Analysis

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Editor&#8217;s Note: Read more WNBA coverage from the Athletic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/">here</a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.
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INDIANAPOLIS — The Dallas Wings were at rock bottom in 2025 when they selected Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick.
They were fresh off a nine-win season and moving on to their third coach in four seasons when Bueckers became the rope thrown to the drowning franchise. But even she can’t work miracles. At least, not in Year 1 anyway, as the Wings missed the playoffs.
But Saturday, as the Wings opened the 2026 season against the Indiana Fever with a 107-104 win in Bueckers’ sophomore season debut, a franchise that’s been adrift looked like it could finally see land.
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“I’ve been saying, I feel like this is the best roster we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Wings four-time All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale said. “It’s just complete.”
Bueckers wasn’t the final missing puzzle piece, but she was the catalyst.
After her rookie season ended with 10 wins, the Wings’ second-straight without a postseason, Dallas opted to find its fourth coach in five years as it fired Chris Koclanes. The Wings then went against the coaching trend of hiring from the NBA in favor of a well-respected, winning college coach in Jose Fernandez from South Florida. When free agency finally opened following a contentious 17-month-long negotiation period for a new collective bargaining agreement, general manager Curt Miller signed players, such as forwards Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, who looked on paper like they could make the Wings legitimate playoff contenders. He followed those free agency moves by drafting Buecker’s familiar backcourt UConn running mate in sharpshooter Azzi Fudd.
The result of every move over the last 13 months was on full display Saturday, and the early grade passed with top marks. Bueckers finished with 20 points, four assists, three rebounds and just one turnover.
“She’s special,” Fernandez said. “She reads how she’s being guarded. Having coached against her and seeing her now, I mean, she sees things two, three times ahead of stuff. That’s remarkable.”
Bueckers is fresh off a busy offseason that included her first season playing with Unrivaled, the professional three-on-three league, and with Team USA’s senior national team.
Individually, she committed to bulking up in an effort to withstand the toll of a 44-game WNBA season, the results of which are apparent in her noticeably stronger frame. Bueckers said she lived in the weight room, ate better and even prioritized better sleep.
One area of Buecker’s development that can’t be visibly measured is her leadership.
“She’s one of those generational talents that not only shows up on the court, but off,” Smith said. “She leads by example. She holds herself to a certain standard, which I think is really important for people in leadership positions. You gotta walk the walk to talk the talk. That’s something she naturally does, which is really rare for a young player to do.”
Beyond Smith, Bueckers has garnered the respect of a team full of WNBA veterans, including Ogunbowale, who shouldered the weight of the Wings’ expectations for six seasons.
“We just got to have our hands up, because we know she’s going to make the right read,” Ogunbowale said. “She’s super efficient every night. … She’s just really elite.”
The Wings entered the 2026 season with lofty expectations surrounding them. At minimum, they’re widely predicted to get back to the playoffs. But at the peak of possibilities for the Wings is title contention.
Bueckers holds the keys.
“I’m not one to live in the past,” Bueckers said. “But I’m not sure how long it was until we got our first win last year, and three counting the preseason. It’s not to say get complacent, or oh, we got one win, we’re going to go 44-0. We’re so focused on winning the day, winning the practice and getting better every single day, which leads to wins in total.”
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/author/annie-costabile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Annie Costabile</a> is a Senior Writer for The Athletic covering the WNBA and women&#8217;s basketball at large. Before joining The Athletic, she worked as a women&#8217;s sports reporter for Front Office Sports and, prior to that, was a sports reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times for seven years, where she covered the Chicago Sky and women&#8217;s sports. Annie also served as the high school preps and recruiting editor at The Clarion-Ledger. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa, based in Brooklyn.
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Paige Bueckers Showed Why She Holds Keys to Dallas Wings’ Season in Win Over Indiana Fever

Game Preview/Recap

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Game Recap: Mystics vs. Valkyries (5/21/2025)

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Game Recap: Sparks vs. Mercury (5/21/2025)

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Game Recap: Wings vs. Lynx (5/21/25)

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Game Recap: Dream vs. Fever (5/20/25)

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Game Recap: Aces vs. Sun (5/20/25)

