Analysis

With only a week remaining in the regular season, which resumes on Thursday, it is time to dive into the end-of-season award debates. 
From league MVP to Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and more, there are a plethora of candidates to discuss. Today, we’ll break down 10 of the top candidates for the five spots on the All-Rookie Team — a list that includes lottery picks, first-rounders, second-rounders, and undrafted players.
Note: Players are listed in alphabetical order, with stats and rankings through games played before the FIBA break, which began on Aug. 31.
<hr />
<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1631136">Pauline Astier</a> (New York Liberty)</h2>
<div id="attachment_270634" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270634" class="wp-image-270634" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2279700819-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Pauline Astier #18 of the New York Liberty</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 9.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.4 3PG, 54.0 FG%, 31.3 3P%, 23.3 MPG, 40 GP</li>
</ul>
The 24-year-old guard from France may have gone undrafted, but she has made an immediate impact for the Liberty, scoring 20+ points in two of her first four WNBA games. She has started 35 contests for the playoff-bound Liberty and was part of France’s silver-medal-winning squad in the FIBA Women’s World Cup.
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643427">Lauren Betts</a> (Washington Mystics)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 6.4 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 0.0 3PG, 54.9 FG%, 0.0 3P%, 17.1 MPG, 40 GP</li>
</ul>
Betts is one of eight rookies playing for a young Mystics squad that has secured its first playoff berth since 2023. The 6-foot-7 center, selected fourth overall out of UCLA, leads all rookies with 30 total blocks and ranks third with 177 total rebounds despite averaging just 17.1 minutes per game.
<hr />
<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643443">Awa Fam</a> (Seattle Storm)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 10.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 1.5 3PG, 45.1 FG%, 35.5 3P%, 27.6 MPG, 33 GP</li>
</ul>
Considered one of the most intriguing international prospects entering the draft at just 19 years old, Fam was selected at No. 3 by Seattle and has showcased her two-way talent during her rookie season. She leads all rookies in rebounds and blocks per game while ranking fifth in steals and sixth in scoring. As the league&#8217;s youngest player (20 years, 90 days), she has immense upside.
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643425">Azzi Fudd</a> (Dallas Wings)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 13.1 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 2.1 3PG, 45.6 FG%, 39.7 3P%, 31.7 MPG, 30 GP</li>
</ul>
The top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft was limited to just 30 games for the Wings before undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on her right knee. Before she was sidelined, the sharpshooter made an impact on both ends of the court — leading all rookies in 3-pointers made (2.1), steals (1.7, 4th in WNBA), and blocks (0.8) per game.
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643428">Flau&#8217;jae Johnson</a> (Seattle Storm)</h2>
<div id="attachment_270635" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270635" class="wp-image-270635" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2273794231-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Flau&#8217;jae Johnson #4 of the Seattle Storm</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 14.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.3 3PG, 39.8 FG%, 28.3 3P%, 28.2 MPG, 38 GP</li>
</ul>
Acquired by Seattle in a draft-night trade with Golden State, Johnson has emerged as a key piece of a young Storm core alongside Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam. Johnson has showcased her all-around game in her debut WNBA season. She leads all rookies in steals, ranks second in points and rebounds, and ranks third in blocks per game. Her eight 20+ point games are the second-most among all rookies.
