2025 WNBA Power Rankings (Week 7): Valkyries forge ahead, Dream jump Liberty, Lynx lead pack
Let's see where the rest of the teams shake out in the power rankings after another week of action.
WNBA Power Rankings
These rankings reflect where each WNBA team stands after week seven of the 2025 season. Teams are ranked 1-13 and are grouped by tiers.
Past Rankings: Preseason, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6
Minnesota Lynx (14-2) | Prior Rank: 1 - What else can you say about the Minnesota Lynx? They're a well-oiled machine that keeps on winning. No Napheesa Collier? No problem. Granted, their second loss of the season came in a game where Collier, the recently named All-Star captain didn't play, but they almost won. And in the three games played this season without their MVP frontrunner, they went 2-1. This team just doesn't lose (much), which is why they are the West representatives in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup, which will be played on Tuesday. It's also why they have the best record in the league and top the standings. And it's why the best team in the league comes in again this week at No. 1.
Napheesa Collier heads to her 5th All-Star Game as Team Collier captain for the FIRST TIME, representing the West 🌟
She leads the W in scoring with 24.5 PPG, including 8.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG. Watch Phee lead the West July 19 on ABC at 8:30pm/ET! pic.twitter.com/rtKxdf87Cv— WNBA (@WNBA) June 29, 2025
Minnesota Lynx (14-2) | Prior Rank: 1 - What else can you say about the Minnesota Lynx? They're a well-oiled machine that keeps on winning. No Napheesa Collier? No problem. Granted, their second loss of the season came in a game where Collier, the recently named All-Star captain didn't play, but they almost won. And in the three games played this season without their MVP frontrunner, they went 2-1. This team just doesn't lose (much), which is why they are the West representatives in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup, which will be played on Tuesday. It's also why they have the best record in the league and top the standings. And it's why the best team in the league comes in again this week at No. 1.
Napheesa Collier heads to her 5th All-Star Game as Team Collier captain for the FIRST TIME, representing the West 🌟
She leads the W in scoring with 24.5 PPG, including 8.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 1.5 BPG. Watch Phee lead the West July 19 on ABC at 8:30pm/ET! pic.twitter.com/rtKxdf87Cv
Phoenix Mercury (12-5) | Prior Rank: 2 - Streaks are made to be broken, and the Mercury's six-game winning streak came to end on Sunday at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces, but Phoenix's streak as the No. 2 team in these rankings will continue. The Mercury lost a close game to a struggling Aces team desperate for a win, but on Friday, they defeated the shorthanded New York Liberty for the second time this season. Beating the Liberty twice in eight days and losing only once in your last seven games justifies maintaining the second spot in these rankings, especially when the team has the second best record in the league and none of the teams ranked lower did enough to earn a higher ranking this week.
Atlanta Dream (11-6) | Prior Rank: 4 - The Atlanta Dream move back into third this week after going 1-2 in week 7. They move up one spot mostly because the New York Liberty are in a rut. The Dream have some questionable losses last week to the Dallas Wings and in overtime to the Minnesota Lynx. Late game execution was again an issue for the Dream which forced them into overtime and resulted in the Lynx stealing a game on the road that they probably should've lost. The Dream did go on to beat the New York Liberty on Sunday and withstood a Liberty run in the third quarter. Unlike their first meeting of the season where the Dream gave up a big lead and lost to New York, the Dream responded this time around in a game where they lost Rhyne Howard due to injury. It was a really good win for the Dream who have goals of contending this season. The win was enough to rank the Dream one spot ahead of the Liberty this week at No. 3.
Atlanta Dream (11-6) | Prior Rank: 4 - The Atlanta Dream move back into third this week after going 1-2 in week 7. They move up one spot mostly because the New York Liberty are in a rut. The Dream have some questionable losses last week to the Dallas Wings and in overtime to the Minnesota Lynx. Late game execution was again an issue for the Dream which forced them into overtime and resulted in the Lynx stealing a game on the road that they probably should've lost.
