Reality? Checked.
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Happy almost last day of February!
Even with an extra day on the calendar tomorrow, there’s no time to waste — let’s, ahem, leap right into today’s news. Full speed ahead.
— Tennis legend and current world No. 67 Andy Murray, hinting at possible retirement after storming back to beat No. 120 Denis Shapovalov at the Dubai Championships on Monday. Smiling through the tears.
Athletes Unlimited
🏀 All’s fair in love and basketball
The GIST: Before Athletes Unlimited’s (AU) third basketball season tips off, here’s a primer on the pro league that’s giving women hoopers (including some of your WNBA faves) a chance to compete for individual glory during the W offseason. Cue “Trophies.”
How it works: Forty ballers participate in AU’s four-week season, which operates under a fantasy-inspired points system, with four new squads drafted each week.
- Scoring is based on individual and team performance, with athletes in the top four of the weekly leaderboard becoming captains who then draft teams for the next week of competition. At the end of the season, the player who accumulates the most cumulative points is crowned individual champion.
- And while it helps hoopers prepare for May’s WNBA season start, AU Basketball is way more than a tuneup — it’s a chance for women to play professionally in North America, instead of overseas, year round. Love to see it.
The players to watch: Eighteen current WNBA athletes will hit the AU courts this season, including the Phoenix Mercury’s Natasha Cloud, who’s back for a third AU season, plus the Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray and Haley Jones.
- Add in the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces resident jokesters, Sydney Colson and Theresa Plaisance, and something viral is bound to happen.
How to tune in: Whether you’re in the U.S. or Canada, you can watch the majority of the AU season — including tomorrow’s 6 p.m. ET opener — for free in the WNBA app. Changing the game.
🍁 The Toronto Maple Leafs’ seven-game win streak was snapped with last night’s 6–2 loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. Time to start fresh tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET against the lowly Arizona Coyotes.
🇨🇦 Former CanWNT defender Rhian Wilkinson was named as the new manager of the Wales women’s national team yesterday, her first management role since leaving the Portland Thorns in 2022.
🗽 NY Liberty star Breanna Stewart agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Big Apple. The 2023 WNBA MVP reportedly settled for a “below-maximum” deal in order to give the team flexibility to sign more talent.
🎓🏀 Player of the Year frontrunner (and Toronto’s own) Zach Edey will not return to Purdue for a fifth year and is expected to declare for the NBA Draft after this season.
🎾 Nineteen-year-old Canadian Marina Stakusic nabbed her first career WTA Tour 500 win with Monday’s three-set victory at the opening round of the San Diego Open. The first of many.
🐶 Gonzaga hoops star and Calgary local Yvonne Ejim collected her sixth West Coast Conference Player of the Week award yesterday and is playing a big role in the Bulldogs’ 22-game win streak.
⚽ The 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup will reportedly cost the city of Toronto an estimated $380M as they prepare to host six group stage matches instead of the five that the city initially planned for.
⚾ $700 million man Shohei Ohtani made his LA Dodgers debut during yesterday’s Spring Training game, promptly blasting a home run in his second at-bat. ShoTime, indeed.
🇨🇦 Concacaf W Gold Cup: No. 10 Canada vs. No. 43 Costa Rica — Tonight at 6 p.m. ET — OneSoccer
- The red and white can stay perfect in the group stage if they notch a victory over Las Ticas. Come on, vamanos.
🏒 PWHL: New York vs. Ottawa — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — TSN1/5
- The league’s final puck party of the month will feature the two teams at the bottom of the standings, both hoping to cap off February with a much-needed win.
🦕 NBA: Dallas Mavericks vs. Toronto Raptors — Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET — Sportsnet One
- With three straight dubs since the All-Star break, rookie Gradey Dick and the Dinos will be hungry for more Ws as Luka Dončić and the Mavs visit the Six.
⛳ LPGA: HSBC Women’s World Championship — Today through Saturday — The Golf Channel
- World No. 6 and Korea’s Jin Young Ko knows this tournament all too well and will be swinging for a three-peat in the Lion City, teeing off in a group with world No. 13, Canada’s Brooke Henderson.
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
📺 What to watch
The Greatest Night in Pop. If you grew up listening to “We Are the World,” this is the doc for you. It details how 46 of the biggest pop stars had only one night to turn chaos into magic — true teamwork.
💄 What to get excited for
F1 ACADEMY x Charlotte Tilbury. The makeup giant and F1 are teaming up to develop and prepare female drivers to progress to higher levels of competition. Beautiful.
🎧 What to listen to
This podcast episode of Pablo Torre Finds Out. WNBA legend Sue Bird and USWNT icon Megan Rapinoe join the show for a conversation about their relationship, retirement, and so much more.
Question of the Day
In honor of tomorrow being a rare February 29th, we want to know: Are you a leap day baby or do you know someone who is? Let us know below then celebrate with some fun Leap Day themed activities.
On Monday, we asked for your hot take on Crocs. 51% voted that they’re out while 49% said that they’re in. Truly polarizing.Today’s email was brought to you by Lauren Tuiskula, Alessandra Puccio, Marga Sison, Lisa Minutillo, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Laura Pastore, Janine Kiefer, Emma Leishman, Rachel Fuenzalida, and Lindsay Jost. Fact-checking by Parul Kanwar. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alexis Allison, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.