The 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final tips off on Tuesday night, when first-time finalist Indiana will look to upset reigning Cup champs Minnesota in a winner-take-all showdown for both bragging rights and the lion's share of the in-season tournament's prize pool.
With the total purse set at $500,000, athletes on the winning team will earn around $30,000 each — plus an additional $5,000 for the Commissioner's Cup final MVP — while losing players will take home $10,000.
While Tuesday's final won't count toward the regular-season WNBA standings, the battle will be the first meeting between the Lynx and Fever this year, adding first-clash drama to the already-high stakes.
"I think it's going to feel like a playoff game. It's going to be really fun," Lynx star Napheesa Collier told reporters, noting Minnesota's home-court advantage in the matchup. "Our fans show up for us every game, but especially in that environment ... it's going to be electrifying."
Despite the excitement, player availability could tip the scales in Tuesday's outcome, as both Collier and Fever guard Caitlin Clark contend with recent injuries.
While Collier returned from a lingering back issue without missing a beat last weekend, Clark missed Indiana's last two games due to a groin issue and is currently "questionable" to play for the Commissioner's Cup.
"I'm going to be day-to-day," Clark said on Sunday. "Doing everything I can to put myself in position to play the next game. That's always my goal."
How to watch tonight's WNBA Commissioner's Cup final
The Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever will take the court for the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final at 8 PM ET on Tuesday.
Live coverage of the in-season tournament's championship game will air on Prime.
The WNBA dropped its All-Star Game starters list on Monday, with just one rookie earning enough votes to feature on the star-studded 10-player lineup.
In addition to being the lone rookie, Dallas's No. 1 overall draft pick Paige Bueckers will be the only All-Star debutant playing in the game's first minutes, as the Wings guard joins nine previous All-Stars to tip off the July 19th matchup — giving her a presumptive edge in this year's Rookie of the Year race.
Joining Bueckers as WNBA All-Star starters will be team captains Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx) and Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever), as well as Aliyah Boston (Indiana Fever), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury), Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty), and A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces).
A mix of 50% fan voting, 25% player voting, and 25% media voting determined the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game starting lineup — though the three groups did not necessarily come to a consensus.
For example, players ranked Clark ninth among guards, while the media put her in third. A record-setting 1.29 million fan votes boosted the Fever star into a captain's role.
As for players who fell just short of a starting position, like Indiana guard Kelsey Mitchell and Chicago forward Angel Reese fell just short of starting at their positions, their All-Star dreams aren't over yet.
Head coaches across the league will now vote to select 12 reserve players, likely adding both fan favorites and stat-sheet stars to the July 6th final All-Star player pool, with Collier and Clark building their teams from that list on July 8th.
Though reputation, skill, and popularity all factor into All-Star nods, this year's group is also underlining the depth of the WNBA's talent base.
The Minnesota Lynx are back on the prowl, after the return of MVP frontrunner Napheesa Collier from injury fueled the WNBA-leaders to two straight weekend wins.
Minnesota first outlasted the No. 4 Atlanta Dream 96-92 in overtime on Friday before thumping the last-place Connecticut Sun 102-63 on Sunday, with Collier racking up 49 points over the two-game span.
Collier's bounce-back couldn't have come at a better time, as the WNBA announced Sunday that the Lynx forward will captain the 2025 All-Star Game alongside Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark.
"It's really cool," Collier said of the news. "I went from never being a starter to captain."
Both Collier and Clark will have an early chance to test their leadership skills in Tuesday's 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship game, when the defending champs Minnesota Lynx will take on first-time finalists Indiana.
With a second straight title on the line, red-hot Minnesota hold the advantage coming into the Commissioner's Cup final, but a healthy Clark could make all the difference for up-and-down No. 8 Indiana.
Meanwhile in the WNBA standings, as the Lynx continue to hold court at the top, this weekend saw the Mercury overtake the Liberty at No. 2, thanks in large part to Phoenix's 106-91 Friday victory over New York.