The Dream did go on to beat the New York Liberty on Sunday and withstood a Liberty run in the third quarter. Unlike their first meeting of the season where the Dream gave up a big lead and lost to New York, the Dream responded this time around in a game where they lost Rhyne Howard due to injury. It was a really good win for the Dream who have goals of contending this season. The win was enough to rank the Dream one spot ahead of the Liberty this week at No. 3.
New York Liberty (11-5) | Prior Rank: 3 - After going 9-0 to start the season, the New York Liberty have gone 2-4 in their last six games, which includes a four-game road trip where they went 1-3. A lot of the Liberty's struggles can be explained by the loss of key starters such as Jonquel Jones (right ankle injury) and Leonie Fiebich, who was away from the team to compete in EuroBasket, but it does not explain away all of their struggles.
Sandy Brondello: "I don't care who's not with us. They're not gonna save us. This is it, and we need to find a way to dig deeper." (Q: ?)— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) June 28, 2025
Sabrina Ionescu has been in a bit of a shooting slump from beyond the arc and the team has found itself getting off to slow starts lately and having to climb their way back into games. Head Coach Sandy Brondello has also spoken about the team's effort of late after their loss to Phoenix. The champs will be at home for all of July and will have a chance to rebound from this slump they are in. They will also be getting Leonie Fiebich back and possibly Jonquel Jones, based on her 4-6 week injury timeline. The New York Liberty are probably still the best team in the league, and at worst second best, but their losses cannot be overlooked and it's why they fall one spot to No. 4.
Sandy Brondello on 1st half vs Phoenix: "I don't think we had the physicality that we needed, the energy, the effort. We shouldn't be in the league where we have to coach effort, and it's just staying engaged." (Q: @GeoffJMags)— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) June 29, 2025
New York Liberty (11-5) | Prior Rank: 3 - After going 9-0 to start the season, the New York Liberty have gone 2-4 in their last six games, which includes a four-game road trip where they went 1-3. A lot of the Liberty's struggles can be explained by the loss of key starters such as Jonquel Jones (right ankle injury) and Leonie Fiebich, who was away from the team to compete in EuroBasket, but it does not explain away all of their struggles.
Sandy Brondello: "I don't care who's not with us. They're not gonna save us. This is it, and we need to find a way to dig deeper." (Q: ?)
Sabrina Ionescu has been in a bit of a shooting slump from beyond the arc and the team has found itself getting off to slow starts lately and having to climb their way back into games. Head Coach Sandy Brondello has also spoken about the team's effort of late after their loss to Phoenix. The champs will be at home for all of July and will have a chance to rebound from this slump they are in. They will also be getting Leonie Fiebich back and possibly Jonquel Jones, based on her 4-6 week injury timeline. The New York Liberty are probably still the best team in the league, and at worst second best, but their losses cannot be overlooked and it's why they fall one spot to No. 4.
Sandy Brondello on 1st half vs Phoenix: "I don't think we had the physicality that we needed, the energy, the effort. We shouldn't be in the league where we have to coach effort, and it's just staying engaged." (Q: @GeoffJMags)
Golden State Valkyries (9-7) | Prior Rank: 6 - It's top five for the Valkyries this week. The Valkyries' inaugural season as an expansion team has been nothing short of remarkable. They've set a high bar for the expansion teams that will be coming to Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia that were announced Monday, as well as for the two expansion teams slated for next season in Toronto and Portland.
The WNBA just keeps on growing! 📈 pic.twitter.com/eYs0jDzz7Y— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) June 30, 2025
The Valkyries have an incredible home-court advantage that they've leveraged all season. On the road they are 2-4, but at home they are 7-3. They've sold out all 10 of their home games, which accommodates more than 18,000. Players and coaches from multiple teams have spoken about the sound levels in the arena. Based on their record, it's clear that it's not easy to play at Ballhalla. The Valkyries are sixth in the standings behind the Seattle Storm because the Storm have played and won one more game than the Valkyries, but the two teams have the same number of losses and the Valkyries have beaten the Storm in both of their meetings this season, most recently on Sunday in a dominant 84-57 victory. With similar records, their play in the head-to-head matchups gives the Valkyries the nod over Seattle this week for the No. 5 spot.
