President-elect Donald Trump has named a healthcare executive to serve as his administration’s lead hostage negotiator at a time when the U.S. is trying to secure the release of prisoners in Gaza and other regions around the world.

The combo of Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner has become the face of the Phoenix Mercury over a dozen seasons.

Caitlin Clark started fast and finished with 29 points and 10 assists while Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points to help the Indiana Fever fend off a furious second-half rally from the Phoenix Mercury for a critical 98-89 victory on Friday night.

The U.S. women’s basketball players have been saying for years that winning in the Olympics wasn’t as easy as it has looked during the record run to eight straight gold medals.

Standing on the medal stand with her third gold medal draped around her neck, Brittney Griner looked at the U.S. flag with tears streaming down her cheeks during the national anthem.

Breanna Stewart and the other moms on the US women’s basketball team are enjoying some special moments while chasing a piece of Olympic history.

The U.S. and Russia completed on Thursday their largest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history, a deal involving 24 people, many months of negotiations and concessions from other European countries who released individuals in their custody as part of the exchange.

When Washington and Moscow exchange prisoners, it usually comes after months of secret, back-channel negotiations.

The United States and Russia have completed a 24-person prisoner swap, the largest in post-Soviet history, with Moscow releasing journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan in a multinational deal that set some two dozen people free.

A’ja Wilson scored 24 points and Breanna Stewart added 22 to help the U.S. beat Japan 102-76 in the Olympic opener for both teams.

The U.S. women's basketball team has arrived at the Olympics via train.

There were times Brittney Griner thought she would never wear a USA Basketball jersey again.

Kelsey Mitchell scored 28 points, Caitlin Clark had 20 points and 13 assists for her fifth straight double-double and the Indiana Fever beat the short-handed Phoenix Mercury 95-86.

The U.S. government’s top hostage negotiator is defending prisoner swaps that free Americans wrongfully detained by foreign countries in exchange for the release of convicted criminals.

USA Basketball says experience was a major reason Caitlin Clark was left off the U.S. Olympic roster that was officially announced Tuesday.

Caitlin Clark won’t be headed to the Paris Olympics, according to a person familiar with the decision.

Phoenix Mercury All-Star center Brittney Griner has a fractured toe in her left foot, which will cause her to miss an undisclosed amount of time.

Two WNBA players were among a dozen Americans who opted to play in Russia this past offseason following Brittney Griner’s incarceration in 2022.

Brittney Griner says since her release from a Russian prison 17 months ago that she has used her platform as a WNBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist to advocate for the return of other Americans detained overseas.

WNBA star Brittney Griner says she thought about killing herself during her first few weeks in a Russian jail after her 2022 arrest on drug-related charges.

Indiana Fever general manager Lin Dunn started media day being asked to compare Caitlin Clark to two Birds — Sue, who Dunn took as the WNBA"s top overall draft pick in 2002, and Larry, who turned the Boston Celtics into an immediate title contender.

The WNBA draft is over, and superstars like Caitlin Clark are heading toward surefire pro careers.

Women’s basketball has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in no small part to the sensational play of Caitlin Clark.

Brittney Griner has re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury, the only WNBA team she has ever played for.

Caitlin Clark has been invited to the USA Basketball national team training camp during the Final Four in Cleveland, contingent on Iowa’s season being over.

Coach Jeff Walz and Louisville have knocked a reigning national champion out of the women’s NCAA Tournament in the past.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark has been honored for the third straight season as a first-team Associated Press All-American.

Dyaisha Fair keeps rising on the NCAA career scoring list and has No. 17 Syracuse sitting high in the ACC standings.

Brittney Griner’s No. 42 jersey has been retired by Baylor.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark moved into second on the NCAA women’s basketball career scoring list, finishing with 35 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in the No. 3 Hawkeyes’ 110-74 victory over Northwestern.

