Overview

• Las Vegas closed a 4-0 Finals with a 97-86 Game 4 win, and A'ja Wilson capped a landmark year as Finals MVP after pairing her regular-season MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and the scoring title with a Finals points record.
• ESPN says the Finals averaged about 1.5 million viewers, the second-highest series on its networks since 2003, while the full postseason averaged roughly 1.2 million for a record on ESPN platforms.
• Negotiations with the players' union remain tense over revenue sharing and salaries, and without an extension the league has indicated it would lock out players on Nov. 1, affecting facility access and delaying events like the draft lottery.
• More than 100 veterans are free agents and teams await clarity on caps, minimums and the core rule, as expansion clubs in Toronto and Portland prepare to join once a new CBA sets formats for the lottery and expansion draft.
• Separate reporting flagged an online betting tactic that claims to predict players' menstrual cycles, a practice medical experts criticized as unscientific and sexist.