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.
There's just one WNBA preseason game left on the 2025 calendar, as 12 of the league's 13 teams wrapped exhibition play over the weekend ahead of Friday's regular-season tip-off.
The Chicago Sky became the latest team to lock in their 12-player roster on Sunday, joining the likes of the Indiana Fever in making tough final cuts.
To reach league compliance, Chicago waived Australian guard Alex Wilson, 2024 second-round draft pick Jessika Carter (Mississippi State), and former Mercury forward Morgan Bertsch.
Earning their official spots in the Sky's lineup are 2025 rookies Hailey Van Lith (TCU) and Maddy Westbeld (Notre Dame), the overall No. 11 and No. 16 picks, respectively, in April's draft.
Overall, the class of 2025 is performing well so far, with all first-round picks avoiding early roster cuts — though many teams are still deciding who will suit up on opening day.
Some second-rounders are also showing significant promise, with the Atlanta Dream's 18th overall pick Te-Hina PaoPao (South Carolina) scoring a team-leading 14 points against Indiana on Saturday.
How to watch the final 2025 WNBA preseason game
Capping the 2025 WNBA preseason are the reigning champion New York Liberty, who will take on Japan's Toyota Antelopes on Monday night.
The exhibition will see Liberty stars Sabrina Ionescu and Nyara Sabally — who notably saw her contract extended through 2026 by New York on Monday afternoon — return to their University of Oregon alma mater for the clash.
The Liberty will tip off against the Antelopes at 10 PM ET, with live coverage airing on WNBA League Pass.
New York Liberty draftee Nyara Sabally will not play in 2022. Sabally was the fifth overall pick by the Liberty out of Oregon.
According to Liberty general manager Jonathan Kolb, the team knew heading into the draft that there was “a very strong chance” that Sabally would not play in the upcoming season “because of her current health condition.”
“We now know that’s now the case,” he said. “She will get healthy and roll with us in 2023.”
Sabally has torn her right ACL twice, first in 2018 and then again ahead of the 2019-20 season. Many analysts had eyed her health as a concern ahead of the draft. During the 2021-22 season, she missed eight games due to injury.
“Nyara is loaded with talent,” said ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo ahead of the draft. “The biggest question is her health. I think people are questioning how healthy she is. I think that’s going to be a big factor in terms of where she’s taken, but she’s certainly skilled. She’s got the size, she’s got the skill, she can face up, head out to three, she’s got the moves inside.
“Needs to finish a little bit better but can get there. Certainly loaded with talent. I think the only thing that might hold her back a little bit is the question in terms of her injury.”
During Friday’s media call, Kolb said that player health is “paramount.”
“We want to be really careful in developing players not just in their skillset, but in their bodies,” he said.
The loss of Sabally leaves the Liberty down one player and tight on cap space.
But, according to The Next’s Jackie Powell, Han Xu – a 6-foot-9 center from China and one of the tallest players in league history – has reported to Liberty training camp. Han last played in the WNBA in 2019 under then-Liberty head coach Katie Smith. Drafted 14th overall by the team in 2019, she hasn’t yet played a full WNBA season.
Through 18 games in 2019, she averaged 3.0 points in 7.9 minutes.