Chuck Bednarik, 1949

• Position: Linebacker/center
• Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Bednarik enjoyed a remarkable NFL career and was one of the league’s last high-volume two-way players. He established himself as a hard-hitting tackler at linebacker and notoriously knocked out New York Giants running back Frank Gifford on a vicious tackle in 1960. That play, which forced Gifford to retire for 18 months, is known simply as ‘The Hit.’

Bednarik was also a tough force at center during his 14-year career with the Eagles. He was named to the All-Pro first team six times during his career and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 after recording 20 interceptions and forcing 21 fumbles across 169 games.

4. O.J. Simpson, 1969

• Position: Running back
• Team: Buffalo Bills

Simpson made just one Pro Bowl in his first three professional seasons before breaking out in 1972. He led the NFL in rushing yards that season, kickstarting a run of five consecutive All-Pro first team seasons.

During that run, Simpson became the first player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark. He racked up 2,003 rushing yards in 14 games while leading the league in carries (332) and rushing touchdowns (12).

Simpson finished his career with four seasons as the NFL’s rushing leader, three as its carries leader and two as its rushing touchdown leader. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, five years after his 11-season professional career came to a close.

3. Bruce Smith, 1985

• Position: Edge rusher
• Team: Buffalo Bills

Smith is clearly the best defensive player ever selected with the No. 1 overall pick, and a case could be made for him to the best the best of all.

Smith played 279 games over 19 seasons for Buffalo and Washington. He is the only player in NFL history to rack up 200 career sacks, and he was named an All-Pro first teamer a whopping eight times. He won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and had 13 seasons in which he racked up double-digit sacks.

Smith never won a Super Bowl during his NFL career but was a key part of the Bills defense that made four consecutive appearances in the Big Game. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

2. John Elway, 1983

• Position: Quarterback
• Team: Baltimore Colts

Elway was the No. 1 pick in the 1983 NFL draft but never actually played for the Colts after making it clear he did not want to play for Baltimore. He was traded to the Broncos and blossomed into one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

Elway posted a 148-82-1 record across 16 seasons with the Denver Broncos. He was named the NFL MVP in 1987 and earned back-to-back Super Bowl wins in his final two seasons and was named the MVP of Super Bowl 33, his last-ever NFL game. He also famously led ‘The Drive’ in the 1986 AFC championship game to lead the Broncos to an iconic come-from-behind victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Elway is still widely regarded as the best NFL draft quarterback prospect of all time. He backed it up with his stellar, 16-year career that ended with his 2004 enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

1. Peyton Manning, 1998

• Position: Quarterback
• Team: Indianapolis Colts

The Colts were tasked with what was, on paper, a difficult decision with the first pick in the 1998 NFL draft. Would they take Manning or Ryan Leaf with the No. 1 overall pick?

Ultimately, Bill Polian and the Colts opted to roll with Manning as their top selection. It was unequivocally the right choice, as Manning turned the Colts from a middling franchise to a consistent AFC contender. The Tennessee product won an NFL record five MVP awards, was named an All-Pro first teamer seven times, won two Super Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.

Manning posted a 186-79 record across 17 seasons with the Colts and Broncos. He set the NFL single-season touchdown record in 2013 by tossing 55 and his 539 career touchdown passes presently rank as the third-most in NFL history behind only Tom Brady (649) and Drew Brees (571).

Coaching the Phoenix Suns does not equal job stability.

At least not under Suns owner Mat Ishbia who is about to have his fourth coach in as many seasons after taking controlling interest of the franchise in 2023.

He fired Monty Williams after the 2022-23 season. He fired Frank Vogel after 2023-24. And on Monday, he fired Mike Budenholzer after a disappointing 36-46 record in 2024-25.

Williams and Budenholzer won NBA Coach of the Year awards. Vogel and Budenholzer won NBA titles as head coaches.

But head coach of the Suns is one of just 30 coveted jobs in the NBA so the Suns will find a replacement. Don’t be surprised if they look for a more player friendly coach in this search.

Here’s a look at potential coaching candidates for the Suns job:

David Fizdale

Fizdale was a Suns assistant the past two seasons – one season for Vogel and one season for Budenholzer. He was a longtime assistant for Erik Spoelstra in Miami and gained respect from players, including LeBron James. He was the head coach for Memphis for one-plus seasons and head coach for New York for one-plus seasons, compiling  a 71-134 record.

Terry Stotts

Stotts, an assistant for Golden State, knows stars and knows offense – he coached Damian Lillard in Portland where Stotts regularly produced top-10 offenses. Stott was 402-318 in nine seasons, including three 50-win campaigns, with the Blazers and led them to the conference finals in 2019.