Golden State Valkyries (9-7) | Prior Rank: 6 - It's top five for the Valkyries this week. The Valkyries' inaugural season as an expansion team has been nothing short of remarkable. They've set a high bar for the expansion teams that will be coming to Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia that were announced Monday, as well as for the two expansion teams slated for next season in Toronto and Portland.
The WNBA just keeps on growing! 📈 pic.twitter.com/eYs0jDzz7Y
The Valkyries have an incredible home-court advantage that they've leveraged all season. On the road they are 2-4, but at home they are 7-3. They've sold out all 10 of their home games, which accommodates more than 18,000. Players and coaches from multiple teams have spoken about the sound levels in the arena. Based on their record, it's clear that it's not easy to play at Ballhalla.
The Valkyries are sixth in the standings behind the Seattle Storm because the Storm have played and won one more game than the Valkyries, but the two teams have the same number of losses and the Valkyries have beaten the Storm in both of their meetings this season, most recently on Sunday in a dominant 84-57 victory. With similar records, their play in the head-to-head matchups gives the Valkyries the nod over Seattle this week for the No. 5 spot.
Seattle Storm (10-7) | Prior Rank: 5 - Consistency continues to plague the Seattle Storm. They went 1-2 in week 7 losing to the Fever at home and the Valkyries on the road. Their sole win last week was over the Connecticut Sun, a team with the worst record in the WNBA. Skylar Diggins called the Storm's blowout loss to the Valkyries 'embarrassing' and was critical of the team's effort during that game.
Following the Valkyries 84-57 victory, Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins goes scorched earth after I asked her what went wrong in the third quarter (Where Seattle was outscored 31-17).
"It's embarassing. It's b*llsh*t effort on our part." pic.twitter.com/6Wgu0aI769— Joseph Dycus (@joseph_dycus) June 30, 2025
The key to Seattle truly being viewed as a contender and turning into one is consistency. Until then, they will likely remain in the middle of the pack in the standings and also these rankings, which is why they fall one spot to No. 6 this week.
Seattle Storm (10-7) | Prior Rank: 5 - Consistency continues to plague the Seattle Storm. They went 1-2 in week 7 losing to the Fever at home and the Valkyries on the road. Their sole win last week was over the Connecticut Sun, a team with the worst record in the WNBA. Skylar Diggins called the Storm's blowout loss to the Valkyries 'embarrassing' and was critical of the team's effort during that game.
Following the Valkyries 84-57 victory, Seattle Storm guard Skylar Diggins goes scorched earth after I asked her what went wrong in the third quarter (Where Seattle was outscored 31-17).
"It's embarassing. It's b*llsh*t effort on our part." pic.twitter.com/6Wgu0aI769
The key to Seattle truly being viewed as a contender and turning into one is consistency. Until then, they will likely remain in the middle of the pack in the standings and also these rankings, which is why they fall one spot to No. 6 this week.
Las Vegas Aces (8-8) | Prior Rank: 8 - The Aces are back to .500, but even after going 2-1 in week 7 and snapping the Mercury's six-game win streak, there are still more questions than answers about the former champs. The Aces sole loss last week came at the hands of the Washington Mystics who controlled the game from tipoff. The Aces came out lethargic, and during the third quarter Becky Hammon benched her starters. While they did eventually return to the game and made a run, their comeback attempt fell short, which has been a common theme for the Aces this season. When they played the Mercury on Sunday, it looked like it would be more of the same as Phoenix jumped out to an early lead, but the Aces rallied and went on to win the game. There is no question that was Aces best game and win of the season, but the question is, can they continue to play like that and start stacking wins?A major issue for the Aces this season, aside from their defensive struggles, has been the lack of frontcourt depth. A trade on Monday with the Dallas Wings to acquire NaLyssa Smith may be the answer to at least one of those problems. Smith is a 6'4 forward who has career averages of 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. On the season, she is currently averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Only time will tell, but it's a step in the right direction for a struggling Aces team. For now, the Aces will remain at No. 7 for another week in a row.
🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨
The @DallasWings have traded NaLyssa Smith to the @LVAces in exchange for a 2027 First Round Pick! pic.twitter.com/SGWq3Yj11r— WNBA (@WNBA) June 30, 2025
Las Vegas Aces (8-8) | Prior Rank: 8 - The Aces are back to .500, but even after going 2-1 in week 7 and snapping the Mercury's six-game win streak, there are still more questions than answers about the former champs.
The Aces sole loss last week came at the hands of the Washington Mystics who controlled the game from tipoff. The Aces came out lethargic, and during the third quarter Becky Hammon benched her starters. While they did eventually return to the game and made a run, their comeback attempt fell short, which has been a common theme for the Aces this season. When they played the Mercury on Sunday, it looked like it would be more of the same as Phoenix jumped out to an early lead, but the Aces rallied and went on to win the game. There is no question that was Aces best game and win of the season, but the question is, can they continue to play like that and start stacking wins?
A major issue for the Aces this season, aside from their defensive struggles, has been the lack of frontcourt depth. A trade on Monday with the Dallas Wings to acquire NaLyssa Smith may be the answer to at least one of those problems. Smith is a 6'4 forward who has career averages of 12 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. On the season, she is currently averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Only time will tell, but it's a step in the right direction for a struggling Aces team. For now, the Aces will remain at No. 7 for another week in a row.
🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨
The @DallasWings have traded NaLyssa Smith to the @LVAces in exchange for a 2027 First Round Pick! pic.twitter.com/SGWq3Yj11r
Indiana Fever (8-8) | Prior Rank: 8 - The Fever will also return at No. 8 this week after going 2-1 in week 7. They had an impressive road win over Seattle, a loss to the Sparks at home and another win on the road against the Dallas Wings. Caitlin Clark sustained a groin injury in the Fever's win against the Storm and has been listed as day-to-day since.
Caitlin gets subbed back in up 8 with 16 seconds to go and the ball. She ends up grabbing her left groin a bit after the fall off the fumbled pass. EYE wouldn't have subbed her back in. Game was practically over. pic.twitter.com/tTe7pGjeXq— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) June 26, 2025
The All-Star captain, who led in fan voting, is listed as out for the Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday due to the groin injury. It's unfortunate Clark won't get to play in the team's first Commissioner's Cup, but a silver lining for the Fever is the game has no impact on regular season standings. The Fever's record in games without Clark is 3-4, with her, they are 5-4.
Caitlin Clark just broke the WNBA record for the most All-Star Game votes in history with over 1.2 MILLION votes 🔥
She's broken the votes record for the second year in a row 😳 pic.twitter.com/V9wdQ4JtHO— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 29, 2025
Clearly the season is not going as expected for the Fever. This is the first time Caitlin Clark has had to miss games due to injury. The team also parted ways with DeWanna Bonner, who was considered to be a big free agent acquisition for the team. Many viewed the Fever as a contender, but they've been hovering around .500 for most of the season. They did sign Aari McDonald for the remainder of the season after Bonner's departure, which has been a big help at the guard spot in Caitlin's absence. But there is no replacement for the two-time All-Star and it's unclear when she will return. At 8-8 on the season, the Fever will also get the No. 8 spot in this week's rankings.
Indiana Fever (8-8) | Prior Rank: 8 - The Fever will also return at No. 8 this week after going 2-1 in week 7. They had an impressive road win over Seattle, a loss to the Sparks at home and another win on the road against the Dallas Wings. Caitlin Clark sustained a groin injury in the Fever's win against the Storm and has been listed as day-to-day since.
