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After the trade deadline wrapped up on Sunday, the WNBA landscape didn’t feel all that shifted. The largest trade from this year was the Los Angeles Sparks’ decision to part ways with Kelsey Plum amid an extremely disappointing 2026 campaign, sending her to the Phoenix Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani and draft compensation. 
This shakes up the postseason picture a bit, with Phoenix now with extra help on offense to try and boost their chances of getting into the top-8 of the league standings with just over a month and some change left in the regular season. Aside from that move, the league stayed relatively firmly set, and we still got some fantastic basketball out of the week despite that silence on the trade front. 
These were five moments from Week 10 of the WNBA season that stood out to me as the deadline came and went. 
<hr />
<h2>Miles and Collier’s Two-Man Game Heating Up</h2>
As if the Minnesota Lynx, the top-seeded team in the league through ten weeks, needed any more help, it looks like the two-man game between Miles and Collier is beginning to really gel. That’s terrifying. 
Miles has been on a tear as of late, averaging 22.7 points per game along with 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds over her last three games. Collier has also begun to pick things up since returning from her ankle injury, posting 16.3 points per game along with 6.3 rebounds, four assists, 1.3 blocks, and 50 percent shooting from three. 
In their back-and-forth win against the Indiana Fever on August 2, the two players were constantly leveraging their own gravity to assist the other. Miles could constantly drive to the basket with Collier trailing, and defenders would have to essentially pick their poison between two players with very efficient rim-finishing numbers. They’re also both respected away from the rim, adding more of an issue for defenses trying to get the ball out of either player&#8217;s hands. 
Double-teaming is not enough to slow the Lynx down with Collier healthy. Even if you can shut both of their waters off, you still have to deal with a potent guard in Courtney Williams, or a sharpshooter in Kayla McBride, or a veteran forward in Natasha Howard who has been thriving as Collier’s running mate in the frontcourt so far since her return. 
It’s just becoming unfair, in the best sense of the word.
<hr />
<h2>Sydney Taylor’s Loud All-Rookie Push</h2>
<div id="attachment_268057" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268057" class="wp-image-268057 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142330.229-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Sydney Taylor #12 of the Chicago Sky celebrates after scoring the game winning basket against the Las Vegas Aces</div>
While Miles might have ROTY wrapped up after helping to keep a contender like the Lynx afloat during Collier’s absence, Taylor is trying to squeeze her way into that conversation regardless. The Chicago Sky undrafted rookie has been sensational for the squad up to this point, averaging 21.5 points, four assists, a steal, and a block over her last two games with the Sky. And, of course, she really helped to shake the table this past week with a huge game-winning three against the Las Vegas Aces. 
What really speaks to how grounded she is for a rookie is the fact that veteran Natasha Cloud actually ran up to Taylor to celebrate her game-winner, while Taylor was trying to focus on stopping Las Vegas from getting off one final shot at the buzzer. She didn’t celebrate until that whistle blew. 
Taylor has been collecting these moments all season long, giving Chicago something to root for as they’ve struggled to find their footing due to injuries and a very tough schedule. At 11-19, it’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that they can make a push for that final 8 seed by the end of the season, but Taylor has to be a huge part of that. The Sky have been desperately missing a shooter and driver of her caliber, and if they don’t emphasize her role in this offense, they’re looking at another lost season. 
She’s beginning to feel like a shoo-in for All-Rookie, as well.
<hr />
<h2>Potent Mystics Frontcourt Shocks Wings</h2>
While the Dallas Wings have been sensational this year, one aspect of their team that fans might’ve hoped to have seen addressed at the trade deadline was their lack of rim protection. Jessica Shepard and Awak Kuier are really solid frontcourt players on offense, but they don’t provide a ton of help defensively at the rim. 
The Washington Mystics fully exposed that issue in their win over the Wings from over the weekend. Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen were dominant over Dallas, finishing up with 22 and 28 points, respectively, along with a combined 19 rebounds. Only Shepard came close to matching Washington’s production on the boards with six rebounds, and that’s quite underwhelming for her amid a career-best season. 
The Mystics have now won four in a row and are staving off late-year pushes from a few teams under them trying to kick them out of the 8 seed. If you have any doubts about your frontcourt depth or defense headed into the postseason, you do not want to deal with this young Mystics team.
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<h2>Aces Snag Huge Win Over Liberty</h2>
<div id="attachment_268058" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-268058" class="wp-image-268058 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/Thumbnail-2026-08-04T142557.980-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Chelsea Gray #12 of the Las Vegas Aces looks to pass under pressure from Marine Fauthoux #4 of the New York Liberty</div>
Ahead of Rivals Week, which kicks off on August 8, we got a taste of one rivalry between Las Vegas and New York. It was a battle between these two teams, who were meeting for the first time since their Commissioner’s Cup game. New York won that championship, but they dropped this game to the Aces behind a monstrous performance from A’ja Wilson. She and Breanna Stewart were clashing in this one, leading their teams in scoring and rebounding overall. It was simply impossible for the Liberty to stop the Aces’ core three of Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young from catching fire, which led to a fourth-quarter collapse. Young did a good job of hitting clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the game for Las Vegas, while New York struggled to generate turnovers or stop Young from charging to the basket in clutch time. 
These two teams meet again on Sunday, August 9, as part of Rivals Week. While both are in vastly different positions in the current standings &#8211; the Aces are nipping at the Lynx’s heels, while the Liberty are just trying to find their footing again as they sit as the 7 seed &#8211; they’re still contenders with a lot of overlap in talent. These games offer a good glimpse into how they’ll manage their rosters and lineups in the postseason, with a potential meeting in the first round getting set up.
<hr />
<h2>Dream Storm Back Against Wings</h2>
This entire column was not devised to hit back against the Wings’ ascension, I promise, but they did have a tough week in the WNBA. Before losing against the Mystics, they also dropped the ball in a big way against the Dream, who they had a double-digit lead against on July 29 before completely collapsing. A game-winning shot from Allisha Gray was the dagger for Atlanta after they overcame that deficit. 
The Dream may not be shooting the ball very well &#8211; just hitting 26.2 percent of their three-point shots, and hitting a fourth-worst 43.3 percent of their shots from the field overall &#8211; but their rebounding and second-chance point opportunities are almost infinite thanks to their newly healthy frontcourt of Bri Jones and Angel Reese. They lead the league in that category with 14.7 second-chance point opportunities per game. 
Those are the back-breaking shot opportunities that will keep Atlanta afloat while they wait for their shots to fall again.

five-things-i-like-week-ten-2026

Five Things I Like: Week 10

Analysis

The 2026 WNBA Trade Deadline was simultaneously quiet and loud. It was quiet in that few deals were executed across the league, but loud in that an All-Star was traded midseason for only the fourth time in league history.
Let’s dive into the deals that have been completed and how they can impact both the 2026 stretch run and the future of the franchises involved.
<hr />
<h2>Sparks trade Kelsey Plum to Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani and draft compensation (Aug. 2)</h2>
<div id="attachment_267921" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267921" class="wp-image-267921" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2281947509-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Kelsey Plum with Kahleah Copper #2 of the Phoenix Mercury</div>
Phoenix Mercury get:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">G Kelsey Plum</li>
</ul>
Los Angeles Sparks get:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">G Monique Akoa Makani</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2027 first-round draft pick</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2028 second-round draft pick</li>
</ul>
The biggest deal of the 2026 Trade Deadline sees All-Star guard Kelsey Plum headed from Los Angeles to Phoenix in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round draft pick.
Plum is averaging a career-best 23.9 points per game over 12 games this season, but has not played since June 21 as she has dealt with ankle and lower leg injuries.
She earned her fifth career All-Star nod this season and joins Brittney Sykes (2025, Mystics to Storm), Katie Smith (2005, Lynx to Shock) and Dawn Staley (2005, Sting to Comets) as the only All-Stars ever to be traded midseason in league history. None of the previous three matched Plum’s scoring average the year they were traded.
What this means for the Sparks: Before this season, Plum signed a one-year deal with the Sparks and was set to hit the free agent market again at the end of the season. With reports that she was not planning to re-sign with the Sparks, L.A. found itself with few options: play the season out and risk Plum leaving in free agency while getting nothing in return, or trade her at the deadline and grab assets to help spark a rebuild.
The Sparks had previously been burned by star players leaving in free agency — Candace Parker and Chelsea Gray in 2021 as well as Nneka Ogwumike in 2024. This time, L.A. acted proactively at the deadline to add a young guard in Akoa Makani and a potential lottery pick in what appears to be a stacked 2027 draft class headlined by JuJu Watkins, Madison Booker and Hannah Hidalgo.
With Plum still sidelined due to injury (L.A. went 7-5 with her in the lineup versus 3-12 without her) and the team mired in a six-game skid — dropping them to 11th place, 5.5 games back of the final playoff spot at the time of the deal — the Sparks decided to move the former two-time champ with an eye toward their future.
However, Plum was not the only veteran on the Sparks’ roster. If L.A. commits to a youth movement, will there be more deals to come in the offseason with veterans such as Dearica Hamby and Ariel Atkins (both signed through 2028), Erica Wheeler (signed through 2027) and Ogwumike (a free agent after this season)?
What this means for the Mercury: Phoenix is taking a risk with this move as Plum has indicated that she plans to explore free agency in the offseason. There is a chance that the Mercury gave up a young guard and a lottery pick in the upcoming draft for a 14-game rental on Plum.
At 11-19, the Mercury sit 12th in the WNBA standings, a half-game back of L.A. and six full games back of New York (17-13) for the eighth and final playoff spot. With only 14 games to play, the Mercury would have to catch fire to make a late-season sprint toward the postseason as they hope to avoid becoming the first team since 2008 (also the Mercury) to miss the playoffs a year after appearing in the WNBA Finals.
There’s another way to think about this deal from Phoenix’s perspective — this could be an extended free-agent pitch to Plum. This trade allows her to come to Phoenix and experience their team’s culture, roster, coaching staff, facilities and fanbase firsthand, in hopes that she will want to make The Valley her long-term home.
On the court, Plum should seamlessly complement Phoenix&#8217;s core of Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner. Phoenix can also use Plum’s scoring punch to boost its bottom-third ranked offense, which ranks 11th in scoring (83.5 ppg) and 12th in offensive rating (104.7). 
With a core of veteran players — Bonner in year 17, Thomas in year 13, Copper in year 11 and Plum already in year 9 — the Mercury are in win-now mode. Will they have enough time to make a run at the eight seed and try to make some noise in the playoffs against the league’s top teams? Or will they be able to bring Plum back for another season to make a fresh start at a Finals run in 2027?
Official Releases: <a href="https://mercury.wnba.com/news/phoenix-mercury-acquire-two-time-wnba-champion-and-five-time-all-star-kelsey-plum">Phoenix Mercury</a> | <a href="https://sparks.wnba.com/news/los-angeles-sparks-acquire-monique-akoa-makani-2027-first-round-pick-and-2028-second-round-pick-from-phoenix-mercury">Los Angeles Sparks</a>
<hr />
<h2>Sun trade Aneesah Morrow to Tempo for rights to Maria Kliundikova and draft pick (July 31)</h2>
<div id="attachment_267922" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267922" class="wp-image-267922" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/08/GettyImages-2273173559-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Aneesah Morrow</div>
Toronto Tempo get: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">F Aneesah Morrow</li>
</ul>
Connecticut Sun get: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Rights to F Maria &#8220;Masha&#8221; Kliundikova</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">2028 second-round draft pick</li>
</ul>
The Tempo and Sun tipped off trade deadline activity on July 31 with a deal sending forward Aneesah Morrow to Toronto for the rights to Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round pick.
In her second season after being selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Morrow has posted career-best numbers while establishing herself as one of the league’s top rebounders. Over 20 games with Connecticut this season, she averaged 8.9 rebounds (including 2.7 offensive boards) in just 23.2 minutes per game.
Kliundikova has not played in the WNBA this season after Toronto selected her in the 2026 Expansion Draft. The former first-round pick (No. 11 overall in 2018) last played for Minnesota in 2025 after beginning her WNBA career with Los Angeles in 2018 and 2019. She brings career averages of 4.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 50.3% shooting over 74 games.
What this means for the Tempo: Toronto boosts its frontline depth while not giving up any assets on its current roster since Kliundikova is not playing in the WNBA this season. 
Beyond adding a talent in Morrow on a rookie-scale contract through 2028 (the final season is a team option), Toronto also directly addresses an immediate need. The Tempo currently rank in the bottom third of the league in every rebounding metric: 11th in offensive rebounding rate (28.8%) and 14th in both defensive (65.3%) and overall rebounding rate (47.2%).
Among players who have appeared in at least 20 games this season, Morrow ranks fifth in offensive rebound percentage (10.3%), first in defensive rebound percentage (28.3%) and second in total rebound percentage (18.6%), trailing only All-Star Angel Reese. No player has been better at cleaning the defensive glass than Morrow, which should immediately help a Tempo team allowing a league-worst 14.6 second-chance points per game.
Morrow’s offensive game has shown flashes — she posted 21 points in each of her final two games with the Sun — but has not been as consistent as her work on the boards. Morrow is averaging 11.6 points per game on 42.1% shooting this season compared to 7.7 points on 37.5% as a rookie. If her offense continues to trend up and she remains a beast on the boards, this deal will only look better for Toronto. 
What this means for the Sun: Connecticut adds a pair of assets in the rights to Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round pick to potentially use in future deals once the franchise completes its transition from Connecticut to Houston following this season.
The move also opens up minutes — Morrow ranked fourth on the team at 23.2 minutes per game — for others to use as the team continues to develop young talent ahead of their relocation.
Official Releases: <a href="https://tempo.wnba.com/news/toronto-tempo-acquire-forward-aneesah-morrow-from-connecticut-sun">Toronto Tempo</a> | <a href="https://sun.wnba.com/news/connecticut-sun-acquire-rights-to-maria-kliundikova-and-2028-second-round-pick">Connecticut Sun</a>

