What's Going On With The WNBA
Natasha Howard and Courtney Williams. | Getty Images Five years of the WNBA Commissionerâs Cup has produced five different champions: the Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever.
As the sixth edition of the WNBAâs in-season competition begins, which of those former champs has the best chance of becoming the first franchise to raise a second Cup banner?
Should it be the team that, surprisingly, sits at the top of the regular-season standings? Can the Lynx become the first two-time Cup champs?
Their quest begins on Monday night against the Phoenix Mercury (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN/Peacock).
In addition to their unexpected early-season success, achieved without Napheesa Collier and Dorka JuhĂ sz, along with a number of other faces who helped Minnesota win the Cup in 2024 before departing in free agency this offseason, there are a couple of factors that go beyond the court that inspire confidence in the Lynxâs ability to conjure up a competitive run of Cup play, return to the Cup final for a third-straight time and take the Cup trophy again.
It seems appropriate the Minnesota opens Cup play in Phoenix, the location where their 2025 season ended in disappointing, dramatic fashion.
After losing a Game 3 in which head coach Cheryl Reeve was ejected and Napheesa Collier was injured, the thought-to-be title favorites where eliminated in Game 4, with Reeve suspended and Collier sitting on the sidelines.
A Cup win will not erase all that.
But, these Lynx, even if they look a lot different, likely will return to Mortgage Matchup Center with plenty of motivation, and they wonât mind inflicting some pain on the Mercury, who look even less like the team that slammed the door on Minnesota in that semifinal series.
Not only do the Lynx have motivation, but they also have the MVPâ0r, at least, the Cup MVP.
No, not Phee, the 2024 Cup MVP. Theyâve got Flash! Natasha Howardâs 16-point and 12-rebound double-double captained the Fever to their Cup upset of the Lynx last season.
Now, sheâs back in Minnesota, playing in a way that suggests her addition could help the Lynx complete a second successful Cup charge that, possibly, ends with Howard becoming the first two-time Cup MVP.
Will Monday night mark the start of Minnesotaâs march to the Cup, with a win that would also accelerate Phoenixâs spiral?
Alternatively, might a Cup champion be coming together in Texas?
What are the chances the Wings become Cup champions?The Mercury, for now, can still tell themselves that itâs a long season. Thereâs plenty of time for things to change.
But sometimes, change doesnât take time. Monday night will only be the Dallas Wingsâ ninth game of the season, but the teamâs early turbulence already seems long ago settled.
Two-straight wins over the last two winners of the WNBA Finalsâthe Liberty and Acesâthat were, in a significant part, powered by the back-to-back No. 1 picks in the 2025 and 2026 WNBA Drafts, plus the possible best free agent to change teams this past offseason, can convince that the Wings have already figured it out.
After scoring 42 points combined across her first five WNBA games, Azzi Fudd filled it up for 46 points over her last two games, shooting 60 percent from the field behind the 3-point shooting (9-for-17) that made her a top prospect. Itâs not just the shooting; Fudd is also executing on the defensive end thanks to her strong frame and smarts. Thereâs a reason the Wings outscored the Liberty and Aces by the most in Azziâs minutes.
Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers is providing the production expectation, calibrating her playmaking and shotmaking responsibilities depending on the needs of the team.
Then, Jess Shepard is establishing herself as the third tentpole of Dallasâ possible new Big 3.
Always an efficient around-the-basket finished during her time with the Lynx, Shepard has been more empowered as a playmaker for the Wings, averaging a team-best and career-high 6.5 assists per game. Sheâs also maintained the elite work on the glass she developed in Minnesota, pulling down 11.4 rebounds per game.
All that has added up to the only two triple-doubles in the WNBA this season, including 22 points, 20 assists and 10 boards against the defending champs. Additionally, she is effectively applying some of the versatile defensive principles she absorbed as a Lynx.
Itâs a trio whose talents mesh well together, especially when surrounded by shooting threats like Maddy Siegrist and Arike Ogunbowale, as well as the fearless length of Awak Kuier.
It is unwise to presume that the Wings will not experience another rough patch or two over the course of the season. This is still a young, unfamiliar group that needs find ways to maximize Alanna Smith, as well as coax more consistency from Ogunbowale.
But, encouragement has replaced anxiety in Dallas, and that sense will only become stronger if the team can compete for the top spot in the Western Conference Cup standings with the likes of the Lynx.
Their Cup journey begins with a favorable matchup, hosting a Seattle Storm squad fully focused on the future (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN/Peacock).