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643420">Laura Juskaite</a> (Toronto Tempo)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 10.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.0 3PG, 46.5 FG%, 31.7 3P%, 24.9 MPG, 40 GP</li>
</ul>
The 28-year-old from Lithuania played professionally in Europe for over a decade before making her WNBA debut for the expansion Tempo in 2026. She is tied with Fudd for fourth among rookies in double-digit scoring games (21) and ranks seventh in scoring, sixth in rebounds, and third in steals across 40 games (32 starts).
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643449">Charlisse Leger-Walker</a> (Connecticut Sun)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 7.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.0 3PG, 37.8 FG%, 34.2 3P%, 23.6 MPG, 40 GP</li>
</ul>
The second-round pick (No. 18 overall) out of UCLA ranks second to Miles among rookies in assists and 19th among all WNBA players. She’s posted her two career-best scoring games over her last three contests as she looks to close out her rookie campaign on a high note.
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643426">Olivia Miles</a> (Minnesota Lynx)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 19.7 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 1.7 3PG, 49.5 FG%, 39.6 3P%, 30.9 MPG, 38 GP</li>
</ul>
Miles has delivered a historic debut season, placing herself in the league MVP conversation while establishing herself as the clear Rookie of the Year frontrunner. The No. 2 pick in the 2026 Draft not only leads all rookies in points and rebounds, but she also ranks eighth and seventh, respectively, across the entire league. She is on pace to break Caitlin Clark’s rookie scoring record (21 points away) and needs one more 20+ point game to break Seimone Augustus’ rookie record for most in league history (20 in 2006).
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1643445">Kiki Rice</a> (Toronto Tempo)</h2>
<div id="attachment_270640" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270640" class="wp-image-270640 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/Thumbnail-2026-09-15T103708.400.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/Thumbnail-2026-09-15T103708.400.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/Thumbnail-2026-09-15T103708.400-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/Thumbnail-2026-09-15T103708.400-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/Thumbnail-2026-09-15T103708.400-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/Thumbnail-2026-09-15T103708.400-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Kiki Rice #1 of the Toronto Tempo</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 12.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.9 3PG, 48.1 FG%, 35.0 3P%, 26.6 MPG, 24 GP</li>
</ul>
A total of 22 players across the WNBA have averaged at least 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists this season — 16 of whom were 2026 All-Stars. Rice is one of only two rookies on the list (along with Miles) and has logged the fewest minutes per game of the group. That kind of company bodes well for Rice as the No. 6 pick in this year’s draft continues to develop her all-around game.
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<h2><a href="https://www.wnba.com/player/1642321">Sydney Taylor</a> (Chicago Sky)</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2026 Stats: 13.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 2.0 3PG, 43.5 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 20.3 MPG, 33 GP</li>
</ul>
Taylor, who went undrafted in 2024, etched her name in the WNBA history books with her clutch shooting. She became the first rookie to hit multiple game-winning shots with five seconds or fewer remaining (Aug. 1 vs. Las Vegas and Aug. 21 vs. Golden State). Taylor, whose 11 clutch 3-pointers lead all players in the league, ranks third among first-year players in scoring.

