A WNBA tradition since 2021, the Commissioner’s Cup is set to begin.
This in-season tournament adds some spice to the year and is an indicator not just of the best teams during the summer, but of which can win it all come playoff time.
Over the last five seasons, the Commissioner’s Cup champion has also been a WNBA Finals champion.
The 2020 champs, the Seattle Storm won the first-ever Cup the following season. In 2022, the Las Vegas Aces captured both the Cup and the Finals. After winning the Cup in 2023,
the New York Liberty won the championship in 2024. In 2023 and 2024 Commissioner’s Cup title game was identical to the Finals matchup, first the with the eventual-champion Aces beating the Cup-winning Liberty in 2023 and then with the Liberty winning it all over the Minnesota Lynx team that had defeated them in the Cup final.
Clearly, doing well in this competition bodes well for a team’s title aspirations.
The Commissioner’s Cup group-stage games will be held from June 1 to 17, with the title game on Tuesday, June 30. Every team will compete within its conference, playing one game against each opponent.
For the Eastern Conference, each team will play six games, while every team in the Western Conference will play seven. Once all the games are completed, the top team in each conference will compete in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship on June 30. The game will be hosted by the team with the best winning percentage in regular-season games through June 17.
The winning team will split $5000,000, hoist the trophy and be one step closer to their dream season.
But that’s not the only financial incentive to play in these games. The league makes charitable contributions to non-profit organizations selected by each team. The contributions will be presented to each organization at the conclusion of the Commissioner’s Cup Championship.
So, which squads could raise the Cup this season? Here are the teams we have an eye on. Be sure to share your favorites in the comments.
The Commissioner’s Cup favorites are…
Western Conference: Minnesota Lynx
With Napheesa Collier out to start the year recovering from two ankle surgeries, it was believed the Minnesota Lynx would take a step back.
That has not been the case. Minnesota has started the year 6-2 with the best record in the WNBA.
One of the reasons they’ve played so well is that rookie Olivia Miles has hit the ground running in this league. She is averaging 15.4 points and 5.9 assists per game, the most of any first-year player in both categories.
And with Courtney Williams complementing Miles in the backcourt, they’ve certainly given all WNBA teams a ton of headaches.
In the frontcourt, Natasha Howard is on her way to having a career year. The veteran is averaging 17.3 points per game and converting on 65.6 percent of her attempts. Howard is also grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game, which is also a career best.
Eastern Conference: Atlanta Dream
The Dream made a win-now move by trading for Angel Reese, and it’s been working. Atlanta has started the year 5-2, which makes them the No.1 team in the Eastern Conference.
And while Reese hasn’t wowed in her performances, she has been adjusting well, averaging 13.1 points and 11 rebounds per game.
While Reese was the big splash this offseason for Atlanta, Allisha Gray remains the engine that keeps them running. She’s averaging a team-high 20.4 points per game and remains one of the best guards in the league.
Is Atlanta just off to a hot start, or is this what the Dream will be for the rest of the year? Watching them compete against the entire Eastern Conference should help clarify that answer.
Two more Commissioner’s Cup challengers are…
Western Conference: Dallas Wings
Last year, the Indiana Fever were a surprise team in the Commissioner’s Cup, winning it all despite key injuries.
This year, a couple of teams look to replicate Indiana’s success.
The Dallas Wings have been a very entertaining team to watch. Their head coach, Jose Fernandez, will give an eyebrow-raising quote almost daily, and they have the most intriguing set of guards in the league with Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
With Fudd now a starter and quickly adjusting to the WNBA, perhaps they are even better than their 5-3 record suggests. They certainly have the backcourt scoring needed to overwhelm teams, so don’t be surprised if they come out as the best in the West.
Eastern Conference: New York Liberty
The New York Liberty are never a team that should be counted out.
They’ve been up and down to start the year, but with Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones remaining dominant, they’ll be a tough team to beat.
Jones is averaging 12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and Stewart is averaging a team-high 18.8 points and 8.6 rebounds.
Sabrina Ionescu remains sidelined with a back injury, but we’ll see if she can return sometime this month. If she does, it’ll give the Liberty a much-needed boost and could turn them into Commissioner’s Cup contenders once again.