Caitlin gets subbed back in up 8 with 16 seconds to go and the ball. She ends up grabbing her left groin a bit after the fall off the fumbled pass. EYE wouldn't have subbed her back in. Game was practically over. pic.twitter.com/tTe7pGjeXq
The All-Star captain, who led in fan voting, is listed as out for the Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday due to the groin injury. It's unfortunate Clark won't get to play in the team's first Commissioner's Cup, but a silver lining for the Fever is the game has no impact on regular season standings. The Fever's record in games without Clark is 3-4, with her, they are 5-4.
Caitlin Clark just broke the WNBA record for the most All-Star Game votes in history with over 1.2 MILLION votes 🔥
She's broken the votes record for the second year in a row 😳 pic.twitter.com/V9wdQ4JtHO
Clearly the season is not going as expected for the Fever. This is the first time Caitlin Clark has had to miss games due to injury. The team also parted ways with DeWanna Bonner, who was considered to be a big free agent acquisition for the team. Many viewed the Fever as a contender, but they've been hovering around .500 for most of the season. They did sign Aari McDonald for the remainder of the season after Bonner's departure, which has been a big help at the guard spot in Caitlin's absence. But there is no replacement for the two-time All-Star and it's unclear when she will return. At 8-8 on the season, the Fever will also get the No. 8 spot in this week's rankings.
Washington Mystics (8-9) | Prior Rank: 9 - The Mystics land in the same spot this week after going 2-1 in week 7. The Mystics had two impressive wins against the Lynx at home and on the road against the Aces. Even though the Lynx were without Napheesa Collier, the Mystics were also without Brittney Sykes. Being only the second team to hand the Lynx a loss this season is a worthy win. They also went into Las Vegas and beat the Aces, which is notable, because in their first meeting of the season, they blew a lead and lost to Vegas. It's really their loss to the Dallas Wings without Paige Bueckers that prevents them from moving up a spot this week. They showed growth in those two wins, but being consistent also matters. They split their matchups with the two teams ranked directly ahead of them and they are still one game below .500, so they will hold steady at No. 9 this week.
Chicago Sky (5-11) | Prior Rank: 12 - The Chicago Sky move up two spots this week to No. 10. The team went 2-1 in week 7. The Sky were competitive against the Mystics and Dream, but they just couldn't close it out. Their next three games are against the Sparks (2x) and the Valkyries. For now, they move up to No. 10.
Dallas Wings (5-13) | Prior Rank: 11 - The Dallas Wings went 2-1 in their last three games and their sole loss was an overtime thriller to the Mystics on Sunday. They beat the Valkyries and Connecticut Sun to finally reach three wins on the season.So far for the month of June, Paige Bueckers leads the WNBA in points per game with 23. It's no surprise that the scoring leader for June also led her team to consecutive wins for the first time this season. The Wings are still 9 games below .500, but a winning record in week 6 will keep them at No. 11 this week.
Paige Bueckers currently leads the WNBA in PPG for the month of June (23.7) ✅
2 for 1 All-Star voting is now live: https://t.co/rdBI56nNs1 pic.twitter.com/TOrb9kXDWD— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) June 20, 2025
Dallas Wings (5-13) | Prior Rank: 11 - The Dallas Wings went 2-1 in their last three games and their sole loss was an overtime thriller to the Mystics on Sunday. They beat the Valkyries and Connecticut Sun to finally reach three wins on the season.
So far for the month of June, Paige Bueckers leads the WNBA in points per game with 23. It's no surprise that the scoring leader for June also led her team to consecutive wins for the first time this season. The Wings are still 9 games below .500, but a winning record in week 6 will keep them at No. 11 this week.