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2026 End-of-Season Awards Lookahead: WNBA All-Rookie Team

Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Breanna Stewart oozes confidence on the basketball court, especially when she puts on a USA Basketball jersey.
She continued an incredible run by helping the U.S. win its fifth consecutive women’s FIBA World Cup title Sunday with a <a class="Link AnClick-LinkEnhancement" href="https://apnews.com/article/france-us-world-cup-score-e25ded41f7a4970a54e18909e6a6cdf7" data-gtm-enhancement-style="LinkEnhancementA">97-79</a> victory over France. Stewart has been a part of the last four and now she’s tied with Sue Bird for the most in the tournament’s history.
“She is USA Basketball. When you think of the last 15 years, it’s Stewie,” U.S. coach Kara Lawson said. “We’re just really lucky to be a part of her era.”
Stewart won her second MVP award in the World Cup and averaged 12.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 55.3% from the floor during this tournament. She had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the victory over France.
“I pride myself on being consistently great,” Stewart said. “That’s showing up when it’s the big moments, the small moments and all the moments in between. It’s an unrealistic confidence I have in myself.”
It isn’t just in the World Cup that Stewart excels. She has already won three Olympic gold medals, three WNBA titles and four NCAA championships — where she won the Most Outstanding Player each year.
She’s earned the respect of her all her teammates.
“Stewie’s been a tremendous leader through this whole process for us,” said Caitlin Clark, who was playing in her first World Cup. “Stewie’s a winner. That’s all she is. All she ever does is win. She’s been in so many of these moments, and when you have somebody like that on your team, it’s just a really comforting thing.”
Clark said how Stewart came into the weight room after the close three-point win over Italy and comforted some of the newcomers on the team, who were a little surprised by how tight that game had been.
“I just want you guys to know this is how it is. Don’t be intimidated by that. This is just how this goes. The games are going to be close. That doesn’t mean like you should feel defeated in any way,” Clark recalled. “I thought that was just a really good thing we needed to hear. Don’t let that bother you. These games are going to be hard.”
Stewart learned from some of the best leaders in Bird and Diana Taurasi. She’s just continued that tradition of success.
“I think sometimes you get used to seeing excellence all the time and you get complacent,” said Chelsea Gray. “You see the way she competes, the way she finishes the ball, the way she brings the team together. Things like this don’t happen by accident.”

