On Monday, the WNBPA announced their decision opt out of the current CBA, which was set to expire after the 2027 season.

Because the players elected to opt out before the Nov. 1 deadline, the current CBA now will expire on Oct. 31, 2025, giving the union and league just over one year to negotiate a new agreement. If a new agreement is not reached, a work stoppage could occur ahead of the 2026 season.

The WNBPA is opting out in hopes of securing “a business model that reflects their true value, encompassing higher salaries, enhanced professional working conditions, expanded health benefits, and crucial investment needed for long-term growth.”

Nneka Ogwumike, WNBPA president, elaborated on the union’s aims, asserting:

This is a defining moment, not just for the WNBA, but for all of us who believe in progress. The world has evolved since 2020, and we cannot afford to stand still. If we stay in the current agreement, we fall behind.

She continued:

Opting out isn’t just about bigger paychecks—it’s about claiming our rightful share of the business we’ve built, improving working conditions, and securing a future where the success we create benefits today’s players and the generations to come. We’re not just asking for a CBA that reflects our value; we’re demanding it, because we’ve earned it.

WNBPA Executive Director Teri Jackson echoed Ogwumike, declaring, “As a union, we serve at the behest of the players, and for them, this is all about business—their business.” According to former WNBA player and ESPN analyst (and sister of Nneka) Chiney Ogwumike, players are willing to negotiate for however long is required, even if that comes with a work stoppage.

In response to the WNBPA’s decision, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert released the following statement:

With the historic 2024 WNBA season now in the books, we look forward to working together with the players and the WNBPA on a new CBA that is fair for all and lays the foundation for growth and success for years to come.

Game 5 of the WNBA Finals was an ugly, hard-fought game that required overtime and pushed both teams to the brink. In the end, the New York Liberty persevered and prevailed, winning 67-62 to earn their first WNBA title in franchise history.

The Liberty didn’t get the kind of games they expected from a couple of their stars. Sabrina Ionescu struggled, going 1-for-19 from the field and scoring just five points. Breanna Stewart scored 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting, but hit crucial free throws down the stretch to secure the championship. One player who did not disappoint was Jonquel Jones. She scored 17 points on 50 percent shooting, grabbed six rebounds and was named the Finals MVP.

Nyara Sabally, who has had a limited role in these Finals, also came up big on Sunday. She had 13 points and seven rebounds.

For Minnesota, it was the Naphessa Collier and Bridget Carleton show. Collier had 22 points and Carleton had 21. Unfortunately for the Lynx, no one else was in double figures, and they were unable to score in the final 1:50 minutes of the game.

Postgame, much of the conversation centered on the officiating. A foul was called on Alanna Smith, putting Stewart on the line to tie the game in regulation. A travel on Stewart also was missed, and the free throw differential was glaring, with New York taking 25 while Minnesota attempted just eight.

This could just be an expression of the agony of defeat, but after the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve made it abundantly clear how she felt, saying, “I know all the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul.’ Bring it on. Because the shit was stolen from us.”

People might argue calls or wonder why the guards on both sides evaporated on Sunday, but the winners write history, and in the years to come, the biggest takeaway will be that in 2024, the New York Liberty won their first WNBA title.

How it started

The Liberty’s start to this game was less than ideal. New York missed their first five shots and didn’t get on the board until Jones scored inside, ending Minnesota’s 6-0 run.

Throughout the quarter, both teams shot poorly from 3-point range. The Liberty and Lynx went a combined 1-for-8 from deep in the opening frame. Perhaps nerves were in play, causing shooting struggles, but inside the paint, Collier was on a tear early, scoring eight points and helping Minnesota close out the first on a 7-0 run. The rest of the first half continued to be discombobulated for New York. There were careless turnovers, perimeter shooting was nonexistent and Collier continued dominating.

The Liberty were forced to call timeout with 2:36 left in the second, falling behind by 12 points. Jones was able to once again get to the line and stop the bleeding. Stewart and Ionescu were noticeably quiet for New York, as Minnesota did everything it could to make scoring a struggle for the dynamic duo. The Liberty were able to go on a 4-0 run in the waning seconds of the second to cut the deficit down to 34-27 at halftime.

Entering the third quarter, the Lynx had a seven-point lead and were 20 minutes away from their fifth title. The Liberty, however, began to fight back. Stewart and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had back-to-back baskets, getting within one possession of Minnesota. Midway through the third, Carleton hit a 3-pointer, and Collier came up with a rejection, bringing the lead back up to six.

Then, the Liberty countered with their best run of the game. Jones scored three the hard way, and Sabally continued to step up big, scoring four points on two Ionescu assists, giving New York its first lead, 40-38, with 3:07 left in the third. Sabally continued to be the hero, scoring five more points in the quarter to help the Liberty pull ahead for the first time in this contest.

