Ranking the Top 5 Contenders for the WNBA Championship

1) Las Vegas Aces

Odds to win WNBA Championship: +155

The two-time reigning WNBA champions are still a force to be reckoned with despite their sluggish start to the season. Las Vegas faltered to start the season, losing games they should have won, but a lot was due to missing Chelsea Gray, an integral part of the Vegas offense. Gray has returned now, and the defending champions should be motivated to three-peat coming off the Olympics and a Team USA gold medal team that featured four Aces players, Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and A’ja Wilson. Wilson is the best player in women's basketball, and she showcased that by bringing home Olympic MVP honors and looks on track to win her third WNBA MVP trophy unanimously, having one of the best seasons of all-time, averaging 27.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. The two-time MVP leads the league in points, rebounds, and blocked shots and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. The Aces have a 16-8 record and the fifth-best record in the league but ended the first half of the season, turning things around with an 8-2 record in their last ten games. The Las Vegas offense is the best in the league, ranking first in points, field-goal percentage, turnovers, free throws made, and assist-to-turnover ratio while being top four in three-pointers made and three-point percentage, led by Plum who's 3.1 threes per game ranks first across the league. Regardless of their record, no team wants to see the Aces in the postseason, and there’s no team in the WNBA more capable of turning things on when they need to; the Aces are still the top dog in the league and are on the horizon of a third consecutive WNBA title, something that hasn’t been accomplished since the 2000-2002 Houston Comets.

5) Seattle Storm

Odds to win the WNBA Championship: +1100

The Seattle Storm have been clicking on all cylinders throughout the first half of the WNBA season. They're tied for the third-best record in the league, and their new additions, Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, have been fantastic this season. Diggins-Smith is fourth in the league in assists, averaging a career-high 6.5 per game, while Ogwumike was named to her ninth All-Star team, averaging 17 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Seattle's star Jewell Loyd will be coming off an Olympic Gold Medal with Team USA and should be motivated to bring her experience back to this Storm squad that's looking to get back in the playoffs after missing the postseason last year for the first time since 2015. Ezi Magbegor has taken another leap in her play with the Storm Center, averaging career highs in rebounding (8.8) and blocks (2.4). Magbegor has sent back 61 shots this season, trailing only A’ja Wilson across the entire WNBA. The Storm will look to secure home-court advantage in the playoffs, with their crowd propelling them to a tie for the second-best home record in the league at 11-3.

4) Minnesota Lynx

Odds to win the WNBA Championship: +800

Few players in the WNBA have been as dominant as Napheesa Collier this season. Collier is averaging a double-double for the first time in her career and 20 points for the second season in a row. Collier’s ten rebounds per game rank third among all players in the league, and she’s been making her presence felt on the defensive side of the ball, averaging 2.2 steals per game, which ranks second in the league. Kayla McBride has been blistering hot from behind the arc, hitting the second-most threes in the league on 42.7% shooting, and was named to her fourth WNBA All-Star team. McBride is one of three Lynx players to rank in the top four in three-point percentage this season, alongside Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith. The Lynx have had a great start to the season, defeating the New York Liberty to bring home the Commissioner’s Cup in the league’s second In-Season Tournament, with Collier being named MVP. Minnesota is tied with Seattle for the third-best record in the league and the second-best home record. The Lynx look to use a strong first half of the season to propel them into the second half and a deep postseason run as they chase their fifth title in franchise history.

3) Connecticut Sun

Odds to win the WNBA Championship: +900

The Connecticut Sun jumped out to an early 9-0 start to their season and never looked back, sitting with the second-best record in the league at the break at 18-6. Alyssa Thomas was a member of the Gold Medal-winning Team USA and has been sensational all year, being a triple-double threat every time she steps onto the floor. Thomas ranks second in assists (7.7) and fifth in rebounds (9.2) this season, has registered three triple-doubles, and is the WNBA career triple-double leader with ten all-time. DiJonai Carrington set the tone defensively for the Sun this season, playing stellar defense on Caitlin Clark in the rookie phenom’s first WNBA game, and Carrington used that game to elevate her play this season, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and three-pointers made. The Sun also had two players named to the all-star team: DeWanna Bonner, the WNBA's fifth-leading scorer all-time, and Brionna Jones, who was named to her third all-star team. Connecticut also excels in doing the little things that help win games, leading the league in free throw attempts while protecting the ball and ranking second in turnovers this season.

2) New York Liberty

Odds to win WNBA Championship: +160

The Liberty look motivated to avenge their WNBA Finals loss last season at the hands of the Las Vegas Aces. New York has been on a tear to start this season, entering the Olympic Break with just four losses and the best record in the league at 21-4. The Liberty has been one of the most well-rounded teams in the league this season, ranking in the top five for points, three-point percentage, field goal percentage, rebounds, assists, and turnovers. Breanna Stewart is the main driving force for New York, and she’s been great this year, coming off of her second MVP. She’s been excellent defensively, being third in steals and sixth in blocks this year, averaging 19.3 points per game. Stewart was named part of the Olympic’s All-Star Five team following Team USA’s gold medal; her Liberty teammate Sabrina Ionescu was also a member of Team USA and has been on an offensive tear, averaging 19.6 points this season, ranking sixth in points per game and fourth in three-pointers made. The Liberty have also benefited from Jonquel Jones turning back the clock and averaging the second-highest points per game in her career, the most since she won MVP in 2021 and earned her fifth all-star nomination. New York holds the best home-court record in the league, only losing one game at Barclays Center.

1) Las Vegas Aces

Odds to win WNBA Championship: +155

The two-time reigning WNBA champions are still a force to be reckoned with despite their sluggish start to the season. Las Vegas faltered to start the season, losing games they should have won, but a lot was due to missing Chelsea Gray, an integral part of the Vegas offense. Gray has returned now, and the defending champions should be motivated to three-peat coming off the Olympics and a Team USA gold medal team that featured four Aces players, Gray, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and A’ja Wilson. Wilson is the best player in women's basketball, and she showcased that by bringing home Olympic MVP honors and looks on track to win her third WNBA MVP trophy unanimously, having one of the best seasons of all-time, averaging 27.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. The two-time MVP leads the league in points, rebounds, and blocked shots and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon. The Aces have a 16-8 record and the fifth-best record in the league but ended the first half of the season, turning things around with an 8-2 record in their last ten games. The Las Vegas offense is the best in the league, ranking first in points, field-goal percentage, turnovers, free throws made, and assist-to-turnover ratio while being top four in three-pointers made and three-point percentage, led by Plum who's 3.1 threes per game ranks first across the league. Regardless of their record, no team wants to see the Aces in the postseason, and there’s no team in the WNBA more capable of turning things on when they need to; the Aces are still the top dog in the league and are on the horizon of a third consecutive WNBA title, something that hasn’t been accomplished since the 2000-2002 Houston Comets.