2025 WNBA Finals

2025 WNBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Las Vegas Aces Becky Hammon 4 Phoenix Mercury Nate Tibbetts 0
Dates	October 3 – 10
MVP	A'ja Wilson
←  2024 WNBA Finals

The 2025 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-seven championship series for the 2025 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The first best-of-seven final in history, began on October 3, and ended on October 10. The Finals featured the second seeded Las Vegas Aces and the fourth seeded Phoenix Mercury. This was the first time since the 2021 WNBA Finals that the first seed did not advance to the Finals. ^[1] This was Las Vegas' third Finals appearance in four years, and Phoenix's first since 2021. The Aces defeated the Mercury in four straight games to win their third championship in four years and cement themselves as a dynasty.

Road to the Finals

Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Conf.	Home	Road	Cup
1	yx – Minnesota Lynx	34	10	.773	–	20–4	20–2	14–8	5–1
2	x – Las Vegas Aces	30	14	.682	4	16–8	17–5	13–9	2–4
3	x – Atlanta Dream	30	14	.682	4	15–6	16–6	14–8	3–2
4	x – Phoenix Mercury	27	17	.614	7	13–11	15–7	12–10	4–2
5	x – New York Liberty	27	17	.614	7	15–5	17–5	10–12	4–1
6	cx – Indiana Fever	24	20	.545	10	13–8	13–9	11–11	4–1
7	x – Seattle Storm	23	21	.523	11	12–12	10–12	13–9	4–2
8	x – Golden State Valkyries	23	21	.523	11	9–15	14–8	9–13	3–3
9	e – Los Angeles Sparks	21	23	.477	13	10–14	9–13	12–10	2–4
10	e – Washington Mystics	16	28	.364	18	8–12	10–12	6–16	2–3
11	e – Connecticut Sun	11	33	.250	23	7–14	7–15	4–18	1–4
12	e – Chicago Sky	10	34	.227	24	4–17	6–16	4–18	1–4
13	e – Dallas Wings	10	34	.227	24	4–20	6–16	4–18	1–5

• v
• t
• e

Notes

(#) – League Standing

c – Commissioner's Cup winners

y – Regular Season Champion

x – Clinched playoff berth

e – Eliminated from playoff contention

Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

Playoffs

Main article: 2025 WNBA playoffs

	First Round: Best-of-3					Semifinals: Best-of-5					Finals: Best-of-7
	1	Minnesota Lynx	2
	8	Golden State Valkyries	0
						1	Minnesota Lynx	1
						4	Phoenix Mercury	3
	4	Phoenix Mercury	2
	5	New York Liberty	1
											4	Phoenix Mercury	0
											2	Las Vegas Aces	4
	2	Las Vegas Aces	2
	7	Seattle Storm	1
						2	Las Vegas Aces	3
						6	Indiana Fever	2
	3	Atlanta Dream	1
	6	Indiana Fever	2

• Bold – Series winner
• Italic – Team with home-court-advantage

The first round of the WNBA playoffs consists of a best-of-three series, with the following matchups: No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 vs. No. 5. The higher seed in the first round has home-court advantage in Games 1 and, if necessary, 3.

In the semifinals of the postseason, a best-of-five series, the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2 and, if necessary, 5 . Additionally, the WNBA Finals will be a best-of-seven format for the first time in the league's history. Games 1 and 2, as well as Games 5 and 7, if necessary, will be hosted by the higher seed. ^[2]

Summary

This finals was the first since 2020 where the two finals teams were from the same conference.

The Las Vegas Aces qualified for the Finals as the second seed after winning a tiebreaker with the Atlanta Dream for that seed. They defeated the seventh-seed Seattle Storm in the first round and the Indiana Fever in the semifinals, with both series reaching their maximum number of games.

