WNBA - BBGM

[sirvalkyerie]

WNBA Finals

Year	Teams	Finals MVP
1997	Houston Comets (1) vs. (0) New York Liberty	Cynthia Cooper
1998	Houston Comets (2) vs. (1) Phoenix Mercury	Cynthia Cooper
1999	Houston Comets (2) vs. (1) New York Liberty	Cynthia Cooper
2000	Houston Comets (2) vs. (0) New York Liberty	Cynthia Cooper
2001	Los Angeles Sparks (2) vs. (0) Charlotte Sting	Lisa Leslie
2002	Los Angeles Sparks (2) vs. (0) New York Liberty	Lisa Leslie
2003	Detroit Shock (2) vs. (1) Los Angeles Sparks	Ruth Riley
2004	Seattle Storm (2) vs. (1) Connecticut Sun	Betty Lennox
2005	Sacramento Monarchs (3) vs. (1) Connecticut Sun	Yolanda Griffith
2006	Detroit Shock (3) vs. (2) Sacramento Monarchs	Deanna Nolan
2007	Phoenix Mercury (3) vs. (2) Detroit Shock	Cappie Pondexter
2008	Detroit Shock (3) vs. (0) San Antonio Silver Stars	Katie Smith
2009	Phoenix Mercury (3) vs. (2) Indiana Fever	Diana Taurasi
2010	Seattle Storm (3) vs. (0) Atlanta Dream	Lauren Jackson
2011	Minnesota Lynx (3) vs. (0) Atlanta Dream	Seimone Augustus
2012	Indiana Fever (3) vs. (1) Minnesota Lynx	Tamika Catchings
2013	Minnesota Lynx (3) vs. (0) Atlanta Dream	Maya Moore
2014	Phoenix Mercury (3) vs. (0) Chicago Sky	Diana Taurasi
2015	Minnesota Lynx (3) vs. (2) Indiana Fever	Sylvia Fowles
2016	Los Angeles Sparks (3) vs. (2) Minnesota Lynx	Candace Parker
2017	Minnesota Lynx (3) vs. (2) Los Angeles Sparks	Sylvia Fowles
2018	Seattle Storm (3) vs. (0) Washington Mystics	Breanna Stewart
2019	Seattle Storm (3) vs. (0) Las Vegas Aces	Jewell Lloyd
2020	Washington Mystics (3) vs. (1) Las Vegas Aces	Elena Delle Donne
2021	Washington Mystics (3) vs. (2) Chicago Sky	Natasha Cloud
2022	Dallas Wings (3) vs. (1) Los Angeles Sparks	Arike Ogunbowale
2023	Seattle Storm (3) vs. (2) Dallas Wings	Kara Warren
2024	New York Liberty (3) vs. (2) Dallas Wings	Kayla Johnson
2025	New York Liberty (3) vs. (2) Chicago Sky	Chiney Holder
2026	Dallas Wings (3) vs. (1) New York Liberty	Sheila Peek
2027	New York Liberty (3) vs. (0) Dallas Wings	Chiney Holder
2028	Dallas Wings (4) vs. (1) Charlotte Sting	Angela McKinney
2029	Chicago Sky (4) vs. (3) Charlotte Sting	Lauren Polite
2030	Chicago Sky (4) vs. (1) Charlotte Sting	Tiffany Boone
2031	Seattle Storm (4) vs. (3) New York Liberty	Epiphanny Walton
2032	Seattle Storm (4) vs. (0) Charlotte Sting	Epiphanny Walton
2033	Charlotte Sting (4) vs. (2) Seattle Storm	Megan Hutchison
2034	Minnesota Lynx (4) vs. (1) Charlotte Sting	Nicole Boyd
2035	Dallas Wings (4) vs. (2) Connecticut Sun	Jasmine Teague
2036	Washington Mystics (4) vs. (2) El Paso Paisanas	Laurie Riley
2037	Dallas Wings (4) vs. (3) New York Liberty	Kaela Niehaus
2038	Dallas Wings (4) vs. (0) Indiana Fever	Kristin Garrett
2039	Indiana Fever (4) vs. (2) Seattle Storm	Antonella Marchetti
2040	Dallas Wings (4) vs. (3) Connecticut Sun	Jasmine Teague
2041	El Paso Paisanas (4) vs. (3) Atlanta Dream	Megan Duck
2042	Atlanta Dream (4) vs. (0) Phoenix Mercury	Michelle Monroe
2043	Atlanta Dream (4) vs. (1) Los Angeles Sparks	Michelle Monroe
2044	Atlanta Dream (4) vs. (1) Vancouver Maples	Michelle Monroe
2045	Los Angeles Sparks (4) vs. (3) Indiana Fever	Liz McCormack

