Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

2025 WNBA season

Sports season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Remove ads

The 2025 WNBA season is the ongoing 29th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The regular season began on May 16, 2025, and is scheduled to end on September 11. The fifth edition of the WNBA Commissioner's Cup was held from June 1 to July 1. The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game was held on July 19, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The playoffs are scheduled to be played from September 14 and conclude with the WNBA Finals in October. For the first time, the Finals will use a best-of-seven format.[1]

Quick facts League, Sport ...

In August 2024, the WNBA announced that the Indiana Fever would host 2025 WNBA All-Star Game and related events in July 2025 for the first time in franchise history.[2] Tickets for All-Star weekend events went on sale on April 29, 2025, and sold out within seven hours.[3][4]

The league expanded from 12 to 13 teams with the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, who were first announced in 2023.[5] The Valkyries were the league's first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.[6]

For the first time in league history, all 15 preseason games were televised nationally or streamed online via League Pass.[7]

Remove ads

"No Space for Hate" platform

Summarize
Perspective

Ahead of the start of the 2025 season, the WNBA announced the launch of their new task force called "No Space for Hate," "designed to combat hate and promote respect across all WNBA spaces—from online discourse to in-arena behavior."[8][9] The platform will utilize AI-powered technology to monitor social media in relation to players and their teams as well as increase security measures and access to mental health resources across the league.[9]

On May 18, 2025, the WNBA announced they had opened an investigation regarding, "allegations of inappropriate fan conduct" directed at Chicago Sky players occurring the Indiana Fever's May 17 home opener versus the Sky.[10][11] The Sky's head coach, Tyler Marsh, told the press that he and his team did not report or witness any misconduct while at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and only learned about the allegations after the game had concluded.[12] Nine days later, the WNBA announced their investigation was complete, and all allegations of racist fan behavior were unsubstantiated.[13][14][15]

On June 1, 2025 during the Seattle Storm home game against the Las Vegas Aces, a complaint was filed by the Aces with an allegation of a Storm assistant coach cursing at an Aces player.[16] On June 4, the Storm's general manager, Talisa Rhea, stated to the press that the WNBA would not be launching an investigation but rather would be "looking into it and that's really the extent of it."[17][18]

Remove ads

Drafts

2024 WNBA expansion draft

The 2024 WNBA expansion draft was held on December 6, 2024, to fill the roster of the expansion Golden State Valkyries. The Valkyries picked one player from each of the twelve existing teams except for the Seattle Storm.[19]

2025 WNBA draft

The 2025 WNBA draft was held on Monday, April 14, 2025.

Lottery picks

More information Pick, Player ...
Remove ads

Transactions

Summarize
Perspective

Retirement

Free agency

From January 11–20, 2025, teams were able to extend qualifying offers to core-eligible or reserved players.[27]

The free agency negotiation period began on January 21, 2025, and teams were able to officially begin signing players on February 1, 2025.[27][28]

The mid-season cut down date for the 2025 season is July 13, the final date teams can waive players on unprotected contracts without financial penalty.[29]

Coaching changes

Remove ads

Preseason

Summarize
Perspective

The May 4 exhibition game, featuring the Indiana Fever and Brazil's national team, was the third most viewed preseason basketball game on ESPN (in both NBA and WNBA history) since 2010 with an average 1.3 million viewers.[38][39]

Schedule

More information Date, Time (ET) ...
Remove ads

Regular season

Summarize
Perspective

Standings

More information #, Team ...

Notes

(#) – League Standing
c – Commissioner's Cup winners
x – Clinched playoff berth
e – Eliminated from playoff contention
Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

Schedule

More information Date, Time (ET) ...