How it ended

Up 47-44 at home, the pressure was on for the Liberty to finish the job. Offense continued to be absent in this one, with the first two and a half minutes of the fourth featuring only two points from the Lynx.

Jones finally got the Liberty their first points of the period with under seven minutes left in the frame, but the Lynx countered, with Kayla McBride and Natisha Hiedeman scoring to put the Lynx back up by one with 5:29 left.

Both teams stayed close the rest of the way and with 38 seconds left, Stewart had a chance to tie the game with a pair of free throws. She shockingly missed them both, but New York grabbed the rebound. Ionescu then missed a 3-point attempt. Jones grabbed the Ionescu miss and got tied up with Courtney Williams for a jump ball. The Liberty recovered, but Ionescu missed another corner 3; this time, the Lynx recovered.

Collier missed a shot near the basket, and Stewart grabbed the defensive rebound and called timeout with six seconds left. Stewart got the inbounds ball and was fouled by Smith, going to the charity stripe again with a chance to tie it. She exercised her demons and made both to tie the game at 60.

With 5.2 seconds left, the Lynx tried a 3, but missed it, giving us a Game 5 that needed overtime to decide.

Fiebich opened up the scoring for the Liberty in overtime with a 3-pointer. It was only New York’s second 3 of the night. Sabally came up with a steal and took it to the rim, giving the Liberty a five-point edge with three minutes left in overtime.

McBride finally got the Lynx on the board with free throws, but unfortunately, that was the end of their scoring for the night.

Stewart made another pair from the free throw line with 10 seconds left to give New York the 67-62 edge. Fiebich, who started the scoring for New York in overtime, then ended the game for good, stealing the inbound. She passed the ball to Stewart, who ran out the clock and celebrated her first title with New York, and third overall, as the buzzer sounded.

Closing thoughts

New York was, without question, the best team in the WNBA this season. They had the best record, defeated the defending champs and, when push came to shove, did just enough to win Game 5.

Ionescu should’ve been better, and she definitely should’ve kept shooting down the stretch, but in the end, Jones scoring inside, Stewart hitting the free throws she had missed before and Sabally stepping up got them this ring.

The Lynx pushed things as far as they could. Unfortunately, the offense wasn’t there, and the guard play just wasn’t good enough in Game 5. Did some calls go against them? Yes. Were some of those calls 50/50? Absolutely. However, those things are subjective, and in Game 4, we heard similar complaints from the Liberty when they lost. In the end, they fell short, and this offseason, they’ll have to evaluate whether they have enough of a backcourt to win it all.

Next is an all-night celebration and parade in the city that never sleeps. New York got it done. They are queens of the court.

For the first time since 2019, the WNBA Finals are going to a Game 5. On Sunday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) in Brooklyn, NY, the No. 1-seed New York Liberty host the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx for the right to raise the WNBA championship trophy.

Twists, turns and thrills from the previous four games got us to Sunday’s winner-take-all affair. But when the two teams take the court, all that is rendered irrelevant, as only the ensuing 40 minutes will matter. And when the buzzer sounds, either New York will have earned the franchise’s first title or Minnesota will own a WNBA-record five championships.

Here’s what’s at stake for the Liberty and the Lynx:

All the pressure is on New York

This is supposed to be the year for the Liberty. Right?

Following a year of superteam seasoning, New York, from start to finish, established themselves as the league’s best team. Along the way, they also vanquished their biggest rival, sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the regular season before eliminating them in the semifinals. The stage seemingly is set for a coronation 28 years in the making.

Or, the result will be another empty-handed exit, with this one more devastating than the previous five combined.

Fair or not, the most pressure falls on Breanna Stewart. Celebrated as the ultimate winner for capturing four national titles at UConn and a pair of WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, Stewart donned a Liberty jersey intent upon delivering a title to her home state’s franchise. Yet, while Stewart raised her game during the Storm’s runs to the 2018 and 2020 championships, her postseason performances for the Liberty have yet to reach those lofty levels, with her production and percentages falling below her regular-season output in 2023 and 2024. Although her efforts in 2024 have been superior to the 3-for-17 stinker in Game 4 of last season’s Finals, only her Game 3 stat line has approached the Stewie standard she established in Seattle. In Game 5, she must put together a GOAT tier performance.

And she’ll still need help. Unless the Liberty win it all, Sabrina Ionescu’s Game 3 logo game-winner will sit alongside the other famous postseason shot in Liberty history as a cruel reminder of what almost was. Throughout the postseason, Ionescu’s performances have served as a barometer for the Liberty. In wins, she’s averaging over 21 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the field and almost 45 percent from 3. In losses, she sinks to just 11 points per game, with a field goal percentage of 29.2 and 3-point percentage of 25.