WNBA MVP

Year	Winner	Team
1997	Cynthia Cooper	Houston Comets
1998	Cynthia Cooper (2)	Houston Comets (2)
1999	Yolanda Griffith	Sacramento Monarchs
2000	Sheryl Swoopes	Houston Comets (3)
2001	Lisa Leslie	Los Angeles Sparks
2002	Sheryl Swoopes (2)	Houston Comets (4)
2003	Lauren Jackson	Seattle Storm
2004	Lisa Leslie (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (2)
2005	Sheryl Swoopes (3)	Houston Comets (5)
2006	Lisa Leslie (3)	Los Angeles Sparks (3)
2007	Lauren Jackson (2)	Seattle Storm (2)
2008	Candace Parker	Los Angeles Sparks (4)
2009	Diana Taurasi	Phoenix Mercury
2010	Lauren Jackson (3)	Seattle Storm (3)
2011	Tamika Catchings	Indiana Fever
2012	Tina Charles	Connecticut Sun
2013	Candace Parker (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (5)
2014	Maya Moore	Minnesota Lynx
2015	Elena Delle Donne	Chicago Sky
2016	Nneka Ogwumike	Los Angeles Sparks (6)
2017	Sylvia Fowles	Minnesota Lynx (2)
2018	Breanna Stewart	Seattle Storm (4)
2019	DeWanna Bonner	Phoenix Mercury (2)
2020	Kelsey Mitchell	Indiana Fever (2)
2021	Arike Ogunbowale	Dallas Wings
2022	Arike Ogunbowale (2)	Dallas Wings (2)
2023	Arike Ogunbowale (3)	Dallas Wings (3)
2024	Marissa Gladney	Las Vegas Aces
2025	Tiffany Boone	Chicago Sky (2)
2026	Tiffany Boone (2)	Chicago Sky (3)
2027	Napheesa Collier	Los Angeles Sparks (7)
2028	Tiffany Boone (3)	Chicago Sky (4)
2029	Kara Warren	Hershey Kiss
2030	Napheesa Collier (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (8)
2031	Nicole Boyd	Minnesota Lynx (3)
2032	Epiphanny Walton	Seattle Storm (5)
2033	Nicole Boyd (2)	Minnesota Lynx (4)
2034	Ruza Loncar	El Paso Paisanas
2035	Nicole Boyd (3)	Minnesota Lynx (4)
2036	Ruza Loncar (2)	El Paso Paisanas (2)
2037	Blake Shelton	Connecticut Sun (2)
2038	Blake Shelton (2)	Connecticut Sun (3)
2039	Blake Shelton (3)	Connecticut Sun (4)
2040	Blake Shelton (4)	Connecticut Sun (5)
2041	Laurie Riley	Washington Mystics
2042	Michelle Monroe	Atlanta Dream
2043	Ariel Gladney	Los Angeles Sparks (9)
2044	Michelle Monroe (2)	Atlanta Dream (2)
2045	Elena Siksnius	Chicago Sky (5)

