The 2025 WNBA season will feature 13 teams for the first time since 2009 as the league makes its latest attempt at expansion, this time coming off a record-breaking season that saw an explosion into the national consciousness. During the offseason, multiple teams loaded up to contend this season, with the league’s future in flux due to the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement after this season and two more expansion teams arriving in 2026.
The final season of this era for the league tips off Friday. The opening game features the 2024 runner-up Minnesota Lynx taking on No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers in her Dallas Wings debut.
Before the season starts, our staff got together to make predictions about what will happen in this monumental campaign.
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Who will be the 2025 WNBA champions?
Chantel Jennings: Lynx over Liberty
Who doesn’t love a comeback story, especially under the umbrella of a rematch? The Lynx have had some unexpected personnel issues with Dorka Juhász missing the entire season and Kayla McBride as a late arrival for personal reasons. Yet, the bevy of returning starters led by Napheesa Collier, the addition of 3-point shooting ace Karlie Samuelson, and Cheryl Reeve at the helm indicate they’re on a path toward redemption with a side of revenge. Whichever opponent the Lynx face in the finals will fall victim to this group. But the cohesive Liberty with Natasha Cloud as a catalyst are a likely opponent.
Sabreena Merchant: Lynx over Fever
Minnesota came within one possession of winning a WNBA title in 2024 and returns its full starting lineup in pursuit of vengeance. The Lynx can’t expect the same clean bill of health this season, following a year when Collier was the only starter to miss more than one game, but they’ve already developed roster continuity. A smidge of internal improvement, whether that’s from the returning rotation or young players like Diamond Miller or Alissa Pili, should put Minnesota over the top. As much as I expect the Lynx to exorcise the demons of their heartbreaking finals loss, this is the year the Fever have to endure that painful stepping stone. Indiana has as much talent as any team this season, which will get the Fever to the finals but just short of winning a title.
Ben Pickman: Liberty over Aces
It’s rare for teams to repeat as champions. Las Vegas became the first back-to-back WNBA title-winner in 21 years with its consecutive championships in 2022 and 2023. But heading into the 2025 season, no franchise has done enough in the offseason to unseat New York, which justifiably is a preseason favorite. The addition of Cloud provides more playmaking and stout perimeter defense. Cloud is also an energy shifter, and her presence is already felt daily within the organization. The Aces’ acquisition of Jewell Loyd could pay dividends, but questions about depth remain. It’s enough to get them back to the finals but not past the Liberty.
Who will win MVP?
Jennings: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
Expect Becky Hammon, an experienced and excellent coach, to provide some change-ups this season as the Aces attempt a return to the mountaintop and compete for their third title in four seasons. One change could be how the Aces prioritize and feed Wilson. She is the Aces’ fulcrum, and even with the addition of Loyd, everything they do will funnel through the three-time MVP. That’s just good coaching and a proven recipe for success. Look for another big year in Vegas, with Wilson as the MVP front-runner.
One player we haven’t mentioned who should be in the conversation will be second-year guard Caitlin Clark. More than two decades have passed since a guard won the MVP, and with the number of elite forwards this season, it’s hard to see this as the year a guard earns the award.
Merchant: Napheesa Collier, Minnesota Lynx
Collier proved she was the best player in the world in the one-on-one and three-on-three formats earlier this year. Now is her opportunity to do the same in five-on-five. By the postseason, it was hard to argue anyone was playing better than Collier, when the forward led the league in points, rebounds, blocks and steals. Minnesota must persist through the longest season in WNBA history to get back to the finals, and the best-conditioned player in the league is well-suited to keep the Lynx on track. She’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and has an unguardable go-to fadeaway in the mid-post. If Collier can improve her 3-point percentage for the fourth straight season (in the range of 32-33 percent), she’ll be even more challenging to defend.
Pickman: Wilson
Wilson became only the second player to win the MVP unanimously as she recorded arguably the most dominant year in league history last season. She set a WNBA single-season scoring record (26.9 points per game) and single-season records with 1,021 total points and 451 total rebounds. Though I expect she’ll play fewer minutes per game to keep her as fresh as possible for the playoffs, there’s no reason to suspect she — or the Aces —experience a dropoff. Wilson will become the WNBA’s first four-time MVP this fall.
Who will win Rookie of the Year?
Jennings: Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings
I didn’t read too much into preseason game stats or highlights, but Bueckers’ comfort level on the floor stood out. Bueckers usually has such an ease to her game, but I wondered if she’d show any jitters in her long-awaited pro debut, but … none were apparent. It’ll be interesting to see if the Storm’s Dominique Malonga can mount a campaign against Bueckers, especially since she’s opting to play in the U.S. during EuroBasket. But I think overall minutes and frontcourt depth might work against Malonga in this particular category. (Though, in the long term, learning from Ezi Magbegor will be a huge gain for Malonga’s rookie year.)
Merchant: Bueckers
Voters tend to default to the No. 1 pick even when it’s a close race, and this one shouldn’t be. Bueckers will be starting from opening night. She should be quickly impactful as a scorer and playmaker. Bueckers won’t necessarily create gaudy box scores, but her trademark efficiency makes her the runaway favorite.
Pickman: Bueckers
Bueckers is well-positioned to have the biggest impact of any rookie this season. She should have the ball in her hands frequently, which will help her rack up stats. Dallas needs her to be a playmaker for the franchise to be successful. Bueckers is my pick, but if we’re looking for other possible contenders (or at least players who are likely to make the All-Rookie team), Sonia Citron could play a significant role for the Washington Mystics. It wouldn’t be shocking to see Golden State rookies Carla Leite and Janelle Salaün receive opportunities as the season progresses.
Can Stephanie White take Indiana to new heights? (Matthew Holst / Getty Images)
Who will win Coach of the Year?
Jennings: Stephanie White, Indiana Fever
My picks for league champ (and runner-up), MVP and Coach of the Year hail from different franchises — illustrating the heavyweight nature at the top of the WNBA this season. This is a season primed to showcase many big players, and Indiana will be in the mix. Last season, the Fever returned to the postseason for the first time since 2016, and their next playoff win will be the franchise’s first since 2015. With offseason free-agency roster moves, Clark’s growth since last season, and the building expectations around Indiana, I expect the Fever to take a huge step and break through the .500 ceiling. That progress would speak to the investment made by both the franchise and players, but also to White’s coaching.
Merchant: Tyler Marsh, Chicago Sky
Although I’m in favor of this award going to the coach who does the best job — even if the coach works with the most talent — the award tends to go to a team that overachieves. I have my eye on the Chicago Sky. They finished 13-27 last season, but I expect Marsh to get them above .500. He’s installed a new offensive system to improve Chicago’s spacing and movement. He also has a long track record of player development, and if that comes through with Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, he’ll earn this award.
Pickman: White
Indiana’s streak without a winning season will likely end this season. If the Fever jump to a top-four playoff seed, then White should receive consideration in her return to the franchise after coaching the Connecticut Sun the past two seasons. Clark, Aliyah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell highlight Indiana’s roster, but White has a lot to juggle as she figures out rotations. Several players will be adjusting to new roles this year.
What’s a storyline to watch?
Jennings: College coaches in the pros
Beyond Karl Smesko in Atlanta, we’ve got former Utah coach Lynne Roberts and former Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors in Los Angeles, which should be a fun pairing, especially as Neighbors and his former Washington Huskies star Kelsey Plum reunite. I met Sky assistant Rena Wakama, who had previously been a Tulane assistant, this summer at the Olympics as she led the Nigerian women’s team to new heights. Former Minnesota coach Lindsay Whalen has reunited with Reeve at the Lynx for her second stint on the sideline.
Merchant: Karl Smesko’s impact
The Atlanta Dream started both preseason games with 3-pointers from Brittney Griner. Color me intrigued by whatever coach Karl Smesko is doing for a team that had a near-unwatchable offense the last two seasons. Smesko in the WNBA is exciting enough after he turned Florida Gulf Coast into a mid-major powerhouse. His coaching of two dominant low-post bigs makes this the league’s best mad science experiment.
Pickman: How will Golden State fare?
The WNBA has a new team for the first time since 2008, and we don’t know much about how the Valkyries will look. Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said she wants to play up-tempo and physically with aggressive defense, but a lot is up in the air about how lineups will look. With a few days remaining before roster cuts must officially be made, five rookies are still on their training camp roster. Predictions place Golden State as one of the league’s three worst teams, but perhaps the Valkyries will end up as the league’s biggest surprise. If not, keep a close eye on their continued business partnerships, fan base growth in the Bay Area and how upcoming expansion franchises in Portland and Toronto differ from the road map the Valkyries laid down last summer.
(Top photo of A’ja Wilson: David Becker / NBAE via Getty Images)
