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<\/p>\nBefore we dive into this week\u2019s power rankings, let\u2019s pause for a moment to recognize the history that went down in Seattle on Sunday as Sue Bird became the first WNBA player honored with a statue by their franchise.<\/p>\n
The No. 1 pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft, Bird spent her entire 20-year career in Seattle, leading the Storm to four titles and retiring in 2022 as the WNBA\u2019s all-time leader in games played (580), minutes (18,079), assists (3,234) and All-Star selections (13) \u2013 marks that still hold today.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople keep asking me what it feels like to be the first,\u201d said Bird during her speech. \u201cThe truth is that I never set out to be the first at anything, but if being the first means I won\u2019t be the last, if this statue means that 20 years from now there will be statues of other WNBA greats \u2026 then I\u2019m proud to be the first.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bronze statue outside Climate Pledge Arena depicts Bird in her signature ponytail, but rather than a pose of a pass to represent her record in assists, or a jumper to represent her clutch buckets in the playoffs, the statue sees Bird gliding in for a layup.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy very first points in the WNBA at KeyArena as a rookie were on a layup,\u201d said Bird. \u201cMy very final points in the WNBA were at Climate Pledge on a layup.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the statue\u2019s pose symbolizes the start and end of her two-decade career in Seattle, the statue\u2019s presence means she\u2019ll remain a part of the city for decades to come.<\/p>\n
Congrats to Sue! Now, onto this week\u2019s power rankings.<\/p>\n
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1. Minnesota Lynx (28-5) \u2194\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 1<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. at NYL, Thur. at ATL, Fri. at IND, Sun vs. IND<\/p>\n
It was one game, one win for the Lynx this week as they improved to 3-0 against New York in this season\u2019s rematches of last year\u2019s Finals. The Lynx have already clinched a playoff berth and continue to stack wins \u2013 six in a row to enter the week \u2013 despite being without MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier (ankle) for the last four games. With a 6.5-game lead on the field with 12 games to play, the Lynx can be cautious with Collier\u2019s return to ensure she is 100% for the postseason.<\/p>\n
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2. Atlanta Dream (22-12) \u2194\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 2<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. at LVA, Thur. vs. MIN, Sat. vs. NYL<\/p>\n
Atlanta\u2019s six-game win streak \u2013 tied for the third-longest in franchise history \u2013 was snapped on Friday as the Storm held off the Dream in a thriller in Vancouver. Atlanta bounced back with a win over Golden State on Sunday to wrap the week in sole possession of second place in the WNBA, holding a one-game lead on the Liberty. The Dream face a loaded schedule this week \u2013 playing the three teams that reached the past two WNBA Finals: the Aces (2023 champs), the Lynx (2024 runner-up) and Liberty (2024 runner-up, 2025 champs).<\/p>\n
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3. Las Vegas Aces (21-14) \u2b06\ufe0f<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Last Week: 5<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. vs.. ATL, Thur. vs. PHX, Sat. at WAS<\/p>\n
The Aces are back! Las Vegas has won seven straight \u2013 the longest active win streak in the league \u2013 and 12 of its last 15 games to climb from ninth to fifth in the standings and just 1.5 games back of second place. Since Vegas\u2019 win streak started on Aug. 3, A\u2019ja Wilson has led the WNBA in scoring (26.1 ppg) and rebounding (13.3 rpg) while also ranking top 10 in both steals (1.7 spg) and blocks (1.4 bpg) over the past two weeks.<\/p>\n
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4. New York Liberty (21-13) \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 3<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. vs. MIN, Thur. vs. CHI, Sat. at ATL<\/p>\n
The Liberty are 4-7 since losing Breanna Stewart to a knee injury just three minutes into their game against the Sparks on July 26. Three of those seven losses have come against the league-leading Lynx, while another came this week against the streaking Aces. While Stewart is expected to return by late August, the Liberty face another challenging week, taking on Minnesota and Atlanta \u2013 the only two teams ahead of New York in the standings \u2013 on Tuesday and Saturday, respectively.<\/p>\n
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5. Phoenix Mercury (20-13) \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 4<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. at GSV, Thur. at LVA, Fri. vs. GSV<\/p>\n
The Mercury went to Seattle and spoiled Sue Bird statue night on Sunday behind Alyssa Thomas\u2019 fifth triple double of the season. Thomas now has more triple-doubles in just her first 28 games on the Mercury than any other player has in their entire career. Yes, five of Thomas\u2019 record 20 career triple-doubles have come in her first season in Phoenix. The next closest players on the all-time triple-double list (regular and playoffs combined) are Sabrina Ionescu (four), Caitlin Clark and Candace Parker (three each).<\/p>\n
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6. Golden State Valkyries (18-16) \u2b06\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 8<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. vs. PHX, Fri. at PHX, Sun. at DAL<\/p>\n
