Women’s Basketball: Basketball for FLINTAs
13 Apr 2025 - Semiopath
Hi everyone. To my delight, I was asked to write a primer on the upcoming WNBA season for the Flinta Forum audience. I would also like to host a watch party for the season opener and probably a fantasy league. Keep your eyes out for that if we’re pals. 2024 was my first season following the W. The league is in a great place right now. The New York Liberty will defend a championship for the first time in franchise history, and they’re seemingly well-positioned to repeat. The 2025 WNBA draft will take place in Manhattan on Monday, April 14. Pre-season games begin May 2, and the regular season begins on Friday, May 16.
Why Should I Watch?
It’s no secret among viewers familiar with the men’s game that the MNBA viewing experience has declined over the last several seasons. The WNBA has a healthy edge in sporting quality and watchability. Across all thirty of its teams, the vast majority of MNBA shot attempts come from either behind the arc or under the rim. Stars are often uniquely athletic, singularly gifted players who dominate one-on-one. Very few players are gay for each other.
The W enjoys a greater degree of physical parity. Set plays are more frequently relied on than iso ball; coaching expression is high. Without access to dunking (for most), the proportion of shot attempts from within three feet of the rim is lower, as is two-point field goal percentage as a whole. The midrange jumper is alive and well. Fewer points are scored per game. Defensive stops are paramount. Many of the players are gay for each other.
WNBA players are hot by the way. I don’t think I need to sell you, dear FLINTA, on the idea of a tall, muscular woman with tattoos. From May to October, tall, muscular women with tattoos are performing spectacular feats of endurance and athleticism on a nightly basis. They push each other around and overpower each other. They cause drama. They’re the greatest in the world at what they do and they know it. Half of them are gay. I think I mentioned that. Let’s move on.
Another meaningful difference between the WNBA and MNBA is that WNBA players are paid way, way, way less. The rookie minimum salary is about $65,000 and the veteran “supermax” is about $250,000. MNBA rookies enter the league and make a quick mil; the superstars net fifty times that. The WNBA salary cap for a team is $1.5m. It’s typical for WNBA players to make six to ten times their W salary playing in overseas leagues in Russia, China, Turkey, or Israel during the offseason. The WNBA doesn’t have the same kind of roster space as the MNBA nor does it have a G-League; players who are just outside the premier level of competition get cut, and that’s that. The W itself doesn’t even make money yet – it’s heavily subsidized by the MNBA.
Other sources of investment are starting to stream in, however, and as popularity and revenue grows, the players’ union has made it known that they want a piece. The WNBPA opted out of their collective bargaining agreement with the league, and the parties will negotiate a new one for the 2026 season onward.
This has an important implication for this year’s draft: Rookie contracts in the W last three years (with an optional fourth). A player who is drafted and signed in 2025 will be subject to the current rookie salary scale for at least that long. The same rookie, if she enters the league in 2026, will be subject to the terms of the new CBA, and will start making more money immediately. Of the league-ready crop of college players this season, many of those with college eligibility remaining are staying in school. Therefore, this draft class is considered to be weaker than average.
2026 will be a chaotic year for the WNBA. Two new teams will be added, in Portland and Toronto, meaning two expansion drafts. There will be more space on rosters available for the stacked 2026 rookie class, as well as for strong international prospects. The level of competition in the league is going to rise and the quality of the product is only going to get better and better.
How Can I Watch?
The Liberty play their home games at Barclays Center. Tickets have drastically increased in price since last season. WNBA League Pass is $34.99 for the year but doesn’t get you every game. Certain cable channels and streaming platforms get exclusive broadcast rights to various games throughout the season. Every game (including exclusives on other platforms) becomes available on League Pass after the game ends, but if you want to watch every Liberty game live, for example, even if you have League Pass, you will eventually rely on certain streaming sites not named herein (if you know a good one, please let me know!).
Let’s look at what’s going on with each team, in 2025 draft order.