The WNBA is finally back on our screens. We were treated to some excellent matchups between potential contenders, rookies, and potential frontrunners for the Most Valuable Player award, separating themselves from the pack.  
Let’s dive into the five takeaways from the eight games that kicked off the league’s 29th season.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Napheesa Collier, A’ja Wilson, and Caitlin Clark kick off MVP campaigns </h2>
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Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson unanimously won her third MVP in 2024 after an unbelievable season, averaging 26.9 points per game with 2.6 blocks, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 11.9 rebounds on over 50 percent shooting from the field. This was done with just a hair over one three-pointer per game taken by Wilson. 
Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier finished second in voting in 2024, and she seems motivated to begin 2025 with a vengeance and with the goal of winning that award in mind. She wrapped up opening weekend, averaging 28.3 points, five rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 56 percent shooting from the field and a 67 percent shooting from three.
Wilson had 31 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals, a block, and shot 50 percent from the field in the Aces’ opening against the New York Liberty this past weekend. Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark picked up a triple-double (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) to help lead the Fever to a win in their season opener. Despite her excellence this past weekend, Collier is still in a heated race for the MVP trophy. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. The Washington Mystics rookies show they’re WNBA-ready. </h2>
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After injuries to rookie guard Georgia Amoore and second-year forward Aaliyah Edwards, rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen stepped up in a big way for Washington. The duo shined for the Mystics in their respective debuts, helping lead the team to a 2-0 record after the opening weekend.
Citron wrapped up the weekend averaging 17 points and 2.5 assists on solid 65 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. Iriafen, a key post player for Washington with Edwards out, averaged 15.5 points and nine rebounds for Washington on over 50 percent shooting from the field. They’ve both completely flipped the Rookie of the Year race on its head in just two games, and it’s fun to see Citron and Iriafen take full advantage of the opportunities due to these unfortunate injuries. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. The new-look Phoenix Mercury embrace their new engine. </h2>
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The Engine, also known as Alyssa Thomas, has brought her winning ways to Phoenix. Once she opened the Mercury’s game against the Storm with a spin move to the basket for an easy bucket, you knew she was about to have a big performance. Thomas’ efficient 20 points on 8-13 shooting, six assists, two steals, and seven rebounds that led to a win over the Storm should excite Phoenix fans about this team’s ceiling. 
Thomas is the catalyst for any offense she’s running. Her selflessness as a passer and efficiency as a scorer make her the perfect point-forward for Phoenix, who are looking to lean into positionless basketball this year. Whip passes to Satou Sabally and strength to battle in the post are what’ll make this Mercury offense hum. And, while it’s a small sample size, the proof is in the on-off numbers for Thomas. When on the court, Phoenix had an offensive rating of 110.2. Off the court, that rating sank to just 88.9. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Natasha Cloud finds perfect fit with the New York Liberty</h2>
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When the New York Liberty traded for Natasha Cloud from the Connecticut Sun, it seemed like a match made in heaven. The team would get the opportunity to see how much better their offense could be when removing the ball from Sabrina Ionescu’s hands and bringing in a new playmaker in Cloud.
During the Liberty’s season opener against the Las Vegas Aces, Cloud endeared herself to the New York crowd with a 22-point, nine-assist, three-steal, and two-block performance. She willed the Liberty through a tough stretch in the 3rd quarter where they couldn’t dream of stopping Wilson or Jackie Young on offense, piecing together back-to-back and-1 scoring opportunities early in the 4th quarter that helped to separate New York from Las Vegas. Ring night remained unspoiled thanks to Cloud’s efforts. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. The Kelsey Plum experience arrives in Los Angeles</h2>
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In her first game, Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum made a huge splash to open the Sparks’ regular season. Against the inaugural Golden State Valkyries squad, she had 37 points, six assists, five steals, and two boards on 67 percent shooting from three-point range and 58 percent shooting from the field overall. 
Plum struggled in her second game with the Sparks, being held to 18 points on 33 percent shooting from deep and 36 percent shooting overall by the incomparable defense of Lynx guard Courtney Williams. But, she was the clear leader on the floor in both games, constantly feeding Dearica Hamby, Azurá Stevens, and rookie Sarah Ashlee Barker. 
Once the chemistry is formed between Plum and the Sparks’ elite post scorers in Hamby, Stevens, and Rickea Jackson, Los Angeles’ offense will be in a great spot with her at the head of the snake. 
WNBA reporter Candace Pedraza writes columns on <a href="http://wnba.com/">WNBA.com</a> throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its teams.

