Before we dive into this week’s power rankings, let’s pause for a moment to recognize the history that went down in Seattle on Sunday as Sue Bird became the first WNBA player honored with a statue by their franchise.

The No. 1 pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, Bird spent her entire 20-year career in Seattle, leading the Storm to four titles and retiring in 2022 as the WNBA’s all-time leader in games played (580), minutes (18,079), assists (3,234) and All-Star selections (13) – marks that still hold today.

“People keep asking me what it feels like to be the first,” said Bird during her speech. “The truth is that I never set out to be the first at anything, but if being the first means I won’t be the last, if this statue means that 20 years from now there will be statues of other WNBA greats … then I’m proud to be the first.”

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The bronze statue outside Climate Pledge Arena depicts Bird in her signature ponytail, but rather than a pose of a pass to represent her record in assists, or a jumper to represent her clutch buckets in the playoffs, the statue sees Bird gliding in for a layup.

“My very first points in the WNBA at KeyArena as a rookie were on a layup,” said Bird. “My very final points in the WNBA were at Climate Pledge on a layup.”

While the statue’s pose symbolizes the start and end of her two-decade career in Seattle, the statue’s presence means she’ll remain a part of the city for decades to come.

Congrats to Sue! Now, onto this week’s power rankings.

1. Minnesota Lynx (28-5) ↔️

Last Week: 1

This Week: Tue. at NYL, Thur. at ATL, Fri. at IND, Sun vs. IND

It was one game, one win for the Lynx this week as they improved to 3-0 against New York in this season’s rematches of last year’s Finals. The Lynx have already clinched a playoff berth and continue to stack wins – six in a row to enter the week – despite being without MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier (ankle) for the last four games. With a 6.5-game lead on the field with 12 games to play, the Lynx can be cautious with Collier’s return to ensure she is 100% for the postseason.

2. Atlanta Dream (22-12) ↔️

Last Week: 2

This Week: Tue. at LVA, Thur. vs. MIN, Sat. vs. NYL

Atlanta’s six-game win streak – tied for the third-longest in franchise history – was snapped on Friday as the Storm held off the Dream in a thriller in Vancouver. Atlanta bounced back with a win over Golden State on Sunday to wrap the week in sole possession of second place in the WNBA, holding a one-game lead on the Liberty. The Dream face a loaded schedule this week – playing the three teams that reached the past two WNBA Finals: the Aces (2023 champs), the Lynx (2024 runner-up) and Liberty (2024 runner-up, 2025 champs).

3. Las Vegas Aces (21-14) ⬆️

Last Week: 5

This Week: Tue. vs.. ATL, Thur. vs. PHX, Sat. at WAS

The Aces are back! Las Vegas has won seven straight – the longest active win streak in the league – and 12 of its last 15 games to climb from ninth to fifth in the standings and just 1.5 games back of second place. Since Vegas’ win streak started on Aug. 3, A’ja Wilson has led the WNBA in scoring (26.1 ppg) and rebounding (13.3 rpg) while also ranking top 10 in both steals (1.7 spg) and blocks (1.4 bpg) over the past two weeks.

4. New York Liberty (21-13) ⬇️

Last Week: 3

This Week: Tue. vs. MIN, Thur. vs. CHI, Sat. at ATL

The Liberty are 4-7 since losing Breanna Stewart to a knee injury just three minutes into their game against the Sparks on July 26. Three of those seven losses have come against the league-leading Lynx, while another came this week against the streaking Aces. While Stewart is expected to return by late August, the Liberty face another challenging week, taking on Minnesota and Atlanta – the only two teams ahead of New York in the standings – on Tuesday and Saturday, respectively.

5. Phoenix Mercury (20-13) ⬇️

Last Week: 4

This Week: Tue. at GSV, Thur. at LVA, Fri. vs. GSV

The Mercury went to Seattle and spoiled Sue Bird statue night on Sunday behind Alyssa Thomas’ fifth triple double of the season. Thomas now has more triple-doubles in just her first 28 games on the Mercury than any other player has in their entire career. Yes, five of Thomas’ record 20 career triple-doubles have come in her first season in Phoenix. The next closest players on the all-time triple-double list (regular and playoffs combined) are Sabrina Ionescu (four), Caitlin Clark and Candace Parker (three each).