The longest win streak in franchise history \u2013 aka this season \u2013 was snapped at four straight on Sunday against the Dream. However, Golden State is 7-3 in its last 10 games and would make the playoffs if the season ended today. They are part of a five-team cluster \u2013 along with the Fever (19-16), Storm (17-18), Sparks (16-18) and Mystics (16-18) \u2013 separated by just two losses and battling for three playoff spots.<\/p>\n
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7. Indiana Fever (19-16) \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 6<\/p>\n
This Week: Fri. vs. MIN, Sun. at MIN<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s game against Connecticut was a microcosm of Indiana\u2019s season. They lost another guard to injury \u2013 Sophie Cunningham left in the second quarter and will undergo an MRI on her knee today \u2013 and they showed their resiliency and fight to overcome being shorthanded. Behind Kelsey Mitchell\u2019s 38 points, the Fever pulled off a franchise-record 21-point comeback to defeat the Sun in overtime, avoiding a three-game skid and inspiring this postgame speech from coach Stephanie White.<\/p>\n
The Fever are off until Friday when they begin a home-and-home set with the league-leading Lynx, giving them a few days to figure out a guard rotation as Cunningham will likely join Clark (hopeful to get her back before the end of the regular season), Aari McDonald and Sydney Colson (both out of the year) on the sideline.<\/p>\n
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8. Los Angeles Sparks (16-18) \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 7<\/p>\n
Behind a stretch of eight wins in a nine-game span, the Sparks ascended the standings and the power rankings over the past few weeks. However, since that hot streak, the Sparks have dropped three of their last five games, falling into a three-way tie with Seattle and Washington with 18 losses each as the three teams sit between eighth and 10th in the standings \u2013 all eyeing a playoff spot.<\/p>\n
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9. Seattle Storm (17-18) \u2194\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 9<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. at CHI, Fri. at DAL, Sun. at WAS<\/p>\n
The Storm held off a fourth quarter rally by the Dream to not only win the WNBA Canada Game in Vancouver on Friday, but also snap a season-long six-game losing streak. However, the Storm were unable to follow that win with another as they fell to the Mercury on Sue Bird statue night on Sunday. Seattle is one of two teams \u2013 along with the Sparks \u2013 who have been better on the road (9-8) compared to home (8-10). The Storm can add to that road win total this week as they open their final trip of the season with stops in Chicago, Dallas and Washington.<\/p>\n
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10. Washington Mystics (16-18) \u2194\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 10<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. vs. CON, Thur. at CON, Sat. vs. LVA, Sun. vs. SEA<\/p>\n
After a 2-7 stretch from July 15-Aug. 8 dropped Washington four games below .500 for the season, the Mystics have won three of their last four games to reach 16-18 \u2013 keeping them in the playoff battle. Washington\u2019s All-Star rookie duo continues to lead the way, with Sonia Citron (19.5 ppg, 62.5% on 3s) and Kiki Iriafen (18.3 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 59.5% FG) combining to average 37.8 ppg over the past four games.<\/p>\n
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11. Dallas Wings (9-26) \u2b06\ufe0f<\/p>\n
![\"Maddy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/GettyImages-2230348990-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Last Week: 12<\/p>\n
This Week: Wed. at LAS, Fri. vs. SEA, Sun. vs. GSV<\/p>\n
This week started with a case of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu \u2013 with different results \u2013 for the Wings. On Tuesday, Dallas snapped a five-game losing streak with a one-point win over Indiana despite the Fever closing the game with a 19-3 run. On Friday, it was the Wings that made the closing run (19-2) before ultimately falling short by a single point. Keep an eye on Maddy Siegrist, who\u2019s helped fill the void left by Arike Ogunbowale (knee), with 20 ppg on 64.9 FG, 45.5% 3P and 100% FT shooting splits over the past three games.<\/p>\n
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12. Chicago Sky (8-25) \u2b07\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 11<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. vs. SEA, Thur. at NYL, Sat. vs. CON<\/p>\n
Dating back to July 14, the Sky have gone just 1-12 in their last 13 games, with losing streaks of eight and (currently active) four games. They\u2019ve been outscored by an average of 18.1 ppg during this stretch, with All-Star forward Angel Reese appearing in only three of those games as she continues to battle a back injury.<\/p>\n
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13. Connecticut Sun (6-27) \u2194\ufe0f<\/p>\n
Last Week: 13<\/p>\n
This Week: Tue. at WAS, Thur. vs. WAS, Sat. at CHI<\/p>\n
After Sunday\u2019s overtime loss to the Fever, the Sun are just two losses away from being the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention this season. Connecticut enters the week nine losses behind the eighth place Storm with 11 games to play.<\/p>\n
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Longtime WNBA reporter Brian Martin writes articles on WNBA.com throughout the season. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before we dive into this week\u2019s power rankings, let\u2019s pause for a moment to recognize the history that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,82,630],"class_list":["post-79146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}