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Breanna Stewart Continues Winning Tradition with Fourth World Cup Championship

5 Things I Like

As wild as it seems, we’ve already wrapped up the WNBA’s 2026 FIBA World Cup break. After a few weeks of international play, several WNBA stars will travel from Germany back to their teams, ready to ramp back up ahead of games kicking off Thursday, September 17. 
It’s a tight turnaround, but after some amazing play from multiple countries represented by quite a few WNBA players, the transition back to WNBA play should be easier. That’ll be especially true for the USA and French national teams, who finished first and second in the World Cup, respectively. 
Here, we’ll look at five things from the tournament that really stood out to me following the USA’s fifth-straight gold medal. 
<hr />
<h2>Valkyries Getting Back a Red-Hot Gabby Williams</h2>
When France was up by double digits to begin their gold medal game against the USA, it felt obvious that Gabby Williams would likely finish up as the tournament’s MVP if they managed actually to break the USA’s winning streak. Of course, Les Bleues were unable to hold on, so Williams’ initial heroics took a backseat. 
That doesn’t erase her impact from the entire tournament, though, where she averaged 18.7 points per game along with 2.8 steals and four assists. Most impressive about Williams’ run was how aggressive she was with the ball in her hands, showing off a finishing package at the rim and some stellar three-point shooting. She averaged 48.7 percent from deep in the tournament, which is a 14 percent increase from her average this season with the Valkyries.
If Williams can carry over that MVP-caliber play into the Valkyries’ final stretch of contests headed into the postseason, they become an even scarier team to have to face in the earlier rounds of the playoffs. 
<hr />
<h2>Defensive Stalwart Angel Reese</h2>
<div id="attachment_270577" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270577" class="wp-image-270577" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2294430014-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Angel Reese #15 of the United States</div>
Team USA got a major youth injection this year, with players like Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen, and Sonia Citron joining a core of star veterans. In the USA’s final against France, one player stood out as having made a big impact on their comeback, and that was Reese. 
She finished with just three points and three rebounds in their final game, but beyond the box score, Reese used her length to disrupt guards who couldn&#8217;t get their composure against her. She helped generate some bad looks for France and forced turnovers throughout the game. 
The Atlanta Dream need this version of Reese as they’re seeking to make a final seeding push in this final stretch of the WNBA season. She and Rhyne Howard looked poised to help make that happen with their excellent play in the clutch for Team USA in this tournament. 
<hr />
<h2>Las Vegas Saving the Day</h2>
Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young managed to help Team USA avoid painful losses twice in this tournament &#8211; once against Italy during the group phase, where Young led the way with 10 points and three assists, and again against France, where Young had 18 points and Gray finished up with 12. 
Young was especially dangerous in the USA’s final against France, managing to use her speed to get to her spots on the floor quite easily while looking confident as the team’s main facilitator throughout the game. It just felt like anytime you got the ball in the hands of her or Gray, good things were going to happen.  
Las Vegas continues to battle off the Dream, Indiana Fever, and potentially the New York Liberty for the 3rd seed ahead of the postseason. Games like the ones Young and Gray just had throughout this tournament should give the Aces some confidence in their ability to hold onto that seeding. 
<hr />
<h2>FIBA All-Star Lineup Features All WNBA Players</h2>
<div id="attachment_270578" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270578" class="wp-image-270578" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="569" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-300x190.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-1024x647.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-768x485.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-1536x971.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/09/GettyImages-2295059526-2048x1294.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Leonie Fiebich of Germany</div>
FIBA awarded Breanna Stewart the MVP of the women’s world cup tournament, while also placing her on their All-Star Five list from the entire tournament alongside Young, Williams, Iyana Martin, and Leonie Fiebich. 
Having two New York Liberty players on this list is pretty cool, especially with Fiebich having dominated elsewhere alongside Germany. Martin, who was selected by the Portland Fire seventh overall in this year’s draft, looked like a future weapon for Portland after averaging 17.5 points per game along with 4.2 assists and 2.2 steals for Spain. 
Spain, thanks in large part to her work, finished third in the tournament. It should get WNBA fans excited about her potential arrival in 2027 for Portland after spending this season training with Spain ahead of this tournament. 
This was a great showcase of how much international talent the league already rosters, and how much more talent is set to develop or come over to the WNBA in years to come. While Team USA seems like the obvious powerhouse to topple in future tournaments, strong cores are forming in Spain, Germany, France, and Belgium. 
<hr />
<h2>Final Push from Stewart in MVP race Thanks to the World Cup?</h2>
Stewart, as mentioned, finished up as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, and that felt pretty fitting once Williams and France had dropped their gold medal game against the USA. She and Sue Bird are now the only two players in FIBA women’s basketball history to have secured four titles, and she’s the first player ever to secure multiple MVPs in FIBA history. 
The Liberty star is in the mix amid a tight MVP race in the WNBA, where A’ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Kelsey Mitchell, Caitlin Clark, and Stewart seem to be pacing the rest of the league. It’d be hard for Stewart to make a final push now to topple one of the current assumed leaders in that clubhouse, but her performance in this FIBA tournament feels like a turning point for her as it pertains to her upcoming work for New York and their postseason push. 
She finished up the tournament as Team USA’s leader in efficiency (18.8), points per game (12.8), and rebounds per game (7.3). The veteran knew what was needed to dominate a red-hot France team, and she provided a game-best 22 points on 70 percent shooting from the field to provide that pop. 
If she can maintain that level of efficiency and two-way dominance headed into the final stretch of WNBA games, she could make a push for a not-insignificant number of MVP votes.

