Lynx forward Napheesa Collier and Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark have been named team captains for the July 19 All-Star Game in Indianapolis.

Clark (1,293,526) and Collier (1,176,020) received the highest number of fan votes among the All-Star starters.

“I think it’s very significant in terms of recognition of who the Minnesota Lynx are, what she has meant not only to the Lynx and our success, but to the W as a whole. It’s not just Minnesota fandom, it’s across the country,” coach Cheryl Reeve said before Sunday’s game with Connecticut.

The league’s leading scorer at 24.5 points per game, this will be Collier’s fifth All-Star game appearance.

Collier and New York’s Breanna Stewart co-founded Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 professional women’s basketball league that played from January through mid-March. Collier was named the league MVP.

“I think Unrivaled helped with the publicity of her game and people kind of go, ‘I never knew how good she was.’” Reeve said. “There’s a multitude of factors, but we’re really excited for Phee and she’s earned every bit of it.”

The other eight starters will be announced Monday, followed by the reserves next Sunday.

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Two days after agreeing to a new deal with Naz Reid, the Timberwolves did the same with fellow big man Julius Randle. Like Reid, Randle declined his player option, but instead of entering free agency agreed to a new deal with Minnesota.

Randle and the Wolves agreed to a three-year, $100 million deal that features a player option in the third year, a source confirmed. ESPN first reported the agreement.

Randle was acquired on the eve of training camp last fall in the deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. In the end, by dealing Towns, Minnesota got Randle on a longer-term deal, Donte DiVincenzo, first-round draft pick Joan Beringer and the ability to re-sign Reid.

Randle was the biggest question mark for many in that trade. His fit in Minnesota and ability to be a No. 2 option on a legitimate championship contender were both unknowns. But Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had previously worked with Randle in New Orleans and was confident in his ability to get the most out of him.

Over the final quarter of the regular season, Randle was a clear boon for Minnesota. And his physical presence proved to be invaluable in the the Wolves’ two playoff series victories before they ran into eventual champion Oklahoma City in the West Finals.

Randle didn’t play well in that series, but few Wolves players did. The day after the decisive Game 5 loss, Randle noted he hadn’t thought much about the offseason to come but noted that he loved Minnesota. He and his family found a comfort in the state, and he planned to spend much of the offseason here.

“This is the most meaningful basketball that I’ve played in my career, and from how the organization has made me feel, from just my teammates and playing with (Anthony Edwards) as our leader, I love it,” Randle said. “There’s a lot to be excited about. I haven’t even really thought about it, but I will say having the ability to compete for a championship is everything that I ask for at this point in my career.”

Randle’s player option for the upcoming season was just south of $31 million. That’s right around what he’ll make next season. Players weren’t in a position off power in this year’s free agency because there are few teams teams with salary cap space. But as was the case with Reid, rather than squeezing their players for the team’s financial gain, Timberwolves basketball boss Tim Connelly reached a fair deal both sides can feel good about.

Randle’s signing likely means Minnesota will not have the money to retain Nickeil Alexander-Walker when free agency opens on Monday evening. The Wolves have little-to-no wiggle room to work with to stay under the second apron while filling out their roster. They’ll likely look to add another ball handler, whether that be with a point guard or a combo guard, but resources to do so will be limited.

But they do return their front court from a year ago, all of whom are now armed with a better idea of how to play with one another after a season of work. Randle noted the efficiency he was able to find down the stretch was a win for Minnesota.

“It’s really just whatever Coach (Finch) asks, whatever he needs me to do, if he needs me to score, if he needs me to pass. I think one thing I can do a lot better next year is rebound the basketball. That’s been one of the strong suits of my career, and I feel like I didn’t rebound the ball well at all this year,” Randle said.

“Then defensively, just being as engaged as possible,” he added. “I think when I’m playing with guys like Ant, Jaden (McDaniels) and Rudy (Gobert) and those guys, and how they bring that intensity level on the defensive end, it’s inspiring. So, I think that’s somewhere where I feel like I can take a step, as well, being engaged full-time and being disruptive on that end.”

