Stockings were hung by the chimney with care because on Christmas Day, NBA and NFL action would be there. So today unwrap this present — a complete primer for all of the glorious games, tackling both the gridiron and the hardwood.

The NBA’s in-season tournament is wrapping up just in time for the holidays with tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. ET winner-take-all NBA Cup finale that will feature a pair of No. 1 seeds: the Milwaukee Bucks and the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder.

In a recent SB Nation interview, Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell confirmed the new 3v3 pro women’s basketball league boasts a salary pool exceeding $8M. That’s a $242K average salary for the league’s 33 players (and $222K if all 36 spots are filled), exceeding the WNBA’s current $214K max salary. This doesn’t consider player equity or revenue sharing, which is worth millions.

Women’s college basketball jump-started conference play with two thrilling top-25 matchups, while the men’s side saw chaos in the non-conference slate this weekend.

The NBA Cup, the league’s second annual in-season tournament, is heading to Sin City, with four teams vying for a spot in Tuesday’s grand finale. What happens in Vegas…will send every player on the championship-winning team home with a sweet payday, so let’s toss up the ball and preview tomorrow’s semis tilts.

With the four-game NBA Cup group stage in the rearview mirror, we’re in the midst of four do-or-die quarter-final matchups. Swap your holiday countdown cal for a basketball — ’tis the (NBA) season after all.

LSU basketball star and Puma athlete Flau’jae Johnson announced a player exclusive shoe deal on Friday, shortly after UConn phenom Paige Bueckers’ historic player edition shoe with Nike last week. These moves are the new normal in college basketball, where women are outperforming men in terms of NIL and shoe deals.

From the soon-to-be 14th WNBA team Toronto Tempo’s rather quick name drop, to tonight’s expansion draft, to major news in Seattle, the W offseason headlines are flying fast and furious. How’s that for pace?

As discussed on yesterday’s episode of The GIST of It, the WNBA is hosting its first expansion draft since 2008 today as the Golden State Valkyries post up to join the league. With today’s draft seeing historic interest from media and sponsors, the W is primed for the big leagues.

If you thought last week was wild, buckle up — the top-25 matchups are only heating up. We have teams riding high and others (looking at you, defending champs UConn) in desperate need of a win as the star-powered SEC/ACC Challenge and Big 12-Big East Battle began yesterday.

Why leave all the fun to the men? It’s also shaping up to be a wild stretch of women’s basketball, with three top-25 matchups tipping off tomorrow.

In case you missed the iconic team social media announcements, the 2025 WNBA schedule is officially out — and the tea is already piping hot. With 163 days until tipoff (not that we’re counting), here’s a sneak peek at the league’s 29th season by the numbers.