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2026 WNBA Finals preview: These three questions will determine if the Golden State Valkyries are destined for championship glory
The Golden State Valkyries’ arrival in the 2026 WNBA Finals has inspired many big picture proclamations. In just their second WNBA season, the Valkyries have made history with their rapid ascent toward the very top of the league, proving to be “light years ahead” of a seemingly overly ambitious five-season contention plan. And they’re here […]
2026 WNBA Finals Preview: These are the three keys to an Atlanta Dream championship, starting with Angel Reese
The Atlanta Dream have never won a WNBA championship. That can all change if they beat the Golden State Valkyries in the 2026 WNBA Finals. That’s easier said than done. In the regular season, Atlanta lost all three games against Golden State. A couple of those games came down to the wire, but the Dream […]
Led by Angel Reese, six WNBA Finals competitors headline the 2026 All-Defensive First and Second Teams
If there needed to be more evidence that defense will define these WNBA Finals, the 2026 WNBA All-Defensive Teams provided it, as three members of the Atlanta Dream and three members of the Golden State Valkyries combined to claim six of the 10 spots. Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese headlines the All-Defensive First […]
Whether the Atlanta Dream or Golden State Valkyries win it all, the 2026 WNBA Finals will make history and legacies
History will be made in the 2026 WNBA Finals. Either the Atlanta Dream or Golden State Valkyries (including former Dream star Tiffany Hayes) will win the first title in franchise history. If Golden State prevails, it will mark an expansion team’s fastest-ever ascent to Finals glory. If Atlanta wins, it will erase an 18-season championship-less […]
2026 WNBA season review: The Dallas Wings had their most successful year in decades, and now they must sustain it
The Dallas Wings have struggled to find their footing in the WNBA. Since the franchise moved to Dallas in 2016, they’d had just one winning season. Now they’ve had two. The 2026 campaign ended with the Wings at 27 wins and the franchise’s fourth-best record. The other above .600 seasons occurred way back when they […]
All the ways Season Thirty was a milestone-making celebration for the WNBA
Ahead of the 2026 WNBA Finals, the second-ever best-of-seven final series that will crown a first-time WNBA champion in the Golden Valkyries or Atlanta Dream, the league has announced all the achievements that defined the league’s 30th season. As Commissioner Cathy Engelbert put it: The league’s 30th season has been one to remember, with extraordinary […]
2026 WNBA season review: Even after a record number of wins and playoff berth, the Washington Mystics’ bright future is not guaranteed
The 2026 Washington Mystics made the playoffs as the youngest team in WNBA history, in addition to setting a franchise record with 28 total wins. The overwhelming reaction to the Mystics is that they’re here to stay, and will be somewhat of a perennial contender under the current core. And while I don’t think that’s […]
In her final WNBA season, Nneka Ogwumike deservedly earned another Kim Perrot Sportsmanship Award
As Edwin Garcia documented, the close of Nneka Ogwumike’s 15th and final WNBA season was not the end she imagined. But throughout her swan-song season back with the Los Angeles Sparks, Nneka remained Nneka. That was true on the court, as well as it beyond it. That’s why Ogwumike earned her second-straight and fifth-overall Kim […]
Once a star for the Atlanta Dream, could Golden State Valkyrie Tiffany Hayes now win her first WNBA title over her former team?
Tiffany Hayes was the Robin to Angel McCoughtry’s Batman. For years, the duo was synonymous with the Atlanta Dream. Hayes played 10 seasons in the ATL, from 2012 to 2022 (skipping 2020 in the Wubble). She even, coincidentally, shares a nickname, “Tip,” with one of Atlanta’s most famous celebrities in rapper T.I. She was there […]
2026 WNBA season review: Although Olivia Miles arrived, the absence, presence and future of Napheesa Collier still defined the Minnesota Lynx
Retrospectively, Napheesa Collier’s absence, presence and future defined the 2026 WNBA season for the Minnesota Lynx. Maybe, had the Lynx not experienced another early and underwhelming playoff exit and instead, as many expected, were preparing to play in the WNBA Finals, this wouldn’t be the case. But when looking back on how the segments of […]
2026 WNBA season review: After high expectations and an early playoff exit, the Indiana Fever are at a crossroads
The Indiana Fever last won a WNBA title in 2012, but they’re definitely in win-now mode. They have an über-talent in Caitlin Clark. Kelsey Mitchell is a star in her own right. And with Aliyah Boston protecting the paint, few teams can match Indy’s Big 3. And yet, for the second season in a row, […]
In helping lead the Atlanta Dream to the WNBA Finals, Angel Reese has shown herself to be the league’s Megan Thee Stallion
Angel Reese is on top of the world. Her trade from Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream has been a godsend. Both for her and the Dream. Not only is she a World Cup gold medalist, but also the AP and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. If that wasn’t enough, the Dream have reached […]
2026 WNBA season review: Because it’s always ‘title or bust’ for the Las Vegas Aces, this year must be considered a disappointment
Dynasties are defined by dominance. The Las Vegas Aces have won three of the last four titles and were chasing another in 2026. While Las Vegas flashed brilliance all season, they never felt like the WNBA’s best team. Still, they have championship pedigree and the league’s best player, A’ja Wilson. That makes them a threat […]