Quite curiously, Jonquel Jones has played best in the Liberty’s two Finals losses. That’s a departure from the majority of her playoff career, when a strong game from Jones usually resulted in a win for her squad. However, in Game 5, how Jones gets her points, rather than how many she gets, might be most important. Although she has a sweet jumper, Jones needs to take advantage of her 6-foot-6 frame and go to work inside, demanding that an undersized Lynx team marshal extra resources to try to stop her. If she adopts that mindset, she should rack up the trips to the foul line that head coach Sandy Brondello believes her squad has been denied.

The rest of the Liberty rotation likewise must play with aggression. They cannot cede the floor to Stewart, Ionescu or Jones, waiting for the stars to make something happen. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Leonie Fiebich and Courtney Vandersloot have to provide proactive play. The same goes for any reserves who might see a sliver of court time. Whether Brondello calls on Kayla Thornton, Nyara Sabally or Kennedy Burke, they cannot fade into hardwood, operating as a mere place holder while another player catches a breather. This so-called “super team” has to be super team, with an emphasis on team over super, to claim the long-sought championship.

Is this Minnesota’s magical year?

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Only opportunity awaits the Lynx in Game 5. The opportunity to vastly exceed preseason expectations. The opportunity to upend the WNBA’s “superteam” era as an egalitarian upstart. The opportunity to become the first WNBA franchise to win five championships. The opportunity to put their names alongside those that hang in the rafters of the Target Center: Moore. Fowles. Augustus. Whalen. Brunson. And even if they are unable to seize the opportunity, they’ll exit the Finals stage to cheers, applauded for an incredible, exciting effort.

Of course, that’s not the message that head coach Cheryl Reeve will send to her team before Game 5. The owner of six championship rings, four as head coach in Minnesota and two as an assistant with the Detroit Shock, is not going to settle for some “happy to be here” BS. The Lynx have advanced this far due to the killer instinct that undergirds their camaraderie.

Courtney Williams embodies the Lynx ethos, with a combination of cocksure confidence and composed cool. She’s unafraid to take the big shot, but also more than willing to set up her teammates for scores. Perfecting that balance will be critical in Game 5. And those that find themselves on the other end of a Williams pass must convert, whether that be Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton or Cecilia Zandalasini from behind the arc or Alanna Smith slipping to basket. Smith, in particular, is crucial. Although hobbled by back and knee troubles, she still sports the team’s highest plus/minus in the postseason, as her size and versatile, two-way skillset unlocks the best version of the Lynx.

Reeve has pressed the right buttons when allocating minutes to her reserves. Natisha Heideman plays fearlessly, undeterred when she drives to the basket or defends in the post. After seeing limited time throughout the postseason, Dorka Juhász provided 10 solid minutes in Game 4. Myisha Hines-Allen has yet to find a groove in the playoffs. But just last season, playing for the Washington Mystics against the Liberty in the first round of the playoffs, she turned in an efficient 21-point and eight-rebound effort. On Sunday, she has the potential for a game-swinging stretch of plays.

All that action, however, works in support of Napheesa Collier, who has stamped her status as a superstar with her postseason performance. She’s authoring one of the most productive playoffs in WNBA history, all while illustrating the completeness of her game. On the offensive side of the ball, she has set the record for the most points in a single postseason, tying the record for most points in a playoff game along the way. Defensively, she has the most steals in a WNBA Finals, and the third-most steals in a postseason. But even those statistical accomplishments fail to capture the totality of Collier’s impact. She’s stifled Stewart. She’s shown off majestic footwork. She’s hit clutch buckets. She’s made improbable defensive plays. And on and on. All that is left is a virtuoso Game 5 that delivers the title to Minnesota.

Game information

No. 1-seed New York Liberty (2-2) vs. No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx (2-2)

When: Sunday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET

Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

How to watch: ESPN

Liberty injury report: none

Lynx injury report: none

Tonight, the 2024 WNBA champion will be crowned. Before then, catch up on the week’s women’s basketball news, including a landmark announcement from a pair of WNBA Finals rivals:

Unrivaled announces TV partnership with TNT

On Wednesday, Unrivaled, the forthcoming 3×3 professional league co-founded by WNBA Finals combatants Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, announced a multi-year media rights partnership with TNT Sports.

