Despite finishing at the bottom of the 2025 WNBA standings, the No. 12 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Dallas Wings will not be moving on from their current head coaches according to a report from Front Office Sports this week.
Dallas sideline leader Chris Koclanes and Chicago manager Tyler Marsh led their sides to identical 10-34 records in their first year at the helm — the worst in the league this season.
In contrast, 2025 playoff participants Seattle and New York are already making aggressive coaching changes, dismissing Storm boss Noelle Quinn and Liberty leader Sandy Brondello following first-round postseason exits.
While some fans criticized the presumed decision, Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings stars spoke out in support of their head coaches.
"Obviously the season didn't go how we expected, but being able to have a coach like Tyler, it was amazing through the ups and downs," Chicago center Kamilla Cardoso told reporters. "He always showed up every day with the same energy, no matter what the record was."
"The team embodies the attitude of your leader," echoed Dallas guard Paige Bueckers. "And for [Koclanes] to show up every single day at work and pour into all of us…it means a lot to us as a team."
Just one ticket to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs remains, with the No. 7 Indiana Fever clinching their second straight postseason trip in a 94-65 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics on Sunday.
Forward Natasha Howard led a balanced offensive effort for the Fever, with five players scoring in the double-digits to secure Indiana's first back-to-back playoff appearance since 2016.
"We never doubted ourselves," Indiana center Aliyah Boston said postgame. "We never doubted that we could be in the playoffs, even if things looked like it got harder."
With five Indiana players suffering season-ending injuries this year — including superstar Caitlin Clark — a season that was projected to finish in a deep playoff run seemed initially derailed as the team battled mounting adversity.
"With all the stuff that we've been through, most teams would have folded, and we just kept getting stronger," head coach Stephanie White said. "These women in the locker room deserve a lot of credit for their ability to stay resilient, to stay together, to stay hungry, and to stay the course."
As for the eighth and final spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, both the No. 8 Seattle Storm and the No. 9 LA Sparks are still in the mix, with this week's WNBA slate set to determine a winner.
Seattle has the most control of their destiny, needing a win in their final game to book a postseason ticket, while the Sparks must walk away with victories in both of their final two games plus see the Storm falter in order to snag a playoff spot.
How to watch the deciding games in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs race
The No. 8 Seattle Storm will close out their 2025 regular season by hosting the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, airing live on WNBA League Pass.
Meanwhile, the No. 9 LA Sparks must get past the No. 4 Mercury in Phoenix at 10 PM ET on Tuesday before hosting the league's final regular-season game on Thursday: a 10 PM ET showdown against the currently unbeatable No. 2 Las Vegas Aces.
Both of the Sparks' final two games will air live on NBA TV.
The sale saga of the Connecticut Sun added a new chapter this week, as the state of Connecticut submitted a bid proposal on Thursday that would see the WNBA team remain in-state.
Owned by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the state is just the latest entrant into an ongoing bidding war for the franchise, with Boston Celtics minority owner Steve Pagliuca, ex-Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and the WNBA itself all making offers ranging from $250 to $325 million in recent weeks.
Unlike previous relocation bids, the state's proposed sale plan sees the Connecticut Sun splitting home games between their current Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville and Hartford's larger PeoplesBank Arena, while also promising a new practice facility in the state capital.
Despite winding down 2025 in 12th place, the Sun have amassed a loyal local following, selling out their 10,000-capacity arena four times this year in a state buoyed by NCAA basketball powerhouse and current national champion UConn located less than an hour away.
"The best place for the Connecticut Sun is Connecticut because we have this very fierce fan base for women's basketball," Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz told ESPN. "We love the [UConn] Huskies. We love watching the Sun… and we've seen that the Connecticut Sun players have been great community leaders and role models."
The No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 3 Las Vegas Aces have spots in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on lock, but the league's top-tier teams still have plenty to play for as MVP frontrunners Napheesa Collier and A'ja Wilson gear up for their final regular-season clash.
Collier's 23.5 points per game this season is nearly identical to Wilson's 23.4 average, plus the Lynx standout ranks third in steals per game and fourth in block rate on the year.
Wilson, however, has the edge as the WNBA's blocks leader and the league's second-best rebounder on the season.
This is far from the first time the two titans have squared off in a WNBA awards race, with 2024 voters splitting honors by naming Collier the Defensive Player of the Year while Wilson earned a third MVP title.
History will be made should either emerge as the 2025 MVP, as Collier is still hunting her first title as the league's top player while a Wilson win would mint the Las Vegas star as the WNBA's first-ever four-time honoree.
