Welcome To The W: 2025 WNBA Playoff Preview
The WNBA set new viewership records this year, even as its best-known star, Caitlin Clark, was injured most of her sophomore season, playing only 13 games. Per The Athletic, the league averaged over 1.3M viewers over 25 games broadcast on ESPN and ABC. Interestingly enough, 721,000 viewers were male, while women accounted for 543,000 viewers.
The most-watched regular-season game in WNBA history drew 2.7 million viewers, and unsurprisingly, it was an Indiana Fever game when they took on the Sky and Angel Reese on May 17. Indiana led the highest-viewed games with nine of ten on ESPN. The Aces vs. the Liberty rounded out the top ten.
The top five WNBA markets by viewership are Indianapolis, Louisville, Ky., Richmond-Petersburg, Va., Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson, S.C. and Minneapolis-St. Paul. It should be noted that this data is specific to games aired on ESPN, but does not include data from Ion Network, which also aired WNBA games, as did Prime Video, so the 2024-2025 season would be by any measure the most-viewed in history.
Unfortunately, the WNBA playoffs, which kick off this weekend, dovetail with Week 2 of the NFL season, whose games are the top-rated live television shows across all networks. This is the way it breaks down for the W, which starts its season in May and its playoffs and championship end in the midst of football season.
But this year’s compelling storylines and record-breaking players may bring even more viewers its way, particularly when WNBA playoff games aren’t on Sunday, Monday or Thursday. This year is the first time the championship is a best-of-seven series, so defending champs, The New York Liberty, face a tougher path to repeat. A surging Las Vegas Aces team led by very likely four-time MVP A’ja Wilson, should make for a competitive playoff series. Here’s who’s in and the players to watch.
Playoffs start on Sunday, Sept. 14, with games on ESPN, ABC and ESPN 2. Peep the whole schedule here.
#1 MINNESOTA LYNX (34-10) VS. # 8 GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES (23-21)
Players to watch: Napheesa Collier (Lynx), Kayla Thornton (Valkyries)
The Lynx are the team to beat, period, as they had the regular season’s best record at 34-10, in the first WNBA season to go 44 games. The upstart Valkyries made the playoffs in their inaugural season, a first in league history. The Valks had the best regular season attendance in the history of the league, averaging over 18,000 fans per game at ‘Ballhalla,’ but they have their work cut out for them to take down the Lynx. First-year head coach Natalie Nakase goes against Cheryl Reeve, who has won four WNBA championships, and almost #5 as the Lynx were the runners-up last season to the eventual champs, the New York Liberty. If not for the injury that took her out for seven games, Collier, who had a 50-40-90 (53% shooting, 40% from three, 91% from the FT line) year, would be a lock for MVP. The Lynx are a well-run squad with one of the league’s best players, and they had a 4-0 record vs. the Valks in the regular season. The series kicks off from Minneapolis at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
ADVANTAGE: LYNX
#2 LAS VEGAS ACES (30-14) VS. #7 SEATTLE STORM (23-21)
Players to watch: A’ja Wilson (Aces), Skylar Diggins (Storm)
The former back-to-back champs in 2022 and 2023 traded point guard Kelsey Plum to the L.A. Sparks and struggled for the first half of the season, barely even getting to .500. But after the All-Star Break, led by reigning MVP A’ja Wilson, the Aces balled out, winning 16 straight to tie the most consecutive wins in WNBA history. Oh, and Wilson was just named AP Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Jewell Lloyd left the Storm after demanding a trade last season, so she has reasons to want to beat her former squad, but Nneka Ogwumike and passionate veteran guard Skylar Diggins will have something to say about that. However, the odds are against them as all WNBA teams that’ve won 15 or more straight have gone on to become WNBA champions. The teams split their four regular-season games, but the Aces look tough to beat. The series starts Sunday in Vegas at 10 p.m.
ADVANTAGE: ACES
#3 ATLANTA DREAM (30-14) VS. #6 INDIANA FEVER (24-20)
Players to watch: Rhyne Howard (Dream), Aliyah Boston (Fever)
For longtime WNBA fans, that Caitlin Clark is out for the playoffs eliminates the noise around her that has little to do with basketball. And it means other Fever players like Aliyah Boston can shine in her absence. The two teams split the regular season series, but the Dream won 15 of their last 18 regular season games, including six straight to finish the season. The Dream doubled their wins this year and have strong motivation to advance after being swept in their last three trips to the WNBA Finals in 2010, 2011 and 2013. The Fever haven’t been to the postseason since 2015, but injuries to six players, including Clark, may be a factor in the playoff grind. The series begins from Atlanta on Sunday at 3 p.m.
ADVANTAGE: EVEN
#4 PHOENIX MERCURY (27-17) VS. #5 NY LIBERTY (27-17)
Players to watch: Alyssa Taylor (Mercury), Sabrina Ionescu (Liberty)
The Mercury leads the season series 3-1, but both teams were without their top players in Phoenix’s wins. When both teams were at full strength, the Liberty bested the Mercury. While you have to give the defending champs their just due, the Mercury could be the sleeper team that denies the Liberty a chance to defend their title. Phoenix’s defense is its calling card, but the Liberty is battle-tested, despite some ups and downs in the regular season. Phoenix forward Alyssa Thomas is the best player not named A’ja or Napheesa in the league, shooting 53.5% from the field and marking eight triple-doubles, the most in the W. Their game starts at 5 p.m. on Sunday, from Phoenix.
ADVANTAGE: LIBERTY, BUT COULD BE AN UPSET
(Information compiled from The Athletic and ESPN.)
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