Paige Bueckers (likely) makes her WNBA debut in May, Caitlin Clark comes to Boston in July, the Liberty and Lynx square off in a finals rematch — and much more.
The 2025 WNBA schedule has officially been released, with regular season games slated to take place between May 16th to September 11th. And for the first time in WNBA history, each team will play 44 games, marking a four-game increase from last year.
We’re still six months away from opening night, but here are five games to pre-emptively put on your calendars for now:
The Minnesota Lynx visit the Dallas Wings on opening night at 7:30pm ET, a game that could very well mark the beginning of Paige Bueckers’ professional career. The Lynx were an under-the-radar team most of last season, but came just a possession short of a WNBA championship. Napheesa Collier, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and company will begin their season on the road in Dallas. While the Wings could opt to select someone other than Bueckers, it’s very likely that May 16th will mark her official debut.
The Valkyries will play their first-ever game as a franchise on opening night, hosting the Sparks on Friday, May 16th at 10pm ET. On the Valkyries side, which stars that game will feature remains to be seen; the Valkyries’ expansion draft is coming up soon, on December 7th. Still, Golden State will play their first-ever game at Chase Center, and face Sparks standouts like Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson, and potentially Cameron Brink, if she’s back from her ACL tear.
It’s no longer the finals rematch — but it’s still a high-profile match-up featuring several of the league’s best players, including last year’s unanimous MVP, A’ja Wilson. The defending champions open up their regular season against the team that defeated them in the Finals two seasons ago, and in front of the Barclays Center crowd that watched them be crowned champions in October. This one will tip-off on Saturday, May 17th at 3pm — right after a game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever concludes.
Last season, the Connecticut Sun played the first-ever WNBA game at Boston’s historic TD Garden. This season, the Sun will again play at the Garden on Tuesday, July 15th at 8pm.
This match-up will feature the biggest name in women’s basketball: Caitlin Clark. The marquee game between the Sun and the Fever will be a rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series, while also including the return of head coach Stephanie White, who left Connecticut for Indiana this offseason. Fever standout Aliyah Boston will be a player to watch in this one, while there are several notable free agents (Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Kelsey Mitchell) who may or may not be in attendance.
WNBA fans will have to wait a few solid months for a proper Finals rematch between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx host the Liberty on Wednesday, July 30th at 8pm — a game that features five 2024 All-Stars: Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Napheesa Collier, and Kayla McBride.
Jones, the 2024 Finals MVP, will again battle Minnesota’s bigs. In addition to those All-Stars, several other Finals standouts will be in action, including Minnesota’s Courtney Williams and New York’s Leonie Fiebich.
