The WNBA begins its 30th season on Friday with a host of compelling storylines, from record-breaking contracts to high-profile roster changes. For the first time, players have signed million-dollar deals under a new collective bargaining agreement, with Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard seeing her salary rise from $75,556 to $1.1m over three years – a 1,389% increase.
The Dallas Wings made the biggest move of the draft, selecting UConn guard Azzi Fudd with the No 1 overall pick. She will reunite with Paige Bueckers, her former college teammate and the reigning rookie of the year, as the Wings look to bounce back from a dismal 10-win season. Bueckers has dismissed concerns about their personal relationship, saying: "It's nobody's business but our own."
Caitlin Clark returns to the Indiana Fever after an injury-hit 2025 campaign in which she managed just 13 games due to groin and ankle problems. The Fever reached the second round of the playoffs without her last year, and with Clark back at full fitness, they will be expected to challenge for the title.
Angel Reese's move from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream was one of the biggest trades of the off-season. She joins a Dream side that finished third in the standings and was narrowly edged out of the second round of the playoffs. Reese links up with All-Stars Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and Brionna Jones, adding a formidable rebounding presence to an already potent line-up.
The reigning champions, the Las Vegas Aces, have added explosive guard Chennedy Carter, who averaged 17.5 points per game in her last WNBA season with the Sky in 2024. After a year abroad, where she scored over 30 points per game in China and Mexico, Carter has returned to join a side that has won three of the last four titles and features four-time MVP A'ja Wilson. "So far, this is the best decision I've ever made in my life," she said.
Off the court, the Golden State Valkyries have been crowned the league's most valuable franchise, with an $850m valuation according to Sportico. They sold out all 22 games at the Chase Center in their inaugural season, set a league attendance record with an average of 18,064 fans, and have sold out 12,000 season tickets for 2026, prompting a waiting list.