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The Minnesota Wild’s selection of a promising young defenseman in Round 2 of the NHL Draft on Saturday was all about what the blue line may look like in two or three years. As for the current state of the team’s defensive corps, general manager Bill Guerin is happy and optimistic about what they have in place, despite some news that seems to auger less back end depth in the short term.

After grabbing five players in Rounds 2-5 of the NHL draft on Saturday, Guerin met with reporters and revealed that veteran defenseman Jonas Brodin might not be ready for training camp in September — or even the start of the regular season in October.

Brodin, who turns 32 in July, missed more than 30 of the Wild’s regular-season games in 2024-25 with various injuries but was healthy for a six-game postseason appearance. He skated for Team Sweden in the World Championship in April, but an upper body injury that flared up in the spring meant a recent surgery, and a recovery time of at least a few months.

Brodin had four goals and 16 assists in 50 regular-season games last season.

“We’re hoping he gets back for the beginning of the season. I would imagine that he’s probably going to miss a little bit,” Guerin said. “It was just something that kind of flared up on him again. He could have had it done during the season, but then it started feeling better.”

The team isn’t offering details on the nature of the injury, same as with Kirill Kaprizov’s lower body injury last season. Both players wound up opting for surgery to more thoroughly fix a problem.

“One of those things where you can leave it alone, it might be fine, and then you can leave it alone and it might not,” Guerin said. “After the World Championship, he was working out and it just started to flare up on him. So, we decided to get it done.”

Still, even with October in question, Guerin listed Brodin among the core seven defensemen they expect to have on the roster on opening night, whenever that is (the full NHL schedule for 2025-26 will be released on July 16).

After the Wild traded Declan Chisholm to Washington on Saturday, and with unrestricted free agent Jon Merrill a longshot to be re-signed, the seven-man Wild blue line squad looks to consist primarily of Brodin, Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, Zach Bogosian, Jake Middleton, David Jiricek and rookie Zeev Buium — although Guerin said the team may pick up blue line help after free agency opens Tuesday.

“We’re pretty comfortable with the seven,” Guerin said. “I mean, we know what they can do. I think to add a little bit of depth is something that we’re going to do, but we’re comfortable with the seven.”

Jiricek and Buium are both young, 21 and 19, respectively, and have played a combined total of 10 games for the Wild. But Guerin said he’s comfortable with the promise they have shown, and mentioned young blue line prospects such as David Spacek and Carson Lambos as injury fill-ins available at Iowa.

Spacek, whose father, Jaroslav, played more than 900 games for seven NHL teams over a 13-season career, is 21 and has yet to make his NHL debut. But Guerin spoke highly of his play for Team Czechia at the World Championship in April. Lambos, 22, spent a few games traveling with the NHL club last season when injuries thinned the blue line, but is still looking for his first game in a NHL uniform, as well.

Both players logged serious minutes on defense for Iowa last season.

“They’ve put in some solid time down there, and they’ve gotten better,” Guerin said. “For defensemen, you guys know, it’s usually a little bit of a longer road. But they’ve shown improvement every year.”

Among the notable blue line names expected to be available on the free agent market come are former Wild players Brent Burns and John Klingberg, and a pair of former Gophers: Ryan Lindgren from Lakeville, and Nate Schmidt from St. Cloud, who won his first Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers this month.

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According to a survey from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 96 million Americans are bird-watchers, or 37% of the population aged 16 and above. Most observe from home, but 43 million have traveled 1 mile or more to go birding.

Sausalito’s Amy Tan, author of the book “The Backyard Bird Chronicles,” knows why.

“Birds are some of the most magical animals on Earth,” Tan said. “They fly, they sing crazy beautiful songs, they have amazing navigational systems that feel the magnetic force of the universe and guide themselves by the sun and the moon.”