MVP race aside, Collier's Lynx and Wilson's Aces have a lot on the line in their Thursday matchup, with Minnesota aiming to snap Las Vegas's 12-game winning streak — a stretch dating back to the Aces's 53-point blowout loss to the Lynx on August 2nd.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas will be looking to dish out some revenge and claim their first win of the season over Minnesota, all while continuing to fight their way up the WNBA table in order to snag the postseason's coveted No. 2 seed.
How to watch Minnesota Lynx vs. Las Vegas Aces in Thursday's WNBA lineup
Coming off an eight-day rest, No. 3 Las Vegas will host No. 1 Minnesota on Thursday.
The top-tier matchup will tip off live at 10 PM ET on Prime.
Chicago star Angel Reese is speaking her mind, making waves after detailing improvements she'd like to see from the already-eliminated Sky in a Chicago Tribune tell-all on Wednesday.
"I'm not settling for the same s—t we did this year," Reese told basketball reporter Julia Poe, calling out Chicago's back-to-back losing seasons. "We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That's a non-negotiable for me."
"I'd like to be here for my career, but if things don't pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what's best for me," she added.
One of five WNBA teams operating under independent ownership unaffiliated with an NBA team, the Sky have struggled to keep up with free agency demands in recent years, falling to No. 11 in the WNBA standings on a 10-30 record this season under new head coach Tyler Marsh.
"I'm willing and wanting to play with the best," Reese said. "So it's going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can't settle for what we have this year."
"Honestly, it would be a leap of faith for a great, great player to come here and show that this is something that they want to be a part of."
Chicago managed to drown out the noise on Wednesday, dominating the No. 12 Connecticut Sun 88-64 to better the team's complicated lottery odds — and prompt Reese to walk back some of her earlier criticisms.
"I probably am frustrated [with] myself right now," Reese said after registering 18 points and 13 rebounds in the win — her 23rd double-double this year. "I really didn't intentionally mean to put down my teammates, because they've been through this with me throughout the whole year."
How to watch the Chicago Sky in this weekend's WNBA slate
The Sky will hit the road this weekend, first taking on the No. 8 Indiana Fever on Friday — though Chicago will be without their points and rebounds leader, as Reese will miss the matchup due to technical foul accumulation. The matchup tips off at 7:30 PM ET with live coverage on ION.
Chicago will then close out the weekend against the No. 3 Las Vegas Aces at 9 PM ET on Sunday, airing live on NBA TV.
The reigning champion No. 5 New York Liberty blew their first shot at clinching a spot in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs on Saturday, falling 80-63 to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury without star guard Sabrina Ionescu and center Nyara Sabally, who watched from the sidelines due to injuries.
The Mercury took aim at the Liberty's spotty defense, scoring 26 points off of 19 turnovers while registering 17 of the game's final 20 points.
"This is obviously a learning opportunity, but we're kind of running out of opportunities for growth at this point," star forward Breanna Stewart said after the loss. "We need to just actually be better."
The next chance for New York to secure their 2025 destiny will come during their Tuesday night visit to the No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, as the injury-plagued Liberty look to climb the WNBA standings and claim home-court advantage for their first playoff series.
"This is not championship-level basketball," Stewart added. "We need to get there, and that starts with the mindset and then putting it onto the court."
However, the Liberty face a Valkyries side on an upswing, as Golden State looks to extend their three-game winning streak and further their history-making campaign to clinch an inaugural postseason berth.
"The trust level that we have right now is pretty much unmatched," said Golden State head coach Natalie Nakase. "I can only go based on my first year, so it's pretty f—ing cool."
How to watch the New York Liberty vs. the Golden State Valkyries
The No. 5 Libs will tip off against the No. 6 Valks at 10 PM ET on Tuesday, with live coverage airing on WNBA League Pass.
The 2025 WNBA Playoffs are halfway set, with the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury joining the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 Las Vegas Aces in clinching postseason berths over the weekend.
The Lynx will officially enter the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed, claiming home-court advantage after back-to-back weekend wins.
"We have a scenario now that if we win our home games, we win a WNBA championship," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said following Saturday's 94-70 drubbing of the No. 11 Connecticut Sun. "It doesn't mean that it's easy. But anything that you can get to be an advantage in your favor, we needed to be able to secure that."
With just 10 days left in the regular season, five teams remain in the running for the last four tickets to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs: the No. 5 New York Liberty, No. 6 Golden State Valkyries, No. 7 Indiana Fever, No. 8 Seattle Storm, and No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks.
After Monday's key 91-85 win over the Storm, the Sparks now sit one and a half games below the cutoff line on the WNBA table — though they'll have to get past top contenders Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Phoenix to secure a trip to the posteason.
"I was watching the film [against Atlanta] today and we're a totally different team in terms of how we play and who's healthy now," said LA head coach Lynne Roberts following Monday's victory.