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Five Things I Like: 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup

Season 30

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Rapid Reactions: WNBA Top 30

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WNBA Primer: 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup

FIBA

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70 Current and Former WNBA Players to Participate in 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup

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Week 14: Western Conference Player of the Week Veronica Burton

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Top 10 Plays of the Week

Power Rankings

As players head to Berlin to represent their respective countries in the FIBA World Cup, the WNBA season begins a 16-day pause through Sept. 16. 
The break offers a chance to take a snapshot of the standings before the regular season resumes on Sept. 17, with the final week of play determining playoff seeding.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">All teams have played a total of 40 games — 20 at home and 20 on the road.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">All teams have four games remaining — two each at home and on the road.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The eight playoff teams have been determined: Minnesota, Golden State, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indiana, New York, Washington, and Dallas.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The seven draft lottery teams are set: Portland, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Toronto, Connecticut, and Seattle.</li>
</ul>
When it comes to playoff seeding, there are multiple races to be decided in the final week of the season:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Which team will earn the No. 1 overall seed?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Which four teams will secure home-court advantage in the first round?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Which teams will avoid the No. 8 seed and first-round matchup with No. 1?</li>
</ul>
We’ll dive into each of these questions as we break down how the teams stack up entering the FIBA break.
Note: Stats and rankings through games played on Aug. 30
<hr />
<h2>1. Minnesota Lynx (31-9) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 1</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 18 vs. NYL, Sept. 20 at CON, Sept. 22 at IND, Sept. 24 vs. IND</li>
</ul>
<div id="attachment_270364" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270364" class="wp-image-270364" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2291477857-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Olivia Miles #5 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
With losses at Golden State and Atlanta, the Lynx dropped consecutive games for only the second time all season, and the first time since July 3-6. Despite the back-to-back defeats, the Lynx still hold a two-game lead over the Valkyries (and the head-to-head tiebreaker), which keeps Minnesota in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall seed. Meanwhile, on the historic front, Olivia Miles (749) passed Lynx legend Seimone Augustus (744 in 2006) for the second-most total points scored by a rookie in WNBA history, trailing only Caitlin Clark (769 in 2024).
<hr />
<h2>2. Golden State Valkyries (29-11) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 18 vs. POR, Sept. 19 vs. SEA, Sept. 22 at POR, Sept. 24 at LAS</li>
</ul>
For the fourth time this season, the Valkyries followed consecutive losses with a win streak of at least four games, winning their final four contests (all on the road) entering the FIBA break. That streak included Golden State’s first-ever win over Minnesota after the Lynx won the first nine meetings between the regular season and playoffs since the Valkyries joined the league in 2025. That victory trimmed Minnesota’s lead for the top seed to two games with four to play. However, because Minnesota holds the head-to-head tiebreaker, Golden State must finish with a better record to take No. 1. Simultaneously, the Valkyries must fend off Las Vegas for the No. 2 seed. Golden State holds a two-game cushion, but the Aces own the tiebreaker.
<hr />
<h2>3. Las Vegas Aces (27-13) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 4</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 at SEA, Sept. 20 vs. SEA, Sept. 22 vs. LAS, Sept. 24 at PHX</li>
</ul>
The Aces defeated the Tempo on Friday in their lone game of the week and their first since losing NaLyssa Smith for the season with a leg injury. Smith averaged 11.7 points on 63.8% shooting, with 6.4 rebounds across 38 games. The Aces signed 6-foot-7 center Kalani Brown on Saturday to help fill that void, with her debut coming after a busy FIBA World Cup break for the Aces, who will have four players participating in the tournament — Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young for the United States, Mai Yamamoto for Japan and Stephanie Talbot for Australia. When the season resumes, Vegas will make a final push for the No. 2 seed as the Aces have the easiest remaining schedule among all teams.
<hr />
<h2>4. Indiana Fever (26-14) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 18 at TOR, Sept. 20 vs. WAS, Sept. 22 vs. MIN, Sept. 24 at MIN</li>
</ul>