6. Golden State Valkyries (18-16) ⬆️

Last Week: 8

This Week: Tue. vs. PHX, Fri. at PHX, Sun. at DAL

The longest win streak in franchise history – aka this season – was snapped at four straight on Sunday against the Dream. However, Golden State is 7-3 in its last 10 games and would make the playoffs if the season ended today. They are part of a five-team cluster – along with the Fever (19-16), Storm (17-18), Sparks (16-18) and Mystics (16-18) – separated by just two losses and battling for three playoff spots.

7. Indiana Fever (19-16) ⬇️

Last Week: 6

This Week: Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. at MIN

Sunday’s game against Connecticut was a microcosm of Indiana’s season. They lost another guard to injury – Sophie Cunningham left in the second quarter and will undergo an MRI on her knee today – and they showed their resiliency and fight to overcome being shorthanded. Behind Kelsey Mitchell’s 38 points, the Fever pulled off a franchise-record 21-point comeback to defeat the Sun in overtime, avoiding a three-game skid and inspiring this postgame speech from coach Stephanie White.

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The Fever are off until Friday when they begin a home-and-home set with the league-leading Lynx, giving them a few days to figure out a guard rotation as Cunningham will likely join Clark (hopeful to get her back before the end of the regular season), Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson (both out of the year) on the sideline.

8. Los Angeles Sparks (16-18) ⬇️

Last Week: 7

Behind a stretch of eight wins in a nine-game span, the Sparks ascended the standings and the power rankings over the past few weeks. However, since that hot streak, the Sparks have dropped three of their last five games, falling into a three-way tie with Seattle and Washington with 18 losses each as the three teams sit between eighth and 10th in the standings – all eyeing a playoff spot.

9. Seattle Storm (17-18) ↔️

Last Week: 9

This Week: Tue. at CHI, Fri. at DAL, Sun. at WAS

The Storm held off a fourth quarter rally by the Dream to not only win the WNBA Canada Game in Vancouver on Friday, but also snap a season-long six-game losing streak. However, the Storm were unable to follow that win with another as they fell to the Mercury on Sue Bird statue night on Sunday. Seattle is one of two teams – along with the Sparks – who have been better on the road (9-8) compared to home (8-10). The Storm can add to that road win total this week as they open their final trip of the season with stops in Chicago, Dallas and Washington.

10. Washington Mystics (16-18) ↔️

Last Week: 10

This Week: Tue. vs. CON, Thur. at CON, Sat. vs. LVA, Sun. vs. SEA

After a 2-7 stretch from July 15-Aug. 8 dropped Washington four games below .500 for the season, the Mystics have won three of their last four games to reach 16-18 – keeping them in the playoff battle. Washington’s All-Star rookie duo continues to lead the way, with Sonia Citron (19.5 ppg, 62.5% on 3s) and Kiki Iriafen (18.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 59.5% FG) combining to average 37.8 ppg over the past four games.

11. Dallas Wings (9-26) ⬆️

Last Week: 12

This Week: Wed. at LAS, Fri. vs. SEA, Sun. vs. GSV

This week started with a case of déjà vu – with different results – for the Wings. On Tuesday, Dallas snapped a five-game losing streak with a one-point win over Indiana despite the Fever closing the game with a 19-3 run. On Friday, it was the Wings that made the closing run (19-2) before ultimately falling short by a single point. Keep an eye on Maddy Siegrist, who’s helped fill the void left by Arike Ogunbowale (knee), with 20 ppg on 64.9 FG, 45.5% 3P and 100% FT shooting splits over the past three games.

12. Chicago Sky (8-25) ⬇️

Last Week: 11

This Week: Tue. vs. SEA, Thur. at NYL, Sat. vs. CON

Dating back to July 14, the Sky have gone just 1-12 in their last 13 games, with losing streaks of eight and (currently active) four games. They’ve been outscored by an average of 18.1 ppg during this stretch, with All-Star forward Angel Reese appearing in only three of those games as she continues to battle a back injury.

13. Connecticut Sun (6-27) ↔️

Last Week: 13

This Week: Tue. at WAS, Thur. vs. WAS, Sat. at CHI

After Sunday’s overtime loss to the Fever, the Sun are just two losses away from being the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention this season. Connecticut enters the week nine losses behind the eighth place Storm with 11 games to play.