How to watch the LA Sparks, Minnesota Lynx this week
The No. 9 Sparks will try to snap the No. 3 Dream's two-game winning streak on Wednesday, tipping off in Atlanta at 7:30 PM ET, with live coverage on WNBA League Pass.
Then on Thursday, while the No. 1 Lynx will coast into a top-table clash against the No. 2 Aces, airing at 10 PM ET on Prime.
The No. 7 Seattle Storm crashed the playoff-clinching party on Thursday, handing the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx a 93-79 upset loss to keep multiple WNBA teams from punching postseason tickets.
"We've been searching for this type of a game to have at this juncture of the season," noted Storm head coach Noelle Quinn after Seattle handed Minnesota their biggest blown lead in franchise history.
"Play some f—ing defense, man," Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said afterwards, criticizing her team's performance. "Act like that end matters. We have not done that in a long time."
With six spots still open in the 2025 WNBA Playoffs, the Storm's Thursday comeback win spurred chaos, preventing the Lynx from officially booking the postseason's No. 1 seed for at least one more game while also blocking clinching scenarios for the No. 3 Atlanta Dream and No. 4 Phoenix Mercury.
Even so, the Mercury did take one step closer to a playoff berth with a tight 83-79 win over the No. 12 Chicago Sky on Thursday, with small forward Kahleah Copper's 28 points helping Phoenix hold ground in the WNBA standings.
"I feel like we're doing an incredible job, we all want to do the right things," Copper said. "We've just got to continue to clean up the little things."
How to watch the Seattle Storm this weekend
With just four regular-season games remaining, Seattle will play host over the long Labor Day weekend.
The No. 7 Storm will first face the No. 12 Sky at 9 PM ET on Saturday, airing on WNBA League Pass.
Then on Monday, Seattle will battle the No. 9 LA Sparks at 10 PM ET, with live coverage on NBA TV.
The Las Vegas Aces are silencing the competition, shooting to No. 2 in the WNBA standings following an 81-75 take-down of the now-No. 3 Atlanta Dream on Wednesday night.
Defending WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson led Las Vegas with 34 points, while guard Jackie Young posted a triple-double.
The Aces have now won 12 straight games, claiming a meteoric rise from No. 8 to No. 2 in under a month as Wilson sits Top-5 league-wide in points, rebounds, and blocks per game.
"Don't call me 'Curry,'" Wilson joked, referencing all-time NBA three-point leader Steph Curry after tying her season-high of two made-threes in Wednesday's matchup.
Las Vegas's unbeaten streak dates back to August 2nd's 53-point blowout loss to the No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, with Wednesday's statement win over a fellow postseason favorite cementing the 2023 WNBA champions' newfound effectiveness.
"This is our eighth game in 15 days. I was very concerned with our legs coming into this game," said Aces head coach Becky Hammon. "When you talk about gears and that ability to kick it up an extra notch, we really have been able to do that on the defensive end — and it's winning us games."
While Las Vegas already clinched a playoff berth, the path to a third franchise title won't be easy, as the Aces will look to avenge their 0-3 head-to-head record against the Lynx in the pair's final 2025 regular-season meeting next week.
How to watch the Las Vegas Aces in this week's WNBA slate
After a successful but jam-packed August, the No. 2 Aces are now on an eight-day rest, returning to the court to tangle with the No. 1 Lynx next Thursday, September 4th.
The top-table clash will tip off at 10 PM ET, with live coverage airing on Prime.
As the 2025 WNBA regular season nears its end, fresh faces and league mainstays alike have risen to the top of a still-too-close-to-call Coach of the Year race.
Reigning WNBA Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve is making the case for back-to-back honors after leading the Minnesota Lynx to the top of the WNBA standings on a 30-7 record.
That said, more than one squad has turned things around under new management following an offseason coaching carousel that reshaped the league's tactical landscape.
First-year coaches Natalie Nakase (No. 7 Golden State Valkyries) and Karl Smesko (No. 2 Atlanta Dream) as well as second-year boss Nate Tibbetts (No. 4 Phoenix Mercury) are also making their mark, with all three teams firmly on track to punch their tickets to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs.
Nakase is on the brink of history as the Valkyries strive to become the first-ever expansion side to make the playoffs in their debut year, while Smesko's revamped roster has already earned the Dream nine more wins than last year.
Tibbetts has also struck gold, improving Phoenix's win record by over four games while reshaping their identity around star forward Alyssa Thomas.
As the WNBA booms in popularity and parity, the players aren't the only individuals becoming more competitive, the coaches are, too — though there might be no competing with experience when it comes to successfully making a championship run.