WNBA Season Preview: Aces and New Challengers
The WNBA is back, and it looks richer, louder and sharper than the league that signed off last fall.
A new collective bargaining agreement has arrived, million‑dollar contracts are no longer outliers, and the talent pool has never been deeper. The Las Vegas Aces sit right in the middle of that storm, chasing yet another title with the reigning MVP, A'ja Wilson, still very much the standard everyone else measures themselves against.
They are the hunted now. And the pack behind them is stacked.
Aces still the benchmark
Las Vegas remains the league’s headline act. Wilson, at the peak of her powers, anchors a group that has already proved it can handle the weight of expectation. Every arena they walk into treats them like a measuring stick. Every team on today’s slate, in one way or another, is chasing their level.
But the gap is closing.
New challengers, new money, new edge
The Indiana Fever arrive at this season with something they never really had last year: health. Floor leader Caitlin Clark, who missed much of the previous campaign, is back to orchestrate an offense built around her vision and range. A full season with Clark on the ball changes everything for Indiana. It changes scouting reports. It changes confidence.
New York thought it would enjoy that same luxury of continuity. Instead, the Liberty are already dealing with a familiar problem. Sabrina Ionescu is on the sidelines after rolling her ankle in a preseason game against the Connecticut Sun. It’s not the start they wanted after injuries undercut their rhythm a year ago, and it immediately tests the depth of a roster built to contend now, not later.
Atlanta, meanwhile, didn’t wait around for fortune. The Dream made the swing move of the offseason, prising Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky to bolt onto a core that already won 30 games last season. That’s not a tweak. That’s a statement. Reese’s edge on the glass and in the open floor gives Atlanta a different kind of bite in a conference that punishes hesitation.
Tonight’s slate: contenders, questions, and a Canadian twist
All of that intrigue pours into a crowded schedule on Sept. 18, with games stretching from Toronto to Seattle and beyond. Every matchup carries a storyline, a subplot, or a measuring moment.
All times Eastern.
Connecticut Sun at Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m.
WANF - Atlanta News First, NBC Sports Boston, Peachtree Sports Network, Victory + Atlanta
Atlanta’s new‑look Dream get an early test against a battle‑hardened Connecticut side. A 30‑win team adding Angel Reese doesn’t fly under anyone’s radar, least of all the Sun, who know exactly what it takes to grind through a regular season.
Indiana Fever at Toronto Tempo, 7:30 p.m.
ion, The Sports Network, CTV Television Network
The Fever step onto a cross‑border stage with Caitlin Clark back at the controls, facing a Toronto Tempo team giving Canadian fans a prime‑time look at the league’s rising star power. For Indiana, this is about proving that “fully healthy” means “fully dangerous.”
New York Liberty at Minnesota Lynx, 7:30 p.m.
ion
No Ionescu, no excuses. The Liberty head into Minnesota needing answers without their injured playmaker, while the Lynx get a chance to bloody the nose of a supposed contender still trying to find its footing.
Washington Mystics at Chicago Sky, 8 p.m.
Monumental Sports Network, WCIU - The U
Chicago moves into the post‑Angel Reese era with plenty to prove, hosting a Mystics side that knows how to drag opponents into a half‑court fight. For the Sky, this is about identity after losing the player who defined so much of their edge.
Los Angeles Sparks at Dallas Wings, 8 p.m.
KFAA 29, Spectrum SportsNet, USA Network
The Sparks and Wings collide in a matchup that often turns into a track meet. Dallas, loaded with athleticism, will try to run L.A. off the floor; the Sparks need poise and shot‑making to keep pace in a building that can get loud in a hurry.
Phoenix Mercury at Portland Fire, 10 p.m.
Arizona's Family Sports, Rose City Sportsnet
Phoenix, with its veteran core, walks into a Portland Fire setup eager to light up a new market. The Fire get another chance to plant their flag against one of the league’s most recognizable franchises.
Las Vegas Aces at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m.
KMCC - The Spot Vegas 34, KUNS - CW Seattle, USA Network, Amazon Prime Video Seattle
This is marquee stuff. The defending champion Aces step into a hostile Seattle environment where the Storm, backed by one of the league’s fiercest fan bases, will try to punch up at the champs and see just how far away they really are.
Portland Fire at Golden State Valkyries, 10 p.m.
ion
Portland’s night doesn’t end in Phoenix. A second tip at Golden State Valkyries gives the Fire a demanding back‑to‑back and offers the Valkyries a prime stage to flex their own ambitions in a crowded West.
The league’s new financial muscle, its deeper rosters and its expanding map all converge on nights like this. The question now is simple: with the money rising and the spotlight brighter than ever, who’s ready to play like a million‑dollar team when the ball actually goes up?
