2025 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 2 / Commissioner’s Cup Edition

Brian Martin

With the fifth-annual WNBA Commissioner’s Cup presented by Coinbase tipping off yesterday, this week’s Power Rankings will have a slight twist as we look at which teams in each conference will have the best chances to reach the Cup Championship game.

Before we dive in, here’s a quick rundown on how the Commissioner’s Cup works

  • All 36 games played from June 1-17 will count toward the Commissioner’s Cup standings and the regular season standings
  • Each team will play the other teams in their conference one time during that window – West teams will play six games, East teams will play five
  • The team from each conference with the best winning percentage in Cup play will advance to the title game, which will be played on July 1

Below, the teams are split by conference, and ranked in order of their chances of reaching the Cup title game. Their overall league power ranking for Week 2 will also be included as Cup games count toward the regular season.

Eastern Conference

1. New York Liberty (7-0, 1-0 Cup)

League Rank: 1 ↔️

Last Week: 1

This Week: Thur. at WAS

The Liberty have reached the Cup title game the past two years – winning in 2023 over Las Vegas and falling to Minnesota in 2024 – and are in pole position to represent the East for a third straight year. The defending champs have yet to drop a game all season, and opened Cup play with a 48-point win over Connecticut – the second largest margin of victory in league history.

2. Atlanta Dream (5-2, 0-0 Cup)

League Rank: 5 ⬆️

Last Week: 7

This Week: Fri. at CON

The Dream enter Cup play on a hot streak, having won four straight games following a 1-2 start to the season. Allisha Gray is averaging 24.5 ppg on 59.2% FG, 52.4% 3P shooting during the win streak, bumping up her season average to a career-best 21.4 ppg, which ranks fifth in the WNBA.

3. Washington Mystics (3-4, 0-0 Cup)

League Rank: 8 ⬆️

Last Week: 10

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

After opening the season 2-0, the Mystics have dropped four of their last five games as they enter Cup play. The one win in that span came against Indiana, which is Washington’s opponent in its Cup opener on Tuesday. A player to watch is Brittney Sykes, who’s increased her scoring by nearly 10 ppg this season to a career-best 21.7, thanks in part to her league-high 11.2 free throw attempts per game.

4. Chicago Sky (2-4, 0-0 Cup)

League Rank: 11 ⬆️

Last Week: 13

This Week: Sat. vs. IND

After three straight double-digit losses to open the season, the Sky dropped a close game to Phoenix before beating Dallas twice in three days for their first wins of the season. Are the Sky turning a corner as they get ready for Cup play? One player that certainly has is Ariel Atkins, who’s averaged 21.3 ppg over the past three games after posting 9.3 ppg in her first three games in Chicago.

5. Indiana Fever (2-4, 0-0 Cup)

League Rank: 7 ⬇️

Last Week: 5

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

Here’s an example of where the overall league power rankings (7) and the Cup rankings (5th in East) diverge. As the Fever open Cup play on Tuesday, they’ve been hit with the injury bug at the wrong time. Caitlin Clark is out at least another week, then on Sunday, the Fever lost Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham to injury. The long-term outlook for the Fever is still very strong, but the Cup is being contested for right now.

6. Connecticut Sun (1-6, 0-1 Cup)

League Rank: 13 ⬇️

Last Week: 12

This Week: Fri. vs. ATL, Sun. at WAS

The Sun edged out the Fever for their first win of the season on Friday, before suffering the largest defeat in franchise history (-48) on Sunday in their Cup opener against the Liberty. The combination of a new-look squad still finding its way and the Cup competition happening so early in the season makes the prospects of reaching the title game challenging for Connecticut. 

Western Conference

1. Minnesota Lynx (7-0, 1-0 Cup)

League Rank: 2 ↔️

Last Week: 2

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

Can the Lynx become the first team to win back-to-back Commissioner’s Cups? In the history of the competition, two teams have reached the title game in consecutive years, but neither was able to pull off the double – Las Vegas won in 2022, lost in 2023; New York won in 2023, lost in 2024). Napheesa Collier (league-high 26.3 ppg) and the Lynx are unbeaten to open the season, including Sunday’s Cup opener against Golden State.

2. Phoenix Mercury (5-2, 1-0 Cup)

League Rank: 3 ⬆️

Last Week: 4

This Week: Tue. at MIN, Thur. vs. GSV, Sat. vs. SEA

The Mercury overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the Sparks on Sunday in their Cup opener to improve to 5-2 on the season. Phoenix is doing this with Kahleah Copper and Natasha Mack having yet to play and Alyssa Thomas missing the past two games. Phoenix’s last six games have all been decided by seven points or less. Can the Mercury continue to pull out close games as they navigate their Cup schedule, which continues Tuesday in Minnesota?

3. Las Vegas Aces (4-2, 1-0 Cup)

League Rank: 4 ⬆️

Last Week: 6

This Week: Sat. at GSV

After opening the season with a road loss to the defending champion Liberty, the Aces have won four of their last five, including their Cup opener on Sunday as they held off Seattle. With A’ja Wilson doing MVP things – she ranks top three in points (3rd), rebounds (3rd), blocks (1st) and steals (2nd) – the Aces can make a run toward their third Commissioner’s Cup Championship game.

4. Seattle Storm (3-4, 0-1 Cup)

League Rank: 6 ⬇️

Last Week: 3

This Week: Tue. vs. DAL, Sat. at PHX

On May 25, the Storm defeated the Aces by 20 to improve to 3-1 on the season. Since then, they’ve dropped three straight – all by seven points or less – including a rematch with Las Vegas in the Cup opener for both teams on Sunday. Seattle will look to end its three-game skid and earn its first Cup win Tuesday when they host Dallas.

5. Los Angeles Sparks (2-6, 0-1 Cup)

League Rank: 9 ⬇️

Last Week: 8

This Week: Fri. at DAL

The Sparks squandered an 18-point lead and a 32-point performance from Odyssey Sims – her seventh career 30+ point game and first since 2019 – in a loss to the Mercury on Sunday in their Cup opener. L.A. is off until Friday when they visit Dallas looking to snap a three-game slide and earn their first Cup win.

6. Golden State Valkyries (2-4, 0-1 Cup)

League Rank: 10 ⬇️

Last Week: 9

This Week: Thur. at PHX, Sat. vs. LVA

On Sunday, the Valkyries became the first team in WNBA history with three straight sellouts in their first three home games at the 18,000+ capacity Chase Center. But it was not enough to overcome the unbeaten Lynx in their Cup opener. The road doesn’t get much easier for the WNBA’s newest squad seeking its first-ever Cup win as they visit 5-2 Mercury on Thursday before hosting the 4-2 Aces on Saturday.

7. Dallas Wings (1-6, 0-0 Cup)

League Rank: 12 ⬇️

Last Week: 11

This Week: Tue. at SEA, Fri. vs. LAS, Sun. vs. MIN

When the Wings open Cup play in Seattle on Tuesday, they’ll be without rookie Paige Bueckers, who entered concussion protocol after Thursday’s loss to Chicago and will be reevaluated after the Seattle game. Dallas’ lone win of the season came with Bueckers having the best game of her young career (21 pts, 8-of-10 FG, 7 ast). The more games she misses, the worse the Wings’ hopes of challenging for the Cup in the West.

Longtime WNBA reporter Brian Martin writes articles on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.