Recapping the 2025 WNBA season

The WNBA had big, squeaky shoes to fill on the heels of a record-breaking 2024 — and it did exactly that: Fans packed arenas, players rewrote the record books, and a new generation of stars showed that the W’s future is just as bright as its past.

📈 Over 3.1M fans attended a WNBA game this season, shattering the previous record of 2.36M set in 2002. The W boasted a league-high 16 teams when that mark was set 23 years ago, three more than this year’s 13.

🏆 WNBA Finals viewership peaked at 2.5M in Game 1, smashing a record that had stood for 28 years. Fittingly, the legendary Houston Comets headlined that game in 1998 while on the verge of their second consecutive championship. That’s the power of a dynasty.

• In fact, the entire 2025 postseason was appointment viewing: The 24 playoff games that aired on major networks averaged an audience of 1.2M, up 5% from 2024.

💜 The Golden State Valkyries — the league’s first expansion team since 2008 — wowed in their debut: They set an all-time record for total attendance, welcoming 397,408 fans to Ballhalla in 22 sold-out games, and are now valued at $500M, the highest valuation of any women’s sports team.

• But wait, there’s more. The Valkyries also became the first team in WNBA history to make the postseason in their inaugural campaign. Talk about a good first impression.

The most remarkable number of the 2025 season? Three — as in Las Vegas’ three titles in four years. The Aces have cemented themselves as one of the league’s rare dynasties, joining an exclusive club that includes the aforementioned Comets and Maya Moore’s Minnesota Lynx.

🌷 After a middling season start, the Aces bloomed post–All-Star break: A simple text from Wilson following a historic 53-point loss changed their trajectory. In fact, Vegas didn’t lose a regular-season game after that, riding a 16-game win streak to second in the standings.

• And while the inimitable Wilson led the charge, the whole team bought in: From Cheyenne “supermom” Parker-Tyus returning mere months after giving birth, to Jackie Young’s on-court evolution, to Dana Evans’ offensive explosion, everyone played a part.

🐐 Wilson in a league of her own: Of course, we’d be remiss not to mention one of the greatest basketball players the world has ever seen. It felt like the three-time champ broke a record every time she stepped on the floor, including becoming the first player to record 30 points and 20 rebounds in a single game and winning an unprecedented fourth MVP award.

📋 Head coach Becky Hammon raises the bar: Hammon’s expertise was on full display in the Finals — she put on an absolute masterclass, using different defensive schemes to fluster the Mercury all series long. Postseason brilliance has become her trademark: Hammon’s 10-2 in Finals games, the best-ever coaching record. No pressure, no diamonds.

🪽 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers took the league by storm: Her record-breaking Rookie of the Year campaign was one for the history books, highlighted by a 44-point performance in August, the most points scored in a single game this season.

• Bueckers was undoubtedly the headliner of the 2025 class, but she’s far from the only rookie who made an impact in their pro debut.

🔮 Washington Mystics duo Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen dominate: All-Stars Citron and Iriafen were nothing short of spectacular in the District. Citron set the franchise single-season scoring record, while Irifaen broke the ’Stics’ single-season double-double and rebounding records.

• Connecticut Sun standout Saniya Rivers and Atlanta Dream sharpshooter Te-Hina Paopao also moved the needle for their respective squads. Rivers’ tenacity almost earned her a spot on the All-Defensive team, and Paopao shot nearly 40% from the three-point line.

🌎 International players make their mark: Perhaps the biggest international name in the draft, 19-year-old French phenom Dominique Malonga went No. 2 overall and excelled for the Seattle Storm down the stretch, while her countrywomen Janelle Salaün and Leila Lacan averaged double-digit points for the Valkyries and Sun, respectively.

• Plus, the Chicago Sky’s Kamilla Cardoso (Brazil) and NY Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich (Germany) balled out in their sophomore seasons. Turns out W stands for worldwide.

It wouldn’t be a WNBA season recap without addressing the elephant in the room — and no, we’re not talking about Ellie: It’s the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations. And with the October 31st deadline looming, there remain more questions than answers.

❓ Where are the negotiations currently?: WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) have touted the importance of a “transformational” CBA all season long. But if Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s exit interview is any indication, the two sides are farther apart than ever.

❓ What do the players want?: Money tops their wish list, but it’s not just about a bigger pay check — it’s where that money comes from. Players are seeking an improved revenue sharing model, one that’s more reflective of the league’s growth and isn’t tied to unrealistic targets, as is the case under the current CBA.

• As for salaries, a recent Front Office Sports report indicates the league’s most recent proposal includes an $850K supermax deal, more than the current $250K but less than the $1M the players wanted.

❓ Will Engelbert be fired?: Maybe, but despite mounting tensions and a chorus of boos, it has little to do with how the WNBPA or the league’s fans feel about her. Rather, Engelbert’s job depends on NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the team owners who employ her — though her relationships with the latter have reportedly also become strained.

❓ Are we heading for a lockout?: A new deal likely won’t be done by the October 31st deadline, but that doesn’t mean a lockout is imminent. Notably, negotiations for the 2020 CBA took until mid-January, while 2003 negotiations weren’t finalized until April. There’s plenty of time before May.

• That said, the biggest difference between then and now is player leverage. No one wants to see a lockout, but the WNBPA and its players simply won’t settle for less. The season may be over, but the spotlight on the league is only getting brighter.