rapid-reactions-trade-deadline-2026

Rapid Reactions: WNBA Trade Deadline 2026

The WNBA’s rich history of rivalries is part of what has made it so fun to follow the league over the last 30 years. If you’ve been a fan of the league for much of that time, you can feel the bubbling tension between two squads thanks to their postseason history, in-state rivalry, or positional battles that were marquee events to catch back then. 
If you’re a newer fan, there are still rivalries with several chapters yet to be written &#8211; recent Finals matchups, must-see regular-season clashes between rivals, and recent college stars that are taking the league by storm all fall into this category. 
In celebration of Season 30 and WNBA Rivals Week Presented by Ally, let’s look at some of the more defining rivalries throughout the WNBA’s history, with a focus on team rivalries and not on individual rivalries. And &#8211; this is not an exhaustive list by any means. 
<hr />
<h2>Los Angeles Sparks and Sacramento Monarchs</h2>
<div id="attachment_267631" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267631" class="wp-image-267631" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="598" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-1536x1020.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-53741101-2048x1360.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Ticha Penicheiro #21 of the Sacramento Monarchs, Lisa Leslie #9, Raffaella Masciadri #33 and Christie Thomas #32 of the Los Angeles Sparks</div>
Any in-state rivalry is going to be natural, especially when both squads are talented. Los Angeles and Sacramento were the California rivals to watch before the Monarchs folded in 2009. Postseason success defined these two teams’ rivalry, with both being quite successful back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 
Los Angeles had the first punch in this rivalry, eliminating Sacramento from the postseason in 1999 amid a contentious Western Conference run. With a second and third opening to take a swing at the Sparks, the Monarchs were unable to topple them and missed out on the Finals in 2001 and 2003. 
They finally broke the dam the following year, taking down the Sparks in 2004, but still missing out on the Finals. Then, in 2005, the Monarchs toppled both the Sparks and Houston Comets to reach the WNBA Finals, where they defeated the Connecticut Sun. They proceeded to trounce the Sparks the following year, too, but lost those Finals. 
Postseason history definitely boosts the profile of any rivalry, and clashes that feature Lisa Leslie, Yolanda Griffith, Tamecka Dixon, or Ticha Penicheiro were sure to have that larger-than-life feel. Both teams found championship success, Los Angeles of course snagging more trophies over the rivalry’s lifespan, and it was a much-needed boost to a state that is so passionate about basketball. 
<hr />
<h2>New York Liberty and Houston Comets</h2>
<div id="attachment_267632" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267632" class="wp-image-267632" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="597" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-1024x679.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-1536x1019.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-715154-1-2048x1359.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Cynthia Cooper #14 of the Houston Comets and Teresa Weatherspoon #11 of the New York Liberty</div>
The Houston Comets are still one of the most iconic dynasties in the WNBA, although the Las Vegas Aces are trying to nip at their heels a bit (more on them later). Led by players like Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, and Tina Thompson, they kicked off the WNBA with force &#8211; four straight WNBA championships. 
New York, on the other hand, tried three of those four times to unseat them. We talk a lot about how irritating it becomes in the postseason for teams to have to play each other over and over again. Same faces, same physicality, and likely the same matchups night in and night out. Imagine doing that three times, on the biggest stage in the WNBA? 
Of course, we will always remember The Shot from Teresa Weatherspoon in the teams’ 1999 clash with Houston, but that might’ve been the highlight for the Liberty during that stretch of this rivalry. New York wouldn’t actually win the Finals for the first time until 2024, much after Houston had already come and gone. 
This rivalry, just like the one between Los Angeles and Sacramento, felt like one that carried a ton of respect &#8211; this was probably the first rivalry we could really peg down in the WNBA, between two teams composed of some of the league’s first superstars who were carrying the weight of the league on their shoulders. 
<hr />
<h2>Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury </h2>
<div id="attachment_267633" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267633" class="wp-image-267633" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="612" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-1024x696.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-1536x1044.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-102965199-2048x1393.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Sue Bird #10 of the Seattle Storm and Diana Taurasi #3 of the Phoenix Mercury</div>
While there was a disclaimer at the start to this piece about no individual rivalries getting the shine over team rivalries here, you can’t really talk about the Storm and Mercury’s rivalry without talking about the obvious matchups between Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, or Brittney Griner and Breanna Stewart, or Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor. 
This was a rivalry very similar to the Monarchs and Sparks in the sense that both were, and are still, unbelievably successful franchises with excellent fan bases. In 2026, both teams are struggling to find their footing, but that doesn’t eliminate their existing rivalry in the West. 
Phoenix has been dominant against Seattle in the postseason, but Seattle has generally had their number in the regular season, with <a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/basketball/vs/phoenix-mercury-vs-seattle-storm">a</a> 56-41 all-time record. Seven championships between the two teams and a major Hall of Fame presence just goes to show how elite this matchup was thanks to how well these teams matched up in the late 2000s and early 2010s. 
<hr />
<h2>Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks</h2>
<div id="attachment_267634" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267634" class="wp-image-267634" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="651" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-300x217.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-1024x740.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-768x555.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-1536x1111.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-857669100-2048x1481.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Candace Parker #3 of the Los Angeles Sparks and Maya Moore #23 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
Los Angeles is clearly allergic to staying out of rivalry talk. Maybe that’s just a testament to how good they were back when the league got started, and throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Their rivalry against the Lynx was <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/20896940/minnesota-lynx-los-angeles-sparks-become-one-best-rivalries-wnba-history">described by</a> ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne as one of the best in WNBA history back in 2017, and that was not an exaggeration. 
 
Shelburne shared that declaration amid the second WNBA Finals in a row between the two teams, where the series would go to a Game 5. Nneka Ogwumike had hit the game winner in Game 5 back in 2016, and in 2017, the decisive game was still unbelievably tight with just under 30 seconds left in regulation. But Maya Moore just did Maya Moore things in clutch time, rattling home a game-sealing jumper over a Sparks defender to get the Minnesota lead to five. That clinched the Lynx’s fourth title, and added a revenge chapter to their rivalry with Los Angeles. 
This was the definition of heavyweights clashing. While that was the end of the Lynx’s dynasty, it was still an emphatic period in these two teams’ rivalry.
<hr />
<h2>Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty </h2>
<div id="attachment_267635" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267635" class="wp-image-267635" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="675" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-1727812022-5-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />A&#8217;ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty</div>
This rivalry feels sparked more by some contentiousness between players than anything else, especially considering that Las Vegas has won three championships since 2022, while New York just has one title. But it’s always fun catching games between these two teams led by perennial MVP candidates in A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart. It’s rare to get a positional matchup between stars like this, and their recent postseason chapters have just added to that rivalry between the two players’ teams. 
Obviously, back in 2022, New York had the opportunity to finally snag a championship for the first time in their franchise&#8217;s history. Las Vegas had other ideas, winning their Finals series against New York in four games. It featured <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38212276/liberty-star-sabrina-ionescu-shoes-go-missing-aces-arena">an awkward accusation</a> from Sabrina Ionescu regarding some stolen sneakers in a previous Aces contest that season, and a comment from then-Aces guard Kelsey Plum <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/aces-kelsey-plum-criticizes-liberty-210012786.html">regarding the difference</a> in chemistry that her team had and what New York had (hint: she didn’t think the Liberty had the upper hand there). 
The Liberty eventually did snag their title in 2024, also defeating the Aces along the way that postseason. But the two teams had not met again &#8211; yet &#8211; en route to another championship push. They’ll have one more game coming up that is must-see television: on August 9 at 12:30 PM EST

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History: WNBA Rivals Through the Years

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Season 30 Stretch Run: One Thing to Watch for Each Team

