WNBA Player News

A native of Slovenia, the 6-foot-3 Sivka spent this past season with Tarbes Gespe Bigorre in France’s top professional league. Having only turned 19 in November, Sivka shined internationally in the 2022 Under-17 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup and the 2023 FIBA U18 Women’s European Championships, leading Slovenia to the gold medal in the latter. Sivka also earned her first senior call-up in the summer of 2023, appearing in EuroBasket Women 2023. Still having room to grow as a wing playmaker, Sivka is a solid perimeter shooter with plenty of upside. Sivka joins a franchise now led by former Aces assistant Tyler Marsh, renowned for his player development abilities. Compared by some to Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich, Sivka’s ability to step out on the perimeter as a face-up four could supplement young Sky posts Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

Despite an inefficient shooting performance, Carrington tied a season-high in points during the Wings’ second straight loss to the Sky. The fifth-year pro made the most of a larger role on Saturday with Paige Bueckers sidelined due to a concussion, while still chipping in on the defensive end for a season-high in steals. She’ll figure to continue seeing more opportunities in Bueckers’ absence. However, her recent streak of strong scoring outputs should leave her in a promising position even when the team is fully healthy.

Siegrist replaced the injured Paige Buckers (concussion) in the Wings’ starting lineup and had herself a solid outing. While she didn’t put up extraordinary numbers, the third-year pro shot efficiently from the field and led the Wings in total rebounds. Her near-double-double on Saturday should be enough to keep her in the starting five while Bueckers remains out. Regardless of when her minutes come, she’s got a secure spot in Dallas’ nightly rotation.

Ogunbowale couldn’t quite recapture the magic from Thursday’s 37-point outing against the Sky, as inefficient shooting limited her output in Saturday’s rematch. She didn’t score more than six points in any quarter on Saturday and even struggled to make an impact with her passing. High volume ultimately led her to a decent scoring total, but without first overall pick Paige Bueckers (concussion), the defensive attention allocated to her may have led to a tough night. Ogunbowale will have a chance to bounce back against Seattle on Tuesday.

Smith recorded her best game of the season on Saturday, despite Dallas’ second straight loss to Chicago. The breakout performance saw her reach 20 points for the first time all season, use a massive second quarter to record a season-high in blocks, and drain just her second three-pointer of the season. Saturday’s performance was a welcome one for both the Wings and fantasy managers, as Smith had registered career lows in points, rebounds, assists and minutes per game before Saturday’s rematch. Perhaps momentum from her standout performance will carry over to the Wings’ game on Tuesday against the Storm.

A game after becoming the Sky’s all-time leading scorer, Vandersloot recorded her fifth double-digit scoring outing of the season. She shot inefficiently for the first time in a few games but was sure to impact the game elsewhere, setting a season-high in rebounds while leading Chicago in assists. The veteran guard has found a nice rhythm of late as the Sky seem to be finally settling into the season following a rough start. Vandersloot and the Sky will next take the court on July 7 against the Fever.

After putting up a 6/9/5 line in the win over the Wings on Thursday, Reese followed on Saturday with a strong effort in another win. The reigning rebound champion nearly logged her fourth double-double of the season while tying a season-high in steals along the way. Shooting efficiency remained an issue, though she did convert her final three attempts of the game to push her into double figures. She’ll have a bit of rest before the Sky get back on the court for an anticipated game against the Fever on June 7.

The Sky put together back-to-back wins for the first time this season, thanks in large part to Atkins, who led the team in scoring while setting a new season-high in the process. The veteran guard’s nine-point opening quarter set the stage for a big game, before an 11-point fourth quarter was the appropriate closing. Atkins’ season-high in steals was also massive on Saturday, but her recent resurgence as a scorer following a slow start to the season is good news for fantasy managers. She recorded her third straight game of at least 17 points and appears to be trending in the right direction.

With Alyssa Thomas (calf) sidelined, Held played 26 minutes off the bench in Friday’s loss to the Lynx. If she can play against the Sparks, the guard would be in line for a similar workload with Phoenix’s versatile forward out for another game. If Held cannot play, the Mercury may need to rely more on its available starters due to the team’s lack of depth.

Since starting Phoenix’s preseason finale, Mack has not played due to her back injury. She remains sidelined for Sunday’s game, meaning Kathryn Westbeld and Kalani Brown will continue to figure prominently in the Mercury’s frontcourt rotation.

Collier did not play in Friday’s win over the Mercury, with Jessica Shepard replacing her in the Lynx starting lineup. Shepard will likely retain that role if Collier cannot play on Sunday, making her a worthwhile streamer in fantasy leagues. This would also result in more opportunities for starter Alanna Smith, who scored 19 points and blocked four shots against the Mercury.