The WNBA prepares for a season full of excitement and rivalry
Seven months ago, the New York Liberty won the WNBA title by defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the decisive Game 5 of the 2024 Finals. The victory sparked celebration in the Big Apple, while in Minnesota, disappointment took hold of the atmosphere.
“This was stolen from us,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve stated, visibly upset by a late foul called in regulation.
Cheryl Reeve
Are you ready to witness a rematch between Liberty and Lynx? According to a panel of experts from Alofoke Deportes, both teams are favorites to reach the 2025 WNBA Finals, with Minnesota as the preseason favorite. However, they won’t be alone in the fight for the championship, as the current champions, the Las Vegas Aces, and the Indiana Fever, who have generated great expectation, are also being touted as serious contenders.
The 29th season of the WNBA kicks off on Friday with three exciting games. The debut of the number 1 draft pick, Paige Bueckers, with the Dallas Wings, who will host Minnesota, is one of the most anticipated events. On Saturday, in a doubleheader televised by ABC, the defending champions, the Liberty, will face the Aces (1 p.m. ET). Following this, last season’s rookie stars, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, will face off in a duel where Indiana will host the Chicago Sky (3 p.m. ET).
The analysts at Alofoke Deportes have made their predictions about the teams that will compete for the title and the players who could win individual awards.
Will A’ja Wilson, on the left, win a fourth MVP title? Will Breanna Stewart, on the right, and the New York Liberty achieve a second consecutive championship?
Will the Liberty repeat?
Maintaining championship hunger is a challenge in professional sports, as rivals are determined to dethrone you. The Aces achieved it in 2023 after winning in 2022, but it could be difficult for the Liberty to repeat the feat.
The Liberty are deserved favorites to win another title. The addition of Natasha Cloud helps fill the void left by the absence of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who will miss the entire season due to an injury. The return of Marine Johannes will strengthen the Liberty’s bench. It would place them at the top of a group of three teams with the best chances of winning the championship, ahead of Las Vegas and Minnesota.
History suggests that another team, other than New York, could lift the trophy. Only one team, the Aces in 2022 and 2023, has repeated in the last two decades. It’s incredibly difficult, and it’s even more so now that many teams are accumulating talent and are in win-now mode.
The Liberty are on the same level as Indiana. Perhaps it is advantageous that they do not have exactly the same cast of characters as last season, although it is questioned whether the losses of Laney-Hamilton and Kayla Thornton (expansion draft) will take their toll. The Liberty are also short on the wings, although Rebekah Gardner, Kennedy Burke and Leonie Fiebich could compensate for it.
Are Minnesota and Napheesa Collier in pursuit of the 2025 WNBA championship and the MVP trophy?
If not New York, which team is chosen to win the 2025 title?
The Lynx were one call away from winning the title last season, and there are many reasons to believe they can return to that stage and emerge as champions this time. They have a huge advantage by returning 85.4% of their scoring production, the highest in the league. They could be even deeper thanks to their revamped bench, especially if young players like Diamond Miller and Alissa Pili continue to develop. The Aces and the Liberty have been the first to say how defeat fueled and informed their eventual championship runs; last year’s suffering could be what the Lynx needed to make everything work out in 2025.
In the last six years, there has been a pattern of teams winning the title in the season following a major disappointment. In 2019, the Mystics won after being swept by the Storm in the 2018 Finals. In 2022, the Aces won after falling at home in Game 5 of the 2021 semifinals to the Mercury. And last season, the Liberty secured the title after losing in the 2023 Finals to the Aces.
We could see that with the Lynx this season, but they are not the only team that would fit this trend. The Aces are also still lamenting last year, when they won only one of seven games against the Liberty between the regular season and the playoffs. In addition, Jewell Loyd is eager to prove herself with a new team.
As for Indiana, the Fever could be a year away. That would fit another pattern of teams (Seattle in 2004 and 2018) winning titles in the third season of consecutive No. 1 draft picks playing together.