2026 WNBA season review: If the New York Liberty want become true title contenders again, what changes must be made?
The New York Liberty’s 2024 WNBA season was an unqualified success, as the franchise finally won it’s long-sought first championship. The repeat bid in the 2025 season was deemed a failure, as an up-and-down regular season led to a fifth-place finish and first-round exit. What about the 2026 season? New York extended their postseason stay […]
Interview: How sports content creator Rachel DeMita found her way back to and established her place in basketball
“One of the reasons that I’m most passionate about covering the WNBA is because when I was a kid, I saw what the WNBA was like…” Sports creator and former collegiate basketball player Rachel DeMita offered that perspective in an interview with Swish Appeal when asked why her basketball interests never extended beyond college. DeMita […]
Interview: Why Zaida Gonzalez was prepared to embrace the pressure of playing for Puerto Rico at the FIBA World Cup
A 5-foot-9 guard from Florida who played collegiately at Florida International (2021-23) and Stony Brook (2023-25), Zaida Gonzalez has established herself as a key contributor for the Puerto Rican national team. She just completed her first World Cup, with her team separated from making the quarterfinals by just three points after a loss to China. […]
Once cut and counted out, Veronica Burton continues to elevate her play, especially in the clutch, for the WNBA Finals-bound Golden State Valkyries
Veronica Burton has found a home in the Bay Area. She is one of the best players on the Golden State Valkyries and has truly started to shed the “underrated” label. The 2025 WNBA Most Improved Player, Burton received one fifth-place MVP vote last year and one fourth-place vote this year. She was in the […]
In sweeping fashion, Atlanta manifests their WNBA Finals Dream
The Atlanta Dream didn’t lose a game to the the New York Liberty in the WNBA semifinals, sweeping to advance to the WNBA Finals. But the series wasn’t a breeze. Game 2 went to overtime and ended with an officiating controversy. Game 3 didn’t quite have that level of spice, yet it was still tightly […]
The Valkyries make a Golden Statement with history-making WNBA Finals berth
A Golden Statement. The Golden State Valkyries, in just their second season as WNBA team, are headed to the WNBA Finals. And on top of that already audacious achievement, they swept the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA semifinals to get there. It required overcoming a second-half double-digit deficit, plus overtime, but the Valkyries […]
Eliminated in the WNBA playoffs, where do the Dallas Wings, Indiana Fever, Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics go from here?
The first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs is over, and for the four teams headed home, the offseason starts with a different question. Each team has reasons for optimism, but each exit exposed weaknesses masked by regular-season success. Here’s a look at what worked, what fell short and the decisions that will shape what […]
How Atlanta Dream head coach Karl Smesko has played to his team’s strengths, while also guiding them to improvement from beyond the arc
On the broadcast of Wednesday night’s Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series between the Atlanta Dream and New York Liberty, ESPN showed Dream head coach Karl Smesko working with Angel Reese on her 3-point shot. They reported Smesko promised Reese that the 3-pointer would become a part of her game. Atlanta went on to […]
WNBA semifinal discussion: If the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces are to stay alive, these players will be the difference makers
The teams that have won four of the last five WNBA championships could have their dreams of claiming another end on Friday night. Both the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces find themselves down 0-2, hoping that the series shifts to Brooklyn and Vegas, respectively, will likewise shift the momentum in their favor. The […]
With five overall and three-straight WNBA MVP awards, A’ja Wilson’s all-time greatness becomes even more undeniable
A’ja Wilson is undeniable. Already the only four-time WNBA MVP, she became the first five-time MVP, while also becoming the first player to capture three-straight MVPs. Delineating the dominance is dizzying. Articulating A’ja’s excellence in a way that fully appreciates her outlier level of achievement is likewise increasingly difficult. Greatness is the expectation for A’ja—and […]
Powered by Ballhalla, plus a big shot from Veronica Burton, the Golden State Valkyries go up 2-0 on the Las Vegas Aces
With just over 90 seconds left in Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series between the No. 2-seed Golden State Valkyries and No. 3-seed Las Vegas Aces, the Aces, once down 17 points, took their first lead of the game, flexing their three-time champion experience and appearing poised to to even the series after a […]
Led by Angel Reese, the Atlanta Dream showed the heart of a champion in Game 2 overtime win over the New York Liberty
Game 2 of the WNBA semifinal series between the No. 4-seed Atlanta Dream and No. 8-seed New York Liberty was a bloodbath. A contest saw 17 lead changes couldn’t be decided in regulation, ending with a down-to-the-wire overtime finish. When push came to shove, the Dream were just a bit more resilient, outexecuting the Liberty […]
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