Why are the WNBA Playoffs best-of-3 in the first round?

The WNBA is enjoying a season of explosive growth and this fall, a slew of new fans will be tuning in for their first-ever taste of WNBA Playoffs action. With fewer teams and a shorter season than their NBA counterparts, the WNBA has always had a unique playoff format and the current structure, adopted for the 2022 season, is no exception.

The WNBA Playoffs have included eight teams since 2000 but those teams have advanced through multiple different structures. From 2016 to 2021, the top eight teams were seeded by record, regardless of conference. The top two seeds were given byes for the first two rounds of the playoffs, with the next two seeds also getting a first-round bye. The bottom four seeds would play a one-game, winner-take-all first round. The winners would take on the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds in another one-game, winner-take-all second round. The winners from those series would then move on to play the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in best-of-five semifinals, leading to best-of-five finals.

Those single-game contests in the first two rounds heightened the excitement but they also made a big chunk of the postseason pass in the blink of an eye and created an enormous advantage for the top two seeds who advanced directly to the semifinals.

Starting in 2022, the WNBA eliminated byes and put all eight teams into a typical bracket, again seeded by regular-season record and without regard for conference. The first round is a best-of-three series; the semifinals and finals are best-of-five.

Why are the WNBA Playoffs best-of-3 in the first round?

When the WNBA made the change for the 2022 season, commissioner Cathy Engelbert explained why the league was moving from a one-game first-round to a best-of-three format:

"Following significant discussions with our Competition Committee and a Playoff subcommittee, we formed last year, it was clear that while the prior format’s single-elimination games created a win-and-advance level of excitement to the start of the postseason, the new best-of-three series format will provide added opportunities to create and showcase rivalries with all playoff-eligible teams participating.”

That explains why the WNBA playoffs are no longer a single elimination in the first but it doesn't explain why they aren't best-of-five like the following rounds. While not explicitly stated, it's safe to assume that the league simply has a narrow window in which to finish their postseason. They have announced that the latest possible date for a Game 5 of the Finals will be Oct. 20. That's two days before Opening Night in the NBA, avoiding conflicts with broadcast partners and arena schedules.

The WNBA playoffs will begin on Sunday, Sept. 22.