All-Star 2026

Following <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/rapid-reactions-2026-wnba-all-star-friday-night">a fun first night</a> for the WNBA that featured the first rookie win in the 3-point contest and a showcase of high school talent set to hit the college basketball scene, the All-Star Game offered another great stage for the league’s best talent from this season so far. 
Team Coop (selected and coached by WNBA legend Cynthia Cooper-Dyke) and Team Spoon (selected and coached by WNBA legend Teresa Weatherspoon) had only the best of the best at their disposal in this year’s straightforward contest. No 4-point shot, no fourth-quarter antics, and just a straight shootout between the two squads gave fans a fun game and an eventual Team Spoon victory. 
And, yes, some defense was played. 
<hr />
<h2>Marina Mabrey Redemption in First Half</h2>
<div id="attachment_267256" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267256" class="wp-image-267256" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287653005-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Marina Mabrey #3 of Team Coop</div>
After a disappointing outing from Mabrey in the 3-point contest the night before, she came out firing in the first half of the All-Star game to keep pace with Caitlin Clark’s barrage for Team Spoon on the other end. The star Toronto Tempo guard finished up the game with 21 points in 23 minutes, and with five three-pointers on 14 attempts, and all five makes were in the first half. 
It almost hinted at a potential MVP for Mabrey, which would’ve been great to see for an expansion team star, but she unfortunately cooled off in the second half of the contest. Still, logo Mabrey threes were raining, and her presence on the floor was entertaining for that fact alone. 
<hr />
<h2>Malonga Records Dunk, First Since 2022</h2>
With Malonga &#8211; the youngest member of an All-Star game to record a double-double &#8211; you’re always going to anticipate a setup for a dunk in as open of a run as this game offers. Yes, defense is cool, and defending the rim is always a nice setup for, at least, some blocking highlights in the game. But, an even cooler event is simply letting Malonga get free for an open run at the basket for a dunk. 
Thankfully, Team Spoon let that go down. Angel Reese set Malonga up for a perfect drive and dunk, and the entirety of Wintrust Arena erupted right after. It was the first dunk since Fowles recorded one back in 2022, so it felt a little overdue. It was her only one of the night, despite multiple attempts to get her more free looks at the rim, but the one dunk was more than enough. 
<hr />
<h2>Team Coop, Spoon (attempting to) rain 3s</h2>
127 three pointers attempted, and just 41 made, made up a large chunk of the All-Star game’s offense this year. As mentioned, there were plenty of attempts to get more dunks for Malonga, and it’s not like teams weren’t getting into the paint at all. But, it felt like every other attempt on offense from either team came from three-point range, which slowed things down a bit and made rebounding far more important for guards than for the bigs on the floor. 
Obviously, with players like Clark, Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Mabrey on the floor, you can’t help but expect to see a lot of threes attempted. Clearly, both teams wanted to lean heavily into that strength on this year’s All-Star rosters, and the results varied. Heaters from Mabrey, Clark, Howard, Gray, and briefly Jonquel Jones helped to make this many attempts feel purposeful. 
<hr />
<h2>Jonquel Jones collecting another MVP award</h2>
<div id="attachment_267257" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-267257" class="wp-image-267257" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2287657974-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Jonquel Jones #35 of Team Spoon</div>
2021 MVP, 2023 Commissioner’s Cup MVP, 2024 Finals MVP, and now 2026 All-Star Game MVP. A clean sweep. 
Jones’ accolades keep stacking up amid her 11th season in the WNBA. The New York Liberty center finished with 22 points on 8-17 shooting, along with four made threes, 13 rebounds, and eight assists en route to the MVP nod. She took over for Team Spoon in the second half of the contest, looking like the dual threat that Liberty and Connecticut Sun fans are accustomed to seeing. 
Some other potential candidates for the award &#8211; Clark, Mabrey, and rookie Olivia Miles &#8211; got just a bit overshadowed by Jones’ dominance down the stretch.

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Rapid Reactions: 2026 AT&T WNBA All-Star Game

5 Things I Like

It feels unfathomable, but the player to monitor for a near-nightly triple-double is not Alyssa Thomas &#8211; it’s Jessica Shepard. 
The sixth-year veteran forward is hitting her stride in a major way with the Dallas Wings this season, posting three triple-doubles so far this season. That’s good for the most in the league so far this year, outdoing even Thomas, who’s known for easily hitting that benchmark thanks to her playmaking and rebounding abilities. 
Shepard’s been a key cog to the Wings’ dominance in year two of the Paige Bueckers era, and it’s in major thanks to her that Dallas is on a five-game winning streak as we head towards the All-Star break. 
This, and five other things, really caught my eye from week eight of WNBA action. 
<hr />
<h2>Commissioner’s Cup Hangover</h2>
After the New York Liberty took out the Las Vegas Aces for another Commissioner’s Cup title, it felt like perhaps they’d start to hit their stride ahead of the All-Star break. A nice streak could set them up for a comfortable spot atop the league standings and keep them afloat despite a very slow start from the team and their stars. 
Instead, New York has once again become inconsistent on offense and is struggling to get stops when it matters. They’re right in the middle of the league in three-point percentage (34.5) despite having shooters like Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Marine Johannès in tow, and are averaging just 87.8 points per game. That’s close to the output from teams like the Connecticut Sun, Portland Fire, and Chicago Sky. 
That, coupled with very little rim protection, average rebounding, and a third-lowest 6.3 steals per game, New York is lacking pop on either side of the ball. 
Since beating the Aces, the Liberty have lost three of their last four games. It feels like they have some identity issues to once again work out with a new head coach in tow, and with another new-look bench that doesn’t seem prepared to back up the starting unit. 
<hr />
<h2>Indiana Fever Surging</h2>
<div id="attachment_266146" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-266146" class="wp-image-266146" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="720" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-300x240.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-768x614.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2282658317-2048x1638.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />The Indiana Fever huddle during the game against the Phoenix Mercury</div>
The Fever had two key contests this past week: road games against the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces. The Aces present the largest challenge on paper to the Fever, with A’ja Wilson being a thorn in the side of any team that doesn’t have an experienced big ready to challenge her in the paint. 
Of course, Indiana did not have to worry too much about that, with Kelsey Mitchell simply putting the team on her back in both games. The star guard averaged 28.3 points per game over Indiana’s games this past week, along with shooting ridiculously efficiently from behind the arc. Despite a slower start to the year for the Fever, it seems like they’re beginning to pick things up thanks to Mitchell, the return of Caitlin Clark more consistently to the floor following a back injury, and star center Aliyah Boston honing in on her defensive stalwart-ness this past week. They’re sitting in 5th place now, just behind the Wings, and are proving they can make even the sharpest teams look silly with their core of Mitchell, Boston, and Clark. Consistency will be key for them. 
<hr />
<h2>Tempo Trip to Montreal</h2>
I had the pleasure of venturing across the border to go watch the Tempo’s two games hosted at the Bell Center over the weekend as part of their Cross Canada series, and they gave fans two exhilarating games against the Wings and Liberty. While they went 1-1 on the “road” trip, you couldn’t really tell that was the case. Fans were unbelievably supportive of the squad during both games, and, of course, Marina Mabrey put on a show against Dallas and New York. 
Mabrey, a first-time All-Star this year, averaged 32 points over the weekend, in addition to shooting 9-17 from three across both games. Her step backs in both games just always seemed like they were going to find the net, and more often than not, that was the case. 
Some underrated performances from the Tempo’s Maria Conde and Laura Juskaite deserve flowers, as well. Both played as excellent co-stars to Mabrey’s offensive explosion over this past weekend. Conde was confidently letting it fly from three, while Juskaite seemed to keep finding all of the Liberty’s pain points on her drives. 
Toronto did a great job of feeding off the energy from the Montreal crowd. 
<hr />
<h2>Valkyries Continue to be a Brick Wall</h2>
<div id="attachment_266147" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-266147" class="wp-image-266147" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="646" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-300x215.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-1024x735.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-768x551.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-1536x1103.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2284687221-1-2048x1470.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Veronica Burton #22 of the Golden State Valkyries</div>
The Valkyries scored 62 points against the Washington Mystics on July 6. That’s 20 points lower than their season average of 82, and typically the kind of offensive output you’d see from the losing team. 
Of course, they held the Mystics to just 49 points to secure the win, anyway. 
Golden State has been the best overall defensive unit in the WNBA this year, and that’s a huge testament to the work of Veronica Burton as one of the league’s best two-way guards. She’s the head of a snake that is neck and neck with the Minnesota Lynx in defensive rating (100.4), and while also allowing the least amount of points in the paint per game in the league (31.8 per game). 
Burton is also one of the league leaders in defensive win shares, which measures how much an individual player impacts their team’s wins on the defensive end of the floor only. 
Despite not being the flashiest team when it comes to their defense &#8211; they aren’t hauling down rebounds or getting blocks at a huge clip &#8211; their collective effort on the floor to make life miserable for opponents on defense is what’s helping land Golden State right in the conversation for contention ahead of the All-Star break. 
<hr />
<h2>Juhasz’s Return Comes with Huge Reeve Milestone</h2>
Dorka Juhasz had been out all season with a foot sprain suffered overseas, keeping her out of the Lynx’s lineups until July 6. The forward, while missed, wasn’t necessarily returning to a downtrodden team. Minnesota’s been one of the best stories of the season so far, with rookie Olivia Miles helping lead the Napheesa Collier-less team to a first-place record and a stronghold on the standings. So, Juhasz’s return was a welcome addition to Minnesota&#8217;s frontcourt depth, but the team has been managing just fine in her absence. 
Still, her contributions as a stretch 4 who can rebound efficiently and operate in the pick and roll with Miles are great for the Lynx, and even without Miles on July 9, Juhasz flashed all of that ability in the Lynx’s win over the Sun. That win carried head coach Cheryl Reeve over the hump to get the league record for most regular-season wins by a coach in history. 
It was also a clutch three from Juhasz that sealed the victory for Minnesota, on a night where the team was unbelievably shorthanded thanks to Miles’ calf injury and the ramp-up for Collier still ongoing. 
As if the Lynx needed to get any scarier, Juhasz&#8217;s ability to keep up this level of play off the bench could end up being huge for Minnesota as they seek to gain 100% health by the second half of the season. Minnesota’s bench play could use some work &#8211;  their second unit is averaging a league-low 15.7 points per game, along with just 8.7 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists, two steals, but is holding the best net rating (4.7). 
Juhasz can, at a minimum, be the remedy for their rebounding and bench shooting.

