The 2025 WNBA Schedule is Petty

The 2024 WNBA season may be over, but the league is still active. They started the week hot on Monday, with teams announcing their 2025 schedules with some incredibly creative videos and collaborations. They ended the week on Friday with their WNBA expansion draft, where the Valkyries got to choose 6 unprotected players from current team rosters. Let’s dive into the highlights and must-watch team announcement videos. Let me know when you reach the last word🥂!

2025 Team Schedule Announcement Videos

Like the camera product embargo for YouTubers, all 13 social media teams released their 2025 game schedule videos on the same day at roughly the same time. Check out my top 6 (in no particular order):

1. Atlanta Dream (I love Atlanta and this video)

2. Chicago Sky (they made a trendy, fun video)

3. Dallas Wings (we love a Keith Lee surprise feature)

4. Washington Mystics (the Front Porch series is soooo DC)

5. Las Vegas Aces (this skit is timeless)

6. New York Liberty (it’s 9 minutes, but it’s worth it)

If you want to see them all, here’s a Twitter Thread of all the teams’ videos in alphabetical order.

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WNBA Expansion Draft (for dummies)

If you’ve never experienced a WNBA Expansion Draft (me either), here are some quick facts to tell you about the structure and rules of this year’s event:

• The Golden State Valkyries are one of 3 confirmed expansion teams, but the only team to be starting play in the 2025 season. Portland and Toronto will start play in 2026 and will appear in next year’s expansion draft.

• The Golden State Valkyries have a general manager and a head coach (previously on the coaching staff of the Las Vegas Aces), but no team members as of yet.

• Through the expansion draft, current teams are allowed to protect 6 players on their roster. The new team is allowed to draft the remaining players available across all (currently) 12 teams.

• The submission deadline for the current 12 teams was on November 25th, so before the Thanksgiving holiday. Given that the Valkyries know ahead of the expansion draft date which players are available, there are some restrictions:

  • They can only select one player who is eligible for unrestricted free agency following this season.

  • They can make trades with current teams ahead of the expansion draft in exchange for cap space or for designated, protected players.

• The Valkyries are slated to receive the number 5 overall pick in each round of the regular draft which takes place after the college women’s basketball season ends in the spring.

• Of the cities competing for WNBA Teams, it is unclear which will be chosen as the 4th and final expansion team. The cities lobbying for the spot are Cleveland, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Houston, Austin, St. Louis, and Milwaukie. While I’m disappointed that Charlotte hasn’t thrown their name in the hat, I’m curious to hear which city you think will welcome the next WNBA team!

Going from 12 teams to 16 teams in 2 years is incredible, and puts them on pace with the NWSL expansion plan. I hope this means that there will be more opportunities for American players to stay in the league past training camp.

Without further ado, the first 11 players to be joining the Golden State Valkyries are:

1. Kate Martin of the Aces

2. Kayla Thorton of the Liberty

3. María Conda of the Sky (Team Spain)

4. Carla Leite of the Dallas Wings (Team France)

5. Veronica Burton of the Connecticut Sun

6. Iliana Rupert of the Atlanta Dream

7. Temi Fagbenle of the Indiana Fever

8. Steph Talbot of the LA Sparks

9. Cecilia Zandalasini of the Minnesota Lynx

10. Monique Billings from the Phoenix Mercury

11. Julie Vanloo from the Washington Mystics

This was quite the reveal! We love a good crossover, so seeing Michelle Wie West, a 5-time LPGA champ, announcing a few of the selected players was a nice surprise. The Valkyries declined to draft anyone from the Seattle Storm. They did take a beloved player from one of my favorite teams, the Connecticut Sun, who will surely make an impact on both ends of the court. As Natalie Nakase came from the Aces, I was curious if she would select a more veteran player or a new player for the team. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the not-so-rookie anymore Kate Martin in the starting lineup, I think she and Veronica Burton will pair well together. Temi Fagbenle started in her final Fever game, so I think she could be in contention for a starting position as well. I’m glad Monique Billings has found a home after playing on a hardship contract with the Dallas Wings and a rest-of-season contract with the Phoenix Mercury in the 2024 season. There’s still a lot to see before their first game tip-off against the LA Sparks!

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The Last Word🥂

The Toronto Tempo had their name leaked by the WNBA of all people so they went ahead and made it public knowledge. It was probably just a genuine mishap, but these little moments of intrigue keep the league interesting (and fans talking). The next WNBA season will feature more games (shifting from 40 games to 44 games in the regular season) and a playoff schedule that will more closely resemble the MNBA playoff format. Until then, free-agent negotiations start in late January, which is conveniently during the Unrivaled League season gameplay. I’m. Seated.

Penned,

Angela 🤙🏾✨

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