What I\u2019m most looking forward to \u2026<\/p>\n
A summer of basketball without the specter of CBA uncertainty. There\u2019s no doubt last season had highs \u2013 the Aces\u2019 third title<\/a>, the Liberty\u2019s star power, breakout rookies and the emergence of the Golden State Valkyries \u2013 but the possibility of a shortened, delayed or even cancelled 2026 season loomed over so much of 2025. After 17 months of negotiations and hard-earned, deserved wins by the players, here we are. My second answer: getting Jordan Robinson\u2019s WNBA 30 newsletter<\/a> in my inbox every Tuesday! EB<\/p>\n As a Canadian, I can\u2019t not say the Toronto Tempo. The expansion team have aggressively built a competitive roster by securing major assets: Marina Mabrey and Nyara Sabally via the expansion draft; Brittney Sykes, Temi F\u00e1gb\u00e9nl\u00e9, and Canada\u2019s Kia Nurse in free agency; and the NCAA champion Kiki Rice with the sixth overall pick. Plus the two-time WNBA<\/a> champion coach Sandy Brondello, who has a perfect playoff record, brings immediate credibility and a winning culture to the optimistic new franchise. YE<\/p>\n How the expansion teams do this season. The Tempo and Fire represent new life and energy in the W and are such different teams \u2013 it\u2019s pretty special that we get to enjoy them together. SK<\/p>\n The pre-game catwalks. The men have dominated this space since the institution of the NBA dress code. But now that their WNBA counterparts have stepped up, with some making millions on the court for the first time in their careers, it feels like it\u2019s only a matter of time before women\u2019s basketball players really start voguing it up off the court, and fashion\u2019s top stylists and designers rush in to be part of the show. AL<\/p>\n A major upset, especially if it\u2019s lands on the Aces. The Aces winning is a bit predictable at the point, and they\u2019ve clearly built a power team. I\u2019m rooting for the underdog. TR<\/p>\n Biggest offseason development<\/p>\n The league and players agreeing<\/a> to a historic CBA. The US professional sports world has never seen this kind of dramatic pay leap; the salary cap is up 364%, and minimum salaries quadrupled. And, importantly, these pay boosts don\u2019t just affect the top 1%. The impact of the new CBA is being felt across the board, from those big stars – hello, A\u2019ja Wilson\u2019s league-record contract<\/a> \u2013 to the middle-class, self-described \u201cheartbeat\u201d \u2013 hello, Courtney Williams\u2019s plan<\/a> to buy her mom a house \u2013 to under-the-radar youngsters, who now have a chance to make squads as \u201cdevelopment players\u201d<\/a> without counting against the cap. EB<\/p>\n Have Phoenix done enough to keep pace? Unlikely. Losing All-Star Satou Sabally after the finals loss to Las Vegas suggests not. They drafted two 19-year-olds and are relying on veterans DeWanna Bonner and Sami Whitcomb, plus Val\u00e9riane Ayayi, who hasn\u2019t played in the league for over a decade. However, Phoenix\u2019s decisions were doubted last year, too. Maybe they can surprise us again. YE<\/p>\n Everything the Sky did during free agency is worth paying attention to. The Angel Reese trade was huge, signing such a strong group of veterans is compelling, and the team\u2019s openness to so readily discuss those decisions during training camp makes it seem like the gloves are off \u2013 they aren\u2019t hiding anything. SK<\/p>\n Something about a new deal? Not FDR\u2019s \u2026 AL<\/p>\n Natasha Cloud not signing a max contract, and briefly remaining unsigned during the preseason. It was one of the most interesting offseason storylines. Whether it stemmed from her outspoken stance on international conflict, league politics and the CBA or not, it sparked conversation about what the WNBA truly supports. Either way, it feels like added motivation for her. TR<\/p>\n Paige Bueckers and the Dallas Wings are likely to improve this season. Photograph: Eric Gay\/APThe surprise team will be \u2026<\/p>\n The Washington Mystics. Sure, they have the youngest roster in the league. Sure, they fired their GM days before this year\u2019s draft and stayed quiet during free agency. Just two of the 12 players on their roster have more than one year of WNBA experience, but their young players are some of the league\u2019s most exciting talents. Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen were an All-Star duo; point guard Georgia Amoore will debut after missing last year to injury; draftees Lauren Betts and Angela Dugali\u0107 are fresh off UCLA\u2019s championship run. The focus is probably more than winning games, but the pieces are compelling enough to produce at least some moments of keeping the league\u2019s heavy-hitters on their toes. EB<\/p>\n After five straight playoff misses, the Los Angeles Sparks finally have a versatile roster. Ta\u2019Niya Latson, the 20th pick, could be a draft steal and Nneka Ogwumike, back in LA after two seasons in Seattle, is expected to build on her MVP-calibre play last season. YE<\/p>\n The Dallas Wings. I know you can\u2019t go by preseason games alone, but the Wings are almost an entirely new team. I\u2019m not saying they\u2019re going to win it all, but they\u2019ll definitely surprise quite a few people. Coach Jose Fernandez seems is a natural fit with the roster, and the entire organization seems completely aligned. SK<\/p>\n The Sparks? I\u2019m seeing a lot of power rankings that have them pegged as a top five