The Phoenix Mercury qualified for the Finals as the fourth seed after winning a tiebreaker with the New York Liberty for that seed. Those two teams faced each other in the first round, and the Mercury defeated the defending champions in three games. They then defeated top seed Minnesota Lynx in four games to reach the Finals. They are the lowest seed to reach the Finals since the 2021 Chicago Sky reached as a sixth seed. They are also just the sixth two seed to qualify for the Finals.

The two Western Conference foes met four times during the regular season, with the Aces winning three of the four games. The most recent was an August 21 meeting where the Aces won 83–61.

Game 1

Game one of the Finals started as a close affair with the Aces responding to an early Mercury lead. The first quarter ended tied at 21. Both teams continued to go back-and-forth in the second quarter but Phoenix came out on top 29–24. Kahleah Copper scored 19 points in the first half, and broke the WNBA record for most three-pointers in a half with five. The third quarter continued to be close, and the Aces won 22–21, to cut the Mercury's lead to four points heading into the fourth quarter. A'ja Wilson scored 12 points over the final 14 minutes to lead the Aces' comeback. Alyssa Thomas missed two free-throws with 24.6 seconds left, while Jackie Young made two free-throws with 13.5 seconds left. Satou Sabally couldn't sink a long three-point attempt with two seconds left to leave the Aces with a 22–15 fourth quarter victory. Their seven point quarter win meant they won the game by three points. The game was close throughout, with 12 lead changes and nine ties.

The Aces had four players score in double-figures. They were jointly led by Dana Evans and Wilson, who both scored 21 points. Evans' points all came off the bench. Jewell Loyd scored 18 points, also from the bench, and Young scored 10. Chelsea Gray recorded 10 assists and Wilson completed her third double-double of the playoffs by adding 10 rebounds. The Mercury had five players in double-digits and were led by Copper who scored 21. Sabally scored 19 points, Thomas added 15, Monique Akoa Makani scored 11, and DeWanna Bonner added 10 off the bench. Thomas recorded her fourth double-double of the playoffs by adding 10 rebounds. The Aces' bench outscored the Mercury's 41–16.

ESPN

October 3 8 PM ET

Box Score

Phoenix Mercury 86, Las Vegas Aces 89
Scoring by quarter: 21–21, 29–24, 21–22, 15–22
Pts: Kahleah Copper 21 Rebs: Alyssa Thomas 10 Asts: Alyssa Thomas 9		Pts: Evans, Wilson 21 Rebs: A'ja Wilson 10 Asts: Chelsea Gray 10
Las Vegas leads, 1–0

Michelob Ultra Arena Attendance: 10,266 Referees: Eric Brewton Randy Richardson Jenna Reneau

Game 2

Game two began as close as game one had been with the teams going back and forth. It was a high-scoring quarter, which the Mercury won 27–24. The Aces' improved their defensive play during the second quarter and limited the Mercury to just ten points. The Aces won the quarter 22–10 and took a nine-point lead into halftime. Coming out of the half, both teams played well on offense and scored a total of fifty four points in the quarter. Las Vegas prevailed 30–24 to expand their lead to fifteen points. The fourth quarter was lower scoring, finishing 17–15 in favor of the Mercury. The result didn't put much of a dent in the Aces lead, and Las Vegas took the game by thirteen points. They won both home games to go up in the series two games to zero.

The Aces had three players score in double-figures and were led by Jackie Young who scored thirty two points. A'ja Wilson scored twenty eight points, and Chelsea Gray added ten points. The Mercury also had three players score in double-digits and were led by Kahleah Copper with twenty three points. Satou Sabally scored twenty two points, and Alyssa Thomas added ten points. Natasha Mack reached double figures in rebounds with ten. Chelsea Gray recorded a double-double by adding ten assists to go with her ten points. A'ja Wilson also recorded her fourth double-double of the playoffs by grabbing fourteen assists.