More than 45 primetime games will be broadcast on TNT and truTV during the league’s inaugural season. TNT will show games on Mondays and Fridays, while truTV will house Saturday broadcasts. All games also will be available via streaming on Max. The season tips off on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

According to sports business reporter Joe Pompliano, the deals extends for six years and could be worth over $100 million. As Winsidr’s Rachel Galligan points out, it took the WNBA, a league founded with the backing of the NBA, 28 seasons to ink a deal of comparable value. (Unrivaled’s deal also suggests that the WNBA’s new package continues to undervalue the league, as pointed out by women’s basketball legend Cheryl Miller, among others.)

The early interest and investment in the league is further proof that it is the players, not the suits or structures, that makes women’s basketball a great and growing product. And Unrivaled, in partnership with TNT, will also provide more insight into the league’s 30 players, with TNT Sports digital platforms (Bleacher Report, House of Highlights, HighlightHER) distributing highlights and other content.

As part of the announcement, Unrivaled also shared a sneak peek of the league’s specialized, compressed court designed for full-court 3×3 play.

Stewart received homophobic death threats during WNBA Finals

Between Games 1 and 2 of the WNBA Finals, Breanna Stewart revealed that her wife, Marta Xargay Casademont, received an email containing homophobic death threats. Stewart shared that she had reported the message to the Liberty and league, while her wife reported it to the police.

When discussing the incident with reporters, Stewart emphasized:

We love that people are engaged in our sport, but not to the point where there’s threats or harassment or homophobic comments being made. So we’re just continuing to let the league know. They’re handling it, but also, I think for me, just continue to use this platform to make sure that everyone knows that it’s unacceptable to bring to our sport and really into the world.

Racist, misogynist and homophobic threats to WNBA players, both on social media and in the real world, extend beyond Stewart, and beyond this season. After she returned to the WNBA last season following her wrongful detainment in a Russian prison, Brittney Griner and her Phoenix Mercury teammates experienced harassment at an airport. Members of the Chicago Sky have been targets of harassment, with Angel Reese encountering inundations of racist and sexist spew on social media and Chennedy Carter met by a threatening heckler when the team arrived an away hotel. During the first round of the WNBA playoffs, the Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas addressed the increase in racist social media invective directed at her and her teammates. One such teammate, DiJonai Carrington, shared an email she received that threatened sexual violence. And those are just the most prominent, public examples.

The WNBA, again, issued statement in response to the threat to Stewart and her family. And on Thursday, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert reiterated that “the hateful speech and threats directed at our players are troubling,” while noting that the league is working with the WNBPA to solve the problem by “utilizing technology, prioritizing mental health, reinforcing physical security and increasing monitoring.” Engelbert further stated, “We know there’s more work to be done, and as a league, we are fully committed to listening to the players and other stakeholders on this and other important issues,”

Yet, when it comes to addressing the identity-based harassment hurled at WNBA players, the league’s rhetoric is starting to sound like the “thoughts and prayers” pablum offered by Republican politicians after a(nother) mass shooting. No, it’s not sensible to think that the WNBA itself can staunch the racist, sexist and homophobic comments that flow on social media platforms. But, similar to how GOP electeds are captive to the NRA and refuse to address the root problem—easy access to guns—the WNBA appears blinded by growth—seen in their much celebrated record-breaking attendance and TV viewership numbers—and resistant to adjusting the league’s branding and messaging.

After WNBA players’ activist turn in 2016, a mindset that sharpened in 2020, the league had followed players’ lead and increasingly emphasized its diversity and inclusivity, highlighting players’ intersectional racial, gender and sexual identities as integral to the league and all it stands for. This season, in a moment of exponential growth, such messaging has gone quiet, with the league seeming intent on attracting as much interest as possible, even at the expense of elevating and protecting the integrity of all it’s players.

Maybe a return to more progressive messaging wouldn’t make a difference. But, using marketing and branding efforts to loudly and proudly make clear what the league stands for and who is welcome within its community could be a solution. It might be time to draw, rather than expand, the league’s cultural boundaries. As ESPN’s Andraya Carter has said, “As much as we want this league to grow, we will grow slower if it means leaving those fans out of the mix.”

AU heads to Nashville

Unrivaled is not the only women’s pro basketball league that will provide a domestic hoops fix during the WNBA offseason. Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball returns for a fourth season. This time in Nashville, the home town of multi-time AU participants (and sisters) Isabelle and Dorie Harrison.

Nashville Municipal Auditorium with host the fourth season, with play beginning on Feb. 5 and continuing through Mar. 2. A total of 24 5×5 games, featuring 40 players, will be played across the four weeks.

AU will maintain its unique format, where four team captains draft new teams each week. All players earn performance points across the week’s three games, with the week’s top four point-earners then serving as captains for the following week. The player with most points across the whole season is crowned league champion.