WNBA 2025

All this after Kelsey only had 4 points the whole first half -
which came in the 2nd qtr.

Going to be an interesting rest of the season.
4 at home , 5 away.
 
The individual player awards are totally subjective, but I actually agree with pretty much all the consensus opinions presented here. The linked ESPN piece is from a couple days ago.

There can certainly be a conversation for MVP, but if I had a vote, I'd still have to give it to Phee. Yes, she's missed a few games due to injury, but she's undoubtedly Minnesota's superstar and the biggest reason why they're first in the standings with their incredible record right now. I could probably include Alyssa Thomas, who has had a great season with Phoenix so far, and Kelsey Mitchell, who has had the same with Indy, in the MVP conversation.

Shout-out to my girl Veronica Burton regarding Most Improved, but the opinion I agree with most in this piece is definitely Natalie Nakase for Coach of the Year. Shout-out to Cheryl Reeve and Stephanie White, as always, but I can't say enough about what Coach Nakase has done with Golden State.

www.espn.com

WNBA awards tracker: Collier or Wilson for MVP? ESPN names its winners

Has A'ja Wilson done enough to unseat Napheesa Collier as the 2025 MVP favorite? We name our award winners.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
 
Mr. Gregory said:
The individual player awards are totally subjective, but I actually agree with pretty much all the consensus opinions presented here. The linked ESPN piece is from a couple days ago.

There can certainly be a conversation for MVP, but if I had a vote, I'd still have to give it to Phee. Yes, she's missed a few games due to injury, but she's undoubtedly Minnesota's superstar and the biggest reason why they're first in the standings with their incredible record right now. I could probably include Alyssa Thomas, who has had a great season with Phoenix so far, and Kelsey Mitchell, who has had the same with Indy, in the MVP conversation.

Shout-out to my girl Veronica Burton regarding Most Improved, but the opinion I agree with most in this piece is definitely Natalie Nakase for Coach of the Year. Shout-out to Cheryl Reeve and Stephanie White, as always, but I can't say enough about what Coach Nakase has done with Golden State.

www.espn.com

WNBA awards tracker: Collier or Wilson for MVP? ESPN names its winners

Has A'ja Wilson done enough to unseat Napheesa Collier as the 2025 MVP favorite? We name our award winners.
www.espn.com www.espn.com
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MVP should go to the Most Valuable Player, not the best player on the best team. It is, in fact, an individual award.

The fact that Minnesota can win, and win in blowouts over great teams, without Phee disqualifies her in my mind. Those games showed me that Minnesota is the best TEAM in the league.

Kelsey Mitchell is MVP and my mind can't be changed. If she got hurt tomorrow, Indiana would lose every game for the rest of the season by at least 20 points.

There's no way Paige Bueckers won't be Rookie of the Year, no matter what happens from here out. But again, who it will be and should be are different stories. Sonia Citron has carried Washington to some big wins and they may end up making the playoffs because of her. She's made EVERYONE on her team better, the way Caitlin Clark does for Indiana.

Coach of the Year is definitely Golden State's coach.
 
HoneyBadger said:
MVP should go to the Most Valuable Player, not the best player on the best team. It is, in fact, an individual award.

The fact that Minnesota can win, and win in blowouts over great teams, without Phee disqualifies her in my mind. Those games showed me that Minnesota is the best TEAM in the league.

Kelsey Mitchell is MVP and my mind can't be changed. If she got hurt tomorrow, Indiana would lose every game for the rest of the season by at least 20 points.

There's no way Paige Bueckers won't be Rookie of the Year, no matter what happens from here out. But again, who it will be and should be are different stories. Sonia Citron has carried Washington to some big wins and they may end up making the playoffs because of her. She's made EVERYONE on her team better, the way Caitlin Clark does for Indiana.

Coach of the Year is definitely Golden State's coach.
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It's all subjective, brother, and none of us ultimately get a say in the actual vote. Much like Kelsey Mitchell for you, Phee is my MVP right now, and my mind can't be changed. We can have a conversation, though.

Yes, MVP is an individual award, but team success usually plays heavily into it. From my experience watching pro basketball over the years, the logic behind the award generally says that the Most Valuable Player is the best player on the best or one of the best teams that season, the idea being that the MVP led their team to that success. Notwithstanding their recent victories, IMO, there's no way Minnesota goes 28-5 (as of today) without Phee.

I love both Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, but Paige Bueckers is my ROTY.

Glad we agree on Coach Nakase at least.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
It's all subjective, brother, and none of us ultimately get a say in the actual vote. Much like Kelsey Mitchell for you, Phee is my MVP right now, and my mind can't be changed. We can have a conversation, though.

Yes, MVP is an individual award, but team success usually plays heavily into it. From my experience watching pro basketball over the years, the logic behind the award generally says that the Most Valuable Player is the best player on the best or one of the best teams that season, the idea being that the MVP led their team to that success. Notwithstanding their recent victories, IMO, there's no way Minnesota goes 28-5 (as of today) without Phee.

I love both Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, but Paige Bueckers is my ROTY.

Glad we agree on Coach Nakase at least.
Click to expand...

If Phee should be MVP because of team success, then that further cements the argument that Sonia Citron should be Rookie of the Year.

To me, the Most Valuable Player is that player that is so valuable, a team just cannot win without them. Minnesota is the best team in the league by a country mile. They are so stacked that they can win without Napheesa Collier. She could go down with an ACL tomorrow and they will still win the championship.

Indiana lost Caitlin Clark and has still found ways to win games because of Kelsey Mitchell. If Kelsey Mitchell goes down tomorrow, the Indiana Fever lose every game by 20+ points.

Minnesota beating New York without Phee twice, and once by double digits, should be the end of the MVPhee deal. It won't be, but it absolutely should be. Again, it proved that Minnesota is a historically great team.
 
If you're going to argue that Paige Bueckers is ROTY, then you absolutely have to argue for Kelsey Mitchell or A'ja Wilson as MVP over Phee. If you're going to argue that Phee is MVP, then you have to argue for Sonia Citron as ROTY.

Which, BTW, there's no debate in my mind about ROTY. It's Sonia Citron. The way she absolutely dominates games is unreal. She looks like a seasoned pro. Paige Bueckers looks like a flashy rookie.
 
HoneyBadger said:
If Phee should be MVP because of team success, then that further cements the argument that Sonia Citron should be Rookie of the Year.

To me, the Most Valuable Player is that player that is so valuable, a team just cannot win without them. Minnesota is the best team in the league by a country mile. They are so stacked that they can win without Napheesa Collier. She could go down with an ACL tomorrow and they will still win the championship.

Indiana lost Caitlin Clark and has still found ways to win games because of Kelsey Mitchell. If Kelsey Mitchell goes down tomorrow, the Indiana Fever lose every game by 20+ points.

Minnesota beating New York without Phee twice, and once by double digits, should be the end of the MVPhee deal. It won't be, but it absolutely should be. Again, it proved that Minnesota is a historically great team.
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HoneyBadger said:
If you're going to argue that Paige Bueckers is ROTY, then you absolutely have to argue for Kelsey Mitchell or A'ja Wilson as MVP over Phee. If you're going to argue that Phee is MVP, then you have to argue for Sonia Citron as ROTY.

Which, BTW, there's no debate in my mind about ROTY. It's Sonia Citron. The way she absolutely dominates games is unreal. She looks like a seasoned pro. Paige Bueckers looks like a flashy rookie.
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I'm not arguing and absolutely do not have to argue for anything. We're having a conversation, not a debate.

From my experience watching pro basketball, the ROTY award is judged differently from the MVP award and is more of a truly individual award. Though there obviously have been rookies who have done so, they're generally not expected to lead their teams to success right off the bat.

Despite their incredible record, I disagree with the assertion that Minnesota, with or without Phee, is "the best team in the league by a country mile." IMO, NY is the best until they get beaten in the playoffs, and I'm taking Minnesota's victories over them with a grain of salt. NY has been dealing with injury problems of their own.

They just got Jonquel Jones, a former MVP and last year's Finals MVP, back from an injury that I believe lasted a couple weeks. Stewie, another former MVP and consistent MVP contender, has been out for a while. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is out for the season. I don't think Minnesota would have beaten NY as many times this season, especially without Phee, if they had their full roster available.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
I'm not arguing and absolutely do not have to argue for anything. We're having a conversation, not a debate.