DALLAS WINGS:
Last season’s worst defense in the W made big off-season upgrades in Myisha Hines-Allen, a quality rebounder, and in Dijonai Carrington, a high-pressure, high-femme defender who excels at forcing turnovers.
Dallas also acquired Carrington’s butch, Nalyssa Smith, who posted middling numbers at Indiana last year. The two have an on-again-off-again romance dating back to their days as teammates at Baylor. Dallas signed both in February; before the ink on their contracts dried, the two had seemingly split, unfollowing each other on Instagram. Smith let fly a few cryptic tweets—but the couple have since refollowed each other. Carrington has also said on Angel Reese’s podcast that she “[isn’t] even into girls… just Lys.” Love that for her.
This will be their first stint as teammates in the pros. It’s possible the Carrington-to-Smith connection will show on the court. It’s also possible their fickle inclinations are a ticking time bomb in the locker room. An eventual re-re-break-up could sink their team’s play-off chances. Should the Wings front office look to acquire… a relationship counselor?
Carrington and Smith join All-Star game MVP Arike Ogunbawale, a prolific scorer and one of the best dressed butches in the league. Come draft day, they will also be joined by NCAA national champion and prolific short-form content creator Paige Bueckers. Unlike last year’s consensus number one pick Caitlin Clark, Bueckers’ college career has been plagued by injury. Considered one of the best prospects in a long time, her full potential remains unknown. Conflicting accounts exist whether she’s for the girls. I’ll refrain from speculating.
Shipping out Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard leaves a huge scoring vacuum in the frontcourt that Smith and Hines-Allen will not solely remedy. To me, Dallas’s off-season moves signal a transition towards Paige Bueckers basketball: smallball lineups that focus on effective perimeter shooting and backdoor cuts. I think Dallas’s off-season moves will be effective to this end and they will be far better than last season. They also have a brand-new head coach. A lot of variables are in play, but I think they’re likely to make the playoffs with Paige staying healthy.
SEATTLE STORM:
The Storm are led by veteran duo Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, each of whom is on the last year of her contract. My favorite Storm player is the young Ezi Magbegor, who shores up the frontcourt and quietly averages multiple blocks per game. The team did well last season but traded away shot-caller Jewell Loyd for the second pick in the draft. They’re likely looking to acquire 2024 French Silver Medalist Dominique Malonga, whose fellow French Olympian Gabby Williams signed a core contract with the Storm (similar to a “franchise tag”) this off-season. Williams has a “weeb account” on Twitter. Her tattoos—some of which contain anime references—are breath-taking. You’ll want to see them in motion for full effect.
Nika Mühl of Croatia played very light minutes in 2024, then ruptured her ACL in Turkey in October. One of the 2024 rookies most in need of off-season development, she will tragically be out of the W for a while, likely until 2026.
I expect the Storm to present a more sluggish offense this season than last, though Malonga, if they draft her, could be an immediate threat. They were already solid defensively, and should only improve this season in that department. This team shouldn’t miss the playoffs and I think could stage a run if they get a soft first round match-up, like Atlanta.
WASHINGTON MYSTICS:
The Mystics have difficulty getting to the rim, ranking league-worst in free throws attempted and turnover percentage. From 2024, they’ve held onto Brittney Sykes and Shakira Austin, who topped the league in usage among any frontcourt/backcourt duo. Aaliyah Edwards and Stephanie Dolson are strong build-arounds as well. Edwards is great from the floor and on the glass but poor from the free throw line. “Big Mama Stef” is a versatile big who also happens to drill threes at one of the highest rates in the league. After a 14-26 showing (5-15 at home… sheesh), the Mystics have nonetheless kept most of their roster and will select 3rd (via Chicago), 4th, and 6th (via Atlanta) in the first round. They have a ton of cap space and will be looking to add and develop talent at the wing. I expect them to still miss the playoffs, but a stand-out season from one or more starters could carry them in.
GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES
The Valkyries are a brand-new expansion franchise. They built a roster out of players from other teams in December and will select 5th in the draft on Monday. Because expansion drafts allow teams to protect their top 6 players, the Valkyries are off to a slow start—their starting five will consist entirely of players who came off the bench for other teams. Notables are energetic guard and 2024 Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes, and Kate Martin, who played alongside Caitlin Clark at Iowa.
This is a great team to get in on the ground floor for. They have a fantastic logo and wear a beautiful shade of purple. They’ll be automatic underdogs at first but are sure to improve a lot in the next few seasons. Their practice facilities are state-of-the-art; players will want to play there. Their head coach, Natalie Nakase, was an assistant to the 2022 and 2023 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces. Just try to forget that they play in San Francisco.
CONNECTICUT SUN
Speaking of places players want to play: Connecticut isn’t one of them. The Sun play home games at the Mohegan Sun casino resort in… Uncasville? Near… Norwich? Wherever that is.
Sun ownership is known within the league for their second-rate facilities and lack of investment in their players. This relationship hit a particularly sour note last season when, the day before a playoff game, the Sun were forced to share their practice court with a birthday party for a two-year-old. Superstar Alyssa Thomas (half of the W’s most adorable power couple, with Dewanna Bonner) aired them out on social media, calling it “the ultimate disrespect.” The Sun flamed out in semifinals. All five starters forced their way out. Coach Stephanie White left for Indiana. Their best remaining pieces are experienced center Tina Charles and the hot-shooting, hot-tempered wing Marina Mabrey—who tried to leave, was blocked, and is known to hold grudges.
To make matters worse: a team’s odds in the draft lottery are determined by their performance over the previous two seasons, and the Sun won a lot of games last year. So, even if they tank hard, they’re unlikely to get the best shot at the stacked 2026 draft’s top picks. Obviously, anything can happen and that’s why you play the games. But from the outside looking in, the team seems like a train wreck. They should sell it to the Boston Celtics.
LOS ANGELES SPARKS
The Sparks made the splashiest trade of the off-season by dealing the second overall pick to Seattle in exchange for Kelsey Plum from the Las Vegas Aces. Plum is freshly divorced from NFL nutcase Darren Waller and smokes cigars (crowd cheers) in a heterosexual way (crowd awwws). This off-season, she announced her participation in Miami 3v3 league Unrivaled only to bow out, citing the need to “take some more time for myself,” which no one can prove is unrelated to a potential bisexual awakening.
Bombshell blonde Cameron Brink looked great on defense during the handful of games she played in 2024 before tearing her ACL. Now fully rehabbed, LA will look to Plum to activate her offensively. Their other star rookie Rickea Jackson averaged more points per game than any freshman not named Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark. The Sparks are one of the winningest franchises historically but have not made the playoffs since 2020. I think that can change this season.
LAS VEGAS ACES
The WNBA revoked the Las Vegas Aces first-round pick this season after finding they violated league policy by discriminating against Dearica Hamby when she became pregnant in 2022. Hamby says the Aces revoked several perks promised in her contract and coach Becky Hammon treated her with hostility and openly questioned her choices. The Aces traded Hamby to Los Angeles in 2023 and Hamby sued the team; the court case is ongoing.
Pregnancy discrimination notwithstanding, the Aces are a very good basketball team. They won championships in 2022 and 2023. 2024 unanimous MVP A’ja Wilson is tremendous on both sides of the ball. Chelsea Gray is one of the league’s best playmakers; she runs the offense like the damn Navy. The Aces are unselfish and rarely turn the ball over. Guard Jackie Young is fighting back from injury and the addition of Jewell Loyd should take pressure off of her. I’m excited to see Elizabeth Kitley play backup minutes for A’ja. The Aces are extremely skilled but can find themselves out-scrapped when it matters, like on the offensive glass. They struggle to defend the three-point line. Hammon is a great coach but often deflects blame onto her players. Kelsey Plum’s replacement Jewell Loyd shot poorly from three in 2024 and needs more time with the ball in her hands. Make no mistake, A’ja Wilson is monumental. But my hot take: I’m shorting this team for 2025.
CHICAGO SKY
The Sky are a team still searching for an identity. They drafted 6’ 7” center Kamilla Cardoso and the inimitable Angel Reese last year but have yet to surround them with effective pieces.
I love Angel, but she is a chucker, and it is a problem. She makes less than half of her lay-ups. In the paint and away from the rim, that number drops to 17%. She’s often scooping up her own misses, but that’s still no way to live. Even her free throw percentage could use some help. Guard Chennedy Carter was great on the drive last year—this year, she remains unsigned by any team, and rumors say she was locker room poison.
Sky legend Courtney Vandersloot will return to Chicago this season after a brief stint in New York and hopefully remedy some of their ball movement problems. Chicago also traded down on the draft board to acquire Ariel Atkins from Washington, who complements their grindy defensive mindset while also contributing a healthy fifteen points per game on offense. Ultimately, I expect little from Chicago in 2025, but unlike some, I think their front office has their heads screwed on properly. I’m leaving plenty of room to be surprised.
MINNESOTA LYNX
MVP runner-up Napheesa Collier is right up there with A’ja Wilson in two-way excellence, recording terrific defensive statistics in 2024. She has an extremely deft hand and can put the ball in the hoop from absolutely anywhere. Only downside: married to a man. Kayla McBride and cutest stud in the W Courtney Williams are lethal shooters as well.
The Lynx lost the 2024 Finals to our hometown heroes in controversial fashion, and chose not to fix what ain’t broken, retaining all core players and all 3 of their draft picks. They’re top five in the league in nearly every metric and shouldn’t feel much pressure to shore up any specific weakness, outside of maybe offensive rebounding (Collier and Williams’ love of tricky midrange looks may have something to do with this).
Minnesota is a pleasure to watch and will be playing basketball well into October. After last year’s finals, the Liberty will be praying to dodge them in the playoffs.
ATLANTA DREAM
Atlanta signed none other than the six-foot-nine Brittney Griner, a legendary player both for her accomplishments on the court and her strength of will off of it (Griner famously spent almost all of 2022 incarcerated in Russia). BG may be exactly what the Dream, a poor shooting team, needed. She’s automatic near the rim and is even a threat from downrange, making more than half of her threes from the top of key in 2024. New forward Brionna Jones from Connecticut is also highly productive on offense. Atlanta’s trio of creative guards in Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada are effective in getting to the free throw line.
However, Atlanta was the lowest-scoring team in the W in 2024. A high proportion of their buckets are unassisted. They rarely score off of turnovers or fast breaks. Griner is a star, but she’s not highly mobile and is unlikely to fix Atlanta’s pace problem. Their bench is shallow, and they won’t find immediate answers in the draft either; Atlanta does not pick until halfway through the second round.
All that said, this team usually looked better than the scoreboard showed last season. They have a new coach who may bring with him new offensive priorities. The individual talent level among their starters is high.
Atlanta hasn’t won a playoff game since 2018. I’m going to predict they bow out in the first round for the third year running.
INDIANA FEVER
The Indiana Fever are the WNBA home of Caitlin Clark, whose reputation precedes her. Clark attempted more threes per game than any other player in her rookie season, and averaged more minutes played per game than any other player except one. Her three-point percentage was actually merely average, but she moved the ball like no other, averaging an enormous 8.4 assists. The Fever play fast, make their buckets, and squeeze a few extra possessions out of every game.
In 2024, they were highly reliant on Clark and backcourt companion Kelsey Mitchell for offense. This pair alone represented half their scoring, and whenever Clark left the floor, the wheels fell off. In 2025, the ball team shouldn’t have this problem. They’ve added skilled veteran forwards Dewanna Bonner and Natasha Howard in free agency, who boast five WNBA championships between them. Aliyah Boston at center is a paint dominator and a great rebounder, giving the quick-drawing Fever many second-chance opportunities. Eminently boo-able transphobe Sophie Kkkunningham will come off the bench to relieve Clark and Mitchell without slowing the offense to a crawl.