The Biden administration has had notable success in the past couple of years in bringing home Americans who are wrongfully detained by foreign governments.

The U.S. women’s basketball national team will get together for a few days in New York next month before playing in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belgium.

Caitlin Clark scored 32 points, moving into fourth place on the all-time women’s basketball scoring list, as No. 2 Iowa defeated Wisconsin 96-50 on Tuesday.

Caitlin Clark had 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and No. 3 Iowa made 15 3-pointers, routing Purdue 96-71.

South Carolina started the new year where it finished off 2023 — atop The Associated Press women’s basketball poll.

Five-time Olympic gold medalist Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner head up the USA Basketball Women’s National Team roster announced Thursday for two exhibition games and training camp in November.

The WNBA once again had strong metrics as the league had its most-watched regular season in 21 years and its highest average attendance since 2018.

Brittney Griner’s return to the WNBA after nearly 10 months in a Russian prison hasn’t always been the smoothest ride.

Criminal domestic violence charges have been dropped against Las Vegas Aces player Riquna Williams, and her attorney says Williams hopes to rejoin the team for WNBA playoffs beginning next week.

Vice President Kamala Harris has praised the 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces for showing “grit and determination” on and off the court.

Brittney Griner had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Phoenix Mercury set a WNBA record for points in a quarter with 45 in the first before holding off the short-handed Connecticut Sun down the stretch for a 90-84 win.

New York finished off a rough stretch of their schedule that saw the Liberty play 10 games in 18 days on both coasts.

The Phoenix Mercury say All-Star center Brittney Griner will not travel for the team’s next two games so she can focus on her mental health.

Aliyah Boston just wanted to fit in as a WNBA rookie.

The Las Vegas Aces are on a historic pace heading into the second half of the season.

Brittney Griner scored 18 points, including two dunks, in her return to the All-Star Game to lead Team Stewart to a 143-127 win over Team Wilson.

The 2024 WNBA All-Star Game is headed to Phoenix, setting up as a home game for Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi and a sendoff to the U.S. Olympic women's basketball team.

Brittney Griner didn’t know what to expect when the WNBA season began and how she would respond after the trauma she experienced of being incarcerated in Russia that also forced her off the court for many months.

There was a time in Brittney Griner’s life when a mid-season coaching change might have been tough to handle.

Brittney Griner will be starting in the WNBA All-Star Game a year after she was an honorary choice by the league while she was being detained in Russia.

The last-place Phoenix Mercury have fired coach Vanessa Nygaard and replaced her with assistant Nikki Blue for the remainder of the season.

Brittney Griner returned to action for the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday night, getting the start in Seattle against the Storm.

Allisha Gray has been a big reason why the Atlanta Dream have been moving up in the standings after a successful road trip.

Brittney Griner sat on the bench in warmups for the second straight game, sidelined by a hip injury she suffered earlier this week.

The WNBA is working with Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury on travel options including charter flights going forward.

Brittney Griner did not play for the Phoenix Mercury in their first game in Washington since returning from her imprisonment in Russia.

Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury’s first two road trips highlight the issues facing her and the league.

Phoenix Mercury coach Vanessa Nygaard says the WNBA team will adjust its travel plans following Saturday's incident in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

The WNBA says Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates were confronted by a “provocateur” at a Dallas airport on Saturday.

Arike Ogunbowale scored 35 points, Satou Sabally added a double-double and Dallas pulled away in the second half to beat Phoenix 90-77.

Brittney Griner had a Texas homecoming in her first game in her home state since being released from a Russian prison.

Chicago has had massive roster changes since winning its first championship two years ago.

The Las Vegas Aces celebrated last season’s championship over the weekend and are looking once again like the dominant team in the league.

Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury earned their first win of the WNBA season with a 90-81 victory against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday night.

The WNBA tipped off its 27th season this past weekend with the return of Brittney Griner, a historic effort by Breanna Stewart and a dominant performance by the defending champion Las Vegas Aces.