Notes:

All-Star Game

July 19, 2025
8:30 p.m. ET
Team Clark 131, Team Collier 151
Scoring by quarter: 36–49, 24–33, 35–37, 36–32
Pts: Kelsey Mitchell (20)
Rebs: Kayla Thornton (11)
Asts: Ionescu, Sykes (7)
Pts: Napheesa Collier (36)
Rebs: Skylar Diggins (11)
Asts: Skylar Diggins (15)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Attendance: 16,988
Referees: Tiara Cruse, Angel Kent, Jenna Reneau

Statistical leaders

The following shows the leaders in each statistical category during the 2025 regular season.[40][41][42]

Stats current as of games on August 13, 2025

More information Category, Player ...


Remove ads

Awards

Players of the Week

More information Date Awarded, Eastern Conference ...

Players of the Month

More information Month, Eastern Conference ...

Rookies of the Month

More information Month, Player ...

Coaches of the Month

More information Month, Coach ...


Remove ads

Coaches

Summarize
Perspective

Eastern Conference

More information Team, Head coach ...

Western Conference

More information Team, Head coach ...

Notes:

  • Year with team does not include 2025 season.
  • Records are from time at current team and are through the end of the 2024 regular season.
  • Playoff appearances are from time at current team only.
  • WNBA Finals and Championships do not include time with other teams.
  • Coaches shown are the coaches who began the 2025 season as head coach of each team.
Remove ads

Media coverage

Summarize
Perspective

National

This is the ninth and final year of the broadcast agreement with ESPN, the third and final year of the agreement with Ion,[75] and the second and final year of an agreement with CBS Sports and Amazon.[76][77] New 11-year broadcast agreements with ESPN, NBC Sports and Amazon will begin in 2026.[78] Select games also air on NBA TV through the WNBA and NBA's shared ownership.

  • Ion Television will air 50 regular-season games, exclusively on Friday nights. Select games are showcased nationally with others only shown to regional audiences.[79]
  • NBA TV will air 40 regular-season games.[79]
  • ESPN will air 26 regular-season games across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2; half of which will air over-the-air on ABC. Select games also be streamed on ESPN+ and/or Disney+. Additionally, ESPN will air the 3-Point Contest and Skills Challenge, while ABC will the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game. ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 will also exclusively air the WNBA playoffs and WNBA Finals.[79][80]
  • CBS Sports will air 20 regular-season games, with eight airing on CBS and 12 airing on CBS Sports Network. For the first time, two games on CBS will air in primetime on Saturday nights. These will be the first-ever primetime WNBA regular-season games on broadcast television, all CBS games will also be available on Paramount+.[79]
  • Amazon Prime Video will stream 20 regular-season games, along with exclusive coverage of the championship game for the WNBA Commissioner's Cup.[79]

Local

  • In February 2025, the Chicago Sky announced an exclusive agreement with Weigel Broadcasting. The flagship station for these games will be WCIU-TV.[81]
  • In February 2025, the Dallas Wings announced an exclusive agreement with Tegna Inc. The flagship station for these games will be KFAA-TV.[82]
  • In March 2025, the Las Vegas Aces announced an exclusive broadcast agreement with Scripps Sports. The flagship station for these games will be KMCC.[83]
  • In March 2025, the Seattle Storm announced an exclusive broadcast agreement with the Sinclair Broadcast Group. The flagship station for these games will be KUNS-TV.[84]
  • In April 2025, the Golden State Valkyries, in its inaugural season, announced an exclusive agreement with CBS News and Stations. The flagship station for these games will be KPIX-TV or KPYX.[85]
  • In the spring of 2025, the Atlanta Dream with Gray Media, the New York Liberty with Fox Television Stations, and the Indiana Fever with Tegna Inc., announced extensions to their exclusive broadcast agreements.[86][87][88]
  • In May 2025, the Minnesota Lynx and FanDuel Sports Network North announced an agreement with Tegna Inc. to simulcast four games on KARE.[89]
  • In May 2025, the Indiana Fever launched Fever Direct with Endeavor Streaming to provide access to a maximum of 18 live regular season games and full game replays to fans in approved Midwest regions.[90]
Remove ads

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads