So….which one of our now 13 WNBA teams had the best schedule reveal?
You be the judge.
Regardless, it has only been roughly a bit more than a month since the 2024 season concluded with the New York Liberty won its first-ever WNBA championship by defeating the Minnesota Lynx in an unforgettable Finals.
With the 2024 season in the rear view mirror, the next destination on our WNBA journeys is the 2025 season – the 29th in the history of the W.
And on that journey is a new traveler – and the W family is hella excited to have the Golden State Valkyries as part of said journey.
In fact – the Valkyries will have a big moment in the spotlight coming up this Friday when the expansion draft takes place. Who will Natalie Nakase and Ohemaa Nyanin choose to be part of Golden State’s ascent?
In fact, that ascent will begin on May 16 when three games take place. One of those contests will feature the Atlanta Dream at the Washington Mystics in Karl Smesko’s coaching debut at the Dream. As Paige Bueckers is projected to be the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Dallas Wings, the team will begin its final season at the College Park Center in Arlington at home against Bueckers’ home state team – the Minnesota Lynx.
Also – the WNBA is wasting no time getting the west coast rivalry between the Sparks and Valkyries going. The Valks’ first game at Chase Center will be vs. the Sparks (Lynne Roberts’ coaching debut).
Then…there is the following day. Yeah…our WNBA wants to create chaos right out of the gate. May 17 – the Chicago Sky (Angel Reese) traveling to the Indiana Fever (Caitlin Clark). Our guess is that will be a national broadcast. While the Reese-Clark non rivalry-rivalry is sure to garner the lion’s share of build-up to that day, it is also Tyler Marsh’s coaching debut with the Sky and Stephanie White’s coaching debut with the Fever.
The Sky and Fever are slated to play each other five times in 2025. Those five occasions, outside of May 17 are June 7 (in Chicago), July 26 (in Chicago), August 9 (at Indiana) and September 5 (in Indiana). Also right after that May 17 Sky vs. Fever get-together – the Las Vegas Aces traveling to New York to take on the Liberty. The seafoam, black and copper getting their rings and championship banner in front of A’ja Wilson.
All the motivation in the world for Wilson to 30-piece the Libs.
Then there is the nightcap which will see the Seattle Storm head to Phoenix to take on the Mercury. This should mean the return of Skylar Diggins-Smith back in Arizona – and it will have even more added significance if Diana Taurasi were to return for one more season in the W.
The only other team we have not mentioned yet is the Connecticut Sun – a team that already lost its coach to Indiana and may have an entirely new look if it fails to re-sign its main free agents. The Sun’s first matchup will be on Sunday, May 18 at home vs. the Washington Mystics. That same day, the Lynx will be in Los Angeles at the Sparks. The day afterwards will see the first matchup of Bueckers vs. Reese in a home and home with the Sky that will occur on May 29-31.
Speaking of the Wings and Lynx – that likely return for Bueckers to Minnesota will occur a few days later on May 21.
May 23 will see a rematch of the other WNBA semifinal from last year when the Sun travel to Target Center to face off against the Lynx. That same day the Valkyries and Sparks will renew pleasantries – this time in Los Angeles.
May 30 will be another big day on the WNBA calendar because it means White will coach her first game against her former team when the Sun face the Fever.
June 1st will see the start of the Commissioner’s Cup – every game from June 1-17 will be a Commissioner’s Cup contest. That first day four games are scheduled. One of them will feature the Sun and Liberty, another the Mercury and Sparks, another the Aces and Storm and another the Lynx and Valkyries.
Speaking of those Valkyries – it will be on June 7 at the Chase Center when Nakase coaches against the Aces – a team that she previously was an assistant with. Las Vegas and Golden State will also face each other in a home and home on Aug. 3 and Aug. 6. Marsh’s coaching debut against his former Aces will occur on Aug. 25 in Chicago.
Six games will take place the final day of Commissioner’s Cup play – Sun at Fever, Dream at Liberty, Mystics at Sky, Valkyries at Wings, Storm at Sparks and Aces at Lynx (Wilson vs. Napheesa Collier). As for the Commissioner’s Cup final, it is scheduled for July 1.
Of course, All-Star weekend will occur on July 19 in Indianapolis – but prior to then will see the Fever and Sun match up in Boston at the TD Garden on July 15. Two days before that will see the Wings and Fever get together at Gainbridge Fieldhouse which appears to be matchup of Bueckers vs. Clark.
The first Finals rematch between the Lynx and Liberty occurs after the All-Star break on July 30 in Minnesota. The two former Finals combatants are slated to face each other on three more occasions – on Aug. 10 at Barclays Center and a home and home at Target Center on Aug. 16 and at Barclays Center on Aug. 19.
The season ends on Thursday September, 11 and four games will occur that day – all prime time matchups. The first of those is Liberty at the Sky, then there is Mercury at Wings in Dallas’ final regular season contest at College Park Center, Valkyries vs. Lynx at Target Center and Aces at Sparks at Crypto.com Arena.
In addition – January will be when plenty of free agency talk begins to rise to the surface and February 1 will be when those free agents can sign on the dotted lines with teams.
Is it February 1 yet?
Is it May 16th yet?
