The WNBA’s rich history of rivalries is part of what has made it so fun to follow the league over the last 30 years. If you’ve been a fan of the league for much of that time, you can feel the bubbling tension between two squads thanks to their postseason history, in-state rivalry, or positional battles that were marquee events to catch back then. 

If you’re a newer fan, there are still rivalries with several chapters yet to be written – recent Finals matchups, must-see regular-season clashes between rivals, and recent college stars that are taking the league by storm all fall into this category. 

In celebration of Season 30 and WNBA Rivals Week Presented by Ally, let’s look at some of the more defining rivalries throughout the WNBA’s history, with a focus on team rivalries and not on individual rivalries. And – this is not an exhaustive list by any means. 

Los Angeles Sparks and Sacramento Monarchs

Ticha Penicheiro #21 of the Sacramento Monarchs, Lisa Leslie #9, Raffaella Masciadri #33 and Christie Thomas #32 of the Los Angeles Sparks

Any in-state rivalry is going to be natural, especially when both squads are talented. Los Angeles and Sacramento were the California rivals to watch before the Monarchs folded in 2009. Postseason success defined these two teams’ rivalry, with both being quite successful back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

Los Angeles had the first punch in this rivalry, eliminating Sacramento from the postseason in 1999 amid a contentious Western Conference run. With a second and third opening to take a swing at the Sparks, the Monarchs were unable to topple them and missed out on the Finals in 2001 and 2003. 

They finally broke the dam the following year, taking down the Sparks in 2004, but still missing out on the Finals. Then, in 2005, the Monarchs toppled both the Sparks and Houston Comets to reach the WNBA Finals, where they defeated the Connecticut Sun. They proceeded to trounce the Sparks the following year, too, but lost those Finals. 

Postseason history definitely boosts the profile of any rivalry, and clashes that feature Lisa Leslie, Yolanda Griffith, Tamecka Dixon, or Ticha Penicheiro were sure to have that larger-than-life feel. Both teams found championship success, Los Angeles of course snagging more trophies over the rivalry’s lifespan, and it was a much-needed boost to a state that is so passionate about basketball. 

New York Liberty and Houston Comets

Cynthia Cooper #14 of the Houston Comets and Teresa Weatherspoon #11 of the New York Liberty

The Houston Comets are still one of the most iconic dynasties in the WNBA, although the Las Vegas Aces are trying to nip at their heels a bit (more on them later). Led by players like Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and Tina Thompson, they kicked off the WNBA with force – four straight WNBA championships. 

New York, on the other hand, tried three of those four times to unseat them. We talk a lot about how irritating it becomes in the postseason for teams to have to play each other over and over again. Same faces, same physicality, and likely the same matchups night in and night out. Imagine doing that three times, on the biggest stage in the WNBA? 

Of course, we will always remember The Shot from Teresa Weatherspoon in the teams’ 1999 clash with Houston, but that might’ve been the highlight for the Liberty during that stretch of this rivalry. New York wouldn’t actually win the Finals for the first time until 2024, much after Houston had already come and gone. 

This rivalry, just like the one between Los Angeles and Sacramento, felt like one that carried a ton of respect – this was probably the first rivalry we could really peg down in the WNBA, between two teams composed of some of the league’s first superstars who were carrying the weight of the league on their shoulders. 

Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury 

Sue Bird #10 of the Seattle Storm and Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury

While there was a disclaimer at the start to this piece about no individual rivalries getting the shine over team rivalries here, you can’t really talk about the Storm and Mercury’s rivalry without talking about the obvious matchups between Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, or Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart, or Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor. 

This was a rivalry very similar to the Monarchs and Sparks in the sense that both were, and are still, unbelievably successful franchises with excellent fan bases. In 2026, both teams are struggling to find their footing, but that doesn’t eliminate their existing rivalry in the West. 

Phoenix has been dominant against Seattle in the postseason, but Seattle has generally had their number in the regular season, with a 56-41 all-time record. Seven championships between the two teams and a major Hall of Fame presence just goes to show how elite this matchup was thanks to how well these teams matched up in the late 2000s and early 2010s. 

Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks

Candace Parker #3 of the Los Angeles Sparks and Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx

Los Angeles is clearly allergic to staying out of rivalry talk. Maybe that’s just a testament to how good they were back when the league got started, and throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Their rivalry against the Lynx was described by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne as one of the best in WNBA history back in 2017, and that was not an exaggeration.

Shelburne shared that declaration amid the second WNBA Finals in a row between the two teams, where the series would go to a Game 5. Nneka Ogwumike had hit the game winner in Game 5 back in 2016, and in 2017, the decisive game was still unbelievably tight with just under 30 seconds left in regulation. But Maya Moore just did Maya Moore things in clutch time, rattling home a game-sealing jumper over a Sparks defender to get the Minnesota lead to five. That clinched the Lynx’s fourth title, and added a revenge chapter to their rivalry with Los Angeles. 

This was the definition of heavyweights clashing. While that was the end of the Lynx’s dynasty, it was still an emphatic period in these two teams’ rivalry.

Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty 

A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty

This rivalry feels sparked more by some contentiousness between players than anything else, especially considering that Las Vegas has won three championships since 2022, while New York just has one title. But it’s always fun catching games between these two teams led by perennial MVP candidates in A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. It’s rare to get a positional matchup between stars like this, and their recent postseason chapters have just added to that rivalry between the two players’ teams. 

Obviously, back in 2022, New York had the opportunity to finally snag a championship for the first time in their franchise’s history. Las Vegas had other ideas, winning their Finals series against New York in four games. It featured an awkward accusation from Sabrina Ionescu regarding some stolen sneakers in a previous Aces contest that season, and a comment from then-Aces guard Kelsey Plum regarding the difference in chemistry that her team had and what New York had (hint: she didn’t think the Liberty had the upper hand there). 

The Liberty eventually did snag their title in 2024, also defeating the Aces along the way that postseason. But the two teams had not met again – yet – en route to another championship push. They’ll have one more game coming up that is must-see television: on August 9 at 12:30 PM EST