From my experience watching pro basketball, the ROTY award is judged differently from the MVP award and is more of a truly individual award. Though there obviously have been rookies who have done so, they're generally not expected to lead their teams to success right off the bat.

Despite their incredible record, I disagree with the assertion that Minnesota, with or without Phee, is "the best team in the league by a country mile." IMO, NY is the best until they get beaten in the playoffs, and I'm taking Minnesota's victories over them with a grain of salt. NY has been dealing with injury problems of their own.

They just got Jonquel Jones, a former MVP and last year's Finals MVP, back from an injury that I believe lasted a couple weeks. Stewie, another former MVP and consistent MVP contender, has been out for a while. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is out for the season. I don't think Minnesota would have beaten NY as many times this season, especially without Phee, if they had their full roster available.
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MVP, like ROTY, is an individual award.

The award for being the best TEAM is the ring you get from winning the WNBA Finals. And the award for being the best player on the best team is being named WNBA Finals MVP.

The entire league is injury-ridden because of these ****-ass refs allowing this backyard street ball BS.

I don't know how Kelsey Mitchell hasn't broken her back carrying the Indiana Fever, but she has carried them. Minnesota is a stacked ass superteam.
 
HoneyBadger said:
MVP, like ROTY, is an individual award.

The award for being the best TEAM is the ring you get from winning the WNBA Finals. And the award for being the best player on the best team is being named WNBA Finals MVP.

The entire league is injury-ridden because of these ****-ass refs allowing this backyard street ball BS.

I don't know how Kelsey Mitchell hasn't broken her back carrying the Indiana Fever, but she has carried them. Minnesota is a stacked ass superteam.
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I've never had a vote that has actually counted for any of these awards and never will, but again, in my experience, the people who do have a vote that counts tend to judge the MVP and ROTY awards by the different criteria I laid out. They're not looked at in exactly the same way.

You don't have to agree with or like the way that I believe they look at it, but that's how I see them looking at it. I didn't set the criteria. 🤷‍♂️

We'll see who ultimately wins these awards. I'm certainly not gonna be upset no matter how it shakes out. Whoever ultimately gets picked will surely be deserving, and somebody somewhere will likely be salty about it. That's their problem if so.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
I've never had a vote that has actually counted for any of these awards and never will, but again, in my experience, the people who do have a vote that counts tend to judge the MVP and ROTY awards by the different criteria I laid out. They're not looked at in exactly the same way.

You don't have to agree with or like the way that I believe they look at it, but that's how I see them looking at it. I didn't set the criteria. 🤷‍♂️

We'll see who ultimately wins these awards. I'm certainly not gonna be upset no matter how it shakes out. Whoever ultimately gets picked will surely be deserving, and some folks will be salty about it. That's their problem if so.
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We already know Phee will win MVP, and we already know Paige will be ROTY.
 
WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP)
The MVP is chosen from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who rank their top five choices for the award. Points are awarded based on the ranking:
  • 1st place: 10 points
  • 2nd place: 7 points
  • 3rd place: 5 points
  • 4th place: 3 points
  • 5th place: 1 point
The player with the most total points wins the MVP award. While there isn't a specific definition for MVP provided by the WNBA, the debate often revolves around statistics, team performance, and the player's overall impact on their team.

WNBA Rookie of the Year (ROTY)
The ROTY is also selected by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Each panel member casts a vote for their first, second, and third-place selections:
  • 1st place: 5 points
  • 2nd place: 3 points
  • 3rd place: 1 point
The player who accumulates the highest point total is named the Rookie of the Year.
 
The NBA MVP only won the championship and MVP about 30% of the time. so, it seems like Stats and players impact played a large role in the determination.

www.interbasket.net

The 13 NBA MVPs That Won NBA Championship in the Same Season - Interbasket

Winning an NBA MVP is the ultimate individual accolade. Winning an NBA championship is the ultimate team accomplishment. Doing both in the same season? That’s reserved for a select, historic group of players who not only dominated statistically but carried […]
www.interbasket.net www.interbasket.net

The 13 NBA MVPs That Won NBA Championship in the Same Season​


The 23 Times NBA MVP Won a Championship in Same Season​

Achieving both the MVP and an NBA championship in the same season is more than just a resume boost—it’s legacy-defining and it’s only happened 23 times — about 30% of the time.
 