Conversely, the Fever face the second-toughest remaining schedule after the break, with three of their final four games coming against playoff teams. Indy enters the FIBA break, which will see Clark and Aliyah Boston representing the United States, having won seven of their last nine games as the Fever make a run for home-court advantage in the opening round. Indy currently sits No. 5 as Atlanta holds the head-to-head tiebreaker between the 26-14 teams. On a historic note, this past week saw Clark become the first player in WNBA history to post back-to-back games with 30+ points and 10+ assists, as well as Kelsey Mitchell becoming only the second player in league history to score at least 1,000 total points in a season, joining A’ja Wilson in 2024. Mitchell (career-high 25.0 ppg) trails only Wilson (26.0 ppg) in the scoring title race.
<hr />
<h2>5. Atlanta Dream (26-14) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 5</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 vs. CON, Sept. 19 vs. CHI, Sept. 21 at NYL, Sept. 23 at NYL</li>
</ul>
The Dream enter the FIBA break on a high note after knocking off the league-leading Lynx at home for their fourth win in five games. The night marked the Dream debut of DeWanna Bonner, who signed with Atlanta following a contract buyout in Phoenix after the Mercury were eliminated from playoff contention. The game also featured Angel Reese’s 29th double-double, setting a new WNBA single-season record, as well as Rhyne Howard’s 128th 3-pointer of the season, tying the single-season record set by Sabrina Ionescu in 2023. Howard can break that mark once the season resumes, with the Dream facing Ionescu and the Liberty in their final two games of the season, both of which could be critical in the playoff seeding race.
<hr />
<h2>6. Dallas Wings (24-16) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_270365" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270365" class="wp-image-270365" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292334043-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />The Dallas Wings huddle</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 8</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 vs. LAS, Sept. 19 vs. PHX, Sept. 21 at PHX, Sept. 23 at SEA</li>
</ul>
After going just 2-7 coming out of the All-Star break to fall to eighth place in the league, Dallas has won four straight to create a three-way tie with New York and Washington at 24-16 for the Nos. 6-8 seeds in the playoff race. This is another space to discuss the importance of tiebreakers:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Dallas holds tiebreaker over New York</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Washington holds tiebreaker over Dallas</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">New York holds tiebreaker over Washington</li>
</ul>
Should all three teams finish tied, the secondary tiebreaker will come into play: record against teams .500 or better. Currently, New York holds that mark (11-10), with Washington just behind (11-11) and Dallas well behind (8-15). With tiebreakers not on their side, the Wings need to keep winning if they want to climb the standings. Something in their favor: Dallas has the second-easiest remaining schedule among all teams and faces no playoff teams the remainder of the season.
<hr />
<h2>7. New York Liberty (24-16) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 6</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 18 at MIN, Sept. 20 at TOR, Sept. 21 vs. ATL, Sept. 23 vs. ATL</li>
</ul>
The word “break” does not really apply to the Liberty, as New York features a league-high six players suiting up in the FIBA World Cup. The Liberty enter the World Cup pause having won four of their last six games, putting themselves in a three-way battle with Dallas and Washington as they look for separation in the standings. However, of those three teams, New York faces the toughest remaining schedule with three of its final four games coming against playoff-bound teams.
<hr />
<h2>8. Washington Mystics (24-16) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 7</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 at CHI, Sept. 20 at IND, Sept. 22 vs. CON, Sept. 24 vs. CHI</li>
</ul>
While Friday’s loss to Los Angeles snapped a three-game win streak, the Mystics have still won five of their last seven games entering the World Cup break. Once the season resumes, they close out the regular season with three lottery-bound teams and one showdown with the Indiana Fever — a rubber match in Indy after exactly two points decided both of the first two meetings.
<hr />
<h2>9. Portland Fire (16-24) ⬆️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 10</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 vs. PHX, Sept. 18 at GSV, Sept. 20 at LAS, Sept. 22 vs. GSV</li>
</ul>
With a 96-78 loss to Dallas last Tuesday, the Fire were officially eliminated from playoff contention in their first WNBA season in 24 years. Overall, the Fire have dropped four of their last five games entering the World Cup break, which will see four Portland players represented in the tournament, headlined by the Fire’s leading scorer, Carla Leite of France. Once the season resumes, the Fire have a chance to play spoiler as two of their final four games come against Golden State —  a team vying for the No. 1 seed in the postseason.
<hr />
<h2>10. Los Angeles Sparks (15-25) ⬆️</h2>