Because birding can be done almost anywhere and requires little gear, it’s an easy activity to pick up and a practice suitable to many trips. Here’s how to get started.

Hone your powers of observation

Bird-watching requires observing not just a bird’s appearance but its behavior.

“Is it quick, slow, frenetic, soaring or staying in the underbrush?” said Nate Swick, the education and digital content coordinator for the nonprofit American Birding Association and the author of “The Beginner’s Guide to Birding.” “Those are clues as much as colors and patterns.”

Most experts suggest starting in your backyard or neighborhood park and learning the local resident birds to refine your birding skills before you take them on the road.

Download apps

In the digital age, apps have made birding easier than paging through field guides by offering step-by-step processes that narrow down a list of possible birds or identify a bird by its song.

The free app Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology does both. Also free, the Audubon Bird Guide app from the nonprofit conservation group uses visual input to identify birds and displays a tally of birds seen. Both apps allow the user to search according to geographical area so they are handy for travelers, and both can be used offline.

Don’t forget binoculars

Binoculars are graded by two sets of numbers, such as 8×30, explained Chris Harbard, the president of the Southwest Wings birding festival in Sierra Vista, Ariz. who has worked as a birding expert for Silversea Cruises.

The first number indicates the degree of magnification. As the magnification number gets larger, so does the size of the set, making them harder to carry and hold steady.

The second number relates to the diameter in millimeters of the lens at the larger end of the binoculars. The bigger the number, the more light the lens admits, making the image you see brighter and clearer.

While mini travel binoculars provide some magnification, Harbard recommended starting with 8×30 or 8×32, which are not too bulky to pack, though choosing the right set is an individual choice.

Good starter binoculars are estimated to run about $200 to $250. Make sure they have rain covers for the eyepieces and look for binoculars that are labeled “sealed” or “nitrogen filled,” which prevents moisture from condensing inside the lenses.

Dress for success

If birders often look like they could be on safari, there’s a reason.

“You don’t want to stand out to a bird,” Harbard said, noting anything bright and light like white or yellow are conspicuous. “If you are not seen, you will see a lot of birds.”

Birders should wear comfortable shoes that allow them to stand or walk for long periods. Make sure they are closed-toed in places like the tropics where your feet can be vulnerable to insect bites. Carry a backpack with a waterproof or warm layer, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray and water.

Incorporate birding into travel

Birding can be part of nearly any journey. Travelers can look up chapters of Audubon to find area events like bird walks or use a website like Birding Pal to find local birders and volunteer guides (annual subscriptions, $10).

“There are opportunities in every state to visit birding hot spots or trails, which are collections of good birding spots,” said Brooke Bateman, the senior director of climate and community science for Audubon.

Up the odds by viewing a migration

Traveling to witness a migration — such as the warblers that visit northwest Ohio each spring, an event celebrated as the Biggest Week in American Birding festival — can reduce the risk of disappointment inherent in wildlife watching.

“Birding can be like fishing sometimes; you never know exactly what you’re going to get and it can be slow,” said Swick. “But migrations are more of a guarantee.”

Graduate to a birding trip

Birding-specific trips offer opportunities to see specific or rare species, from snowy owls in Minnesota to resplendent quetzals in Costa Rica.

“The tropics is where diversity is at,” said Kathi Borgmann, an ornithologist and the communications manager at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, highlighting the band around the equator. In a place like Mindo, Ecuador, she added, birders might see 50 to 100 species in a day.

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Birding trips often specify the degree of physical activity required. Naturalist Journeys, a tour company specializing in birding and nature, has trips at “a birder’s pace” and more active ones labeled “humming along.”

Expect an early-to-bed, early-to-rise schedule. On its website, the birding-focused tour company Wings publishes a guideline on what to expect, including possible pre-breakfast birding walks, walking for up to six hours a day and taking a midday break in warmer climates.

“Birding makes anywhere you go special,” said Swick. “Like local food, local birds are distinct.”