Along with Sunday's 90-81 loss to the Dream, the reigning champs have dropped five of their last seven games, as now-No. 3 New York struggles without injured center Jonquel Jones.
How to watch the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup final
While the other 11 league teams rest until Thursday, the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever will take Tuesday's court in a battle for the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
The in-season tournament's grand finale will tip off at 8 PM ET, with live coverage on Prime.
Women's sports came up big in last week's 2025 ESPY Awards nominations, as superstars like WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson, USWNT attacker Mallory Swanson, US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, and others vie for the annual honors.
The Las Vegas Aces forward earned spots on the shortlists for both Best WNBA Player as well as Best Athlete: Women's Sports, where she's up against Biles plus US track and field icons Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Gabby Thomas.
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark will also compete for Best WNBA Player alongside Wilson, Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier, and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart, with Clark also topping the Best Record-Breaking Performance shortlist.
Women's soccer also stole the spotlight, with the USWNT earning a Best Team nod while forward Mallory Swanson nabbed Best Comeback. Fellow Triple Espresso star Trinity Rodman's Olympic quarterfinal overtime goal also snagged a nomination for Best Play.
Dating back to 1993, the ESPYS recognize the most impactful sports stories of the year, including Best Player, Best Comeback, and Best Team.
This year's women's sports nominees feature several 2024 winners, including Clark (Best College Athlete, Best Record Breaking Performance), Biles (Best Comeback Athlete), and Wilson (Best Women's Sports Athlete, Best WNBA Player).
Individual women and women's teams across the sports world will be on hand when the awards hit the red carpet later this month, with the likes of US rugby star Ilona Maher, US gymnast Suni Lee, golfer Nelly Korda, US ski legend Lindsey Vonn, NCAA basketball standout JuJu Watkins, and tennis icons Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka among the 2025 nominees.
How to watch and vote for the 2025 ESPY Awards
The 2025 ESPY Awards will kick off on July 16th at 8 PM ET, airing on ABC.
Fan voting for the awards will close three hours before the start of the ceremony.
The WNBA is back in action on Tuesday night, as the Indiana Fever and Seattle Storm headline a series of games that could make or break the current trajectories of several 2025 title contenders.
Seeking an especially strong Tuesday performance is the Fever, as Indiana tries to snap a two-game losing streak against the increasingly confident Storm.
"There are going to be stretches that are really good and there's going to be stretches that aren't as good," Fever guard Caitlin Clark said on Sunday, addressing her recent shooting slump.
While the Indiana and Seattle clash will lead the Tuesday charge, the night will also see young squads sizing up WNBA juggernauts as bottom-table teams look for a leg up:
- No. 8 Indiana Fever vs. No. 5 Seattle Storm, 10 PM ET (NBA TV): The Fever need a win against a Storm side that can't seem to lose, as both teams eye the postseason.
- No. 1 Minnesota Lynx vs. No. 9 Washington Mystics, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The up-and-coming Mystics will attempt to hand the Lynx a second season loss, as Minnesota star Napheesa Collier remains day-to-day with lower back stiffness.
- No. 4 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 12 Dallas Wings, 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Dream are on a tear, surging up the standings as the struggling Wings attempt to take flight.
- No. 10 LA Sparks vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (NBA TV): The Sparks have cooled after a hot start while the Sky has yet to rev up, with both teams aiming to end a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night.
Teams across the league are hoping to make the most of every minute while also managing injury concerns and absences as the WNBA All-Star break looms.
The Indiana Fever advanced to the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup championship on Tuesday night, clinching their franchise-first Cup final berth following a tense battle with the Connecticut Sun that saw three ejections and two flagrant fouls.
In the game's first half, Sun guard Jacy Sheldon committed a Flagrant 1 on Fever guard Caitlin Clark, with Sheldon and teammate Marina Mabrey receiving a pair of technicals for shoving after the call.
With Indiana dominating late in the matchup, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham committed a Flagrant 2 on Sheldon, spurring a scuffle that ended with Cunningham, Sheldon, and Sun guard Lindsey Allen all being ejected.