Willie Green

Green is New Orleans’ head coach, but the Pelicans just fired president of basketball operations David Griffin, and Green, who just finished his fourth season with New Orleans. He came to the Pelicans from Phoenix where he was an assistant for two seasons, including 2020-21 when the Suns went to the NBA Finals. Green, like Suns owner Mat Ishbia, is a Michigan native, and they have known each other for years. Devin Booker also has a good relationship with Green.

Johnnie Bryant

Bryant joined Cleveland this season as associate head coach and is considered one of the top young assistants in the league. He’s been an assistant with New York and Utah and has earned praise from Damian Lillard and Gordon Hayward.

Adrian Griffin

Griffin had a short run as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and was 30-13 when the Bucks fired him midway through the 2023-24 season. The former NBA player and longtime NBA assistant is expected to get another chance with an NBA team.

Darvin Ham

Ham lasted two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, going to the conference finals in 2023 and losing in the first round last season. Ham, who spent several seasons as an assistant for Budenholzer in Atlanta and Milwaukee, returned to the Bucks this season as an assistant for Doc Rivers.

Ben Sullivan

Sullivan is an assistant coach for Houston and also spent time as an assistant with Budenholzer in Atlanta and Milwaukee. He has a long relationship with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka – the two worked together in San Antonio – and Sullivan was part of Udoka’s staff in Boston.

Royal Ivey

Ivey is also an assistant coach on Udoka’s Rockets staff, and the former NBA player was also an assistant with Oklahoma City, New York and Brooklyn. He’s also the head coach of South Sudan’s men’s basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has done strong work with the nation’s senior team.

Chris Quinn

Before this season, Quinn was promoted from Miami Heat assistant coach to Heat associate head coach. It’s a sign Quinn is ready for a head-coaching opportunity. He has been on the Heat’s staff since 2014, starting as a player development coach and working his way to the No. 2 spot next to head coach Erik Spoelstra.

17 college prospects will be in attendance at the 2025 NFL Draft, and on Monday, the league released a full list of which players are headed to Green Bay.

The attendee list includes each one of the top six players that come off of the board in the latest 2025 NFL mock draft from USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis – a group that includes Miami (FL) quarterback Cam Ward and cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter.

The number of players on this year’s group of attendees – 17 – represents an increase from last year’s total, when 13 players went to Detroit for the 2024 NFL Draft. The 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City also had 17 prospects in attendance.

Here’s the full list of players headed to Green Bay ahead of the first round next Thursday:

2025 NFL Draft attendees

• Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
• Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
• Will Campbell, OT, LSU
• Abdul Carter, Edge, Penn State
• Jaxson Dart, QB, Mississippi
• Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
• Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
• Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado
• Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
• Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
• Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
• Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
• Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
• Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
• Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
• Cameron Ward, QB, Miami (FL)
• Mykel Williams, Edge, Georgia

When is the 2025 NFL Draft?

The 2025 NFL draft is next week, during the final weekend of April. Fans can watch the draft on ESPN or NFL Network.

• Thursday, April 24: Round 1, 8 p.m. ET
• Friday, April 25: Rounds 2-3, 7 p.m. ET
• Saturday, April 26: Rounds 4-7, Noon ET

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NEW YORK — Let’s hope the WNBA, and its new fans, learned something from the debacle of last season.

Barring some shocking turn or a kidnapping by aliens, Paige Bueckers is going to be the first pick of Monday night’s WNBA draft. She is a transformational player, one who will help drive attendance and attention to the Dallas Wings and the league overall.

What Bueckers is not is a “rival” of Caitlin Clark. Or Angel Reese. Or any other player, for that matter. (Not yet, anyway.) Nor is Bueckers some shrinking violet who needs protecting or hand-holding. She’s a hooper, and should be treated as such.

So should have Clark, and much of the drama last season was created by people who thought Clark needed to be shielded from both the physicality of the W and the expectations that have always accompanied star players.

“Obviously Caitlin had an unbelievable impact on the court, and her adjustment was quick and very, very productive. You saw how Indiana got hot and how dangerous they were late in the year, and a lot of that was a credit to Caitlin’s quick adjustment,” Wings general manager Curt Miller said last week. “I think the other thing that we all took notice of around our league is something as simple as security for our players and how to navigate the increased viewership, the increased fandom and how our players deserve to be protected and amplified at the same time.

“It’s a players-first league. Our job all around the league is to create an incredible environment for these players.”

That’s teams having their own practice facilities and flying charter, yes. But it’s also giving the players the respect and credit they deserve.

Approaching its 30^th season, this is the golden era for the WNBA. It is finally seeing the interest and investment it has long deserved, and fans and sponsors alike are clamoring for more.

After 15 years with just 12 teams, the W begins an expansion boom with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries this season. Portland and Toronto begin play next year and there will be at least one more team, and likely several others, by 2028.