I think everything you bolded in your previous post plays an impact, Muggle, and the info from that last post doesn't surprise me. Of course being the MVP and winning a title in the same season is pretty rare - the MVP award obviously isn't a predictor of who will win the championship that year.

Like I said earlier, in my experience, they usually go with the best player on one of the best teams that season. No, the MVP certainly does not have to be the best player on the team with the #1 record or the team that later went on to win the championship.
 
Hopefully, Sophie Cunningham will be okay in the long run. Basketball is just a game. The most important thing is to heal and to have a complete recovery (along with no permanent scars for her instagram legs)
 
HoneyBadger said:
If Phee should be MVP because of team success, then that further cements the argument that Sonia Citron should be Rookie of the Year.

To me, the Most Valuable Player is that player that is so valuable, a team just cannot win without them. Minnesota is the best team in the league by a country mile. They are so stacked that they can win without Napheesa Collier. She could go down with an ACL tomorrow and they will still win the championship.

Indiana lost Caitlin Clark and has still found ways to win games because of Kelsey Mitchell. If Kelsey Mitchell goes down tomorrow, the Indiana Fever lose every game by 20+ points.

Minnesota beating New York without Phee twice, and once by double digits, should be the end of the MVPhee deal. It won't be, but it absolutely should be. Again, it proved that Minnesota is a historically great team.
Click to expand...
The Minnesota Lynx have a perfect 5-0 win-loss record when Napheesa Collier doesn't play in the 2025 WNBA season.
This impressive streak comes despite Collier missing games due to an ankle injury she sustained on August 2, 2025. The Lynx are currently 28-5 overall and lead the WNBA standings.
The team's success in Collier's absence highlights their overall depth and strong team play. While Collier is a key player and MVP candidate, the Lynx have continued to perform at a high level with other players stepping up.

My last post for a while as I need to take a break and recuperate from my eye surgery.
 

muggle not said:
The Minnesota Lynx have a perfect 5-0 win-loss record when Napheesa Collier doesn't play in the 2025 WNBA season.
This impressive streak comes despite Collier missing games due to an ankle injury she sustained on August 2, 2025. The Lynx are currently 28-5 overall and lead the WNBA standings.
The team's success in Collier's absence highlights their overall depth and strong team play. While Collier is a key player and MVP candidate, the Lynx have continued to perform at a high level with other players stepping up.

My last post for a while as I need to take a break and recuperate from my eye surgery.
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Best wishes for a great recovery.
 
Don't look now, but Vegas has quietly started to get their act together. They've been on a nice winning streak and have moved up to fifth in the standings, right in the mix record-wise with everyone else.

I may have said at some point last season that A'ja reminds me of Tim Duncan, and perhaps in some ways, like in terms of the championships she's won and her crafty but not flashy post moves, she does. However, I think I actually see Phee more so as Duncan today, with her quiet, positive, humble demeanor. When I watch A'ja play, I more so see Kevin Garnett and his intensity in her. Both ladies are all business on the court, just like KG and Timmy were.

Hopefully Phee comes back soon. She's listed as a game time decision in the WNBA app for tonight's game against NY, but I thought I saw a piece somewhere saying that she's been ruled out.
 
IMG_1693.jpeg


😂🙋🏻‍♂️👋✌️🖕

Enjoy the couch, Bria and Marina.
 
Perusing the box scores from yesterday's games, NY beat Minnesota last night. Stewie and Phee both sat out and will hopefully both be back soon. NY is also missing Nyara Sabally and Isabelle Harrison, the latter due to a concussion. JJ and Sab had double-doubles (22 points/10 boards and 17 points/11 assists, respectively).

Kah Copper dropped 25 points, including 5 threes, on Golden State in a 98-91 win for Phoenix. I feel like that's an unusually high scoring Golden State game. Shout-out to my girl Veronica Burton, who finished with 24 points and 14 assists! She has really come into her own this season. ^_^
 
Thank you, Sophie.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham told her mom to delete a post on social media slamming Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley as a "disgruntled player" after Cunningham suffered a season-ending knee injury during Sunday’s game.

The Fever announced Tuesday that Cunningham would miss the remainder of the season after she suffered a right knee injury when Hartley fell into her leg in the second quarter of Indiana’s 99-93 overtime win over the Sun.

