WNBA Team Valuations Skyrocket as Liberty, Fever Top Forbes’ List

The New York Liberty top Forbes’ first-ever WNBA team valuations list at $400 million, while the Indiana Fever sit in second at $370 million, a 311% year-over-year increase from Sportico’s 2024 list. Rounding out the top five are the Seattle Storm ($330 million), Las Vegas Aces ($310 million), and Phoenix Mercury ($300 million). The average WNBA franchise is now worth $272 million, per Forbes, a significant jump from the $96 million average Sportico reported last year.

Jay-Z placed a $1 million bet on the Oklahoma City Thunder to defeat the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals in five games, according to Fanatics Sportsbook. The wager was announced just ahead of tip-off on Thursday night, when Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning shot gave the Pacers the early 1-0 edge in the series. Should the Thunder bounce back to win the next four games, Jay-Z stands to make $3.3 million from the bet.

Universal has tapped Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer to direct its upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic. This will be the first film project of the partnership between NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios and Death Row Records. Snoop Dogg himself is set to produce the movie alongside Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures President Sara Ramaker. No cast or release updates have been revealed just yet.

England soccer legend David Beckham is set to be awarded a knighthood in King Charles’ Birthday Honours for both his accomplishments on the pitch as well as his contributions to society, according to BBC. The full list of recipients is set to be published next week. Beckham, who earned 115 caps for the England national team throughout his career, was previously appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2003.

The U.S. job market added 139,000 jobs in the month of May, higher than analysts’ projections, while the unemployment rate remained at 4.2%. Nearly half of that growth came from the health care industry (62,000), with leisure and hospitality (48,000) and social assistance (16,000) also contributing. Additionally, worker pay saw hourly wages increase 0.4% last month, up 3.9% year-over-year.

Designer Sean Wotherspoon is dropping a 3D-printed sneaker with Zellerfield Shoe Company, made from a single recyclable material. With Zellerfield’s tech, every pair of the new shoes and matching mules of the “Sean Double U” collection will be custom-fitted through a foot scan. Wotherspoon has previously partnered with sneaker giants such as Nike and Adidas.

Channing Tatum is set to star in a movie about the legendary Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race, the annual motorcycle race held nearly every year since 1907, which was picked up by Amazon MGM Studios. Brad Pitt‘s Plan B company will produce the film alongside Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady and Jason Keller. In addition to the feature film, Amazon also picked up an accompanying docuseries that followed last year’s TT races with never-before-seen access to riders.

United Airlines has teamed up with Spotify to allow passengers to listen to curated playlists, audiobooks, and video podcasts while in-flight. Per United, this is the first time Spotify has offered its video and audiobook services on an airline platform. Next year, the airline will also offer the option for users to log into the Spotify app on the seatback screen using their personal devices.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon is chasing her goal of becoming the first woman to crack a four-minute mile, and thanks to Nike and Box To Box Films, fans can follow along for the ride. The companies are collaborating to produce a two-part documentary, Breaking4: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-Minute Mile, with Part 1 set to air on Amazon Prime on June 20. They will then return to the platform to livestream Kipyegon’s attempt at history on June 26. The run will also be streamed on Nike’s YouTube page.

Lululemon‘s stock dropped nearly 20% on Friday, the worst day in more than five years for the company. Citing a “dynamic macroenvironment,” Lululemon cut its full-year guidance due to an expected profit decrease amid tariff impact, as well as other athleisure companies such as Alo and Vuori eating up market cap.

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