I believe Indiana’s new coach Stephanie White (of last season’s 28-12 Connecticut Sun) will elevate their defense and manage the offense in a way that moderates Clark’s minutes. This team has a high floor and high ceiling. We will see them deep in the playoffs this year.
NEW YORK LIBERTY
Like 2024 runner-up Minnesota, the defending champs are largely resting on their laurels. One big question mark, though, is the status of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. She suffered a meniscus injury during Unrivaled play and underwent surgery in late March. She may miss the entire season. Laney-Hamilton’s hybrid skillset of guard play and post-up skills allowed her to contribute a league-highest (among statistically relevant players) 1.1 points per possession for the Libs. Her absence will be felt.
New York has a high-flying offense nonetheless. At 6’ 4”, Breanna Stewart moves responsibly with the ball going to the rim or stepping back to fire. Center Jonquel Jones, like BG, is a threat from downtown. Sabrina Ionescu trails only Caitlin Clark in most three-point and assist metrics—the Liberty don’t really have players who can’t shoot the three. Leonie Fiebich is a combination player who shined bright as a rookie in last year’s playoffs, and will likely be called upon to fill Laney-Hamilton’s starting role. Addition Natasha Cloud will be coming in off the bench for Ionescu. I was overjoyed to learn she was coming to New York. Tash is one of the most likable players in the W and she often wears a Palestine flag wristband during games. She looked really good at Phoenix last season… and played some basketball, there too! Tash’s girlfriend Isabelle Harrison also joined New York in free agency—follow them on Instagram, they make a darling couple.
The Liberty’s talents do not stop at offense. Jones and Stewart sport enormous wingspans and combine for 2.6 blocks per game. They limit Liberty opponents to a lower field goal percentage in the paint and fewer second chance points than any other team. Their victory in last year’s finals was about as skin-of-the-teeth as it gets, but if it weren’t for the loss of Laney-Hamilton, I’d say they’ve only gotten better. As it stands, they’re still my favorite to win in 2025.
PHOENIX MERCURY
The Phoenix Mercury will struggle back this season from the retirement of the iconic Diana Taurasi and from the departure of Brittney Griner in free agency. They are also the only team in the W to not have any selections in the 2025 draft.
Last year’s Connecticut Sun offense ran through Alyssa Thomas, who assisted on over a third of her team’s field goals. This year, she’ll play in Phoenix. She and fiancée Dewanna Bonner are raising Bonner’s two children from a previous WNBA marriage. With Bonner in Indiana, I hope they can still find quality time together.
The Mercury’s roster lacks a true starting-quality point guard, but this may not be an issue, as Alyssa Thomas is well-accustomed to the “point forward” role. She will be creating plays for Satou Sabally in the paint or for shooting guard Kahleah Copper at the wing. Copper’s ceiling is very high. In 2024, she averaged a whopping 21 points per game and dropped high-thirties on multiple occasions. She can be feast-or-famine though, so the Mercury need more options.
With Taurasi and Griner off the books, Phoenix has about $500k in cap space available, but it’s tough to imagine how they put it to good use. This puts them in a position where they need draft capital… but they traded away all their picks. Oopsie. Maybe 2026 will be their year.
SARAH’S PRE-SEASON POWER RANKINGS:
- New York Liberty
- Minnesota Lynx
- Indiana Fever
- Los Angeles Sparks
- Seattle Storm
- Dallas Wings
- Las Vegas Aces
- Atlanta Dream
- Washington Mystics
- Chicago Sky
- Phoenix Mercury
- Connecticut Sun
- Golden State Valkyries
I would love to start a FLINTAs WNBA fantasy league but I have basically no experience in fantasy sports. Please reach out if you’d like to help. Thanks for reading!