Paige Bueckers currently leads the WNBA in PPG for the month of June (23.7) ✅
2 for 1 All-Star voting is now live: https://t.co/rdBI56nNs1 pic.twitter.com/TOrb9kXDWD
Los Angeles Sparks (5-12) | Prior Rank: 10 - The Sparks went 1-2 in week 7. They beat the Indiana Fever on the road, who were down Caitlin Clark and they lost to the Chicago Sky twice, both on the road and at home. The Sparks are struggling. Even though they are 11th in the standings, they have the same number of wins as the Wings and only one less loss. However, it does feel like the Wings are trending up, which is why they were ranked one spot higher than the Sparks this week. In the Sparks two losses to Chicago, Kamilla Cardoso did not play in the second game and the Sky controlled most of the game in LA's arena. Whenever Cameron Brink does return, she will be a big help defensively and on the boards, but right now, the Sparks fall to No. 12 this week.
Connecticut Sun (2-15) | Prior Rank: 13 - The Connecticut Sun haven't won a game since June 6. A bright side for the Sun is that Aneesah Morrow has been playing more and she's every bit as advertised. A lot of losses are part of the process for rebuilding teams, but nailing your draft pick is a win.
The rookie is coming along just fine 😤
Aneesah Morrow was spectacular against the Storm and finished with 20 PTS, 11 REB (both career-highs)#WelcometotheW | WNBA Pride @Coach pic.twitter.com/8pxGBrsVQE— WNBA (@WNBA) June 28, 2025
With only two wins so far this season and the worst record in the league, the Connecticut Sun will land at No. 13 again.
Connecticut Sun (2-15) | Prior Rank: 13 - The Connecticut Sun haven't won a game since June 6. A bright side for the Sun is that Aneesah Morrow has been playing more and she's every bit as advertised. A lot of losses are part of the process for rebuilding teams, but nailing your draft pick is a win.
The rookie is coming along just fine 😤
Aneesah Morrow was spectacular against the Storm and finished with 20 PTS, 11 REB (both career-highs)#WelcometotheW | WNBA Pride @Coach pic.twitter.com/8pxGBrsVQE
With only two wins so far this season and the worst record in the league, the Connecticut Sun will land at No. 13 again.
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We think we had such a great run in the early 1900s, we went through some tough times, and now we're kind of back in a bold way. Advertisement And if you study Cleveland at all, what people realize is sports and entertainment is really leading the resurgence and creating the momentum in this community. When we throw the ball in the air in April 2028 or May of 2028, Dan and the Gilbert family will have invested $1.1 billion in sports and entertainment infrastructure. Not like buying teams and moving them here, but like real infrastructure in Northeast Ohio. And so when you start to think about the infrastructure we have, the fan base that is unrelentingly passionate about sports. We were the most ready-made bid. So is it going to be the Cleveland Rockers 2.0? It's a great question. We're not going to commit to a brand identity at this point. We love the history of the Rockers, obviously, being one of the original eight. But at this stage in the process, we are absolutely going to have a dimension of our brand and our intellectual property that will pay homage to the Rockers, but we want to be very considerate of where Cleveland is going, where our fan base is going, as opposed to where it's been. And so for us, it's a little bit of that balance. Like paying honor and homage to the past while really focused on our bright future. And so from that perspective, we're going to go through a pretty intensive, thoughtful, inclusive process over the next six months. Advertisement Just trying to read a little bit into what you're saying, it sounds like it won't be the Rockers … No, I didn't say that. The Rockers will definitely be an option. The Rockers will definitely be a part of the mix of the options we look at. We just don't know if that's the right move for us yet. We haven't been able to publicly talk about this for a long time. We want to embrace the community. We want to be inclusive of their thoughts and their insights before we just pick a path, but Rockers will absolutely be under consideration. The reason I ask is — you guys might be the Rockers, you might not. The Portland expansion team looks like it's leaning towards bringing the Fire name back. I don't know if Detroit will be the Shock as well. But there is some nostalgia coating for some of these new WNBA teams. Do you think reboots can work for WNBA teams now, bringing back a less successful but sepia-toned era of the league? I absolutely think retro works. I think it can work depending on the situation. But I think for us, there's such a new fan base here in Cleveland. Cleveland has a different vibe to it now. They have a different vibrancy to the city. The communities that are going to be attracted to this demographic of this product, they might even look a little bit