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5 Takeaways from the WNBA’s 2025 Tip-off Weekend

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Game Recap: Storm vs. Wings (5/19/25)

A dilemma comes with the opening week’s power rankings: How much do you hold onto your preseason expectations for teams vs. how much do you take into account the one (maybe two) games each team has played so far?
With only eight games played across the league, the sample size is too small to make drastic changes. However, a few teams made quite the first impression and climbed a few spots on the rankings ladder below.
<h2>↔️ 1. New York Liberty (1-0)</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-198583 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/NYL0.png" alt="Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Natasha Cloud" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/NYL0.png 960w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/NYL0-300x200.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/NYL0-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Last Week: 1
This Week: at CHI, at IND
The Liberty opened the week atop the power rankings, then raised their first banner, collected their rings, and defeated the Aces in a clash of the past two WNBA champs in the season opener. That’s a formula to stay atop the rankings this week.
Natasha Cloud stuffed the stat sheet (22 pts, six reb, nine ast, three stl, two blk) in her Liberty debut. She’s one of only four players to ever hit those marks in a game, and the only one to do so in a non-overtime contest.
<h2>↔️ 2. Minnesota Lynx (2-0)</h2>
Last Week: 2
This Week: vs. DAL, vs. CON
In this year’s WNBA GM Survey, the Lynx were tabbed as the title favorites, with Napheesa Collier as the favorite to win her first MVP. The season’s opening weekend only bolstered those thoughts as the Lynx posted double-digit wins over the Wings (+15) and the Sparks (+14), with Collier scoring 34 and 23 points, respectively, to lead the way.
<h2>↔️ 3. Las Vegas Aces (0-1)</h2>
Last Week: 3
This Week: at CON, vs. WAS, at SEA
Here’s my first example of not overreacting to a single game. Yes, the Aces dropped their season opener to the Liberty, the same team that ended their 2024 season in the semifinals, but one loss does not shake my faith in A’ja Wilson (31 pts, 16 reb) and the Aces. Jewell Loyd (5 pts, 2-10 FG) had a tough debut as she, Chelsa Gray, and Jackie Young combined to shoot just 26.2% in the opener. I anticipate that trio bouncing back quickly.
<h2>⬆️ 4. Indiana Fever (1-0)</h2>
Last Week: 5
This Week: vs. ATL at ATL, vs. NYL
Caitlin Clark opened her second WNBA season by dropping her third career triple-double (20 pts, 10 reb, 10 ast, career-high four blk) as she and Aliyah Boston (19 pts, 13 reb, five blk) led the Fever past the Sky. Simultaneously, DeWanna Bonner climbed to 3rd on the WNBA all-time scoring list (7,489) in her Fever debut.
<h2>⬆️ 5. Phoenix Mercury (1-0)</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-198586" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/PHX5-1.png" alt="" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/PHX5-1.png 960w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/PHX5-1-300x200.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/PHX5-1-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Last Week: 6
This Week: vs. LAS, at SEA, vs. WAS
The new-look Mercury, with eight players making their Phoenix debut on Saturday, never trailed as they defeated the Storm behind a combined 47 points from marquee offseason additions Satou Sabally (27 pts, six reb, three 3pm, two blk) and Alyssa Thomas (20 pts, seven reb, six ast, two stl).
The question is whether the Mercury can keep this going without last year’s leading scorer, Kahleah Copper (21.1 ppg, 3rd in WNBA), who is expected to miss 4-6 weeks following knee surgery.
<h2>⬇️ 6. Seattle Storm (0-1)</h2>
Last Week: 4
This Week: at DAL, vs. PHX, vs. LVA
Like the Aces, a season-opening loss doesn’t completely shake my belief in Seattle. With a veteran core of Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Alysha Clark, and Erica Wheeler, this team is built to win now while keeping an eye on the future after adding 19-year-old French center Dominique Malonga with the No. 2 pick in the draft.
However, the Storm struggled to score in their season opener, putting up just 59 points. Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor each shot 1-of-9 overall, and the team shot just 3-of-17 from 3-point range. Those marks must improve moving forward.