ABC will broadcast a record 13 games this season, CBS will air its first primetime game and ION will duplicate the Friday night doubleheaders that proved so successful for Unrivaled. A massive new media rights deal is coming next year.

And the popularity of the college game ensures the WNBA will keep growing. Last year, it was Clark and Reese arriving with hefty fan followings from their time at Iowa and LSU, respectively. This year, it’s Bueckers, who is fresh off UConn’s NCAA title run. Next year it’ll be Olivia Miles. Then JuJu Watkins and Hannah Hidalgo.

Are some players, like Clark and Reese, or A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, more popular than others? Sure. Just as LeBron James, Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic have star billing in the NBA. But every player contributes to the success of a league, and anything that negates or ignores that does a disservice to everyone.

The WNBA acknowledged that too late last year. It cannot make the same mistake again this year, or it risks alienating fans and players alike.

Bueckers has a different game and a different personality than Clark. There is more than enough room for both in the WNBA, and no one needs to be knocking one player down — or worse — in an ill-informed attempt to lift another up.

There’s likely to be an adjustment period for Bueckers, as there is for pretty much any rookie in any league. But she, like Clark, is ready for the W. All of it.

Here’s hoping fans, and the league, are, too.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

The burden was very real. Rory McIlroy made that obvious the moment he won the 2025 Masters and crumbled to the 18th green overcome with emotion.

It had been 11 years since McIlroy had last won a major and that included 10-straight years of coming to Augusta National Golf Club for The Masters tournament with a chance to complete golf’s career grand slam. It was the narrative that followed McIlroy to every major he entered in recent years, and even more so after he fell just short during a few final-round meltdowns, mostly recently at last year’s U.S. Open.

What McIlroy is willing to admit now, after he joined Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men to win all four of golf’s majors, is how much doubt crept in as he watched other golfers from his generation win The Masters while he couldn’t seem to get over the hump there.

“As much as I like to say I’m not defined by my golf or my career, yeah, I am,’ McIlroy said in an interview with ESPN’s Marty Smith late Sunday night. ‘I think it’s hard because I came here in 2015 looking to win the career grand slam and Jordan Spieth wins his first major. And I just feel like a lot of my peers, I’ve watched over all the last decade win this golf tournament, and I’ve always just thought to myself, ‘When’s it gonna be my turn?’’

‘Sometimes I have to be reminded that you join this list of the five others that have won the career grand slam and I think that, to me, when I look back – hopefully, I’ve got quite a few years ahead of me and a long career left – but when I look back at my career and to have my name up alongside those other five in that club of winning the career grand slam, that’s probably going to be one of my proudest achievements in the game.”

McIlroy delighted the sports world Sunday by winning his first green jacket, besting Justin Rose in the first playoff hole after a wild final round of the 2025 Masters. McIlroy began playing alongside Bryson DeChambeau ‒ the golfer who took advantage of his missed putts to win the 2024 U.S. Open ‒ and promptly lost his two-shot lead with a double bogey on No. 1. McIlroy nonetheless built his lead back to four shots before his attempt to lay up on the par 5 13th wound up with a ball in the water and another double bogey. He then had the chance to win the tournament in regulation with a par putt on No. 18 that went just wide of the cup.

McIlroy told reporters ahead of Sunday’s final round that he planned to remain in a ‘bubble’ in between rounds and while on-course, in hopes of staying focused. But his mistake on No. 13 changed those plans.

‘When I made the 7 at 13, I needed to look at the (leaderboard). I needed to see where I was. I needed to see what the other guys were doing,’ McIlroy told ESPN. ‘I knew what Bryson was doing, but I needed to look at the board and I saw what Justin (Rose) was doing, what Ludvig (Åberg) was doing, so the bubble probably burst for a little bit and I was able to steady myself and make some really good swings coming in and I had a chance to win it in regulation. Didn’t quite happen, but again, I had to reset and I played a perfect playoff hole and I was able to get it done.”

But even McIlroy conceded, “I felt like I was trying to walk away from history at some point on the back nine.’

After it was over, though, he had gained new perspective on the toll the past decade took on him in pursuit of a green jacket that proved more elusive than he could have imagined when he won his first four majors in a four-year span (2011-14).

‘I think now that I’ve been able to do it, I maybe didn’t realize the burden I was carrying,’ McIlroy said. ‘I would show up here every year and I’d put my positive hat on and go in with the right attitude and I tried to do the right things and it never quite happened for me. And then I’d come back next year and I’d do the same thing.’

‘I just think time after time and year after year of doing that,’ he continued, ‘that burden sort of builds up and when I finally was able to do it and get over the line and win, I think that emotion that you saw was just 14 years of coming here and not getting the job done and just feeling that burden each and every year. It all just came out there on that last green.”