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Five Things I Like: Week Eight 2026

The 10 starters for the 2026 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game were unveiled on Thursday — a group that features a mix of award-winning veterans and rising young stars building out their trophy cases.
Let’s take a closer look at the first 10 players who have punched their tickets to Chicago for All-Star weekend (July 24-25).
Note: The All-Stars are presented in alphabetical order, with all stats through games played on Sunday, July 5.
<hr />
<h2>Aliyah Boston, Indiana Fever (4th All-Star selection)</h2>
<div id="attachment_265428" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265428" class="wp-image-265428 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131255.768.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131255.768.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131255.768-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131255.768-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131255.768-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131255.768-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Aliyah Boston #7 of the Indiana Fever</div>
In her fourth WNBA season, Boston earns her fourth All-Star selection as the Fever’s center-forward has been an All-Star staple since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft. This season, Boston is averaging a career-best 17.1 points per game (15th in the WNBA) along with 8.6 rebounds per game (9th).
Inside/Outside Threat
Through her first three WNBA seasons combined, Boston made a total of 17 3-pointers over 124 games, shooting just 26.2% from beyond the arc. This season, she has already made 23 3-pointers in just 19 games. Not only is Boston expanding her range, she’s doing so with great efficiency, ranking third among all WNBA players in 3-point percentage at 45.1%.
In addition to ranking fourth among all centers in 3-pointers made, Boston still maintains her back-to-the-basket game, ranking 10th among all players in field goals made within five feet, with 74 buckets on 67.3% shooting.
<hr />
<h2>Paige Bueckers, Dallas Wings (2nd All-Star selection)</h2>
Not only is Bueckers an All-Star starter for the second time in her sophomore WNBA season, she also led all players in fan voting in 2026, amassing 1,045,051 votes. The reigning Rookie of the Year has elevated her game in her second campaign, averaging career-bests in points (20.3 per game) and assists (6.1 per game) — ranking seventh in the league in both categories. She’s also more efficient, with her 52.3% FG and 39.1% 3-point shooting up 4.5 and 6.0 percentage points, respectively, from a season ago.
Paige Is Clutch
In 11 clutch games, Bueckers has scored a total of 39 points, which ranks fourth in the WNBA and first among the All-Star starters. She has put up those points on 14-for-21 shooting, with her 66.7 FG% ranking fifth among all players with at least 10 clutch shot attempts. Here’s one of her latest clutch moments, putting the Wings up late after they had trailed Connecticut by as many as 14 points.
<hr />
<h2>Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever (3rd All-Star selection)</h2>
Similar to Boston and Bueckers, Clark has earned All-Star honors in every one of her WNBA seasons. After missing last year’s game due to injury, this year’s second-leading vote getter (1,023,321) aims to return to the All-Star stage. Earlier this season, Clark surpassed 1,000 points, 250 rebounds and 250 assists in just 54 career games, topping Diana Taurasi’s previous record of 62 games. But that is not the only record in play this season.
Scorer &amp; Playmaker
Clark is the only player to rank in the top five in both points (career-high 21.2 per game, 4th in WNBA) and assists (8.2 per game, 2nd in WNBA) this season as she fuels Indiana’s top-ranked offense. The Fever lead the WNBA in both points per game (93.5) and offensive efficiency (111.6).
Clark is on pace to post a season unlike any other in league history. No player has ever averaged at least 20 points and eight assists per game. In fact, Clark is the only player to ever average at least 16+ ppg and 7+ apg, and now she can set the bar even higher.
<hr />
<h2>Natasha Howard, Minnesota Lynx (3rd All-Star selection)</h2>
The league-leading Lynx tout both the oldest and youngest players among the All-Star starters for 2026. Howard is the veteran, earning her third All-Star selection with her third different team after nods in 2019 (with Seattle) and 2022 (with New York).
In her 13th WNBA season, and first back in Minnesota after an eight-year hiatus, Howard is averaging 17.2 points (14th in the WNBA), 8.1 rebounds (13th) and 1.8 steals (3rd). And she’s doing it all on career-best efficiency, shooting 59.8% from the field, which ranks fifth among all players.
Doing Work Inside
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-265423" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/unnamed-2.png" alt="" width="481" height="512" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/unnamed-2.png 481w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/unnamed-2-282x300.png 282w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 481px) 100vw, 481px" />
As the shot chart above illustrates, Howard handles most of her business in the paint, where she leads the WNBA in scoring (13.7 points per game). In addition to showing off her craftiness with some of her finishes down low, Howard also makes a ton of effort plays. She ranks second in the league in offensive rebounds (3.4 per game) and third in second-chance points (3.8 per game).
Minnesota&#8217;s top-ranked defense (98.9 rating) also averages a league-best 18.6 points off turnovers, with Howard leading the charge at 4.6 points per game, which is second in the league among all players.
<hr />
<h2>Olivia Miles, Minnesota Lynx (1st All-Star selection)</h2>
<div id="attachment_265429" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265429" class="wp-image-265429 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131531.378.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131531.378.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131531.378-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131531.378-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131531.378-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131531.378-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Olivia Miles #5 of the Minnesota Lynx</div>
The opposite end of Minnesota’s All-Star duo is the rookie sensation Miles, who leads all first-year players in points (18.5 per game) and assists (5.7 per game), which also rank 12th and eighth, respectively, across the entire WNBA. 
As brilliant as Miles has been on offense, she has also shined defensively, with her 96.1 defensive rating leading the 120 players averaging at least 15 minutes per game this season. Her elite two-way impact has helped Miles post a league-best plus/minus of +197 over her first 20 career games.
Continuing A Trend
Miles is on pace to become just the 12th player in league history to average at least 18 points and five rebounds over a full WNBA season. If she maintains this pace, she will become the third straight rookie to do so, joining fellow All-Star starters in Clark (2024) and Bueckers (2025), who each won Rookie of the Year honors.
<hr />
<h2>Kelsey Mitchell, Indiana Fever (4th All-Star selection)</h2>
Mitchell earned her first WNBA All-Star selection in 2023, her sixth season in the league. She’s been an All-Star every year since, as she has steadily improved her game year after year: 18.2 points per game in 2023, 19.2 ppg in 2024, 20.2 ppg in 2025 and 21.9 ppg in 2026.
Mitchell’s 21.9 points are a career-high, as is her 48.9% shooting, while her 12 games with 20+ points ranks second in the league only to A’ja Wilson. Mitchell and fellow Fever All-Star Clark form the WNBA’s highest-scoring duo this season at 43.1 points per game.
The Iron Woman
Beginning with her first All-Star season in 2023, Mitchell has not missed a single game over the past four seasons. Her last missed game came at the close of the 2022 season on Aug. 14, meaning she has not missed a game in 1,422 days.
Last season, with the Fever ravaged by injuries, Mitchell carried the Fever to the brink of the WNBA Finals, before finally succumbing to exhaustion in Game 5 against the eventual champion Aces. After recovering from that frightening situation, Mitchell is not only back to 100%, she’s playing the best basketball of her career.
<hr />
<h2>Jessica Shepard, Dallas Wings (1st All-Star selection)</h2>
After playing her first five seasons in Minnesota, Shepard signed with Dallas as a free agent this offseason and has put up career-best numbers across the board in her debut season with the Wings: 14.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, five assists, two triple-doubles, 12 double-doubles.
Shepard is the only player to record a triple-double so far this season (she has two, which are also the first two of her career). She also ranks second in both double-doubles and rebounds per game, trailing only Atlanta’s Angel Reese in both categories.
Hall Of Fame Company
Shepard is on pace to join Candace Parker as the only players to average at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists over a WNBA season. Parker accomplished the rare feat in 2015, when she appeared in just 16 games but still finished fifth in MVP voting. Shepard has already maintained those averages through 21 games. If she sustains this all-around mastery for the remainder of the schedule, history awaits.
<hr />
<h2>Breanna Stewart, New York Liberty (8th All-Star selection)</h2>
Stewart has been an All-Star staple since she entered the WNBA in 2016 with her eight selections tied for the third-most among active players. The only years she was not an All-Star there was either no game (2016 due to the Olympics, 2020 due to the pandemic) or she was injured (2019 due to an Achilles tear).
This season, Stewart is one of only two players (along with A’ja Wilson) averaging at least 20 points and eight rebounds. She ranks ninth and 11th, respectively with averages of 20.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks over 20 games.
The Champ Is Here
Stewart has already added to her massive trophy case this season, making history in the process:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The Ultimate Winner: She’s the only player in WNBA history to win the Commissioner’s Cup three times (2021 with Seattle, 2023 and 2026 with New York). Her three Cup titles mirror her three WNBA titles (2018, 2020, 2024).</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Clutch MVP: She’s the lone player to win multiple Commissioner’s Cup MVP honors (2021 with Seattle and 2026 with New York). Her two Cup MVPs match her 2 regular season MVPs and WNBA Finals MVPs.</li>
</ul>
The only major MVP award left to add to her sparkling resume: All-Star Game MVP.
<hr />
<h2>Gabby Williams, Golden State Valkyries (2nd All-Star selection)</h2>
In her first season in Golden State, Williams earned her first All-Star start and second overall selection. The 5-foot-11 forward has established herself as one of the top two-way players in the league, averaging a career-best 16 points this season, while remaining one of the game’s top defenders.
Limited Minutes, Maximum Impact
Among the 10 All-Star starters, Williams averages the fewest minutes per game at 26.3, which ranks 46th in the WNBA. However, she ranks 18th in scoring (16.0 points per game), tied for ninth in steals (1.6 per game) and tied for 13th in 3-pointers made (2.0 per game).
Williams is one of only two players (along with Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard) to average at least 15 points, two 3-pointers made and 1.5 steals per game this season. But while Howard leads all WNBA players in floor time (35.2), Williams has hit those marks in just 26.3 minutes per contest.
<hr />
<h2>A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces (8th All-Star selection)</h2>
<div id="attachment_265430" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265430" class="wp-image-265430 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131705.539.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131705.539.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131705.539-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131705.539-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131705.539-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/Thumbnail-2026-07-06T131705.539-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />A&#8217;ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces</div>
So far, the only thing that has been able to slow down A’ja Wilson is an ankle injury, which has sidelined the four-time MVP, three-time Defensive Player of the Year and three-time WNBA champion for the past three games.
In her 19 games on the court, Wilson’s numbers have been phenomenal: she leads the WNBA in both scoring (25.7 per game) and blocks (2.0 per game) while ranking third in rebounds (9.4 per game). Wilson already boasts a league-high six games with 30 or more points this season — twice as many as any other player in the league this season (four players are tied with three: Breanna Stewart, Brittney Sykes, Kahleah Copper and Marina Mabrey).
Chasing History
At 25.7 points per game, Wilson is on pace to post the second-highest scoring season in WNBA history, trailing only herself in 2024 (26.9 ppg). She would own three of the top 10 individual scoring seasons in league history.
Top Single-Season Scoring Averages (WNBA History):
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400">A&#8217;ja Wilson: 26.9 (2024)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">A&#8217;ja Wilson: 25.7 (2026)*</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Diana Taurasi: 25.3 (2006)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Jewell Loyd: 24.7 (2023)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Diana Taurasi: 24.1 (2008)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Kelsey Plum: 23.9 (2026)*</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Maya Moore: 23.9 (2014)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Lauren Jackson: 23.8 (2007)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">A&#8217;ja Wilson: 23.4 (2025)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Elena Delle Donne: 23.4 (2015)</li>
</ol>
*current season (in progress)