Cunningham’s mom, Paula, took to social media after the injury to call out Hartley in a since-deleted post on X.

"Hartley is a disgruntled player having trouble everywhere she goes; she’s plain mean and plays out of control."

But Cunningham revealed in her podcast, "Show Me Something," that she told her mom to delete the post, adding that she and Hartley are good friends.

"There was no ill intent. I think it was a basketball play. I was just in the wrong spot at the wrong time; she fell," Cunningham said. "There’s no way she would go in there and intentionally try to hurt me. I have nothing but love for Bria, and I even told my mom, because she tweeted something, I was like, ‘No, mom! I get it, but I promise you that Bria and I are super cool and she would never try to hurt me.’"

Cunningham continued, "There are some girls that I think might, but she wouldn’t do that. I have nothing but love, and I hope people stop giving Bria some heat because I don’t think she meant to do that at all."
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Fever's Sophie Cunningham tells mom to stand down after season-ending injury | Fox News

Sophie Cunningham revealed that she told her mom to delete a harsh post on social media about Bria Hartley after the Indiana Fever guard was injured in a play with her on Sunday.
www.foxnews.com www.foxnews.com
 
Geez, Paige dropped 44 on LA! That's the most points in a single game by any player this season so far, isn't it?

I swear, every time I turn around, LA is having a nailbiter of a game, and usually winning. They've had a really nice run over their last 10 games or so. Plum Dawg sealed the deal this time.



When it comes to ROTY, no, Dallas not making the playoffs won't matter and wouldn't have mattered regardless of Paige's incredible performace yesterday. Team performance generally doesn't seem to weigh as heavily with regard to the ROTY award as it does with regard to the MVP award. ROTY is more of a truly individual award.
 
Props to Chicago, who went into Barclays and beat NY 91-85 yesterday. Cardoso and Reese both had strong double-doubles - Cardoso finished with 22 points and 15 boards, and Reese added 21 and 10 in 29 minutes.

Also, shout-out to Atlanta, who beat Minnesota by two points, 75-73. Allisha Gray scored 27 points, and Jessica Shepard had 15 points and 16 boards for Minnesota.
 
Mr. Gregory said:
Props to Chicago, who went into Barclays and beat NY 91-85 yesterday. Cardoso and Reese both had strong double-doubles - Cardoso finished with 22 points and 15 boards, and Reese added 21 and 10 in 29 minutes.

Also, shout-out to Atlanta, who beat Minnesota by two points, 75-73. Allisha Gray scored 27 points, and Jessica Shepard had 15 points and 16 boards for Minnesota.
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No upset in Atlanta beating the Lynx. Atlanta is a very good team.

Chicago beating NY though is what I call an upset. The Sky, Sun, and Wings are the worst teams in the WNBA this year.

The Fever with all their injuries this year is only 2 games behind the Liberty in the loss column. Granted that NY has had their share of injuries, but no one has had more injuries than Indiana.
 
muggle not said:
No upset in Atlanta beating the Lynx. Atlanta is a very good team.

Chicago beating NY though is what I call an upset. The Sky, Sun, and Wings are the worst teams in the WNBA this year.

The Fever with all their injuries this year is only 2 games behind the Liberty in the loss column. Granted that NY has had their share of injuries, but no one has had more injuries than Indiana.
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I don't have a huge vested interest in who wins the title this year, but if it's not Minnesota, I wouldn't mind it being Atlanta. I feel like they've kinda flown under the radar like Minnesota did last year, hence why I gave them the shout-out. I haven't talked about them much. They have a really good group that has been coached well by Karl Smesko, and they're fun to watch.

The standings are all fairly close behind Minnesota. Gonna be interesting to see where everybody finishes and to see who draws who in the first round of the playoffs.
 
Three sad facts.

Caitlin Clark does not play basketball tonight.

Sophie Cunningham does not play basketball tonight.

Aari McDonald does not play basketball tonight.

IMG_1737.jpeg
 
I can't believe Jessica Shepard's stats from the Indy/Minnesota game yesterday. She had a triple-double - 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists! Way to go, Jessica! ^_^

McBuckets scored 29 points, and Tisha Hiedeman added 17 off the bench.

For Indy stat-wise, looks like it was indeed all Kelsey Mitchell and my #1 hustler, Lexie Hull. They made a game out of it at least.
 
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