The rest of Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup action played out mostly as expected, with New York securing an 86-81 comeback victory over the Atlanta Dream. However, because of the Fever's victory, the Liberty fell just short of returning to the Cup final.
The Minnesota Lynx also launched a comeback to take down Las Vegas 76-62, successfully punching their ticket to defend their 2024 Cup title — despite star forward Napheesa Collier exiting the showdown with an apparent back injury.
Ultimately, while on-court performances should have driven the narrative, lack of referee control overshadowed the night.
"Everyone is getting better but the officials," Indiana head coach Stephanie White said after the Fever's win. "We need to remedy that. I mean, we've heard every coach talk about it. I don't know what the answer is."
How to watch the WNBA Commissioner's Cup Championship
The grand finale of the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup between the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx will tip off at 8 PM ET on July 1st, with live coverage on Prime.
The Seattle Storm shot to the top of the Western Conference standings in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup race on Wednesday, taking the lead after handing the Minnesota Lynx their first loss of the season.
Forward Nneka Ogwumike led the Storm with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double, with new Seattle signing Erica Wheeler adding 20 points and nine assists to help blank the 25-point, nine-rebound performance put up by Minnesota star Napheesa Collier.
"If you want to win on the road, especially a place like Seattle and a team like Seattle, you've got to play a hell of a lot better," said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve following the 94-84 loss.
Currently sitting level with the Lynx with a 3-1 Cup record, Wednesday's victory gives Seattle the head-to-head advantage in the in-season competition.
With a $500,000 prize pool on the line — including $5,000 for each player in the July 1st title game — the annual 36-game contest raises the early-season stakes.
Even more, each game in the 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup carries double the impact, counting toward both regular-season and Cup records.
Due to Minnesota's loss, the reigning champion New York Liberty now stand alone as the WNBA's only undefeated team in both regular-season and Commissioner's Cup play, holding a 3-0 Cup record alongside a steep +75 point differential.
Bueckers scores career-high in return to Dallas
Scoring a massive individual win on Wednesday was Dallas rookie Paige Bueckers, who put up a career-high 35 points in her return to action.
However, the 2025 No. 1 draft pick's stellar night failed to lift the Wings over the Phoenix Mercury, whose 93-80 victory gave last-place Dallas a 1-10 regular-season record while falling to 0-4 in Cup play.
Bueckers will next go toe-to-toe with Aces guard Jackie Young on Friday, as the 2019 top draft pick comes off her own 34-point performance in Wednesday's 97-89 Las Vegas loss to the LA Sparks.
The LA win marked the second straight Las Vegas stumble, sending the Aces skidding to a 4-4 regular-season tally and a 1-2 Cup record.
With plenty of runway remaining, teams will look to climb the ranks before 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup play winds down on June 17th.
How to watch WNBA Commissioner's Cup games this week
With two games on tap, WNBA play returns to action on Friday, beginning with the third-place Atlanta Dream hosting a Chicago Sky team still hunting their first Commissioner's Cup win at 7:30 PM ET.
Then at 10 PM ET, Bueckers and the Dallas Wings will tip off against Young and the Aces in Las Vegas.
Both Friday WNBA games will air live on ION.
The WNBA recognized May’s top performers on Wednesday, handing out the first round of monthly awards to early-season standouts across the league.
Lynx star Napheesa Collier picked up Western Conference Player of the Month, with the forward averaging 26.8 points per game while leading Minnesota to a 6-0 May start.
Earning the same honor in the Eastern Conference was Dream standout guard Allisha Gray, who started the season with a 21.4 points-per-game average to help boost Atlanta to third in the league standings.
New York Liberty manager Sandy Brondello won Coach of the Month — a natural fit after leading the 2024 WNBA champs to their best opening record since 1997.
The most surprising nod, however, went to Rookie of the Month Kiki Iriafen, with the Mystics forward averaging a 13.9-point, 10.1-rebound double-double while shooting 47.4% from the field in her first month as a pro.
