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The WNBA season tips off tonight

The WNBA season tips off tonight

WNBA 2025 Season Suggestions Off Tonight with Historic Opening Evening

Might 16, 2025 – New York, USA

The Girls’s Nationwide Basketball Affiliation (WNBA) launches its twenty ninth season tonight, Friday, Might 16, 2025, with an exciting opening night time that includes three video games, together with the debut of the league’s latest workforce, the Golden State Valkyries. The 2025 season, working from Might 16 to September 11, introduces a record-high 44 video games per workforce, a best-of-seven WNBA Finals format, and heightened pleasure following 2024’s record-breaking viewership and attendance, per WNBA.com. With all 13 groups in motion over the opening weekend, followers are gearing up for a season of fierce rivalries, breakout stars like Caitlin Clark, and the Valkyries’ historic entry, as highlighted by @WNBA on X. Right here’s what to find out about tonight’s tip-off and the season forward.

Opening Evening Matchups

The WNBA Tip-Off 2025, introduced by CarMax, kicks off with three video games broadcast on ION, showcasing a mixture of playoff contenders, rising stars, and the league’s latest franchise, per CBSSports.com and @WNBA posts. The schedule is as follows:

  • Atlanta Dream at Washington Mystics
    • Time: 7:30 PM ET
    • Particulars: The Dream, led by two-time All-Star Allisha Grey and 2022 Rookie of the 12 months Rhyne Howard, face the Mystics, who function two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins and maintain the fourth choose within the 2025 draft. The Mystics goal to rebound from a difficult 2024, with new head coach TBD, per ESPN.
    • Why Watch: Atlanta’s dynamic offense meets Washington’s defensive grit, setting the tone for Japanese Convention battles.‽internet:4,10 ‽put up:1
  • Minnesota Lynx at Dallas Wings
    • Time: 7:30 PM ET
    • Particulars: The Lynx, runners-up within the 2024 Finals and powered by 2024 Defensive Participant of the 12 months Napheesa Collier, tackle the Wings, who secured the No. 1 draft choose (seemingly Paige Bueckers) and boast Arike Ogunbowale, per The Athletic. Dallas, beneath new coach Chris Koclanes, eyes a contemporary begin after a 9-31 season.
    • Why Watch: A conflict of playoff pedigree and youthful potential, with Bueckers’ doable debut stealing the highlight. @WNBA’s put up hyped Dallas’s “Texas warmth” for this matchup. ‽internet:7,23 ‽put up:3,7
  • Los Angeles Sparks at Golden State Valkyries
    • Time: 10:00 PM ET
    • Particulars: The Valkyries, the WNBA’s first enlargement workforce since 2008, make their historic debut at Chase Middle, led by coach Natalie Nakase and gamers like Kate Martin and Kayla Thornton from the December 2024 enlargement draft. They face the Sparks, that includes Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, and newly acquired Kelsey Plum, per ESPN.
    • Why Watch: The Valkyries’ inaugural recreation marks a milestone, whereas the Sparks’ revamped roster checks their mettle. ‽internet:2,14,17 ‽put up:1

All video games can be found on ION, with streaming particulars to be introduced later, per WNBA.com. ‽internet:4

Season Overview

The 2025 WNBA season, working by way of September 11, options 13 groups, together with the brand new Golden State Valkyries, and a 44-game schedule (22 dwelling, 22 street) for every, up from 40 in 2024, per The Subsequent. Key highlights embrace:

  • Commissioner’s Cup: June 1–17, with a $500,000 prize pool and a championship recreation on July 1, hosted by the workforce with one of the best Cup file. Western Convention groups play six Cup video games, Japanese groups 5, per The Athletic. ‽internet:21,23
  • All-Star Recreation: July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, hosted by the Indiana Fever, the primary time the franchise hosts the occasion, per ESPN Press Room. ‽internet:0,14
  • Playoffs: Start September 14, with a best-of-three first spherical (1-1-1 format) and a best-of-seven Finals, concluding by October 17, per Yahoo Sports activities. ‽internet:13
  • Groups: The 13 groups are Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Solar, Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics, and Golden State Valkyries. ‽internet:1

The New York Liberty, 2024 champions, goal to defend their title, led by Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart, whereas groups just like the Las Vegas Aces (with A’ja Wilson and Jewell Loyd) and Indiana Fever (with Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston) are poised to problem, per Olympics.com. ‽internet:9

Key Storylines

  • Valkyries’ Debut: The Golden State Valkyries, constructed through the December 2024 enlargement draft, carry contemporary vitality. Their roster, together with Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini, faces a troublesome take a look at in opposition to the Sparks, per ESPN Press Room. ‽internet:14
  • Star Energy: Caitlin Clark, 2024 Rookie of the 12 months, leads the Fever right into a high-profile Saturday matchup in opposition to Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky (3:00 PM ET, ABC), a rivalry fueled by their 2024 encounters, per The Athletic. New additions like DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard bolster Indiana’s playoff hopes. ‽internet:1,9,17 ‽put up:4
  • Teaching Adjustments: Eight groups have new head coaches, together with Stephanie White (Fever) and Tyler Marsh (Sky), the best turnover in league historical past, per ESPN. This shift, alongside participant strikes like Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and Jewell Loyd to the Aces, units up unpredictable dynamics. ‽internet:17
  • Development Surge: Following a 48% attendance soar and 22 video games with over 1 million viewers in 2024, the WNBA expects continued progress, with ticket gross sales up 145% from final season, per Olympics.com. The Fever alone noticed a 497% ticket gross sales spike, pushed by Clark’s influence. ‽internet:3,9

Easy methods to Watch

  • TV/Streaming: Tonight’s video games air on ION, with full season protection on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN+, Disney+, CBS/Paramount+, CBSSN, ION, Meta Quest, NBA TV, and Prime Video. Full streaming particulars are pending, per Yahoo Sports activities. ‽internet:13
  • Free Streaming: Preseason video games have been streamed free on the WNBA App, and followers can test for related choices through the app or League Cross for choose video games, per @WNBA. ‽put up:6
  • International Entry: Worldwide followers can use WNBA League Cross for out-of-market video games, with potential VPN use for region-locked content material, per WNBA.com. ‽internet:0

What to Anticipate

The 2025 season guarantees depth, with the Liberty favored to repeat, per ESPN’s Energy Rankings, however going through stiff competitors from the Lynx, Aces, and a bolstered Fever squad. The Valkyries’ debut provides intrigue, whereas rookies like Paige Bueckers (if drafted by Dallas) and veterans like A’ja Wilson drive narratives. X posts, like @WNBA’s “THE WAIT IS OVER” hype, replicate hovering fan pleasure, with over 3 million ladies’s sports activities followers engaged month-to-month, per The Subsequent. Challenges embrace the Connecticut Solar’s lack of star energy after dropping all 5 2024 playoff starters and the Sky’s low scoring output (77.4 PPG in 2024), per ESPN. ‽internet:11,12,21 ‽put up:2

Tonight’s tip-off units the stage for a landmark season. Followers can observe dwell updates on ESPN, WNBA.com, or X, the place @WNBA and workforce accounts like @DallasWings are amplifying the motion. For the most recent scores and highlights, test CBSSports.com or the WNBA App.

Sources: WNBA.com, CBSSports.com, The Athletic, ESPN, Olympics.com, Yahoo Sports activities, posts on X ‽internet:0,1,2,4,7,9,10,11,13,14,17,21,23 ‽put up:1,2,3,4,7