<h2>⬆️ 7. Los Angeles Sparks (1-1)</h2>
Last Week: 10
This Week: at PHX, vs. GSV, vs. CHI
The Sparks opened the season by spoiling the franchise debut of the Golden State Valkyries in historic fashion, with Kelsey Plum setting the WNBA record for points in a season opener with 37 in her Sparks debut. Plum followed that performance with 18 points and five dimes in Sunday’s loss to the Lynx, which saw Dearica Hamby and Azurá Stevens combine for 41 points. 
<h2>⬆️ 8. Washington Mystics (2-0)</h2>
Last Week: 11
This Week: at GSV, at LVA, at PHX
In 2024, the Mystics opened the season with 12 straight losses. In 2025, they opened with two straight wins. Veteran guard Brittney Sykes (24.5 ppg, 6.0 apg) and 2025 first round draft picks Sonia Citron (17.0 ppg, 64.7% FG) and Kiki Iriafen (15.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg) led the way in close wins over Atlanta (+4) and Connecticut (+5) to open the season. For a team focused on building for the future, the start of the 2025 campaign is promising.
<h2>⬇️ 9. Atlanta Dream (0-1)</h2>
Last Week: 7
This Week: at IND, vs. IND, vs. DAL, vs. CON
Despite the season-opening loss to the Mystics, the Dream have positives to build upon. The new frontline of Brittney Griner (18 pts, eight reb) and Brionna Jones (16 pts, 10 reb, five ast) should be formidable. Plus, Allisha Gray (25 pts, eight reb, seven ast, six 3pm) dropped a stat line only matched by two players ever. They’ll need to get Rhyne Howard going (11 pts on 4-of-14 FG in the opener) and hopefully get Jordin Canada (knee) back soon.
<h2>⬇️ 10. Dallas Wings (0-1)</h2>
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-198588" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/DAL10.png" alt="" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/DAL10.png 960w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/DAL10-300x200.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2025/05/DAL10-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Last Week: 9
This Week: vs. SEA, at MIN, at ATL
No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers scored Dallas’ first points of the season – putting back her own miss on a drive into the paint – but her WNBA debut (10 pts, seven reb, two ast) was spoiled by the Lynx. Arike Ogunbowale opened her seventh season with a team-high 16 points, while DiJonai Carrington had 15 in her Wings debut. With a new GM, new coach, and new point guard, this squad may take time to jell.
<h2>⬇️ 11. Chicago Sky (0-1)</h2>
Last Week: 8
This Week: vs. NYL, at LAS
The Sky scored 17 points in the first quarter of their season opener, and it was their highest-scoring frame of the game as they put up just 58 points in a loss to the Fever. Chicago was the second-lowest scoring team last season (77.4 ppg) and must generate more offense this year. Angel Reese (12 pts, 17 reb) led the Sky in both categories in the first game of her second season, but she’ll need more help moving forward.
<h2>↔️ 12. Connecticut Sun (0-1)</h2>
Last Week: 12
This Week: vs. LVA, at MIN, at ATL
The new-look Sun led most of the game in their debut against the Mystics, but Washington took control late to earn the win. Tina Charles (23 pts, 10 reb) played her first game as a Sun since 2013 and dropped a familiar 20/10 game – her 38th as a member of the Sun and the 102nd of her WNBA career. Charles and the Sun will be tested this week, facing two of the top three teams in this week’s rankings.
<h2>↔️ 13. Golden State Valkyries (0-1)</h2>
Last Week: 13
This Week: vs. WAS, at LAS
The Valkyries may have lost their season opener to the Sparks, but Friday night, in a sold-out Chase Center decked out in Valkyries purple, will long be remembered as a victory in bringing WNBA hoops to the Bay Area.
Kayla Thornton scored the first bucket in Valkyries history, while Tiffany Hayes led the home team with 19 points as Golden State kept the game close until Kelsey Plum and L.A. pulled away in the second half. The Valkyries have two chances to earn their first win this week when they host the Mystics on Wednesday and visit the Sparks on Friday.
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.

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2025 WNBA Power Rankings: Week 0

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Game Recap: Lynx vs. Sparks (5/18/25)

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