WNBA Defensive Player of the Year

Year	Winner	Team
1997	Teresa Weatherspoon	New York Liberty
1998	Teresa Weatherspoon (2)	New York Liberty (2)
1999	Yolanda Griffith	Sacramento Monarchs
2000	Sheryl Swoopes	Houston Comets
2001	Debbie Black	Miami Sol
2002	Sheryl Swoopes (2)	Houston Comets (2)
2003	Sheryl Swoopes (3)	Houston Comets (3)
2004	Lisa Leslie	Los Angeles Sparks
2005	Tamika Catchings	Indiana Fever
2006	Tamika Catchings (2)	Indiana Fever (2)
2007	Lauren Jackson	Seattle Storm
2008	Lisa Leslie (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (2)
2009	Tamika Catchings (3)	Indiana Fever (3)
2010	Tamika Catchings (4)	Indiana Fever (4)
2011	Sylvia Fowles	Chicago Sky
2012	Tamika Catchings (5)	Indiana Fever (5)
2013	Sylvia Fowles (2)	Chicago Sky (2)
2014	Brittney Griner	Phoenix Mercury
2015	Brittney Griner (2)	Phoenix Mercury (2)
2016	Sylvia Fowles (3)	Minnesota Lynx
2017	Alana Beard	Los Angeles Sparks (3)
2018	Alana Beard (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (4)
2019	Natasha Howard	Seattle Storm (2)
2020	Jonquel Jones	Indiana Fever (5)
2021	Napheesa Collier	Minnesota Lynx (2)
2022	Jackie Forrest	Chicago Sky (3)
2023	Jordin Canada	Seattle Storm (3)
2024	Marissa Gladney	Las Vegas Aces
2025	Tiffany Boone	Chicago Sky (4)
2026	Chiney Holder	New York Liberty (3)
2027	Napheesa Collier (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (5)
2028	Tiffany Boone (2)	Chicago Sky (5)
2029	Kara Warren	Hershey Kiss
2030	Napheesa Collier (3)	Los Angeles Sparks (6)
2031	Epiphanny Walton	Seattle Storm (4)
2032	Epiphanny Walton (2)	Seattle Storm (5)
2033	Angela Alexander	Seattle Storm (6)
2034	Angela Alexander (2)	Seattle Storm (7)
2035	Angela Alexander (3)	Seattle Storm (8)
2036	Ruza Loncar	El Paso Paisanas
2037	Antonella Marchetti	Phoenix Mercury (3)
2038	Antonella Marchetti (2)	Phoenix Mercury (4)
2039	Michelle Gaines	Philadelphia Belles
2040	Megan Duck	El Paso Paisanas (2)
2041	Ariel Gladney	Los Angeles Sparks (7)
2042	Megan Duck (2)	El Paso Paisanas (3)
2043	Shoni Jackson	Atlanta Dream
2044	Ariel Gladney (2)	Los Angeles Sparks (8)
2045	Ariel Gladney (3)	Los Angeles Sparks (9)

Team Histories (Since League Start [2019])

Atlanta Dream

Championships: 3 (2042, 2043, 2044
Hall of Famers: Tiffany Hayes, Linda Birdsong, Nicole Boyd, Marissa Gladney, Francisca Caniza
Retired Numbers: #20 - Tiffany Hayes
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Austin Cats

Championships:
Hall of Famers:
Retired Numbers:
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Charlotte Sting

Championships: 1 (2033)
Hall of Famers: Megan Hutchison, Elena Delle Donne,
Retired Numbers:
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Chicago Sky

Championships: 2 (2029, 2030)
Hall of Famers: Tiffany Boone, Courtney Vandersloot, Marissa Gladney, Alan Beard,
Retired Numbers: #32 Courtney Vandersloot / #8 Tiffany Boone
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Connecticut Sky

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Alyssa Thomas, Francisca Caniza, Jonquel Jones, Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum
Retired Numbers: #34 Alyssa Thomas
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Dallas Wings

Championships: 7 (2022, 2026, 2028, 2035, 2037, 2038, 2040
Hall of Famers: Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Lloyd, Francisca Caniza, Marissa, Gladney, Epiphanny Walton, Kelsey Plum,
Retired Numbers: #21 Arike Ogunbowale
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Denver Snowcaps

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers:
Retired Numbers:
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El Paso Paisanas

Championships: 1 (2041)
Hall of Famers: Ruza Loncar
Retired Numbers: #43 Ruza Loncar
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Hershey Kiss

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Kara Warren, Megan Hutchison
Retired Numbers: #43 Kara Warren
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Houston Comets

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Ruza Loncar, Chiney Holder
Retired Numbers:
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Indiana Fever

Championships: 1 (2039)
Hall of Famers: Ruza Loncar, Jordin Canada, Jonquel Jones, Linda Birdsong, Nicole Boyd, Epiphanny Walton, Emma Meesseman, Nneka Ogwumike,
Retired Numbers:
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Kansas City 99s

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers:
Retired Numbers:
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Las Vegas Aces

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Marissa Gladney, Linda Birdsong, Chiney Holder, Kelsey Plum
Retired Numbers: #11 Liz Cambage
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Los Angeles Sparks

Championships: 1 (2045)
Hall of Famers: Napheesa Collier, Candace Parker, Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Alana Beard,
Retired Numbers: #4 Napheesa Collier / #40 Candace Parker /#19 Nneka Ogwumike
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Memphis Blues

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers:
Retired Numbers:
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Minnesota Lynx

Championships: 1 (2034)
Hall of Famers: Nicole Boyd, Sylvia Fowles, Napheesa Collier,
Retired Numbers: #35 Sylvia Fowles / #14 Nicole Boyd
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New York Liberty

Championships: 3 (2024, 2025, 2027)
Hall of Famers: Chiney Holder, Nicole Boyd, Liz Cambage, Tiffany Hayes,
Retired Numbers: #30 Chiney Holder
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Philadelphia Belles

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers:
Retired Numbers:
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Phoenix Mercury

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, DeWanna Bonner
Retired Numbers: #3 Diana Taurasi / #14 Brittney Griner / #5 DeWanna Bonner
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Pittsburgh Forge

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers:
Retired Numbers:
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Seattle Storm

Championships: 4 (2019, 2023, 2031, 2032)
Hall of Famers: Jordin Canada, Kara Warren, Epiphanny Walton, Angela Alexander, Natasha Howard, Kelsey Plum, Courtney Vandersloot, Linda Birdsong, Jewell Lloyd
Retired Numbers: #31 Jordin Canada / #43 Kara Warren / #32 Epiphanny Walton / #11 Angela Alexander
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SoCal Breeze

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Francisca Caniza, Megan Hutchison,
Retired Numbers:
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Vancouver Maples

Championships: 0
Hall of Famers: Angela Alexander
Retired Numbers:
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Washington Mystics

Championships: 3 (2020, 2021, 2036)
Hall of Famers: Elena Delle Donne, Katasha Simpson, Natasha Cloud, Emma Meesseman
Retired Numbers: #45 Elena Delle Donne

[sirvalkyerie]

Timeline of Major League Events:
2025 - Houston Comets and Charlotte Sting return to the WNBA
2028 - Hershey Kiss & SoCal Breeze enter the WNBA
2028 - WNBA adds divisions to each conference and institutes a playoff format split by conference
2028 - WNBA expands to a 50 game season with a 3,5,7 playoff structure. 8 teams make the playoffs, no more first round byes.
2034 - WNBA adds four teams: Philadelphia Belles, El Paso Paisanas, Denver Snowcaps and Memphis Blues
2039 - Kansas City 99s and Vancouver Maples join the WNBA
2045 - WNBA makes the last of its planned expansions by adding the Pittsburgh Forge and Austin Cats
2045 - Two twelve team conferences with three four team divisions each, split East-West. Playoffs expanded to 8 teams in each conference, 5,7,7,7 format.
2045 - Season expands to 74 games; each team plays their division opponents 6 times each, their non-division conference opponents four times each and non-conference opponents twice each.



Eastern Conference:
Northeast:
Connecticut Sky
Hershey Kiss
New York Liberty
Philadelphia Belles

Midwest:
Chicago Sky
Indiana Fever
Kansas City 99s
Pittsburgh Forge

Southeast:
Atlanta Dream
Charlotte Sting
Memphis Blues
Washington Mystics


Western Conference:
Northwest:
Denver Snowcaps
Minnesota Lynx
Seattle Storm
Vancouver Maples

Southwest:
Las Vegas Aces
Los Angeles Sparks
Phoenix Mercury
SoCal Breeze

Texas:
Austin Cats
Dallas Wings
El Paso Paisanas
Houston Comets

[sirvalkyerie]

The WNBA at 50:
The WNBA held its inaugural season in 1997 which concluded with the Houston Comets defeating the New York Liberty to become the first ever WNBA Champions. Now in 2047 we've had 50 years of professional women's basketball, and we're going to take a look back at those 50 seasons.

[sirvalkyerie]

Seattle takes the league by Storm:
The Seattle Storm were the team to beat as the Teens turned into the Twenties. Fresh off a 2018 sweep of the Washington Mystics, the Storm again won the title by downing their opponent, the Las Vegas Aces, in three games in 2019. The Storm of 2019 featured five All-Stars that season and three future Hall of Famers: Jordin Canada, Natasha Howard and Finals MVP Jewell Lloyd. The Storm's back-to-back title victory capped a season leading 26-8 regular season record and first round playoff bye. Seattle had a tougher time with the 4th Seed Phoenix Mercury in the Semi-Finals as it took all five games for them to get that series over with.

Jewell Lloyd's 22 points per game was good for second best in the league in 2019, behind MVP DeWanna Bonner, and her performance continued into the postseason where she averaged twenty points per game on the Storm's title run. But Lloyd would leave for Dallas in the Winter and the Storm had to face the COVID season without their Finals MVP. Still, the Storm returned future Hall of Famers Jordin Canada and Natasha Howard.

In 2020, the Storm were again a force to be reckoned with going again leading the league in wins with a 25-9 record. But the Storm couldn't capitalize on their first round playoff bye, instead falling in five games to the eventual champion Washington Mystics. The Storm would reload though for 2021 with a bevvy of roster moves. The Storm picked up future Hall of Famers Kelsey Plum and Courtney Vandersloot in free agency while with the 12th pick in the draft they landed another future Hall of Famer, Kara Warren.

But despite the talent reload, 2021 was a bump season. The Storm struggled to a 16-18 record which did put them into the playoffs at the sixth and final seed, coming in a game ahead of the Las Vegas Aces. A valiant effort wasn't enough, however, to advance as the Storm fell to the Mercury 96-86 in the opening game.

In 2022, the Storm cut ties with Forward Brionna Jones which paved the way for their 2021 first round pick, Kara Warren, to enter the starting lineup. With Plum, Canada, Vandersloot and Howard all returning, Warren's move to the starting lineup meant that the Seattle Storm would boast a starting five entirely of future Hall of Famers. The team delivered on its expectations. Natasha Howard averaged 22 points and 9 rebounds which led he league in scoring. Jordin Canada facilitated the offense averaging 14 points and 8 assists, while the newly starting Kara Warren brought 9 points and 9 rebounds a game herself. Such starting lineup star power left the Storm with a thin bench and some injuries caused their season to chug along at times. The Wings paced the league at 26-8 while the Chicago Sky nipped at their heels for the second seed at 25-9. Seattle's more modest 19-15 record got them into the dance as the fourth seed, a three win improvement over 2021.

Seattle would make quick work of Indiana in the first round but then falter to the one-seed Wings in the semi-finals. Seattle had improved over their 2021 season but they still couldn't make the most of a star studded lineup. In the off-season the Storm shipped three players (Nia Coffey, Tanisha Wright and Margold Donnelly) to the Las Vegas Aces for the #2 overall pick in the draft. The Storm would select 6'3" Forward, Megan Ford from Missouri. Seattle's decision to draft size would hopefully help them improve over their guard heavy lineup of 2022. And it certainly did.

Ford was an All-Star as a rookie averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds a game on an impressive 57% shooting from the floor. Kara Warren was also an All-Star for the first time, taking her first major strides averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds. Natasha Howard also made the All-Star game and the starting lineup was filled out by Kelsey Plum and Jordin Canada. The Storm would go 26-8, good for best in the WNBA. And this time they wouldn't disappoint. After getting the first round bye, the Storm swept the Mystics in the semi-finals and defeated the Dallas Wings in a series that went the distance. Kara Warren won Finals MVP and made her first of ten All-WNBA teams and her first of seven All-WNBA Defense teams. Warren had an elite postseason averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks on 55% shooting.

It was the third title in six years for a Storm team that could seemingly do no wrong, flipping their roster over twice in that period. The Storm were a dominant franchise for the league and were the home of some of the league's most star studded lineups. In 2024 the team took a step back with many key contributors beginning to show signs of age and in 2025 the roster started to thin. The Storm would fade rapidly. After their 2023 championship, they wouldn't even make the playoffs again until 2029.

While the end came swiftly, the Storm cemented themselves, for a time, as the league's marquee franchise after the contraction of the late-Aughts.

