{
  "id": 11556012,
  "title": "Former Notre Dame standout named WNBA’s most improved player",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/former-notre-dame-standout-named-wnbas-most-improved-player",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T23:50:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/former-notre-dame-standout-named-235012624.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Jessica Shepard, a former standout at Notre Dame, has enjoyed a revitalized career in the WNBA. After a brief stint with the Minnesota Lynx from 2019 to 2025, Shepard was named a WNBA All-Star in her first season with the Dallas Wings. The league then recognized her as the most improved player. During the regular season, Shepard averaged an impressive 14.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, along with 5.3 assists. This marked a significant improvement from her college days at Nebraska and Notre Dame, where she averaged 17.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Shepard graduated from Nebraska in 2017 and Notre Dame in 2019, where she was a two-time All-ACC first team and a third-team All-American, and helped lead the Fighting Irish to a national championship in 2018. Her college stats included a 51.6% field goal percentage and 71% from the free-throw line. Shepard has also played internationally in Italy and Greece while the WNBA was on break. The Wings are currently tied 1-1 with the Golden State Valkyries in the opening round series, with the winner set to face the Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals starting Sunday.",
  "summary": "Former Notre Dame women's basketball star Jessica Shepard has had a turnaround WNBA career with the Dallas Wings.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "UNC to face their toughest test of the season against Notre Dame",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/unc-to-face-their-toughest-test-of-the-season-against-notre-dame",
        "published": "2026-10-02T15:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}