The league’s new CBA has made some players millionaires. After years of instability, they’re now able to take control of their future

The WNBA is entering its 30th season, a milestone worthy of as big of a celebration as its players could muster – and this year, they mustered up a lot. The Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) negotiated a landmark collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the league that, among other things, introduces a revenue sharing system and an estimated average salary of $583,000.

This season, all players will make the minimum of $270,000, up from $66,000; others may make as much as $1.4m. It’s money that Alysha Clark, a veteran forward for the Dallas Wings and vice-president of the WNBPA, describes to the Guardian as “amazing”. One of the most incredible aspects of the new deal, she says, is having the ability to pave the way for future generations of WNBA players.

Vibe Check, a free and anonymous alternative to AI, talks teens through consent, boundaries and apologies

Val Odiembo volunteers at her former high school a few times a month, teaching teens about consent and healthy relationships. Now a sophomore at Rhode Island College, 19-year-old Odiembo isn’t much older than the students she’s teaching – which she thinks makes it easier for the high schoolers to come to her with their questions. But she knows she isn’t the only source they’re consulting.

“A lot of them confide in AI,” she said. A recent UK study found that one in 10 young adults has consulted AI for sexual health information, and a 2025 Pew Research Center report showed that one in five teens have had a romantic relationship with a chatbot.

The Cal State Northridge player has attracted millions of views for his hair flicks and dismissive waves. He says navigating the fallout has been a career of its own

“I think people are really enamored with me because you don’t often see someone like me – animated, flamboyant – but still able to back it up on the volleyball court,” says Jordan Lucas, the outside hitter for Cal State Northridge’s men’s team.

Although college volleyball has a devoted following and can attract big crowds – 92,000 fans went to see Nebraska take on Omaha in 2023 – it doesn’t usually attract the same attention as basketball or football. That changed last month though when clips of Lucas’s “flamboyant” play – he’s fond of celebrating with a flick of his hair or a dismissive wave at his opponents – went viral, amassing millions of views on social media. College athletes enjoying social media fame is hardly new: stars such as Paige Bueckers, Harper Murray, Olivia Dunne and Shedeur Sanders all had their viral moments. But Lucas’s case is different. It isn’t just about the highlights, it’s about the conversation surrounding them. Lucas is gay, and that fact has become inseparable from how audiences engage with his game.

Cassian Joubert was partially delivered at 25 weeks for procedure and placed back in mother’s womb before birth

A Florida infant is said to have been born twice after undergoing what was an innovative, likely life-saving surgery that involved a partial delivery weeks before his mother then gave birth to him.

Cassian Joubert’s remarkable story was recently first told publicly by his mother and father – Keishera and Greg Joubert – in a 1 May video published on social media by the Orlando Health Women’s Institute, which employs the surgeon that led the baby boy’s prenatal operation.

US president briefly pauses ‘Project Freedom’ operation escorting ships through strait of Hormuz

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Oil prices have eased and stock markets rose as Donald Trump touted “great progress” towards a “final agreement” with Iran and the rally in AI shares stepped up.

The US president said he would briefly pause his “Project Freedom” operation escorting ships through the strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies but has been blockaded by Iran since late February, triggering a global energy crisis.

Participants took 25mg of psilocybin, reporting deeper psychological insight and better wellbeing a month later

A single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can induce anatomical changes in the brain, according to research among people who took the psychedelic compound for the first time.

Scientists spotted apparent changes in the brain’s structure which were still apparent a month after healthy volunteers took the drug. If confirmed, they may help explain the therapeutic effects that psychedelics can have on anxiety, depression and addiction, researchers said.