The WNBA’s prospects are promising after a record year, although the league has some challenges ahead

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA looks promising heading into the offseason after a banner year with record ratings, attendance and a first-time champion in New York.

Soon after the confetti stopped falling on the capacity crowd at Barclays Center following Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, the league and its players turned their attention to 2025.

Less than 24 hours after Sunday night’s game and days before Liberty’s championship parade on Thursday, the players’ union opted out of the current collective bargaining agreement. The decision was expected with a new 11-year media rights deal worth approximately $200 million per year starting in 2026. Players are looking for a bigger share of the revenue pie, among other things including pensions and salaries higher.

The current CBA will still be in effect through next season, but both sides would like to reach a deal as quickly as possible.

Negotiations are always intense, but those associated with the WNBA have many reasons to be excited.

The league is expanding and will increase the number of regular season games to 44. The WNBA will hold an expansion drive for Golden State in December. The Valkyries will be the league’s 13th franchise. The league will add franchises in Toronto and Portland in 2026, with at least one other team starting in 2027 or 2028.

While the WNBA could lose one of its iconic stars if Diana Taurasi announces her retirement, league officials are looking forward to another highly anticipated draft. The lottery draw is next month. That will determine who the No. 1 pick will be, and potentially Paige Bueckers, who 21 years after Taurasi could become the next UConn guard to be selected No. 1.

Many of the league’s best players will remain in the US this winter and play in January in Unrivaled – the 3-on-3 league started by WNBA Finals standouts Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.

The championship clash between Stewart and Collier led to strong ratings, with all five games having over a million viewers. The deciding Game 5 drew an average of 2.2 million viewers, peaking at 3.3 million, making it the WNBA’s most-watched game in 25 years.

The league as a whole had its most-watched regular season in 24 years and best attendance in 22 seasons. During the 40-game regular season, 22 broadcasts reached at least one million viewers across multiple networks.

The league’s rookie class, led by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, was a big part of that success – and everyone should come back stronger and better next year.

“When Caitlin Clark announced she was entering the draft, I remember … the wave of excitement that came from a player who wasn’t even going to play for the Lynx,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “So there was a lot of excitement and momentum for the WNBA. But seeing that actually translate in terms of business across the league, whatever the reasons. There is a big reason and many other small reasons. And I think the movement we’re in right now is exciting.”

Not everything has been positive regarding the league’s growth.

Nearly half of WNBA franchises fired coaches last month. Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Washington are looking for new leaders on the sidelines. All of the dismissed coaches had three years or less on their teams.

Off the court, players say they have been the target of increasing racial and homophobic threats online, including one against Stewart and his wife during the WNBA Finals.

Commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed the growing number of abusive comments players have been dealing with on social media in her State of the League address before the start of the WNBA Finals. She said the league will work with the players’ union to figure out what they can do together to combat it.

Online abuse and the CBA are two of the off-season issues the WNBA and its players must address, but they have arguably the strongest foundation since the league’s launch to build upon.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball