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 fan engagement, record viewership, packed arenas and spectacular basketball.
For three decades, generations of players, teams, fans and so many others
have dedicated themselves to building this league and making a season like this possible. There is tremendous pride in what we’ve accomplished together and even greater excitement for all that lies ahead.
Season Thirty player milestones
The league, from 1997 to 2026, would be nothing without the players.
And many who graced WNBA courts during the 2026 season authored record-making performances.
Atlanta Dream
Angel Reese arrived in Atlanta and made a record-breaking impact, setting the WNBA season records for double-doubles (32) and rebounds (521), while becoming the fastest player to reach 1,000 career rebounds (79 games).
Chicago Sky
In an imperfect Sky season, Kamilla Cardoso enjoyed the most-perfect game in WNBA history, setting a single-game record for most field goals made without a miss (13-for-13).
Connecticut Sun
Connecticut’s Sunset season featured more than a few swats from Brittney Griner, as BG became the WNBA’s career blocks leader with 899.
Dallas Wings
Considering the Wings experienced the greatest single-season turnaround in WNBA history, it’s no surprise that several players established new milestones.
The ever-efficient Paige Bueckers set a WNBA record for points scored in a player’s first two seasons (1,570). The sharpshooting Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to win the WNBA 3-Point Contest at All-Star weekend. And Jessica Shepard, voted Most Improved Player, threatened to become the new triple-double queen, recording a season-high six triple-doubles in 2026.
Indiana Fever
A record-breaking backcourt fueled the Fever to the highest-scoring season in WNBA history, with Indiana averaging 96.0 points per game. Caitlin Clark became the fastest player to reach 1,000 points, 250 rebounds and 250 assists (54 games), while Kelsey Mitchell set the WNBA single-season scoring record with 1,086 points. Mitchell also scored at least 20 points in a record 27-consecutive games.
Las Vegas Aces
In Las Vegas, the now five-time WNBA MVP added to her litany of accomplishments. A’ja Wilson became the first player with multiple 1,000-point seasons and multiple career games with at least 45 points. Wilson also raised her career scoring average to a league-record 22.1 points per game.
Los Angeles Sparks
Nneka Ogwumike will exit the WNBA with the second-most All-Star selections of all-time, tying Diana Taurasi with 11 All-Star nods. Already in possession of the most Kim Perrot Sportsmanship awards in league history, Ogwumike received the honor for a fifth overall, and second-straight, time.
Minnesota Lynx
Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles set WNBA rookie records for total points (790), games scoring at least 20 points (22) and made 3-pointers in a game (8). Kayla McBride also broke one of the league’s most stubborn records, hitting a record 10 3-pointers in a single game.
New York Liberty
Jonquel Jones might be the real MVP. She became the first player to win WNBA MVP (2021), Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game MVP (2023), WNBA Finals MVP (2024) and WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2026).
Phoenix Mercury
In Phoenix, Alyssa Thomas remained a triple-double engine, extending her record number of regular-season triple-doubles to 24 as she record five more in 2026.
Toronto Tempo
Marina Mabrey authored the signature moment of the Tempo’s inaugural season, tying the WNBA single-game scoring record with 53 points on June 25.
Season Thirty coaching milestones
The league’s excellence also is a product of those on the sidelines.
The Minnesota Lynx’s Cheryl Reeve became the WNBA’s all-time leader in regular-season coaching wins, surpassing Mike Thibault’s record of 379. Reeve, voted Coach of the Year for a record-extending fifth time, finished the regular season with 397 career victories.
The Las Vegas Aces’ Becky Hammon looks like the foremost challenger to Reeve’s all-time mark, as she became the second-fastest to reach 150 regular-season wins, achieving the milestone in 205 games.
Season Thirty viewership records
Everyone watches women’s sports. Especially the WNBA.
More than 90 million unique viewers tuned in to more than 320 million hours of WNBA coverage across all national networks during the 2026 regular season. Nine game telecasts averaged more than 2 million viewers, while 51 telecasts averaged at least 1 million viewers
Everyone has continued to tune into the postseason, as the first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs was the most-watched ever, taking in an average of 1.3 million viewers.
Season Thirty attendance records
Everyone also watches women’s sports in person.
This season, the WNBA’s 15 teams welcomed 3.8 million fans across a league-record 330 regular-season games. Average attendance reached 11,474 fans per game.
On July 10, the Toronto Tempo and Dallas Wings set the WNBA single-game attendance record, as 20,996 fans packed the Bell Centre in Montreal. The league’s other 2026 expansion team, the Portland Fire, set a WNBA attendance record for an expansion team’s season opener, drawing more than 19,300 fans to Moda Center for their May 9 re-debut against the Chicago Sky. Chicago later hosted a record-breaking 2026 WNBA All-Star Game at the United Center on July 25 with 19.487 fans.
Overall, the 2026 season saw 212 sellouts, with four teams selling out every game.
Season Thirty international growth
Women’s basketball is a global game.
While the league welcomes evermore international players, with 87 players coming from 30 non-United States countries competing in the league in 2026, the wider world, in turn, increasingly is embracing the WNBA. In 2026, WNBA games and programming reached fans in 214 countries and territories in 25 different languages.
Of course, the WNBA also officially staked a claim outside the United States with the arrival of the Toronto Tempo. The 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup also affirmed the international flavor of the WNBA, with 70 current and former players competing in the tournament in Berlin.
Season Thirty social engagement
Sometimes, it feels like social media is not a positive for the WNBA. (And that might be an understatement.)
That said, engagement on social platforms, like it or not, reflects the continually increasing interest in the league, propelled by fans’—old, new and in between—passion for teams and players.
WNBA social channels generated a record 4 billion social views during the 2026 regular season. The league also saw double-digit percentage growth in engagement on every social media platform where it has a presence, with overall engagement up 24 percent from 2025. Overall, more than 1 million new followers subscribed to WNBA accounts across social media platforms, giving the league a combined following of over 11.4 million.
The league also introduced WNBA ID and new WNBA App features. Launched in April, WNBA ID membership has surpassed 1.7 million, while the WNBA App has more than 1.21 million active users.