<div id="attachment_270366" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-270366" class="wp-image-270366" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2292520195-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Nneka Ogwumike #30 and Cameron Brink #22 of the Los Angeles Sparks</div>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 12</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 at DAL, Sept. 20 vs. POR, Sept. 22 at LVA, Sept. 24 vs. GSV</li>
</ul>
Similar to the Fire, the Sparks will have a chance to impact the playoff races once the season resumes following the World Cup break, as three of their final four games come against playoff-bound teams (Dallas, Las Vegas and Golden State). Los Angeles enters the break having won three of its last four games with Nneka Ogwumike (21.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg) leading the way in the final weeks of her legendary career. This past week, Ogwumike climbed to 10th on the all-time list for games played and fourth all-time in steals. She needs just 25 points to become the fourth player ever to score 8,000 career points, joining Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles and DeWanna Bonner.
<hr />
<h2>11. Chicago Sky (15-25) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 9</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 vs. WAS, Sept. 19 at ATL, Sept. 22 vs. TOR, Sept. 24 at WAS</li>
</ul>
This past week, Courtney Vandersloot joined Sue Bird (3,234) as the only players in WNBA history with at least 3,000 career assists. However, those dimes came in three consecutive losses as the Sky have swung through three-game streaks over their last nine contests (three losses, three wins, three losses). When the season resumes, the Sky can play a role in breaking the three-way tie between the Mystics, Liberty and Wings as two of Chicago’s final four games come against Washington, including the regular-season finale.
<hr />
<h2>12. Phoenix Mercury (14-26) ⬇️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 11</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 at POR, Sept. 19 at DAL, Sept. 21 vs. DAL, Sept. 24 vs. LVA</li>
</ul>
Saturday’s win over Toronto snapped a four-game skid for the Mercury, who will miss the playoffs for only the second time in the last 14 years. With their postseason fate sealed, the Mercury waived two-time champion DeWanna Bonner, who has since signed with the playoff-bound Dream. Atlanta isn’t the only contender affected by Phoenix; the Mercury face Dallas twice and Las Vegas once in the final week — two teams in the middle of tightly contested playoff races.
<hr />
<h2>13. Seattle Storm (8-32) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 13</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 vs. LVA, Sept. 19 at GSV, Sept. 20 at LVA, Sept. 23 vs. DAL</li>
</ul>
No team faces a tougher schedule once the season resumes than the Storm, who will take on the Aces (twice), the Valkyries and the Wings to close out the regular season. This will also close out the debut seasons for Seattle rookies Flau&#8217;jae Johnson and Awa Fam. Johnson is on pace to finish second among rookies in scoring (14.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.8 rpg), first in steals (1.3 spg) and third in blocks (0.7 bpg), while Fam leads all rookies in rebounding (5.7 rpg) and blocks (0.8 bpg).
<hr />
<h2>14. Connecticut Sun (10-30) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 14</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 17 at ATL, Sept. 20 vs. MIN, Sept. 22 at WAS, Sept. 24 vs. TOR</li>
</ul>
Before Tuesday’s game against Chicago, the Sun honored former star Tina Charles, whom Connecticut drafted No. 1 overall in 2010 and who won league MVP for the Sun in 2012, as part of their “Sun Legends” celebration in their final WNBA season before relocating to Houston next year. The team has already recognized Jonquel Jones, Jasmine Thomas, Curt Miller and Alyssa Thomas, and will cap it off with former coach Mike Thibault on Sept. 20. After the Sun beat the Sky, they dropped three straight games to teams that have clinched playoff berths (Golden State, Indiana and Dallas) and will face three more in the final week of the regular season (Atlanta, Minnesota and Washington) before closing out the Connecticut Sun era at home against Toronto at Mohegan Sun on Sept. 24.
<hr />
<h2>15. Toronto Tempo (11-29) ↔️</h2>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Last Week: 15</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Remaining Schedule: Sept. 18 vs. IND, Sept. 20 vs. NYL, Sept. 22 at CHI, Sept. 24 at CON</li>
</ul>
The Tempo enter the World Cup break having lost four straight and 16 of their last 17 games, as injuries and overseas commitments have hit their roster. Britteny Sykes (foot) and Aneesah Morrow (knee) are already out for the remainder of the season, and Marina Mabrey (adductor) may join them once she is reevaluated in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, Nyara Sabally, Maria Conde and Julie Allemand were temporarily suspended this week to begin their World Cup responsibilities with their respective national teams. When the season resumes in September, keep an eye on matchups with Indiana and New York that could be important to the postseason races before Toronto closes its inaugural season with a final game in Connecticut.
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2026 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 14

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