ABC

October 5 3 PM ET

Box Score

Phoenix Mercury 78, Las Vegas Aces 91
Scoring by quarter:27–24, 10–22, 24–30, 17–15
Pts: Kahleah Copper 23 Rebs: Natasha Mack 10 Asts: Monique Akoa Makani 7		Pts: Jackie Young 32 Rebs: A'ja Wilson 14 Asts: Chelsea Gray 10
Las Vegas leads, 2–0

Michelob Ultra Arena Attendance: 10,404 Referees: Angelica Suffren Maj Forsberg Isaac Barnett Kevin Fahy

Game 3

The first quarter was a quarter of runs with the Aces going on a 17–0 run which the Mercury followed with a 13–0 run. The quarter ended 26–23 in favor of the Aces. The Aces continued their strong play and won the second quarter 29–20 to take a twelve point lead into halftime. They came out of the break well and won the third quarter 21–16 and extended their lead to seventeen points heading into the fourth. However, Phoenix fought back and close the gap to just one point with 3:06 left after Kahleah Copper made a three-pointer. With under two minutes there were two ties, but A'ja Wilson made a turnaround jumper with 0.3 seconds left to seal the game. Phoenix won the fourth quarter 29–14, but lost the game by two points. Las Vegas now holds a three games to zero lead, and will need to win just one more game to take the title.

The Aces had four players score in double-figures and were led by A'ja Wilson who scored thirty four points. Jackie Young added twenty one points, Jewell Loyd scored sixteen off the bench, and Chelsea Gray added eleven points. Wilson recorded her fifth double-double in this years playoffs, and third straight in the Finals, by adding fourteen rebounds. The Mercury had four players score in double-digits and were led by DeWanna Bonner who scored twenty five points from the bench. Satou Sabally scored twenty four points, Kahleah Copper added seventeen, and Alyssa Thomas scored fourteen points. The Mercury had two players record double-doubles in the game. Bonner added ten rebounds to earn one, and Alyssa Thomas earned the other with twelve rebounds. Thomas finished one assist shy of a triple double.

ESPN

October 8 8 PM ET

Box Score

Las Vegas Aces 90, Phoenix Mercury 88
Scoring by quarter:26–23, 29–20, 21–16, 14–29
Pts: A'ja Wilson 34 Rebs: A'ja Wilson 14 Asts: Jackie Young 9		Pts: DeWanna Bonner 25 Rebs: Alyssa Thomas 12 Asts: Alyssa Thomas 9
Las Vegas leads, 3–0

Mortgage Matchup Center Attendance: 17,071 Referees: Fatou Cissoko-Stephens Tiara Cruse Amy Bonner

Game 4

ESPN

October 10 8 PM ET

Preview

Las Vegas Aces 97, Phoenix Mercury 86
Scoring by quarter:30–21, 24–17, 22–24, 21–24
Pts: A'ja Wilson 31 Rebs: A'ja Wilson 9 Asts: Jackie Young 8		Pts: Kahleah Copper 30 Rebs: Alyssa Thomas 12 Asts: Alyssa Thomas 10
Las Vegas wins, 4–0

Mortgage Matchup Center Attendance: 17,071 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan Gina Cross Tim Greene Jeff Wooten