[RolePlayer]

WNBA dynasties are always interesting to me, excited to follow

[sirvalkyerie]

Elena Delle Donne and the magical Mystics:
The Washington Mystics fought alongside the Seattle Storm in the late Teens and early Twenties for WNBA Supremacy. The two teams on opposite coasts tangled for league glory with the Storm sweeping the Mystics in the 2018 WNBA Finals and the Mystics ousting the Storm in the Semi-Finals in 2020. The Mystics boasted rosters with plenty of star power and their run during the early 20s came with Elene Delle Donne at the helm.

The Mystics' only retired jersey, Elene Delle Donne racked up the accolades with several All-Star and All-WNBA bids to go with her two Mystics titles and a Finals MVP in their 2020 COVID title victory over the Las Vegas Aces. In 2020, The Bubble Season, the Mystics went 21-13 with future Hall of Famers Natasha Cloud and Emma Meesseman flanking Delle Donne.

Coming in as the fourth seed, the Mystics decimated the New York Liberty 93-63 in the opening round before pulling off a major upset in the semi-finals, downing the #1 overall seed Seattle Storm 3-2 in the five game series. The Mystics founds things easier in the WNBA Finals where they beat the Las Vegas Aces 3-1 inside the Disneyland Bubble. Elena Delle Donne led the Mystics with 21.5 points per game in the postseason, paired with 11.5 rebounds and 58% shooting from the floor. Delle Donne was simply unplayable and put up one of the league's best postseason performances en route to a title and a Finals MVP award.

But not to be deterred by criticisms of a 'Mickey Mouse' ring, the Mystics roared back again in 2021 under normal conditions to pocket a coveted back-to-back title run. The Mystics had a strong 2021, going 22-12 in the regular season and landing the second seed and a first round bye. They swept the Mercury in the opening round, 3-0 and then met the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals where they went the full five games to claim the WNBA Championship on their home floor.

Delle Donne again had an elite season and post-season, picking up her second consecutive Semi-Finals MVP award but it was fellow future Hall of Famer Natasha Cloud who put her stamp on the title run with a Finals MVP award of her own. Cloud had always been a solid contributor for the side, picking up several consecutive All-Star selections but her run in the 2021 WNBA Finals was probably key to her eventual Hall enshrinement. Cloud put up 13 points and 10 assists a game while playing the point. Cloud's orchestration of the offense was key as the upstart Sky gave the Mystics everything the defending champs could handle.

The Mystics were an uninspiring one and done the following year in 2022. In 2023 the Mystics slipped into the playoffs at 18-16 as the last seed, and managed to scramble their way into the semi-finals. But it was there that they met arch-rival Seattle Storm who dispatched them in a series sweep. After the 2023 season the Mystics would see retirements and general decline, Delle Donne would return in a reduced role in 2024 before being selected by the Charlotte Sting in the 2025 Expansion Draft, the season that would be Delle Donne's last. The Mystics would go on a six year drought, not making the playoffs after 2023 until 2030. But in their five year run they made the WNBA Finals three times, the WNBA Semi-Finals four times and won the championship twice. Suffering three post-season defeats to the Seattle Storm, including a WNBA Finals loss in 2018.

Their title team in 2021 had a starting lineup containing four future Hall of Famers: Elena Delle Donne, Emma Meesseman, Natasha Cloud and Katasha Simpson

[sirvalkyerie]

6'10" Superstar turns Liberty from David into Goliath
The New York Liberty were always situated to be the league's rival to glamour franchise, Los Angeles Sparks. The two franchises situated in the country's two biggest cities, on opposite coats and in basketball meccas. It was the rivalry that never happened.

In 1997, the Houston Comets defeated the Liberty in the inaugural WNBA Finals. The Comets would again defeat the Liberty in the Finals in 1999 and 2000. In 2002 the fateful Finals matchup between the Sparks and Liberty finally occurred with the Sparks winning it in a sweep. In their first four WNBA Finals appearances over the course of the league's initial six seasons, the Liberty went 0-4, winning just one out of the eight Finals games they played in.

And that was as good as it got for the never-was WNBA marquee team. The Liberty had few truly destitute years but they were rarely a major contender. A few names played for them here or there. A couple Semi-Finals letdowns. But never again would the Liberty reach the WNBA Finals and rarely would the Liberty boast rosters with true stars in their primes. That is until the arrival of Chiney Holder.