Is the time now for the Wings? What do you think about their Cup chances? Do you also see Azzi, Paige and Jess as the teamâs foundational players?
The closeness of the game, perhaps the frustration and fatigue of a losing streak, the excitement of the crowd, all brought out a side of Rachid Meziane we haven’t often seen.
Whatever he said, the refs didn’t pardon his French and Meziane was T’d up for the first time as a WNBA coach.
“We fight for one another, we have each other’s backs,” Aneesah Morrow said. “And if our coach is frustrated, we on the court have to defend him and be frustrated as well. That’s what it comes down to, being disciplined defensively, taking care of the ball offensively, running plays and executing them. Because he’s showing his passion, we have to continue to show ours.”
The Sun showed a certain resolve in the second half Saturday, regained and retained control of the game and defeated the LA Sparks, 84-81, in the franchise’s first game in Hartford since 2003. The crowd, announced as 10,478 — which appeared reasonably accurate — responded at all the right moments and the players, dribbling on their home court, dismantled and trucked up from Mohegan Sun, played as if they were right at home after 12 days and five games on the road.
“I like the way my team, my players showed up,” Meziane said. “So I hope we can build some confidence.”
CT Sun rally to beat Los Angeles Sparks, 84-81, in return to Hartford
For the second season in a row, the Sun are trying to climb out of a deep hole in the standings. For the second season in a row, their best guard, Leila Lecan, returned from her season in France, where she was MVP, and immediately made her WNBA club look like a different team.
“She got off the plane and just balled out,” teammate Kennedy Burke said.
The Sun are at the quarter post of a season like no other, a lame-duck season, but unlike other franchises in other leagues, they are promoting it as a farewell tour. Awkward, maybe, but folks will buy in as we are in the all-about-the-merch world of sports in the 2020s.
This night could have been a debacle, with the uncomfortable cold and wind holding down some participation in the FanFest across the street and indifference from Connecticut fans about to be abandoned for Houston, but it wasn’t. It was, in fact, an entertaining night in downtown Hartford, a prelude to what should really be a crazy night, July 2, when Paige Buckers and Azzi Fudd play in PeoplesBank with the Dallas Wings.
On the court, the Sun (2-8) are transitioning from its current structure to whatever the front office will look like next season in Houston. If there is an unspoken directive from new owners to tank the season so the new Comets get better position in the WNBA Draft, there was no sign of it in the Sun on Saturday.
“If you think back to the 2025 season, we started off rough,” team president Jennifer Rizzotti said. “We had some injuries, we didn’t have Leila, and then we were about .500 to finish the season. It’s not something you want to do every year, but if you can do that again, at least we’re going to know that we’re building the right way. We did choose to go younger this year with less veterans. Obviously that’s not the winning recipe for the future, but it allows us to get a really good sense of what some of these young players are capable of, who we’re going to continue to invest in and then, as we move forward, what kind of veterans we need in our locker rooms.”
The Sun brought in veterans Burke and Brittney Griner, who missed the second half after taking a shot to her face late in the first half. Lecan practiced enough this week for Meziane to start her, and she scored the first seven points. Then she cooled off and got into foul trouble as the game went back and forth. After checking in for good with four fouls early in the fourth quarter, she left her mark on the finish of the game: 12 points, three assists, a plus-four across 21 minutes.
“You can see it, she’s very poised, she’s been here before,” Morrow said. “Just being able to be impactful, not only offensively, defensively she’s very pesky and defenders don’t like that. When you have a leader like that, especially at point guard, it really matters.”
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Morrow, one of those young players who is in the midst of a breakthrough, had 17 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. Diamond Miller, who’s nifty at the basket and made a scoop shot with the and-one gave the Sun breathing room midway through the fourth quarter, had 12 points; Burke scored 14 off the bench. That’s the who and the what. In will department, the Sun controlled the boards, 37-29, and Meziane counted 17 deflections, further signs of a team that wants to do more than say, “Goodbye Connecticut,” in 2026.
“(Saturday) showed, when we put out minds to it, play together, stay together in those rough moments, we can be a dangerous team,” Burke said. “We have to keep building on that. At the same time, knowing we have a lot of games coming up, we have to take care of our bodies and focus in practice, but it can be a lot of fun when we just put our minds to it and play together.”
