A complete list of WNBA champions
The New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx will play each other in the WNBA Finals this year. As we wait and see who will be crowned the next champion of the league, here are all the previous WNBA Champions.
1. Las Vegas Aces (2023, 2022)
The Aces were the first team to go back-to-back as champions since the 2001-02 season. Headlined by A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray, the Aces led the league in scoring and excelled at protecting the rim. With the leadership between players and guidance by head coach Becky Hammon, the Aces were unstoppable for two seasons.
2. Chicago Sky (2021)
The Sky were the number 6 seed in 2021, and their roster was headlined by league MVP Candace Parker. Parker, along with Courtney Vandersloot and Kahleah Copper, made the Sky one of the most dangerous offenses. Azurá Stevens was the team's best defender. In the fourth quarter, the team came from behind to defeat the Phoenix Mercury.
3. Seattle Storm (2020, 2018, 2010, 2004)
Breanna Stewart will make her fourth appearance in the WNBA Finals this year, her second with the New York Liberty. Before joining the Liberty, Stewie won two championships with the Seattle Storm and was the playoff MVP in both the 2020 run and in 2018. The 2020 Storm, who won in the "Wubble" was a season headlined by social justice support and raising awareness and support for both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Alysha Clark, Sue Bird and Jewell Lloyd were crucial members of the championship run, and the team won their second title in three years. Bird became the first player to win a WNBA Championship in three different decades. The Seattle Storm are one of three teams to win four championships.
4. Washington Mystics (2019)
Emma Meesseman gave Mystic fans one of the best playoff performances in recent history, earning the nickname "Playoff Emma." The series against The Connecticut Sun went all the way to Game 5. Meesseman had 22 points and Elena Delle Donne, playing with three herniated disks in her back, had 21 points over the course of the series. It was an era of championships in D.C., with the Mystics winning their first title, the Washington Capitals winning their first Stanley Cup, and the Washington Nationals winning their first World Series, all in the same calendar year.
5. Minnesota Lynx (2017, 2015, 2013, 2011)
Arguably the most dominant WNBA team in the 2010s, these Lynx championship teams were headlined by Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus Sylvia Fowles and Lindsay Whalen. If the Lynx win this years championship, the franchise will be the first in WNBA history to have five titles under their belt.
6. Los Angeles Sparks (2016, 2002, 2001)
In 2016, the Los Angeles Sparks were sent to Game 5 with Minnesota. While the thought of being on the brink of missing out on the title with a loss, the Sparks were unphased. Candace Parker dropped 28 points in the win to secure the Sparks' third title. Before that, the Sparks were back-to-back champions in 2001 and 2002. Lisa Leslie and Mwadi Mabika both averaged 16.0 points in the 2002 championship series against the New York Liberty.
7. Phoenix Mercury (2014, 2009, 2007)
Diana Taurasi is a two-time Finals MVP for her performances in the 2014 series against the Chicago Sky and the 2009 finals against the Indiana Fever. What set them over the edge in 2014, though, was the arrival of Brittney Griner, whom they drafted with the first overall pick the year prior. Penny Taylor and Cappie Pondexter headlined the 2007 championship team.
8. Indiana Fever (2012)
One of the most feel-good moments in WNBA Finals history was when Tamika Catchings, an 11-year WNBA veteran at that time who played her whole career with the Fever, finally won a ring. She was named Finals MVP and had a supporting cast of Erlana Larkins, Briann January, Erin Phillips and Shavonte Zellous.
9. Detroit Shock (2008, 2006, 2003)
The Detroit Shock won three championships before they moved to Tulsa in 2009. A year before their 2003 title, the Shock started the season 0-10 and finished 9-23, the worst record in WNBA history. The following season started the "worst to first" movement for the Shock. With a new head coach in Detroit Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer, the Shock won their first title after a 25-9 regular season record. In 2006 and 2008, the team rallied with superstar Deanna Nolan, the former all-time points leader for the franchise.
10. Sacramento Monarchs (2005)
The Western Conference of the WNBA in the early 2000s had two juggernauts-- the Houston Comets and the Los Angeles Sparks. With two other talented teams, it was hard for the Monarchs to breakthrough. They finally did in 2005 behind Yolanda Griffith, Nicole Powell, and Rebekkah Brunson.
11. Houston Comets (1997-2000)
In the early days of the W, the Houston Comets were the pinnacle of the sport. They were prolific scorers, lockdown defenders, tough, mean, and in your face. They played with the swagger that comes with winning four straight titles. Headlined by legendary names like Cynthia Cooper, Cheryl Swoopes and Tina Thompson, the Comets were the original super team.