• Loading stock data...
Thursday, July 3, 2025

Clark vs. Reese, Valkyries Debut Highlight WNBA Schedule Release

The 2025 WNBA season starts May 16 and will feature a record 44 games per team, including a 17-day period in June exclusive to Commissioner’s Cup games.

Jul 20, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Team WNBA guard Caitlin Clark (left) and Angel Reese against the USA Women's National Team during the 2024 WNBA All Star Game at Footprint Center.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The WNBA is following up a banner year with a record-long regular season and the addition of a 13th franchise.

On Monday, the league announced the 2025 WNBA season schedule, which will feature 44 games per team—up from 40 last season—the most in history. The season kicks off May 16 and ends Sept. 11.

The Golden State Valkyries highlight the opening-day tripleheader as they host the Los Angeles Sparks at the Chase Center. The Dallas Wings, who hold the first pick in the 2025 WNBA draft expected to be UConn star Paige Bueckers, will welcome the Minnesota Lynx.

The Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark, who drove the WNBA to record national TV viewership last season, will open their year—led by new head coach Stephanie White—on May 17 in a rivalry game against Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky. 

The New York Liberty, who beat the Lynx in the Finals in October, will raise their first championship banner at Barclays Center on May 17 against the Las Vegas Aces, a rematch of the 2023 Finals.

The national TV schedule has yet to be announced, but it’s likely Clark and the Fever—who had 36 of 40 games on national TV last year—will be heavily featured. Last year, 22 WNBA regular-season games averaged at least one million viewers, and 19 of those games featured the Fever. The two most-watched games were between the Fever and the Sky, with both drawing at least 2.25 million viewers.

Expansion Draft Details

The Valkyries announced their head coach, Natalie Nakase, in October—and less than two months later, she and GM Ohemaa Nyanin will finally be able to build a roster.

The expansion draft for the Valkyries is Friday. The 12 other teams were given a deadline of Nov. 25 to submit six players who will be protected in the expansion draft—though a source told Front Office Sports that the list of protected players is not expected to be made publicly available until the draft itself, barring any changes.

Golden State will have the contract or negotiating rights to one player per team—though it is allowed to pass on a team if it wishes to leave extra roster spots open for free agency, which begins Feb. 1. The Valkyries will also have the No. 5 pick in April’s draft.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

WNBA Players Reject League’s First CBA Offer

Players felt the initial proposal wasn’t “entirely responsive” to their request.

NHL to Rejoin Olympic Ice in Milan—and NBC Set to Cash In

NHL players last competed in the Olympics in 2014.
Sophie Cunningham

WNBA Expansion Decisions Show League Prioritizes North, NBA Ties

One player ripped the league for its geographic choices.

Featured Today

The Battle Over Wimbledon’s Ambitious Expansion Plan

A classic NIMBY standoff on one of the most hallowed grounds in sports.
Seattle Rough & Tumble
June 28, 2025

Women’s Sports Bars Are on the Rise. Survival Isn’t Guaranteed

Some women’s sports bars are cashing in. Others are clawing for funding.
June 27, 2025

Shitposters Have Taken the Reins of Pro Sports’ Official Voices

Meet the social media pros turning sports teams into internet trolls.
Jun 17, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers center Sam Reinhart (13) hoists the Stanley Cup after winning game six of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena
June 26, 2025

Stanley Cup’s International Summer Tour: Rules, Repairs, and Raucousness

No pro trophy tour compares to the NHL’s three-month global victory lap.
exclusive

PGA Tour Slashes FedEx Cup Winner Pay From $25M to $10M

The FedExCup is reworking how it distributes its bonus money.
July 1, 2025

WNBA Roster Limits Under Fire After Vanloo’s Valkyries Release

Kaitlyn Chen remains on the Valkyries roster.
Red Panda
July 2, 2025

Red Panda Hospitalized After WNBA Halftime Fall

The beloved performer was taken off the court in a wheelchair.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
July 1, 2025

LIV Golf CEO Pushes Back On PGA Tour Merger

Scott O’Neil said there could be new opportunities for the Tour’s players.
July 1, 2025

New Philadelphia Arena Was Key to City’s Successful WNBA Bid

The forthcoming team will play in a new arena in South Philadelphia.
July 1, 2025

NBA Salary Cap Up 7% in 2026–27, but Teams Expected More

The 2026–27 salary cap is projected at $165 million.
July 1, 2025

Bobby Bonilla On Annual $1.2M Payday: ‘It Doesn’t Suck’

The former MLB star receives another $1.19 million from the Mets today.