Team rosters

Phoenix Mercury roster v t e
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G 8 Akoa Makani, Monique 5' 11" (1.8m) 2001-02-04 Cameroon R G/F 14 Bonner, DeWanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 140 lb (64kg) 1987-08-21 Auburn 15 C 21 Brown, Kalani 6' 7" (2.01m) 245 lb (111kg) 1997-03-21 Baylor 5 G/F 2 Copper, Kahleah 6' 1" (1.85m) 165 lb (75kg) 1994-08-28 Rutgers 9 G 1 Held, Lexi 5' 10" (1.78m) 150 lb (68kg) 1999-12-28 DePaul R G 9 Laksa, Kitija 6' 1" (1.85m) 155 lb (70kg) 1996-05-21 South Florida R F 4 Mack, Natasha 6' 4" (1.93m) 182 lb (83kg) 1997-11-03 Oklahoma State 2 F 0 Sabally, Satou 6' 4" (1.93m) 175 lb (79kg) 1998-04-25 Oregon 5 F 25 Thomas, Alyssa 6' 2" (1.88m) 203 lb (92kg) 1992-04-12 Maryland 11 F 24 Westbeld, Kathryn 6' 3" (1.91m) 1996-01-29 Notre Dame R G 33 Whitcomb, Sami 5' 10" (1.78m) 149 lb (68kg) 1988-07-20 Washington 8 G 23 Williams, Kiana 5' 7" (1.7m) 140 lb (64kg) 1999-04-09 Stanford 3 G – Ayrault, Julia  (S) 6' 2" (1.88m) Michigan State – G — Lundquist, Klara  (S) 5' 8" (1.73m) 1999-08-28 Sweden – G – Pueyo, Helena  (S) 6' 0" (1.83m) 2001-02-13 Arizona –	Head coach Nate Tibbetts (South Dakota) Assistant coaches Michael Joiner (Florida State) Kristi Toliver (Maryland) Megan Vogel (South Dakota State) Athletic trainer Hannah Wengertsman (Boston University) Strength and conditioning coach Annalise Pickrel (Michigan State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured   WNBA roster page
East ATL CHI CON IND NY WAS West DAL GS LV LA MIN PHO SEA

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
PG	Monique Akoa Makani
SG	Kahleah Copper	Lexi Held Sami Whitcomb
SF	Natasha Mack	Kitija Laksa
PF	Alyssa Thomas	Kathryn Westbeld
C	Satou Sabally	Kalani Brown

Las Vegas Aces roster v t e
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs F 1 Bell, Kierstan 6' 1" (1.85m) 176 lb (80kg) 2000-03-16 Florida Gulf Coast 3 G 11 Evans, Dana 5' 6" (1.68m) 145 lb (66kg) 1998-08-01 Louisville 4 G 12 Gray, Chelsea 5' 11" (1.8m) 170 lb (77kg) 1992-10-08 Duke 10 C 17 Gustafson, Megan 6' 4" (1.93m) 195 lb (88kg) 1996-12-13 Iowa 6 G 24 Loyd, Jewell 5' 11" (1.8m) 175 lb (79kg) 1993-10-05 Notre Dame 10 G 13 Nye, Aaliyah 6' 0" (1.83m) 2002-08-14 Alabama R F 32 Parker-Tyus, Cheyenne 6' 4" (1.93m) 193 lb (88kg) 1992-08-22 Middle Tennessee 10 F 3 Smith, NaLyssa 6' 4" (1.93m) 185 lb (84kg) 2000-08-08 Baylor 3 C 41 Stokes, Kiah 6' 3" (1.91m) 191 lb (87kg) 1993-03-30 Connecticut 9 F 22 Wilson, A'ja 6' 4" (1.93m) 195 lb (88kg) 1996-08-08 South Carolina 7 G 0 Young, Jackie 6' 0" (1.83m) 165 lb (75kg) 1997-09-16 Notre Dame 6	Head coach Becky Hammon (Colorado State) Assistant coaches Tyrone Ellis (Southern Nazarene) Larry Lewis (Morehouse) Charlene Thomas-Swinson (Auburn) Player development John Lucas III (Oklahoma State) Athletic trainer Bryson Creer (BYU) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured   WNBA roster page
East ATL CHI CON IND NY WAS West DAL GS LV LA MIN PHO SEA

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench
PG	Chelsea Gray	Dana Evans
SG	Kierstan Bell	Jewell Loyd
SF	Jackie Young	Aaliyah Nye
PF	A'ja Wilson	Cheyenne Parker-Tyus
C	NaLyssa Smith	Kiah Stokes Megan Gustafson

References

1. "Mercury stun top-seeded Lynx with furious rally to crash WNBA finals". The Guardian. September 28, 2025. Retrieved October 10, 2025.
2. Mullin, Eric (September 10, 2025). "What we know about the 2025 WNBA playoffs: Teams, bracket, start date and more" . Retrieved September 12, 2025.

External links

• WNBA Playoffs Home