different or be a bit more involved. And so we just want to make sure, like I said, we're being thoughtful and inclusive of that. I would never commit to that without getting real data and getting real insights. Honestly, I could speak to the other markets, it would be irresponsible. Advertisement Were you surprised the W went to three teams in the end? Did you think it would be just the 16 teams and were you surprised that they went all the way up to 18? No, I wasn't. As you look at it, whenever this much interest — and this much interest is being met by a real business performance … When I was doing an interview the other day, I mentioned there was a Sunday night Fever and Sky game, I think it may have been about a month ago, on a Sunday, it did 1.7 million viewers. I think Yankees-Red Sox hit 1.3 million viewers. When you're seeing this much insatiable demand for something, I wasn't surprised at all. When the league is led by commissioner (Cathy) Engelbert, and obviously is a part of the broader NBA family led by (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver and (NBA deputy commissioner) Mark Tatum, they're very thoughtful about these things. They put a lot of strategy and rigor into it. And so when they came back into three teams, and all three already had NBA infrastructure wrapped around them, it made a lot of sense. And by the way, they're great cities. They're great markets. I think it made a lot of sense. Advertisement You mentioned the NBA infrastructure. I think it's been unmissable that five of the six expansion teams in the last three years, or six of the six, depending how you want to do your accounting practices, have gone to owners with NBA ties. Do you think that's been intentional? Is there something that has given NBA ownership groups who want a WNBA team a leg up in that process? Are NBA owners the best served to own and run WNBA teams right now? Our thesis on this is . And I think Adam shares a similar thesis. We have commercial infrastructure. We have administrative infrastructure. We have marketing infrastructure. We have venues, right? And so when you start thinking about the infrastructure we can wrap around these assets — and by the way, we have decades of institutional knowledge of how to operate them, both on the business side, but also on the basketball side. There's no doubt there's nuances and there's differences across the board, but, yeah, I think it's very intentional in regards to how the league is expanding. An existing NBA owner is also a minority owner of the WNBA in the current financial structure. So there's a lot of incentive from our perspective to be a part of the growth of the WNBA, and I think Adam is really driving that in partnership with Cathy. The $250 million expansion fee is a really interesting number. It's obviously the largest in WNBA history, and five times more than what the Golden State group paid to get the Valkyries. I've been reporting on WNBA expansion for a while, and there was kind of this apprehension about even getting to $50 million back in 2022. Interested investors didn't know if it would be worth it, if the business of a team and the league could support that kind of valuation. And now you have three teams, three ownership groups, paying that $250 million. There were more than 10 bidders, if I remember correctly. Why did you think that that kind of expansion fee was worth it? And why do you think valuations have risen so much? I won't confirm the fee, but what I will say is, from our chairman, Dan, throughout the entire organization, we have a firm belief that money and numbers, they don't lead, they follow in situations like this. And we look at being the 16th team as being very much still an early mover. When you look at minority stakes that have been reported, that have been sold, whether it's for the Liberty, whether it's for the Seattle Storm in the last couple of months, we think this is an early-mover type of situation, and one that we're fully embracing. Advertisement Once again, it wasn't driven by the money and the numbers. It was driven by the impact we can make in our community, also the trajectory of the game. I mentioned the viewership earlier, but if you look at all the major key performance indicators across the league: attendance, viewership, merchandise, sales — everything is on this rocket ship type of trajectory. So for us, it was about how fast can we get involved and how quickly can we build a platform that inspires the next generation of young girls and young women across the entire state of Ohio and throughout our region? It also is another dimension. We own a local sports network in Rock Entertainment Sports Network. It's another dimension for us to be able to host on there as well. It's a key component and a key asset of this portfolio and this broader platform that we've been building for quite some time now, and it's the perfect complement. So when you have those types of dynamics, you do your diligence, you make sure you're being responsible