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WNBA unveils top 25 moments in history based on search trends

(Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Every day this week, the WNBA has unveiled one of five categories for the top 25 moments in the league’s 25-year history. The rankings represent the most-searched WNBA trends on Google since the league was founded in 1997. The categories include cultural influence, championships, WNBA icons, rookies of the WNBA and WNBA history.

On Friday, the league also released a roundtable with some of the WNBA’s biggest stars, breaking down the iconic moments and identifying what their hopes are for the future of the sport. Below are the final results of the top-25 rankings:

WNBA History

There is plenty to celebrate in the WNBA, the longest active professional women’s sports league in the United States. The “WNBA History” category features fans’ favorite moments over the past 25 years, driven by search trends.

Earning a spot on the list is the Wubble season and WNBA Virtual Draft in 2020, where the New York Liberty selected Sabrina Ionescu No. 1 and the Dallas Wings reloaded with three picks in the top 10. Next up is one of the most iconic moments in league history, when Lisa Leslie threw down the first-ever dunk on July 30, 2002. Leslie also played a key role in another featured moment, when her Los Angeles Sparks tipped off against the New York Liberty on June 21, 1997 for the first game in WNBA history.

Before that inaugural game, Tina Thompson became the first college player drafted into the league in 1997. Also featured is Diana Taurasi becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer in 2017. The Phoenix Mercury guard continues to add to her total, finishing her 17th season with 9,174 career points.

Cultural Influence

The WNBA isn’t just a basketball league; it has also made an impact on other sports, music, fashion and culture.

Maya Moore recreated the iconic Jordan billboard in 2018, giving young athletes everywhere a new poster to hang up on their walls. Following Moore is the WNBA’s iconic orange hoodie, which has been worn by high-profile athletes and celebrities from Drake to Kobe Bryant.

Earlier this year, Candace Parker became the first woman to grace the cover of NBA 2K, just another accolade in a banner year for the Chicago Sky forward. The first WNBA All-Star game at Madison Square Garden, before which Whitney Houston sang the national anthem, also earns a spot. Rounding out the list is Becky Hammon becoming the first female full-time assistant coach in NBA history. Hammon will undoubtedly be leading search trends again, as she is reportedly returning to the WNBA to coach the Las Vegas Aces on a record deal.

WNBA Icons

The WNBA has gifted fans with legendary performances from stars past and present.

Candace Parker returns to the list for delivering the second and third dunks in WNBA history during her 2008 rookie season. Next up is “The Shot,” one of the league’s first viral moments: Teresa Weatherspoon hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to lift the New York Liberty to a win in Game 2 of the 1997 WNBA Finals.

More recently, Liz Cambage set the WNBA’s single-game scoring record when she dropped 53 points in the Dallas Wings’ win over the Liberty on July 17, 2018. The next season, Elena Delle Donne became the first WNBA player in league history to join the 50-40-90 club, meaning she shot at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 90 percent from the free-throw line. Courtney Vandersloot’s single-game record 18 assists in 2020 rounds out the category.

Rookies of the WNBA

From draft nights to on-court achievements, many WNBA rookies have shined from the moment they entered the league.

The list would be incomplete without the 2013 WNBA Draft, when perhaps the greatest top-three draft picks in league history — Elena Delle Donne, Brittney Griner and Skylar Diggins-Smith — were made. Next up is the 2019 draft, when Notre Dame’s entire starting five were selected within the top 20 (Jackie Young, No. 1; Arike Ogunbowale, No. 5; Brianna Turner, No. 11; Jessica Shepard, No. 16; Marina Mabrey, No. 19). Notre Dame’s five draft picks surpassed only UConn’s in the 2002 draft, when four Huskies starters went in the first round.

Brittney Griner earns another spot for her impressive WNBA debut. The Mercury center became the third player to dunk in a game when she threw down two slams in her first game on May 27, 2013. Coming in next is Candace Parker’s landmark rookie season, when she was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and MVP. That same year, she won the AP Female Athlete of the Year award, following it up this week with her second such honor after leading the Chicago Sky to their first WNBA championship.

Championships

Through Google Search, the WNBA identified the title-winning moments that have captivated fans and driven the most conversation over the past 25 years.

The Seattle Storm won their fourth championship in the Wubble in 2020 behind Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, closing out a challenging year on a high note. From there, Diana Taurasi graces the list once again for her game-winning shot in Game 3 of the 2014 WNBA Finals coming out of a huddle with coach Sandy Brondello. Next up is Nneka Ogwumike’s game-winning shot that lifted the Los Angeles Sparks to their third title in 2016. Grabbing an offensive rebound against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 5, Ogwumike balanced the ball in her right palm as she fell backwards and sunk the shot with 3.1 seconds left to give the Sparks a 77-76 victory.

Tamika Catchings earns a spot for leading the Indiana Fever to the franchise’s only WNBA championship in 2012. Two years after the Fever lost in the Finals, Catchings scored a game-high 25 points in Game 4 to claim the title over the Minnesota Lynx and earn the Finals MVP award. That same Lynx team is highlighted for winning their fourth championship in 2017 and completing a dynasty that included four titles in seven years.

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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