players-to-watch-wnba-all-star-2026

Players to Watch Ahead of All-Star 2026

It’s been an iconic month for sports in New York City. 
The New York Knicks won the Finals for the first time since 1973, Gotham FC brought up the Challenger’s Cup trophy, and now, the New York Liberty are Commissioner’s Cup champions for a second time. 
The Las Vegas Aces, who were unfortunately without A’ja Wilson due to an ankle injury suffered over the weekend, looked lost on offense as they tried to find consistent shooting from literally anywhere in their lineup. For a moment, in the second half, that answer looked to be Jackie Young, but New York’s guard room beat out Las Vegas’ in the end. 
The Liberty desperately needed this win, as they had been skidding into this championship game. The Aces, conversely, have been cruising with Wilson piecing together yet another MVP-caliber season so far. However, this loss exposed weaknesses in their frontcourt and on offense when she’s not available.
Despite depth, experience, and X-factors always being the topic of discussion headed into big games like this, it all came down to who had more star power willing to step up to the plate for just one game &#8211; New York did. 
<hr />
<h2>New York Won The Guard Battle</h2>
<div id="attachment_265090" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265090" class="wp-image-265090" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283541320-2048x1366.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty and Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces</div>
I wrote<a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/rapid-reactions-commissioners-cup-2026"> that this game could end up</a> being a battle of the guards once we knew it would be Las Vegas against New York. 
 