with the financial resources that you're deploying. But we are firm believers that the best days of this league are in front of us. … If this thing gets to 25, 30 teams, which we think it will, that is all green field opportunity in regards to expansion of regular-season games, expansion of playoff games, expansion of media rights. What you're seeing right now is the fundamental and foundational return of the WNBA, and it's going to be a foundation that's going to launch it to new heights, sustainable heights. I know there's some owners out there that are aspiring for billion-dollar valuations over a period of time, we fully support that. But once again, for us, it's not about the money and the numbers, it's about the impact that we can create, and we think that impact will lead to much higher trajectories of valuation as we go forward. I was going to ask if you think a billion-dollar valuation for a WNBA team might be possible in the future, but maybe I'm setting my sights too low. Look, anytime you have viewership that is hitting these levels, anytime you have attendance that is hitting these levels, and you have a very finite amount of assets, this becomes a scarcity investment at the end of the day. When you have that type of scarcity and that type of stickiness and that type of growth, great things can happen. Advertisement This article originally appeared in The Athletic. WNBA, Sports Business 2025 The Athletic Media Company
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Caitlin Clark injury update: Fever star ruled out of showdown vs. Aces
The Indiana Fever, the newly minted 2025 Commissioner's Cup Champions, return home to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Thursday, July 3 to face off against the Las Vegas Aces without Caitlin Clark. Clark will sit out her fourth consecutive game Thursday due to a left groin injury, which also kept her out of the Fever's 74-59 win over the Minnesota Lynx in the 2025 Commissioner's Cup final on July 1. She's set to miss her ninth game of the season after a quad injury sidelined her five games last month. The Fever have gone 4-4 without Clark in the lineup, but eagerly await her return to the court. "(I'm) doing everything I can to put myself in a position to play the next game every single time," Clark said on June 29. "That's always my goal — to be available for the next game. Doing everything I can with the medical staff to be able to get my body right and be able to do that." Despite being listed as "day-to-day," Clark was ruled out of Thursday's matchup one day before the game. Fever head coach Stephanie White said July 2 that the team was taking a cautious approach with Clark and putting "her long-term health and wellness at the forefront." "I think it's five games before All-Star break," White continued, "so let's just ease her mind even though she's antsy, and let's do this the right way and make sure we're ready to go and 100% when she comes back." Here's everything you need to know about the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year's playing status: 2025 WNBA COMMISSIONER'S CUP: Highlights, recap as Fever beat Lynx OPINION: Conspiracy theory about Clark, jealous players much ado about nothing Is Caitlin Clark playing vs. Las Vegas Aces? No. Clark was ruled out for Thursday's matchup against the Aces, the second meeting between the two teams this season. The Fever lost the first matchup 89-81 in Las Vegas on June 22. Clark had 19 points, 10 assists and three rebounds in the loss. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 3. It can be streamed on Prime Video. Caitlin Clark injury update: What happened? Head coach Stephanie White said she first learned of Clark's groin injury on June 25 following the Fever's 94-86 win over the Seattle Storm on June 24, where Clark finished with six points (3-of-13 FG, 0-of-6), nine assists, three steals and two rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Clark previously suffered a quad injury during the Fever's 90-88 loss to the New York Liberty on May 24. Clark returned to the Fever's lineup on June 14 in the Fever's 102-88 win over the Liberty after missing five games, which officially ended her longest stretch of missed due to injury in her collegiate or WNBA career. She dropped 32 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in her first game back. "No one said this season was going to be perfect for us. There's going to be ups and downs," Clark said on June 29. "From injuries or coaches not being here for a couple of games. Everybody has been through a little bit of adversity here. So I think just giving our group credit for being able to stick together and know that whatever we have in our locker room is really all we need to go out there and win. I'm just proud of our group." Caitlin Clark stats Clark ranks second in the WNBA in assists per game to start the 2025 season. Here's a look at the 2024 Rookie of the Year's full stats (per game): The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
