Who’s who in this year’s WNBA playoffs?

Zafir Nagji, Sports Editor | 

The 2025 WNBA season has been its most successful to date. Amassing an average of 20 per cent more viewers per game than in 2024, the 2025 regular season has produced captivating on-court action, with stellar performances from stars like Caitlin Clark and outstanding young talents like Paige Bueckers. All good things must come to an end, but thankfully, the WNBA has saved the best for last. With playoffs right around the corner, find out how every playoff team stacks up in the exciting hunt for the 2025 WNBA Championship.

Sneaking into the dance

Out of the 13 teams in the WNBA, only eight qualify for the playoffs. With just a 44-game regular season, the margins that decide whether a team makes or misses the playoffs can get extremely thin, and such is the case this season. 

In the final playoff spot are the Golden State Valkyries, who are on a quest to become the first WNBA expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season. Led by Kayla Thornton, who averages 14 points per game, and supported by four other players averaging double-figures in scoring, the Valkyries will face playoff teams in all but one of their final seven games, including two against the league-best Minnesota Lynx, as they try to hang on to the last playoff spot.

Half a game in front of the Valkyries, the Seattle Storm sit in the seventh seed after suffering a late-season six-game losing streak. The Storm held one of the best records in the league before their skid and has some of the most talented players in the league. Nneka Ogwumike averages 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, both of which are team-highs. She’s backed up by Skylar Diggins, who averages 15.6 points and a team-best six assists per game. Overall, the team is extremely well-rounded and holds the fifth-best defence in the league in terms of points allowed per game, making them one of the most lethal seventh-seeded teams ever.

Like the Sparks, injuries have plagued the Indiana Fever all year long, but with great coaching and standout performances from tertiary players, the team has managed to hold onto a winning record and currently sits in the sixth playoff spot. Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald, and many of their other players have battled injuries all season long. However, recent reports indicate that Clark may be able to return in time for a playoff run. With her back in the lineup, the Fever are a scary team to deal with in the first round of the playoffs and should not be underestimated.

Dark horse contenders

With four teams holding up the back of the pack, the fight in the middle is much smaller, but just as, if not more, intense. Two teams are fighting for a chance to compete with the upper echelon of talent in the WNBA, and while both have had outstanding regular seasons, neither is willing to settle on anything less than a run at the championship.

First on this list are the Phoenix Mercury, who hold the fourth-best win-loss record at 24-14. With a big four of Satou Sabally, Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, and DeWanna Bonner, all of whom are multiple-time WNBA All-Stars, the Mercury hold the fourth-best net rating of any team in the league at +3.9 and the fourth-best defensive rating at 102.1. Even though they lack the offensive explosion to consistently compete against the league’s best offences, defensive teams tend to cope with the increased physicality and intensity of playoff games better than offensively-biased groups. Plus, with Thomas leading the league in assists with 9.2 dimes per game, the Mercury feel ready to compete for their first championship since Diana Taurasi’s retirement.

The Atlanta Dream hold the same record as the Mercury at 24-14, thanks in large part to their acquisition of legendary centre Brittney Griner and the incredible offensive output of Allisha Gray. Averaging 18.7 points per game, Gray is the odds-on favourite to win Most Improved Player this season, and with the second-best net (+7.7) and defensive (100.8) ratings in the league, Atlanta looks poised to take the competition by surprise on their way to their first-ever WNBA Championship.

Heavyweight fighters

Three teams sit at the top of the list of contenders in this year’s WNBA playoffs—the Las Vegas Aces, the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. However, all three teams bring entirely different recipes to the table as they prepare to battle for the 2025 WNBA Championship.

The New York Liberty hold the worst regular-season record of the three teams, battling some key injuries and championship fatigue from their legendary 2024 victory. Don’t be fooled by their 24-15 record or their fifth-seed ranking, though—this is largely the same team as the championship-winning group last year. Point guard Sabrina Ionescu has put together an incredible season, averaging 18.8 points and 5.4 assists per game and having to fill in for fellow 18-point-per-game scorer Breanna Stewart and 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, both of whom have missed significant time this season. Ionescu even had a six-game stretch where she averaged 27.7 points per game to keep the Liberty afloat. Still, if New York has serious intentions of winning back-to-back titles, they need Stewart, Ionescu, Jones, and the rest of the team to be healthy and play their best basketball together to beat their stiffest competitors.

At the All-Star break, the Las Vegas Aces were in danger of missing the playoffs, but with just four games left on their schedule, the Nevada squad holds the second-best record in the league at 26-14 and looks like a championship-level team once again. Led by all-time legend A’ja Wilson, who has averaged 25.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in August to salvage her team’s season, the Aces are going to be one of the toughest teams to oust in this year’s playoffs. Wilson is flanked by “Point God” Chelsea Gray, crafty guard Jackie Young, and sharpshooter Jewell Loyd, all of whom bring championship experience. Regardless of where they started their season, the Aces are looking to finish it on the highest of notes—with a WNBA championship trophy.

Sitting atop the WNBA standings as the only team with less than 10 losses, the 30-8 Minnesota Lynx have been the championship favourites all season long. Led by MVP and Defensive Player of the Year favourite Napheesa Collier, the Lynx are out for revenge after being defeated in last year’s WNBA Finals in five games by the New York Liberty. Collier has had one of the greatest seasons of all time, averaging 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game—all of which are team-highs—to go with her league-leading 23.6 points per game. Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams support her with a combined 29 points per game, helping the Lynx hold the best offensive (112.3), defensive (100) and net (+12.3) ratings in the league. They are the easy championship favourite this season, but with the Aces and Liberty breathing down their necks and many more teams looking to punch up at them, Collier and the Minnesota Lynx will have a hell of a fight on their hands as they look to win their fifth WNBA championship.