Even with the league expanding from 12 to 15 teams over the past two seasons, The W still has, essentially, the top 180 players in the world, many of whom are several years out of college. It’s not a league for a young roster, nor an aged one. The early season schedule has done the Sun no favors. Their three games at Mohegan Sun Arena have included two against the defending champ Las Vegas Aces. They opened the season at New York, the championship favorites going in, and their recent West Coach swing yielded four losses in five games.
“We sat down as a team to try to figure out a solution, how we can play better,” Meziane said. “We stayed together during the road trip, even though we were losing games, and we showed a lot of resilience.”
Dom Amore: When it’s time to say goodbye, CT Sun finally saying hello again to Hartford
The Sun go to first-place Atlanta and Chicago before returning home to play the Liberty on June 8, and getting Griner and Aaliyah Edwards (concussion) on the court with Lecan will help. They caught the Sparks (4-4) at a good time, after a one-day turnaround from a road game at Washington, and Kelsey Plum out with an ankle injury, but they had to play hard to get a win, and the Sun, reflecting their coach, played like it still matters.
A 1-8 start to a 44-game season is a lot to overcome, but if the Sun’s goal is to leave Connecticut on amicable terms, prove worthy of the support the franchise has received these 23 seasons, and would have received if they were staying. The Sun have 33 games to do that.
“It was a great home-court advantage that we had (in Hartford),” Morrow said. “I just talked in the locker room after and I felt that was a team win, a very collective win, and just being able to see we were locked in, disciplined. There are going to be tough games, and we had a lot of flagrant fouls and a lot of reviews, but we stayed together and had each other’s back.”
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Wingsâ Arike Ogunbowale keeps it real on Commissionerâs Cup money prize appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Dallas Wings will open the WNBA Commissionerâs Cup on Monday as they host the Seattle Storm at College Park Center. The Wings will gun for their third straight win, while the Storm will try to stop a two-game losing streak.
The Wings did not have success in last yearâs edition of the in-season tournament. The Indiana Fever won the title, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in the knockout finals.
Dallas has looked impressive to start the campaign, sitting on a 5-3 record. With Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, Azzi Fudd, and Jessica Shepard leading the charge, the Wings could be a major threat in the WNBA Commissionerâs Cup.
Ogunbowale kept it real when she asked about the possibility of claiming the $500,000 prize.
âNo matter how much money you get, itâs always good to make more money. So definitely, thatâs a motivation,â said the four-time All-Star in the video posted by The IX Sportsâ Melissa Triebwasser.
I asked Arike Ogunbowale about the cash prize as a motivator in the Commissioners Cup as well as Paige Bueckersâ debut jersey selling for more than her rookie salary:
âNo matter how much money you get, itâs always good to make more money.â#wingsuppic.twitter.com/VBdkokOaEQ
â Melissa Triebwasser (@TheCoachMelissa) May 31, 2026
Instituted in 2021, the WNBA Commissionerâs Cup has seen a different champion every year. The Wings are looking to become the sixth titlist, joining the Fever, the Storm, the Lynx, the Las Vegas Aces, and the New York Liberty.
Ogunbowale, meanwhile, was also asked about Bueckerâs debut jersey selling for $65,000 at a recent auction, which was worth more than the veteran guardâs rookie salary in 2019.
âRookie contracts were really, really small. If you didnât have another job, you had to get one, or you wouldnât be able to survive. Now, obviously, this can be your major source of income. Even without endorsements, youâll be okay with just your W contract,â noted Ogunbowale.
Ogunbowale was limited to just 18 minutes in their upset of the Aces, 95-87, on Thursday due to an illness.
Related: Why Wingsâ Paige Bueckers dropped honest âannoyingâ truth bomb
The Commissionerâs Cup. | NBAE via Getty Images A WNBA tradition since 2021, the Commissionerâs Cup is set to begin.
This in-season tournament adds some spice to the year and is an indicator not just of the best teams during the summer, but of which can win it all come playoff time.
Over the last five seasons, the Commissionerâs Cup champion has also been a WNBA Finals champion.
The 2020 champs, the Seattle Storm won the first-ever Cup the following season. In 2022, the Las Vegas Aces captured both the Cup and the Finals. After winning the Cup in 2023, the New York Liberty won the championship in 2024. In 2023 and 2024 Commissionerâs Cup title game was identical to the Finals matchup, first the with the eventual-champion Aces beating the Cup-winning Liberty in 2023 and then with the Liberty winning it all over the Minnesota Lynx team that had defeated them in the Cup final.
Clearly, doing well in this competition bodes well for a teamâs title aspirations.
The Commissionerâs Cup group-stage games will be held from June 1 to 17, with the title game on Tuesday, June 30. Every team will compete within its conference, playing one game against each opponent.