Sabrina Ionescu had 26 points on a heavy shot diet. She was doing an excellent job throughout the contest of using her gravity to set up Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones cutting to the basket. Pauline Astier added 15 points on 5-8 shooting, and the two guards had half of the Liberty’s assists on the night. 
Jackie Young had 31 points, looking like the only Aces player who could find their shot &#8211; especially from three-point range. Chelsea Gray, very abnormally, had just seven points on 3-12 shooting. 
Chennedy Carter was the spark plug in the Aces guard room outside of Young, with her 18 points helping to keep Las Vegas in the contest in the first half when it felt like New York could potentially run away with things. But, as she’s ramping back up into regular action following an extended break from play, she only had 25 minutes on the court compared to Gray’s 36. 
In a game where the frontcourt battle wasn’t as much of a focal point as fans might’ve wanted it to be, New York managed to edge out the Aces star backcourt. 
<hr />
<h2>Las Vegas’ Frontcourt Depth Still an Issue?</h2>
Without Wilson, Las Vegas’ front court &#8211; NaLyssa Smith, Stephanie Talbot, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Bri Turner, and Kierstan Ball &#8211; had a combined 24 points on the night. Talbot and Turner had zero points combined in 21 minutes on the court. 
Stewart, alone, had 25 points for New York. She was the difference maker without Wilson on the floor. She deters players like Stewart, Jones, and even Ionescu from testing her at the rim, averaging two blocks per game. With her off the floor, the Liberty paced the Aces with 46 points in the paint. On the season, New York’s scoring 39.7 percent of their points in the paint. In this game, their 46 points accounted for nearly half of their scoring. 
It feels premature to say that Las Vegas is not as good a team without Wilson. We’ve seen Smith piece together some great performances in relief of Wilson, and Parker-Tyus has been a solid backup piece for the Aces. But you simply cannot replicate Wilson’s defensive presence. It’s one of one. New York felt that and took advantage of it immediately, which is a problem if you’re trying to give Wilson some relief in future contests. 
<hr />
<h2>History of Cup Predicting Finals Teams</h2>
<div id="attachment_265094" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-265094" class="wp-image-265094" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="769" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-300x256.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-1024x875.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-768x656.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-1536x1312.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/07/GettyImages-2283547570-2048x1750.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />The New York Liberty with their 2023 and 2026 Commissioner&#8217;s Cup Championship trophies</div>
Over the last few seasons, the Commissioner’s Cup has been a great crystal ball into who might make a deep postseason run, or even a Finals appearance. There have been some discrepancies along the way since the Cup began in 2021 &#8211; the Indiana Fever beat the Minnesota Lynx in 2025 to take the Cup, but they couldn’t sustain that success due to a dearth of injuries. 
But, the Liberty, Aces, and Lynx all seem to just be trading spots in the Cup final and also in the postseason. In 2022, the Aces beat the Chicago Sky in the Cup championship and proceeded to win the Finals. In 2023, the Aces took on the Liberty for the first time in the championship, got completely bulldozed by New York, and then went back-to-back as WNBA Finals champions against them anyway. 
In 2024, Minnesota beat New York in the Cup finals, and then New York redeemed themselves for their 2023 fumble with a Finals win of their own against Minnesota that same year. 
So, could this year’s Cup championship slate mean anything for the postseason, or the Finals, specifically? 
Absolutely. These are two experienced, stacked teams with some youth injected and two very solid benches. Minnesota will obviously threaten the order of things once Napheesa Collier is back (and, it’s not like they’re not already tearing up the league without her, as they’re in first place). Still, New York against Las Vegas in this year’s Cup championship is as predictable a potential Finals preview as the sun rising tomorrow.

WNBA-CommishCup-Logo_-Primary_RGB_DarkBkgd-1 (1)

rapid-reactions-2026-commissioners-cup-championship

Rapid Reactions: 2026 Commissioner's Cup Championship

We’re headed into the Commissioner’s Cup championship game between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. Still, the two teams met up before this contest for a fun preview ahead of their clash at Barclays Center on June 30th. 
These two squads are pretty clear contenders, but the Aces seem to be flying a lot higher than the Liberty at the moment. Despite that, New York managed to beat Las Vegas in their Cup championship preview. 
Another contentious game between the Dallas Wings and Minnesota Lynx, a quadruple overtime game between the Washington Mystics and Portland Fire, a surge from an unlikely source in Chicago, and Cheryl Reeve on the brink of history were all things I liked from this past week in the WNBA.
<hr />
<h2>First Taste of Commissioner’s Cup Championship</h2>
<div id="attachment_264985" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-264985" class="wp-image-264985 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T085635.274.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T085635.274.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T085635.274-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T085635.274-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T085635.274-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T085635.274-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Han Xu #21 of the New York Liberty</div>
Who would’ve thought that the Liberty’s X-factor against the Aces wouldn’t be winning the guard battle, or Breanna Stewart edging out perennial MVP candidate A’ja Wilson, but Han Xu providing 12 points in 13 minutes off the bench en route to a New York win?
Xu went a perfect 6-6 from the field in her limited minutes off the bench for the Liberty, hitting both of her three-point attempts. Her bench contributions were key for New York in the 2nd half, as she helped match the scoring from Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to get New York over the hump necessary to take Las Vegas down. 
Since this contest, though, New York has lost their only two contests prior to the Cup championship &#8211; one game against the Seattle Storm, when they were shorthanded, and one against the Golden State Valkyries, where they simply couldn’t stop their paint penetration or match their shooting from the field. 
Las Vegas, on the other hand, took down the Wings and Sky as they head to New York for the Cup. They’re still looking like the team to beat this season, with Wilson somehow looking so good this year that it isn’t getting enough hype &#8211; her unbelievably performances are actually just becoming routine for us all to witness.
<hr />
<h2>Wings-Lynx Rivalry Continues to Brew</h2>
Hand clapping, technicals, and “too little” celebrations were sprinkled throughout the Wings’ loss to the Lynx at home over the weekend. Things were a bit heated between Wings star Paige Bueckers and current ROTY frontrunner Olivia Miles, specifically, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to fans with how competitive those two players are. 
It was a physical matchup that nearly became a down-to-the-wire battle thanks to some clutch Azzi Fudd buckets in the second half, but Dallas continues to struggle to get stops at the rim with a lack of a protector in the front court. Minnesota, and specifically Miles and Natasha Howard, took full advantage of this by posting 38 paint points to Dallas’ 28. 
These two young backcourt stars could very well meet in the postseason, so their games against one another have been a fun potential preview of a new playoff rivalry brewing.
<hr />
<h2>Quadruple OT Game Makes WNBA History</h2>
Yes, you’re reading that subheading right &#8211; there were four extra quarters played to determine a winner of a Mystics-Fire game over the weekend. Exhausted watching the players doesn’t even begin to describe what it felt like watching this contest, which ended in a win for Washington. 
The game, which ended 124-123, ties a 2001 game between Washington and Seattle as the longest in WNBA history. The 247 points scored in this game were also the second-most scored in WNBA history. And, to add even more history, the eight players who logged 45 or more minutes on the court were the most players to go for that long in WNBA history. 
This was, aside from the obvious barn-burner feel of it all, also a great showcase of young talent in Portland and Washington. Carla Leite and Sarah Ashlee Barker did their best to lead the Fire to the win in this one, with Leite hitting the three-pointer that carried Portland into the first overtime period that kicked off the mayhem. But, Washington’s young core &#8211; Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron &#8211; in addition to veteran Michaela Onyenwere, carried them to a win. 
<hr />
<h2>Sydney Taylor Turning Heads in Chicago</h2>
<div id="attachment_264986" style="width: 2010px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-264986" class="wp-image-264986 size-full" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T090117.879.png" alt="" width="2000" height="1125" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T090117.879.png 2000w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T090117.879-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T090117.879-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T090117.879-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/Thumbnail-2026-06-30T090117.879-1536x864.png 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" />Sydney Taylor #12 of the Chicago Sky</div>
“She’s from New York, and she plays like she’s from New York, and sometimes you can just tell. We were kind of surprised that she had gone under the radar as much as she has.”
That <a href="https://www.theixsports.com/the-ix-basketball-newsroom/wnba/chicago-sky/sydney-taylor-chicago-sky/">was Tyler Marsh speaking to reporters</a> about Sky guard Sydney Taylor, an undrafted free agent who has gone from an end-of-bench piece to one of Chicago’s biggest spark plugs amid a down season. 
The Long Island native has put together some sensational performances in June, including a 30-point game in a loss against the Indiana Fever, a 29-point game in a win against the Fire on Friday, and a solid 6-13 shooting performance in a loss to the Aces. Chicago had been sorely missing that floor-spacing shooting from its lineup to aid its front-court-heavy roster, and Taylor seems to be the answer to those problems as of now.
<hr />
<h2>Reeve One Win Away from History</h2>
As I wrote about last week, Reeve is <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/cheryl-reeve-nears-wnba-history">on the brink of history</a>. She’s now just one win away from surpassing Mike Thibault as the all-time WNBA regular-season wins holder, and that could come as soon as this coming Friday against the Liberty. It’s a 2024 Finals rematch, so that’s already an exciting factor involved in the game, but it could also get Reeve over that 380-win hump necessary to become the sole regular-season wins record holder. 
With the way these two teams are playing &#8211; Minnesota acting as a bulldozer led by Miles, and New York still seemingly working out the kinks related to a new coach and a re-tooled bench &#8211; it feels likely that the Lynx can secure that record-sealing win with Reeve this weekend. 
This will be the two teams’ first meeting with one another this season &#8211; what a way to kick off their remaining three contests against one another for the year.

