On May 16, the WNBA tipped off its 29th season. Only a week has gone by since then, but this season has already been historic. The Golden State Valkyries played their first game ever as the league’s newest franchise and, in their second game, picked up their first win. Saturday’s Fever-Sky game averaged 2.7 million viewers, making it the most watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms in history. DeWanna Bonner moved into third on the all-time scoring list in Indiana’s opener. Below is my reaction to each team’s opening week.

Atlanta Dream

I wasn’t sure how centers Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones would fit together, especially playing for the pace and space poster coach in Karl Smesko. Atlanta only has one win to show for it, but three games in, I like it. On the perimeter, Rhyne Howard has been virtually unguardable and Allisha Gray is shooting the lights out. This is a playoff team.

Chicago Sky

I didn’t think Chicago was going to be very good this year, but I didn’t think it would be this bad. It’s been an especially tough start to the season for Angel Reese, who is averaging 7.0 PPG on 38.3% shooting from the floor and 37.5% from the free throw line. Reese needs to pick it up if Chicago is going to have any success this season.

Connecticut Sun

I expect absolutely nothing out of the Sun this season, but I was impressed with how they competed in their season-opening loss to Washington. I can’t say the same for their second game against Las Vegas, but it was great to see rookie Saniya Rivers take the floor and have a solid debut. I’m excited to see how their other 2025 first round pick, Aneesah Morrow (7th overall), adapts to the league once she recovers from a knee injury.

Dallas Wings

It’s been a tough start to the season for Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings. They opened with tough opponents in Minnesota and Seattle and only have three returning players from last year, so I don’t take too much away from their 0-3 start to the season. If they’re still in the same spot in a month or two, then I’ll be concerned.

Golden State Valkyries

Expansion teams rarely fare well in their first seasons, and I don’t think Golden State is going to be any different. Their roster is mostly made up of former role players who aren’t used to starting and being counted on for scoring. I’m still confused why none of their 2025 college draft picks made the roster. The Valkyries dropped their first game to LA but earned the franchise’s first-ever win with a two-point victory over rebuilding Washington.

Indiana Fever

After Indiana’s season-opening win over the Sky, I thought they looked like a legitimate championship contender. Since then, they’ve split a pair of games with Atlanta and haven’t looked nearly as dominant as they did in their first game. DeWanna Bonner needs to get going if the Fever are going to advance past the first round of the playoffs.

Las Vegas Aces

I had a lot of questions about the Aces after their season-opening loss to New York and beating Connecticut handily doesn’t really answer any of those questions (no offense to the Sun). It’ll be interesting to see how Jewell Loyd meshes with the returning core as the season progresses. I think Las Vegas lost their edge after winning back-to-back titles, and I think trading Kelsey Plum for Loyd only exacerbated that.

Los Angeles Sparks

Speaking of Kelsey Plum, what a debut! Plum scored 37 points to lead the Sparks to a season-opening win and set the league record for most points in a season opener. She added another 27 against Phoenix, but LA lost to the Kahleah Copper-less Mercury by three. This team has potential, but they’re currently down three major contributors in Cameron Brink (ACL), Rickea Jackson (concussion protocol) and Rae Burrell (knee). Getting those three back would go a long way to improving on last year’s last-place finish.

Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota brought back their entire starting five from the team that took New York to the last possession of game five of the 2025 WNBA finals. Add Jessica Shepard, a healthy Diamond Miller, and a huge chip on their shoulder, and I think this team is even better than last year. They’ve certainly looked the part of a championship contender through their first three games, and that’s without starter Kayla McBride joining the team yet.

New York Liberty

The cast is slightly different, but the Liberty have picked up right where they left off after winning a championship in 2024. Natasha Cloud (go Hawks) is filling the void on the perimeter left by Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and then some. No notes.

Phoenix Mercury

I told my brother to take the spread on Seattle beating Phoenix —Seattle was favored by 6.5 and then Phoenix won by 22. It’s still unclear (at least to me) how this roster beat the Storm so badly. They followed it up with a three-point win over the injury-decimated Sparks. Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally have been otherworldly so far, but I don’t expect that, or the team’s success thus far, to continue.

Seattle Storm

I do not understand how this team lost to the Kahleah Copper-less Mercury so badly. I also do not understand why Dominique Malonga only played one minute in a game in which the Storm had a 15-point lead at halftime. The Storm have the pieces to do some damage, so I’m very intrigued to watch how the rest of the season plays out in Seattle.

Washington Mystics

Shoutout to the Mystics for winning their first two games, but then they lost to expansion team Golden State in the franchise’s third-ever game. You can’t win too many games when you’re rebuilding, though. And with rookies Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen averaging double figures in scoring thus far, the (distant) future looks bright.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but my prediction is a rematch of last year’s Minnesota vs. New York finals. The season is young, though, and a lot could change between now and October. Do you agree with my evaluation of your favorite team? Sound off in the comments.

Yours in hoops,

Katie