For the Eastern Conference, each team will play six games, while every team in the Western Conference will play seven. Once all the games are completed, the top team in each conference will compete in the Commissionerâs Cup Championship on June 30. The game will be hosted by the team with the best winning percentage in regular-season games through June 17.
The winning team will split $5000,000, hoist the trophy and be one step closer to their dream season.
But thatâs not the only financial incentive to play in these games. The league makes charitable contributions to non-profit organizations selected by each team. The contributions will be presented to each organization at the conclusion of the Commissionerâs Cup Championship.
So, which squads could raise the Cup this season? Here are the teams we have an eye on. Be sure to share your favorites in the comments.
The Commissionerâs Cup favorites areâŚWestern Conference: Minnesota Lynx
With Napheesa Collier out to start the year recovering from two ankle surgeries, it was believed the Minnesota Lynx would take a step back.
That has not been the case. Minnesota has started the year 6-2 with the best record in the WNBA.
One of the reasons theyâve played so well is that rookie Olivia Miles has hit the ground running in this league. She is averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 assists per game, the most of any first-year player in both categories.
And with Courtney Williams complementing Miles in the backcourt, theyâve certainly given all WNBA teams a ton of headaches.
In the frontcourt, Natasha Howard is on her way to having a career year. The veteran is averaging 17.3 points per game and converting on 65.6 percent of her attempts. Howard is also grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game, which is also a career best.
Eastern Conference: Atlanta Dream
The Dream made a win-now move by trading for Angel Reese, and itâs been working. Atlanta has started the year 5-2, which makes them the No.1 team in the Eastern Conference.
And while Reese hasnât wowed in her performances, she has been adjusting well, averaging 13.1 points and 11 rebounds per game.
While Reese was the big splash this offseason for Atlanta, Allisha Gray remains the engine that keeps them running. Sheâs averaging a team-high 20.4 points per game and remains one of the best guards in the league.
Is Atlanta just off to a hot start, or is this what the Dream will be for the rest of the year? Watching them compete against the entire Eastern Conference should help clarify that answer.
Two more Commissionerâs Cup challengers areâŚWestern Conference: Dallas Wings
Last year, the Indiana Fever were a surprise team in the Commissionerâs Cup, winning it all despite key injuries.
This year, a couple of teams look to replicate Indianaâs success.
The Dallas Wings have been a very entertaining team to watch. Their head coach, Jose Fernandez, will give an eyebrow-raising quote almost daily, and they have the most intriguing set of guards in the league with Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
With Fudd now a starter and quickly adjusting to the WNBA, perhaps they are even better than their 5-3 record suggests. They certainly have the backcourt scoring needed to overwhelm teams, so donât be surprised if they come out as the best in the West.
Eastern Conference: New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are never a team that should be counted out.
Theyâve been up and down to start the year, but with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones remaining dominant, theyâll be a tough team to beat.
Jones is averaging 12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and Stewart is averaging a team-high 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Sabrina Ionescu remains sidelined with a back injury, but weâll see if she can return sometime this month. If she does, itâll give the Liberty a much-needed boost and could turn them into Commissionerâs Cup contenders once again.
On Friday night, former Iowa women's basketball center Megan Gustafson scored the 800th point of her WNBA career. What she did for an encore was even more impressive.
The very next day, Gustafson and the Portland Fire hosted Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever. And in the battle of the two former Hawkeye superstars, it was Gustafson who seized the upper hand with a career game.
After a slow start, the Fire settled in and took it to Indiana, ultimately winning the game, 100-84. Gustafson was a huge reason why. Gustafson was unstoppable, scoring 22 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting night from the field. She did it in just 28 minutes, carving up the Fever's defense.
In doing so, Gustafson became just the 15th player in WNBA history to score at least 20 points in a game without missing a shot.
Megan Gustafson with a PERFECT performance on the court tonight đ¤Š
She becomes the 15th player in WNBA history to record a 20âpoint+ game while shooting 100% from the field!
22 PTS | 8/8 FG#WNBASeason30pic.twitter.com/7u4kd6BViY
Those 22 points were the second-most in a single game for Gustafson as a pro, just behind the 24 points she scored for Las Vegas in 2024. She's now averaging a career-high 10.4 points per game this season, having found a home in Portland, her fifth team in eight WNBA seasons.