Chiney Holder, a 6'10", Center from Purdue arrived to the league without much fanfare. Holder was the 11th pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft, a draft class which included 5 Hall of Famers, 14 WNBA Champions and 14 League All-Stars. Holder was selected by the Las Vegas Aces, who were runners-up in the 2020 WNBA Finals to the Washington Mystics. They'd hoped to pair the raw Holder with bigs A'ja Wilson and Liz Cambage and reload the team for another title challenge. But it never quite panned out.

Holder struggled to get on the floor and the Aces floundered to a 15-19 record and missed the playoffs. Holder played in 22 regular season games, never starting, and averaged 4.7 minutes a game in her rookie season. She struggled with her playmaking abilities, hadn't yet developed much of an offensive game outside of her height advantage and she couldn't play reliable defense away from the hoop. Year one, Holder was a project and the Aces were a mess.

But Holder's game developed over the next two seasons. A marked improvement between her first and second seasons saw her play nearly twenty minutes a game coming off the bench and starting a handful of games for a better Aces squad. She was runner-up in Sixth Woman of the Year voting. And in 2023, Holder's third year in the league, she took her first major step to the star she would become. Holder averaged 14.7 points per game with 11 rebounds and led the league in blocks with two per game. She made the All-Star team for the first time in her career and in her first season as an everyday starter she made the WNBA All-Defense First Team.

In the Winter of 2023, Holder would become a free agent. She declined the Aces' offer to remain in Las Vegas and found herself a max contract in New York City. It was in New York that Holder would become a bonafide star and the Liberty would enter an era of dominance. The Liberty would make four consecutive WNBA Finals appearances in Holder's first four years at the helm, going 3-1 in those series. Holder's impact was immediate as the Liberty won the 2024 WNBA Finals, Holder's first season with the team, by defeating the Dallas Wings 3-to-2.

Holder would be a WNBA All-Star every season of her decade-long Liberty tenure, while racking up 9 All-WNBA bids and five more All-Defense selections. Holder's best year was 2025 when she was MVP runner-up, scoring 19 a game with 14 rebounds on a PER just shy of 30 and a VORP just over 7. The Liberty made five WNBA Finals with Holder and made the playoffs every year Holder was with the team except for Holder's final season with the Liberty.

In the five years preceding Holder's arrival the Liberty went 70-100 with a single first round playoff exit. In Holder's first five years in New York the Liberty went 125-61 with four WNBA Finals appearances.

Chiney Holder turned the Liberty into a dynasty and her #30 will forever hang in the rafters alongside the three championship banners she delivered to the league's big city underdogs.

[sirvalkyerie]

Arike Ogunbowale becomes Arike OGOATbowale
The 2020s was the decade of Arike Ogunbowale. Under Ogunbowale's leadership, the Dallas Wings went to six WNBA Finals in the 20s and won three of them. Ogunbowale herself won three straight MVP awards from 2021-2023 with a title win right in the middle of those. From 2020 to 2027, Ogunbowale not only didn't miss a game but she scored 20.0 points per game or better in each season.

Ogunbowale was a 12 time All-WNBA player with three titles and a Finals MVP as she led a powerhouse Dallas Wings franchise. Spending her entire career with the Wings, Dallas won 60% of their regular season games with Ogunbowale in the starting lineup. For an NBA comparison, it meant that on the average across her entire tenure with the team the Dallas Wings would've been able to expect a 50 win season because they had Arike Ogunbowale.

At Ogunbowale's peak she had a PER of 30, 24 points per game, 50% shooting from the floor and 41% from 3. For her career she slashed 46/39/90. Despite retiring in 2032 she's still the franchise leader in total points and career points per game and field goals while having played 4,000 less career minutes for the Wings than fellow Wings great Jasmine Teague.

Ogunbowale boasts the second greatest Win Shares per 40 Minutes of any player in league history at .316 (just behind DeWanna Bonner at .319). Her career PER of 26.4 is tied with Bonner for second all-time, behind Nicole Boyd's 26.6. She's also the WNBA's All-Time Leader in career points per game. A three level scorer that shot with efficiency, Ogunbowale was the greatest player of the 2020s and one of the greatest players the league has ever seen.