team, but I honestly think they could be better with Ogwumike back on side and Cameron Brink healthy. Even the luxury of a lineup that made consistent use of Brink \u2013 who has averaged 13 minutes across the 34 games she\u2019s played since going second in the 2024 draft \u2013 would be major boost for a team who don\u2019t lack for complementary pieces in Kelsey Plum, Rickea Jackson and the somehow still underappreciated Dearica Hamby. AL<\/p>\n The Wings, of course. Last season, they finished near the bottom of the league, even with Paige Bueckers\u2019s court IQ and star power. But now, they have Azzi Fudd, a new coach, and suddenly look dangerous. Many people will be surprised if they become a legitimate playoff team. TR<\/p>\n One bold prediction<\/p>\n Veronica Burton will be an All-Star. Maybe I\u2019m biased, having covered Burton for her entire college career at Northwestern, but she was one of the most exciting players to watch last season, setting career-highs across categories, earning Most Improved Player honors and powering the expansion Valkyries to a historic playoff appearance. Burton is their engine and could take another leap in year two in Ballhalla. A pair of teammates could join her: Kayla Thornton and new addition Gabby Williams were both first-time All-Stars in 2025. EB<\/p>\n Chennedy Carter will win Sixth Woman of the Year. The explosive scorer was unsigned in 2025 despite averaging 17.5 points for Chicago the year before. Now with the Aces, Carter could lead the second unit\u2019s offence. She has averaged over 14.2 points in all but one of her four WNBA seasons, but has also been out of the league twice. YE<\/p>\n The Tempo will make the playoffs this year. Sandy Brondello has never missed the playoffs. I\u2019m not counting her out this season either. SK<\/p>\n Another WNBA team is put up on the market. Who wouldn\u2019t be tempted now that valuations are through the roof \u2013 and the Valkyries\u2019 net worth said to be around $1bn despite having just entered the league. AL<\/p>\n The Lynx either won\u2019t make the playoffs or won\u2019t advance far in the postseason. A lot has shifted in the team dynamic, and not necessarily for the better. Napheesa Collier is still injured, the Stud Budz broke up, and a lot of their core players re-signed elsewhere. Between roster movement, chemistry concerns, lingering controversy from last season, and the pressure of rebuilding around a smaller core, I think they could struggle. TR<\/p>\n Olivia Miles is a strong candidate to be rookie of the year. Photograph: Angelina Katsanis\/Getty ImagesThe rookie of the year will be \u2026<\/p>\n Olivia Miles. Will this be the first year since 2021 in which the No 1 pick doesn\u2019t win rookie of the year? Miles should slot into the starting lineup as the Lynx\u2019s point guard and will have plenty of opportunities to show off the passing game that saw her average 6.5 assists in college. Coach Cheryl Reeve has praised her ability to get to the rim and score, and if Miles consistently has the ball in her hands, she can rack up the stats. EB<\/p>\n Olivia Miles. A dark horse given the last four winners were No 1 picks, but unlike Fudd, whose role may be limited at Dallas, Miles is expected to get significant minutes running offence for the Minnesota Lynx, potentially even starting. As the class\u2019s best passer and primary ball-handler, Miles\u2019 strong all-around production and playmaking will immediately impact her team. YE<\/p>\n Flau\u2019jae Johnson. So many rookies \u2013 Miles, Fudd, and Lauren Betts among them \u2013 are likely to have really strong seasons, but Johnson has that extra magnetism that we\u2019ve seen in recent winners of this award. Her preseason game was strong and Seattle seems like such a good fit. SK<\/p>\n After being touted as the top pick and sliding to third, I could see Awa Fam having something to prove \u2013 and first-year head coach Sonia Raman, who has been making footstools of adversity all her life<\/a>, pushing her to make a statement at the Seattle Storm. AL<\/p>\n Azzi Fudd is great at many things: shooting, creating open space for her teammates, and sneakily gets to the basket past her opponent. She has a lot of learning to do on defense, her shooting ability will outweigh her misses on the court. TR<\/p>\n The MVP will be \u2026<\/p>\n A\u2019ja Wilson makes it five. There\u2019s no player like her in the league because there\u2019s no player who can exert the kind of control across the floor that she does. Offensively, defensively, on-ball, off-ball, she does it all. The list of players in the major American team sports to win five MVP awards is short: Peyton Manning (NFL); Barry Bonds (MLB); Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Bill Russell and Michael Jordan (NBA); Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe (NHL). Wilson joins that crew. EB<\/p>\n Is it boring to say A\u2019ja Wilson? Probably. But how do you look past the best two-way player in the WNBA and possibly the greatest to ever play in the league? She averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game last season and in addition to winning her fourth MVP, she claimed the third Defensive Player of the Year award of her career. She is inevitable. YE<\/p>\n I\u2019m going with A\u2019ja Wilson again because I can\u2019t think of a single player who can actually catch her, let alone top her. Wilson is truly one of a kind and she doesn\u2019t seem like she\u2019s anywhere near her ceiling. SK<\/p>\n