Brittney Griner shined in first regular-season home game since being detained for nearly 10 months in a Russian prison.

Brittney Griner had 18 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots for the Phoenix Mercury in her first WNBA regular-season game since being jailed in Russia.

Expectations and intrigue surround the WNBA as the league tips off its 27th season this weekend.

Brittney Griner strolled down the sideline about 1 1/2 hours before the Phoenix Mercury played and hugged and high-fived her teammates, coaches and opposing players.

Brittney Griner balanced the start of the Phoenix Mercury's training camp with consecutive trips to the East Coast.

Relatives of Americans detained abroad have gathered outside the White House to urge the Biden administration to do more to bring their loved ones home.

Fashion’s biggest night is upon us.

Brittney Griner got emotional quickly while speaking to reporters for the first time since her nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges.

Saying she is ready to share the “unfathomable” experience of being arrested and incarcerated in Russia, basketball star Brittney Griner is working on a memoir that is scheduled for spring 2024.

The WNBA is adding charter flights for the entire playoffs and back-to-back regular season games this year.

March Madness may be the last time for fans to see many of the talented college women players compete.

The State Department says Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart, in a rare phone call between the diplomats since the Ukraine war, to immediately release a Wall Street Journal reporter who was detained last week as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey says she hasn't spoken to Brittney Griner since the former Baylor star returned to the U.S. from a Russian prison.

Aliyah Boston of South Carolina is just the 10th player to be named a first-team AP All-American for a third time.

Brittney Griner is headed back to the Phoenix Mercury.

Brittney Griner is headed back to the Phoenix Mercury.

The Phoenix Mercury have announced that Diana Taurasi agreed to re-sign with the team in a multiyear contract.

Brittney Griner attended the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament Saturday in her second public appearance since her release from a Russian prison.

Scottie Scheffler held onto the lead Saturday at the WM Phoenix Open in a bid to successfully defend his title and regain the No. 1 spot in the world.

Brittney Griner texted her good friend Diana Taurasi on Tuesday asking how the USA Basketball training camp was going.

Brittney Griner’s return to the WNBA has collided with free agency which has raised questions once again about teams chartering flights.

The Biden administration is marking the four-year anniversary of the detention in Russia of American businessman Paul Whelan.

Brittney Griner said she’s “grateful” to be back in the United States and plans on playing basketball again next season for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.

The return of Brittney Griner to the United States in a dramatic prisoner swap with Russia marked the culmination of a 10-month ordeal that captivated world attention, a saga that landed at the intersection of sports, politics, race and gender identity — and wartime diplomacy.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport has announced that the WNBA received an A for its overall racial and gender practices for 2022.

Dusty Baker finally got his elusive championship with the Houston Astros, garnering his first World Series ring in 25 years as a manager in one of the most memorable moments of the year in sports.

WNBA star Brittney Griner didn’t want quiet time as soon as she boarded a U.S. government plane that would bring her home.

Over the last year, to free Americans held abroad, the U.S. has swapped a Taliban drug lord, a Russian pilot imprisoned for a scheme to distribute cocaine, and a Russian arms dealer.

Delicate negotiations between the United States and Russia led to basketball star Brittney Griner’s return in exchange for notorious arms dealer once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death.”.

More than half of WNBA players are competing abroad this winter to supplement their incomes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says more U.S.-Russian prisoner exchanges are possible.

Brittney Griner has returned to the United States, nearly 10 months after the basketball star’s detention in Russia made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm.

The one-for-one swap involving Brittney Griner for Viktor Bout was not the one that U.S. officials had hoped to negotiate or were initially willing to accept.

Brittney Griner’s loved ones and extended basketball family were ecstatic when news broke about her release from a Russian prison and that she was on her way back to the United States.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is confident that Finland and Sweden will be approved soon for membership in NATO despite ratification delays in allies Turkey and Hungary.