The 2025 WNBA season goes out on Friday, approximately seven months after Freedom of New York won its first championship in the history of the franchise.
There was a constant flow of the list and the agitation of training in the low season, since seven teams changed coaches and multiple all-stars teams changed. And in addition to that, a 13th franchise was added to the League, since the Valkyries of Golden State will make their WNBA debut this season.
As the New Year progresses, there are five stories to watch before a champion is crowned this fall.
Are the contestants of the Indiana fever title?
Thanks in large part to a Caitlin Clark stellar rookie campaign, the fever arrived at the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And this winter, the main office did not waste time trying to build a more experienced team around Clark in its second season.
The team first separated with chief coach Christie in the low season, replacing her with 2023 coach of the WNBA Stephanie White’s year.
Then began a review of the list, with the guard Sydney Colson and the guard/forward Dewanna Bonner, the signature agreements with Indiana in the free agency, while the guard Sophie Cunningham was acquired through trade. Both Colson and Bonner are twice champions, and they should help relieve part of the pressure on Clark, who was the goal of some physical defense in their first season.
If Clark takes another jump, in addition to Aliyah Boston continues his All-Star game on the front court, the fever should be difficult.
The former champions are carrying
The Aces of Las Vegas won consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023, but were played in the second round of the playoffs in 2024 by the eventual Liberty champion. With the A’JA Wilson center, leaving their best season as a professional (and their third MVP), the Aces made a great splash this winter and acquired a new formula partner for Wilson, exchanging for twice champion and six times Jewell Loyd.
Las Vegas had to separate from the unconditional of the Kelsey Plum franchise (who was sent to Los Angeles Sparks) in the agreement, but Loyd should be able to form his own powerful association with Wilson.
Meanwhile, New York did not rest after winning his first ring. With a great three of Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones already in tow, the Liberty exchanged two first round selections for the Natasha Cloud guard, who led the league in assists in 2022.
Naphesa Collier is out of revenge
Collier comes from a historic playoff career in which he became the first player in the history of the WNBA in leading the entire postseason field at points, rebounds, robberies and blockages. Collier also broke Diana Tauurasi’s record for most points in a single playoffs.
However, Collier’s efforts ended up in heartbreak, since Lynx fell into a series of five games very disputed to freedom. Collier was not shy either by expressing his disappointment with the trade of that series, publishing an Instagram with photos of lost calls after the final game.
While much of the league experienced a change, Minnesota maintained its list largely intact this season. Collier was already playing at an MVP level, but now he will play with the additional motivation of the final bitter of last season.
The Paige Bueckers era begins
The Dallas Wings led the former star of the Connecticut Huskies, Paige Bueckers, with the first general selection in the April Draft, and the Bueckers will now have the task of turning the wings less than two months after taking the Huskies to a national championship.
Since Dallas moved in 2016, the wings have won only a series of playoffs and zero second round games.
However, Bueckers will not fly alone, since Dallas added solid role players in Dijonai Carrington and Nalysa Smith in the low season, and Arike Ogunbowale, star, is leaving his best year as a professional.
The business is booming
All the action of this season will take place under imminent changes for a league that continues to explode in popularity. While the Valkyries will be attached this year, two more expansion teams will join the W in 2026, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland team that has not yet realized.
The collective bargaining agreement between the Union of Players and the League will also expire next year, as well as the contracts of many star players. Wait for players to look for a larger (and fairer) piece of the growing cake next year, and that the stars seek to take advantage of the next transformation.
