You were sorely mistaken if you thought the WNBA would ease into the season. We had historic opening-day performances, sold-out crowds and another Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese duel.
Here are the key takeaways from the Friday and Saturday games:
Can we just play basketball?
Last season, every Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever contest was intense due to the popularity of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The two teams were fighting for playoff positioning, and both players were part of an impressive rookie draft class.
Year 2 started with the Midwest rivals facing each other, and with the Fever adding stars such as DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard, they dominated the Sky 93-58 behind a triple-double from Clark. The victory was impressive, but an interaction between Clark and Reese caused a frenzy.
In the third quarter, Reese went to the basket and Clark fouled her hard as she fell to the floor. Clark stared Reese down, and when Reese got up, words were exchanged and things got heated.
When everything cooled down, the referees reviewed the play and assessed Clark with a flagrant foul and Reese and Aliyah Boston with technicals. A pool reporter asked officials about the incident after the game; the referees explained why they called Clark’s foul a flagrant and gave Boston and Reese technicals.
FYI:
The pool report regarding Caitlin Clark’s foul on Angel Reese provided some clarity.
As we know, the foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1. Why? It was deemed “not a legitimate basketball play”/“unnecessary contact.” pic.twitter.com/fYy6Rtdsom
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) May 17, 2025
Ultimately, it was a basketball play, and the names made it a bigger deal than it was. The Fever proved to live up to the hype of being a team to beat, and the Sky are still an exciting work in progress.
Liberty are the Queens of the WNBA
As the new season begins, there is one more carryover from 2024 to complete: The unveiling of the New York Liberty as champions.
A banner now hangs inside the Barclays Center. The Liberty also received their championship rings before tip-off against the Las Vegas Aces.
For the cherry on top of this New York sundae, the Liberty defeated the Aces 92-78, kicking off their title defense with a strong afternoon from newcomer Natasha Cloud.
Kelsey Plum, Napheesa Collier sizzle
Kelsey Plum made quite the first impression in a Los Angles Sparks jersey.
She scored 37 points, not only breaking the scoring record for most points in a Sparks debut, but also scoring the most for a WNBA player in a season opener. This was also the first time that a WNBA player had at least 35 points, five assists and five steals in a game.
Kelsey Plum became the first WNBA player with a game of 35+ PTS, 5+ AST and 5+ STL, finishing with 37 PTS (11-for-19 FG, 4-for-6 3PT, 11-for-11 FT), 6 AST and 5 STL. Her 37 points are the most by a Spark in their debut and the most by any WNBA player in a season opener.
— LA Sparks PR (@LASparksPR) May 17, 2025
The Sparks used Plum’s incredible game to beat the Golden State Valkyries 84-67. While Golden State lost, they had a record attendance for their first-ever game with 18,064 in Chase Center for the debut of this expansion team.
A matchup between the Minnesota Lynx and the Dallas Wings had people excited for Paige Bueckers’ WNBA debut. However, she was relatively quiet. She was doubled, defended aggressively and ended the night with just 10 points on 30 percent shooting.
Napheesa Collier, on the other hand, was spectacular. She scored 34 points and looked like she hadn’t missed a beat from last year’s playoff run.
The @minnesotalynx pick up their first W of the season on the road in Dallas
Napheesa Collier took over in the second half, dropping 20 of her 34 points to close it out.
FINAL STATS: 34 PTS | 4 REB | 4 AST pic.twitter.com/kRpRh5RBPI
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 17, 2025
With Collier dominating, the Lynx cruised to a 99-84 win. If this performance is an appetizer to what Collier will be cooking up this season, then that MVP trophy may be coming her way.
Delightful debuts in DC, PHX
Believe it or not, the Washington Mystics won a game! In their season opener, they defeated the Atlanta Dream 94-90. Last year, they lost their first 12 games, so even one victory at this point of the year is a success.
Rookies Sonia Cirtron and Kiki Iirafen were impressive; Citron had 19 points, missing just one shot, while Iriafen had 14 points and four rebounds.
It’s a new era for the Phoenix Mercury, and they started it by beating the Seattle Storm, 81-59. Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas were a great pairing for Phoenix. The new duo both scored at least 20 points, combining for 47 on the night.
Satou Sabally: 27 points
Alyssa Thomas: 20 pointsAT and Satou become just the second pair of teammates in franchise history to each score 20+ points in their Mercury debuts. They become just the fourth pair in WNBA history. pic.twitter.com/TUe3cAyMpF
— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) May 18, 2025
The Mercury were expected to take a step back this year with Diana Taurasi retiring and Brittney Griner now in Atlanta, but they won easily, despite the absence of Kahleah Copper, who is out for four to six weeks after undergoing a left knee arthroscopy.
The marathon that is the WNBA season is now underway. If these early matchups are any indicator, we are in for another fun, intense and thrilling season of women’s basketball.