Gustafson and the Fire will next take the court on Tuesday night in Commissioner's Cup action when they battle the Golden State Valkyries at 9 p.m. CT on Fubo and the WNBA League Pass.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Megan Gustafson joins elite WNBA company after dominant game vs. Fever
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe Minnesota Lynx are off to a hot start this season. Cheryl Reeve and crew currently hold the best record in the WNBA, at 7-2, and thatâs without Napheesa Collier, whoâs missed the Lynxâ first eight games recovering from offseason ankle surgeries.
By the time this season comes to a close, Reeve and her MN Lynx plan to once again be battling for their fifth WNBA Championship. While itâs been since 2017 that the Lynx last won a title, they are coming off back-to-back seasons with just 10 regular season losses and a WNBA Finals appearance as recent as 2024.
Thatâs become commonplace for Reeve, who no matter the team sheâs coaching, seems to get the best out that crop of womenâs basketball talent. Which is why itâs seemingly possible that â after 17 seasons leading the Minnesota Lynx, this could be her final WNBA run.
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Cheryl Reeve pondering a jump from the WNBA to NBA?And if that were to happen, according to what she told Charley Walters (Pioneer Press), it appears the womenâs basketball Hall of Famer is ready to make the jump and feels she could successfully lead men into basketball battle.
âMy answer 10 years ago [on coaching in the NBA], maybe longer than that, was no way,â Reeve told the Pioneer Press the other day.
So, now, if Reeve were offered a NBA job?
âI would absolutely consider it, now, because itâs my obligation to do that,â she said.
Is she confident she could coach â and win â in the NBA?
âAbsolutely! I believe I understand what it takes to winâŚI think the general concept of women in leadership roles in menâs sports, thereâs a lot of us that could be very successful.â
Pioneer PressAs a head coach in the WNBA, Cheryl Reeve currently holds a rather incredible 370-192 record (.627 win%). Under her leadership, the Lynx have won SEVEN Western Conference titles and FOUR WNBA Championships. Sheâs 52-31 in the postseason.
MN Lynx coach confident she could make jump to NBAI canât imagine a world â despite her success at the WNBA level â that an NBA team would do something as bold as hire the first female head coach in the leagueâs history fresh out of the WNBA. She clearly thinks sheâd be able to handle it, however.
âWomen werenât in menâs sports in any position,â she said. âAnd then women starting getting positions. And then I started thinking about it â how do I feel about this? Because I want women to be coaching women. And then I thought, if thereâs more opportunities for us, for jobs ⌠the only space that women arenât leading in is menâs sports.
We can be generals in the military, we can be candidates for President, we can be CEOs. The only place that weâre not leading is in menâs sports. And so, to that end that the opportunities that were being given, thereâs going to be a day itâs going to happen. I donât know how old Iâll be.â
Cheryl Reeve (via the Pioneer Press)Related: Cheryl Reeveâs KFAN Absence Stems From Refusal to Discuss Caitlin Clark Snub
Thereâs no doubt Reeve would do more than consider an NBA head job if it landed on her plate, just based on the increase in pay alone. But would she be willing to work her way through the assistant coaching ranks, if thatâs what she has to do, in order to eventually become a head coach?
Becky Hammon attempted that route when she joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant in 2014. She ended up leaving the Spurs for the WNBA in 2021, when she accepted a head coaching job with the Las Vegas Aces.
Would Reeve put her professional future at risk to work as an assistant in the NBA, while she waits for a head coaching job that may never present itself?
Jumping from WNBA head coach to NBA head coach isnât really plausibleâŚAs team president of basketball operations, Cheryl Reeve controls all things player personnel with the Lynx. She hand-picks her players and decides how that talent is implemented. Itâs power sheâs had since 2022. Thatâs a lot to give up, so you can do grunt work on an NBA staff.
If we were in a different time in Minnesota Timberwolves history, I could have seen Glen Taylor â who had an unlimited amount of belief in Reeve when he owned the team â promoting Cheryl from head coach of HIS Lynx to the head coach of HIS Timberwolves.
Related: Minnesota Lynx Draft Star PG Olivia Miles
But with Chris Finch implanted as Wolves head coach, while Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez and Tim Connelly work tirelessly this offseason to find the missing piece to what we all believe is a championship-caliber roster, she isnât going to get that opportunity here anytime soon (or probably ever).
Now again, would they be willing to take her on as an assistant? Thatâs a far different question, and one that would probably be met with very little obstruction, if she were serious about making the NBA move. Personally, however, Iâm not sure Cherylâs ego could take a back seat like thatâŚ
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