The USC product opened the season with a bang, becoming just the second rookie in WNBA history to record four double-doubles in her first five games, joining Utah Starzz forward Natalie Williams, who did so in 1999 — three years before Iriafen was born.
The day-one Mystics starter is also the first Rookie of the Month in Washington franchise history, telling reporters, "From the day I got drafted to the Mystics, I just put my head down, like, I'm going to work… I'm just giving my best effort every single time that I'm playing, and it's nice to see the fruits of your labor come to fruition."
How to watch the winners of May's WNBA awards in action
While Collier's Lynx and Gray's Dream are off until the weekend, Brondello's Liberty will visit Iriafen and the Mystics at 7:30 PM ET on Thursday, live on Prime.
Friday's WNBA action promises to bring the heat, delivering a major homecoming for new LA star Kelsey Plum as well as strategic veteran moves and rookies looking to right the ship while newly revamped teams continue to gel.
In the wake of significant offseason movement, the 2025 WNBA season is all about striking a balance between developing young talent and leveraging seasoned stars as former franchise players take on very familiar opponents.
Veteran-heavy teams will shoot to manage workloads this weekend, as powerhouse squads juggle shifting lineups while those that trailed last year fight to rise up the WNBA standings.
Highlighting the Friday night slate are a trio of games, all airing on ION:
- No. 1 New York Liberty (5-0) vs. No. 7 Washington Mystics (3-3), 7:30 PM ET: The reigning champion Liberty managed to eke out an 82-77 win over 2025 expansion side Golden State without injured stars Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally on Thursday — but can they hold off a Mystics team punching above their weight behind standout rookie duo Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen?
- No. 10 Los Angeles Sparks (2-4) vs. No. 6 Las Vegas Aces (2-2), 10 PM ET: Sparks guard Kelsey Plum will face her former teammates for the first time on Friday, taking on a Las Vegas side searching for redemption after Seattle spoiled Aces guard Jewell Loyd's own homecoming in last weekend's WNBA action.
- No. 2 Minnesota Lynx (5-0) vs. No. 3 Phoenix Mercury (4-1), 10 PM ET: Two of the league's top performers will hit the court in Arizona, as perennial MVP candidates Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas go head-to-head for the first time in 2025.
A few teams have already faced adversity this year, but even more have settled into the grind as the longest-ever WNBA season rolls into June.
The 2024 WNBA Finals set the stage for this season in more ways than one, as last year's title contenders — the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty — carry their winning ways into 2025.
The undefeated Lynx cruised to a 5-0 record on Tuesday, downing a surging Seattle Storm 82-77 behind 23 points from guard Courtney Williams.
The reigning champion Liberty are keeping pace at 4-0, earning their fourth win with a 95-67 Tuesday night takedown of 2025 expansion side Golden State. Forward Breanna Stewart's 24 points led New York past the Valkyries.
Liberty, Lynx standouts race up the 2025 WNBA stat sheet
While many WNBA teams spent the offseason instituting major coaching and roster shakeups, the Lynx and Liberty kept last year's lineups mostly intact.
Minnesota star forward Napheesa Collier currently dominates scoring on the WNBA stat sheet with 26.8 points per game, and her block and steal rates are in the league's Top-5.
Meanwhile, teammate Alanna Smith also tops the leaderboard thanks to a 62.5% field goal percentage, and sits in fourth for both block and three-point rates.
The Liberty's Kennedy Burke has also been lights-out, leading the league in three-point percentage at 63.6% while shooting 60.9% from the field — good for fourth on the stat sheet.
Proving New York's few offseason moves were effective is 2025 Liberty addition Natasha Cloud, who sits in second with 8.3 assists per game. At the same time, the team as a whole is outpacing the rest of the league in field goal percentage (49.8%), as well as points (94), assists (25.3), and blocks (6.0) per game.
The league's top dogs won't clash on the court until July 30th — but early odds of a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch closing out the 2025 season grow stronger by the day.