five-things-i-like-week-7-2026

5 Things I Like: Week Seven 2026

Before looking ahead to the 2026 Commissioner’s Cup Championship game between the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces on June 30, 2026, it&#8217;s worth revisiting two dates that helped shape this rivalry: Dec. 31, 2021, and Feb. 8, 2023.
On New Year’s Eve 2021, the <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/las-vegas-announces-franchise-legend-becky-hammon-as-teams-head-coach">Aces hired franchise legend Becky Hammon</a> as their head coach. It was a move that propelled Las Vegas to championship glory after falling short in three consecutive postseasons — losing in the semifinals in 2019 and 2021, and the Finals in 2020. Since then, the Aces have won three of the last four WNBA titles.
On Feb. 8, 2023, the <a href="https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/35570833/breanna-stewart-sign-new-york-liberty">Liberty signed Breanna Stewart as a free agen</a>t, transforming New York from a team coming off five consecutive sub-.500 seasons into an instant championship contender. The Liberty reached the Finals in Stewart’s debut season in seafoam, and she helped deliver the franchise’s first championship a year later.
Since 2023, the Aces and Liberty have been the WNBA’s two most dominant forces. They own the league&#8217;s two best regular-season winning percentages over that span and have backed it up in the postseason, combining to win each of the past three WNBA championships.
Their sustained excellence is reflected in the league standings since 2023.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-264665" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-scaled.png" alt="a bar graph displaying WNBA team win percentages since 2023" width="900" height="506" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-scaled.png 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-300x169.png 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-1024x576.png 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-1536x864.png 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/wnba-win-pct-since-2023-2048x1152.png 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />
In 2023, the Aces and Liberty crossed paths in both the Commissioner&#8217;s Cup Championship Game (won by New York) and the WNBA Finals (won by Las Vegas). Now they meet once again with hardware on the line. When they take the floor next Tuesday at Barclays Center, both teams will look to capture their second Commissioner’s Cup title.
<hr />
<h2>A Heavyweight Rivalry</h2>
<div id="attachment_264667" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-264667" class="wp-image-264667" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="599" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-1732195518-2048x1364.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces plays defense against Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty during game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals</div>
The history between these two teams is deep, tightly contested, and layered with championship pedigree.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">The Finals Clash: New York and Las Vegas met in the 2023 WNBA Finals, where the Aces secured a 3-1 series victory to become the first WNBA team in over two decades to win back-to-back championships. Since then, both franchises have added to their trophy cases, with the Liberty capturing the WNBA title in 2024 and the Aces reclaiming the throne in 2025.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Cup History: This game marks the third time each franchise has reached the Commissioner&#8217;s Cup Championship Game. Las Vegas took home the title in 2022, while New York won it in 2023 with an 82-63 blowout victory over the Aces. The Liberty returned to the title game in 2024 but fell short against Minnesota.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">All-Time Ledger: Historically, New York owns a razor-thin advantage in this rivalry between two of the WNBA&#8217;s original franchises (the Aces’ history dates back to San Antonio). In regular-season play, the Liberty lead 35-33. Their postseason rivalry is deadlocked at 4-4, while New York holds a 1-0 edge in Commissioner’s Cup Championship Games.</li>
</ul>
<hr />
<h2>Recent History &amp; Present Form</h2>
<div id="attachment_264669" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-264669" class="wp-image-264669" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2282520985-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />Jewell Loyd #24 of the Las Vegas Aces during the game against the New York Liberty on June 23, 2026</div>
Since 2023, these teams have met 20 times across the regular season, playoffs, and Commissioner’s Cup combined. Here’s a breakdown of that history:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Regular Season: Liberty 8, Aces 3</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Playoffs: Liberty 4, Aces 4 (each won a series 3-1: Aces in the 2023 Finals, Liberty in the 2024 Semifinals)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Commissioner’s Cup: Liberty 1, Aces 0</li>
</ul>
Overall, the Liberty own a 13-7 edge during that stretch and enter Tuesday having won 10 of the last 12 meetings. This includes their first matchup this season on June 23, just one week ahead of the Commissioner’s Cup final.
In that contest, Stewart led the way with 20 points, while Sabrina Ionescu added a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds), as the Liberty never trailed after the game’s opening minutes en route to an 87-76 road win.
It was New York’s fifth win in its last 11 road games against Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Aces have found little comfort at Barclays Center, securing just one win in their last nine meetings in Brooklyn—the championship-clinching Game 4 in 2023.
If the Aces hope to hoist their second Commissioner’s Cup, they will need to win in Brooklyn for only the second time in the last four years. So far this season, Las Vegas has been a sharper road team (8-2) than they have at home (4-3). Can they continue that trend with the Commissioner’s Cup trophy—and the lion&#8217;s share of the $500,000 prize pool—on the line?
New York earned the right to host the Championship Game after finishing Cup play with a perfect 6-0 record against fellow Eastern Conference opponents, while the Aces won the West with a 6-1 mark. 
<hr />
<h2>The MVP Vanguard</h2>
<div id="attachment_264668" style="width: 910px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-264668" class="wp-image-264668" src="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="600" srcset="https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.wnba.com/sites/4/2026/06/GettyImages-2176243063-5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" />A&#8217;ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces and Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty during the Semi-Finals Round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs</div>
Beyond the team storylines, this matchup is a showcase of elite individual talent, featuring all three active WNBA players who have claimed league MVP honors since 2018:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400">A&#8217;ja Wilson (2020, 2022, 2024, 2025)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Breanna Stewart (2018, 2023)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400">Jonquel Jones (2021)</li>
</ul>
Wilson enters the game playing some of the most dominant basketball of her career, leading the WNBA in both scoring (25.1 points per game) and blocks (2.1 per game).
The star-studded affair also features three of the league’s premier rebounders. Wilson currently ranks fourth in the WNBA with 9.1 rebounds per game, closely trailed by the Liberty&#8217;s twin-tower frontcourt of Jones (8.8 RPG, 5th) and Stewart (8.8 RPG, 6th).
If the Aces hope to reverse their recent slide against New York and claim their second Commissioner&#8217;s Cup, Wilson will likely need to set a physical tone early. However, with the Liberty entering Tuesday undefeated in Commissioner’s Cup play, boasting a 10-2 record in their last 12 meetings with Las Vegas, and holding home-court advantage at Barclays Center, New York carries a slight edge into this blockbuster championship clash.

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Game Preview: 2026 Commissioner's Cup Championship

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